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Some exciting writerly news for 2020!

I hope everyone has had a restful (and fun!) festive season! Welcome to 2020! It’s been a sad start to the year with all the people affected by fire around the country. My thoughts are with everyone struggling both with the reality and the news of it. It’s hard not to feel helpless but seeing the writing community active with support #authorsforfireys has gladdened my heart. Several work colleagues are still fighting to keep their properties safe, and I have friends who’ve had to try and keep their families out of harms way, hopefully no more than an inconvienience for them. I just hope the skies open up enough to bring us rain and clear the smoke.

For myself, I’ve been a busy girl, writing, writing, writing (between spending time enjoying a break with my family) and feeling very creative. Although going back to work has meant some reorganising my time to fit everything in I’ve had some success in trying to be more ‘structured’ in my everyday tasks. I’ve been busy working on editing my novels and another thing has kept me very busy too…

What is that other thing? Keep a lookout for some exciting news later this week!

2019 wrap up!

Perseverance – secret of all triumphs. ~ Victor Hugo

It’s been quite an amazing writerly year. One I should be proud of, but as all writers are wont to do, I have downplayed my achievements. But here is a short list of things that happened of which I am most proud!

  • A finalist in the RWA Valerie Parv awards (highly commended)
  • Second Placing in the RWA Selling Submission contest
  • Asks for full manuscript submissions from publishers for my second novel.
  • Made it to the third round of the international NYCMidnight Flash Fiction comp (when I have time I’ll publish my winning shorts here!)
  • A finalist in the 2020 West Houston RWA – The Emily awards (Winner tba 6th January)

On a personal note, the retirement of my mentor and boss of twenty plus years, Peter is a sad loss, but joyous in that he will finally get to enjoy life to its fullest. I hope I don’t flounder in my job without him! Also my daughter excelling herself both at school, in the swimming pool and in her new found excitement as a member of the Australian Girls Choir are also 2019 highlights!

So what’s happening in 2020 then?

2020 here we come!
  • I will be hitting a birthday milestone in August and plan to have a glorious holiday with my partner Tony and my daughter to go along with it
  • Refine my completed novel ‘The Bridge’ and submit.
  • Complete editing of ‘Love, War and Emu’s’ and submit to several competitions and publishers.
  • Partake in a super exciting project for Easter with some fabulous ladies all with an historical fiction bent like me! I’ll be announcing news on this blog in the near future!

And in addition, I will keep on keeping on. Happy New Year Everyone!

The Regency Buck

I’ve gone a complete Regency binge of late, and having only read Georgette Heyer when I was a teenager I can’t remember a hell of a lot about the stories. I do remember there were rakes and dandies and lovely fiesty heroines.

In the last 6 weeks I’ve read: The Talisman Ring, The Grand Sophy, Frederica, Sylvester the wicked uncle, and Arabella. I can’t remember any of them, except maybe The Grand Sophy because I remember the dog. Maybe my priorities in retaining details of novels were different back then.

Time reading them has been lovely, and with BBC1 Sanditon now playing on tv it feels like I have been transported once again to nineteenth century England.

I’m currently reading the ‘Nonesuch’ and it has to have what I consider (and many others consider) one of the most annoying female characters Georgette Heyer ever wrote. Miss Tiffany Wield is a an annoying brat of 17 year old whose temper tantrums and general unlikeability contrast greatly with the books heroine and Tiffany’s governess – Miss Ancilla Trent. A woman from a genteel background only bought to seek an independent living by the circumstances of her family’s impoverishment. In contrast to her, the hero is Sir Waldo Hawkridge, called ‘The Nonesuch’ for his superior sporting ability, talents and of course extreme wealth. He doesn’t have a title but it doesn’t matter because he’s rich! Not a lot happens in the novel, but watching Ancilla resisting the urge to fall in love and Waldo’s general good natured amusement is utterly delightful.

I’m almost finished reading the story, and I can’t wait for them to kiss, but I know when they do I’ll also want to go back a few pages and read it all over again.

Stolen butterflies, charismatic ski-jumpers and NaNoWriMo 2019

It’s that time of the year again lovelies! I’m going to be editing my novel from last year as I’ve had several requests for full manuscript submissions and it needs work! It’s had a title change – but not much else.

I had intended on writing a new manuscript – based on this chappie:

Colin Wyatt, was an Englishman, who came to Australia in 1939, left to complete service during the war but came back soon after. He was best known for his prowess as a champion ski jumper. He spoke over half dozen languages and was an accomplished painter and landscape artist who held several exhibitions here. He was also a very charismatic individual by all accounts!

What sets Wyatt apart – aside from his champion ski-jumping and overall charm, he was also a learned entomologist, and collected many rare specimens.

He was also a thief.

In fact he stole over 1500 butterfly specimens from the Australian museum in 1947 and as it turns out many others from museums around Australia during his time here. When the theft was traced back to England, over 3000 Australian species were found in his vast private collection.

The species he stole were from the Ogyris genus of butterflies, many of which are a pretty mettalic blue. I can definitely see the attraction! I’m sure we have several species from this family at the Waite Insect and Nematode Collection (where I work) I should takes some images. In fact South Australia has several species – SA Butterflies.

It’s a fascinating story, one that bears retelling. After I did Hannah Kent’s workshop recently on historical fiction I’ve been much enthused about the project. For now its on hold until early next year and until Nano is over and done for another year!

A new blog and website soon!

I’ve been investigating a new website for my writerly persona – one that involves a mix of science, romance and history (and a little on craft and technique) it’s something I’ve been thinking of for a while if I am to take this business seriously (AKA something an actual published author would do). I want to commit to a blog post once every 4-6 weeks (I honestly can’t make a more than that with work and family) on my fave topics and provide some outward face to the world. Today, authors have to be savvy about marketing themselves and their ‘brand’! Anyway, watch this space!

A new beginning – 2019

I realised that I haven’t updated this blog a while and probably it was about time to fill you in on all writerly things that are happening in my life. Mostly all good!

It’s been a tumultuous six months!

clouds dawn nature ocean

Photo by Александр Прокофьев on Pexels.com

I guess the number one thing is that I now have a permanent job. Writing and communication (of an agricultural and scientific nature) will likely take up the bulk of my employment and I am still continuing to freelance as a science communicator and science content creator.

The second big thing is that I have been asked to submit my novel- ‘The Bridge’ to an agent. So I am polishing and tidying the prose, receiving feedback from beta readers and paying an editor to review it and point out where it falls down in pacing or tone. I think it still needs some polish in regard to some areas I need to work on (a writer should never stop learning the craft!) I am thinking that my previous submissions to editors were a little presumptuous, nothing like hindsight to help focus your goals! It’s getting there and there is nothing like waking up in the morning with a fresh idea having given up on an edit the night before in utter frustration of it just ‘not working’. Eight hours of sleep refreshes not only the body but the mind too!

I’ve been working on some smaller projects too, and my second manuscript ‘Emu’ is in the second draft stage – before I move on to a structural edit. I’ve a third manuscript in the planning stage and considering reviewing a manuscript I wrote three years ago, but it’s not historical which is my current area of interest.

I think the one lesson I’ve learned over the last few months of critique is that not to take things too personally, to not rush, take my time, let the craft of writing soak into my soul and try and keep my chin up (despite the downs and the utter hopelessness that you might drown trying to live the writerly life). The one thing I have is the support of loved ones and many writerly friends who understand the pitfalls and promises!

Tomorrow is Mother’s Day. I am hoping to have some time to myself, to read (Clade by James Bradley), drink delicious Fig Gin and put up my feet!

The ups and downs of a creative life

2018 has been a good year. Well I think it has, but with that good fortune has come the lowlights too, the ones where you continually question yourself, your motives and your abilities. First of all, I finished a manuscript I was confident to show the world. After two rejections and 3 non-answers and a follow-up with 3 agents (with 2 rejections and one non-answer) I now question that misplaced pride. It still needs work, still needs refining – I completed the first draft of it in 2017 during Nanowrimo and edited it several times over an eight-month period. I entered it into competitions, only for further rejections to follow. I’ve even edited further since submitting it and entered it into two other competitions, again one of those I put down to another failure. No one is interested in my novel. No one thinks it has merit for publication (aside from friends and family and they’re biased) and hearing the good fortunes of other writers and peers – is only bringing me down – misery loves company it seems (I want to cheer for them, but there’s a human behind these thoughts and I can’t stop myself).

Shout out to Brittany Dashiell

But I shouldn’t dwell on this – I have published my first work of fiction – a short story in Tulpa Magazine (a local lit and arts magazine) and found some stability in my employment. I participated in Nanowrimo again this year and wrote another rough first draft – part of it I also ‘won’ a design cover through their ‘30 covers in 30 days program’ My synopsis enticing enough to attract someone’s attention.

None of these achievements stop the feelings of inadequacy, with a small measure of imposter syndrome to boot – does this qualify me as part of the writer’s club now? I’ll persevere, it’s the key after all everyone keeps telling me, but some days are just hard.

 

 

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