Rashida Murphy: Sesame, Lilies and Conquistadors
My guest in the attic this week is Rashida Murphy. Rashida is a Western Australian author whose writing I’ve admired since we first met at a writing course in 2012. At the time, we were both starting out and in throes of writing our début novels. Since then, our...
Three Things I Need Before I Can Write A Novel
At the end of last year, I wrote a post called The Trouble With Second Novels after I’d abandoned my second attempt at writing a second novel. At that time, I was trying to keep myself buoyant because I was feeling rather deflated—I’d hoped to...
Susan Midalia on Finding the Extraordinary in the Everyday
Writers in the Attic is back! I’m so excited to be hosting this again as I’ve really missed it. I already have some amazing writers lined up for future weeks, and more are coming, and I promise you that WITA 2.0 will be just as good as the first...
The Trouble With Second Novels
This afternoon while it was 38ºC outside, I sat at my desk and opened my current manuscript. It had been a while since I’d written and, although I’ve missed creating sentences, I’d needed the break. I’ve been working on my second novel for most of...
Win a Manuscript Assessment and Raise Money for Authors For Farmers
AUTHORS FOR FARMERS is an initiative started by the wonderful Australian author Josephine Moon, who’s been working hard behind the scenes, banding together fellow authors from around the country to fundraise for drought-affected farmers. All money raised goes to...
Messages From Readers
I’m not sure if readers are aware of how much authors love hearing from them—it really does make our day! It’s always a thrill to hear from people who’ve enjoyed reading your book, and it’s even more special when they share their own...
Unworthiness: This is How It Starts
Earlier this year, my friend Denise Mills asked me if I’d write something for her blog about feeling ‘unworthy’. The topic is something I’ve spent a lot of time thinking and writing about, having felt ‘unworthy’ for much of my life....
Mildura Writers Festival and the Tina Kane Emergent Writer Award
I returned home around midnight on Sunday after spending four wonderful days at the Mildura Writers Festival. I should clarify that while I’ve returned physically to Perth, my mind, and heart, are still in Mildura. The festival was one of the most special...
Shirley Patton: The Sisterhood and It’s Never Too Late to Follow Your Dreams
I’m thrilled to be able to shine a light on another début author, one with whom I have a few things in common—we’ve both moved states, although Shirley moved from Western Australia to Tasmania and I did it the other way around, and we both came to writing...
Kate Murdoch: From Painting to Writing—Change and the Creative Path
I’m so pleased to introduce you to Kate Murdoch, the author of Stone Circle, a historical fantasy novel set in Renaissance Italy. As you’ll read in this essay, writing wasn’t Kate’s first artistic pursuit. Prior to becoming an author, Kate had...