http://www.russellkirkpatrick.com/blog/index.cfm Russell Kirkpatrick's Journal en-us Mon, 07 Jul 2008 02:55:31 --0800 Tue, 24 Jun 2008 15:19:00 --0800 BlogCFC http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/tech/rss fiona@speculatedesign.com fiona@speculatedesign.com http://www.russellkirkpatrick.com/blog/index.cfm/2008/6/24/Emoticons-lie  Emoticons lie.They are so insincere. They allow us to be far harsher with each other than we ought to be. They remove the need for moderate language. They mask the most appalling rudeness. Yet another way of strangling the language - or of hidi... Russell Rants Tue, 24 Jun 2008 15:19:00 --0800 http://www.russellkirkpatrick.com/blog/index.cfm/2008/6/24/Emoticons-lie http://www.russellkirkpatrick.com/blog/index.cfm/2008/6/11/Fanmail  Many authors hate fanmail, but I love it. Hearing personally from readers is one of the great things about being an an author. Of course I enjoy the praise: yes, I do occasionally get praise from misguided or sheltered individuals :) But I enjo... Reviews and Interviews Wed, 11 Jun 2008 11:04:00 --0800 http://www.russellkirkpatrick.com/blog/index.cfm/2008/6/11/Fanmail http://www.russellkirkpatrick.com/blog/index.cfm/2008/6/10/Whats-it-Like-to-be-a-Writer  I often get asked this question. Those asking seem to think I'll tell them about the glamour, the fame and the fortune.Well, there's none of the first, little of the second and intermittent amounts of the third.There's no glamour. I'm constantl... Russells' Daily Grind Tue, 10 Jun 2008 16:57:00 --0800 http://www.russellkirkpatrick.com/blog/index.cfm/2008/6/10/Whats-it-Like-to-be-a-Writer http://www.russellkirkpatrick.com/blog/index.cfm/2008/6/6/Trudi-Hat  It's minus 2.8 degrees, frosty and so perfect for golf. Before I go, time to get the Trudi Hat.Timely I should talk about the Trudi Hat, given Trudi and Paul have just finished visiting. Trudi is a successful writer and Paul is an even more suc... Russells' Daily Grind Fri, 06 Jun 2008 13:13:00 --0800 http://www.russellkirkpatrick.com/blog/index.cfm/2008/6/6/Trudi-Hat http://www.russellkirkpatrick.com/blog/index.cfm/2008/5/30/30-Pieces-of-Silver  Time for another rant unrelated to writing.A while back I talked about Garth McVicar and the damage his 'Sensible Sentencing Trust' is doing to New Zealand. Last year's 'White Rose Day', an attempt to get the government to legislate tougher jai... Russell Rants Fri, 30 May 2008 03:37:00 --0800 http://www.russellkirkpatrick.com/blog/index.cfm/2008/5/30/30-Pieces-of-Silver http://www.russellkirkpatrick.com/blog/index.cfm/2008/5/25/Of-Doctors-and-Hospitals  So the moment I step off the plane in Christchurch I get a call to say mother-in-law has renal failure and is not expected to last the weekend. Her rest home GP took her off her meds and told Dorinda there was nothing more to be done.I was read... Russells' Daily Grind Sun, 25 May 2008 17:58:00 --0800 http://www.russellkirkpatrick.com/blog/index.cfm/2008/5/25/Of-Doctors-and-Hospitals http://www.russellkirkpatrick.com/blog/index.cfm/2008/5/16/Russell-on-Safari-perhaps  Half past five in the morning, I'm on my way to the airport.Going south to visit my family, including an uncle I haven't seen in twenty years. I'll do some research for the novel I'm writing and perhaps play a game of golf or two. I'll meet up ... Russells' Daily Grind Fri, 16 May 2008 01:28:00 --0800 http://www.russellkirkpatrick.com/blog/index.cfm/2008/5/16/Russell-on-Safari-perhaps http://www.russellkirkpatrick.com/blog/index.cfm/2008/5/12/Were-in  In the final of Division 4 of Waikato's inter-club golf competition, that is. We had no right to get there: a series of fortunate occurrences and some good play from us (finally) saw us nudge out an unlucky Lochiel on a countback of games. (We ... Russells' Daily Grind Mon, 12 May 2008 03:00:00 --0800 http://www.russellkirkpatrick.com/blog/index.cfm/2008/5/12/Were-in http://www.russellkirkpatrick.com/blog/index.cfm/2008/5/9/Back-in-the-Global-Community  Internet restored! Yay! With a bonus ...Don't know whether to be happy or angry about this. For three years we have complained to our various ISPs about the slow broadband - 300-650kbps maximum. We were given all kinds of excuses and nothing ch... Russell Rants Fri, 09 May 2008 01:03:00 --0800 http://www.russellkirkpatrick.com/blog/index.cfm/2008/5/9/Back-in-the-Global-Community http://www.russellkirkpatrick.com/blog/index.cfm/2008/5/8/Incommunicado Our home internet is down. Has been for two days. Sorry to anyone who's been trying to contact me. Ihug claim no responsibility, though there was a general outage yesterday morning in the Hamilton area and they haven't been able to resupply me. Tech ... Russells' Daily Grind Thu, 08 May 2008 12:02:00 --0800 http://www.russellkirkpatrick.com/blog/index.cfm/2008/5/8/Incommunicado http://www.russellkirkpatrick.com/blog/index.cfm/2008/5/4/Ploughing-On  I'm making excellent progress on 'Beyond the Wall of Time', the working title for Book 3 of the latest trilogy (Husk in Aus/NZ and The Broken Man in the US/UK). I find the Lenares chapters very easy to write and most enjoyable. Hmmm, food for t... Russells' Daily Grind Sun, 04 May 2008 17:59:00 --0800 http://www.russellkirkpatrick.com/blog/index.cfm/2008/5/4/Ploughing-On http://www.russellkirkpatrick.com/blog/index.cfm/2008/4/26/Another-Review  This one is from the Hawkes Bay Today, the region's daily newspaper:'Three stories, with seemingly no connection with each other and continents apart, takes some imagination to piece together but Kirkpatrick does it with amazing fluidity, keepi... Reviews and Interviews Sat, 26 Apr 2008 11:57:00 --0800 http://www.russellkirkpatrick.com/blog/index.cfm/2008/4/26/Another-Review http://www.russellkirkpatrick.com/blog/index.cfm/2008/4/24/He-Chose-to-Stay-and-Not-to-Pay  So, our Alex has made his decision. He's turned 18, and so, in the spirit of his desire not to have dealings with his parents (those 'Nazis' as he calls them), he's decided to - stay. Not only that, he's going to stay for free, and tolerate our... Russells' Daily Grind Thu, 24 Apr 2008 16:31:00 --0800 http://www.russellkirkpatrick.com/blog/index.cfm/2008/4/24/He-Chose-to-Stay-and-Not-to-Pay http://www.russellkirkpatrick.com/blog/index.cfm/2008/4/22/Reviews  This came across my desk yesterday:'Top New Zealand fantasy author Russell Kirkpatrick takes no prisoners with his second book in the Husk trilogy Dark Heart (Voyager PB $34). His richly complex plot line brings together his three main characte... Reviews and Interviews Tue, 22 Apr 2008 04:39:00 --0800 http://www.russellkirkpatrick.com/blog/index.cfm/2008/4/22/Reviews http://www.russellkirkpatrick.com/blog/index.cfm/2008/4/22/The-Big-Choice  It's my younger son's eighteenth birthday tomorrow.He's been an increasingly difficult lad. Not that he gets up to mischief or anything; he doesn't drink, smoke or frequent loose women (nor will he tell me where they live). However, he has his ... Russells' Daily Grind Tue, 22 Apr 2008 04:29:00 --0800 http://www.russellkirkpatrick.com/blog/index.cfm/2008/4/22/The-Big-Choice