For the first time since we have been married (and I think for the first time in our whole relationship) my husband and I are going out for dinner to celebrate Valentine’s Day. It’s a pretty big deal – getting him out of the man cave takes a highly technical and concerted effort. But he […]
Writing Is Hard Work
“It must be nice to spend all day doing something you love.” It really is – but sometimes, it just isn’t either. I’m making a career out of writing. And while it might sound nice and cushy, it’s actually really hard work – mainly due to conflicting priorities and a lack of focus. What does […]
Bridgerton
As a writer of historical romance, I couldn’t help but watch the Netflix series Bridgerton, based on the series of novels by Julia Quinn. And the series delivered, with ballrooms, gowns, gossip, romances, scandals, and just about every historical romance trope imaginable stuffed into the first episode. While the fabrics are perhaps not quite era-specific, […]
Beautiful Creatures – lovely til the end…
So I’ve just finished watching (well, rewatching, I’ve seen it before), the movie Beautiful Creatures. It backdates to 2013, and if it hadn’t been hot on the heels of Twilight and Hunger Games, may very well have made more of a splash – that is, until the last fifteen minutes of storytelling forget about narrative […]
Loosely Based on Fairytales.
When I go looking for the next idea for my Seven Wishes tales, I look to the old Grimm and Andersen fairytales for inspiration, or the Arabian Nights. Those fairytales always have a great story, a hook, and a moral, which makes them ideal for me to riff off. However, turning a fairytale into a […]
Book Review – Talk of the Town by Rachael Johns
Last week, I was lucky enough to attend the launch of Rachael John’s tenth paperback novel (and twentieth book overall), Talk of the Town, held at the amazing new Boya Community Centre and Library, in the hills of Perth. Rachael is a gracious and giving person, with a smile that goes on forever. It’s so […]
Looking Like A Girl who Feels Better
You may know that I’ve recently had quite a nasty illness that still has its claws in me. Chronic Fatigue Syndrome. I’ve had it for over two years, following a bout of Glandular Fever. And one other thing? Chronic Fatigue sucks. However, I’m on the road to recovery (yay!) and I’ve noticed something interesting. As […]
Singing in the Car – A Letter to my Son
[et_pb_section bb_built=”1″ admin_label=”section”][et_pb_row admin_label=”row”][et_pb_column type=”4_4″][et_pb_text admin_label=”Text” background_layout=”light” text_orientation=”left” use_border_color=”off” border_color=”#ffffff” border_style=”solid”] Dear Aiden, From time to time you ask me why I sing in the car. My answers range from “Because I want to,” through “It makes me happy,” but more often than not, I serenade you with a soppy love song while you cringe […]
Thoughts on Writing as a Business
A few days ago, I very nearly became overwhelmed by the non-writing tasks that I had to do. Being an author – being a commercial indie author, is so much more than just churning out the volumes. I have to plan and execute a marketing and promotion campaign for each book I publish. I’m writing weekly blogs and […]
A Subtle Art is Waiting.
There are estimates that we wait for several weeks of our lives in front of traffic lights and at Stop signs. We don’t notice so much because it’s chopped up into 90 second pieces. This week I’ve had the opportunity to wait – alongside my dad – as they scheduled and then delayed his triple […]