Life now,

Little under nine months ago I moved to the city of Edinburgh. Being Scotland, obviously it was raining. That day was one of the biggest in my life.

When dreaming of university, you think of the friends, the courses, the FUN you will have; but arriving, in the pouring rain, the stark reality hits you - you are in a city you don't know, surrounded by people you don't know, about to start a whole new adventure, a whole new chapter in your life.

University is difficult, messy and honestly, whatever you make it. I decided on that day that I would make it everything I'd always wanted and that I would live it to the full.

Resolutions, schmezolutions, it was hard, I won't lie, those first weeks were hard, but also wonderful and forgetful. They are a blur to me now, and they weren't very long ago. But the thing is - fresher's week doesn't matter, those weeks at the beginning of first semester don't matter, you're finding your feet and they help you do it, but once you're standing with no dedicated week or course introductions holding your hand, you're alone and treading water by yourself. University offers you thousands of choices, paths, things to do, and so you choose, you swim this way and that, you ride the tide of societies, you do everything you want to do and no more.

And I did do it, I got involved with things that interested me, made friends with people I liked, did things I regret, things I'm proud of, made choices I wouldn't again, I experienced, I survived and I changed.

I'm proud to say that I am no longer the person we all had to be on that first day; that nervous person who felt the need to be overconfident, overeager and over-committed. That person got me where I am today, but I've matured, I feel established, Edinburgh is home now, and I feel confident just being here. I'm settled. And that I think is the progression many first years will feel they've made, each person, in their own way, has made the university their home, their place, their world, and I hope for them that they're happy with what they've done.

I write this with my first exam of the semester in two hours, you'll learn that I'm not the most productive person in the conventional sense; I get distracted easily - my best friend likes to describe me as a child in the candy shop. But I think writing this reminds me that I do love Edinburgh, and the time I've had here, and although melodramatics are making me curse the city and the university as exam stress gets the better of me, I wouldn't want to be anywhere else.

My lovely followers, I was going to start a new blog but I realised that I love this one too much, I love reviewing books, I love speaking with you guys and knowing you're reading my stuff because you like it, I love looking back on my writing from two years ago, yeah - hopefully my writing and attitudes will have changed a bit, as I've matured, but you'll cope with them, because you're wonderful. My reviews will be coming back online - I've refound time to read books WHICH IS GLORIOUS, I've missed it so much - basically life is now more settled and I have time to reimmerse myself with you all, and thank God, I've really missed you - there'll be a review forthcoming - imagine Game of Thrones in Outer Space (that politically romantic  - thankfully not everyone dies for once - type).... It might be next week as I have two exams to get through first - Wish Me Luck

Glad to be Back,

Just This Teenager

Life as I know it..... in this moment of time

Hello dear people,

I am home, snug with my laptop, lying on my sofa, rain battering at the window (in fierce denial that it's actually SUMMER), watching Four Rooms. And it strikes me..

a) i'm being completely lazy not bothering to write on my blog to all you dear people

b) my feet are uneven sizes, but that's by the by

c) rich dealers tend to be overweight

d) i'm extremely lucky

and

e) when i do eventually start blogging, inevitably starting a list that's actually incredibly difficult to think of things to put in a  list once you've started


Well I hope you're all well and that you enjoy my forthcoming review of my book of the year so far (Seraphina) and that I'll speak to you all soon!
X

The Lego Movie

Here I was, finally rediscovering my passion for blogging, prepared to write a whole speech about how I'm now 18, far more mature, embracing the new order of adult life. But instead I find myself dying to tell you about the hilarious, uplifting, cheerful film phenomenon The Lego Movie. Find below the amazing song that is strung throughout the movie, and is one of those horrifically annoyingly catchy songs that you can't help loving  but hating in equal measures.

OK unfortunately this isn't the sequence from the actual movie but it gives you an idea. I didn't want to go and see The Lego Movie, I thought it was bound to be a childish couple of hours worth of shameless Lego promoting drivel. Which it was... but it was also fricking awesome! It is one of those films marketed towards children but that adults drag their children along to on the pretense of a movie night out for the children, but really it's only the adults who get all the snide jokes, and play on words. The children are just distracted by the bright colours, catchy songs and multiple explosions!

It's worth the watch and I'm looking forward to it coming out on DVD..... under the pretense of watching it with my tiny cousins of course!! 

 

So Hello World, Just This Teenager's back and as immature, fun loving, and generally awesome, as EVER!

18 Baby!

So on the 3rd February at 11.06am exactly I turned 18. F*ck Yeah! It was the most perfect birthday ever considering the circumstances! My parents decorated my granny's kitchen with balloons and streamers as I'd said jokingly last weekend that I wanted a party with my family. Darn they delivered. I cried when I walked into the room!

It's been quite difficult this gap year due to the fact that all my friends are spread out across the globe and country literally and this birthday was promising to be pretty dull and boring seeing as none of them could make it on the day. But it turned out perfectly.
I even got a pancake pan.

This pretty much summed it up.

Peace out

T

X

London Calling

 Hey y'all,

So for the next week this crazy Scottish chit is hitting London, the Big Lights, The City, The Place To Be. That Place Down South! So enjoy a little Clash as London calls.

Ok - London calling aside, what have I got to speak to y'all about? (Besides my new found love of using y'all, it's just so friendly and welcoming).

Well my gap year is falling brick by over organised brick apart. I'm learning spontaneity guys. Learning it! And learning and spontaneous should not be in the same sentence! However anyone following any of my posts would know I like things planned to the tiniest meticulous detail so if ever a time came when I'd discover spontaneity it would be in a controlled situation such as learning!

So anyway yes; my gap year is turning into a patchwork quilt - a week here and a week there - but most of it will be spent at home..... I am going to be dying to get to Universityby September, and I'm already pretty desperate! I have had to Work. Work. Work. I even had to make soup today - funnily enough not as difficult as I imagined!

Now asides from gap year antics nothing much is going on - I have discovered a new addiction: Nothing To Declare.

Imagine.... A dark room, there's a man sitting across from you, his face shaded as he growls out in a deep gravelly voice:

Thousands of men and women dedicate their lives to protecting Australia's border.

OK so that's not how the program starts but that is the type of life or death atmosphere they give it, to what is basically videos of officers looking in peoples luggage and finding drugs. Some of the stuff they refuse to let into Australia is ridiculously over the top protective but the program is such Good Fun.

To finish off - last night my daddy and I watched Kick Ass - god I love that film. It is Hilarious (though apparently controversial and caused a lot of bother when it came out!) Just noticed though that this photo is a little dodgy looking with the dude's hands but no, nothing perverse happens in Kick Ass!

Have a Good Week,

SLOTCL

(Scottish Lass Off To Conquer London)

Happy New Year!

Well, it's the 6th January - Christmas trees are coming down (I tried to stop Dad taking ours down but to no avail), school has restarted (mwahaha Gap Year folks), T.V. has returned to its less than jolly, no longer nostalgic self and really it's a bit of a sad time of year. Christmas is over. New Year is over. Everyone's getting back to their lives. Friends have left. Family has gone home. It's pretty shitty.

But I have managed to pull myself out of my warm cocoon of a bed ....I got a new memory foam mattress for Christmas and it is flipping BLISS..... I have fed my horses in the howling gale Scotland has decided is the default weather of winter (at least it's not hailing.. oh spoke too soon) and I am now writing this post for you all. I'm too kind aren't I.

However please regard Exhibit A - this is my excuse for my considerable lack of blogging since 15th December..... Christmas shenanigans. I mean c'mon! The 50 GREATEST MOMENTS OF HARRY POTTER was on T.V. Can you blame me? My addiction to Harry Potter was at an all time high this Christmas.... Especially once I realised the last Harry Potter book was published in 2007. That was almost 5 years ago. It depressed me I must admit - made me feel old and more than slightly obsessed. But I am in the middle of re-reading them all again (twice in 2013 this shall be my first of 2014 - 2014 Harry Potter cherry consider yourself popped). And my sadness is slowly evaporating with every successive defeat of Voldemort.


Now for Exhibit B we have the dreaded electricity outage. We've lost power over seven times since I came home. Christmas day from 9 till 6 inclusive. I did feel sorry for the electricity people who must have had to abandon their Christmas dinners just to put our power back on. Thank the Lord it was back on for Doctor Who though. I don't think I could have survived if it hadn't been. We have been luckier than some people though - I think in England some people lost it for five days - now there's a reason to be depressed. To add to our luck we have the most amazing cookers - powered by gas and oil - yeah not very eco-friendly but I'm sorry Mother Earth it meant our geese were ready on Christmas Day and so I'm not complaining!


Well I'm going to end this post whilst I'm ahead by sending a few thoughts to all the people in America and Canada suffering what apparently is being called 'the record storm' (though every storm seems to be called that). Anyway it looks pretty fricking cold so my thoughts are with them all and I hope for their sakes they have a non-eco friendly stove!

Peace,
Tabs
X

Home swour Home

So yesterday I landed in Glasgow, back in Scotland....... I was lucky we landed - Scotland greeted our plane with 70mph gusts that shook and tossed the plane, I did not envy our pilot!

I found my family and it was all hugs and kisses and tears from Mum, beams and gruff tough hugs from Dad, and a begrudging smile from Haden which is an improvement. And it was great. Yesterday was great  - I was happy to be home, ecstatic to see my dog and animals and so happy to see my family.

Today the cracks of living with the family began to show; Parents being grumpy and naggy, Haden lazing around being a general nuisance and lazy bum, and me feeling jittery. I don't really feel Home, it feels far too temporary - maybe it's because I know that soon I'll be at university and will be an adult, independant and not with my family. It's a lot to take in, and it's darn scary!!!! Exciting and thrilling but so far away but not far enough. A confusing conflicting feeling that will surely diminish as I get settled in again.

On other note parents bought me a memory foam mattress as an early Christmas present. Bliss! Far better than my old one that made me feel like the Princess and the Pea! I could feel every little thing digging into my mattress there was to feel!

Now I'm home though and free of work at the moment, I'll get writing some book posts! I have a luscious varied range of books to write up and you will LOVE and DROOL for them all!

Love
T
x

Life & Culturally differences

Ever noticed that life has a way of slipping through your hands? It just keeps going and you don't notice as it trickles through your fingertips. Life is sand, time and memories. Granules that are impossible to keep a hold off but that sparkle as they catch the light but when wet become heavy and so difficult to lift and live.

Deep, profound and meaningful there's my excuse for not writing in a while. Really it's because I got sucked into the treacherous superficial world of the first series of 90210. Luckily for yours and mines sanity the second series appeared crap so I gave up watching it and I've been returned to my fully functioning blogging glory. Pretty awesome huh!

So less than 2 weeks left in France - I'll miss my job and my horses but I am so looking forward to getting home and back to the sarcastic life of Britain. Yesterday I was at  a shopping centre with Ali, my mother for three months and we were exploring the cultural differences of the British and the French and you know what our main one was?

British people generally CARE about people's feeling whereas the French are far more of a clamber over everyone and put yourself first ALWAYS. They also have a bit of a superiority complex; they all think they're better than everyone else. One of the woman I work with has an increasingly annoying habit of phoning people all the time. So she'll be on the phone while I wait, patiently and in boredom as my phone has broken so I don't even have that to distract myself with, and she will not even try to hurry up. They don't really think about other people, and it drives me a little crazy....

Another thing: They don't appreciate initiative. For instance if you do something quickly or early they don't express thanks they just hand you something else to do - they seem to like making more work and then handing it to someone else to do - mainly me. Yay! For example I finish my chores early because I worked hard and quickly they'll hand me something completely inane and bizarre to do - last time I finished mucking out the stables early they sent me to brush around the muckheap. The muckheap was just about to be picked up by a lorry and so after I finished brushing around it, said lorry arrived and made a whole lot more mess... so rule out initiative..

And the worst thing for a British person. They don't use sarcasm and don't acknowledge apologies. We are an apologetic nation - I say sorry if I'm early to work for god's sake! Or sorry if I have to ask the woman to bring a new bale of hay despite the fact it's her job. I know we use apologies when one isn't needed but in Britain one would just reply 'that's no problem I'll get to it'. But the French aren't an effusive people they use words minimally and do not offer sympathetic understanding words. Yes it's unnecessary but it's nice!!! And then sarcasm. They don't use sarcasm. Do they not realise there is a whole world of delightful witty comebacks, sayings and general fun to be had from sarcasm? They say what they mean. But being British, used to sarcasm and unable to accept compliments, I tend to find myself staring blindly at people when they say something like - 'Well Done' after I've mucked out a stable - I mean c'mon why? Did I not do it right? I do it everyday I know how to do it. It's condescending..... unless you're being sarcastic. C'mon you are aren't you - what did I do wrong? But I'm getting better, I know don't bare my teeth when someone says I like your hair..... improvement right?!

Bonne soiree

Tabs
X

My life at work

So today, instead of writing a review but who knows the reviewing bug might bite me later on in the day.... I thought I'd shed a little more insight into my backbreaking work here in France and also might let slip a few funny things that have happened to me whilst on the other side of the stream.

Firstly I work a pretty mucked up schedule - Tuesday to Saturday, Sunday and Monday off. I promise you there is nothing more unnatural then waking up to go to work on a SATURDAY when the rest of the house is asleep. Even the promise of the Monday off doesn't resurrect the turmoil of feelings inside me. Today is my Monday off and it's almost crappier than working on a Saturday..... In France Monday appears to be the day the shopkeepers take off (in addition to Sunday) because they too have worked on a Saturday not that I got to enjoy this as I was working also... (In the UK shops are open Mon-Sat! France'll get a move on soon - they just like their naps, bank holidays, protests, strikes.... really anything that means they get extra days off. Not that I'm criticising them - Kudos to them my fellows!) So Mondays are very quiet and there isn't much to do.

Secondly I work from half 8 to 5.... Longer than school! In the morning we clean 17 stables, mucking out, putting hay in and after that, after that, we do the dreaded sweep. I really despise sweeping now. I think it's mainly because the stables are cobbled and so it's really difficult to get straw etc out of cobbled gaps. Very frustrating! After lunch we usually ride which is great, though at the stables they are a bit mollycoddly about their horses...one of the women there only rides with the horse wearing a rug on its back - all the time. They also rug Shetlands. Yupp incredible. Absolutely incredible! But it's fun and I have my one chou chou - Remember - an ex-polo pony who I've helped calm down and begin to work nicely - before he would just bolt around the arena! He's really sweet but I hate watching the kids who come to the Pony Club on Wednesdays and Saturdays.. He's my chou chou! Oh well Guess I'm leaving him in 3 weeks. I'll definitely miss him! Anyways it is far better here than at that last place but I'll be glad to be home. 3 months away is finally getting to me!

Good Day!

X

The bizarre, probably slightly crazy, history of the finger swears.

So a funny story before I go... well I don't know how funny it is but you can decide! I was going into a boulangerie to buy some retro d'or baguette - they are so good by the way! - and I decided to buy two cookies as well. I asked the woman for deux and she said OK but as I watched her I was sure she only put one in and the price was really cheap so I repeated deux and she said I know but I, being a typical stubborn Scottish lass, was convinced I hadn't said it right so I showed two fingers as if I was talking to someone who only understood simple hand gestures (when really I was being the simpleton!) and it just so happened I chose the worst two fingers to choose (go on guess!) Her eyes narrowed and handed me my cookies (which I still thought only had one in!) and baguette took my money and then glared me out the door. So that was Ok, I'd offended a French woman through the simple mistake of using the only two fingers which used together make a rude gesture. Yeah not bad going! But then. Then. Then I found out through the rambles of one of my overly patriotic French friends that there is a hidden, ancient meaning of the two fingers to the French. Allow me to explain.

This. The classic two finger gesture belongs to the British. The English. Their archers to be in fact; who apparently were very very apt at shooting and killing French soldiers whenever they tried to attack English holds during one of the many English-French wars (not too sure which one as there seems to have been a lot - in fact one day a man, on finding I was Scottish, actually did the awkward fist heart salute and said the 'old alliance' as apparently the only thing the angry Scottish people hated more than everything else was the English and would even work with the supposing aristocratic cultured French to try and defeat them. Undoubtedly they nearly always lost anyway - can't rely on a powdered wigged Froggie to save the back of a commando kilt wearing savage can you?) Anyway back to the story according to my, foaming at the mouth with years of generational indignance, French counterpart the archers would make the two fingered gesture at French people reminding them of the archer's ability to, basically,  beat and kill their soldiers. Some unpleasant memories would obviously arise from that innocent (well not innocent but you know what I mean) gesture. So the French created their own gesture -

 The Finger. This referred to the fact whenever the French army caught English archers they would cut off one of their fingers being they could no longer use a bow and thus lost their arching ability. Damn. So the French gesture should - if the English actually bothered to remember this supposed history of the finger - be insulted whenever this gesture was made to them. But it wasn't as the British don't hold on to things. Unlike the festering French who seem to, in some cases, jot down every insult ever made - they're still angry about Joan of Arc which was over 600 years ago. So go figure.


Anyway if this woman was invested in the emotional history of the finger I could have offended her in that respect. Really I just think it was because I treated her a little like an idiot, when I was the one being an idiot, gave a rude hand gesture to convey her stupidity (which was not my intention it just transpired like that) I don't feel there was any recognition of this bizarre claim of archers and retaliation but it made for a good story!

Have a good day!
X

Life in France

So Hello Guys!

I am still in France as you might have guessed from the title. But guess what?? Only 5 weeks left! I am missing Scotland enormously (I know right? What's in Scotland but rain, rain and more rain you say? And France has croissants, berets, the Eiffel Tower.... and more croissants!) but I just am, I'm obviously a total home bird. Oh well!

Anyway I am enjoying myself - after a disastrous start at my first placement I am now set up in a really nice stable with a family of my mums. Unfortunately they're English. (It's not a problem because of their nationality but it means I'm speaking English in the evenings so my French is coming along haltingly). Onto the first place. It was horrific. It started like this: Imagine a 5 hour journey by train and bus to get off at a bus stop in the middle of nowhere. You wait for 20 minutes for your 'boss' to come and pick you up (She's late) and all the while you're panicking as your signal is crap, you're trying to phone her house in case she's forgotten and it's a very busy road, and the bus stop is literally a sign at the side of the road.She arrives and parks on the opposite side of the road and so you have to cross said road with your massive suitcase (whose handle is breaking) and your rucksack on your back. When you reach her she doesn't greet you or say hello. She screams that it is a dangerous road (I'd already gathered that) and we must get off it quick. She throws suitcase in the back of the car and throws you into - it's all very like what I imagine being picked up by the police is like (she puts her hand on my head and pushes me down into the car into the back with a dog that is a slathering angry looking Alsatian. Great!) After that less then welcoming arrival we drive (extremely fast) to pick up her husband. During our journey she is speaking rapidly in French to me, getting increasingly more frustrated when I don't understand her - hey c'mon I was exhausted, I don't speak French well and I learned textbook French not country slang - so all in all you might have gathered she wasn't a very amiable person. We reach her husband who is a huge man (looks like one of those mad ax murderers not that I'm assuming anything) and he grunts at me and we return to her stables. By this point I'm ever so slightly freaked out, I'm 5 hours from any friends or family, with a slightly psychotic seeming couple, a spoilt crazy dog, and a huge language barrier. When we arrive I'm shown to my room, or my bedsit.

I'm not staying with the couple, instead all the volunteers, or slaves as they shall henceforth be known, are housed in single bedsits alongside the house. They're horrible plain and simple. I have no sheets, a pathetic hospital type duvet, no working lights, no towels (How on earth was I going to get a towel from Britain -luggage weight was already costing me a fortune), a shower which has broken chipped lethal looking tiles, a toilet with no seat, a sink with an open bottom... and that was just the room. We, there were some other volunteers there - a really nice English girl who I made friends with and I'm actually meeting up with tomorrow but that's another story-, had to go to lunch with the couple and it was dry pasta with 2 frankfurter type sausages which were so salty and we were forced to eat it all by the woman...... Again I'm still getting freaked out. Afterwards we went and did a couple of hours work with the horses and then came back in at dark. I set to work getting out my computer as the woman had promised we had Wifi and I was desperate to talk to my family for a bit of needed calming down! I had wifi for all of two minutes before it shut off at 8 mid-Skype call. Apparently it did this every night as the woman had some sort of timer on it though when I asked her she pretended she couldn't understand me before shouting that the volunteers were always getting first go over the Wifi and she sacrificed her internet when she could be working for us - so yeah I got a bit worried about asking her anything - not a fear you want when you're meant to be living under someones house for 2 months. Then we had dinner, the volunteers had to eat in this separate dark dining room in one of the bedsits as the woman didn't want to see us after dark as it was 'her' time. I'd thought I was getting housed and treated as part of the family for god's sake!

The dinner was tomato salad, as it was for the all of three days I managed to tough it out there. Unfortunately tomatoes are the one thing I hate. I despise raw tomatoes and when the volunteer who had been there the longest (2 weeks and she'd booked her train out of there for the next day - she had been going to stay for 5 months) told me tomato salad was on the menu for every evening I freaked. That on top of the fact I went into my room that evening and found cockroaches all over the floor just tipped the iceberg
. There was no way I could stay! Call me a princess or something but I'm not I can cope with tough conditions but not outright hostile ones!

I left under the emotionally straining pretense my grandmother was ill. Low I know but I was desperate. The other English girl left a week after me and informed me that several others came and gave up in the extra week she was there. I'll get the rest of the gossip tomorrow, can't wait!

Anyway I am now set up in a lovely stables where I have to work really hard but it's worth it, it's giving me a chance to improve my French and work with horses. Just what I wanted. It might not be the greatest most social time of my life but I think I'll be glad I've done it.

Tune in again for more sticky French situations that I've managed to find myself in (there's a few!)

Bonne soiree
Tabby
x

Je suis arrivee en France!

Yes, I'm here! I have arrived in France - at half 11 this morning after a 6 o'clock start to get to the airport etc. I am completely exhausted and sitting on my bed, but not before I toured the surrounding neighbourhood with my mother's lovely friend and started to settle in. Who knew flying sucked the energy out of you so much??

Well I had a largely uneventful journey; apart from when my bag was searched by security as they believed I had a bomb in it! Apparently soap and torches shouldn't go next to each other! Woopsie!

I am currently in the beautiful region of Chantilly and I was able to visit the amazing Chantilly Chateau - though we didn't go in as I think I will be doing that this Thursday on my own...... I'm determined to visit the Living Museum of the Horses again (I went when I was very little with my mum and dad!)

Feeling a little homesick but I have brought my cuddly donkey as some-one's blog about ways to cope with homesickness (Yupp, I looked it up, Go Figure!) suggested having something cute and cuddly always make things better when you're down!..... However as I wasn't sure Donkey, as he smells of dog saliva (the puppy won't leave him alone) would make everything better I also bought 3 huge bars of Cadbury Bubbly in Customs as it was on a deal that properly didn't save much but I couldn't resist!

Well must dash as I have a review to write otherwise this blog's other purpose of providing excellent smashing reviews might just fade away and that wouldn't be fair to the world! Also I need to go read up on Paris as I'm meant to be visiting there tomorrow!!! Jelly aren't you??? ;)

Love to y'all
A Bientot!
La petite ecossaise en France!

Everyday Book Trailer

Hey y'all -
Have a wee look at this book trailer - I've read the book and it was incredible, a review will be forthcoming, - but for the meantime let this whet your appetite!

Harry Potter, or at least the wizarding world, resurfaces :D

In breaking news on Thursday , Warner Bros have announced that they are working with bestselling author J.K. Rowling to create a film based on Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them. This will be J.K. Rowling’s screenwriting debut and likely to be set in New York 70 years before Harry Potter attended Hogwarts. The full press release from Warner Brothers along with contact details is below.

Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them (isbn 9781408803011, £4.99) was first published in 2001 in aid of Comic Relief. It is an extensive introduction to the magical beasts that exist in the magical, non-Muggle world. The book is on the reading list for all first year students at Hogwarts and includes an introduction from Albus Dumbledore. Bloomsbury re-issued the book in 2009 with its current cover (attached).

NEWS RELEASES

Warner Bros. Announces Expanded Creative Partnership with J.K. Rowling

Warner Bros. Entertainment today announced an expanded creative partnership with world-renowned, best-selling author J.K. Rowling. At the center of the partnership is a new film series from Rowling’s world of witches and wizards, inspired by Harry Potter’s Hogwarts textbook “Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them” and the adventures of the book’s fictitious author, Newt Scamander. The announcement was made by Kevin Tsujihara, Chief Executive Officer, Warner Bros. Entertainment.

“Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them” will be an original story and will mark Rowling’s screenwriting debut. It is planned as the first picture in a new film series. Set in the wizarding world, the story will feature magical creatures and characters, some of which will be familiar to devoted Harry Potter fans.

“Although it will be set in the worldwide community of witches and wizards where I was so happy for seventeen years, ‘Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them’ is neither a prequel nor a sequel to the Harry Potter series, but an extension of the wizarding world,” said Rowling. “The laws and customs of the hidden magical society will be familiar to anyone who has read the Harry Potter books or seen the films, but Newt’s story will start in New York, seventy years before Harry’s gets underway.” (Expanded Rowling quote at bottom of release.)

“We are incredibly honored that Jo has chosen to partner with Warner Bros. on this exciting new exploration of the world of wizardry which has been tremendously successful across all of our businesses,” said Tsujihara. “She is an extraordinary writer, who ignited a reading revolution around the world, which then became an unprecedented film phenomenon. We know that audiences will be as excited as we are to see what her brilliant and boundless imagination conjures up for us.”

In addition to the film series, “Fantastic Beasts” will also be developed across the Studio’s video game, consumer products and digital initiatives businesses, including enhanced links with Pottermore.com, Rowling’s digital online experience built around the Harry Potter stories.

Rowling’s expanded quote regarding “Fantastic Beasts” is below:

“It all started when Warner Bros. came to me with the suggestion of turning ‘Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them’ into a film. I thought it was a fun idea, but the idea of seeing Newt Scamander, the supposed author of ‘Fantastic Beasts,’ realized by another writer was difficult. Having lived for so long in my fictional universe, I feel very protective of it and I already knew a lot about Newt. As hard-core Harry Potter fans will know, I liked him so much that I even married his grandson, Rolf, to one of my favourite characters from the Harry Potter series, Luna Lovegood.

As I considered Warners’ proposal, an idea took shape that I couldn’t dislodge. That is how I ended up pitching my own idea for a film to Warner Bros.

Although it will be set in the worldwide community of witches and wizards where I was so happy for seventeen years, ‘Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them’ is neither a prequel nor a sequel to the Harry Potter series, but an extension of the wizarding world. The laws and customs of the hidden magical society will be familiar to anyone who has read the Harry Potter books or seen the films, but Newt’s story will start in New York, seventy years before Harry’s gets underway.

I particularly want to thank Kevin Tsujihara of Warner Bros. for his support in this project, which would not have happened without him. I always said that I would only revisit the wizarding world if I had an idea that I was really excited about and this is it.”

Catch up!

So what y'all been up to? Me? Not much at all. Just been organising my gap year whilst all my friends bugger off to university this year.... right now - I admit it - I'm a wee bit jealous. They're off making friends, partying, joining clubs whilst I, well whilst, I clean dishes. But I'll get to do it next year - it's unlikely there will be a comet hit Edinburgh while I'm away - touch wood! But as of the 24th September I will be situee in France - woop!

I'm off to a horse stud farm in Burgundy - epic - for almost three months...... and I've forgotten most of my French.... oops! So if my posts become few and far between; know I love you all and will give you an in depth catch up when I come home in December! I have stocked my Kindle up with the full Harry Potter series in order to tide me over my estranged months!

Speaking of Kindle, I am now an advocate. I love my Kindle so much! It's so easy to read of it, yeah it hasn't the same aesthetic feeling of a real book or the smell but it does the job and is nice and modest about it. I LOVE IT! Also saved so much room in my suitcase!

Also I  have promised my brother's best friend I would attach a link to his website, Young Perspective, which seems to be a pretty cool set-up of young aspiring journalists blogging and writing as a group under a pretty snazzy paper,  so cruise on by, take a peek, you could always sign up to contribute - why the heck not!
http://www.youngperspective.net/
Do it, you know you want to! Cruise over for a sneak look.

Anyways I'm offski, the Kitten is having kittens and I feel a need to watch kittens be born in gooey gunk - not really but Mum's shouting for me (I don't think I've ever heard my Mums 'quiet' tones!)

Love ya

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Alerts to Europe

ALERTS TO THREATS - EUROPE 2013: BY JOHN CLEESE
The English are feeling the pinch in relation to recent events in Libya , Egypt and Syria and have therefore raised their security level from "Miffed "to "Peeved."
Soon, though, security levels may be raised yet again to "Irritated" or even "A Bit Cross." The English have not been "A Bit Cross" since the blitz in 1940 when tea supplies nearly ran out.
Terrorists have been re-categorized from "Tiresome" to "A Bloody Nuisance." The last time the British issued a "Bloody Nuisance" warning level was in 1588, when threatened by the Spanish Armada.
The Scots have raised their threat level from "Pi$$ed Off" to "Let's get the Bastards." They don't have any other levels. This is the reason they have been used on the front line of the British army for the last 300 years.
The French government announced yesterday that it has raised its terror alert level from "Run" to "Hide." The only two higher levels in France are "Collaborate" and "Surrender." The rise was precipitated by a recent fire that destroyed France 's white flag factory, effectively paralyzing the country's military capability.
Italy has increased the alert level from "Shout Loudly and Excitedly" to "Elaborate Military Posturing." Two more levels remain: "Ineffective Combat Operations" and "Change Sides."
The Germans have increased their alert state from "Disdainful Arrogance" to "Dress in Uniforms and Sing Marching Songs." They also have two higher levels: "Invade a Neighbor" and "Lose."
The Spanish are all excited to see their new submarines ready to deploy. These beautifully designed subs have glass bottoms so the new Spanish navy can get a really good look at the old Spanish navy.
A final thought -" Greece is collapsing, the Iranians are getting aggressive, and Rome is in disarray. Welcome back to 430 BC

Courtesy of my friend on Facebook! Made me laugh so much!

Blog Tour - Josin L. McQuein

So today, Just This Teenager is lucky enough to take part in a blog tour organised by Egmont and I've got a brilliant exclusive article from the author Josin L. McQuein who is responsible for the incredible YA novel Arclight, a new dystopian sci-fi thriller that I absolutely loved, and Josin's post also builds on my declaration of passion for the necessity of a brilliant setting in a book. I hope you enjoy this takeover by Josin and the review for Arclight should be up soon - take a wee look at the other blogs where Josin has also guest-starred, if our post is anything to go by she'll give you some interesting insights into not only Arclight but the essence of writing and creating good stories as well.

So, sit back, relax and enjoy!

Hello.

First off, thanks for letting me park here for the day. I’ve brought friends. Okay, not so much friends as characters – some of them aren’t very friendly at all. They heard I was stopping by and they insisted on coming with me (and I learned a long time ago that it’s pointless to argue with the voices in my head, so here we are).

But that’s okay. There wouldn’t be much of a story to tell without characters. They’re the guides that lead the reader through every strange, new landscape they encounter on the page, and that means that, at heart, no matter how alien the setting, the characters need to be somewhat familiar. 

Basic personalities

There’s the awkward new kid, Marina. We’ve got the angry loner kid, Tobin. Anne-Marie’s the best friend. And then there’s Rue - the weird kid that everyone’s kind of afraid of.

But there’s also one more character that I think gets overlooked in a lot of stories, and that’s the setting itself. Silly author-person, that’s crazy talk, you might think. Settings can’t be characters; they’re not alive!

Actually, they kind of are.

A science book will tell you that your skin is the largest organ in your body (Technically, on your body, but science books aren’t grammar books, so I’ll let it slide.) Similarly, the biggest character in your book, and the largest personality anyone else will interact with is going to be the setting. Just like a single person can set the tone of a room when they enter, the setting will set the tone of a novel. Everyone and everything else will react to that tone; it’s pervasive.

Setting can make a character feel safe, or afraid. It can be beautiful or terrible, the same as any living creature. It can be the goal, if your hero is trying to find his way home, or it can be the enemy if he’s alone and freezing to death on top of a mountain during a blizzard.

For Arclight, the setting is definitely a huge component of the story, bigger than I first realized, to be honest.

The Arclight itself started off was originally conceived as a space ship, but it became an Earth-bound compound of connected buildings that are shielded within an “arc of light.” (Think of a dome made of lamps.) Like a spaceship, it’s got bright corridors and metal doors. 

It’s less pretty than it is functional.  It’s impersonal, like a machine, and its sole purpose is to protect those who live inside it.

You can’t have a space ship without outer space, and that’s the Dark. Also brought down to Earth for the sake of the novel, the Dark is a void of nothing. It’s the thing outside the window that will kill you if it gets in. It’s menacing as a monster in the closet, and no matter which window you look out, it stares back at you without flinching.

As much as Arclight is a story of identity and survival, it’s also a story about the dominance of light vs. dark. The light and dark become juggernauts facing off with each other across the divide, which is the Grey. The Grey is dead-space created where the lights hit the shadows and neither is strong enough to overtake the other.

Places have personality, and settings have souls. The story can’t exist without them because they provide the air the characters breathe. They are the literal breath of life for the entire novel, and they are most definitely alive.

And that was Josin L. McQuein everybody! Betcha can't wait to get your hands on a copy of Arclight now! Wait for my review, or don't, but even without hearing my opinion in flesh first I'll assure you, you'll want to buy a copy! Gives me shivers reading her post, settings are real and they have so much more effect than you realise!