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I had my book professionally proofread. But you know even the best can miss a few things, right. Step one!
Then you have to be real careful taking up changes because you can make more errors. Mmmm. Step two!
Well this happened to me and I’m wondering if I will ever learn to read the thing before uploading. I did not read it again after the proof changes. Step three!
What was a vortex, though, was I had another program, that I no longer subscribe to, working in the background and unbeknownst to me it changed things and I didn’t see it. Step four! Vortex achieved.
It’s not that I rushed the proof changes, I didn’t. I took two days and did it slowly. However, obviously I have issues with my eyes, recent surgery, new glasses etc. But I didn’t realise what was going on. I have since removed the offending program from my Mac now.
So what did this vortex do besides leave in and or create errors.
Tal became Tai, or Sal, or I don’t know. Random.
Gen became Get and Ben and random.
Sihe Pel because Sihe Pal, Sihe Sal. Who knows.
Then there was Si that was changed to ‘is’ so I’m left with sentences like ‘is was’ instead of ‘si was.’
Or sihe became she. Eyes rolling here.
There were missing little words. Annoying and hard to catch.
Some sentences I rethought because they were not precise enough so not proofing errors just me thinking What?
So is it all fixed now. I’ve tweaked the cover, too, for the print version. New versions are up everywhere.
I will continue the saga of reading the book to create an audio book. I just keep redoing chapter one. It’s like I’m stuck in a vortex of my own creation!!!!
Apologies if anyone bought a copy with the typos. The new version should update. If not let me know. I don’t believe anyone bought a print version yet so that’s a relief.
It is going to be 23 degrees C today. It’s mid-Winter and that is batshit crazy. Mind you it’s about 10 degrees in Canberra atm but even that is a bit warm for Canberra at this time of year.
I have retired from my day job (Tuesday) and have come to spread my wings in the big city for a few days as a newly freed woman. Hah! (Mostly to meet people while I have the chance).
Interesting insight into the mind here. I used to think those two days I worked the day job were such an imposition. I worked hard and I was tired after. Now though my brain says…oh two days that’s nothing. You won’t get much work done now you have those two days! You could have kept working and earning $$$. I mean what the hell brain! Don’t be stupid and play around here.
Anyway, now I have to prove my own brain wrong.
I have brought Gentleman Magician with me to start the revision after beta reader feedback. That’s what you do after you launch a book, pick up the next one. The problem I have is that I have a soggy beginning in Gentleman Magician, not surprising as it’s a kind of prequel, a solid middle and a vague, cut off ending. Which means I have a bit of work to do. I did a bit of work on the train up yesterday but right now, obviously as I’m blogging, I’m a bit unfocussed.
I am going to eat lunch out so I am dreaming about Gozleme and whether there is any fresh stuff about…I can’t have any more tea because I have enough caffeine in me that I can’t sit still for five minutes. I will probably excavate my daughter’s cupboard for snacks soon and then complain about my weight. I am nothing if not consistent.
As mentioned, I launched the ebook of The Founders’ Legacy on Tuesday. I am currently planning a physical launch but that may be in early September because I am nicking off to Singapore for five weeks soon and appearing at the Canberra Geek Expo on 18 and 19 July. And I have to arrange for books to be delivered. I tried to book a launch just after Geek Expo before I fly out but the venue is unavailable…so…September. I shall keep you posted.
I am also working on an audio book. Cringe! I hate the sound of my own voice for starters. Also, weird things happen you know. Like one of the characters is called Kai and I have in two separate recordings of chapter one mispronounced the name Kai. And not noticed until I finished the recording for the chapter. The first time I call Kai Kal, which is a mix up with the main character Tal. I thought no problem I’ll just record that bit, snip the recording, delete the offending bit and insert the new bit. But for some very strange reason I am loud and sound very different in the redone recording. I delete the whole chapter and go back to the beginning. It’s all practice right?
The next time when I am editing I noticed I have called Kai “Kate”. Kate! There is no Kate. What the hell is my brain telling my mouth. This time I do a bit of research and can alter the inserted new bit which is loud etc and smooth it in. Not sure I’ll keep it but I did manage to do that using the Audacity envelope tool and manually manipulating the wave form.
Other interesting observations about recording an audio book, beside being exhausting, is stumbling over your own tongue. Yes, the tongue twisting words. There have been a few. One I edited out. The worn brown modular lounge… That does not work in spoken lingo so it changed to “Old brown modular lounge.” Self-congratulatory. Yeah that one. Gez man. Tongue gymnastics there. Preliminary…another twister.
When you record an audio book and you don’t have the stamina, experience and perspicacity, you get tired, your mouth stops working, your lips turn to jelly and your tongue becomes like a piece of disobedient rubber. Blah! Blah! Bleargh!
However, as The Founders’ Legacy uses single pronouns I think it will be more accessible as an audio book so I will perservere.
The only thing I have achieved is an audio book cover so I can’t back out now.
I am sorry I did not write this before when I had pre orders up. I had a sudden bereavement and everything went a bit pear-shaped.
My PhD novel is here.
I have blogged about this before so scroll back. However, I will say that I am currently working on the audio book, which I think it will make it more accessible. Reading a single non-gendered pronoun is hard enough (try writing it) but listening should be better. I shall let you know.
Also, a special introductory price of $2.99 au is in effect until 14 July, 2026 and $1.99 US
Here is the blurb
The Founders created them free and equal.
In the domed habitat of Frequil, sixteen-year-old Tal 455 is now an adult. Like every sihem—a genderless human engineered by the Founders—Tal has been raised to value harmony and the collective good, where every citizen has a place.
When Tal proposes an experiential history machine to explore Frequil’s origins, the ruling council reluctantly approves it under strict supervision. Paired with Gen 456, a certified genius, Tal begins uncovering fragments of the Founders’ world that were never meant to be seen.
Hidden among the archives are stories of men and women living in a society with different rules. Fascinated, Tal and Gen use their machine to experience a forbidden past—and begin questioning everything they have been taught about themselves.
Sometimes you just have to live with whatever. Sometimes you might feel you are in a vortex of shit.
On Monday, which was a very lovely day in Canberra, I went for a walk around the lake and then on to the Botanical Gardens with friends. Just near the end of my walk in the gardens, I did not see a step. And wow does landing on your knees hurt! I managed to hobble out there and put on a brave face. When I got home, I asked Matthew to clean the grazes with alcohol wipes. I might have screamed. However, they had to be cleaned. I managed dinner with friends being dropped by the door of the restaurant.
Some pictures from the walk.
I slept with my legs elevated because I expected swelling and the next morning I was not surprised to have jelly knees. I spent the day vegging in front of the TV, eating all the inappropriate food I could find. I contacted the office of orthopaedic surgeon who did my partial knee replacements and he requested an Xray. My view of the Xray is that it’s all okay bone wise, no breaks, the arthritis on the knee cap is worse that previously. I’m guessing it’s just soft tissue damage. The surgeon hasn’t called so I’m thinking there are no issues with my prosthesis either.
A picture of gumnuts!
Anyhow I can mostly walk okay. Occasionally the right knee gives and the right knee does not like leading the way upstairs. The swelling has come down somewhat.
In amongst all this are some family issues, some friends adversely affected by health news and I wonder if the stars are in the wrong quarter or something. The world is pretty shit too and all in all it is quite difficult to stay positive.
I moved out of my craft room on the weekend too. And it looks like I’m going to sell my floor loom. I’m not using it enough to justify the space it takes up. And I’m hoping I kept my craft makings accessible this time but with the knees I cannot assemble shelves and finish the tidy up. The test will come when I want to work on something. These days it is sewing that floats my boat. If you can believe it, I actually culled some fabric and a lot of yarn. It went to the local buy nothing group. I found things too that I had totally forgotten about.
As part of clearing the craft room, I finished the walking bonnet that I started in a workshop at the Regency weekend. It is made from violet dupion silk. I don’t have much in violet so I thought why not.
A little bit of writing has been achieved. Mostly the restructure of Tainted Lady. I have some beta reader feedback coming for Gentleman Magician that I hope won’t take long to address. All in all, I am a bit behind schedule.
I also need to organise a launch, virtual and real of, The Founders’ Legacy. So I must start with a blurb and that requires brain power.
I feel I’m in a time tunnel. Egads! It’s June already and I’m pondering what happened to May. Oh well.
Since my last post, I have sent The Founders’ Legacy off for a proofread. It’s due back later this month.
Gentleman Magician is waiting on some beta reader comments.
And I decided to publish my Regency Romance Tainted Lady, under my Dani Kristoff name as Dani’s books are more mainstream paranormal romance. I found a great cover. It features an older heroine and is a second chance romance. And being me there are feminist undertones.
I am currently restructuring Tainted Lady. I thought I had mostly restructured it but alas, I had not and I need to work through it carefully. It is only the beginning that I’ve chopped up, after feedback from a Romance Writers of Australia competition. Fab feedback btw. I also need to make a few tweaks to my hero. However, for some reason I keep getting stuck on chapter one. I mean you can rewrite a chapter one a gazillion times, you know.
In other news, I am vacating my craft room for my grandson. However, this is cathartic and important. I’ve built up a bit of a mess since I last moved back into my craft room so it is good to sort through things, find bits of patterns and work out what I want to keep handy and what can be safely stored. I have made it quite clear that everything needs to be accessible so I am labelling as well as sorting and tidying. This is a threefold problem as the garage needs to be sorted and that is long overdue. For where may I ask will the craft stuff go? I have a floor loom that needs to be moved and I may want to you know weave something. I am hoping for a garage that is tidy and accessible. I have been in there to look for a power tool and said I’m going to buy a new one as I can’t find the one we have. Yes, it is that bad. The major sorting was instigated by a collapsing ceiling in the garage and then roof repairs which has a ripple effect. The other element is rearranging the library, which is currently a dormitory, and working out where to put stuff. All very disruptive to one’s writing routine.
I am progressively going through my hard drive and will publish more things perhaps next year. It’s clean up time!
Next appearance is Newcastle Next Book Boyfriend Link here. Saturday 13 June, 2026 93.0 to 4.30
This book is coming along nicely. I have been tweaking the cover using Bookcoverzone. I’ve not done this before. I usually just say what’s on the cover but this site lets you tinker yourself. You would not believe how many iterations I have put the app through to get to this. No changes to the image, just the titling.
I think this is where I’m going to leave it.
I haven’t started on the blurb yet would you believe. That can be hard work but I’ve been side tracked by writing administration tasks. You may not have heard that the book aggregator Draft to Digital brought in a fee for low selling authors. This was mostly due to some shenanigans by nefarious players. They also had to limit how many titles you could upload. I don’t think I make the minimum and most of my Draft To Digital sales are with Barnes and Noble so as I have an account there, I figured I would delist all my books and relist on Barnes and Noble. And there is a lot of books and it’s not a quick job. So…I am getting there…
A bit about The Founders’ Legacy. I wrote this book as part of my PhD in Creative Writing, where I researched feminism in popular romance fiction. Now you might wonder why I wrote a future SF book featuring genderless humans. You see I started thinking about equality and how that would look in its purest form. I was thinking of unconscious bias and how that would be eliminated if you couldn’t tell if a person was a man or woman or something else by their names.
If you took it another step, by the way they looked so what if they looked the same, no gender, no traditional families, or how much money they earned if they all looked and dressed similarly and earned the same money or got the same food, shelter, leisure etc. Then I also thought about how you would maintain that….so a domed city, bio-dome thing with supplementary water and various power sources so this culture could perpetuate itself and add the social conditioning, and also enforcement of the rules and you have Frequil, where everyone is free and equal…
The Giver by Lois Lowry has been cited as a text with similar themes. A small community, traditional family groups changed, social conditioning and chemical conditioning and some weird stuff in there too. I can see the similarity in themes here. However, I had not heard of this book when I wrote The Founders’ Legacy, initially called Sihem.
My influences were Logan’s Run, the movie. The book is a tad different in the ages and things it uses, but yes a domed city and an post-apocalyptic outside.There are rules and when rules are broken things happen.
Another inspiration would be Star Trek Next Generation The Outcast episode, where they meet a planet full of same gender and one of them wants to express gender and be female and become Riker’s lover. Anyway, the strong theme in that was about difference, the intolerance of difference. This was more of a pro-Gay episode.
I use romance novels within this story as they inform Tal and Gen, my two main characters, about gender roles, some feminist issues and about the world the Founders came from.
A feature of the Founders’ Legacy is the use of non-gendered pronouns ‘si’, ‘sis’ and ‘sim’. The pronoun sihe is an honorific and sihem a collective noun, This can make the novel hard to read and my trial readers generally said that they substituted ‘he’ or ‘her’. I found that when I read Ancilliary Justice as the AI character could not differentiate between sexes so called them all she. I found my brain kept wanting to know if it was a man or a woman. It was sort of a weird affect. The Founders’ Legacy takes that a step further. The other realisation comes when you realise how gendered our language is and how the brain wants to slot people into categories.
The book blurs utopian and distopian themes and is, I think, a young adult, adult cross over. While there is romance in there it is more science fiction, I believe.
On the weekend, I popped up to Exeter for a four day Regency Weekend experience. I’d been sewing like crazy in the days leading up, even though my eye wasn’t the best. April was definitely a sewing month! I also helped a friend make her first Regency dress but that was over a few months.
I went to the Regency Weekend last year. It’s a smallish event, in that it’s not huge. Last year I managed to get a cancellation ticket. This year I bought the ticket in time and managed to choose a number of workshops.
My first workshop was a one on one consult with Adrienne Unger on making a Regency gown with a sari. I had two saris with me. One I bought at the Jane Austen Festival a number of years ago and one was from Matthew’s mother. We spread the saris out on the floor. Unfortunately, Matthew’s mother’s one, which was silk Georgette had been damaged, probably by moths. The other one was fine. With my pattern pieces we worked out how to make the most of the fabric and embroidery. Adrienne had a couple of amazing dresses to show me too. We took photos so I would remember which bit went where. Then I went to our accommodation.
I shared with Bronwyn again and it was fab. We did our hair, helped each other tie up dresses and do up buttons. It was lovely.
Here is a pic of me doing my bun. I was trying to guage if the hair covered the insert.
I had decided I wasn’t buying anything. Hahahaha! There was so much stuff this year. I bought a cloak (had no idea I wanted one) from Ericka’s table and a bum roll and sparkly buttons, a chemisette and lovely reticule from a lady called Kerry. Kimberley had a table of the most amazing hats. She was really talented. I was tempted but the one I liked, a yellow soft bonnet was taken. I did by a fancy ruffled cap though. I bought fabric, which I swore I would not do but it was a pretty white cotton with green block print. And I am a sucker for green.
This year I had a number of workshops. I would have done more but I can’t be in two places at once. Imagine that. First up was Regency Water colours, a sort of beginner thing and it was great. I loved it. I’m not a great artist. See I am showing this below.
My next workshop was a ruffled cap. Which was great as I have been meaning to make one. The fact that I had bought one earlier in the day was not important. A girl needs more than one cap.
The ruffled cap under my bonnet. The one I bought, not the one I made.
Here is me in the sprigged muslin print that I made the day before.
That night was the banquet and I wore my new white frock, made from cotton Ikea curtains, a sort of homespun feel, I think and an overdress made from Kimono fabric that my friend Maxine gave me for a birthday years ago. It had been moth damaged on the outer part of the roll but the rest of the fabric was fine. See pic below.
I found I forgot a shawl, gloves, ribbon and a few other things. I had to buy shoes because I remembered my jiffy slippers with the shoe roses had fallen apart. Dinner was yummy. All of my table mates just coincidentally came from Canberra. There must have been some kind of ethereal tie there.
Saturday
Two more workshops. I swear I felt busy. The first began at 9.00am and it was a double session to make a walking bonnet. Now I have bonnets galore and aspirations to make more, trim some and so on. However, the shape of this bonnet is not one I have attempted before. Even as a double session, we did not finish. I managed to get the structure done and I will need to cover it and so forth. Here is a pic of what we were attempting.
Stunning isn’t it?
Today I wore a sari based dress I hand sewed because I like to now and again. The fabric appears to be a fine cotton or muslin so hand stitching seemed to be the way to go. I figure I might wear it four or five times before it distintergrates.
The one below is an outdoor shot. See my lovely reticule I bought from Kerry?
The afternoon workshop was on turbans, where we played around with scarves. I forgot to bring mine but I did have left over fabric. This is what I came up with, but I think I would make it into a headdress, rather than a wrap around turban.
Sunday is picnic day so around 9.30 we front up to the venue and pack our picnic lunch and then have morning tea. There’s a coach to take people to Goldenvale, where there is carriage rides, archery, music, maypole, house tours and sitting around eating and chatting.
This dress is an older dress I made for one of the Jane Austen Festival. I am a bit plumper than then so wrap around was a tad, not wrapped enough.
Curious ornament on the tackle. This was a beautiful horse.
I did not do the maypole but I watched. There was live music and you can see the musicians in the background. It was a lovely afternoon as the weather was mild. Last year was freezing.
I fear my archery skills have not improved at all, even with a lighter bow the second time. Also, my petticoat fell down. I used bias binding as a tie and that has seams which separated. Next time I’ll use tape. The blue dress next to me is the dress Kristy and I made together. Isn’t it great. Ikea curtain and such a lovely drape on it.
I want to go next year too so must put it in my diary. The catering was wonderful. Morning and afternoon teas, Rout biscuits, scones, jam and cream, some kind of yummy biscuit with carraway seeds. I must get the recipe for that. A lovely roast meal and syllabub for the banquet, soup and bread before the ball, then a late supper. I tried the Regency white soup and it was yummy.
So many nice people, some from New Zealand, as far aways at Queensland and Victoria. I swear most people are looking at other people’s gowns. Mmmm I didn’t know you could do that. Oh what a nice way to do a trim. Oh my your spencer is to die for. Triple capes on your pelise? And so on. There were a few children there and that was lovely too. I’d call it wholesome fun.
I have had some trouble with my feet so I did not dance at all. Usually I can fit in a dance workshop or two but didn’t. I watched the dancing from the sidelines and loved it.
I know I’m a nerdy weirdo but I do not care. I loved it.
Given all that is happening in the world right, it is hard to deal with things. My doomscrolling is almost non-existent because I can’t bear it.
With my economics learning, I know things are just going to get worse in Australia as we deal with the Iran war fall out. Inflation is not anyone’s friend and coming so close after the pandemic and all those income support payments people got (that have to be paid back somehow) it’s a double punch. The Iran war situation is not over and we were already priming for this oil shock. We thought it might be a short one but alas…no. The Government’s budget is a tough one. I can feel the austerity vibes.
Forget tarrifs! They were hard, unpredicatable and so on. Forget the old world order. The rules have been tossed out.
I think wars, famine, disease outbreaks make one feel a bit hopeless and disempowered. There isn’t much one individual can do about any of it.
I try to think of ways to influence what is going on around me and ways I can help contribute to mine and others’ well being.
I walk in the neighbourhood a lot. It’s suburbia, there were are hills, trees, birds, magnificent sky. People walk their dogs, or just walk about. I figure if I want a nice neighbourhood, I should say ‘hello’ and ‘good morning’ and ‘Cute dog. Can I pat it?’ People usually say hi back. This might seem a small thing but it helps create a neighbourly, neighbourhood.
Also, getting out in a beautiful day lifts the spirits. How can you not be calmed by trees, and nature. It kind of fills me up. Today I went in a different direction. Up the hill into the nature reserve. I was taking a picture of the view when someone said ‘Morning!’ I hadn’t heard them approached and startled. Once I had got myself together I said Good morning back. He said ‘It’s a great view.’ Walking back toward home, there was a big group walking towards me, a men’s group maybe. We exchanged good mornings and it felt nice, you know.
I also started looking a view from say a water colourist perspective. Not that I am a watercolourist, but I do aspire to try one day. The photos below are some that I took.
Our street has a Signal chat group. Our neighbour next door dropped notes into people’s letter boxes and asked if people wanted in. Most of us did. It aslo incorporates the street behind as well. Great for organising things like Halloween for the kids and so on. It is a really nice group of people. I had Christmas drinks on our decks one year. Not everyone came but a few did and it was nice to put faces to names. I think this chat group has helped create a lovely neighbourhood. We can post about snakes, or kangaroos on the street. Sometimes neighbours say ‘I’ve put a box of lemons out. Help yourself.’ OR “Zuccinis going if you want them.” Anyhow, I think this is a positive thing. We even tell the street if we are going away and there are housesitters. Or if someone has a teenager to feed the cat etc.
My partner volunteers at the Food Co-Op and he really believes in their ethos. He picks up left over bread from a bakery and delivers it to the Co-Op and one day a week to our local community centre. The bread goes to people in need, rather than the tip.
Other things we can do to whether difficult periods is donate a can of food to the local food bank. We have one in the next suburb and we can also leave food at the Pool and Leisure centre. I drop books there to the community book swap thing as well.
Other friends I know do things like make scarves for homeless people or Ukraine. These were woven, but crochet is fine. A beanie with left over wool.
To help others doesn’t have to cost much money but it usually costs time. I am still working on where I want to put my effort in. I am currently working parttime but that is going to end soon.
I’ve done my share of committees in local associations-community housing, writing, writing centre.
I feel grateful to have been on this Earth for 66 years. It has not been easy but I am here now and like it or not I have to live through whatever gets thrown my way. I also recognise my priviledge. I have a roof over my head, food and clothing. I can indulge my craft pursuits.
So here are the photos I took this morning. I thought most would make a good water colour painting.
I took a wrong turn but thought this was an interesting composition.
I know nothing much about water colouring and I am not an artist. But I though the dark foreground and the layering of hills, cloud and sky was interesting.
Another view with contrasts.
I thought the road curving away was interesting. I don’t think the photo does it justtice.
Gentleman Magician is at 40,000 words. This is going to be a novella and I think I can finish it soon. I just have to write the ending scenes. I’m so excited. It’s taken me a bit longer to write than I planned but I have enjoyed not rushing. The Cry Havoc series continues. Steampunk and magic, with a side order of sandwiches. I’m really excited to be exploring the relationship between Edward Huntington, Ambrose Fulton and Jasper Heaton.
After I’ve done a bit of research, I’ll be starting Book Five, The Amethyst Way, featuring Jemima of course, and an adventure for Milly. Not sure I’ll write the prequel novella about Jemima’s father and mother but we shall see.
I’ve given up shopping my PhD novel, The Founders’ Legacy, to agents and publishers. The small Australian presses I had in mind are closed to subs. I have a feeling it’s a bit woke for the current climate in the USA and bad economics and global uncertainty don’t help either. Anyway, I did try. So the other day, I found a cover. Let me know what you think. It is SF YA/Adult cross over. I’ve got to work on the blurb. This is what I have so far:
Sixteen-year-old Tal is graduating from pod life and dreams of developing an experiential history machine to explore the past. When Tal’s research project is initially refused, that future seems impossible. After negotiation, approval is granted on two conditions: Tal must stay clear of the Founders’ lives and work alongside a young genius named Gen.
While mining data in the city’s systems, Tal uncovers the Founders’ arbitrary decisions that shaped Frequil’s genderless society. Fictional texts from the past introduce the idea of binary gender. Drawn by forbidden knowledge, Tal and Gen use their invention to experience what it was like to live as a pre-Frequil man and woman. As their bond deepens, the biological template that made Tal genderless begins to break down…
The Founders’ Legacy explores gender, love, and autonomy in a society that believes these concepts are no longer relevant.
In other news, I have eye surgery on Thursday for the fast growing cataract that is the result of my previous eye surgery, the vitrectomy ilast September. I’m half blind and typing this is fraught!
I have one upcoming appearance June 12, Newcastle Book Boyfriend. I’m heading to a Regency Weekend on the 14th and I’m madly sewing for it. Between writing and craft and bad posture I hurt.
I have finished listening to Well of Ascension. I was a bit teary at the end. Old Brandon did a slight of hand at the last minute and caught me by surprise. It was a great series. Thank you Brandon Sanderson.
With my partner, Matthew, we are listening to Dead Lies Dreaming by Charlie Stross. We have motored through the Laundry Files and this book is a bit different. It’s not first person point of view and it switches point of view sometimes a bit quickly in the audio book. I miss Bob though.
I’m reading a couple of books as well, currently on Emma Grey’s Pictures of You. And I have a queue of other books some started and some not.
I’m trying to keep a record of what I am reading and listening to, as during the year I lose track and end up wondering if I have read anything at all. So I’m trying to do less doom scrolling and more reading fiction. I must admit that hasn’t been easy the last few weeks, what with traveling and world events.
All this uncertainty and chaos upsets me and I’m sure other people too.
The Gentleman Magician draft is over 21,000 words. It’s going to be a novella so I hope to finish it this week. But tomorrow, is a sewing day. I’m helping a friend make a Regency bib fronted gown. I want to make one for me as well.
Here is a picture from the weekend at the Australian Romance Readers Romantic Rendezvous. It is quite appropriate. I’m trying not to laugh.
Donna Maree Hanson, Author, Phd in Creative Writing 