Recently, the world heard of the sad news that author Iain Banks has only months to live and this piece by author Val McDermid actually brought tears to my eyes. It wasn’t all that long ago that one of Australia’s favourite authors, Bryce Courtenay, died of cancer. It not only got me thinking on how […]
Every April Fools’ Day, my family usually tries to find some way to outdo each other. It fell on a Saturday once, enabling me to fool my son into believing he was late for school. Little white lies like these are a way to have a bit of fun with the kids – they expect […]
Bullying – it would seem that some people have experienced it in one form or another. It can be referred to as a part of growing up; a ‘rite of passage’, although there are those fortunate enough who can go through life never experiencing it at all. Unfortunately, this particular transition for some can become […]
Love is such a powerful emotion and can transcend even time itself. There are stories of spirits visiting loved ones on their wedding day; even the ghosts of beloved pets have been known come back to visit their owners. As February concentrates on the language of love, what better way than to celebrate with three […]
Although I enjoy blogging, I have been experiencing blogging ‘burn-out’. Between blogging, my studies and my writing, it has become a bit overwhelming. This is why I have decided to join the ranks of the slow blogger. Apparently, slow blogging has been around for a while. I have only just discovered it, thanks to author […]
At Christmas time in Australia, I grew up watching British and American television shows, playing happy families experiencing a white Christmas. Sweltering through an Aussie summer, this always represented an idealised version of our reality. I spent a childhood growing up with the traditional British Christmas lunch of turkey with baked veggies followed by a […]
As we are approaching the end of 2012, so too, will be the end of The National Year of Reading in Australia. As a self-confessed bookworm, I have found it difficult to cut back on my reading habits, and on Goodreads, I have almost reached my goal of reading fifty books this year. As part […]
I’ve heard a fair bit lately about writers doing up playlists for their novels. I’m not one to listen to music while I write, as I find I can be easily distracted; however, when it comes to understanding my protagonist, I found listening to music very helpful. The setting for my work in progress is […]
The setting for some of my stories is based within the Blue Mountains, a National Park, west of Sydney. I lived there for a number of years with my young family before moving to our current location in the country. The Australian bush is vast and home to many mysteries, making it an ideal setting […]
This week as I battle my way through National Novel Writing Month (better known as NaNoWriMo), I thought I’d share with you the inspiration behind my current work in progress. During my late teens and into my early twenties, I had the feeling that someone was watching me. Either my imagination was getting the better […]
