findpublishing

An update on my activities.

Check out my kids stories page. I’ve recently had a number of my stories accepted for publication by

NSW Department of Education and Training for their schools magazines – it’s very exciting actually seeing yourself in print especially as some of the stories have been so beautifully illustrated – it’s as if the artist was inside my head capturing the images – scary!

Another new project for the year is working with a number of local writers forming a small circle of support. We all write for children and it will be good to meet, chat, have a coffee, share experiences, opportunities, have help and critique on our manuscripts.

 

I’ve been very busy – unfortunately not all of it is writing related – life gets in the way sometimes. I’m the treasurer with Tropical Writers but this role is coming to an end this year, 5 years is a long time! I’m looking forward to being able to concentrate on my writing. I have a children’s novel which I need to redraft and polish before sending off to publishers.

2012 is The National Year Of Reading and I’m hoping I can help some of the local primary schools in their celebrations by offering creative writing workshops. I find it challenging and a great deal of fun to work with kids, their imaginations inspire me in my work too.

Last year Tropical Writers released their fifth anthology of prose and poetry – Category 5, so I spent some time over the early part of the year writing for that publication.

Finally I’m waiting with baited breath to find out if NSW Dept of Education and Training have accepted any more of my children’s short stories for publication. I’m hoping I can add them to my blog soon.

Hi – my involvement with Tropical Writers started in 2006. Arriving in the group felt like I’d come home, so I wrote a poem. The person running the group at that time described Tropical Writers as a”Loose Group” so I wrote a poem.

Coming home.    

Coming home …

Alone.

A past life.

The train slows, crosses the bridge,

over the river,

pulls into the station.

A physical sense of home -

feeling safe, connected and cold.

familiar faces.

no surprises

enveloped in nostalgia

remembering with my eyes tight shut.

 

Coming home …

Together.

A new life.

Stepping out to the heat and the humidity

an electronic door  swish,

a thunderous rainfall,

misted green hills surround.

Everything new.

Excitement and apprehension.

YES! We shout

seeing with our eyes wide open.

 

Coming home …

As myself.

My “I am” life.

Do I belong to this group?

with arms and hearts wide open.

Warm smiles say

come in, sit down.

Am I a writer?

Am I a fraud?

Do I have the right to be Me?

YES! They say

join us …

Welcome home.

 

Loose Group

Loose group,

She said.

 

Loose women,

Loose men.

 

Goose loup.

Let them loose,

And then …

What will they loose

on us?

That loose group!

 

Both these poems were published in Tropical Writers first anthology – Between the leaves – 2006. This self-published anthology was an exercise in staying cohesive as a group whilst learning the art of self-publishing.  We did it and stayed friends and have gone on to produce another three anthologies – Mangoes on fire – 2007, Raining on the sun – 2008 and Cracks in the canopy – 2010. The latest anthology will be launched this year probably November.

Tropical Writers hosted its inaugural Writers Festival in 2008. It was put together with much energy, enthusiasm and a lot of ignorance -  it was a rip roaring success! I was part of the very small but dynamic team that put it together. Emboldened we marched forward to do it again in 2010 – I was events coordinator that time. That didn’t mean I knew what I was doing – I took my lead from the regional writing community who are very vocal. They told me what they wanted and I did my best to source the talent. Our next festival will be in 2012 and I’m on the team again.

Tropical Writers have also been successful this year in gaining funding to host a Writers Retreat – that has never been done in Cairns before. We have also developed partnerships with The Get reading Program and as part of Cairns Festival – 2011 will be hosting David Hill as he launches his latest book Gold. About the gold rush years in Australia. Last year the group hosted James Phelan – known for his fast action thrillers in the Lachlan Fox series.

So we are  busy group. At our monthly meetings we host local writers who generously share their knowledge and expertise – whether it be in short story, poetry or novel writing.

My involvement in this group has increased my knowledge, confidence and ability as a writer – this blog being a testimony to that. I’m now hooked on blogging.

This is the front cover of my first foray into the world of self-publishing. It is a ‘read and create’ book designed for children in the 3-5 age group. The story focusses on Mama Duck’s search for her duckling’s quack. Oswald doesn’t seem to be able to quack. As the story unfolds Mama Duck introduces her family to all of the other farm animals. The black and white illustrations have been deliberately left unfinished to allow the child to explore their creativity in completeing them. This makes the finished book unique to that child. Anyone wishing to buy a copy of the book or learn about self-publishing can contact me on  findpublishing@hotmail.com

 

Hello all you lovely people out there. Welcome to my blog. This has happened accidentally because I really don’t know what I’m doing. It all seems to happen by magic. The next thing I have to work out how to do is post some more images – that’s if I’m allowed to do that.

Obviously I’ve now worked out how to do it – yeah!

Well here I am. On my blog and not at all sure what I’m doing. There are instructions but that doesn’t mean I know what the instructions mean. Any way I guess I can only get better at it and I have to start somewhere.