McKoala Days: March 2011

Tuesday, March 29, 2011

Mad March!

Were you mad for it in March? Or were you too busy diligently carving a novel out of the keyboard?

Come and confess! The Koala is waiting...

Report your writing activities and points in the comment trail!

Check up on the rules here.

Wednesday, March 23, 2011

Party on!

Free books and a lot of fun over at Phoenix's new 'Extinct Doesn't Mean Forever' blog!

Count down to competition...

Starting in a mere four hours over at Phoenix's blog - see below and rush on over there to enter!

Saturday, March 19, 2011

Eerie, bloody, mysterious...

And that's just my toe claws... No, seriously. Oh, OK then.

A few months ago, McK released the Fangs of Doom and spurted out a little tale for an e-anthology: 'Extinct Doesn't Mean Forever'.

The anthology was launched this weekend on Amazon - click on the cover above to check it out. The McK contribution is 'Blood Fruit' and you'll also find a Peter Dudley story in there. All that and more, for a mere $2.99! How can you say no?

Although... you could always try and win a copy before you buy... There will be a launch party this Wednesday 23 March, at editor Phoenix Sullivan's blog. Chat! Competitions! Prizes! Prizes include electronic copies of the anthology, along with goodies contributed by Evil Editor.

Drop by between 8 am Wed and 8 am Thur US Central Time to enter!

Or just go straight to Amazon and order your copy now...

Sunday, March 13, 2011

Scores updated!

Not quite so many on Approved this month I see...tsk tsk.

And a Smackdown! Written - what happened? Did the Goggy Lovin' keep you away from the keyboard.

Stacy in a weird and uncharacteristic episode of kindness I gave you one point for 'barely 4000' - at least you had the honesty to come and report it. Don't you all go expecting such generosity from me every month now.

See how pretty I am with wingies:

Wings added by Phoenix with apologies to JJ de Benedictis, creator of Koala artwork (I know, Goblin, it's like taking a texta to a Van Gogh, but look, wingies!)

Enough treats, now back to work, you lot!

Saturday, March 12, 2011

Need a point?

Check out this flash fiction competition over at Aniket's place - and check out Cindy Pon's new book at the same time!

Update still imminent, just writing/editing hard at the moment - thanks to some good prioritisation The Koala is already looking good for this month!

Monday, March 07, 2011

Looks like there may be some smackdowns this month...

Last chance to give over your wordage for Feb!

The 2012 Koala Challenge

I think we'll call this column an 'example' of a typical month for a while...keep picking up the badges, though!

Keep writing, keep submitting and earn Koala Love Points! Report in at the end of every month and She Who Is Always Right will total your points and let you know which badge you may display on the side of your blog.

New victims always welcome - please let me know in the comment trail of the latest post. Full instructions for the 2012 challenge here!

Nine or more points:
Angie
Stevie
Pam
Rick (who's Rick? Ah well, he reported in)

Eight points:

Seven points:

Six points:
6 Iasa (it was 5.5, but I'm rounding her up out of amazement. I think it's an Iasa Record)

Five points:

Four points:

Sempra

Whirl (how'd he beat me?! That never happens!)

Three points:

3 McK

Two points

Mar

Sylvia

One point
Pete

"We were on a break..."

Jenna

JJdeGoblin

Retired from combat (and yet The Koala never forgets...)

Displease the Koala by neglecting your writing altogether and you may find yourself joining Sarah

on

KOALA SMACKDOWN

Displease the Koala even more and she may call in her slippery sidekick and put you on:

SUPER-SMACKDOWN!

Aniket
Robin

With thanks to JJ de Benedictis for the fantastic artwork (and her fine abilities with toenail pliers).

McK's Top Ten Books 2011

I lost count a while ago. But it's well over 100 now, and I suspect it will be somewhere between 150 and 200 by the end of the year.

1. Before I Die - Jenny Downham According to my library, technically this is YA, but I think it defies genre. I think I managed not to cry until about page 25, but after that...I. Did. Not. Stop. Crying. Until I got to the end two and a half hours later. I couldn't stop reading either. Absolutely amazing. Utterly transcendent.
2. Dark Matter - Anita Paver I have a strange weakness for historical Arctic expeditions and this one added in one of my other weaknesses...ghoulies and ghosties. Admirably tight writing as well. Highly recommended.
3. Major Pettigrew's Last Stand - Helen Simonson Wonderful portrait of English village life with all its petty biases, plus a sharper undercurrent of racism. A beautiful story of love in the older generation, and it's funny too! The best thing, though, and the element that really made this story sing for me, was the strength of characters.
4. Ender's Game - Orson Scott Card Yes, I can't believe I hadn't read it before either. Isn't it good!
5. Room - Emma Donoghue Enchanting and utterly horrifying at the same time; an unforgettable read.
6. The Hunger Games - Suzanne Collins Ah, good old-fashioned adventure! Unputdownable.
7. Sixty Lights - Gail Jones Admirable, but oddly frustrating. Maybe a bit too 'surface literary' for my taste. Tells the story of a fascinating life, with some interesting motifs running through it, but personally I think I would have preferred a plainer style. That's just me though. And it makes the list.
8. The City in the Lake - Rachel Neumeir Just gorgeous!
9. The Harrowing - Alexandra Sokoloff A fairly traditional little horror tale that I zipped through in a couple of hours - gave me a few genuine chills.
10. The Good Mayor - Andrew Nicoll - Didn't really come to life for me until around half way through, but then it really did!

Total books read so far this year: 85

McK still wants to read...
Most of the Orange Prize shortlist
Most of the Booker Prize shortlist
The Bird Sisters - Rebecca Rasmussen

McK's Top Ten Books - The Rules
Rules? What rules? One rule only - if McK is not impressed or entertained, it doesn't go on the Top Ten list. Oh, OK, rule number two - books on the Top Ten list will move around depending on how much McK is impressed or entertained.

McKoala Days