The Novel: An Update
I haven’t been writing as much for the blog, nor stalking reading and commenting on other blogs. I’ve spent less time on Facebook (a good thing), replying to emails (not so good), and my poor family haven’t seen much of me (definitely bad). I’ve...
The Light Between Oceans, by M L Stedman
This is M L Stedman’s debut novel, released in 2012. The story is set in the 1920’s, on Janus Rock, a tiny island off the Western Australian coast. Tom and Isabel Sherbourne are the sole inhabitants of Janus, where Tom is the lighthouse-keeper. They are meant to...
Why I Walk
Every day I walk—it’s become something I have to do. It keeps me sane, as well as fit. The dog enjoys it, too. I need to exercise outdoors—I’ve never been a fan of gyms. One year, I bought a gym membership for $440 and used it eight times. At only $55 per visit,...
Letter To My Daughter On Her Leaving Home
I sat on the plane feeling empty and bereft. It took off, up and westward, following the sun. The buildings below quickly became matchboxes, and the clouds drifted in and thickened into a matted carpet so I could no longer see the city below, the city where I’d...
Letting Go
Our daughter is leaving home in just over a week. She’s moving interstate to go to university. There’s a good uni ten minutes down the road, but she wants to experience a different city, live in a different part of Australia, and who knows where she’ll go...
Past the Shallows by Favel Parrett
Wow! I can’t write a review of this novel in my usual way so this is more of a ‘reflection’. That’s because of the emotions this story stirred. As a reader, I was completely captivated. And heartbroken. I forgot I was a writer. I only wish...
‘Sea Dog Hotel’, by Marlish Glorie
Sea Dog Hotel was self-published late last year by Western Australian author Marlish Glorie. Don’t let the fact it was self-published put you off — this work has been professionally and thoroughly edited so it presents as if from a publishing house. Anyone...
Back in the Attic
Well, it was nice to get out of the attic and roam around Tassie for a while: we hauled backpacks through Cradle Mountain National Park, then visited the sights in and around Hobart. My family then left and I spent six days alone in the northeast of Tassie,...
Tribute to a Sister
This piece was first published as a series on my blog in September, 2013, which I’ve edited and pulled together to make this essay. After my sister died in 1987, I wanted to write about her and her death, but it has taken me over 25 years. There were many...
AWW 2013 CHALLENGE WRAP-UP
I was late joining the Australian Women Writers Challenge 2013, not starting until May, but I signed on for the Franklin level anyway — to read ten books written by female Australian authors and review at least six of them — and managed to complete...