Scuttling sideways through the damp sand with a red rose from Mr Darcy, I am proud to present The Z Files' second Cancerian, best selling chick lit author from Washington DC, Katie Oliver. Published by Carina, her books are adored by many lovers of cupcakes, daft shoes and dating on both sides of the Atlantic! 'If you like a bit of comedy with your romance'... read more HERE!
Katie has started her post with a rundown of traditional crabby traits...
Cancerians love
home-life, family and domestic settings. They are traditionalists, and
enjoy operating on a fundamental level. They love history, and are fascinated
with the beginnings of things (heraldry, ancestry, etc.). The moon is their
ruler, so they can be a bit of a contradiction and sometimes moody. However,
they are conservative, so they'll be apt to hide their moods from others
altogether. They have a reputation for being fickle, but they'll tell you that
isn't true, and it's not. Cancerians make loyal, sympathetic friends. However
Cancerians need alone time, and when they retreat, let them do so on their
terms.
"According to my astrological sign, I'm a homebody and a traditionalist who likes history, and food. Check, check, and check. I'm also a loyal friend - just like your devoted pet spaniel - but am subject to moods ranging from amiable sociability to fits of Greta Garbo-ish, 'I-vant-to-be-alone' behavior. I can be 'a bit of a contradiction.'
Oh, boy. Can I ever.
"According to my astrological sign, I'm a homebody and a traditionalist who likes history, and food. Check, check, and check. I'm also a loyal friend - just like your devoted pet spaniel - but am subject to moods ranging from amiable sociability to fits of Greta Garbo-ish, 'I-vant-to-be-alone' behavior. I can be 'a bit of a contradiction.'
Oh, boy. Can I ever.
My moods are unpredictable - although
not as unpredictable as they were in my twenties, or thirties (or even my
forties). They can range from face-on-the-floor, why-do-I-even-BOTHER despair,
to the giddy, whirling, open-armed joy that Maria demonstrated in the opening
scene of “The Sound of Music.” And this manic/depressive behavior is even more
pronounced when it comes to my writing.
When the creative process is going well - the sentences and ideas are flowing, the plot's working, and the dialogue isn't coming off stilted and weird - I'm ecstatic. (Coffee helps, too.) When things aren't going so well, and every word feels like a struggle, the doubt and despair creeps in. Why did I ever think I could write?? Who am I kidding? I will NEVER finish this stupid book."
"Also true to my sign, alone time isn't merely a preference when I write - it's a necessity. The smallest distraction throws me off, yanking me out of Scotland or Majorca or wherever my story's set and landing me right back in reality. Which is not where one wants to be when one is writing.
So there you have it...I fit my zodiac sign to a 'T.' (Or a 'C.') And that's mostly a good thing, I think. My moods (so often annoying to Mr Oliver) are an advantage; they help me empathize with whatever fictional dramas my characters are going through. (Confession - I’ve been known to make myself cry at my own sad bits. Pathetic.)"
When the creative process is going well - the sentences and ideas are flowing, the plot's working, and the dialogue isn't coming off stilted and weird - I'm ecstatic. (Coffee helps, too.) When things aren't going so well, and every word feels like a struggle, the doubt and despair creeps in. Why did I ever think I could write?? Who am I kidding? I will NEVER finish this stupid book."
"Also true to my sign, alone time isn't merely a preference when I write - it's a necessity. The smallest distraction throws me off, yanking me out of Scotland or Majorca or wherever my story's set and landing me right back in reality. Which is not where one wants to be when one is writing.
So there you have it...I fit my zodiac sign to a 'T.' (Or a 'C.') And that's mostly a good thing, I think. My moods (so often annoying to Mr Oliver) are an advantage; they help me empathize with whatever fictional dramas my characters are going through. (Confession - I’ve been known to make myself cry at my own sad bits. Pathetic.)"
Me too, Katie - I thought that was normal! But then I have got Cancer rising, so I know a little of this sign...I really get the 'alone time' thing, too, and the need to completely immerse yourself in the world.
I was looking for famous Cancerian chick lit authors to trio-up with Katie, when I came across this lady crab...
....who, I suppose, was a chick lit author of her time!
(Barbara Cartland, for anyone who doesn't know!)
.... and a more contemporary chick lit Cancerian ~ Lisa Jewell:)
You can follow Katie on Twitter and/or look at her Prada and Louboutin filled books on Amazon.com or Amazon.UK 
Next up: a truly adventurous Sagittarius
Previous Posts (click name to see post):
Leo and Aries: Me, and Julia Proofreader
Leo: Anne Goodwin, Alex Johnson
Gemini: Shelley Wilson
Aquarius and Capricorn: Nicky Black
Aquarius: Cathy Ryan, Lynda Renham,
Sagittarius: Katrina Mountfort,
Cancer: Mark Barry
Virgo: Barb Taub
Pisces: Sacha Black
Scorpio: Jenny Twist
Taurus: Valerie Poore
Great stuff!!
ReplyDeleteTerry is the best! ;-)
ReplyDeleteHahahaha, brilliant. I'm glad to hear that the moody thing is normal, as is the need for alone time. As a fellow cancerian, I totally understand... now go away, I need to write ;-)
ReplyDeleteI think moodiness means we're brilliant... right?? LOL
DeletePerfectly normal to cry at your own sad bits Katie...my daughter is a Cancerian so I am very used to the mood swings which were very trying through her teenage years! Lovely to find out more about you though :-)
ReplyDeleteThanks Georgia! Yes, I'm a moody you-know-what at times when I write. Lots of coffee helps, though. ;-D
DeleteI agree with most of this, and do crave my alone time, but I prefer to write in coffee shops. If it gets noisy, I turn on my mood music on my iPod. I am not conservative or traditional. I'm anti-tradition and like to think that I and my writing are unique. :-)
ReplyDeleteI completely agree. Everyone is different and some people CRAVE noise while others, like me, need quiet. As they say, vive la difference! :-D
DeleteI have two Cancerians under my roof; my son is the laid back version and my daughter is...well, let's just say I can relate to your 'face-on-the-floor, Greta-Garbo quote ha ha (she is thirteen so I guess that doesn't help!). Great post!
ReplyDeleteGreat fun! I think I must have a bit of contradictory cancer in me too!
ReplyDelete