An Update: State of the Author.
Six months into the year and I'm wondering where did the time go? It seems as if I blinked and we went from January, with its sweltering Australian summer to winter, with its rain, wind and cold. I wish I could say these last six months have been productive and the time has gone into writing, but I can't.
For the most part, this year hasn't been a good one. I'll spare you the gory details, but the year so far has revolved around health issues, both mine and my mother's (who I'm a carer for), and other relatives. At the current moment, I'm on (hopefully) the last leg of a nasty sinus infection that has laid me up for nearly three weeks; prior to that, mum was in the hospital; my grand-niece was ill, my niece had the worst ear infection I've ever heard of, my cat was sick, and the list goes on. Subsequently, there's been little in the way of work done. And I'm annoyed at my own human frailty--being tired, being sick, being tired and sick, being depressed--for not getting more done on works in progress that I can't stop thinking about. The mind is willing, sort of, but the body is weak.
It could be said that rather than write this blog post, I could be working on a wip, but the truth is that it takes a lot less concentration to write a blog post than to work on a wip. And I've been Lady Silence for some time and felt that it was probably a good idea to sort of pop my head up and say here I am, I'm surviving.
There were good things that have happened this year, the first being the Cut Snake Collective photography exhibition I was part of, which was a terrific experience and I'd do it again in a heartbeat. The second was a short holiday I took mum on before she went into hospital, a trip up to the Flinders Ranges (where my latest release Book, Line, and Sinker is set) and that was wonderful.
1. The ochre pits, where the Adnyamantha people gathered ochre for paint. 2. Yellow-footed Rock Wallaby in its natural habitat, in Brachina Gorge. 3. The Chase Range.
A small selection of the photos I took. To see more, go here.
Anyway, I have been reading a lot, a varied collection of books, actually, so here's a list of some of the ones I particularly enjoyed.
Career of Evil - Robert Galbraith
Close Encounters of the Furred Kind - Tom Cox (non fiction)
The Martian Chronicles - Ray Bradbury
New Watch - Sergey Lukyaneko
Throne of the Crescent Moon - Saladin Ahmed
The Book Thief - Markus Zusak
The King - J. R. Ward
Code Name Verity - Elizabeth Wein
Feral Machines - Ginn Hale
The Archer's Heart - Astrid Amara
Midnight in Peking - Paul French (non fiction)
Some are re-reads, because a book is a joy forever. And that, dear friends, is that. Hopefully the last half of this year will be infinitely less absorbed by health issues and I can write! Hope you're all happy and healthy. <3
For the most part, this year hasn't been a good one. I'll spare you the gory details, but the year so far has revolved around health issues, both mine and my mother's (who I'm a carer for), and other relatives. At the current moment, I'm on (hopefully) the last leg of a nasty sinus infection that has laid me up for nearly three weeks; prior to that, mum was in the hospital; my grand-niece was ill, my niece had the worst ear infection I've ever heard of, my cat was sick, and the list goes on. Subsequently, there's been little in the way of work done. And I'm annoyed at my own human frailty--being tired, being sick, being tired and sick, being depressed--for not getting more done on works in progress that I can't stop thinking about. The mind is willing, sort of, but the body is weak.
It could be said that rather than write this blog post, I could be working on a wip, but the truth is that it takes a lot less concentration to write a blog post than to work on a wip. And I've been Lady Silence for some time and felt that it was probably a good idea to sort of pop my head up and say here I am, I'm surviving.
There were good things that have happened this year, the first being the Cut Snake Collective photography exhibition I was part of, which was a terrific experience and I'd do it again in a heartbeat. The second was a short holiday I took mum on before she went into hospital, a trip up to the Flinders Ranges (where my latest release Book, Line, and Sinker is set) and that was wonderful.
1. The ochre pits, where the Adnyamantha people gathered ochre for paint. 2. Yellow-footed Rock Wallaby in its natural habitat, in Brachina Gorge. 3. The Chase Range.
A small selection of the photos I took. To see more, go here.
Anyway, I have been reading a lot, a varied collection of books, actually, so here's a list of some of the ones I particularly enjoyed.
Career of Evil - Robert Galbraith
Close Encounters of the Furred Kind - Tom Cox (non fiction)
The Martian Chronicles - Ray Bradbury
New Watch - Sergey Lukyaneko
Throne of the Crescent Moon - Saladin Ahmed
The Book Thief - Markus Zusak
The King - J. R. Ward
Code Name Verity - Elizabeth Wein
Feral Machines - Ginn Hale
The Archer's Heart - Astrid Amara
Midnight in Peking - Paul French (non fiction)
Some are re-reads, because a book is a joy forever. And that, dear friends, is that. Hopefully the last half of this year will be infinitely less absorbed by health issues and I can write! Hope you're all happy and healthy. <3