A Break from Blogging
This is a quick post to let you know I'll be taking a break from blogging in order to concentrate on my novel. The thing is, an agent has kindly sent me some feedback. By 'kindly', I mean 'bluntly', and by 'some' feedback, I mean 'loads',...
Final Draft 2.0 and Carving Out Time to Write
It's been school holidays for the past couple of weeks, and up until the last couple of days, the weather has been cold, wet and gloomy—and perfect for writing! I took the opportunity to immerse myself in an unscheduled home writing retreat, during...
TAG Hungerford Award—Post Script
Last Thursday, after an agonising three-and-a-half month wait, the winner of the 2014 City of Fremantle-TAG Hungerford Award was announced at Fremantle Arts Centre. The winner was 'Troppo', by Madelaine Dickie, which will be published next...
Shortlisted for 2014 TAG Hungerford Award
I'm finally allowed to tell everyone that my novel, 'Ida's Children', has been shortlisted for the 2014 City of Fremantle-TAG Hungerford Award. This is the nicest present I've ever been given, and a wonderful way to end...
The Final Countdown
Hopefully, I'm on the downhill run with this novel. I've finished the latest draft, draft #12 at least (but who's counting?), and I feel as if it's ready to send out to agents and publishers. Please note, I also felt it was ready after Draft...
Rejection
It's a long time since I've been rejected for anything—a boyfriend, a job—mainly because I haven't put myself in line for it, being happily married and not looking for work. But last week my manuscript was rejected for the QWC-Hachette Manuscript Development...
Another Excerpt from the Novel
IDA'S LAST BABY fter that, Len and I gave it another try. This baby was breathing when they took him from me, and I saw him, silent but alive. 'Henry,' I said. 'His name is Henry, after my father.' They...
My Writing Process
I've been tagged by two writers to join in a blog hop about writing and the writing process: Laurie Steed is a short story writer and Patricia Hackett Prize winning author from Perth, Western Australia. His work has appeared in Best Australian...
Writing With(out) Kids
I haven't spent much time on my novel since I returned from Varuna. There are many reasons for this—every time I've sat down to write, the phone has rung, or there's been a knock at the door, or a child tapping on the attic door, or someone off sick...
More Images of Varuna
I'm on the downhill week of my stay at Varuna and I'll be sad to leave this enchanted place. I've been hard at work on my novel. Last week, I met with Carol Major, one of the consultants here, who gave me some wise and valuable suggestions for my novel. I've taken on...
Images of Varuna
Welcome to Varuna: This is my home for the next two weeks. For anyone who doesn't know, Varuna is in Katoomba in the Blue Mountains. It was the family home of Eric and Eleanor Dark, and since 1989 it has served as a writers' centre. Writers come to work on their...
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 appeared at...
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,...
BREAKING NEWS …
From 'Breaking News' I interrupt normal blog transmission to share breaking news of the novel's progress: I have been selected as a 2014 Varuna Residential Fellowship Recipient. What is that? I hear you ask. Well, it's bed and board and a writing desk for two weeks,...
A Snippet from the Novel
An excerpt from my novel, 'Ida's Children'. LEN'S CAMERA ne night he came out, full as a boot and holding up a cardboard box as if it was a priceless antique. ‘I won! I won!’ he kept saying as he came over....