In a Facebook fiction writers group, a white man started a discussion on “cultural appropriation” (his quotes). In short, he claimed that it’s not real and writers should write whatever they want. In the comments, the mostly-white folks agreed. Cultural appropriation in writing is a serious topic worthy of discussion. Unfortunately, that was not the … Read more
Some people love winter. I am not one of those people. I quietly celebrated the winter solstice last month. I was overjoyed that we were on the other side of winter and the days would now grow longer. The celebration was astronomically supported, but optimistic in light of the actual conditions. July has been bitterly … Read more
One of the first things I noticed about Melbourne when I moved here are the beautiful homes: cottages, terrace homes, California Bungalows, charming little houses and grand estates. In recent weeks, I’ve been learning more about Australian home styles. Australia has a rich and eclectic urban landscape influenced by English and American architectural styles that … Read more
From the 1920s to the 1980s, an estimated 500,000 children experienced institutional care. These children are referred to today as Forgotten Australians. They are the inspiration for the novel I’m writing. About 7,000 of these children were child migrants from Britain, Ireland, and Malta. About 50,000 of them were Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children. They … Read more
You know what an author platform is and you’ve decided that you want one. Your next round of questions is about the logistics. Should I use WordPress, Wix, Squarespace, or something else? How much does it cost? How do I do it? Is it hard? Should I pay someone to do it for me? Â The … Read more
What is an author platform? Do you need an author platform? How do you build an author platform? This is a hot topic among unpublished writers. It comes up often in the Facebook groups for writers that I belong to. It came up last night at a publishing session at the Emerging Writers’ Festival. What … Read more
We acknowledge the Wurundjeri people of the Kulin Nation. We recognise their continuing connection to land, waters and culture. We pay our respects to Elders past, present and emerging. We aim to provide an inclusive service.