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What’s your Klout?
Have you ever used Klout? I’d never heard of it until I attended a social media workshop, and was put through the humiliation of setting up an account and announcing my score to everyone. I got 10 and...
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Writers Unleashed is coming – and I’m presenting!
The Writers Unleashed Festival is an annual celebration of writing, publishing and all things bookish. Now in it’s sixth year, it’s on this Saturday at the Tradies Club Gymea (in Sydney’s South). The...
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Is social media treating us like children?
Congratulations, you’ve got a new follower! Five likes on your post so far … nice! X liked your post – maybe you’d like to see theirs, too! We’ve all seen this … Is it just me, or does that sound like...
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Book review: Chronicles from Chateau Moines by Evelyne Holingue
For someone whose native language isn’t English, Evelyne Holingue writes with an enviable fluency. Chronicles from Chateau Moines is her second novel, aimed at the younger end of the young adult...
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I’m dreaming of a white Christmas …
… Just like the ones I never knew … For me – and for most Australians – Christmas days are long, hot and lazy. The sweet smell of mangoes, the salty tang of beach air, the heavy haze of humidity. No...
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2014 in review
The WordPress.com stats helper monkeys prepared a 2014 annual report for this blog. Here's an excerpt: A New York City subway train holds 1,200 people. This blog was viewed about 7,400 times in 2014....
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Writing for magazines: how to write that perfect pitch
It might be hard to believe, but magazine editors are human. That means they don’t like being begged, cajoled or patronised. They also don’t enjoy being bored. Sadly, many well-written articles don’t...
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Do you need contacts to get published?
It’s a common complaint. It’s not what you know, but who you know. Or – when it comes to getting published – it’s not how well you write, but whether you have contacts in the industry. But is it true?...
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New book giveaway –‘That’s Freaky!’
Due to tight publishing deadlines, I haven’t been blogging much lately. You’ve probably noticed … at least, I hope you have! I’ve missed it – nothing beats WordPress for writerly interaction! But now...
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New workshop – Create your own WordPress blog
I know that for my fellow WordPress bloggers, I’m preaching to the converted. But as for the rest of you … you might be interested in coming along to my latest workshop. It’s on this Saturday (August...
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The Whitley Award – horray!!
The Whitley Award! It was a humbling experience and – to be honest – a slightly embarrassing one. On Friday night a great honour was bestowed upon me. In the grand foyer of the Australian Museum, I...
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Stories Set in Foreign Lands
Stella:A wonderful fellow blogger had the smart idea of doing a post about books set in foreign lands. Evelyne Holingue is a Frenchwoman who now lives and writes in the US. She is the author of...
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Perseverance pays off … here’s proof!
After getting my first junior novel published nearly two years ago, I felt certain that all would be plain sailing from then on. I had my foot in the door, as they say. It was a rude awakening when I...
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Aliens, Ghosts and Vanishings … Strange and Possibly True Australian Stories!
Did a UFO drag a family’s car off the road in the middle of the outback? Is there really such thing as the gleaming-eyed swamp monster known as the bunyip? How did rocks rain from the sky in WA? And...
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Chatting with Richard Morden, illustrator
One of the most exciting things about writing is getting to work with a talented illustrator. You get to see your ideas brought to life in ways that you didn’t know were possible! I was lucky enough to...
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5 times Australia was the spookiest place on earth!
Until I started researching Aliens, Ghosts and Vanishings, I was unaware of how many bizarre things have happened here in Australia. TV is full of the freaky stuff that happens overseas, but not so...
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OMG I saw a ghost!
I’m not being flippant or silly. I really have seen a ghost. In fact, the sighting sparked the interest that led to my writing Aliens Ghosts and Vanishings. I was intrigued rather than frightened, and...
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We’re having a pre-launch party …
At the London Book Fair! In case you’re not familiar, the Book Fair is a global marketplace for rights negotiations and the sale and distribution of content. My new publisher Sweet Cherry Publishing...
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Tim Baker and the Ancient Curse
Like many Greek Australians, I grew up on a steady diet of Greek mythology. Herakles and Theseus were as familiar to me as Cinderella and Snow White. That’s why I’m so excited to add my voice to the...
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Book Week School Visits – Escape to Everywhere!
The theme of the Children’s Book Council of Australia Book Week this year was ‘Escape to Everywhere’. It felt very appropriate for me personally, as I drove to areas unknown to visit a couple of...
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