Gaby and the Prince...

Yo-diidly-ho!  Sin-sin-siree at your service.  ‘Tis a while since we last spoke, for which I’m eternally sorry.  Well, at least until the end of this visit, anywho.  I keep trying to pop up now and again, but that Shaun Allan fella-me-lad has his head in mermaids at the moment.  I can’t get a look in!

Thankfully, to keep me company in the meantime, a young lady has dropped by.

Would you care to tell me your name?

My full name is Irma Gabriela Cabezut De los Cobos. (I KNOW. Longest name ever!) But you can call me Gabby or Gabs ;)

That reminds me of when Sean Connery introduces his character in the movie Highlander (love that).  Ramirez Bibbly-Bobbly-Fililobos-Something-or-other!  That’s an epic name you have there Gaby!  So, where are you from?

Mexico

Ohhhh, one of the places I would love to visit if I ever get out of here or figure out how to control that teleportation thingummy.  Do you like living there?  If not, where would your favourite place to live be?  Is yes, where would you least like to live?

I love living in Mexico, the weather is awesome, Mexicans are really warm and I love all of our culture and tradition.

However, if I could choose anywhere else in the world to live, I’d say Canada. I spent a whole summer in Quebec, learning French and I loved it. I’m obviously in awe at the prospect of snow and all that (something that I would definitely regret, but still…) Also the UK, because they have the best English accent ever.

As a Brit, I have to agree.  As someone whose cousin lives in Canada, I also have to agree.  And as someone who once started a snowball at the top of a hill and rolled it down to see how big it would get then couldn’t move it at the bottom because it was so big, I have to, well… agree!  As you’re a writer, is this your ‘day job’?

Yes. Right now, it is. I write, read or edit every day, for at least 6 hours.

That sounds like a dream job.  I’d love to be a full time writer.  As it is, I have to accept being a full time supposed lunatic and leave Shaun to do the part time writing.  Not jealous at all.  I’d like to see how he’d survive in here!  Erm…  Where was I?  Oh yes.  Tell me about your latest project.

I’m in the final process of editing Hopelessly Imperfect, book one out of three in the series (I haven’t started the other two.) It comes out on May under Limitless Publishing.

Hopelessly Imperfect?  Sounds interesting.  I’m just hopeless and perfect.  That’s what my reflection tells me anyway.  How do you feel about bacon?  A crazy person once said it was the food of the gods.  OK, I admit that person was myself...

Hahahaha… this question was so random that I had to read it twice! I have to agree with you wholeheartedly, I love bacon. It can go with everything (I haven’t tried the whole brownies with bacon frenzy yet, but…it’s bacon).

Brownies and bacon?  Oh, I’ve so got to try that.  What is your favourite film?

I have many! And I’m a total girly girl, so many of them are chick films like My Best Friend’s Wedding, but I also like the avengers or Harry Potter (I’m a total Potterhead).

I wonder how you feel about the imminent new Potter book?  I’m excited.  Can’t wait.  They don’t let us have paper in here, though.  It’s either used for…  We don’t have to go into that…  Have you always wanted to be a writer, or is it something you found yourself doing one day?

I’ve always wanted to. But I always wanted to write in English…I never thought I could, though. Until Wattpad came along J

Wattpad is an amazing place, isn’t it?  It’s definitely a home for my own story.  Do you have so many ideas they dribble out of your nose if you don’t get them down, or do you have to hunt around the floor and the back of your sofa to find where your Muse is hiding?

Both! At the first stages of a story, my head brims with ideas, but as I start to type them, I sometimes found like they’re not that good or that they might not work with my whole story and many times, I have to take a break to clear my mind.

A break from a story can be a good thing.  It can be like looking at it with a fresh set of eyes.  And eyes are the windows to the soul, so maybe you’re opening a window to a new part of your soul when you revisit your story?  Now, If you were in an asylum, what would your particular delusion or psychosis be?

Probably schizophrenia… because I tend to forget everything going on around me when I’m completely immersed on a story (writing or reading it) and I’m still scared of the dark sometimes. Hahaha.

There’s no reason to be afraid of the dark.  It’s just the light gone to sleep.  What genre(s) do you write?

I mostly write romance, teen fiction or new adult fiction. I’d love to get into the whole sci-fi genre or even paranormal. But I feel like I might need more vocabulary to tackle those.

I can’t help but be part of the thriller and paranormal genres.  People tend to die around me (hence my incarceration in here).  I’d love to be a part of a romance or something.  A story where people lose their hearts not their lives.  What genres(s) do you read?

Anything. I’m not much into horror, though. (Sorry!) As I said, I’m such a scary cat. But I love romance stories, sci-fi and paranormal. Mysteries, I read a while ago, not so much lately.

I love science fiction.  I’ve been a fan all my life.  And fantasy.  If your choices are the same, what attracts you to them.  If they’re different, why do you think that is?

I think we all need some romance in our lives! Hahaha

Seriously, I believe we all deserve to be happy and fulfilled and romance plays a large part on it. For me, at least. I love my husband and the family we have together and I don’t think I’d be fulfilling my writing dream, if it wasn’t for all the support and love from him.

Yes, romance is good.  And happiness.  That’s all I desire.  I blame the coin.  And the parents – I mean, they called me ‘Sin’!  It’s wonderful that have such an amazing family!  Bacon – just cooked or crispy?

CRISPY!

Good answer!  Now you’re in the asylum with me, how do you aim to get out?  Do you have an escape plan?

I do. I will just let you flip your coin and the whole building might collapse...

Hey, it’s the flipping coin which got me in here!  I think you’re stuck now.  Sorry about that.  At least I can recommend the food.  Oh, wait.  No I can’t…

Well, thanks for dropping by, Gaby of the Wonder Name.  It appears you might be here a while, what with you having such a foolproof escape plan and everything.  I think a tunnel would have been a better idea than that coin.  I almost called it ‘my’ coin…  Not good…

Here’s what Gaby has to say about herself!

Since I was a child, I loved reading. Books let you travel to faraway lands and pretend to be a princess or a strong heroine or a smart babysitter. I love that feeling. When you connect with a character or when you feel butterflies when a kiss is described…reading it’s like living a thousand lives in one.

For some bizarre reason, I’ve always loved to read in English. So when I thought about writing a story, I started out to do it in English and now it’s the only language I feel capable to write on! It’s so funny since I’m Mexican and my first language is Spanish, yet I don’t think I’ll write in Spanish. Not in the nearest future.

I’m a hopeless romantic. You’ll always find a more than healthy amount of romance in all my stories. Because who doesn’t like to fall in love over and over again?

My imagination usually runs wild as I’m really creative. If I’m not writing, you may find me cake decorating. That’s my day-job. Next to being a wife and a doting mother to two incredible boys.

Writing is my passion. It’s like a necessity, like the air you breathe. I’ve found out that I can’t live without books in my life. And let me tell you, it’s an amazing experience. I’m loving every minute of it.

I’m an active writer on Wattpad, a web platform where writer’s post different stories. Being part of their Stars Program has completely changed my life. I love reaching out to other writers and readers, so don’t hesitate to message me!

You can find here in lots of places, such as:

Website: www.gabrielacabezut.com

Facebook: www.facebok.com/shygabs/

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/7143599.Gabriela_Cabezut_Shygabs_

Instagram: @gabycabezut

Wattpad: https://www.wattpad.com/user/gabycabezut

Twitter: @gabycabezut

Amazon author page: https://www.amazon.com/author/gabrielacabezut/

Sign up for her newsletter: http://eepurl.com/bQYm8z

You can get Prince with Benefits on Amazon here: (or just search it on kindle)

http://bit.ly/PrinceWithBenefits

Sherlock - Abominably Wonderful

*SPOILER ALERT - I'll try to keep them to a minimum though!*

I've always liked Sherlock Holmes.  Though I admit to not having read much of the printed material (which surprises me), I've been a fan of the television series (what's the plural of series - serieses?) for many years.  From the days of Basil Rathbone, watching it with my dad, through to Jeremy Brett, I've been an avid watcher.

So, I was delighted when the show was brought back to life by the people who make Doctor Who (another show I have watched all my life), starring this guy I'd never heard of with a funny name.  Also, it starred Martin Freeman, so it couldn't be bad.

And I watched the first episode.  And the way the texts were done on screen and the way Benedict Cumberbatch played the part and  the way the it was set 'today'...  And I was hooked.  Immediately.

Of course, now, Benedict (may I call you that) is a hot property.  From Star Trek Into Darkness, to the amazing Imitation Game (historically correct or not), to the forthcoming Doctor Strange, he's hitting the big time.  He's also helped make Sherlock a worldwide sensation.

Regarding Doctor Strange, one of my favourite Marvel characters, I read yesterday that Marvel actually altered their movie timeline to fit it around Benedict's super-busy schedule.  That's how much they wanted him in the role.

So, onto the New Year's Day special, The Abominable Bride.

It's been soooo long since the last season, I was understandably excited by its appearance.  The fact it was going to be going back to its roots, as in being set during Victorian times, only made it more anticipated.  For some reason, my Sky box didn't record it.  I noticed about half way through and was gutted.  I remembered setting it to record on my smartphone app (so convenient), so couldn't understand why it hadn't.  I checked the planner and the next showing was the next night.  Could I wait that long?  Hell no!  I checked On Demand, through Sky.  Nope, no sign.  OK.  BBC iPlayer app on the Smart TV?

YES!

Phew!  Saved.

So, I sat down to watch it.  And I was hooked.  Both Cumberbatch and Freeman, along with the rest of the cast, donned their period costumes and personas wonderfully.  I thought the story was intriguing and pretty well thought out.  I noticed the odd comment like 'data viruses' which was out of place in such a time, but then...  BAM!  They suddenly fitted right in when we saw what was really happening!  If you haven't seen it, I'll try not to give it away, and I've seen reports that some people didn't 'get' it.  Personally, I thought it was a brilliant twist.  It's been likened to Inception meets Adaptation.  I can see why.  I don't necessarily agree but I have to say I'd love to take a walk in Sherlock's Mind Palace!

Seeing an 'old friend' was cool too.  A perfectly manic and demented version of the character.  I did wonder if the scene of Sherlock's suicide after his nemesis shot himself back in - was it Season 2? - was the modern take on the classic Reichenbach Falls.  I remember Jeremy Brett facing them so long ago.  I was delighted when I saw I was mistaken.

I can't believe it's only been three short (very short) seasons of this show and it's proved to be gripping, fun and compulsive.  Apparently, it's not going to be back until 2017, which I think is FAR too long, but with so many film commitments for the two main stars, I can understand why.  The time will drag too.

At least we have Moffat's other baby to kep us going - Doctor Who.  It seems Peter Capaldi has hinted the next season might be his last.  That's a shame.  I think he's brilliant.  Any criticisms need to be aimed at the writing, as sometimes it's not been as strong as others, but when it's good, it's VERY good.  Some of the episodes, particularly towards the end of this last series, were brilliant and Capaldi showed what a great actor he really is.  I hope he hangs around a little longer.  It seems the Doctor is only in the house for a short time and he moves on though, I suppose, three years isn't exactly a short time.

Anywho-be-do.  This is Sherlock (did you see the Sherlock meets Doctor Who mashup on YouTube).  Was it good?  No.  Was it abominably good?  Definitely!