February 18, 2024

February writing update – sequel to The Buddha’s Bone

Good morning (from the Northern hemisphere). Early start on the writing today with a big pot of coffee. I’m nearly at 30k words on the sequel to The Buddha’s Bone, which is roughly a third of the way. An update for those not in the know – I’m writing this one upon request from readers (thank you ❤️)

The Buddha’s Bone was originally going to be a standalone novel and I had no plans for a follow up until enough readers either contacted me directly or wrote in the Amazon/Goodreads reviews that they wanted more of Kimberly’s story, especially since it ended on a happier note with her and Naoki (sorry – spoilers…). There’s no better motivation for an author than to hear from readers that they want more – so really, thank you. Haven’t read The Buddha’s Bone? No worries, here you go:

Amazon UK
Amazon US
Amazon CA

Like my mug? My hubby ordered this for me as a publication day celebration, but also because The Buddha’s Bone was the launch of my own imprint, Leilanie Stewart. Prior to this, my debut novel (Gods of Avalon Road) and 3 poetry books (Chemotherapy for the Soul, A Model Archaeologist and The Redundancy of Tautology) were all with publishers. Everything since The Buddha’s Bone is under my own publishing imprint with ISBNs bought from Nielsen and registered with the British Library, hurray!

(My publishing imprint!)

Anyway, ramble over. Readers, I hope you’ll like it when it’s done. You know me – I only do psychological trauma and dysfunctional romance, so expect bumps in the road for Kimberly as she works things out in book 2. I really feel sorry for my main characters. I give them a hard time, lol.

Posted by on February 18, 2024 in Writing and tagged , , , .

2 Comments

February 14, 2024

Happy Valentine’s Day! Lupercalia sale is on

Happy Lupercalia! To celebrate the ancient Roman festival of Lupercalia I’m having an ebook sale (salia, lol) from 13th to 16th February. All my fiction Kindle books are now 99p/99c on Amazon UK and US.

Kindle UK
Kindle US

Lupercalia was from 13th to 15th of February, so with Valentine’s Day right in the middle of that, why not grab yourself some paranormal or psychological reads, with a good dash of dysfunctional romance. Yep, you heard that right – dysfunctional romance is more my thing than true love. Nope, I don’t really do true love in my stories at all – unless it’s between a mummified cat and her ancient goddess owner, or a woman who becomes more enamoured with her ex once he becomes a zombie, ha ha! Both of those stories are in Diabolical Dreamscapes. Want to hear about more dysfunctional romance in my books? Alright then, grab your cuppa:

In Matthew’s Twin, his girlfriend cheats on him with a mysterious stranger who comes out of a dark medieval past to destroy their lives…

In The Fairy Lights, Aisling falls in love with the ghost haunting her student accommodation. She knows he’s young, and gorgeous, and a spirit, but is he really who she thinks he is?

In The Blue Man, a grisly spectre is intent on making a festering romance happen between Megan and the man she was infatuated with since high school. Why did the sinister spectre’s fate rely on their dysfunctional union?

In The Buddha’s Bone, Kimberly escaped her abusive ex to teach English in Japan, only to be pursued by her colleague Vince, with more sinister intentions than her ex.

So there you go! Happy Valentine’s Day! May you celebrate with the living, or the dead… whatever floats your boat, lol!

Valentine’s Day and Lupercalia

What exactly is Lupercalia then? You can read about this ancient Roman fertility festival here if you’re interested. Lupercalia was typically celebrated from 13th to 15th February and derived from the Roman fertility god, Lupercus.

Valentine’s Day and Halloween chocolate moulds

Whether you’re celebrating today or not, hope you at least get to enjoy some chocolates. As for me, and my sugar-free lifestyle, I’m having fun making keto chocolates with organic coconut butter, 100% cocoa, vanilla extract, almond nut butter and raspberry vinaigrette. Yum!

Posted by on February 14, 2024 in promotion and tagged , , , , , , .

Leave a comment

February 10, 2024

Happy Chinese New Year 2024

Today marks the start of the Lunar New Year in China, and this one is the year of the Dragon. Here’s an article on Awareness Days that you can check out for ways to celebrate.

While my husband (then boyfriend) and I were living in Japan and working as English language teachers, we travelled to many nearby countries. Since it’s Chinese New year, I thought I’d take an opportunity for a trip down memory lane – and bring you along with me!

Hong Kong

With my hero, Bruce Lee

I’m a huge Bruce Lee fan. Bet you didn’t know that about me. I studied Jun Fan Jeet Kune Do while I was a Queen’s University student in my hometown of Belfast, Northern Ireland, under Sifu Martin O’Neill who was a huge inspiration. Here I am in Hong Kong with the Bruce Lee statue. This photo was taken by my then-boyfriend-now-hubby back in 2006.

Taiwan

Kung Fu salute

I didn’t know much about this beautiful island before I visited, and learned much while I was there, including about the native traditions and more recent history during WW2. We also visited Taipei 101, then the tallest building in the world (it’s now 10th tallest, if I am correct).

Continue reading →

Posted by on February 10, 2024 in Biography and tagged , , , , , , .

Leave a comment

February 8, 2024

Benefits of having a flexible writing space

Writing is a flexible job. One of my favourite things about being an author is that you can pretty much set up your writing desk wherever you want. In a recent post, I mentioned writing on the sofa, for a bit of comfort to get my creative gears in motion. In this post, I want to look at what you will need and where are the best places to write.

What you will need – essential items

1. A backpack or bag.

2. A laptop or tablet with a wireless keyboard.

3. A notebook and pens.

Continue reading →

Posted by on February 8, 2024 in Writing and tagged , , , , .

2 Comments

February 4, 2024

Low carb keto lifestyle – February update

Take that sugary junk!

As of 17 December last year I’ve switched back to a low carb/keto lifestyle. I call this my Saturnalia diet since I started it on the ancient Roman festival of welcoming the sun back into the world. My blog post, It’s a keto Christmas, focused on that.

I’m currently on Day 49, and it’s going well. Since I’m working out too (yoga/ resistance band workouts/ light cardio) I’m probably going to build some muscle, so I don’t think weighing myself will be too accurate going forward. Nevertheless, I’ve lost 7lbs in 7 weeks, which is a good steady rate of fat loss. My clothes are looser and I can now fit a fleece under my previously tight fitting winter coat. I think a better objective way of gauging my fat loss is by comparison photos, which I’m hoping to do on a monthly basis.

The first and third photos were taken today. Whilst I have digitally added the sugary junk in the first photo, just for the fun of the post, the photo shows an otherwise accurate representation of how I look this month, which I use to judge my rate of fat loss compared to December and January. The tape measure helps too. I have lost 1 inch of fat off my arms, thighs, waist and hips since last month. If ever I feel like I’m not making progress, I can always look back at the starting point of my keto journey in April 2020. Back then, I was at my heaviest weight ever and I was a UK 16-18 dress size, with a BMI of 31 (above 30 is obese). Here’s a photo from back then.

Continue reading →

Posted by on February 4, 2024 in Health and tagged , , , , , , , .

7 Comments

February 1, 2024

Imbolc blessings – halfway to spring

Imbolc blessings, folks!

Halfway between the midwinter solstice (Yule) and the spring equinox (Ostara) is Imbolc. This is a pagan festival that has been celebrated since Neolithic times in Ireland and Scotland.

Ancient Imbolc was a Celtic celebration of rebirth and spring returning to the world. Similar to Yule, and the Roman festival of Saturnalia, which celebrate the sun returning to the world as the days grow longer, Imbolc has traditionally been celebrated since prehistoric times by lighting bonfires. Today, modern pagans light candles as a representation of light coming back to the northern hemisphere.

Snowdrops are a flower traditionally associated with Imbolc. Even though it’s still quite chilly here in Belfast, Northern Ireland, there were some lovely snowdrops braving the elements today, so I took a few photos without treading on any. Like my celestial leggings? I’m going to my yoga class later, so I’m dressed for the occasion.

Trying to not step on any snowdrops

Do I have any books suitable for Imbolc? None that are set on February 1st, though I’ll have to rectify that at some point. From L to R, here are the pagan influences in my books, for those readers who may be interested:

Gods of Avalon Road, my occult fiction, urban fantasy novel set in London takes place on Beltaine (May 1st).

The Buddha’s Bone goes through all seasons in Japan. Although Shinto, not pagan, it refers to the Spring Winds from China.

Some chapters in Matthew’s Twin take place on Samhain and Yule.

The Fairy Lights is set on Yule (21 December) and Beltaine (1 May)

One of the babies in The Blue Man (spoiler alert!) is born on Samhain (31 December)

Imbolc book glamour photo

Anyway, Imbolc blessings to you, whether you celebrate or not. The days are definitely getting longer here in the northern hemisphere, and spring is just around the corner.

Posted by on February 1, 2024 in Books and tagged , , , , , .

Leave a comment

January 30, 2024

Good morning from the Northern hemisphere

With my 6 fiction titles in a mystical forest 😉

Good morning (if you’re in the northern hemisphere, anyway)! Thought I’d do an author bio post with a few things about myself, since it has been a while and lately I’ve been posting other writing related or diet related stuff – it happens!

Pictured here are my 6 fiction titles. I write primarily paranormal and psychological fiction. Ghost fiction and occult stories too.

Halloween is my favourite themed season, though I like summer best. I’m kind of a lizard lady really. I need sunlight to stay warm, lol.

Am I witchy? Not really. I enjoy dressing up in my witch’s hat, but I’m not actually a witch. I’m more of a pagan-palaeo-princess, ha ha. I try to eat natural, whole foods where possible and I’m environmentally conscious. You know, reusable shopping bags, recycle stuff, buy from charity shops, walk places, etc. I love learning about the traditions our ancestors in the northern hemisphere would have followed thousands of years ago from Neolithic times onwards – like Yule and Samhain, as well as Imbolc, which is coming up. More on that soon!

Anyway, that’ll do for now. I’m a typical Aquarius too, so I better get on with my day and not get lost in my head!

You have a good day too, won’t you?

Posted by on January 30, 2024 in Biography and tagged , , , , , .

Leave a comment

January 28, 2024

Slow but steady writing progress – chipping away at three projects

Today I set up my writing space on the sofa, instead of at my usual writing spot on my (cluttered!) desk. I fancied the cushiony comfort, along with a cuppa, rather than working in my usual writing space. I had a funny scare yesterday while working at my writing desk, when my son crept up behind me and tapped my shoulder, while I was writing a ghost scene with headphones on – and frightened the life out of me! A more relaxed approach to writing, just for today, helped a lot (with nothing behind me, ha ha). It worked – I got about 400 words done instead of just a trickle, as it has been lately, in the balance of everything. It was good to dedicate some proper time to writing for a change; a first for me in a while – and maybe the comfort helped with that.

These days, I have taken to keeping a digital chapter plan on the first page of the word document for each WIP. I still use my writing notebook to jot down story ideas, or word count updates per date. This helps me to track progress.

Continue reading →

Posted by on January 28, 2024 in Writing and tagged , , , , .

Leave a comment

January 24, 2024

Another rotation around the sun, another year wiser

January is birthday month for me. As a kid, I disliked having a birthday after Christmas as there was never the same level of fun or excitement. Now as an adult I enjoy celebrating my birthdays, especially as I feel older and wiser with each rotation around the sun.

Still a big kid at heart, enjoying the little things

Age is just a number, or so they say. I read an article recently that if people have a positive attitude to aging, it can reduce cardiovascular disease by 11%. I’ve always had a positive attitude to aging. Getting older doesn’t scare me. Maybe having health issues since my late teens made me mindful of my own mortality earlier. Or maybe my curious mind keeps me young. There’s nothing more obnoxious than someone who acts like they know everything. Nobody knows everything. To pretend so is ridiculous. I’m not afraid to admit when I don’t know something, especially when my child asks questions about random topics all the time. As a writer, I’m used to doing research about a good many topics. Lifelong learning keeps the brain young, for sure.

Continue reading →

Posted by on January 24, 2024 in Biography, Health and tagged , , , , , , .

2 Comments