Castle News

I am returned this day to answer your queries. Although there have been many, I will only answer questions three. Your patience and understanding will be rewarded in well-considered responses. The demands on my time are high and the answers I provide will sate the most curious mind.

I work from home. We had a small office that was set up for minor accounting things and has a lot of sundry supplies that we don't really have the room for. But, as one of the benefits of becoming an empty nester is that I was able to shuffle around some rooms. It was hubbies idea to start with, but after he mentioned it I couldn't really get it out of my mind. We relocated the left over furniture and supplies from the girls and then we combined them into one room. This made

My conversations with Lexy were varied and interesting. There were a few side quests along the way, but we always returned to the pathway in the end. I enjoy it when it is like that, diverting. It is interesting and tends to align with my own thought processes. I hope that you can follow the line of conversation as we spoke on the show.

Getting your book out into the world is quite the achievement, but it doesn't end there. There are more than and estimated 22k books released each year in Australia alone. Then you have to consider; when you are on the internet it is an international Market! I couldn't even guess how many books are released annually worldwide. There are so many creatives striving for attention.

It doesn't matter what job you have, there are times when it can feel like you need to wear a number of different hats to get through the day. There is (in no particular order) the creative hat, marketing hat, family hat, identity hat ... and so many more! I don't know if there is or should be a way of integrating these personalities. You would have to ask a professional about that. But, I feel that if you work on your core values, you can strengthen your drive for these shif

Book 8 of the Otherworldly Emergence Speculative Fictions Novella series is The Final Crone by DL Nix. It is completely self serving when I say this is my favourite book of the series, because if you don't enjoy what you write and find passion in the craft then what are you doing it for? I am so proud to be a part of this series of books and to have met a community of authors. We have kept each other accountable and pushed each other every step of the way. I look forward to h

There is an alignment that settles over me when I get up early in the morning compared to sleeping in. I feel as though sleeping in equals missing out on so much. Normally it isn't a dramatic sleep in. But a sleep in none the less makes me feel like I didn't do what I was meant to. I think this is something that I need to work on. I was riding every day in the mornings but that fell through after a time and I didn't even get a chance to see the sunrise. I would get up with h

Have you every struggled to choose what to watch on your favourite streaming service? Sometimes it feels like there are too many options! There are no right or wrong answers when you are searching, it is a choice. Sometimes this choice is just for you and sometimes it will impact the family. Worst case scenario you start watching something and then change your mind and have to go back to the very beginning - Search mode. I remember when I was much younger, we used to go to th

I was so excited to do this interview with Cecilia. I am a fan of the Pitt, Greys Anatomy, Chicago Med and a bunch of other medical dramas. Not as much of a fans as Cecilia who literally wrote the book on it. Working as a Dr IRL has come through was inspiration for her. I have just received a copy of her first 2 books and I am confident there will be so much more from this talented new author.

I was really excited to put out this interview because I was the guest! It was a little topsy turvy to come in as a guest on my own show, but I really enjoyed the experience. Izzy, the sound girl was gracious and patient with me. I was focussed on limiting my nervous ticks throughout the interview as I am aware of how challenging that is to edit.

Ian is a kind and generous person who was one of the organisers of the Indie Author Bookfair event, and this is not the only one. Leschenault Press and The Book reality experience were front of mind during our conversation and it was so nice to hear what he had to say.

So, write-ins. Why do we do them?

There is such a thoughtful and considered product with so many complimentary products that Vanessa has considered throughout her business that it is worth a serious look for small business people.

As the ancient gods and beasts fade into memory they are fresh in my mind's eye. We walked the shadowed path hand in hand and I measured their secrets. I continue to guard those secrets for time immemorial. That wisdom has stayed within me. New elements emerge from the essence of creation, as they have done many times before. Each time I have witnessed the change, my duty has been to quell the disquiet from the shadows.

There is something quite magical about Vanessa's books. It is not just about her. It is a family environment and a chance for creative expressions. Her Son also has his own stories to share with the world. Starting in horror she found that there was more fun to have in different genres, but she has always stayed true to her roots.

Bushland Castle Productions has just opened the gates for 2 writing Scroll competitions. A Speculative fiction challenge that focusses on the Catalyst of change and a Memoir challenge that focusses on the heritage that built your foundation. The team are excited to work through the submissions and the Council of Quills have been assembled.

So, we all know that writing a novel, novella or even a saga can be a soloist performance. But sometimes it doesn't have to be. Are there times when you wish you had someone to throw ideas around with? To brainstorm with or just have a chat with?

I thought that it would be fun to start and daily post within the Bushland Pages community. Something that will help people try mindfulness for at least 5 minutes a day. These activities are short and things that you most likely already do every day. I am just writing it down and suggesting people give it a go. People have been sharing their reflections with me and it has been great to hear some of the creative interpretations of these different activities.

When you start a project sometimes it seems like there are so many moving parts that you have to start putting in the right order. I know for the Otherworldly Emergence series there have been many aspects that I had to pull into order to make it make sense. Every creative project deserves a moment of your time to put together a general plan.

For some people the creativity flows continuously and it is hard to capture all the drops in time before distractions steals it away. For others, there seems to be a blockage in their pipes! The blank page elicits fear and confusion. The self doubt spiral begins to spin like the water down a drain.