Helping authors to make their stories shine … Editing Services for fiction and memoir
It’s important to understand the difference between an agent and a publisher. The publisher edits, produces and distributes the book. An agent finds a publisher and manages the author’s career. Some authors deal directly with their publisher (more common in Australia than the USA or UK), but many prefer to have a middleman. Continue reading Five Reasons to Sign With a Literary Agent
(Photo of dancer Ukalina, Lilian and Zara.) Continued from Malaria, Kidnapping, Jewels … The day before I moved from Lagos to Houston, Buddy came to say goodbye. There was a very real possibility I’d never see him again. It was different with our expat friends—we’d likely meet up again somewhere on the international circuit—but this felt permanent. … Continue reading A Week in Lagos
After Music & Dance on the Lagoon, Buddy and I were full of energy and couldn’t wait to design our next production. My goal was to write a showcase for dancers—singers had musicals, classical dancers had ballet, but where were the stories for ballroom/Latin dancers[1]? Buddy was insistent that we incorporate a social message over … Continue reading Malaria, Kidnapping, Jewels
This Winding Narrative interview is with my friend and collaborator, Whitney Van Nuis. A lawyer by training, she gave up her profession when she became an expat spouse. Instead, she took up painting. She is now a successful artist who specializes in pet portraits, but also does family portraits, abstracts and illustrated Sam and the … Continue reading Whitney Van Nuis, From Lawyer to Artist
One of the reasons I started a blog was that the protagonist in my novel was a blogger, so I needed first-hand experience. Eight months in, what have I learnt? Did I describe her experience accurately? What will I change as a result? Followers. I made my fictional blogger an overnight sensation, but in real … Continue reading Real Versus Fictional Blogs
The previous owners of our Mansfield property left behind some junk—old car tyres, fencing wire, roof riles—so I’ve taken an interest in re-purposing old things. These creative endeavours have the triple goal of being practical, frugal and clearing the scrap heap. Normally, I leave handyman matters to Barto, but our to-do list is so long, … Continue reading DIY Tyre Coffee Table
I’m a writer. I love words. But before I was a writer, I was an engineer, so I also love numbers. The typical word count for a novel is around 80,000. Non-novelists often baulk at the idea of writing that many words, and no question, it’s a mammoth task. To make it more manageable, I … Continue reading Engineering the Story—How to Write a Novel in 80 Days
I’m a city girl, born and bred, but this year, Barto and I bought a country retreat near Mansfield, the township gateway to the Victorian high country. Our house is two and a half hours from Melbourne and a fifteen-minute drive from Mansfield—secluded, but not isolated. Perched on a hill, it overlooks Lake Eildon and … Continue reading Alone at Mansfield
A fun post today. Last week at writer’s group, we did an exercise in which we had to respond to the following prompt in 20 minutes. The police arrive at your door with a search warrant. There is something in the house that they cannot see, that nobody can ever see. This is my (slightly edited) … Continue reading Short Fiction: The Search Warrant
Part four of four in the Music & Dance on the Lagoon series, after Blame It On The Tango and Countdown to Show Day. After months of preparation, weeks of rehearsals and days of tearing my hair out, show day for Music & Dance on the Lagoon finally arrived. Tables and chairs were decorated, the bar was charged and security … Continue reading Show Day, Music & Dance on the Lagoon
Brightside Story Studio 