I have just been to see Opera Bohemia's incredible Tosca performance in Wick. Wow! Just wow! My first experience of live opera (not lice opera like I originally wrote- that's quite different) and it didn't disappoint!

My first trophy from the county show, and for a photo... that was surprising! I entered "4 on a theme" and through the year, I've been photographing different butterflies. And got best photo! #photography #Caithness

#FantasyIndiesJuly #20 I think I like Winnie (Winifred) best. She's not been handed everything as a birthright, she's happy to fade into the background, and yet she's one of the most powerful characters in the series. She's quite cool! #WritingCommunity #booksky #amwriting

#FantasyIndiesJuly #18 I'd quite like a Roc, but it would probably eat my chickens, so I'll go with a phoenix instead. At least, then, you never have the upset of seeing them cross the rainbow bridge. #myths #mythical #phoenix #pets #imaginary

#FantasyIndiesJuly #17 Late again! Lots of show prep and butter making yesterday! Not as such. My side characters were well behaved and stuck to the plan. But I did write a prequel about how they met, which is being published next July! #booksky #amwriting #mglit #kidlit #WritingCommunity

Did I mention that this just isn't right? We're in Scotland... how is it this hot? #heatwave

#FantasyIndiesJuly #16 Not a side character, but apparently my story could be told just as sympathetically from the villain's point of view. Raedwald has waged war on the crow tribe because he thinks they killed his wife. Is revenge ok in this case? Opinion is divided. #WritingCommunity #Booksky

#FantasyIndiesJuly #14 Elamra... a powerful warrior: Unfortunately, he has this nasty habit of 'losing it' when he is stressed, and risks hurting the people he cares about. His reaction is to shut down which, as you can imagine, is not the most helpful! Get a grip, Elamra! #WritingCommunity

#FantasyIndiesJuly #13 Hmm, themes... Evolving friendships is an important theme in Doorway to the Sunset. The main characters are familiar with each other from Taking Wing but now their friendships face extra challenges with a newcomer to their circle. #mglit #booksky #fantasy #adventure

I was reminiscing about #ScotlandHour... Has it made the transition onto Bluesky yet? #Scotland #Tourism #Caithness

How is it still 19 degrees? It's 20 past 11!!! #heatwave #Scotland

Today, during an insane heatwave, we had a stall at Latheron Show, where the main ring attractions were pig tricks and dancing diggers. I love Caithness! #Scotland

What dinosaur is a writer's best friend? A thesaurus. I can't take the credit / blame for this super cheesy joke! 😂 #FantasyIndiesJuly #WritingCommunity #booksky

Just chilling!! #birds

I love making book trailers! Have I said that already? And this one is definitely one of my favourites... #booksky

#FantasyIndiesJuly #10 Freya, MC, is 12. But the guardians live for much much longer, most of them since Anglo Saxon times. They age with trauma so, with 2 troublesome and disappointing sons, the 2 kings have aged the most! #mglit #WritingCommunity #booksky

#FantasyIndiesJuly #9 Sorry I'm a bit late! At various points, my characters rely on each other, but my favourite is in Doorway to the Sunset, when they have to rely on their enemies. I love stories where enemies have to work together. So fun! #WritingCommunity #booksky #amwriting

#FantasyIndiesJuly #8 Well, in Book 3, that would be Jaylen. Book 2 is a bit trickier. The relationship between the crow prince and the owl prince is funny... they're more alike than either would care to admit. But I find it really tricky to pick out a single character! #WritingCommunity #booksky

Today's job is the series trailer for Caledon! One of the highlights of publishing, for me, is creating book trailers. I love to pick the right music and fit the clips into the beat. #publishing #creative

#FantasyIndiesJuly #7 Freya watched as the starlings tried to hang onto the branches, even though the wind was swaying them violently from side to side. (It's only right it starts with birds!!) #mglit #WritingCommunity Sorry I cut it fine. Busy doing book trailers!

#FantasyIndiesJuly #6 Doorway to the Sunset is full of complicated relationships which I didn't realise until I started thinking about this. You have Rald with his father Raedwald, to whom he will always be a disappointment! But that's just the tip of the iceberg! #Kidlit #mglit #WritingCommunity

#FantasyIndiesApril #4 Favourite book growing up: The Moon of Gomrath by Alan Garner. Still bitter about his latest in that series! Today is book launch day and I have celebrated by cleaning my room, in an effort to stay sane. Oops, too late!! #fantasy #adventure #booklaunch #amwriting

Happy book launch to me, Happy book launch to me, Happy book launch dear meeeee, Happy book launch to me! 😂🎂🎉 #WritingCommunity www.amazon.co.uk/Doorway-Suns...

#FantasyIndiesJuly #3 Doorway to the Sunset is about tribes of people who can turn into birds. A different tribe for each type of bird. So, I guess the animals friends are each other? Not crows with owls, though! They really really don't get on!! #WritingCommunity #amwriting #mglit #kidlit

#FantasyIndiesJuly #2 The side characters are usually my favourite. It tends to be the pin cushion character (the one with the worst luck). My sister's fav. in Doorway to the Sunset is the villain. 🙁 #booksky #WritingCommunity #mglit #amwritingfantasy

Just saw this! #FantasyIndiesJuly #1 Hello! I'm a teacher and #kidlit author in Scotland. My latest book, Doorway to the Sunset, is the 2nd in a series about a centuries-long war between secret beings. Aimed at 10+ #WritingCommunity #Booksky

After months of redrafting, editing and proofreading... www.johnogroat-journal.co.uk/news/wick-te... #WritingCommunity #amreading

Welcome to #MGMonday! This week, @clemencycrow.bsky.social looks at the role of romance in #MGLit with a few handy tips for how to tackle this! crowvusbookblog.blogspot.com/2025/02/mgmo... [There's also some exciting news at the end of the blog!] #KidsLit #WritingTips #WritingCommunity

#pretendpanel February calendar ahead of time for those who require the foreknowledge January calendar repeated in the comments for newbies who would like to catch up (not mandatory) All welcome! #WritingCommunity #Writers #Authors #WritingPrompts

Expectations of main characters in middle grade... crowvusbookblog.blogspot.com/2025/02/mgmo... #amwriting #WritingCommunity #kidlit #mglit

The pre-order is now available for: Sir Louis Curlewy This is a charming & informative nonfiction picture book about curlews, aimed at raising awareness about these beautiful & endangered birds. 💚 www.amazon.co.uk/Sir-Louis-Cu... #KidsLit #NatureWriting @curlewaction.bsky.social @rspb.bsky.social

Blog tours organised, final draft uploaded to Amazon, cover reveal booked... This might be the most organised we've ever been for a book launch! www.amazon.co.uk/Sir-Louis-Curlewy-non-fiction-endangered-ebook/dp/B0DV4X973L #bookpublishing #preorder #kidlit

It's the last day of January, so here is Susan's January blog. full of nature, hope, and promise. susancrowauthor.blogspot.com/2025/01/janu... 💚 #NatureWriting #Caithness #Scotland #Lincolnshire #Nature #January

#BookReview of The Tale of Truthwater Lake by Emma Carroll. I enjoyed the book but feel it was slightly (dare I say it) miss sold. From the extract on the blurb, I was expecting something magical. But I finished it in a day so that is a good sign! crowvusbookblog.blogspot.com/2025/01/mgmo...

I love the little bits of humour in my course textbooks. Simple things.

Well, none of the chickens were particularly pleased with being moved from their house but the storm meant they had to make a temporary move to the garage. Now all safely back in their home. ❤ #smallholding

So, in their latest newsletter, @crowvuslit.bsky.social provided a prompt for the start of a short story, just for a bit of fun. Here's my response! #broch #folklore #Caithness #Orkney

Look what is now available for preorder! www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B0DTQ1LXCS 🦉 #MGLit #FeatherDown

Ooh, look what I found for preorder. Come on, Amazon, when are you going to start preorders for paperbacks? www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B0DTQ1LXCS #mglit #kidlit #BookSky

#amediting... Did you know that it is surprisingly easy to swap wars for ears? Something to do with the w and e being next door to each other. 😂 #WritingCommunity

I'm not going to lie. I'm a bit concerned about Jess... #spaniellife

With picnic and book in hand... #studying #amreading #science

Great idea!

Long day at work tomorrow, but now I'm curled up in front of the fire, in my PJs, avoiding redrafting my novel. Ah, this is the life! Here's the start of my settings series (3rd Monday of the month) for #MGMonday... crowvusbookblog.blogspot.com/2025/01/mgmo... #BookSky #kidlit

I have just discovered #BookSky! I'm currently reading novel submissions, but will be getting back to middle grade books soon. I'm aiming to review 1 #mglit book a month to keep up with it while still doing my job and degree. Just finished this one...

I went out to take photos this morning and the dogs got excited by the frostiness. Cue lots of charging around the garden and nipping chins. #spaniellife

Drucilla the Light Sussex showing off her plumage but Saldoni and Winnie are not bothered. They are more bothered by the corn that was left over from yesterday. #Caithness #smallholding #selfsufficiency

No energy to do any redrafting tonight, but I have laughed far too much!

The book cover for Doorway to the Sunset is just about finalised, in plenty of time for the cover reveal on 4th March! Now I just have to resist the urge to splash it around social media before then... #mglit #CoverReveal

Happy #MGMonday! Let's talk about genres in middle grade, and one of my pet peeves... how middle grade is mistakenly seen as a genre itself. #WritingCommunity