An author friend discouraged me from going to a literary festival. She was a top selling author with one of the big well known publishers. She had clout. She said the money I was spending to go overseas and take part in a queer book conference would be better spent buying truckloads of my own …
Review: Proud Pink Sky by Redfern Jon Barrett
Berlin in the 90s, but not as we knew it. This is one of those alternative history tales. In this story, gays and lesbians flock from all over the world to the safety of Berlin because they are accepted and celebrated. Several new residents include young couple, William and Gareth, who have escaped their homophobic …
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The books for my author signing event didn’t show up.
It was the day before GLO (Gay Lit Oz). We decided not to go to the movies so we'd be home for the delivery of the books I needed for the event. It was Friday and by late afternoon, it was clear something was wrong. My publisher ordered these for me the week before, and …
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Writing Tin Men and Scarecrows – Part 3
I've had a break from writing. I'm recovering from surgery and, as I still haven't put the first draft of my current work in progress to bed yet, I keep thinking of new plot twists to make it better. At the moment it is around 3200 words less than my ideal length, and while I've …
Review: The Midnight Library by Matt Haig
Exploring 'what might have been' should make good fiction. Charles Dickens made Scrooge a better man just by showing him who he was, and what his fate would be if he continued to be the person he is. In the movie It's A Wonderful Life, kind hearted George Bailey gets to experience how depressing his …
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Manuscript Assessments
I've had several assessments done on two books. One was very recently. The others were for my first novel, Drama Queens with Love Scenes, more than ten years ago. This process should be eye opening. Sometimes it is. Sometimes it isn't. With my first book, a woman who was recommended to me provided three assessments …
Writing Tin Men and Scarecrows – Part 2
I've just completed the first draft. Well, kind of. The final scene has been written but I haven't reviewed the manuscript yet. I'm about five thousand words less than my ideal word count, which is common for my first drafts. I'm considering adding a flashback sequence which will give more depth to the flawed relationship …
Organising an author reading event
Eight months ago I began this process. Sydney WorldPride was asking for submissions for what seemed like their fringe festival component known as Pride Amplified. To be featured in the print edition of their festival guide, I had to submit the many things they asked for by mid year. So, recovering from Covid, I began …
Writing Tin Men and Scarecrows – Part 1
I'm halfway through the first draft. But I've just changed the text from past tense, third person limited, to present tense, first person multi point of view. While I was reading Holden Sheppard's The Brink, I was taken by how personal his book felt with different characters narrating in the here and now. My gut …
Book Review: Johnno, David Malouf
"We don't have the characters now that we had in the past." That was said by a work colleague back in the 90s who was talking about how younger generations didn't have adventures any more, like people had in the past. So, they were watered down versions of themselves. They hadn't built themselves to be …
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