15/04/2013 - Blog Poll, Please VOTE!

Hello!

So as you see (or should see) to the right, we have a poll going on. The reason? Well, my posts or updates have been really slow lately. I've run out of ideas. :-\ That and I don't have much time to organise my posts until the 19th of April (my holiday's start then).

So to help me decide what to post next, I created a poll. Anyone can vote on this blog, so please, take 30 seconds of your time and click a button. Seriously. DO IT!!!

Anyway, to help you with your choice, I have decided to post a little bit about each choice here.



#1 - Short Stories - These will be spontaneous, not really regular. They will also vary in topic. The good thing about this is that you can suggest things for me to write about.

#2 - Book Reviews/Recommendations - These will be once a week, whenever I finish a book. They will usually be about Wattpad stories that I get requests to read, so you might not be able to go and buy a copy if you want to read it.

#3 - Informative Articles - Articles from around the world about the biggest news topics, my take on them. They'll be informative, but opinionated, too. I can never seem to stick with detached, boring news article type speech.

#4 - Interviews With Other Authors - These will be sparse. I cannot guarantee when these will be posted, but if you would like to see them, I will try to get them. They won't be with huge authors like J.K Rowling though.

#5 - Guest Posts - Posts by other authors. Cannot guarantee these will happen but I will try my best to make it happen if you want them. Also, if you want to contribute something to the blog, please let me know.

#6 - A Blog-Only Story, 1 Chapter Per Week (for 6 months) - I will write a 24 chapter story for the blog only, posting one chapter a week for 6 months. These will be short chapters, but hopefully enjoyable. This story, although yet to be confirmed, will be about a girl who wakes up in hospital and finds out that she has full use of her brain and now has special powers. I've been wanting to write this story for a while, but I can never find the motivation to finish it as I have no plans to get it published.

#7 - Poems - I hate poetry, but I will try to write a poem a week. No guarantee on them being any good though.



Anyway, now you know what the choices are. So look to the right and VOTE!!

14/04/2013 - Need A Good Book To Read?

Yes, yes, yes, I know. I am a very bad blogger >:( But hate me all you want, because I have a new post for you!

But first, I sincerely apologise for not posting like I should have. It is very irresponsible of me. The only excuse I can offer is that I am very busy with university right now. That, and I have no idea what to write about. I need suggestions people! I'll be adding a poll on the sidebar soon, so keep an eye out for that.

Anywho, since my friend Geri is really slack at answering her phone, the weekly book review is no more. Instead, I am recommending a whole new blog, dedicated to book reviews.

This blog is called 'ALPHA reader', and I'm not sure how often they update because I've just started following them myself, but they're away right now so they're taking a hiatus from posting. However, I still recommend checking out this blog if you're desperately seeking a new book to read.

Well, I'm going to bed. It's nearly 10pm where I live and I have Uni tomorrow, so I better get some sleep. Goodnight readers! (:

09/04/2013 - To Create A Vampire

Ingredients
8 x Centranthus Flowers (signify immortality & never ending love)
6 x Dahlia Flowers (create extreme beauty and selfishness)
3L Apple Water (create immunity from sickness)
12 x Wild Delphinium Flowers (create bloodlust)
2 x fruit bat fangs (enhance teeth strength for tearing flesh)
15 x mosquitoes - dead, crushed (create desire for blood)
1L Drinkers own blood (extra strength for transition and need to feed)
1 x Large Tiberium Jewel (creates venom for ability to turn others into vampires)


Method

1. Crush the petals of the Centranthus, Dahlia and Wilde Delphinium in a small bowl.
2. In another bowl, crush the fangs of the fruit bat. Add the fangs to the crushed flower petals.
3. In a large bowl or jug, mix the apple water with the blood. It MUST be the blood of the drinker or this will not work.
4. Crush the mosquitoes and add them to the liquid. Then add the flower/fang mixture.
5. Melt the Tiberium jewel and add it to the liquid.
6. Mix everything by stirring the concoction twelve times clockwise, then once anti-clockwise.
7. Repeat step 6 twice more.
8. Once stirred, say this: "Tibi Immortalitatem. Tibi aeternam salutem. Sis semper et perpetuo valere decet. Ego donum et maledicentibus vobis cum vitae. Ita mote sit."
9. The drinker should then take the potion.

*the spell must be performed at midnight*

8/04/2013 - Future Spells

TO SEE THE FUTURE

Passing moments as you dance
Call upon my sacred glance
Call upon my witches sight
Bless me with vision, a sacred light,
Moving time, making flight
Give me now a second sight




TO VISIT THE FUTURE

My knowledge gone, I must move on
Take me to the future at once





TO RETURN FROM THE FUTURE

My time is up, I found what lack
Send me home, send me back





TO SUMMON FROM THE FUTURE

With knowledge that is not yet sound
Keep me rooted to the ground
Begging for a gift to flay
Send it back to help my aid





TO SEND TO THE FUTURE

There are things not of this time
nor in their rightful and proper place
I use the power inside of me
Send them back through time and space

07/04/2013 - Truth Spells

MIDNIGHT TRUTH SPELL
Also known as: Full Moon Truth Spell

Moon and tide please help me now
I seek the truth here not yet found,
Let this night be unlike others
Let the noble show their colours,
The moon is seeking out her sun
Make the evil scream and run,
And by the power that is me
So as I will it, so shall it be.





HOUSEHOLD TRUTH SPELL

For those who want the truth revealed
Open their hearts and secrets unseal
From now until it's now again
From now which the memories end
For those who are now in this house
Only the truth will be heard from their mouths





ONLY ONE TO KNOW THE TRUTH

I cast a spell in every day,
To see the truth, to know the way,
I conjure the truth by the power of me,
Give thy truth unto me.

29/03/2013 - Easter Break & Monthly Newsletter

Hello all! I'm very sorry, but in my country, it's Easter Break this weekend, so I'm going away, and I won't be home until the 2nd of April. I'm really sorry, but this unfortunately means that I won't be posting anymore until then. I apologise if you are a regular visitor, so please accept my apology. When I get back, I will try and write as much as possible.

Also, the weekly book review by Geri Craig will not be happening this weekend as scheduled. It will start the week after, on the 7th of April.

I am also thinking of releasing a monthly newsletter. It will only be about a page or two, because it will consist of the top 5 posts per month, as well as one of Geri Craig's book reviews.

If there is something you would like to see in the newsletter or on the blog, let me know. Also, if you have any comments/letters/rants about the blog or news or anything else, please submit a 150 word (no more!) to me via e-mail. I will post three in the newsletter. Also, to receive the newsletter, you will need to email me and let me know. Your email will go into a spreadsheet so you can stop receiving the newsletter any time. I will not spam you with mail - you should only receive a newsletter from me once a month, unless things change.

Comment below your thoughts about a newsletter.

Write soon!
Ashleigh Neame

27/03/2013 - Why 'The Second Venefica' is NOT Cliché

Well, I'm back again, and this time, I'm writing about why I love my third novel, The Second Venefica.

Ok, so I was reading this story on Wattpad on Monday night, called "Why I would love to slap some of the writers on Wattpad", written by Wattpadder loveforever27. The chapter 'Sighs Dramatically' is all about cliché stories that people seem to love reading.

Was Twilight a cliché? Yep. It was all about the new girl at school managing to grab the attention of the schools most eligible bachelor, and eventually winding up married to him as part of their Happily-Ever-After.

But seriously, when does it happen in real life? Not that I've seen! (If it's happened to you, comment below).

Anyway, further down in the post, the writer mentions one of the most cliché storylines ever - Good girl meets Bad boy and hates him, and then they lowly fall in love.

Right, so this storyline got me thinking about The Second Venefica (which is still being written - follow me on Wattpad to read a new chapter every week).

In my story, (I hope I'm not giving too much away here!), the heroine, Lily, cannot fall in love with the villian, Thaddeus. The reason? She already fell in love with him! There's a whole backstory about Queen Liluri and Thaddeus' love, and if you've read my other posts about this story, you would know that Queen Liluri was Lily's past life.

So really, in thinking about it, my book is similar, but doesn't follow that storyline. Genius! I was so worried about it being cliché.

Ok, so TSV sort of follows another Wattpad cliché storyline - the one with the heroine having non-existent parents.

To be honest, TSV doesn't have that, at least, not entirely. At one point or another, Lily is always in the care of one parent, i.e. she's always living with either her mum or dad (except in the beginning when she lives with her boyfriend, but keeps in close contact with her mum).

When the book is set in the Western Island of Paradise, Lily lives with her mum. When it's set in the Central Island, she lives with her dad. If she ever goes to the Northern Island though, she'll be in the care of her great-great-great grandmother who is an ex-witch, and a vampire. If Lily goes to the Eastern or Southern Islands, I'm not sure who she'll be in the care of, but I'll figure that out later.

My point is, through most of the book, Lily is under the care of at least one family member. So really, The Second Venefica hints at being cliché, but is not entirely cliché.

Thank god for that, huh?

To read the funny ass ranting of loveforever27, visit http://www.wattpad.com/1671338-why-i-would-like-to-slap-some-of-the-writers-on

24/03/2013 - Want To Write For The Blog?

Yes, yes, you can write for this blog!

As you may know, I'm running a blog series about 'Self-Publishing vs. Traditional Publishing: Which Is Best?' Unfortunately, I've only ever gone the self-published way, so my information is pretty much limited to just that.

I then came up with the idea of asking traditionally published writers to write an article about their experiences with publishing.

But now, I'm taking it one step further.

I am now looking for people who have published a book, who are willing to write an article about their experience with publishing. If you would like to do this, please comment below or email me at author.ashleighneame@hotmail.co.nz (copy and paste the email address).

Suggested Topics:
- Getting a manuscript ready for submission
- Finishing a manuscript
- The best way to publish a book (in your opinion)
- Your experience publishing your book
- The search for the right publisher
- Getting accepted/rejected

Those are only suggested topics - if you have an idea for an article, email me or comment below and I will review the topic.

Each article MUST be 800 to 2,500 words.

I hope those of you who are published authors will consider writing an article, because I want  this blog to help other writers who dream of being published (or dream of completing a novel).