I’ve been neglecting my blogs lately but I thought I would come on over and update everyone as to what’s been going on in my life. Some of this will not be news to people who follow my author page on Facebook, or Twitter, or Google+. So back in March, I had a story accepted to the Subtropical Suspense. It’s called Downpour, and is a story set in one of Brisbane’s iconic summer storms. It’s based on an experience I had living in Milton with my cousin Liesl that at the time, scared the bejeebus outta me. I’m in there with some pretty great Australian names I recognise: Linda Marie Brucesmith, Alice Goodwin, Gerry Huntman (my boss at IFWG and an incredibly prolific writer), Helen Stubbs. Associated with this are an interview I did before the launch with the editor Cameron Trost over on Facebook, and a couple of reviews of the anthology by Frank Errington and one by local 4ZZZ radio programmer, Nyx Fullmoon. Great to see my fellow authors getting recognition and praise for their wonderful stories. I’ve also had a story accepted to a great New Zealand children’s anthology, Twisty Christmas Tales, brought to you by Phantom Feather Press. The team consists of Alice Ponder, Eileen Mueller and Peter Friend, and they have done a wonderful job with the edits on my story. This is my first story for kids, and it’s been illuminating on the different challenges children’s authors face. The anthology is for children 8 – 12 years old and I expect should be out closer to Christmas 2014. This year I’ve joined some great writing groups. There’s a great group of women that I’ve connected with here in Vancouver: Caitlin, Deana and Jennifer. Caitlin introduced me after finding me from Chuck Wendig’s blog, where I’ve been participating in challenges. I’ve been really lucky to find such an awesome group interested in including me. There’s also an online group, collecting some names I know from around the Oceania traps, spearheaded by editor/author Jodi Cleghorn of Emergent Publishing and Ben Payne, where we’ve been working on a #6in6 challenge: 6 short stories in 6 weeks. The group, which is keeping to no more than 30 members, is contingent on writing and community in the whole. Jodi wrote a post about it. It’s been great. In the last 6 weeks, these are my statistics while doing the challenge:
Completed first drafts (10,100 words) Manuka Mischief 1,500 Pohutukawa Angels 1,500 Beyond 2,200 L’appel du vide 1,500 (tentative title) Mama Yajaira’s 2,900 Little Shop of Needs 500
Incomplete Drafts (4,400 words) The Keeper 2,000 Lane2 390 Lane draft 840 Always Trouble 430 Work on my novel 700 words
Rewrites/Edits (2,500 words) L’appel du vide 4000 (cut to 3400, 1900 new words approximately) Beyond (unfinished) 500 Manuka Mischief (extra 100)
2 stories submitted, one accepted
Beta Reads 2 stories, 7700
I’ve met some great new people. And honestly, I feel like this is the best writing decade of my life right now, and I hope it’s only a beginning. Thanks for coming on the journey with me.