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Currently in Nottingham

January 5, 2024 by donnamareehanson

There’s been a lot of rain hereabouts. Storm Gerrick while we were in Brighton and Storm Henk while we are in the north. The River Trent is in flood, but hopefully it has dropped from its peak last evening.

We are having a quiet, relaxing time with a few trips out. Matthew’s lovely cousins gave us the use of a room at the top of the house with an ensuite and we are cosy and warm. We sleep a lot but as I might have mentioned it is very dark here in the UK in Winter. Two hours less sunlight than Winter in Canberra. I did a bit of research. The flip side of that is that there is two hours more sunlight in summer in the UK than at home. I am very sunlight dependent I find. At home I’m awake with the dawn.

If we have something on I’m fine with being awake when it is dark, otherwise at 4pm I feel like it’s the middle of the night and I have this instinct to go hibernate. Weird. I can understand why some people get SAD in Winter.

So far we went to the Broadway cinema and watched a Filipino film called Raging Grace. It was a great film screened in a lounge with an eclectic mix of chairs. We had dinner in the cafe first. Then last night we had dinner with Marc at The Botanist restaurant a short walk from where we are staying. It was great to catch up after so many years. I saw Marc in 2019 but Matthew has not travelled since 2014 I think. It is hard when you really enjoy spending time with someone but you live so far apart. Anyway, we ate, we talked and were chucked out of the restaurant as it closed at ten. Hahahaha. We could have gone to the bar but it was late by then.

Yesterday we went for a walk. First to grab some brunch/lunch and then cousin Bob suggested we walk along the embankment next to the river which was in flood. We did do that walk but kept on going until we walked to Warhammmer World. We had a look around and a drink in Bugman’s Bar. I think we are heading there again today. We caught an Uber back though as it was more than 10,000 steps.

Otherwise today I’m not sure what we have planned. Maybe dinner in the pub across the road. As we were travelling in Winter we hadn’t really planned to do touristy stuff. We planned on hanging out getting to know our family and friends more and maybe write and walk etc. This is what we are doing so all good.

We hadn’t planned too much ahead but now I’ve booked some accommodation in South Shields, Newcastle on Tyne, within walking distance of the great, great, great grandfather’s house and other things so that’s kind of cool. Then we head to Edinburgh for a few days, a day in Lancaster to meet up with friends as we break our journey back to Hertfordshire.

Trent River in flood
A quick view of how fast the river is flowing.

Posted in A writer's life, Climate, Travel, UK, United Kingdom, Warhammer, weather | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a Comment »

Travelling in Winter

December 30, 2023 by donnamareehanson

The things you do for your art. Matthew and I wanted, among other things, to experience a Northern Winter in the UK. Add visiting family into the mix and here we are.

My first week was plagued by sickness. I do not recommend. Not Covid. Much worse than my bout of Covid in October. I had a painful fever for three days. I had to isolate and also stressed about getting well enough to eat Christmas dinner, the whole reason we had come to this particular place and our particular cousin host. No runny nose per se, terrible chest and stomach ache. I still have a cough. However, while I was lying about on Christmas morning contemplating going to the A&E about my gut, I thought I’d try one more thing. I had two mugs of hot chicken stock. That helped. Not a cure but I could be normal. I don’t think my appetite is quite back to normal but that’s probably a good thing.

Being sick also induced homesickness in both of us. Matthew because he was worried about me being sick (separate rooms) and we had hired an EV car and couldn’t get the blasted thing charged. Many of the apps required our app store to be set in the UK. We tried doing that but the app store would not accept our Australian credit cards. Stupid, stupid system. I was lying in bed feverish and fretting. I made up my mind we should just take it back and swap for a hybrid. However, at long last Matthew found a place and was able to charge. Once on the motorways it was even easier as there are plenty of charges that just take credit card. No need for apps.

It was very windy and drizzly in Saltdean (near Brighton). We did a walk in the fields where I had walked in the summer of 2019. Totally different with the fields empty and rolling mist coming in from the sea. Lucky I had a down overcoat from Macpac. My daughter urged me to get one and I went the day before we left and there was a sale and I got a great deal. The magic is the squash into the hood so takes up very little room in the luggage.

There was a break in the storm and we went out to the seafront this time. What surprised me was how many people were out and about. It was Boxing Day so I figure public holiday and people had been holed up with their pups and kids. Also, a drop in the wind had made so much difference. The next day the wind was back and we went for a walk along Telscombe Tye (the common on the rise). There we were nearly blown off the face of the earth and the sea was raging. Those lovely seawalks that people were on the day before were crushed by huge waves that slapped and grabbed at the white chalk cliffs. Inexplicably my phone camera would not take shots. My iphone 13 has been a bit dodgy recently. Matthew took some photos thankfully.

On the way back to our cousins we stopped for a coffee at a little cafe called Daisy’s and shared a sticky bun, sort of looked like a Belgian Bun, but not quite.

Our plans for New Year had to change due to a friend’s illness. We had a bit of a brainstorm about what to do. I think New Year can be a hard time to invite yourself to someone’s house on short notice so we ended up in York for New Years. We upscaled to DoubleTree by Hilton and it’s nice, just by the walls and an easy walk into the old part of town. We can either join the fun in town or stay in at the bar on the day.

Last night we went for a walk after we arrived. There were so many people out, going to restaurants and bars and just walking. I knew it was like this in summer as we stayed in the city in 2019 but was surprised that even in the cold and rain people came in numbers. We ended up at a York roast place after walking around for a bit. When the rain set in we went back to the hotel and sat in the warm while Matthew sipped a Bulgarian red.

Compared to Brighton there is half an hour less sunlight than Brighton. I guess they make up for it in summer with more time. However, for me personally the lack of sunlight is such a challenge. I don’t feel fully awake until the sun is up and even when it is up it’s a pallid thing leaking through streaks of cloud. In the afternoon it starts to get dark at 3.30pm and it’s totally dark by 4pm. I feel like it’s very late at night when it’s barely 5 o’clock. We are still taking naps and I have to set alarms to get us out to eat otherwise I fear we’ll just keep sleeping.

I’m on hotel wifi so I’m not sure if any photos will load. Yay!

This is Saltdean Beach as discussed.

Above is the cliff walk, which the next day had pounding waves.

Our cousin fed us the most amazing food. We had this venison roast on Boxing day.

Now this is what I call a bank of chargers. There was also a bank of Tesla charges.At times people had to wait for a spot.

Us driving up to Monk Bar where our hotel is.

This is the first time I’ve switched on my computer so far. This of course translates to no writing. I’ve been sick so I have an excuse. However, hence forth, not much of one. We are about to head off to find some breakfast. Talk again.

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Back from the long holiday

November 19, 2023 by donnamareehanson

We’ve been to Bali, Singapore and drove through Victoria and spent a number of weeks in Tasmania. We tested positive for Covid on arriving in Hobart. Luckily we were still able to do our Terror Australis Writers Retreat because they let us, and we had a sefl-contained unit and our meals could be delivered. I got out of isolation in time to have my fan girl moment with Ann Cleeves.

This is not a detailed travelogue. Something even more exciting to me!

You see for nearly a year now I have not wanted to be in my office. Instead of finding it hard to get me out of there and off my computer, I just didn’t want to go in there. I thought perhaps I had burn out from the PhD. I’ve dabbled and so on. I got a few things done but the joy wasn’t there…just little glimpses of hope when I achieved something.

On Thursday, I decided I was going to work on an academic article based on my research. This has been on my to do list for about 2 years…and it kept getting pushed down the list so far down it wasn’t even on my radar. Along with my PhD novel I might add. I started doing some preliminary work. Reading some articles, checking out the formatting requirements for the journal I want to submit to etc. Today, Sunday, I started on it. I haven’t put a lot into it yet. What I felt, though ,is what amazed me. I felt joy. Absolute joy. And well that surprised me.

This is why only now looking back to I see that it was most likely burn out, now that it has lifted. I think the holiday helped because you know 6 weeks of being away from home, a free routine mostly. We got Bali Belly, I had a cough sore throat (non-covid) before I left and then go Covid for reals and now I’m coming good. I feel really good physically and mentally. I’m so grateful for that.

I’ve got a short window to focus on the article and the novel to be honest as we head overseas to the UK in December for 2.5 months and there’s a lot to do before we go and not as much time as you’d think to write while away.

Posted in A writer's life, Burn out, Creative passion, feminism and romance, phd, Trying to focus | Tagged , , , , | Leave a Comment »

Travel Shenanigans

October 25, 2023 by donnamareehanson

My friend Glenda Larke calls the chaos that surrounds her family when she travels being Noramlyed. Well we were Noramlyed on our trip.

We started out with a low stress start, getting to Canberra way earlier than we needed to to catch our Virgin run codeshare flight to Melbourne to catch our Singapore Airlines flight to Singapore and then Bali. We were so organised. I had purchased an airside hotel in Singapore so we could nap before taking our connection to Bali.

Alas, that flight from Canberra to Melbourne was over two hours late. Some weather we were told shut Gold Coast Airport. We sat on the tarmac for a bit too, wondering what was going to happen because we were pretty certain we’d miss our connection. We asked and was told that others were in the same boat and that they would call.

It wasn’t until we landed in Melbourne that we got answers. We arrived 6.05pm and our flight was due to leave 6.25pm. No time for us to get there or our bags. Virgin proudly informed us they had rebooked us on a direct Virgin Flight to Bali. We quizzed them on would we get fed? Of course. What about our flight from Bali to Singapore? Is that okay? Yes, it’s fine.

We had to buy snacks on the flight and it costs us around $70. The snacks were the same as when you fly domestic. We were so pissed off. Well I was.

We go to Bali and relax, get Bali belly, go to an amazing wedding and hang with family.

Then it becomes time to fly to Singapore. Again we get there early. The zip on my luggage is breaking so I have to buy an emergency suitcase. We queue to check in but there’s a problem. Of course there’s a problem. The ticketing guy gets called over and says our tickets were cancelled and the flight is full and we would need to contact our agent. Nothing they can do. I don’t take this well, but they insist nothing they can do. We explain what happened with their code share and rebooking but alas we are left to figure it out.

I get in touch with the agent. He says, your tickets are fine, your flight is confirmed. He’s not hearing me that they won’t let us on. I pass the phone to the ticketing guy. They chat. He hands my phone back and says the agent is going to issue new tickets. Then they ask us to sit well away from them in some pubic seating. I ring my agent back. He gives me the same ticket numbers. He says they are open in the Singapore Airline system from his end. We just sit there and slowly deflate. Eventually the ticketing guy says he will lets us on the flight. We have to sign a form acknolwedging we might not get fed. A lady who is helping said our tickets are fine but our reservations were cancelled because we were a no show. Singapore Airlines said it was automatic when we didn’t show that all our flights were cancelled. Interesting because when I logged on our flights were there so how I could have avoided this is beyond me. They advise us to check with Singapore Airlines at the airport.

We land. We were fed yummy food. We were happy. We checked with the transfer desk who said our flight home looked fine but maybe we should check again before we left. We enjoy our time in Singapore still suffering some Bali Belly and me an occasional cough still.

I bitch about Virgin Airlines on Twitter and happen to mention Singapore Airlines too. Someone supposedly from Singapore Airlines contacts me and asks for information. I say don’t worry. Singapore Airlines are fine. They write back saying “we need to find out what happened” and they friend me. I tell them our story. They ask for a phone number. They contact me on What’s app, ask for my receipts etc saying they want to help. Then I get the phone call and it starts again. My logic circuits are not functioning well. I’m wondering what they want to refund me and isn’t Singapore Airlines nice. We get to the part where he wants me to change the dollars to Kenya dollars and put a code in the field. Don’t worry he says. It says you are paying us but that’s not the case. My partner is listening in and saying “WTF” and I say. Nah not doing this. I’m calling Singapore Airlines in the morning. The scammer dude is like arguing but I just hang up, block and report. On Twitter meanwhile they have messaged me to say. Cooperate with our assistant. I tell them what I think. Then I search Twitter and find the real Singapore Airlines with a warning about scammers pretending to be them. I was so angry at them and at me. I block and report them on X/Twitter.

The morning we are due to fly out, I get the urge to check us in to our Singapore Airlines flight. I put the information in and it says no flights. I think the scammers might have tried to get a refund but that wasn’t the case. Noramlyed yet again. I ring Singapore Airlines and begged them to help us. It took an hour and half. They rung me back a couple of times, which I really appreciated. They wanted to know how we got to Singapore. I explained that Singapore Airlines flew us there. She found that hard to believe and I had to explain the whole scenario again, complete with all the boarding passes we had etc. We could not get on our planned flight and had to stay an extra night in Singapore. We were able to get the same slot on the next day.

This stuff up, not of our making, made us lose the hotel in Singapore Airline of $360 and the extra night in Singapore at walk in rates at our hotel, another $391.74. And we had to pay for shitty snacks on Virgin for $70. No voucher or anything. Stinks right.

And then we got back and got Covid on our trip to Tasmania. The gods they say are smiling on us, or sniggering or rolling around on the floor laughing.

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Desperate for coffee…

October 23, 2023 by donnamareehanson

September was flat out busy. I worked full time and at a higher level, which left me flopped on the couch or swilling wine in the bar with Matthew when he came to collect me. I have worked at that level for years but in a different organisation and a different job. So much reporting and so many meetings! And I still had work to do relating to my normal job. However, it was of short duration and I got paid extra.

In my last week, I got sick. Not covid sick which would have been awful as we were flying to Bali for my son’s wedding. I had laryngitis and couldn’t talk for two days and lots of horrible congestion too. I was a bit sick of people telling me I was on mute. I was covid negative and could get to Bali and the wedding and all the things. I was still coughing and blowing my nose though. My son and my daughter in law caught Covid before the wedding but they were well enough to get to Bali and do the thing.

The wedding was amazing but I’ll save that for another post. Only to say that I sat at the bridal table with my ex husband and my partner and it was fine!

We loved the resort we stayed at in Bali but we didn’t love the Bali belly. We had the Bali belly when we went to Singapore. My son was sick when he came back so we had the lovely Dev take us out two days, and my daughter in law on another day and then finally my son met us after he’d been dosed with antibiotics etc. We also had lots of travel woes. That’s another post too.

Then we came home to set off on our journey to Tasmania where we were due to go on a writing retreat in Port Huon, Terror Australis, with such luminaries as Ann Cleeves, Gary Disher and Vanda Symon.

I had a doctor’s appointment with my doctor where we discussed the Bali belly and the cough (now nearly a month old). He sent me for a PCR and whooping cough test. It came back negative. We visited Sharyn and Chris all good. We visited Keri, all good. A slight bit of coughing.

We visited Trudi on Monday..a lot of coughing and I felt pretty bad that night. We caught the boat to Devonport in the north of Tasmania. I had a telehealth appointment with my doctor who prescribed anibiotics for the cough. We visited another friend and then we felt under the weather. I can’t say we felt very unwell as that has all kinds of connotations. We were tired, had a mild sore throat. We moved onto Hobart and then Matthew did a RATS test. He was positive. I was pissed off. I was still sick from the illness in September. I ordered some more RATS tests to be delivered and was positive as well. OMG! We had visited people. Trudi ended up positive at the same time we did. Eep! She’d been travelling too but it could have been us.

I had made the assumption that I wasn’t contagious as my PCR had been negative on Sunday but by Wednesday night I had full blown symptoms (in hindsight). Also we had been feeling the cold but we figured we’d just got back from the tropics and we were tired because we had been travelling and not always sleeping well. There you go. It was covid.

We were in a hotel in Hobart and we didn’t know what to do. I contacted someone who was organising the retreat. For a while there we were contemplating ten days in a hotel and kissing goodbye $7000 we had spent on the retreat. However, we were lucky enough to be able to head to our retreat accommodation after all. We would be in a self contained unit. Meals could be delivered. They could try to let us attend masterclasses virtually for a few days until we were better. We were so grateful and it really made a potential disaster better.

We’ve been here now since Saturday afternoon. The first masterclass with Ann Cleeves was yesterday. We were phoned in and it wasn’t a great connection etc, but we heard some of it and what we heard was. great. Inspiring even.

I’ve been writing in our room, looking at the view. I’ve been for walks, masked so all good. We are really looking forward to joining in later in the week too.

This afternoon we have a masterclass with Vanda Symon, NZ crime writer and she’s sent us slides and stuff in preparation. Again so grateful.

The food is great…we just don’t have coffee! Matthew masked up and got some for the next town so all good. I’m no longer desperate for coffee and a call out saw my tea bag coffer refilled.

Yesterday my physical energy was good, but I had the imposter syndrome in my ear. I was having a crisis of what I should do, whether it would be any good and so on. Despite this I did write around 2,500 words of two projects. I had planned an SF crime story but I baulked on that. Today, I’ve done a little but the energy is lower.

Tasmania is beautiful by the way.

This is the view from the hotel entrance.

The picture above is from across the road at the marina. Below is the view from our room where we write.

This is a shot from the walkway I strode upon this morning. Lots of birds and marshes and rushes etc.

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Romantasy

September 2, 2023 by donnamareehanson

At the RWA conference in Sydney (All that glitters) I heard that Romantasy is the hot sell these days. What is romantasy? Apparently, a secondary world fantasy where there is romance (and action I expect). Sarah J Maas was given as an example. Young adult/new adult readership perhaps.

Well I have a series that fits the romantasy bill, The Silverlands, Argenterra, Oathbound and Ungiven Land. It’s three rather long books, with three heroines and their loves. Sophie, Aria who pass through to Argenterra and Rae who is a native of the land.

Recently I found some reviews of Argenterra. This one is from KS Nikakis on Goodreads and I’m over the moon that she liked it. I respect her work immensely.

This story started in a way that led me to believe it was going to be a lot simpler than it was. A time slip adventure, I decided. However as it went on, the story became a lot more complex. Things that seemed one thing, slowly evolved into something else, with a lot of questions and doubts in between. The worlds became multi-layered and the characters’ motivations similarly so. The prose also gained momentum and power as the story progressed, and really hit its stride. By the time I reached the end of Book 1, I was reading a complex fantasy story up there with the best.

Part of the blurb

In a land where oaths can’t be broken, be careful what promises you make. To break the binding oath is to risk the very magic of Argenterra. Best friends, Sophy and Aria, are on a family trip in Scotland when they find themselves swept away to another world. The lush land of Argenterra is imbued heavily with a magic known as the GIVEN – but while Aria adapts quickly, able to use and recognize the magic as naturally as if she’d been born in this world, Sophy struggles to find her place. Far from discovering her own magical gifts, Sophy is unable to feel the GIVEN at all. Something about the magic has warped and changed her appearance and she’s lost her vibrancy, becoming a mere shadow of her former self. Previously the attractive, outgoing one, now she is ugly and unable to fit in, whereas Aria has grown in confidence. As Aria thrives, quickly falling in love with a dashing prince, Sophy fights to survive in an increasingly hostile and deadly realm.

Here is the link to the series’ page. I also have a free (or cheap) prequel novella about the discovery of Argenterra. Click on Argenterra cover image to take you to the books page.

I often get asked, which of my books is my favourite and that’s a hard question to answer. They are all my favourite. I might love the setting, the characters, the stories…I wrote them so of course I love them. Argenterra was the first fantasy novel story I ever wrote so it’s always going to have a special place for me. It’s quirky and when I reread it I get sucked in because I love Sophy and Oakheart so much. I love the land and the magic and I want to revisit the place again. I even have a title but I haven’t started it-Vorn reborn.

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Keeping on keeping on

September 2, 2023 by donnamareehanson

This is a follow up to my accountability post.

I am still writing, regularly and rediscovering my joy in writing. It feels great.

No huge new project just yet. I’ve been revising drafts of works I started a while ago. I’ve sent Tainted Lady, my Regency romance novel off to a beta reader. I think it needs more work but beta reader comments help with that.

I’m currently revising a middle school kids book, called Grandma Neebs through the pantry door. It’s fun but also new learning for me. I do read kid’s books to research but writing them is an art. I have a beta reader lined up for that one, I just need to put my shoulder to the wheel. It’s relatively short so I hope I can knock it over before we travel.

I’ve also been writing short stories-I received a rejection this week. This means looking for a new market. I entered a contest and I have another story submitted. I don’t write a lot of short stories generally only I have found they help get the buzz going. Finishing a short story is great. Sending it out is great. Rejections not so much but I tell myself at least I’m writing regularly.

Even if it is only 30 mins in the morning before I start work or 30 mins when I finish work, it’s something. Today I’ve been at it a few hours and have now detoured to the blog.

That’s the challenge with writing, striking a balance between family, social outings, work and writing. To write a lot, you have to sacrifice, unless you can find a balance. I’m searching for that balance.

We have also found making time with ourselves to write at the National Library really useful and productive. Unfortunately, I’ll be working full time and then travelling so I’ll have to rebalance again. I’m hoping it will be easier this time because I’ve found some joy.

Best

Posted in A writer's life, am wrinting, Creative passion, revision, Trying to focus | Tagged , , , | Leave a Comment »

Accountability post

August 18, 2023 by donnamareehanson

Just so you know I’m not just slacking off, particularly after the RWA conference in Sydney, where I swore to myself I would be more professionally focussed and writer centred.

  • I’m in my office with the heater on–tick
  • I’ve been reading, thinking and researching (all kind of run together)–tick
  • I have been writing (Yesterday at the National Library)–tick
  • I finished a draft of a crime short story and sent it to be read again–tick (thank you Matthew and Lily)
  • I wrote a bit more on my paranormal romance. Not much so half a tick.
  • I’m in my office to work on anything. I have a white board on the wardrobe doors with a raft of writing and administrative tasks and I told myself-one hour on anything — tick

Evidence of said white board in the pic below but be aware that it needs a complete rewrite…still a bit bad that the to do list needs rewriting! I had the doors installed for this purpose. Matthew has one too.

I’m trying to make myself comfortable in my office again and have it associated as a place where I work. Long story but I moved out to make room for a foster daughter (which didn’t end well) and it’s taken me a long while to get settled in here and I got rid of all the shelves and stuff so it’s still not mine yet. I did buy a new fantastical rug. Still more office furniture to go.

And lucky for me we have an amazing view and when I’m lost for inspiration I can look out over the ranges, I can sit on the deck if I have some manuscript reading to do and I can chill. The sky and the ranges are always changing so it’s enjoyable and affirming to look outside.

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RWA All that glitters conference Sydney 2023

August 16, 2023 by donnamareehanson

It’s been years since I’ve been to a Romance Writers of Australia Conference and this one did not disappoint. Every session, every key note address, touched me, taught me or trained me. It is very professionally focussed. Networking is great too. Romance writers are really very professional and encouraging to others and there were people I hadn’t seen for years-some I knew their face but not their names. It was great to catch up with friends, with industry professionals and so on. This year my friend Kaaren Sutcliffe was nominated for a Ruby for speculative fiction and that was a great impetus for her to make her first conference (along with over 100 newbies). It is good to have a mate there for your first time. Kaaren went to a newbie session, which is great to meet new people.

I don’t tend to go to the Friday workshops-they cost extra and well $$$. However, I do go to the cocktail party, with the theme All that glitters…even the bubbly had sparkles added.

I wore this new top, tunic thing and my shiny, sparkly boots for fun. Before the cocktail party I bumped into Alex Adsett and Abigail Nathan (Alex Adsett Literary) and friends! We did a little catch up, post PhD and long time no see thing.

Usually there are some fantastic dress ups at the RWA cocktail party. There were many beautiful and sparkling outfits. The clouds and the chandelier were the winners.

The networking continued, plus there was a bag all on its own and I want one! In the picture below, Pamela Freeman (Hart), Anita Heiss, Lisa Darcy and me.

Saturday the serious stuff happened. A key note from Steffanie Holmes (Green) on her path to success. The session was called something like, Don’t give up before the miracle happened. She said she didn’t start earning well until she published her 30th book. I’m up to 20 and I was thinking….It was such an inspirational speech, I had to go to her session on writing Reverse Harem and that was great too.

I went to a session on Undressing the Heroine (I think it was called that) and no you can’t rip that bodice. It was very informative and we got to fondle corsets and other underwear. It was also presented in an entertaining way. Another favourite for me was Turning to Crime by Alison Stuart…because I want to write crime and she shared all her methods and research with us. Fantastic.

Then there was the awards dinner. A lot of screaming and cheering as some people were watching the Matildas versus France. I got a few shots of the room. This one with Kaaren Sutcliffe. And lucky they removed the feathers before the food arrived.

Saturday we also had a lunch time talk by Amy Andrews about burn out. I felt like she was talking about me, because I find it hard to get on the computer and write these days. I figured it was post PHD burn out. Her talk resonated with me and I’ve been working on getting my love of writing back. That said I have been writing, I just don’t feel productive. I’ve drafted a kids book, currently reworking to first person, I’m revising a regency romance I drafted in 2016 and drafting a paranormal romance as well as researching new projects!

Sunday there was more sessions. One from Anne Gracie about engaging the reader, which was a very useful reminder and Anne Gracie’s work is engaging! A key note from Stephanie London, Enisa Haines etc, etc. I’d have to go find the program to be more specific but yeah it was fab.

Now I come to the end of my post. Sadly I think I ate something off at my hotel (not the RWA venue) because I got food poisoning symptoms on the train back to Canberra and then at home and then afterwards, sore muscles. So sore and it still hurts to laugh. Next year, the venue is at Glenelg and I hope to be there.

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Writing day

August 10, 2023 by donnamareehanson

Matthew and I try to get to the National Library of Australia to write, once or twice a week. I’m still trying to get my writing mojo back and it’s coming slowly. Today we got here a tad later than planned because I was on the hunt for sparkle boots. Why sparkle boots? Well tomorrow we head up to Sydney on the train as I’m going to the Romance Writers of Australia Conference with a theme of ‘all that glitters’. Hence, the boots.

I haven’t been to a conference for a while, standard reason, Covid. The RWA have always been for me the most professionally focussed of conventions, there to network, inspire and share knowledge. Also, lots of opportunities if you take them to pitch novels to editors and agents and so on. I decided to go because I want to feel I’m back in the writing scene again and yes I want inspiration and example to guide me back to where I was.

We have also booked to got to Terror Australis in Tasmania in October on what we think is a once in a life time occasion. We have booked a writers retreat, workshops and the festival itself, with some fabulous guests, such as Ann Cleeves and Gary Disher. I think I’ve mentioned this before. Link is here.

My first foray into crime fiction is writing a short story which I want to enter into The Scarlett Stiletto Award. Link here. Today I revised the draft I wrote last week. It needs more but it’s shaping up.

I love genre and I write horror, SF, fantasy, dark fantasy, paranormal romance and now I’m dabbling in romance and I really want to try crime too. I love watching crime shows and I read it as well, not as much as I write speculative type fiction though.

Anyway, speaking of…I should get back to the other revisions on the novel I’m working on.

Anyway, here is a pic from the NLA of the lake from last week.

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