Let the Work Experience Commence!

Goal #3 for the year (and arguably the most important) - Take my first steps in getting a job in publishing. Last Thursday I made some progress on this front when I begun a work experience placement at Black & White Publishing in Leith, Edinburgh. This is my second work experience placement (I spent two weeks at Luath Press, also in Edinburgh, last March) and I was eager to get started and gain a further insight into the publishing world.

This placement is part of my MSc Publishing course, although I organised it myself. After a speculative email, I was answered almost immediately and luckily there was an opening which I gladly seized upon. A few people on my course had already been to Black & White and they all had seemed to have enjoyed it, so I looked them up and discovered they have quite a varied and exciting list. As well as many non-fiction titles, they also publish crime and mystery fiction, romance fiction and even (to my delight) a couple of young adult titles. Having discovered this I was excited for my first day.

Based on Ocean Drive, Black & White are a simple bus journey from Edinburgh city centre. I've not been to Leith too often (apart from one horrible interview/assessment with a recruitment company) but armed with Google maps I soon found my way to the office. It is a lovely, bright, airy office, and I even have my own intern desk, complete with stationary and Mac. My first impression when I walked in was one of wonderment. There are so many bookcases and so many books; I felt like a child in a candy shop. I probably came across as a little over-enthusiastic!

Book Review: Goddess

I bought Starcrossed, the first in Josephine Angelini’s trilogy, mainly because I loved the cover art so much. It also sounded like quite a good story. Once I started reading it, I quickly became hooked. I did fall ever-so-slightly in love with the hero, Lucas, and I loved the way the relationship between him and Helen was set up. It was the ultimate forbidden love and based on Paris and Helen of Troy no less. The concept was different to anything I’d ever read before: offspring of Gods and mortals, or scions, divided into four houses, tormented by the Furies so that they were driven to kill one another on sight. I thoroughly enjoyed it and couldn’t wait to read the others.

Goddess is the conclusion to the trilogy. It was released back in May and though I must confess I hadn’t enjoyed the second installment, Dreamless, as much, I was still eager to find out how the series would wrap up.

Top 5 Motivational Songs

I was out running today and it may sound corny, but it did make me feel almost empowered. As I ran jogged my way along the streets of Gullane I suddenly felt as if anything was possible, any obstacle was surmountable. Which is a nice change considering the frequency with which I have been despairing lately.
It got me thinking about how simple things can suddenly restore your faith in yourself. Take music, for example. Haven't we all at some point heard a song and instantly felt so much better about ourselves? I do love my music; I think life would be a bit dull without it. I love the fact there are songs for every occasion: happy songs, love songs, heartbreak songs. Today, however, is a motivational song day.

I'm not going to lie, I am having a tiny (okay, major) panic about how I'm going to fit everything in over the next two months. Somehow I must juggle dissertation, placement, a part time job and the finishing touches to both Publishers Inc and The Camomile. Sometimes I wish there were more hours in the day! Today, however, I am in a positive frame of mind due to that run and I did manage to get quite a bit of dissertation work done today, including this survey, which I am begging you all to spend five minutes on for me: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1sMvooXWMtY0UkjhMBvlQQWGrNt2b2qy7RmoEtglm5dI/viewform

So, to honour today's burst of optimism I have decided to dedicate my post to my top five motivational songs. These are the tunes I turn to whenever I need a bit of morale boosting.

In descending order...

5. What A Feeling - Irene Cara
It's really all about that immortal line - "take your passion and make it happen". Every time I hear that I think yes, I can fulfil my dreams. The whole song is so uplifting, though. It's always guaranteed to get me dancing away and smiling by the time it's over. Incidentally, I've never seen Flashdance, though I've been meaning to for years.

Book Review: The Night Circus

I'm going to be honest: I probably would never have read The Night Circus if people at university hadn't talked about it so much. I'd looked at it a few times in Waterstones, but the blurb on the back didn't convince me this was the kind of book I'd want to read. In fact, I was convinced it would be some high-brow tale about circus life. However, several of my classmates said they had really enjoyed it and ever a sucker for a beautiful book cover, I decided to give it a go.

Best. Decision. Ever.

The Night Circus is mesmerising. I honestly didn't know what to expect, but I certainly wasn't prepared to be swept up in the book quite as much as I was. Erin Morgenstern is a wonderful writer. Her words take you to the world she has created. The way she describes the sights and sounds of the circus make you feel as if you are actually there. It was evocative and awe-inspiring. This is not just any old circus; this is a magical circus.

You Can't Judge A Book By Its Cover

But let's be honest, you do it anyway.

This is my idea of a beautiful cover design

Book covers fascinate me. I love how simple some can be, how colourful others may be and how beautiful they can look when placed side by side. It's not the first time that I have bought a book purely because I liked the cover (sometimes I don't even read the blurb on the back!).

It was only natural, then, that when it came to choosing a dissertation topic that I would plump for something to do with book covers. You have to enjoy researching and writing something that is between 15,000 and 20,000 words in length, and I thought my fetish for all things cover design would fit the bill perfectly.

Napier Degree Show 2013

Last night saw the launch of Napier Degree Show 2013. As members of the School of the Arts and CreativeBuzz magazine and our book project were on display, as well as a sneak-peek of the forthcoming Publishers Inc. For Buzz we had a giant poster of the cover on display, as well as the contents page and the Independence spread which gained national media attention a few weeks ago (http://www.thetimes.co.uk/tto/news/uk/scotland/article3742505.ece).There are also copies of the magazine to pick up and take away.

I'm a (not-so) Secret Fangirl

Are you ever too old to be a fangirl?

I ask because of something I read today while researching for my dissertation. A group of people were asked for their responses to Harry Potter and this particular person said they would never read the books because there is too much hype around them. That, however, was not what irked me most, it was a comment they made about a twenty-something girl they saw wearing a Harry Potter shirt. "What is wrong with these people?" they exclaimed.

My favourite books in the entire universe plus matching bookmarks

No, HP hater, what is wrong with you? Okay, so I might be a tad (fine, a lot) biased, being a certified fangirl myself, but what is wrong in an adult being a fan of something? Sure, Harry Potter began life as a book for children, but adults soon discovered they loved it every bit as much. There are many other books and even films that have a cross-generational appeal. How many adults enjoy Disney films?

I am in my twenties and I still read young adult books. In fact, I read them more than 'adult' books. They might not be aimed at me, but I find more to identify with in them than I do in other books. The self-doubt, worries about the future and relationships that the characters go through are all things I can relate to. My opinion is, if you enjoy something you should read/watch it, regardless of your age.

Which brings me back to merchandise. Admittedly, I am a marketer's dream. I love buying merchandise. It's a way to show you're passionate about something, and I firmly believe a life without passion is not a life at all. So, yes, I will buy t-shirts, and posters and all manner of other things. I don't care if I'm 'too old'. It makes me happy. To suggest there is something wrong with people who are openly showing their affection for a book/film/band is narrow minded. How is it any different from football fans spending a fortune on strips and season tickets and crying their eyes out when their team loses the match?

So, I will continue to be a fangirl, despite my advanced years. And I say to you all, find something you're passionate about and don't be ashamed of it because the joy of life is in pursuing the things we love.