About Me

Fiction Writing Editor for BellaOnline.com and the owner of hearwritenow.com

Elle Neal is a writer living in Melbourne, Australia. She completed her first novel in 2004 and second in 2007, and is currently working on a children's fantasy trilogy.

Elle runs the following Squidoo Groups:

Phenomenal Women Headquarters

Harry Potter Fun and Games Headquarters

The Stranded Group

Pirate Costumes

Pirates are bigger and better than ever. Even Rolling Stone Keith Richards agreed that the pirate's life was for him, when he rigged up to play Captain Jack Sparrow's father in Pirates of the Caribbean : At World's End. Johnny Depp told interviewers...

Torchwood

Torchwood Season 3 was unofficially announced by James Marsters at the Collectormania GMEX 3 convention in Manchester, and a further hint of the upcoming season was given to SciFiPulse (see link below). Keep your fingers crossed that it's true! Torchw...

The Golden Compass - Activities and Ideas

The Golden Compass (or Northern Lights in the UK and Australia) is the first book in Philip Pullman's His Dark Materials Trilogy. The Golden Compass movie stars Nicole Kidman as Marisa Coulter, Daniel Craig as Lord Asriel, and Dakota Blue Richards as...

Anna Nicole Smith

Anna Nicole Smith's death on Thursday, 8 February 2007, mirrored that of her son, Daniel, just five months previously, both succumbing to lethal cocktails of prescription drugs and alcohol. Daniel died just three days following the birth of...

Make a Wizard's Wand - Harry Potter Accessories

Harry buys his wand for seven Galleons from Ollivanders in Diagon Alley. Mr Ollivander first takes Harry's measurements and then gets him to try a few wands out - first a beechwood and dragon heartstring, then a maple and phoenix feather, ebony and u...

Costumes and Ideas for Couples

Have a little role playing fantasy fun! Are you a closet Maid Marian and Robin Hood? Or are you two pirates sailing the high seas? Or is one of you an alien and the other an officer on board the Enterprise? How about cyber-sexy Neo and Trinity? If you...

Make a Wizard's Cloak - Harry Potter Accessories

Harry buys his first-year uniform from Madam Malkin's Robes for All Occasions. As a first-year, Harry has to have three sets of plain black work robes and a black winter cloak with silver fastenings. He also needs a black pointed hat and pr...

Pet Costumes

Some pets love to dress up and party just as much as their people do. If your dog is a socialite, make sure she’s ready to shine this season – because no one upstages the pooch. (Pictured is the Tiki Dog Costume (top left), the Pimp Dog Co...

Make Hogwarts House Badges - Harry Potter Accessories

The four houses of Hogwarts are Gryffindor, Slytherin, Ravenclaw, and Hufflepuff. They are named after the four founding witches and wizards - Godric Gryffindor, Salazar Slytherin, Rowena Ravenclaw, and Helga Hufflepuff. Professor McGonagall is t...

Make your own Quidditch game - Harry Potter games

Harry Potter's initiation into the amazing magical world that has been kept from him for eleven years is exciting and dramatic, and we follow him as he discovers magic, extra doorways through solid brick walls, flying on broomsticks... and Quidditch....

Melbourne Restaurants

Melbourne is the wining and dining capital of Australia, with one restaurant for every 30 people who live here. That means, even with a population of 4 million, you can still find a restaurant that can take a last minute booking. Here are some of my f...

Heath Ledger

Heath Ledger's doctors have been cleared by the DEA after a check of their records revealed no prescription combination that would have been risky for Ledger to take. The investigation is now focused on where Ledger obtained the extra painkillers and...

Make Hogwarts House Tunics - Harry Potter Accessories

Here's an excuse to put your creative sewing skills to use. Make cool Hogwarts tunics to wear under your cloak... The colours are red for Gryffindor, yellow for Hufflepuff, blue for Ravenclaw, and green for Slytherin.  (Younger children may requir...

Shortness of Breath - Tips for Non-Asthmatics

In many instances, an asthmatic can use their prescribed inhaler, or other medication, to forestall the symptoms of an asthma attack. But, if you're lucky enough not to need medication to help your breathing, you might actually consider yourself unlu...

Gift ideas for mothers

Here you'll find some easy and quick ideas for Mother's Day gifts to make, some more complicated and crafty ideas, and also some great picks for gifts to buy if you've run out of time and energy. The gifts to buy section will be updated often, so book...

Kurt Vonnegut

On Wednesday 11 April 2007, author Kurt Vonnegut died at the age of 84, following severe brain injuries sustained after a fall several weeks earlier. Vonnegut was the author of cult classic novels Slaughterhouse-Five, Cat's Cradle, and Breakfast...

Make Hogwarts House Scarves - Harry Potter Accessories

The scarves for each of the Hogwarts Houses are bi-coloured: large red stripes and thinner golden-yellow stripes for Gryffindor; large blue, thin bronze for Ravenclaw; large green, thin silver-grey for Slytherin; and large yellow, thin black for Huff...

Impersonating the Dead at Halloween

Halloween is all about the Dead, Forgive me, it has to be said,  So, although it's considered tasteless and rude, An offensively politically incorrect mood, What could be more appropriately vile, Than mimicking a dead person for a while? Marilyn...

Ladies' Ultra-Uber-Cool Grunge, Goth, & Glamour Boots

I love boots. Ever since I saw the movie Underworld I have coveted a pair of serious @#$%kicking chunky-healed skin-tight thigh-high boots like the pair worn by Kate Beckinsale's Lycan-hunting vampire. (Come to think of it, make that Trinity from The...

Make a Flying Broomstick - Harry Potter Accessories

First-year Hogwarts students are not allowed to bring their own broomstick. They must first be taught how to fly safely by Madam Hooch. Harry manages to earn extra status, and more enemies, when his very first flight is so spectacular that Professor...

Investing in Gibson Guitars

Gibson guitars are based in Nashville, Tennessee, and are best known for their Gibson Les Paul electric guitar. But did you know that Gibson are also responsible for the Epiphone, Kramer, Steinberger, and Kalamazoo ranges of guitars? Gibson have been...

Queen Rania of Jordan

Queen Rania is the queen consort of Jordan's King Abdullah II, and the mother of Prince Hussein, Princess Iman, Princess Salma, and Prince Hashem. Formerly Rania Al-Yasin of Kuwait, Rania has a Palestinian heritage. In January 1993 Rania's...

Gifts for the ladies in your life

What do girls love to receive as gifts? Diamonds and DVDs, silk and satin, chocolate and wine, and books and bubbles and beautiful things. It's easy to please a lady, but not always cheap. But I know guys find it difficult to work out what's hot and w...

Make Mad-Eye Moody's Mad Eye - Harry Potter Accessories

Alastor "Mad Eye" Moody supposedly arrives at Hogwarts at the beginning of year four as the new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher. He is a former auror and has a magical eye that he created himself, which can see what is hidden to...

Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf

Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf made history in 2005 when she was voted the first female president of an African country - Liberia. Ellen was born in Monrovia, Liberia in 1938. Ellen's parents were the first generation in their families to receive an education...

Make Witches' Hats for Halloween

These little witches' hats can be filled with treats to give away to neighbourhood trick-or-treaters, or handed out as Halloween party favours for grown-up friends. They are also cute as table or tree decorations.

Colour Themed Parties - Ideas for Costumes and Decor

A colour theme is a great idea for an End of Year party if you have reluctant friends who don't all want to dress up. Some people prefer to dress in something they already own, or buy something they will wear again on an ordinary day. (Image by Mario...

Bullying in the Workplace

Workplace bullying can be as obvious as being threatened with violence, or as subtle as not being given enough work to do. When surveys reveal that almost three quarters of workplace bullying in Australia is perpetrated by managers or supervisors, ho...

How to Beat Writer's Block

I have been a fan of fantasy author Holly Lisle for many years. In addition to her prolific output of novels, Holly has also written extensive resources for other writers at her website and in ebook format. I have found her ebooks to be packed with g...

What would you pick to take with you if you're stranded?

Welcome to the Stranded Lens, part of the Stranded Group!  It's always hard to pin down one book, one CD, one movie and one thing to eat.  And even deciding on one single place to be stranded is hard. But this is all in fun. Here are some o...

Prince Caspian

For the Pevensie children, it has been a year since they returned from their amazing adventure in Narnia. But for the beings of Narnia, it has been centuries since the golden age of the reign of King Peter, King Edmund, Queen Susan, and Queen Lucy....

Paddington Bear

Paddington Bear has been a much-loved children's favourite since 1958. The stories were created by Michael Bond, a cameraman with the BBC, and were inspired by a last-minute Christmas present he bought for his wife. He walked into a shop and saw a fo...

Marisa Coulter sets fashion trends this season

The statuesque Nicole Kidman plays Marisa Coulter in the movie version of Philip Pullman's The Golden Compass. Mrs Coulter wears two beautiful gold dresses in this movie - one to the Oxford dinner, and another in her home just before Lyra runs away.&...

The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe

During the war, the four Pevensie children, Peter, Susan, Edmund, and Lucy, are sent to stay with Professor Kirke in his mansion in the country. What the children don't know, however, is that Professor Kirke once had a great adventure in a land call...

Movies with a twist in the tail

I have always loved stories with a twist in the tail, but movies have a unique advantage over books, in that the audience cannot enjoy the intimate perspective of any character (unless voiceover is used to provide the character's thoughts). This mean...

Helen Mirren

Helen Mirren's Best Actress Academy Award win for The Queen crowns a 42 year career as a talented, versatile, and chameleonic actor. We hope that her Oscar is merely one jewel in this queen's crown of future achievements, and that she will...

What happens if you click "Flag this lens as May Offend"?

No, not really! I'm joking, I'm joking. (Gil doesn't live in a box. Seth keeps him in a vault.) Here's what "Flag this lens as May Offend" is all about and how you can use it to keep Squidoo spam free. A cleaner Squidoo means a better environm...

Collectible Guitars

Most of us can only dream of playing an electric guitar as well as some of the greats: Brian May, Jimi Hendrix, Joe Satriani, Mark Knopfler... let alone owning one of those exquisite Ibanezes, Fenders, or Gibsons. But if you're going to invest yo...

Investing in Fender Guitars

Did you know that a 1954 Fender Stratocaster can sell at auction for more than $75000? Any Stratocaster guitar made prior to 1965, when a change in management impacted on the quality of the guitars, would be a highly sought after...

The Key To Rondo

Leo is a sensible boy who would never break the rules, which is why his boring great-aunt Bethany thought he was the perfect guardian for the Langlander music box, and left it to him when she died. Leo’s cousin, Mimi, is very different to him: she...

The Spiderwick Chronicles

The Grace family move to Spiderwick Estate in New England, and the trouble begins when Jared Grace finds an old book - Arthur Spiderwick's Illustrated Fieldguide to the Fantastical World Around You. Jared, his twin brother Simon, and their sister Mal...

Carrie Fisher

In Star Wars, we first see Princess Leia wearing a hairstyle since described by spoofers as a Danish on each ear. But despite what could've been a hindrance, Carrie Fisher managed to be both ravishing and commanding in the role of the tom-boy princes...

Chocolate Fix

Our love affair with chocolate dates back probably two thousand years or more! Chocolate originates from the Mayan and Aztec peoples of the Americas who developed it as a bitter drink made from the fruit of the cacao tree. The word "chocola...

Flowers for any occasion

Flowers remain a staple gift for all occasions, from the romance of Valentine's Day and anniversaries, to wishing someone a quick recovery from an illness. But it can be hard to organise flowers for a special someone who is in a different country to...

The movies of M Night Shyamalan

M Night Shyamalan (Manoj Nelliattu Shyamalan) was born in India in 1970 and spent just the first few weeks of his life there, before returning with his mother to America. He grew up in Pennsylvania, and many of his films are set in Philadelphia....

How to be "Stranded"

Planning to be "Stranded" as a holiday idea can be a relatively cheap way to unwind and enjoy a short break. For the ultimate in budget holidays, you can even be stranded at home. What do you think of when you hear the question: "...

Yngwie Malmsteen

Swedish-born Yngwie Malmsteen is a neo-classical metal guitarist. He has lived in the US since 1982. Classically trained, Malmsteen says that violinist Niccolo Paganini was one of his foremost musical influences, but he also references the styles of...

Mitchell Baker

Mitchell Baker is the CEO of Mozilla Corporation, part of the company behind the open source Firefox web browser and Thunderbird email program. She is also on the board of directors of the Open Source Applications Foundation. Winifred Mitchell Baker s...

Managing your Squidoo Lens

This lens is in the process of becoming an information and advice lens on managing and maintaining your own Squidoo lens. Check back soon for plenty of tips and guidelines on getting the most out of your Squidooing experience. Due to the increasing de...

Pirates Of The Caribbean : The Curse Of The Black Pearl

Was there ever a time when Captain Jack Sparrow wasn't a household name? When Johnny Depp wasn't famous for impersonating Keith Richards in an action-adventure period piece that was side-splittingly funny? Enjoy the Sparrow-Swann-Turner-Barbossa antic...

Is your job killing you?

Considering you spend a huge proportion of your life working, the impact sub-standard working conditions and staff treatment has on you has far greater consequences than you may realise. You spend too much of your life at work to not take your health...

The Prestige - with spoilers

The Prestige opens with one Victorian-era magician being tried for the murder of another magician, and then works its way through the story of their rivalry via their diaries. The twists in The Prestige are "soft" twists, but this enhances t...

Gifts for the men in your life

What do men love to receive as gifts? Fast things like cars, motorbikes... fun things like comic books and video games, sporty things, cool things, tool things, and toys for boys. Admit it - it's hard sometimes to buy gifts for the opposite sex, so he...

Dirk Gently - Douglas Adams' hilarious holistic detective series

Dirk Gently is Douglas Adams' Poirot-like detective character appearing in three novels, including The Salmon of Doubt - the book Adams left incomplete at his death. Dirk, or Svlad Cjelli as he is also known, believes in the interconnectedness of all...

Misogyny in Shrek The Third

Although I have always enjoyed the tongue-in-cheek Shrek movies, I have a serious problem with the misogynistic message being passed on to children in this third movie. Fiona's father, the Frog King, dies after telling Shrek that he is next in line...

The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus

Terry Gilliam's latest movie, The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus, is back on track and officially listed as "Filming has begun again" on IMDB. The scenes filmed with Heath Ledger prior to his death are very likely to be included without alteration....

Premonition - explained (full spoilers)

Premonition is a weakly plotted movie that relies heavily on gimmicks and distractions to confuse the audience. If it weren't such a depressing movie, I would be tempted to call it "silly". Despite that, you may have arrived at this lens looking for...

Cristina Fernández De Kirchner

Cristina Fernández De Kirchner is Argentina's current president. Formerly, she was the first lady of Argentina when her husband, Néstor Kirchner, was president. Cristina is Argentina's second female president, following in the footstep...

How to Beat Writer's Block reviewed

Although I managed to break a major case of writer’s block a few years ago, this year I found myself struggling through a series of minor blocks. The latest session arrived three weeks ago – just in time for me to try out Holly Lisle&rsqu...

Elegant, classy, sophisticated gift ideas

Your first Christmas together? Or your fiftieth? Are you attending the wedding of a couple who already have the toaster, waffle iron, and 5-setting electric juicer? Perhaps you have an important client you need to impress, or a special someone who do...

Halo on XBox and beyond

I'm relatively new to the world of XBox, and Halo in particular. As someone who loves stories, I wanted to know more about the story of Halo, but there wasn't much info out there for beginners. So I decided to make a lens about everything I lear...

Pirates Of The Caribbean : At World's End

Johnny Depp based his character of Captain Jack Sparrow on the mannerisms and look of Rolling Stones rocker Keith Richards. Now, in the third Pirates of the Caribbean movie, Keith Richards makes a cameo appearance as Jack's good old dad. And have a l...

We hate Death At A Funeral

Don't waste your time or money on Death at a Funeral. Even the actors seem bored, despite the evidence of the outtakes where none of them can get a line out without cracking up - but even the outtakes aren't funny. I think the actors had to take the...

Greg Egan

Greg Egan is an Australian Science Fiction writer, specialising in hard core science combined with speculative conjecture on subjects like the origins and formats of life forms, taking an atheistic viewpoint. Greg is based in Perth, Western Australia....

Joybubbles

Joybubbles, a phone phreak icon of the 1950s and 60s, died on 8 August 2007, aged 58. Born Josef Carl Engressia, Joybubbles was his legally adopted name, reflecting his beliefs that resulted in setting up the Church of Eternal Childhood&nbs...

Patrick Rondat

Patrick Rondat is a progressive rock guitarist who favours an Ibanez guitar. He has played as one of the third members of G3, a prog rock guitar concert tour featuring Joe Satriani and Steve Vai as the two constant members, plus one guest guitarist....

Elsa Neal Provides the Best Critique Service Ever

It's one thing to write the book you've been carrying around in your head; it's quite another to write fiction that gets a vivid reaction from your readers. Why do we forget some books within weeks of reading them, but remember others deeply for year...

Pirates Of The Caribbean : Dead Man's Chest

Davy Jones' Locker is about to claim Jack, but Jack has an advantage that is sure to defeat Davy Jones. Will accepts a difficult bargain to save Elizabeth's life: track down Jack Sparrow and steal his compass. But Jack has a bargain of his own and ro...

Loch Ard Gorge: The Best Beach Ever

Depending on the angle you look, Loch Ard Gorge beach is a small bay almost entirely enclosed in huge sandstone cliffs. Depending on the tide, the water is either like a sheet of turquoise glass, or it is a white and turquoise mix of rolling surf and...

Wedding Flowers

If you have a creative eye for arranging flowers, this is one area you might decide to do yourself, or for a friend or relative, to save some money on the wedding budget. Creating Beautiful Wedding Flowers is ideal for finding ideas for bouquets, cen...

V for Vendetta - the adaptation from page to screen

The differences between the V for Vendetta graphic novel and the movie are a good way to understand how a story can be reworked and rewritten in later drafts to produce different results. It's worth remembering that almost every scenario, action, be...

Manuscript Assessment Services

Many manuscript assessment services are reputable and worth going through to get your novel polished up for publication. But be aware of the sneaky tricks being pulled on unwary authors by unscrupulous individuals looking for a quick buck.

Central North Island New Zealand

Central North Island is a fascinating part of New Zealand where active volcanos and geysers, boiling mud, and coloured pools of bubbling water produce the most intriguing landscapes. It was the scenery of the Waikato area that inspired Peter Jackson...

Margaret Anstee

Dame Margaret Anstee worked for the United Nations from 1952 to 1993, leaving the organization at the highest rank under the Secretary-General, the senior woman in the United Nations, and the longest serving official of either sex at any level. Imag...