From Hook to Book

Okay the writing journey is not as scary or fraught as this 1921 crossing of the Mekong by this intrepid and determined traveller and his (poor) brave steed. But, after lots of emails crossing paths in the ether all week from various writing buddies… I’m putting it out there. How can we writers insp

I can well understand why Caleb’s Crossing, by multi-award winning author Geraldine Brooks, won a Pulitzer Prize. As a lover of historical fiction, I marvel at Brooks’ reconstruction of the language of the 1600s and the depth of her research woven seamlessly into this story.  Caleb’s Crossing is bas

Literally! And if a writer doesn’t stretch and move and shake those lower back muscles, boy, can they scream at you – just as my sciatic nerve has been screeching at me all week. “Do you have to write?” asked my physio. Well, it is my income, my passion and my day job, spasmodically paid [...]

The Dressmaker by Rosalie Ham is said to be a gothic novel. I’m not sure what that means but I did enjoy this rather uncomfortable read. I loved Tilly, the main character, and her calm acceptance and way with her nutty mother. Some truly torrid and horrid characters live within the pages who left me

“Are you French? No, then set your novel in Australia. Write what you know!”  Words to spark a blogpost and debate. The jury is out on my Google search into who first spoke the words Write what you know, though Mark Twain and William Faulkner seem to be the main-listed culprits. Write what you Know

How do I talk about a book without gushing adjectives when my cheeks are glowing with writerly admiration and, in equal, turning green with writer envy?  A hard call when I’ve just read what’s now up there as one of my favourite books ever. Geraldine Brooks Year of Wonders is an historical fiction t

This time last year I made a vow – after discovering a tiny baby bird alive but flopped on our back deck with a bleeding cut on its back – that if Mrs Pigeon showed any sign of setting up house this year, I would wave her off sans hésitation. I had no wish to [...]

I’ve been told many times that I write a good letter. Well at least I was told so back in the days when the fine art existed and we weren’t all reduced to the short speak of emails. I’ve always liked reading letters in books, but books written solely in letters? I’m not so sure they always [...]

What a great way to start a new year – with the release of a new book! A Fair Fight is a bully story with a twist, proving you don’t always have to use your fists, you just need to fight fair. “Outsmart the enemy,” advises Gramps. Easy for him to say. Every day Andrew [...]

And when they don’t do it for you, do you keep reading? I do. But… Life is short. Too short to persist sometimes. Back into the year and the weeks are zinging past. I’m already beginning to panic over my challenge to read a book a week. I can see these mini review blogs will become more [...]