This is a bit of a goodbye and hello post.
It's been a while since I've blogged but now the new writelink blog site is up and running, I'm hoping to get back into blogging there.
So I'm saying goodbye to this blog and a big thank you to all those of you have subscribed. If you wish to subscribe to my new blog (please do), then you can find me on writelink at: http://www.writelink.co.uk/community/blogs/posts/sarah_james or on wordpress at: http://sarahjameswrites.wordpress.com/
Hope to catch up with you there soon.

I have just completed updating my new blog at wordpress.com

www.valkyrie1008.wordpress.com

Which has already receieved just under 100 page views and I have a record breaking 19 views on Monday which beated the 10 views I had on 2 days last week! So I'm becoming a little bit popular over there.

I have also written my draft ghost story with a Viking twist for a competition I am planning on entering. You can find, read it and give feedback in the Fiction Arena on the Writelink/community site. Please do look it up as I need all the help I can get as I'm not good at making people scared so its more of a paranormal mystery than a scary ghost story.

I have also had one of my Jorvik Festival photographs on Flickr,

http://www.flickr.com/photos/valkyrie1008

Asked to be featured in an online map service by a website called Schmaps, as they are forming an online map guide of York! I have agreed to submitting it formally and now I just have to keep my fingers crossed that they get back to me by the end of the month when the guide is released to say 'Yes' they have included it!

And I am also proud to announce that my home made film of my crazy squirrel neighbours running in circles has made it to the Autumn Watch website!! Follow this link to see them in action.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/autumnwatch/yourmovies/gallery_garden.shtml?id=150288

Here's to keeping my fingers crossed that it gets featured live on Autumn Watch Unsprung after the main show

Very busy as you can see with so many little bits of fame occuring to me recently. I only hope it all leads up to give fame event involving me.

I've lost count of the amount of Library Induction talks I've given and to be honest I think I got worse with each one I gave as I always came away from it realising only later I forgot to mention some small thing. Stumbling over my own words didn't help but it's hard to talk to a bunch of teenagers when they're all bigger than me, look my own age and clearly wonder what the hell I'm doing talking down to them.

But that's what happens when you're born 5 weeks prem and don't have a growth spurt and loose too much weight when you're 17 from having Glandula Fever and Tonsalitas at the same time. Well their my excuses anyway for my slim and tiny body. Althought my partner would disagree having witnessed my love of cheese in nearly every meal. Apart from breakfast of course.

Anyway I've been busy with Induction groups for the first time, gaining courage and confidence with the countless times I have had to tell teenagers to be quiet, put food away, no drinking in the library other than water, showing them where books are and a lot of other things.

And this is all with a cold during the last week which I still have a bit of in the form of a little cough which is something I don't often get. So I haven't really been up to updating any blog or doing much creative.

But then along came Milli! My Bestest Northern mate who finally returned my area after a year back in blessed North Yorkshire away on placement so I spent the past weekend catching up with her. I reckon we talked a lot longer than the film we somehow managed to watch without talking hehehe but we did have a years worth of stuff to catch upon because we've both been busy these past 12 months. It was thankfully with Milli that I managed to have enough strength for a shopping trip around Manchester Victoria where I discovered the huge Arndale Centre with the greatest shop ever inside - called Luvyababes! WHAT A NAME! And it was such a cool fancy dress shop and it is from there that I got my latest favourite clothing of all time - my medieval gown! You can see pics of me in along with my awesome viking inspired cloak in personal blog www.wilsonswords-valkyrie.blogspot.com. I managed to wrangle my partner into photographing me so although they're not fantastic I think he managed to do me justice in my outfit.

Then having ended the weekend on the high I finally managed to complete a task I've been longing to do for a few weeks - submitt my little bit famous valkyrie story to the Interzone fantasy magazine. They do alot of stories with a modern, contemporary and unconventional or untypical twist in them and I figured my valkyrie story being set in modern times might fit quite well. So I followed their submission guidelines to the letter and sent it all off with bells on in the post last Monday (21st). Now it's the i'm-not-really-anxious-or-impatient-for-a-reply game that I must play or I will drive myself crazy with expectation everytime I open the letter box.

That is about all the news and events I have to report on so far other than I'm hoping to at least get some more reading done this weekend if not any writing because I haven't touch a good book for a while

I did have a small problem getting into my inbox (mystery) but as I am on good terms with the Creative Director Michael Crampton he kindly sent to me the newsletter tester link so it's all the same just is addressed to 'insert name' hehehehe.

It not only features snippets of my little bit famous short story which has won the description of 'great' from Joanne Harris but it also displays some pictures of me and of the Vikings I photographed at this years Jorvik Festival in York.

Please follow this link and take a gander and may perhaps your heart be won over by the great tales of interest and wonder of our northern ancestors in what used to be the Danelaw.

http://www.dismorphia.com/Newsletters/20090901-9623/index.html

On another creative note I have recieved my 14 favourite picture prints and have now the horrible task of just selecting 4 to enter into the Countryfile Photographic competition - the deadline being this friday so I really have only today and tomorrow to choose. I'm just grateful I have some good work colleagues and work in a college with a photography department. I just hope one of their staff can visit me before it's too late!

I am also being brave and hopefull with my written work by entering my little bit famous Valkyrie story into the British Fantasy Society Short Story Competition. With much relief I don't have to wait months to find out if I get anywhere with it as the over all winner is announced by the 19th of September so I'm told. So it's 18 days and counting on that score. *fingers crossed*.

So thats 2 things I have to keep my fingers crossed for. Plus I may be doing some free lance writing work for the Dismorphia website I mentioned previously such as running a type of writing clinic on their forum once they have got one set up on their website as well as featuring my Valkyrie story there plus writing reviews or commentaries for any Viking/Angl0-saxon era events I attend. Which will be dominantly the Jorvik Festival in Febraury WOOOO!

So my name may be taking the first few steps in world domination by first appearing a lot in the big World Wide Web muwahahahahaha (only joking).

I have finally started writing the sequel to my little bit famous valkyrie short story and got up to 1,800 words by the end of the week. It is still majorly in it's infant stages and will need several re-writes and edits but I hope to have it finished before the end of October.

I start back to work at my local college Library tomorrow, can't wait to show my colleagues all my lovely pictures and give them their holiday presents I know they're going to love them!

Just need to hand over the old flat keys to former estate agency tomorrow night, wait another month for more money to come in from work and then I might be able to invest in a lovely shiny new PC then I'll have much more room for my pictures as well as my game files.

Still intending on sending my little bit famous short story off to TA Press to be featuring in the Interzone magazine which focuses on Science Fiction and Fantasy stories but have yet to get round to that but will be able to once I have access to the printing facilities at the college I work at plus sorted out the study where my desk isn't even yet because my beloved partner hasn't unpacked all his stuff yet!

But on a brighter note I may have made another little step in my domination of the world with my Viking obsession. I have been in contact with a man who is developing a Viking virtual world website, it's titled Dismorphia. Alot of is still in developement and so far it has only managed to establish a monthly e-newsletter to those you are interested in using and developing its features. The key for me is in their e-newsletter where they have a section for Saga's, short tales of fictional and true characters from the Viking era. I informed this man about my little bit famous short story and he is interested in featuring it. Sadly he can't fit it all in their newsletter but I selected a few intriguing parts and sent them to him where he will also feature a link with them to direct curious readers here, to my little known blog, where they can read the full version! So slowly but surely I am reaching out to more readers (hopefully) and then perhaps some editor or agent will pick upon my talent and I'll have a JK Rowling moment. But I will keep you updated as the newsletter isn't released again until September.

I think that's all the busy news I have for the moment, do please check out my Deviantart Gallery at the bottom to look at my pictures, there are more then what is shown. I would love to know what people think as I am starting to decide which pictures to send off to the BBC Countryfile Photographic competition and I can sadly only send 4. So all input is much appreciated!

As for the mill - well the feeling is that we are reaching a crisis point. Loads happening & when I'm not working, writing articles, media releases, or submissions, then I seem to spend my life going from meeting to meeting in relation to all the different strands of the desperate fight to stop this polluting monolith from wrecking our valley and our lives. We are much closer to the ultimate position of blockading the road. What could be the dress rehearsal for this is planned for next week. And I'm very sweaty-palmed at the thought of it.

More later. Or that's the plan.

Now all I have to do is pack!

Yet somewhere amongst all this chaos and running around like a headless chicken I managed to come up with a new short story plot to sequel my somewhat famous Valkyrie story.
However there may be a light at the end of the tunnel for my creative spark as I like to think of it which has been sadly pushed down with so many real life grown up issues I'm amazed how I came up with a new plot at all. Once (all being well) we have moved all mine and my partners belongings into my new flat I have a week off work not just to make the flat as much as home as possible but I will also have time to be creative. And as a very late new years resolution I have set myself the challenge of starting and completing at least 1 creative thing per day if not a nice total of two. And it can be in any medium, style or manner as long as it's creative and I have fun doing it.

Yet you, my dear one in a zillion reader (if I have any at all that is) will not get to see these creative works when I complete them as I do not get the internet installed at our new flat till next thursday (that is if Virgin does everything right and on time for once). So consider my presence away on holiday so to speak, which technically it is as it is the summer holidays, and my creative works snap shots of what my imagination has been doing on my imagintive travels.

Until then, I bid you adeu!

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