(We are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites)
It’s lovely. The weather is warm, of course, but less humid than on my visit last year. Or so my body thinks.
I have been to the pool every morning so far. Yay me. It is so convenient as the pool is downstairs. At home I have to drive for 20 minutes so it’s an event, rather than every day.
We caught some of the birthday fireworks. It’s not Singapore’s birthday yet but these are the lead up. We are right next to the stadium so the fireworks sounded like bombs going off. Very scary. We caught the last one.
Last hoorah of Singapore’s fireworks on the weekend.
I have started working on the revision to Gentleman Magician. I need to get a move on with that. However, it shouldn’t be too long if I knuckle down.
I’ve also been editing audio files for The Founders’ Legacy. And well that takes a lot of time and some of the errors (pickups) I can’t do here. I tried but the sound quality is different and I hate the sound of my voice so much anyway and the way I stumble over words that I feel that I might start over again, again, again. At least I got the whole book down this time, instead of redoing chapter one over and over again. Practice makes perfect.
But again, I winkled some more typos out so I have updated the files, yet again. I’m going to stop typo hunting now so I can move on. I found the issue was really in Vellum, the program I use to format the books. Somehow I had an option on to automatically correct spelling errors. I didn’t even know that option existed. My novel has a whole lot of made up pronouns, strange names and Vellum changed them and created chaos. All that careful proofreading torn up. However, I believe it is sorted now. But if someone mentions typos I may go up in flames.
For Russell Kirkpatrick’s memorial, which I’ll miss in person, is on Friday. Kylie kindly asked me to talk about Russell’s writing and links to the writing community. I have sent that video off but damn that was hard. In the end I just had to run with it, be as natural as I could, even though I hated listening and looking at me and I didn’t want to become emotional.
In other news, The Founders’ Legacy is for free on Kobo for a little bit. Hopefully this universal link will work. Barnes and Noble is inaccessible from Singapore for some reason. Link for The Founders’ Legacy. Here.
I have been putting this post off for a while. At first the grief was too raw. Then it was too hard to bear so shutting it away where I couldn’t see it or feel it seemed a better option.
It’s been nearly a month since he passed. I can’t believe it has been that long or that time passed so quickly.
I first met Russell on line. Back in the day, Harper Collins Voyager had a online bulletin board, cutely named the ‘Purple Zone’ and there readers could interact with authors, well those that chose to hang out. It was moderated by F8, who is still knocking around somewhere. The purple zone was one of the places where I let people now about Conflux in 2004, the Australian National Science Fiction Convention that was held in Canberra that I was chair of. A number of the people on there became friends in real life. Obviously Russell was one of those.
Russell had just had Across the Face of the World published in 2004 and I was heading to NZ for a family trip. I reached out to Russell and we met up in Hamilton. He’d not long moved there from Christchurch and was planning on building a house and was working at the University of Waikato. I mean in those days, you could meet people from the Internet, just saying! Russell, me and my two daughters and younger son met up. We went to Hobbiton. In those days it was a ruin, but there were still some things to see, remains of hobbit holes, the party tree and stories. Russell took us to his favourite fish and chip place in nearby Matamata. And I encouraged him to come to Conflux, offered accommodation etc.
The purple zone was where I met and befriended Glenda Larke as well. I visited her in Malaysia back then.
So Russell came to Conflux and then also started attending writing retreats. First one was Yackandandah, the next Metung and more. In those days, Trudi C and Paul came along, and besties Kylie and Nicole. We also used to chat online in real time in the Harper Collins Voyager hosted chat room, then later when they closed that, on Yahoo chat.
Unbeknownst to me at the time, Kylie and Russell began to correspond and fall in love. At this time, I had started going out with Matthew. Kylie moved to New Zealand to be with Russell. They hosted a writing retreat at this lovely home in Keri Keri and then later moved back to Australia.
I think that’s when we settled into a groove. We had weekend writing retreats, dinners, hung out, talked. Russell was always a good listener and supporter. I remember when I started my Phd, he had doubts but he supported me and listened to me as I raved on about philosophers and writing academically and the challenges of doing a PhD. You really did need to be a self starter. Russell was also a cartographer and did some maps for me for Dragon Wine and Argenterra. He also did a few workshops on maps–showing us weird historical maps, how cultural and religious imperatives governed maps and more. He also was a music buff and did a presentation at one of the Conflux’s on science and music and how music had been optimistic about the future and science and then how it turned negative. Absolutely fascinating. Russell was also mad about Lego and his collection was amazing. I don’t know how he did all the things. For the first while when he moved to Australia, he wasn’t working much but then he got an opportunity to tutor at the University of Canberra and then ended up over the years running courses as that’s what he had trained to do. He excelled at teaching and loved it. He did like to lecture but I loved finding out stuff from him. Anyway, we were buddies and his friendship network grew in Canberra. Nicole M, Shauna, Kim, Cat, Rob, Angie and Ian and lots more. He was loved and respected.
Did I mentioned he liked to lecture! But always in a nice way I thought. He was the font of all knowledge as far as I was concerned. He was also handy and would come to help with things around the house. We even went half in a whipper snipper back in the day when we first bought our places.
The hardest thing was Covid 19. That changed things a lot. Russell had medical anxiety even before then so it was harder to connect with Russell during and after Covid. However, we did, even it if was one lone birthday dinner and cake. In the time he was in Canberra, his son came to live and met his partner and had a kid and Russell became related to Cat and Rob. Lol. I love this. They also grew close too.
I think on Russell and Kylie and their life together and I feel that Russell’s life was enriched and so was Kylie’s. They had good times together. Kylie had the knack of getting people to talk and she definitely had Russell talking about his feelings. They made a beautiful house together, full of warmth and joy. It is Kylie who my thoughts are with the most. All of his closest friends are suffering and mourning him. But Kylie was his partner, the person who knew him best. And Russell would want us all to support her and look after her. Love you, Kylie!
So what happened you might ask. Russell was fit, teaching, cycling, and enjoying life until he had symptoms of pneumonia. He said to me the antibiotics are working and that he was on his second round. The doctor then thought to test for lung cancer. Meanwhile, Russell started feeling unwell, just odd things and Kylie would take him to the ER. Eventually he got admitted after a few visits as things weren’t right. I talked to Russell in the hospital and he was so anxious about his health he could not eat. He had cancer but didn’t know what type. They did a scan and it was in his lungs, liver, spleen, hip etc. I talked to him another day and they had taken him for a brain scan and it was in his brain and that was his worst fear. His intellect was under threat, his life was in the balance. When they sequenced the biopsy, it was melanoma. He was slated for immunotherapy and there was hope.
Meanwhile, I had trouble sleeping. I kept worrying that Russell’s illness was too far gone, that he didn’t have time for treatment. Sadly, this is what happened. I saw him after the first treatment and Russell was laid out by it. He said, the trouble is Donna, the untreated me is not very well. He went back into hospital and then every day more bad news. By 26 June, he was gone. A few short weeks and he was gone. So many tears over his passing.
His mob, his friends, we just needed to be together with other people who understood our loss. We ate New Zealand lollies and toasted Russell with Coke Zero, his drink of choice.
Now as I’m in Singapore, I will miss his memorial. There wasn’t a funeral as was his wish. I loved Russell as a friend and I will miss him. I thought he would be giving the eulogy at my funeral. He was a year younger than me. But life is not fair. Cancer is not fair.
Is there anger? Yes, there is rage against the unfairness of this. Why some people get time to live with cancer, maybe even get into remission. Alas, our friend Russell was not one of these.
I try to imagine that Russell is here somewhere. Not gone. Just elsewhere. It is my coping mechanism. All I could do on the day he died was dedicate The Founders’ Legacy to him as I was launching it on the day he died.
He was a stalwart friend of the keenest mind. I am better for knowing you Russell.
An older photo from when I launched one of his books at a NZ SF convention in Auckland. It was my early days with Matthew and the start of his life with Kylie. So an old photo!
I arrived on Thursday evening and I’m adjusting to the slight time difference. I’m not quite there yet. I am here mostly to chill and be with my son and my daughter-in-law. There are a couple of things I’d like to do. Maybe visit the science museum on recommendation from a writing buddy. Also, a Portal exhibition of SF and fantasy miniatures came up on instagram so we will go to that. And catching up with a couple of friends.
I usually set some goals when I come for a long visit. Five weeks is a long visit. Enough to get a break and settle my mind. First goal is to get to the pool to walk everyday, usually early morning. Two days in and I’ve done that. This is to help keep me fit. Something I have been neglecting. To eat good food but to be food smart because I have gained 5 kilos since I was here last year and that’s not good. I am meant to be losing kilos not gaining them!
Writing wise, I have a few things on. My original plan was to start drafting Amethyst Way, the next Cry Havoc novel. However, I need to revise Gentleman Magician first and I have booked it in for an edit so best get going.
The other thing was edit the audio book of The Founders’ Legacy. I’ve recorded it but not edited and mastered it. I did a bit of that yesterday but I may switch to Gentleman Magician as that’s more pressing (and less frustrating).
The audio book recording is such a challenge. Sometimes your mouth does not obey your commands and you mumble or say the wrong word. Eep. Then there are words you can write but not easily say. For example, self-congratulatory which I can say but not when I’m recording myself etc. There are other tongue twisters like ignominy, preliminary and many others. And dealing with non-gendered invented pronouns! Oh well, hopefully I will learn from this.
Anyway, the only picture I have taken is of the pool and noodles from last night oh and the delightful meal my daughter-in-law cooked when I arrived. Did I mention that noodles are my friend? My daughter-in-law and I bond over noodles.
Next post is a tribute to Russell Kirkpatrick, who passed away fairly suddenly.
I haven’t done a book launch in a long time, so it is right that I launch The Founders’ Legacy into the world with a bang. Smith’s Alternative is a great venue and I am so pleased that they have room for me.
I am almost done recording an audio version. I just have to edit and master the files. This is every exciting!
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.
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.
Today I am interviewing Jemima Hardcastle Huntington to gather her views on the revelations contained in The Prudential Light- A memoir of a lady–Mrs Prudence Wainwright.
Me: Thank you for agreeing to this interview, Mrs Huntington.
Jemima: And Monster Slayer. You must not forgot that but do call me Jemima otherwise we will be here all day. I have things of a personal nature to attend to.
Me: And Monster Slayer. (Me dying to ask what monsters she has slain recently). Jemima what was your first reaction to reading The Prudential Light?
Jemima: (waves a hand). I had many reactions. I snuck a few reads of the draft while the memoir was in progress you know. My first reaction was, Aunt Prudence is not as old as I thought. My second was she has been through a lot and I realised that my life was not as nearly difficult as hers had been. I was only an orphan and sent to school aged fourteen. No hardship in that in hindsight.
Me: And other reactions? You being blood related?
Jemima: That was a surprise but I liked it better that way. I have grown fond of Aunt Prudence and she is nowhere as annoying as she used to be. She helped me during my confinement you know. Totally surprising at the time but when you read the memoir you understand better. Now that I have a child, I do not think I could have been as strong as she was when she faced such a traumatic separation.
Me: You have returned now to Willow Park. Do you think that you will spend time such a long time with Mr and Mrs Fulton again in future?
Jemima: I adore Fulton and Milly and we get along so well. I wish that we could all live together all the time. I imagine we will stay together either here or at Hatfield when the rebuilding is complete. As it is I write to Milly most days.
Me: I’ve been dying to ask about the Hardcastle talent that appears to run in your family. Was it a surprise that Aunt Prudence has this so called Prudential Light?
Jemima: I knew there was something about Aunt Prudence that needed explaining, which is why we all urged her to write her memoirs. What was contained therein was certainly astonishing. I am glad that she has the Prudential Light and that she was able to use it in defense of me. As for it running in the family, that is a surprise. I thought my power came from the Emerald Fire and also from the magic leaking into me from my Ruby Heart. It appears I always had some of my own. Edward’s magic is like a life force and as he made my ruby heart and he powered it with magic that has slowly come to me. Fulton has the same thing, except for him, the magic Edward placed into his arm and leg keep him alive and also make him strong.
Me: Now that you know Milly is blood related too, do you suspect her of having the Hardcastle traits?
Jemima: Oh you mean like magic? Milly is a wonderful person and she does not need magical talents. She has Fulton for monster slaying but I dare say Milly will surprise us all with some magical talent all her own. Only the other day I had a letter from her that has me quite puzzled. I believe she encountered a fae in the Hatfield estate forest.
Me: That does sound intriguing indeed. We must finish up our interview now. If you had something to say about The Prudential Light what would that be?
Jemima: Are you asking me to sum up the memoir in one word? How odious! Do you want me to say it is scandalous? Well it is indeed. I am glad for the present that is only circulated within the family. There would be an uproar and sell like hotcakes if it was for public release. It discusses all kinds of private things…come to think of it. How do you know about it? You are not family?
I find them helpful, even though I don’t use them all the time.
The big 100 days to do list fall in a heap for me. I have so many things I want to do that there are too many things to keep track of.
On work days, I use my calendar to manage the things I should be doing. That’s because in my day job I only work two days so I need a way to keep track because I forget inbetween the weeks.
On other days, well it depends on what I have on, what I want to achieve. Between Christmas and New Year I generally switch off so to do lists go out the window unless I’m hosting a deck party. Parties need to do lists. How else can you delegate?
Generally though if I am not doing the day job, I need a to do list to set myself goals or achieve something. Otherwise the day can just fritter away with a little bit of this, some couch/streaming etc. If I’m struggling there might be one or two things on my to do list.
Today (example only)
write a blog post
write Gentleman Magician for an hour
cook dinner.
Now I have done other things. I picked up my glasses, I’ve had lunch with Rob, I went to the supermarket. I’ve also fixed a Chinese character in The Prudential Light, uploaded new print files and new ebook files. They are additional things.
Whether I will write today remains to be seen. I’m giving my brain a rest.
However, that being said, to do lists work for me when I’m enthusiastic, need to get things done. If I’m not enthusiastic, then I’ll put one thing on that to do list that is important for me, just to get me going.
Motivation can sometimes be thin on the ground. There is a push pull-thing going on with what I want to do and making the effort to do them.
I’ve bought a wall planner and a desk planner. I’m going to fix up my workspace tomorrow when the new hutch arrives for my desk. I want to achieve a lot in 2026. However, sometimes it’s hard.
A wall planner is one massive to do list really.
The downside for to do list though can be where you do things not on your to do list. Or as you are marking things off, you add things you forgot! The list doesn’t get smaller.
Anyway, here are my writing to dos for 2026. Wish me luck.
Just waiting on a few little bits to complete the package.
Launch date is December 16, 2025.
My second novel of the year. A good year for the Cry Havoc Series indeed.
I have been looking at the blurb and I think I need to expand on it. However, I just need some brain space. But first I have to find my brain.
Blurb
Aunt Prudence Wainwright, famously daunting dragon lady of the Hardcastle family, has set herself to writing her memoirs. There will be plenty in these pages to astonish her relations: adventures, abandonment, heartbreak, secret loves and dangers and the family’s magical gifts running through her veins. But with new children, marriage proposals, battles with rogue magicians, and the very past she is recalling bursting back into her life in startling ways, how will she ever find the time to finish them!
A few words on writing the book now that it’s packed up, nearly ready to launch.
If you read the book you will see in the author notes that I found this book challenging. You might think this is funny given I have written over 20 books now of various lengths and have been writing since 2000. But every book/story has its own challenges–it’s own problems to solve. If you are panster you do that issue wrangling on the run. If you’re a plotter/planner you do it at the planning stage.
I’m definitely in the panster category and until I’ve written the first draft I don’t know if the story is going to work. A short recap on my story writing for this book. I went off to Singapore to stay for 4-5 weeks with a side trip to China. I walked in the pool everyday, went back upstairs to write. I thought The Prudential Light was going to be a novella of say 30,000 words and 30,000 words was my goal for the month. I drafted over 50,000 words while in Singapore. You see, while in the pool, Aunt Prudence, Mr Chen and even Jemima came to have a word in my ear and the story grew from there. However, there were problems.
The structure of the novel became a bit complex. 1864ish timeline and a 1836-1841 timeline, with some other little bits between, usually Prudence mulling stuff over and some bits of research to add validity. (Note The Prudential Light can also be called historical fantasy).
Meanwhile, I developed a hole in my macular, had to have eye surgery and recover from that. Thanks to excellent beta readers and the amazing editor, Brianne Collins, the story got ironed out from the chaos that was.
During the process though I seriously doubted my ability to write; I felt cognitively challenged and thought my writing career was over.
A bit overwrought wouldn’t you say?
Matthew (partner) thought it was due to me writing a more complicated story, rather than me sinking into my dotage!
The good news is I feel fine now. I have started a new project, The Gentleman Magician and the head wheels and turning nicely. The Gentleman Magician is meant to be a novella but I won’t know that until I’ve done the draft. While I am nearly 10,000 words in, I know I have to give it a punch in the jaw to get the story going. Luckily I have some ideas in mind. I’ll also be covering some of the magic system that Edward Huntington uses: his strengths and weaknesses, methods etc. I may have a bit of thinking to do over the Christmas break.
As for other stories in the Cry Havoc series. I have The Lady and the Magician in my back brain. That’s the story of Wilbur Hardcastle and Elinor, Jemima’s parents and will be a novella (I promise!) And after some prodding from my sister-in-law a Cyr Havoc Book Five featuring Milly and Jemima, not title yet. I have to do a bit of research into English faerie first.
Given tight timeframes, the ebook will be up on the 16th but the print version may be a bit after that. I have to get the cover flats done, upload and so on.
I find to do lists helpful and I do use them sometimes.
Although when you have a lot on, lists can be overwhelming. Just looking at all the things you need to do! Crazy.
I’ve just downloaded an app to help with that called To Do but often I just use my notes function on the phone or a bit of paper.
I’ve tried bullet journals but I then write everything I want to do and it all gets impossible, particularly when you aim to do a bit of each thing per day.
With things like Christmas and birthdays, list can get really out of hand.
Also, when I publish a book there’s a heap of back office stuff to do and a particular order to do them in. For example, grab and ISBN and register it, then set up the book in Vellum, etc. I had a check sheet for publishing and I have no idea where it is. Time to do a new one.
Yesterday, I checked my books page and realised that all my Dani Kristoff books only have Amazon links. When I went back wide I haven’t put the other links up. Also, I found that Destiny’s Blood is not on Kobo at all. Obviously, I have some serious back office admin to do. I realised I could have just unpublished the page, kept all the links and made a new page just for Amazon. As I’ve deleted them all I have to do them from scratch. Ouch!
Balancing that with creating fiction can be hard for me. It’s a different head space. I’ve been drafting Gentleman Magician but then I remembered that I had been revising another book before my edits arrived back. So actually, I should be drafting and then revising the other book because I want to sub it. Also, the proofing changes will come through soon.
It’s a whole out of mind thing. To do list help keep things front of mind. Even here on holiday in Perth, I need to get my list together because there’s stuff I need to do on line for presents.
Also if you want achieve things, tick off things that need doing, having things crossed off the to do list is great for the morale. The queer thing that happens is that sometimes I’m doing things not on the list so have to add them and then cross them off. They are only not on the list because I’ve forgotten they are there.
Anyway, here is my poor forgotten book that I need to take care of.
Donna Maree Hanson, Author, Phd in Creative Writing 