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By complete coincidence I have Touched With Fire in my locker at work..somebody gave it to me. Not read it yet though. Linda thanks for telling me how you write. I found it very encouraging. I used to enjoy writing stories at school (a very long time ago now) and I have carried the seeds of some story plots in my head for years. Maybe I should let them come out now and see what I can do with them. Do you think (because of the cathartic subject matter, and the situation you were in when you wrote it) that Emo Geo is your favourite book, or is every new book your favourite for a time?

Hi poppy no I don't mind a bit that book sounds interesting.

That was a fantastic insight Linda thanks for sharing that! It was much more than I expected. I never realised there was so much of yourself in the book. Can I ask about the physical discipline of writing, do you have set hours of work? Also do you write on a laptop or do you hand write on refill pads with a favourite pen? (I read Steven King does the latter) Do you stress about your word count? "Trance like state" and being a "channel"....interesting.

I would call mine Brain Dead And Dreaming

Thanks Linda I replied to it in depth there.

Hi Linda sorry I don't know how to do the multiquote thing: >Calum and Rose experience an immediate and powerful sexual attraction - that's one reason why things take off for them and that soon becomes love. The other reason is, they're both artists of different kinds and so they find they have an immediate rapport when they get talking about their work. I think as a teacher of some rough kids in Glasgow, Calum wouldn't have been particularly fazed by Rose's mental illness. He's also an experienced climber and there are some strange people in the climbing fraternity! Calum has also experienced mental fragility himself (he is a functional alcoholic) and so Rose doesn't scare him off. On the contrary, I think he wants to look after her.< Yes I think perhaps I was being a little mean in my review about Rose. The attraction between them did make sense. I enjoyed the descriptions of Rose's artistic processes and could identify. Especially when she placed the collected stones and was trying to see relationships of shapes, colours and patterns but something wasn't quite right and she had to leave it and let it stew. It is exactly like that! Another bit I keep remembering was when Rose could feel when she was inside the stone circle. I like very much that this is not explained-it just is. The moment of sudden artistic rapport when they see the possibilities of collaborating and everything else is pushed in the background is authentic. Calum and Rose are lucky because artistic temperaments can repel as well as attract! I will take your word about there being plenty of Scotsmen like Calum as I only know (or knew) one scotsman and he was an actor and he could certainly talk and enjoyed language . >I've always wondered if my heroes convince as men... I've always feared they don't, that they're just female fantasies. But in fact my books have had a few reviews over the years written by men and the guys said they did find the heroes convincing and appealing because they're vulnerable and flawed, not fantasy alpha males.< To me there was quite a bit of the fantasy character to Calum, (handsome, single, good with kids, good in bed, understanding, artistic, rugged, dependable, capable but sensitive...the b .....d ) (he is after all your character, so that's fine)...He convinced me in the way that he did at times get a little irritated with Rose, he did not have endless patience..men can be all those things but we really hate when we get conflicting signals or if we feel messed around. >I think my books are about friendships between men and women, just as much as they are about love and sexual attraction.< A question springs to mind Linda about your process of concocting the story. Obviously every story in every writer starts off in the beginning as a sort of fantasy...I wondered if once you thought of the characters of Rose and Calum you played all their meetings and encounters through your head many times, trying them out to see if they work and seem plausible? Do you often discard or change bits before you start writing? Or does it develop on the page? Thanks for replying.

Be interesting to hear what you think of the trilogy Brian. I liked it too. Have you read The Help ? That's a good one.

Wow Dawnbird you are a voracious reader

This is a copy of the review I just wrote in my reading list. Reading everybody elses I probably didn't make enough of the poetry and the perceptions of the artist character , but I did like these things. Anyway here are my thoughts: I had been curious about this one for some time before I read it. It is a quick pleasant read. I would class this as a romance and more appealing to women readers than men, but that's just my opinion, please feel free to argue with me! The writing was good. When the writing is good you don't always "notice" it when you are reading, but I took notice because Linda is one the few writers who takes time to come on here and talk to us. I liked the plot construction, it was not any more complicated than it need to be to tell the story. The characterisation I also liked; I felt that if I wanted to I could have looked at a background character like Donald or Megan or even little Kenny and there would be a story there too, if the author had wanted to tell it. The bit I didn't get was why the main male character was interested in the heroine (for want of a better word) in the first place. The more she revealed of herself, and the more she messed him about, I kept thinking "why?" what's the appeal? Run away NOW. One other thing, which is not intended to be a criticism, it is just something I have noted in some other books by women authors, is the dialogue; specifically the way a man talks. Calum talks as if the conversation is a living thing, like a ball in a co-operative game of throw and catch, and his eye is on the ball the whole time. I am sure this is because this is how women wish that we did talk with them in real life. I mean, I wish I did have that ability all the time. Unfortunately, not many of us do. I am also aware of the reverse in books written by men. I have given some of my favourite books to my wife to read and after a few pages she has handed them back saying that she could not get into them "because the men all talk like robots." Anyway, I enjoyed this OK and I would read another book by this author.

Review: Emotional Geology by Linda Gillard I had been curious about this one for some time before I read it. It is a quick pleasant read. I would class this as a romance and more appealing to women readers than men, but that's just my opinion, please feel free to argue with me! The writing was good. When the writing is good you don't always "notice" it when you are reading, but I took notice because Linda is one the few writers who takes time to come on here and talk to us. I liked the plot construction, it was not any more complicated than it need to be to tell the story. The characterisation I also liked; I felt that if I wanted to I could have looked at a background character like Donald or Megan or even little Kenny and there would be a story there too, if the author had wanted to tell it. The bit I didn't get was why the main male character was interested in the heroine (for want of a better word) in the first place. The more she revealed of herself, and the more she messed him about, I kept thinking "why?" what's the appeal? Run away NOW. One other thing, which is not intended to be a criticism, it is just something I have noted in some other books by women authors, is the dialogue; specifically the way a man talks. Calum talks as if the conversation is a living thing, like a ball in a co-operative game of throw and catch, and his eye is on the ball the whole time. I am sure this is because this is how women wish that we did talk with them in real life. I mean, I wish I did have that ability all the time. Unfortunately, not many of us do. I am also aware of the reverse in books written by men. I have given some of my favourite books to my wife to read and after a few pages she has handed them back saying that she could not get into them "because the men all talk like robots." Anyway, I enjoyed this OK and I would read another book by this author.

My favourite undiscovered writer is Abielle Rose!! Just waiting for her to finish her novel.

I just finished Emotional Geology by Linda Gillard I will review it later. Got to read some Sci Fi next or I will burst

Yes Abcinthia I will certainly watch that again after a while. Last night I watched The Jane Austen Book Club. It was OK, not a great film , I have a feeling the book would probably be better. The idea that two on-the-rocks marriages could be turned around right at the end by the husbands suddenly reading an Austen book was a bit cheesy, but hey that's the story, I have seen much worse.

Wow that's a lot of spin-off books Kell I didn't know most of those existed.. OKey Dokey I watched all 4 episodes of Lost In Austen yesterday and today. I thought it was great and very well done, all the characters were as you expect, but of course the replacement of Elizabeth Bennett by a girl from the 21st century upset the applecart completely and so the characters reacted in ways different to the book, but in ways consistent with their characters, if that makes sense...a fantastic idea. Because of course the heroine knew the characters' secrets from reading P &P, some of her first reactions to them were very funny . I could put in spoiler tags and write some but I will just recommend you watch it instead. Tonight I am going to watch The Jane Austen Book Club

Hi Nollaig, I knew this one. Specifically, it means to throw a Person out of a window. Historically, often a catholic priest! A friend told me about this one because he found it so funny (he is Irish and catholic) I have a nice word from biology, it sounds rude but in fact it is not: Invaginate it is part of the process of when cells divide and multiply in a life form, it means to form a sheet of cells that folds inwards on itself to create and enclose a space. I dunno it feels like a safe and cosy word to me.

I have had the same frustration Karsa...for instance I never got my promised email saying Gateway was live. I have seen 471 books listed on Amazon if you go on " Gollancz Science Fiction"...but a lot of them are new written Sci Fi and vampire chick lit, with the same 60 classics as before spread amongst them. If you put in specific individual authors you can get a few more dozen more up with yellow covers...try googling a list of sci fi authors and note down who you are interested in first. I agree not very satisfactory mate.

sigh wouldn't it be great if National PCOS week meant that you only had it for that one week every year then you were OK all the other weeks ?

I looked at the link- it seems like a horrible set of symptoms to have to live with Paula hope you don't suffer too bad with it. Sounds like the doctors can't agree how to treat it either.

Thanks Paula I been meaning to ask what does "PCOS " mean in your avatar (woman of PCOS)?

Just been shopping in the kindle store....I had some money put aside for the launch of the Gollancz SF Gateway. A lot of the books I wanted are not there yet....but I managed to find some old favourites and took a chance on a couple I didn't know. I have bought: The Primitive EC Tubb The Jester At Scar EC Tubb The Cloud Walker Edmund Cooper The Seedling Stars James Blish Meeting At Infinity John Brunner The Margarets Sheri S. Tepper

Been shopping in the kindle store today for the Gollancz sci Fi classics

Incredible film Eck -Tragic yet funny and uplifting all at the same time.

I finished reading It by Steven King yesterday. I thought it was OK. Redaing Emotional Geology by Linda Gillard but I might get sidetracked by some SciFi

Charity shops are great. That kind of random bookfinding is gone for me now because of the kindle- the only downside of having it. Maybe I will start doing it again as I did enjoy it. You never know what gems you are going to find. I read a Tom Sharpe book once and didn't find it funny at all. I think I may have read The Untouchable. OOps no just checked the one I read was by Mulk Raj Anand with the same title.

Yes that's what I'm waiting for too...Amazon is definitely not putting it all out...for instance I remembered a book I wanted (The Cloud Walker by Edmund Cooper ) and I put it in search and it came up, yellow cover and all.