The release date is coming very, very soon

Leave Taking

I love UQP's back blurb where leave taking is defined as a noun and is the act of saying goodbye.

My book!  Yah!

What a journey to reach publication and beyond- I've already had a couple of reviews and the artwork by Peter Carnavas is delightful.  I will get to actually meet Peter next month when I travel to Brisbane and then onto Voices on the Coast to present workshops and a talk.

Our farming background provides wonderful rich material for the setting of 'Leave Taking'.

Little incidents that my children created are also woven into the fabric of farm life for Toby.

UQP are providing wonderful publicity opportunities so this little book can shine.

Of course it comes at an emotional cost.  The grief is palpable but then so is the hope and the celebration of moving on.

I sincerely hope it touches many hearts young and old.

A new Novel

I love that inspiration is like a beautiful cutting taking sometimes years to strike and flourish.

So here is to a little snatch of words with the right tone and emotion begun in 2003, then woven into a verse novel in 2016, doubled under the suggestions of wonderful Kristina and wonderful Vanessa of UQP to now begin the publication process out into bookshops on July 2nd this year!  Yah!

Peter Carnavas has re-created Toby visually and his journey of 'Leave Taking'.

I am thrilled with the cover.

The novel was written with a May Gibbs Literature trust fellowship in Brisbane.  Sometimes as writers, we need blocks of time to immerse ourselves in the atmosphere of the novel.  Much soul searching, tears and a wonderful feeling of release all came together to propel Toby on his journey.

Recovering from cancer is huge and this is my recovering from breast cancer novel.  I hope it inspires many children and families to journey from grief, from changes into a new season of growth and celebration.


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May Gibbs night

Here I am with children's author, Elizabeth Hutchins (left)at a presentation night for our inaugural award- fellowships honouring South Australian children's author and poet Irene Gough. How wonderful to have such support for our writing- especially poetry written for children which seems often to fall to the bottom rung. We read selections of our work in the wonderful atmosphere of the South Australian Writers' Centre.
Elizabeth completed her residency recently in Brisbane and read a tantalizing section of her work. The first page of my novel in progress had a public airing. I am pleased to say that I've reached the 5000 word mark today. A much denser form of writing than prose.