You may have noticed the Australian Women Writer's Challenge icon on the sidebar of my blog. It is a yearly event that is close to my heart, given that I am a female Australian author. Started in 2012 as a way to correct the gender imbalance in Australian literature, the whole premise of the challenge is to encourage people to discover the vast talent within our female authors and share what they have read either through simply listing their books read or by posting a review. Through the tireless work of volunteers, the AWW challenge has grown and flourished. You can check out the Australian Women Writers website HERE. You can also click in the sidebar to see books I have read and reviewed in previous years. As readers this is a way you can support our local industry, so please check it out and share with other readers and friends. |
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![]() Q. What was your inspiration for the book? A. Well, I love the beach and I love Queenslander houses, so that was my setting sorted out. Also there are so few books set in QLD and I wanted to make it somewhere that people could relate to (most people who come to QLD for a holiday go to the beach). And there is the magic of a holiday - when you are there the 'real' world seems so far away and in that little bubble you believe all your problems can be solved. Q. Why a fictional town rather than a real place? A. I did contemplate this for a while, but in the end I needed to be able to control the setting to suit the story. I did mention as many 'real' places as I could to help people to relate to the settings that the characters are from. Q. So, then is Sunset Point based on a real town? A. Not really....not one town in particular. There are elements of a few small towns in it (not necessarily beachside towns) and also memories of towns from my childhood (back when Noosa and Mooloolaba were much smaller). Q. Continuing in that vein is Sunset Point Beach and the house itself based on a real beach or real house? A. Once again, not really. The beach is a combination of about three of my favourite beaches and the house a combination of several Queenslander houses I have been in (including a beach house that used to be in Maroochydore a really long time ago). ![]()
Let's face it, writing is a tough gig. Especially when you are in the 99% of authors who rarely admit to themselves, let alone the general public, what their actual book sales are during any given month. It's very easy to see successful authors as an entirely different species - the ones who have "made it" and no longer associate with us mere mortals still hoping for that breakthrough novel. So it was a refreshing surprise to attend an author talk with the mega successful author Michael Connelly and listen to his experiences and to be reminded that whether you have sold 70 books or 70 million, as he has, that the writing experience is still the same.
![]() Flashback, my collection of short stories is now available in paperback. Originally comprising three short stories and only available as an e-book, Flashback has been updated with two new short stories and also includes my other stand alone short story, 'The Perfect Proposal.' Two earlier combined versions (The Perfect Proposal and Other Stories - also known as Short Story Collection) will no longer be available. Those volumes did not include the two new short stories from Flashback. Flashback in paperback can be purchased here from this website or through Amazon (easiest if outside Australia). ![]() Coming up with a title for your novel can be surprisingly challenging. With my first book, The Beach House, the title came to me long before I jotted down a single note about the story. I didn't care that there were several other books with the same title, it was set in stone as far as I was concerned. When my publisher gently suggested I might consider changing to a variation on the theme (in the interests of being more original) I politely said I would consider it, but knew it would never happen. I have never regretted taking that firm stance as my book is about not only "a" beach house but "The" Beach House.
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I wrote this article just after my first novel The Beach House was published back in 2011. Since then I have published two more novels and I have to say the editing process was NOWHERE near as painful for either of these books. For those of you still in the early days of your writing journey, I hope you find some of the information useful.
Long before I became a publisher author I believed myself to be a “good” writer. All through high school and university I did well on written assignments because I had an engaging writing style and my spelling, grammar and general formatting were always correct. Having loved books from an early age, I knew how to construct a story and had a fertile imagination. Besides I actually enjoyed writing – whereas other people hated the idea of sitting down and even writing a letter - that was a walk in the park for me. I regularly helped family members and friends write all kinds of things as well as edit assignments, speeches etc. So, when I finally got around to writing the novel I’d had floating around my brain for years, I was fairly confident. After all, I knew how the story was going to pan out and, besides, I was sure in the knowledge that I was a “good” writer. My biggest challenge was going to be actually sitting down and getting the thing written! ![]()
It's always gratifying when you hear from a reader how something in your novel has had an impact on them - be it funny, sad, thought-provoking etc. But the best kind of impact is to inspire someone in some way. A reader once told me how four words in a sentence one of my characters, (Kate), spoke helped her through the last semester of her university degree. Bogged down, tired and discouraged, she was on the verge of giving up but when she read the words "sheer force of will", it gave her the focus and determination to just push through with her own studies and finish what she'd started, even though she wasn't sure it was even what she wanted to do anymore.
![]() Although most of my writing energies these days are directed towards creative writing (I am working on my fourth novel), I began my writing career as a biographer. No, not a well-known A-list kind of biographer, the opposite, in fact. I helped everyday people who wanted to write their life story but didn't know how to go about it. The idea started with a university assignment - to record the life story of any person. It didn't have to be an "exciting" life, the assignment was more about how you recorded and collated the information. The person I chose was so enthusiastic about the project, I couldn't help but be the same. It was the first assignment I can say I loved from start to finish and, realising what a powerful thing the recording of a life (any life) was, I knew that at some point I wanted to do more of it. ![]()
Can I just say to begin with that I do now (and think I always will) prefer reading a "real" book than a digital one. There is something about the weight and texture of a real book and the feel of turning paper pages, not to mention the sight of a physical "to be read" pile (and crammed bookshelves) that cannot (in my opinion) be replicated with an e-reader. Yet as an author (and a reader), I can see the real appeal of electronic books and I am incredibly grateful for the way e-books have transformed the publishing industry for ever.
When my book was first published it was initially only created as a paperback. My publisher did not deal with e-books (although he gave me the option of exploring that possibility myself) and I must admit I was not that fussed about creating an digital version of my novel. Although I was aware of e-readers I did not own one and had never really seen one in operation. Besides I figured that if anybody really wanted to read my book then they would buy a paperback. It didn't take me too long to realise that was not the case! In fact I soon realised that when asked if there was an e-book and I said no, rather than offering to buy a paperback many potential customers simply asked me to let them know if and when the e-book was released. |
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