Five Months Till Forty. The Blog is getting an overhaul!

Actually it's more like six months till the big day but I'm currently very influenced by my almost ten year old's obsession with Five Nights at Freddy's and everything 'Five Nights at..." thereafter.  Plus it sounds better.


It is blatantly obvious that blogging most certainly isn't my forte (ha, pun?  Help me out here)  but it's not because there is nothing to say.    If you could somehow stream my thoughts onto a page,  I'd have a millions posts by now.    Actually, maybe that's not such a good idea.

What started as a lifestyle blog took on a life of its own and became primarily a writing and book blog after I released my first novel.  It was great for awhile but very soon all the other parts of my life were pushed aside and when it came time to write about other aspect of what was happening in my life, thoughts, and opinions it just seemed a little too contrived.

So this is the introduction of my overhauled blog.   And what better time than to coincide it with my fortieth year which includes a child starting high school, an overseas trip, some work to the house and garden, and of course more books.

Looking forward to the chat :)

Flirting with Magick is Rereleased by Booktrope

I'm very excited to announce that Flirting with Magick has been released by Booktrope with a beautiful new cover and great new blurb.

There’s nothing like a love spell to get Abby Williams out of her rut and over her ex, but when a gorgeous rocker, a cute colleague, and an apologetic ex–boyfriend come knocking Abby wonders if maybe the spell worked a little too well. If she even believes in that stuff.

As emotions run high, secrets are exposed, and feelings change, Abby wonders if flirting with magick is more trouble than it’s worth. But the real question is, do any of these men deserve her heart?

Flirting With Magick is a contemporary romance that proves you have to kiss a lot of frogs before you find your prince.

Amazon | Barnes & Noble | iTunes (coming soon)

Submissions, Signs and Signatures AKA I've just signed with Booktrope!

It's funny how something you don't think about too much, that you just do on a whim, can lead you into a whole new direction.

Booktrope are a publishing company based in Seattle who have pioneered a concept called Team Publishing.    You get many of the benefits of self-publishing but with the support of a traditional publisher.

It started when a post from Sarka-Jonae Miller (Book Spotlight coming soon)  arrived on my newsfeed asking for  self-published authors looking for a book deal.     I have really only submitted my work a handful of times, not actively seeking deals (and of course having no luck)  but figured there was nothing to lose so put Flirting with Magick through.

This was my mindset throughout the experience:

Day 1-6

Submitted book.   Not really thinking too much about it at this stage.    Would be nice to get through but plans are already in place and nothing will change if nothing happens.   Have received some info but of course I don't want to get too involved.  They might not take it and I don't want to get myself all worked up!

Day 7

Sarka replies saying she enjoyed it (Yay!) and would be happy to refer it.   (Yes please).   It's great that it got past that first screening.   But I'm not going to think too much about it.

Day 8-9

Still not going to think too much about it, but having been reading all about it and it sounds pretty good.

Day 10

Get an email from Jesse James Freeman, the Community Manager, after Sarka e-introduced us.   He gives me more information which I'm trying not to think about nor get too excited about because really, it's fine if they don't take my book.    I ask some questions but they are pretty lame, and contact Facebook friends and booktrope authors Patricia Mann (excerpt and guest post coming up)  and Meredith Schorr who have also both recently featured on my blog (that's a sign, right?) They both tell me that Booktrope is wonderful!


Day 14

Haven't heard for a few days.     I consult some free tarot readings and psychic signs to see if it tells me anything.

Day 15

Get an email from Jesse apologising as he has been away but that my manuscript is still being reviewed.  (Arrgh) That's cool.   I'm not fussed.   (Yeah, ok, I'm a little anxious)   But I do ask a few more (better) questions.    Do another online psychic reading, even though I really don't care. Really. OK, I do.  A little bit.   I haven't done tarot or readings in years!  They're fun.

Day 16

Wake up to an email and it's the answers to my questions.    Jesse is sounding very positive but I don't want to read into it.  Read email to my husband and friends to see if they can overanalyse as well as I can.  (They can)


Day 17

Wake to an email asking about my full name.  I squee but hold it in and send back a very formal and cool reply like 'yes, that is correct.'  Because it's still not a yes and might be very simply a formalised 'no', possibly.

Later that day:

Receive an email asking if I would accept a contract.    I sit on it for a bit, as though  the chances are there that I might not and I get asked this all the time.   Then I accept, a contract is sent through, and I sign it.

The End

Actually that is just the beginning!    Sarka will be my book manager and I will select a team to help with the re-release of Flirting with Magick!    Well tell you more soon.  

My Writing Life... and Cake Decorating

It occurred to me last night when I was trying to get to sleep that writing isn't actually my life. Should it be? Probably not.

My life is like a cake. We'll call it a nice, rich, moist chocolate mud cake. It includes my family - my husband who is also my best friend and with whom I get along with quite well on a daily basis and my three kids who, as kids have their days but really don't give me as much grief as they probably could, my friends, my other immediate family - mum, dad and brother, extended family, my house and how I'm trying to make it into a wonderful home.

Writing for me as much as I love it - I love using my imagination, creating stories and scenarios, developing irrational attachments to people I made up - is just the icing, and the decorating is what I could do with it. Now if there was no icing and decorations, if for any reason I stopped writing, it wouldn't affect the richness and goodness of the cake, but I'm sure it will be missed and eventually it will be added again.

If for any reason the icing doesn't quite work out as planned, for example, it doesn't quite come together, the end result still needs work, someone doesn't like it and gives it a bad review (wait, what?), or it simply just isn't right, other than the surface (loosely translates to me swearing and crying for a couple of days) the cake isn't really affected. It's still a pretty awesome cake.

Now my goal is to make that icing and decorating so beautiful and wonderful that it can only enhance the enjoyment of the cake. Because lets face it, who doesn't like a cake that has been presented as the best it can be.

Now I want cake.

*The above analogy really has nothing to do with cake decorating. In fact, I'm really shit at it. The cakes I make are usually quite yummy but the top is almost always either domed or sunken and the icing is just spread on and that's the end of it. I have tried but soon realised I'm much better off paying someone who is good at it to do it instead. I may one day try to gain some cake decorating skills but at this point in time don't have any solid plans to do so.

Case in Point

Mindcraft cake I made for Mr Paleo 2011

Plants Vs Zombies cake I ordered for Mr Maker 2012  (Diddlyscrumptious)

Brain cake pops to go with the Plants vs Zombies cake, also made by Diddlyscrumptious.  I'm sure they're a metaphor for something too but who cares?  They were amazing!

Goodbye and Thank You 2011

I just wanted to shout out the achievements of my family in 2011.

Mr Xbox put his hand up to be a cub leader and is currently undergoing training.   Hopefully in 2012 we'll be able to bring cubs back to our town rather than travel to the neighbouring town's Scout Hall.

Mr Paleo completed grade 3 and a huge achievement for him this year was his participation and major role in his school's J-Rock entry.    He also joined the local Cubs group which was the catalyst for Mr Xbox to join himself.

See the dance here  (he's the bug wearing the crown)

Mr Maker completed and loved his first year of school!   He'll be an even bigger school boy in 2012 and not one of the littlies!  His adjustment to school has been fantastic and he seems to be well liked by his teachers and peers.   I think he saves his attitude for after school's finished. 

Mr Comedy completed three year old kindergarten.   Off to four year old kindy next year and preparation for big school!  His speech and toileting have also come along in droves.   He is very much a fast growing little man.

My own achievements this year were obviously my two first drafts, completing my first NaNoWriMo and I'm also very proud to have participated in the school PFA and kindergarten committee.

So thank you to 2011 for being kind to us and here's to a fabulous 2012!  (I'll be the one slumped on the couch drinking the homemade Baileys.)

Completing the NaNo Novel and other crappy first drafts

I didn't announce it on here as it happened, but around this time last month I completed my first NaNoWriMo with 50,508 words.   Yay!

A few months ago I finally finished the shitty first draft of my first novel.   It only took um, about six or seven years give or take.  But at least now it is done: ready for improvement, tweaking, changing completely.  The most amazing thing about this particular journey is that for around seven years I have stuck to the one thing!

So I have not one but two novels to rewrite, edit and polish!

One of the prizes for winning NaNoWriMo is 5 proof copies  of your novel so my goal now is to have something finished so I can take advantage of the offer.

Of course being the Virgo I am this is going to to take blood, sweat, tears and loads of other cliches to get it done so that it is 'perfect'.

Here goes....

The Anti New Years Resolutions

It's a good thing I didn't actually make any new years resolutions this year as I otherwise probably would not have achieved half as much as what I have this month so far.

Firstly, I didn't make any resolutions to do more blogging.  And here I am (admittedly, a couple of weeks have passed since the last post) having written more posts in a week than I did last year over the course of several months!

I didn't actually make a resolution about improving my health and fitness, exercising more, eating less crap, drinking less alcohol, skipping dessert but for some inexplicable reason I've been doing just that.  It probably helps that my hubby didn't make a resolution to do it either so of course, is doing it too.

So for this year I am not going to make any resolutions about finishing a novel (writing, not reading), nor will I promise to paint the kitchen and refurbish the vintage pantry cupboard.

Maybe I won't say anything about winning lotto either, just to see how it goes!