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Move over Harry Potter, there’s a new powerful stone taking the lead!

Ancient History revisited, Articles on writing6 Comments

Now, you must be thinking what this blog post is about and whether I’ve imbibed too much fermented grape juice. (Been there, done that, getting harder to recover… hic…)

All jokes aside, alchemy is the impetus for this article. Why the sudden interest in the ‘arcane sciences’? My upcoming novella series, Coins of Time, is about a family heirloom that has unusual properties and once was a stone.

The Alchemist in Search of the Philosopher’s Stone, by Joseph Wright, 1771 By Joseph Wright of Derby –

Wikipedia

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#IWSG Have I made friends through the blogosphere?

Articles on writing24 Comments

I’ve just joined Alex J. Cavanaugh’s The Insecure Writer’s Support Group. (Click on the link to learn more.) The goal of the support group is to share doubts and concerns, and reassure other writers who have struggled by offering assistance and guidance.

The first Wednesday of every month is officially Insecure Writer’s Support Group day where we post our thoughts on doubts and the fears and how we triumphed. There are other bloggers listed who share their writing journey and I encourage you to check them out.

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10 Facts about King Leonidas of Sparta

Ancient History revisited, Articles on writing8 Comments

This must seem like a random blog post, but it isn’t. I am trying to get back on track with writing and researching for my novella series of which I received a very comprehensive edit from my editor leading into Christmas and about the same time the family was sent into a bit of a spin.

King Leonidas doesn’t feature as a character in my story, though I am sure there is one for me to delve into, however he is mentioned as a possible familial link to the main character.

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2021 Goals

Articles on writing, Ramblings8 Comments

I won’t be reflecting on the year that was 2020, too much happened, instead I am looking ahead to what I can do, and learn to accept what I cannot control. This is going to be difficult to overcome, not that I am a control freak, I just like to know how to handle situations. I am quite an independent 21st Century woman (like many women today), make lots of decisions—personally and professionally. I guess accepting what I cannot control is a mentality I need to adjust, for my own piece of mind and for family members.

For 2021, I have split my personal and professional goals, though they do impact each other as you will see.

Photo by Markus Winkler on Unsplash
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A belated Christmas cheer

Ramblings10 Comments
Christmas in Australia
Source: https://www.theholidayspot.com/christmas/worldxmas/australia.htm

Happy belated Christmas to you all. It didn’t quite go as planned, we had unpleasant news in the lead up to Christmas, but life is like that. The aim now is to look ahead and move forward. We did have a lot to be grateful for after receiving positive news on Christmas Eve, and we enjoyed gathering at my parents place for Christmas lunch. (FYI: we had the hottest day for Christmas at 40 degrees Celsius. The last one was in 1968!)

In this short blog post, I want to wish you all the very best for the coming New Year and that you had a lovely Christmas and festive season.

I will back in 2021.

Warm wishes,
Luciana

Still around

Articles on writing4 Comments

It has been a while since my last blog post, September to be exact. I can’t actually believe it’s been that long. It was not my intent to be away for so many months, the hiatus came about from focussing on my writing. This is where a lot of my time has gone into, that and my day job teaching, and that has consumed a great deal of my mental and physical energy. Finding the capacity to write out of school hours and also spending time with family and friends hasn’t been the easiest part of my life to balance.

Still here
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To the victor go the spoils

Ancient History revisited, My Books

‘Well behaved women rarely make history.’

Eleanor Roosevelt

Imagine yourself sitting in a magnificent citadel and outside you can hear the roar of men as they charge at each other. The ringing of swords as the warriors’ clash. The thunder of hooves as horse drawn chariots race across the plains of Troy. The whistling of arrows jettisoned into the air. The cries of men as they are stabbed, slashed, pierced and hacked. The ground covered with dead bodies. The stench of blood, urine and loosened bladders suffocates and billows into the air. Ten long years, you have listened and watched the decimation of human life. What could you have done? What should have you done?

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It was a Heraklean feat

Ancient History revisited10 Comments

Herakles was a flawed character and it began with his birth, or rather when Zeus impersonated Amphitryon, who happened to betrothed to Herakles’ mother, Alcmene. Zeus, ever with the wandering eye, happen to see Alcmene and was instantly smitten and wanted her. While Amphitryon was away on a mission, being a prince and a warrior, avenging the death of Alcmene’s brothers, Zeus disguises himself as her beloved and nine months later, Herakles was born. What happens next, makes for a great story, as all Greek myths do.

Heracles and the Nemean Lion. Side B from an black-figure Attic amphora, ca. 540 BCE
Image courtesy of Wikipedia
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Book Launch – Against all odds by Jacqui Murray

Book tours/Blog tours, Visiting Authors5 Comments

I am very pleased to announce Jacqui Murray’s newest publication in the Crossroads series. I have read most of Ms. Murray’s books, and still to read Book 2 in this series. You can read my review of her first book, Survival of the Fittest on Amazon.

Tagline
Xhosa’s extraordinary prehistoric saga concludes, filled with hardship, courage, survival, and family.

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