Happy New Year
It's been a great year, starting my PhD in creative writing at the same time as my daughter started her undergrad degree in Biomedical Genetics. Hugz to my other two children for their high school achievements -- the promotion to academic extension science, the work getting through year 11 exams. And hugz to all three for wanting to accompany me on the BIG HIKE, which is less that a week away. For me that's a huge privilege and what better way to start the new year?
And hugz and kisses to my ever-patient husband who doesn't have a blog or a website or a facebook and puts up with my evenings and early mornings shut away writing, and the days when the house looks like teenagers have partied in it for months, with cat hair on his guitar chair and rabbit poop on the carpet and the dog with ADD.
Then there was the trip to Seattle, and the 6 weeks at Clarion West which taught me more about writing than I ever taught myself over the past ten years when I squeezed it in between getting an English degree and Honours and everything else that life demands, not forgetting the dreaded migraines.
I've met a wonderful bunch of new friends, both online and in real life. And I'm forever grateful to my writing group buddies for all the wonderful critting they've done for me this year: Satima Flavell Neist, Helen Venn, soniahelbig, callistra, Annette Backshall, Jo, Joel Fagin, James Hanson, Yvonne and Karen. It's been a pleasure critting their stories and novels in return.
Plus all my Clarion West buddies, Caren Gussoff, Pamela Rentz, Maggie Croft, Chris Reynaga, Eden Robins, Kira Walsh, Douglas Lucas, Rajan Khanna, Jim Stewart, An Owomoyela, Carlton Mellick, Shane Hoversten, Tracy Harford, Kristin Jantz, Theresa DeLucci, Pritpaul Bains, Owen Salisbury. These writers are the most wonderful people I could have ever shared a Clarion house with and hugz to them all. If only Seattle wasn't so far away. I can't wait to see their stories and novels in print.
And although I haven't submitted any stories to publishers this year (or the year before), that doesn't mean I haven't been writing them. Soon I'm going to be sending out again. That's one of my new year's resolutions: Look after my stories. Get them out there. SUBMIT.
And as for the other new year's resolutions, I've conveniently forgotten them already.
And it's nice to see the online return of Ticonderoga Publications with Ticon4 with new fiction by Sue Isle, Patty Jansen and Matthew Tighe, new reviews and non-fiction.
Lastly but not leastly, snurched from jaylake: a Steampunk diving suit. Steampunkers really do have a sense of humour. Let's hope there's more steampunking in 2009!
And hugz and kisses to my ever-patient husband who doesn't have a blog or a website or a facebook and puts up with my evenings and early mornings shut away writing, and the days when the house looks like teenagers have partied in it for months, with cat hair on his guitar chair and rabbit poop on the carpet and the dog with ADD.
Then there was the trip to Seattle, and the 6 weeks at Clarion West which taught me more about writing than I ever taught myself over the past ten years when I squeezed it in between getting an English degree and Honours and everything else that life demands, not forgetting the dreaded migraines.
I've met a wonderful bunch of new friends, both online and in real life. And I'm forever grateful to my writing group buddies for all the wonderful critting they've done for me this year: Satima Flavell Neist, Helen Venn, soniahelbig, callistra, Annette Backshall, Jo, Joel Fagin, James Hanson, Yvonne and Karen. It's been a pleasure critting their stories and novels in return.
Plus all my Clarion West buddies, Caren Gussoff, Pamela Rentz, Maggie Croft, Chris Reynaga, Eden Robins, Kira Walsh, Douglas Lucas, Rajan Khanna, Jim Stewart, An Owomoyela, Carlton Mellick, Shane Hoversten, Tracy Harford, Kristin Jantz, Theresa DeLucci, Pritpaul Bains, Owen Salisbury. These writers are the most wonderful people I could have ever shared a Clarion house with and hugz to them all. If only Seattle wasn't so far away. I can't wait to see their stories and novels in print.
And although I haven't submitted any stories to publishers this year (or the year before), that doesn't mean I haven't been writing them. Soon I'm going to be sending out again. That's one of my new year's resolutions: Look after my stories. Get them out there. SUBMIT.
And as for the other new year's resolutions, I've conveniently forgotten them already.
And it's nice to see the online return of Ticonderoga Publications with Ticon4 with new fiction by Sue Isle, Patty Jansen and Matthew Tighe, new reviews and non-fiction.
Lastly but not leastly, snurched from jaylake: a Steampunk diving suit. Steampunkers really do have a sense of humour. Let's hope there's more steampunking in 2009!