I'm feeling very lucky this weekend because I have a couple of lovely writerly events on.
That doesn't happen that often really and cerainly in the midst of this scrorching Sydney heat-wave and the madness that is December it's a lovely treat.

This morning I had the great pleasure of meeting up with Edwina Shaw, author of Thrill Seekers and Favel Parrett, author of Past the Shallows. They were both up for awards at last night's NSW Premier's Literary Awards. Sadly neither of them took home the gong but what an honour to be nominated!

I met both women when I did the QWC/Hachette Manuscript Development Program a few years back. Favel is now published with Hachette. Although I'm not, I really recommend any Australian writers out there to apply for the program because it really is an excellent opportunity..I was lucky I also got lots of lovely friends out of it.

It was lovely to catch-up with both Edwina and Favel and hear about their next projects and what they're working on. (We did also cover other important topics such as being pale and redheaded, high heels at formal functions and what clothing writers wear (or not) when writing, finding an agent and what happens at a pitch.)

Tomorrow I get to back this up with the lovely Pam Cook's bok launch for Blackwattle Lake which she is holding at the NSW Writer's Centre. It will be a great opportunity to celebrate her publication - also as a result of the QWC/Hachette Development Program.

For me it will also be a wonderful chance to see members of my writing group The Writers' Dozen, who no longer attend with regularity as well as those gorgeous regulars who have keptt me writing and kept me moitiavted on my own writing journey.

1. What was the inspiration for your novel?
For this particular novel it was the old “write what you know” advice. I spend a lot of time with horses so decided to write something set on a horse property. And then I had an image of a woman standing at the gate of the property unable to get in. She turned out to be Eve Nicholls, my protagonist.
 
2. When did you take up writing?
I’ve written on and off all my life – mainly poetry and journals when I was younger. In 2000, sick of marking high school English essays, I decided to try my hand at something more creative and enrolled in a Masters in Creative Writing at UNSW.  I had my third daughter during that time and decided to teach part time and continue writing, which I’ve been doing ever since.
 
3. How important is setting/place in your writing?
I adore novels that have a strong sense of place, stories that transport me somewhere else. I try to do the same in my own writing. My first novel (as yet unpublished) is set in Nepal, a country I fell in love with and I really enjoyed evoking the atmosphere of the streets of Kathmandu and the awesomeness of the Himalayas.Blackwattle Lakeis set in a fictional place somewhere around 5 hours south of Sydney. I spend a lot of time on the south coast of NSW and also at the ranch where we agist our horses. I’ve drawn on both places to create the setting of Yarabee and Mossy creek Farm. I hope readers get a sense of really being there and love it as much as I do.

4. Do you have a favourite character (s) in your current novel?
Eve, the main character is definitely my favourite. She doesn’t let people push her around, says what she thinks, is independent and will have a go at anything. At the same time she has a vulnerability that stems from tragedy
in her past and she also loves animals and horses. Her best friend is a kelpie and she drives a kombi. What’s not to love? The thing I enjoyed about writing this novel is that all the characters became my friends. It was great hanging
out with them all and I miss them now!

5. What’s the best piece of writing advice you were ever given?
That’s a tough one. I’m addicted to books on writing so I’ve read a lot of good tips over the years. Two things that stand out though, one is to write first and foremost for the love of writing and not for any perceived audience. That comes later in the revision stages – if you’re looking for a wider audience or hoping to be published. The second piece of advice, from the wonderful writer Markus Zusak, was that rejection makes you a better writer. That’s hard to believe when the rejection happens but it does make you hone your skills and improve your writing.

6. Do you have a schedule for writing?
I wish I did! But as hard as I try that doesn’t seem to happen. I go for weeks and months doing morning pages (which I highly recommend) and then a late night brings me to a halt. As far as my fiction writing goes I tend to write in bursts a few times a week, squeezing it around family life. I’ll continue to keep working at creating a daily schedule. Hopefully it will happen soon!

7. Are you a plotter or someone who tends to wing it?
I definitely wing it which can mean I end up without any definite plot for quite a while. I like to write character based fiction so it’s easy to get sidetracked with backstory. I have learnt over the years that plot does matter so I’m trying harder to work more consciously on the story arc. Freewriting is still really important for a first draft. It’s part of my process and helps me learn who the characters are and what they want. 
 
8. Can you name three or four of your current favourite books?
I recently read Secrets of The Tides by Hannah Richell. It’s about a family living with a tragedy  and secrets. The way Richell weaves the narratives of the three main characters keeps you turning the page and her writing is very evocative. I’ve been reading The Hobbit out loud with my daughter and am loving sharing one of my all time favourites with her. Tolkien is the master of creating another world and making it one hundred percent believable. I just finished Jilted
by Rachael Johns which is a lovely rural romance with a very hot hero. And my current read is The Streetsweeper
by Elliot Pearlman which I was finding very hard to get in to at first but he is such a wonderful writer that I can’t wait to get back to it each day and see how he’s weaving the plot lines od the various characters together. As you can see,
I have very eclectic tastes!

9. Can you tell me a little bit about what you are working on now?
I’m currently behind with my nano project which is proving to be a perfect example of writing a first draft with no definite plot in mind. It has elements of forbidden love, a shipwreck, prophetic dreams and is set once again on the south coast. Hopefully it will develop into something more solid. 
 
10. What advice would you give to a fledgling writer to assist them on their journey?
Persistence and determination are the keys if you really want to be published. You will go through times where you can’t see the point and feel like giving up but if you keep at it you will achieve your dream in some form or another. Be careful who you show your writing to but do find a critique partner you trust and do listen to and act on feedback. And most importantly, write because you love to write.

Blackwattle Lake is available at bookstores and department stores across Australia.

For more information visit

 

As I was having lunch with my lovely husband on a recent Saturday we had an interesting conversation about place in books.

We're Sydney people, though we've both travelled and lived elsewhere. There's something about this city that is just magical. It's the beaches, the harbour and the climate combined I think.

The disadvante of Sydney, which is also part of it's charm and really the whole of Australia suffers from this problem, is it's distance from the rest of the world.

It's a very long way on a plane to just about everywhere. Still Australians like to travel, we don't let this deter us. When you write a story it's important to have a good sense of place and yet so often in books towns are fabricated. Partly that's because it's fun to create your own town or city and sometimes these places are amalgams of real towns or are in fact a real town with the name changed (to protect the innocent - I suppose).

When you write about a  real city or twona nd don't change it's name you have to get it right. People will know you can't get from Kirribilli to say Watson's Bay in Sydney in seven minutes, people know where the cafes are, how long a train trip takes and whether the 136 bus does in fact gor from Manly to Chatswood or not (it does but it's a very slow bus!).

In Mr Right and Other Mongrels I set the book in Sydney and I left everything apart from a couple of street names the same. (For your reference there is in fact a Dream House Lane in Sydney but it is not in Lavender Bay where Teddy lived but in another Northern Sydney suburb...I just wanted you to know that while it is a very cheesy name it is real.)

In Hearts Afire I used parts of Sydney but I did craete the name of the suburb where Cassie lives. That suburb is an amalgam of a few suburbs in Sydney's inner west. (Feel free to guess which ones). The island on the Reef is based on a couple of islands I've visited up there.

So do you like books set in real places you know,or places you might visit or do you prefer a whole new created world?

1. What was the inspiration for your novel?
I first got the idea for “Christmas in Wine Country” while spending a December weekend in Mendocino, a tiny, remote and gorgeous town up
on the Northern California coast. In the mist and rain, with the romance of the surf pounding against the rocky coastline I thought—this would be a fantastic setting for a novel. 

From there, I imagined what a perfect place it would be to retreat away from the hustle and bustle of the city, perhaps after a terrific disaster—and the idea was hatched.

2. When did you take up writing?
I’ve been writing since I was about 9 years old. I remember loving the Sweet Valley High books but thinking I could improve upon them. I
think I rewrote a chapter or two. 

In high school and college my writing took on a more self-important and occasionally angry political tone. Happily, I’m back where I started, enjoying life and writing books that hopefully will make other people smile. 

3. How important is setting/place in your writing?
I could answer this in two ways – in the fiction I write, place is extremely important. In some ways, it shapes the action. “Christmas in Wine Country” has the location right up there in the title. 
 
In terms of where I do my writing, I’m not too choosy. With three little kids I basically take whatever chance I get. I’ve jotted down notes, ideas and scraps of dialogue on the backs of envelopes or preschool enrolment forms, made voice recordings on my iPhone while sitting in the grocery store parking lot. And, yes, sometimes I sit down in the midst of an insanely cluttered kitchen table, ignoring all dishes and unpaid bills, and catch some uninterrupted time with my laptop to actually write. But I’m not picky. 
 
4. Do you have a favourite character (s) in your current novel?
I love my main character, Lila, because I feel like we’ve all been there. She’s in the late-20s phase when you think you should have everything figured out but don’t because, let’s face it, no one really does at that point. You think you’re old and wise but really you’re young and silly. I love that over the course of the year she’s able to loosen up, have some fun and, of course, fall in love. And I enjoy the scene when she stands in front of the refrigerator and makes an ice cream sundae in her mouth.

5. What’s the best piece of writing advice you were ever given?
I remember the worst piece of advice—never use the verb“to be.” Ever. It imposed this ridiculous straightjacket on my writing and for the class I was taking with this particular teacher I came up with all sorts of  ill-fitting, inappropriate verbal calisthenics to avoid little old “to be.” 
 
Best advice – I suppose to revise and then revise again. And don’t take harsh criticism personally. Still working on that
one.

6. Do you have a schedule for writing?
I wrote this novel largely during my kids’ nap time, so 1pm-3pm (oldest is in elementary school). Then my middle child stopped napping and all hell broke loose. I’m still trying to get back into a schedule instead of writing on scraps of paper in the minivan while I wait for my kids to finish their activities/classes/sports, etc. 

7. Are you a plotter or someone who tends to wing it?
PLOTTER. The mere suggestion of winging it gives me a twitch. I’m super type A, though somehow thought of myself as an artsy creative type until my late 20s. Go figure. 


8. Can you name three or four of your current favourite books?
Oh goodness I’ve been on a rather dreary diet of parenting books lately. I’m reading a lot about brain development. Not that sexy, is it? And the most recent novel I read I really ended up not liking so I don’t want to say something negative. I always love re-reading Pride and Prejudice!!!! And Kristan Higgans’ novels make me laugh. 


9. Can you tell me a little bit about what you are working on now?
I’m so excited about my new novel. It’s about four friends 15 years out of college. The central character is one of the two without children. She started out all ablaze about social justice and wanting to Fight the Power. 15 years into it she’s in a pointless bureaucratic job, out of a failed relationship, and tucking into pints of ice cream and glasses of red wine each
night as she obsessively visits her ex-boyfriend’s Facebook page… I’m laughing as I re-read this description because it sounds so depressing, but I’m LOVING the maudlin nature of it all. Especially with all the exciting and romantic life-changing events I have cooked up for her. So excited to tell this one!

10. What advice would you give to a fledgling writer to assist them on their journey?
Write what you love not what you think you should. Get lots of feedback but don’t feel obliged to do whatever anyone tells you. And keep at it! 

You can find Addison at:
https://www.facebook.com/addison.westlake
twitter: @AddisonWestlake

My NaNoWriMo novel isn't going to plan and frankly the main characters are annoying me...but here is a theme song for each.
For Ashley - Missy Higgins  - Scar.

For Sophia - Sting - Fields of Gold

And for the lovely Cat - my favourite character - California Dreaming by the Mamas and the Papas.

Look what I got!!
Hearts AFire has it's own mug too...their like non-identical/fraternal twins.

Now I want to do a giveaway...how should I run it?

Any ideas??????

Don't forget you can get Hearts Afire and Mr Right and Other Mongrels aspaperbac

Gosh I haven't been a very good blogger this week. I have been crazy busy with work, life and NaNoWriMo. I've never known a November as busy as this one. I honestly feel like the silly season began for me at Halloween.

Don't get me wrong - I'm not complaining at all  -but something has to give and it seems to have been the blog.

I mean in what month do I normally have a 50h b'day to organise, a school reunion to attend, a stall at the markets and helping on the market committee and a girls' weekend away? No month actually. And that's only what has happened so far...you should see what's coming...

I must say I'm pretty exhuasted and it's only November 18...still 12 days of NaNoWriMo togo and with all that lies ahead I'll still be writing on the 30th.

Still all you can do is batton down teh heatches and get back to work so this week I hope to have some fun things back on the blog for you.


Ok og

1. What was the inspiration for your novel?

My inspiration is all the other writers out there that have showed me that I can do it, I can do something that makes me happy.

2. When did you take up writing?

I have been writing since I was younger, mainly short stories and just a little here and there but recently decided I would try and write a book, and I did!  It’s very addicting because I’m working on book #2 and already have a plot ready for  another book after I finish this series.

3. How important is setting/place in your writing?

I do all my writing at home, usually sitting in my favourite chair, sneaking glances at my 2 year old daughter playing and giggling.  I have tried to write outside home, and it’s not as good as when I’m home. My creative juices just really flow at home.

4. Do you have a favourite character (s) in your current novel?

 Oh man, well of course Stefan and Jennifer are my
  favourite, because their the main characters. Honestly though, Kennedy, Jenn’s best  friend, is my favourite.  She just
has that “I don’t care” attitude and has been beside Jennifer through
everything, she really teaches you how to be a best friend, and she’s super witty and funny.


5. What’s the best piece of writing advice you were ever given?

To remember I am doing this for me, not anyone else.  Ever since I have completed this book I have been so nervous when I actually release it that people will hate it but I have to remember that Awakened will not be for everyone, but at
the end of the day I am doing this for me.

6. Do you have a schedule for writing?

With a 2 year old, there is never time for writing!  Usually I can only really write after she goes to bed because while she is awake I am constantly running around the house after her or playing with toys or getting bears shoved in my face haha.  I also work full time so I get most of my writing done on the weekends when my husband is home and can help out.

7. Are you a plotter or someone who tends to wing it?

Oh I totally wing it. I cannot plot and then write, I feel like I am working on an assignment for school rather than doing something in my free time.

8. Can you name three or four of your current favourite books?

This might be the hardest question asked, Avoiding Commitment by K.A. Linde is such a roller-coaster book but the author is just absolutely an amazing, gifted  author and helped me out a little bit at the start of this.  Slammed& Point of
Retreat by Colleen Hoover left me emotionally drained afterwards, those were wonderful books.  eautiful Disaster by Jamie McGuire, of course I have to include my fellow Okie and I’m still searching for Travis. Last but not least, Easy by Tammara Webber, uh need I say more??

9. Can you tell me a little bit about what you are working on now?

Right now I am working on editing Awakened and currently writing Book #2 to Awakened.  Editing is proving to be the hardest step out of all this so when I need to take a break, I work on Book #2.
 
10. What advice would you give to a fledgling writer to assist them on their journey?

Follow your dreams and do what makes you happy.  Don’t worry about all the critics out there or people who try to put you down, everything will always fall into place.

You can find C.N Watkins at
www.facebook.com/CNWatkins


http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/16045880-awakened



 

I had lunch with my friend Di today. Although I've known here quite a long time, until my books came out this year, she didn't know I wrote.  We had a nice chat about how the process works for me and why she can't have the next book NOW. (She's a bit cranky with me because she doesn't want to wait for the 3rd book and also she would like a sequel to Mr Right and Other Mongrels.) Then as I was driving home I heard this song and I thought it would be the perfect theme song for the second part of Allegra and Teddy's story.

My NaNoWriMo has stalled but I'll be back on deck tomorrow. Life intervened as I knew it would. Lots of people are looking and blank pages and screens and thinking "I've got nothing!"

Or they have too many thoughts and can't make them sensible on paper...

For all of us writing and struggling and persisting a song Just Jack - Writers Block. Have a fabulous day. I hope your muse shows up for coffee.