My precious cat Lucy was hit and killed by a car yesterday. I had just let her out of the garage, where she sleeps at night. Uncharacteristically, she ran down our long driveway towards the busy road. People drive far too fast along this road, despite the fact that there are three primary schools in…
A Festival-Goer Field Guide #2
It's that time again. The leaves are turning to flame and falling. Darkness is suddenly flicking the switch at 5.30pm like a grumpy boarding school matron. Beaches sigh, wistful but resigned, as we pack up our picnics and head indoors. And across New Zealand, book lovers are dusting off their lanyards and jotter pads and…
The Story Thief
My six-year-old daughter made up a story for me before going to bed tonight. Here it is, as close to her exact words as I can remember: The Story Thief [NB - not to be confused with Markus Zusak's The Book Thief - although possibly just as riveting.] Once upon a time, before the dinosaurs…
Commas, can be useful
If you read the title of this post without cringing and sucking in a mortified gasp of air, you may want to stop reading. If, on the other hand, the above photo makes you want to scream and immediately scramble for your red correction pen (and a shotgun), please read on. As part of the Proofreading and…
Descent
We stand together looking at the view. It is more impressive than a Monet, as shattered as a Picasso. I try to tell him this but he interrupts. I may know nothing about “art,” he says, using his fingers as quotation marks, but in my very humble opinion that tree is an eye, that sand…
The Luminaries: Art or Heart?
*Don't worry, this review contains no spoilers. Yes, I have actually read it. I ploughed my way through during a two-week break at the beach over Christmas / New Year. For those of you who have been leading a hermit-like existence recently (and the hermit reference, as those of you who have read the book will know,…
God Rest Ye Merry Bloggers
As I scrolled through the WordPress Reader this morning I felt a mixture of admiration and despair. So many bloggers are sharing beautifully polished posts about Christmas literature and legends and other festive wonderments. I imagine them tucked away in their little Dickens-like hamlets, snow softly falling on their windows which are beautifully lit by a dancing fire…
Here's one that's been doing the rounds on Facebook: "In your status line, list 10 books that have stayed with you in some way. Don't take more than a few minutes and don't think too hard - they don't have to be the "right" or "great" works, just the ones that have touched you." Here…
A Poor Choice
Some of you may already be aware that occasionally I write an opinion piece under the category Belllettres Bulletin. I write about topics, trends and current events that catch my attention, or about which I feel so strongly that I simply have to say something. Outspoken? Opinionated? Me? Let's start today's Bulletin with a question. It’s winter…
Of Grief and Naked Bottoms
I've just been published in a New Zealand literary journal called JAAM. The 2013 issue, JAAM 31, was officially launched on Friday night. For those of you new to my blog who may not have trawled through all my fiction yet, I'm going to post the story here again. I edited it quite a bit before…
Patricia Bell, Author 