Tongariro National Park

 

Photos from a short trip to the Tongariro National Park after I turned in Primal Mirror. This part of the park is a (freezing) alpine desert with endless vistas. Isn’t it breathtaking?

Spot the Seals

 

Can you spot the seals? Yes, there is more than one in this pic I took near Kaikoura, NZ. 

Adventures in the South Island

Photos from some recent adventures in New Zealand’s South Island! 

Dahlia Patch

More dahlias blooming. The garden pic is of an area I’m slowly turning into a dahlia patch - aim is to have it crazy with blooms. Might take a couple of years but stage one is complete!

BlackSea Sighting

 

Throwback to when Nalini and I saw a seal pup on a rainy day walk a few months ago. Possibly a member of BlackSea???

Have you spotted any wildlife where you live? 

~Ashwini

Lake Pukaki - South Island, New Zealand

I shot this last year during my trip through the South Island of New Zealand. Wish I could have a cabin on the banks! So stunning there.

Here and There...

Today, I'm rounding up pieces of info I've posted here and there.

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Did you know I have a Tumblr? Here's the link! For book info, it's still best to follow the blog and join the (super awesome) newsletter list. I use the Tumblr to reblog fun/interesting things that catch my attention.

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Have you heard of DABWAHA? It's an extremely fun tournament hosted by Dear Author and Smart B*tches, Trashy Books, complete with awesome prizes (including a Psy-Changeling Starter pack and an ARC of SHIELD OF WINTER). 

It pits 64 books against one another, until only one is left standing. HEART OF OBSIDIAN is one of the 64. Woohoo! 

Follow the link to get all the details on how to fill out your bracket and join in - basically, you have to guess which book will be left standing at the end. Don't worry if you don't recognize all the books - flip a coin and join in. Most of all, have fun!

~

And here's a photo from my years in Japan. Taken during a Hanami (cherry blossom viewing) party. :-)

Photos: Chinese Lantern Festival

I've been going through my photos and I found these from earlier in the year. The lanterns seem to get more amazing every time!

Updates and Morocco: Mosaics

Sorry for disappearing on you everyone! I'm back in NZ now, and getting myself sorted out after the trip - my suitcases have exploded in the living room. I clearly need a put-away-luggage-stuff fairy. =)

Onto the updates:

While on book tour, I promised I'd talk about who the next Psy-Changeling book will be about, in July - I was planning to do it next week, but I think I should be able to put something together tomorrow. It'll just be info about the hero at this stage, not an excerpt for the new book, as I'm in the very early stages of writing it.

Also, the next newsletter will go out July 9th, so if you haven't subscribed, you can do so on the sidebar of the blog, or on the front page of the website (top right). The Welcome newsletter you'll receive automatically once you click the link sent to your email to confirm your subscription, contains the first two short stories I sent out in the newsletter: Poker Night (Psy-Changeling), & Knives and Sheaths (Guild Hunter).

In 2014 news, I'll be attending the RT Convention in New Orleans, May 14th-18th. I will also be at the LoveLetter Convention in Berlin, May 24-25th.

And last but not least, some more photos from the trip! There are some astonishingly beautiful mosaics in the buildings in Morocco. Here are a few photos focusing on mosaics/pottery, all taken with permission.

 Two of the artisans in the pottery/mosaic workshop we visited. At this stage, all the pottery is "raw", unglazed.

 

 Specialist artisans chipping pieces of pottery into tiny specific shapes that will eventually be used to form mosaics.

 

 An artist hand-painting one of the pieces of pottery.

A few of the finished painted pottery pieces - some include metallic embellishments.

Examples of finished mosaic work in the showroom attached to the workshop.

Photos from the desert

I'm saying goodbye to Morocco today. Had such a fabulous time! Here are some photos from the desert trip - more to come as I get my gazillion photos sorted.

This first one was taken from the back of the vehicle that drove us to the edge of the Sahara Desert. You can see the orange/red dunes in the distance, as well as the desolate road. Seriously, you would not want to break down here!

This one is of the shadows we threw on the sands as we rode the camels in.

Passing camel caravan in the distance - we'd have looked the same to them!

  

Good News & Morocco: Fes

I just got some incredible news from my German publisher - Geheimnisvolle Berührung, the German translation of Heart of Obsidian, just hit #2 on the Spiegel bestseller list!!

Thanks to all of you who've supported this release! I'm so excited that you're loving this book. =)

In travel news, we totally broke the no-shopping rule today! (Made because we didn't want to go overboard with our luggage). Too many lovely things in the medina in Fes!
 

Weaver at the loom in Fes, Morocco

Nuts and dates for sale at the markets in medina in Fes, Morocco

Morocco

I'm traveling through Morocco at the moment! Such a fascinating country. Here's a shot I took while walking through a souk (market) in Rabat last night.

I hope you all have a great Monday! What're you planning for this week?

Candy Dreams - Sentosa Island

Taken outside the Candylicious candy store on Sentosa Island in Singapore. Imagine if that candy was real?!

Poland: Jasna Gora Monastery

Taken in Częstochowa, Poland last year - at the Jasna Gora Monastery. (Photo snapped with permission :))

Australia: Shy Koalas

Taken in Brisbane, Australia, a few years back.

p.s. I'm trying out Tumblr after resisting it for ages. You can find me here.

Ireland: Curious Pony

I just wanted to pick this little guy up and put him in my pocket. (Somehow, I don't think NZ Customs would've been impressed!).

Waterford Crystal Showroom, Ireland

I've been bad about posting photographs from my travels, but I have a ton of them ready to go so you'll be getting several in the coming weeks.

This is from the Waterford Crystal Showroom, in Waterford Ireland. They had the most incredible creations there! I walked very, very, very carefully around the room...

Also, if you missed my big announcement yesterday, here's the link to it. :-)

A Beautiful Place to Speak

   

I was part of a great panel with chef Sarah Turpitt at the Hamilton Gardens Arts Festival yesterday (in Hamilton, New Zealand). The session was chaired by the lovely Denise Irvine, and held in the Indian Char Bagh Garden.

It is honestly one of the most beautiful places where I've ever had an event - and the weather was glorious, too! I hope you enjoy the photos. :-)

Berries & Flying

Summer is here and I have raspberries in my garden! I also have boysenberries and blueberries but they aren't ripe yet.

Over on Facebook, we're talking about what kind of a changeling we'd like to be, and I thought I'd post the question here, too. Me, I'm all about flying, so probably a falcon...then again, a leopard can prowl silently through the forest...

How about you?

If you'd like to use this photo for a non-commercial purpose, go ahead. Just provide a link back to my blog or website.

Happy Diwali

Today is Diwali, also known as the Festival of Lights. I hope you're all having a wonderful light and love filled day!

I took the photo below in Jaipur, India, where I was on Diwali last year.  :-)

(If you'd like to use this image, go ahead. Just link back to my blog or website).