I’m very pleased and excited to be booked for the 2016 Perth International Arts Festival at the “PIAF Publishing Seminar” on February 18th. I’ll be sharing panel-space with my colleagues Michelle Diener, Shona Husk and Clare Boston to discuss the changing face of publishing (then…and now). Tickets are available (through PIAF) — $75 (students $57) for […]
Why good writers aren’t automatically good authors
Being an author is only partly about being a writer. Lots of people who write well, don’t necessarily write well across-the-board. Someone proficient in government report writing may have style-guide perfect grammar but might struggle to write a compelling science fiction novel. An advertising copywriter may have the gift of expression but could struggle to […]
Writing retreat deluxe
I thought I’d show you a few pics from my writing retreat in Sydney. The old heritage house on Cockatoo Island is too big and pricey to stay by yourself, but it’s value really comes into its own when you have 6-8 people to split what is then a very affordable cost. It was large, airy, bright […]
What happens at a writer’s retreat
It may surprise you to know… a whole lot of writing. Next week I have four days retreat with fellow Harlequin authors Rachel Bailey, Bronwyn Jameson and Claire Baxter in an old heritage cottage overlooking Sydney Harbour. Far from being a retreat fromwriting, this is a retreat to write. Intensively. No family, no work, no phones, no noisy […]
‘The Big Six’: who are they?
This phrase gets bandied around—a lot—in writing circles. We all know that the big six are a core group of publishers who’ve held the power in publishing for a long time. We know they’re all based in NY city. We know they’re all now scrabbling for their lives to ensure they stay relevant—and dominant—in the […]
My writing partner: my subconscious
I have a new book out. Yay!! I haven’t had a book out since July which–for me–is a really long time. That’s what I get for having four releases in six months last year! My latest release actually started two years ago when I wrote ‘Their Newborn Gift’– a story in which the heroine needs the […]
Why time is like sex
Time is like sex. We all think everyone else has more of it and that it’s somehow better quality than the sex we have. Well, just like sex, they’re not. Ultimately, everyone has the same number of hours in the day to work with and everyone has conflicting uses for that time. Some people are fantastic time-managers […]
Genre knockers (popular/commercial fiction)
The question was asked by someone new on a commercial writer’s loop “what is ‘literary fiction’?” and the best answer (by far) was “What the rest of us support.” Literary fiction is the top point of the fiction pyramid where fewer authors dwell amongst fewer publishers and even fewer sales (comparably). But it is somewhat […]