It's no secret I enjoy my writers' group. Last week, one of the members reminded me why this type of feedback is important. There are only four in our group which allows us to get a lot done during our three hour sessions. We read our scene out loud while our fellow scribes follow with …
Book Review – Before the Coffee Gets Cold by Toshikazu Kawaguchi
The Japanese have a beautiful culture. It's polite and reflective. It sometimes takes on kooky elements. All of which are found in Kawaguchi's novella, Before the Coffee Gets Cold. There's a cafe where a ghost sits in the same seat every day, reading. When she needs to go to the toilet (did I mention kooky?), …
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Book Review – The Remains of the Day by Kazio Ishiguro
I've wanted to read this for a while. I loved Ishiguro's Never Let Me Go and was indifferent to Klara and the Sun. Of course, I've seen the movie of The Remains of the Day which I suspect has a different ending. I'm not totally sure as it's been a while. Mr Stevens is a …
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The importance of a good Writing Group
I've returned to my favourite Writing Group. I was away for a year for personal reasons but in the meantime, joined another who met fortnightly on Saturdays. There were some really great writers there, but we only had five minutes to read and five minutes for feedback. But I continued until the organiser said something …
Book Review – How to Dodge Flying Sandals by Daniel Nour
I loved this book! This is a memoir with artistic license, as Nour himself points out in the Author's Note at the front of this work. What follows is an entertaining array of stories from his life. These anecdotes are from the point of view of a closeted Australian born man with Egyptian heritage, although …
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Growing older
Last year I turned sixty-one. My husband, Warren, has been with me for three and a half decades, and he is two and a half years older. This has meant I've had insight into how I'll view life in coming years, no matter what age I am. At times I haven't understood his point of …
My friend used my novel for his AI assignment!
A friend of mine is studying AI. He is doing the course for his job and at one stage asked if he could use one of my manuscripts for an assignment. At least, that's what he tells me. I don't recall. The thing is, he used an unpublished manuscript I asked him to read because …
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Tinkering with a polished manuscript
I'm entering a competition. It's for a chance to be published with a well respected publisher. I seriously don't think I'll be one of the finalists judging from past winners, but it gives me a chance to be seen by local industry professionals. Some would say, 'why bother?' Well, first off, I'm a paid member …
Book Review – The Last Love Note by Emma Grey
They say, write what you know. This is evident in Emma Grey's beautiful novel, The Last Love Note. It's the story of Kate, a thirty-something woman who is married to her soul mate, Cam, a young English professor who is suffering from Alzheimer's. This story begins several years after Cam has passed, then flits back …
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Literary Speed Dating
Last week I did my second Literary Speed Dating event. This event was online unlike the previous one I did. Back then I joined a large number of eager authors waiting in line to impress representatives from publishing houses. We rehearsed our spiel, performed for an acquisitions editor, answered questions, then joined the next queue hoping …
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