Linzé Brandon's Blog

 Hey there creative friend!

   With watercolourmonth and Novel Summer Camp in July, it was a bit of a juggle to get the paintings for The Deckle Edge competition done. The closing date is only at the end of the month, but I didn't want to wait until the last moment. Things invariably go wrong when it comes to time, if I do that. You can see my submissions on my Instagram. Although a like or comment would be welcome, it doesn't contribute to the outcome of the competition.

My writing badges at the ...

Hey there creative friend!

It's been a while since I have read a book to review it, but I love my amateur sleuths so couldn't say no to this one. And having met the author, there was an added incentive 😉And no, I don't get anything in return for the review. A short review will also be available on Goodreads.
Buy the book Amazon (Available from 15 July 2026)
Linzé's impressions   ★★★★
The story:  James and Inky Clatterbridge live on a houseboat in Abbey Marina. A horror fiction writer, James becomes i...

Hey there creative friend!

It seems that I am back online again...the question is just for how long before it happens again? The whole long tirade is on my Substack, but I am not going to bore you again with that saga.

Just popping in to mention that I will have a book review coming soon. I don't review books very often, but thought to do that for one of my favourite genres, amateur sleuth mysteries. If this is a genre that you love, please keep any eye out for a new author (although an old hand i...

 Hey there fellow creative!

Did you had take part in the 100 day project? Congratulations and well done if you had stuck it out to the end. Finding time to create can be a challenge, but doing it 100 days in a row..now THAT takes courage and commitment.

This year I had a plan, well a better one than last year. It didn't make the commitment easy, it just helped to make it manageable which I think is the more important thing. While I did finish last year, the struggle was less this time around and a...

 Hi there creative friend!

This post was planned for last Sunday, but I got sick and writing a blog post was the last thing on my mind. To honest the only things I could think about were tissues, and when can I go back to bed?

I did spend most of Monday in bed, and as the week progressed I went from 70% on the feeling crap scale, back to 100%. Although today, Saturday, I would say I am at the 50% level. Hopefully this is an indication that the fourteen day suffering is close to the end. As someone...

Zentangle I don't follow the 'official' zentangle designs, but like to incorporate some of them in some doodling art. It is fun and something I like doing while waiting for food in a restaurant.

I carry a small sketchbook and two sizes of ink drawing pens for exactly that reason.

The drawing here was also done with pen, one black, and one dark blue. I used a sketchbook that I bound myself for this type of drawing.

Since this is the last letter of the alphabet and the last post of this year's A-to-Z...

 Yes!

Okay, I am a bit boring, because I couldn't think of a Y-word for this prompt. The internet hadn't provided any inspiration either. Who thought that could happen? 😏

But with the end of the A-to-Z challenge in sight, I thought you might like another challenge to learn about mixed media art - it's only two weeks and from past experience I can recommend it to anyone who might like to try.

It is called Mastering Mixed Media hosted by Tamara Laporte. I have been taking part in this (free) event si...

 X-tra special post 😊

Since I finally managed to finish proofreading the manuscript (it took me 7 days!) it was ready for publication late last week.

But for my patient readers, and blog visitors you can get the book early before publication on 21 May for a massively reduced price.

There are two options:

1. Get the ebook at @ $1.50, or

2. You can sign up for notifications about new books, then the book will be $0.99.

(I had to sign a long list of things promising that I won't spam you, but that's okay...

 Watercolour Month (July)

With day 100 of the 100 day project on June 1st, I will take the month off, so that I can do the watercolour month challenge in July.

The book is now out for pre-sale, and I can focus on art for the remainder of the 100 day project. This challenge was becoming tiring (today is day 65), but with the book now off my schedule, I have a bit more control over my schedule and can also pay attention to the tiny treasures project.

For watercolour month I usually paint larger piece...

 Hey there creative friend!

With the A-to-Z blog challenge ending this week, I for one am grateful that the end of the month is in sight. The past two months have difficult to say the least. I mentioned the struggles with a broken geyser in past posts, but I haven't mentioned losing a dog. She died at home while I was alone and my husband was away. It was hard, but a good friend of mine helped which made the whole event less traumatic for me.

Then two weeks ago, on the eve of my husband having an ...