So I’ve just finished watching (well, rewatching, I’ve seen it before), the movie Beautiful Creatures. It backdates to 2013, and if it hadn’t been hot on the heels of Twilight and Hunger Games, may very well have made more of a splash – that is, until the last fifteen minutes of storytelling forget about narrative […]
Loosely Based on Fairytales.
When I go looking for the next idea for my Seven Wishes tales, I look to the old Grimm and Andersen fairytales for inspiration, or the Arabian Nights. Those fairytales always have a great story, a hook, and a moral, which makes them ideal for me to riff off. However, turning a fairytale into a […]
Book Review – Talk of the Town by Rachael Johns
Last week, I was lucky enough to attend the launch of Rachael John’s tenth paperback novel (and twentieth book overall), Talk of the Town, held at the amazing new Boya Community Centre and Library, in the hills of Perth. Rachael is a gracious and giving person, with a smile that goes on forever. It’s so […]
Looking Like A Girl who Feels Better
You may know that I’ve recently had quite a nasty illness that still has its claws in me. Chronic Fatigue Syndrome. I’ve had it for over two years, following a bout of Glandular Fever. And one other thing? Chronic Fatigue sucks. However, I’m on the road to recovery (yay!) and I’ve noticed something interesting. As […]
Singing in the Car – A Letter to my Son
[et_pb_section bb_built=”1″ admin_label=”section”][et_pb_row admin_label=”row”][et_pb_column type=”4_4″][et_pb_text admin_label=”Text” background_layout=”light” text_orientation=”left” use_border_color=”off” border_color=”#ffffff” border_style=”solid”] Dear Aiden, From time to time you ask me why I sing in the car. My answers range from “Because I want to,” through “It makes me happy,” but more often than not, I serenade you with a soppy love song while you cringe […]
Thoughts on Writing as a Business
A few days ago, I very nearly became overwhelmed by the non-writing tasks that I had to do. Being an author – being a commercial indie author, is so much more than just churning out the volumes. I have to plan and execute a marketing and promotion campaign for each book I publish. I’m writing weekly blogs and […]
A Subtle Art is Waiting.
There are estimates that we wait for several weeks of our lives in front of traffic lights and at Stop signs. We don’t notice so much because it’s chopped up into 90 second pieces. This week I’ve had the opportunity to wait – alongside my dad – as they scheduled and then delayed his triple […]
The Oldest Trick in the Author’s Book.
It’s been a fortnight of high emotional charge for me – we’ve moved house, paid off the lion’s share of our debts, but I also found out that my beloved Dad is going in for a triple bypass surgery and may need to go on kidney dialysis, and I have severe Carpal Tunnel Syndrome which […]
The Eternal Existence of Stuff.
It wasn’t until I had to move house and started to pack my stuff away that I realised just how many things I have accumulated over a relatively short period of time. And just how many of those things really are meaningless bits of junk. I like a clean, clear look to the spaces in […]
Why Valentine’s Day isn’t for Everyone.
By that, I don’t mean the great, gaping divide between ‘partnered’ and ‘not-partnered’. It’s fairly obvious that those who are alone on Valentine’s Day won’t be shouting to the rooftops about it. They will be the ones discussing the crass commercialism, the way Valentine’s chocolates taste weird compared to normal chocolate and thanking whatever god they […]