06 January 2012
As many of you know, before moving to New Zealand I was running writing workshops and courses in Australia. This year I'm returning to that role as a tutor with the NZ Writers' College. The College is offering a wide range of courses by some truly remarkable award winning writers. I'm quite chuffed to be working alongside such a dazzling array of talent, and really looking forward to working with students. I recently did an interview for the college, answering the kind of questions I'm most frequently asked, so go check it out!
05 January 2012
Spent Christmas and New Year reconnecting with the ocean as well as my kids. Bought my son a waterproof Olympus camera for Christmas, so all the photos are courtesy of him! We decided to go sea-kayaking at Akaroa, a quaint little village nestled in one of the many harbourside nooks and crannies of the Banks Peninsular volcanic complex, about an hour's drive from Christchurch. It's also home to the rare endemic and remarkably tiny (1 to 1.4m long) Hector's dolphins, who love swimming around kayaks. Sea caves, bird rookeries, a swim under the waterfall and plenty of picnic locations made for a fantastic trip (click on images to enlarge).
15 September 2011
I'm forever answering emails from Kiwis about the availability of Stargate novels here in NZ. Alas, they're not available in book stores, however I do have a couple here and have them on sale through Trade Me. Meanwhile, it's back to writing my research project.
30 July 2011
Had a bit of snow recently...
30 January 2011
Happy New Year! I realise it's been an entire 12 months since i've updated this site, but in my own defense I've been having far too much fun. I'm still writing, of course, but there are just too many distractions that keep me outdoors. For those of you familiar with Lord of the Rings the mountain backdrop is a dead giveaway. This is Edoras, Rohan (near Mt Potts and Mt Sunday) less than 2 hours drive from my front door.
As family pix go, these are our favourite:
From front to back, on the right is Daniel (red helmet) my daughter's fiance. Behind Daniel in the second row is my son, Cody. Behind Cody is Daniel, a disabled young Norwegian athlete who wowed us all with his agility on his 'bladerunner' leg. Beside Daniel in the back row is Amber, my daughter. In front of Amber and beside Cody is me (middle row), and in front of me in the blue helmet is Daniel's father (the Norwegian, not my daughter's fiance).
Our helmsman, situated at the stern, was the very talented Steve, who steered us through two sets of Grade 5 rapids, complete with the full compliment of rocks, whirlpools, and waterfalls, without once flipping the raft or losing any of use overboard, a fate that befell several others rafting with us as they attempted to navigate this section of the Rangitata River.
Grade 5 is considered the extreme limit when rafting rapids - anything above 5 is considered unraftable. We were all grinning from ear to ear the entire time, even when spitting out water. This is an absolute blast! If you ever get to NZ, of all the adrenaline-junky activities on offer, this beats them hands-down. The 'Edoras' scenery is merely the icing on the cake.
03 January 2010
Happy New Year!
Lots of exciting things over the past few months have delayed my writing schedule..okay, I 'fess up, it's ground to a halt, but with Jenny Fallon arriving tomorrow I suspect a settling in period should be followed by a burst of writing. Meanwhile, check Jenny's blog for the madcap updates from the latest ecomigrant!
23 October 2009
Two bits of exciting news (well, three if you count me figuring out how to install and operate an electric fence to keep in my seven brand new ewes and a ram named Dexter):
1. Jenny Fallon, having visited me in July this year for all of one day, fell in love with the place and has decided to move across. She'll be here early next month for another look-see.
2. I've started work on an SGU novel. This really is early days, with me writing notes more than story, but I'm immensely excited by the feel of the new incarnation of Stargate. Don't expect much news about the novel until early next year as it's spring in NZ (despite the snow on the foothills behind my property) and there's much planting as yet to be done. Plus the sheep need shearing...thankfully, I have fabulous neighbours who know how to do such things (thanks Alan!).
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I've just seen the galley proof for my short story, More Than One Life in How Do I Love Thee (edited by Valerie Parv) and it looks fabulous! Available from all good bookstores around Australia December 01, this is an excerpt from the publisher's website (Allen and Unwin)
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September 2009
