After months of rain and wind the weather has finally given us a day that doesn’t make a lie out of the tourist promotion ‘Queensland – beautiful one day, perfect the next’. I went for a swim in the little bay near here and quickly learned that with only one arm working properly I was soon swimming in circles. Floating was definitely the thing to do.
WriteFest is only four weeks away and I’m trying desperately to make sure everything will run smoothly. For anyone who is unaware of WriteFest, it’s a day of workshops by industry professionals for aspiring to advanced writers. It’s fantastic value for money at only $75 and for that we even feed you! If you want more information check out bundywriters.com
Just to give you an idea of the quality of workshop presenters we have every year, here’s a pic of New York Times best-selling author Stephanie Laurens and writer Di Wills (with me in the middle) at WriteFest 2009.
I went to a promotion and marketing seminar last Saturday and came away realising how much of a dodo I am when it comes to using electronic media. I have a facebook page but I don’t really understand all I can do with it. I am learning, however. That’s the way of it these days; if you want to be a published author you have to learn how to reach your readers in all the ways that they use. A writer friend of mine recently grumbled, “Whatever happened to the days when all you had to do was write a darn good book!” I can sympathise with her because I’m sure my brain is not hot-wired the way my IT specialist son’s is. Actually, without his help, I’m sure I would have given my computer to my husband to use as an anchor many times.
I’ve decided to change the title of my work-in-progress to Conceptions and Misconceptions. It follows on from Murder, Mayhem and Menopause – a completely new story, but continuing the lives of Ellie, Cass and Kandy and their families and friends. This will be mainly Kandy’s story. After the bruising she copped in MM&M I’ve decided to give her something to look forward to, but she has to go through a lot of angst beforehand. I do wish I could say that MM&M has found a publishing home, but I still have my fingers crossed. I would dearly love to share these wonderful characters with my readers.
Wishing you all a safe and happy Easter.
Thanks, Cheryse. The “conceptions” rock the lives of several characters who featured in MM&M and also feature in C&M, and the “misconceptions” create some very awkward but interesting moments for Kandy. Of course, I just can’t help myself – there will be action and danger too, but most of all I hope my readers can empathise with my characters and care about them. A writer friend who read the manuscript of MM&M emailed me, in part: “Loving the following characters: Kandy, Miranda, Mouse and even Bruce. (Ellie, Cass and Kirby go without saying.) I would look forward to finding out how this rag-tag family/friendship group moves forward, especially from the viewpoint this time of Kandy. You know it’s got to be good when you want the next instalment, right?”
Hi Sandy, I LOVE your new working title, Conceptions and Misconceptions. It’s so much tighter than a second M,M&M title… though that is fun and a GREAT READ. I can’t wait for it to be published!