A World of Backstory

As a budding fantasy writer I remember rushing off to George R. R. Martin's blog to glean some advice from a master. As luck would have it the very first questions on the FAQ page was: 'I want to be a writer. Can you give me any advice?' I devoured his response: Read widely young …

Feeling Let Down: WIPpet Wednesday

It's been a rough week. We lost a beloved friend to cancer, and it hurt. And in a cruel double-whammy we also saw the legal system fail spectacularly. As a lawyer I've seen it before, but rarely in such a cruel fashion. Going through a week like this makes you realise you need to cherish …

Suffering in Silence – WIPpet Wednesday

Today I felt like licking my wounds and curling up in the fetal position; an hour or so in the dentist's chair will do that to a girl. But when you're a Mum, even if you're feeling fragile, you just have to suck it up and get on with it. At least I was feeling …

A Happy Chaos – Wednesday WIPpet

It was easy to choose a WIPpet this week. Summer holidays are always a chaotic tumble of people coming and going at our house. (Thus the reason writing only occurs very late at night...). Relatives, friends, the kids friends, neighbours... It seems water pistols are stashed all over the yard, and when I asked my …

Reflections – WIPpet Wednesday

Happy WIPpet Wednesday! My favourite blog day of the week, where the fearless WIPpeteers crack open their works in progress and dare to bare them to the world in all their first draft glory! (It's not for the faint-of-heart, I can assure you). True to my word, this week's WIPpet is from my new WIP, …

Caught in the Act: WIPpet Wednesday

It's WIPpet Wednesday again and New Zealand is still being blasted by icy winds. A good time to hunker down in front of the heater, crack open the WIP and share something that relates to today's date and doesn't contain spoilers. Not as easy as it sounds, but at least we get to use WIPpet …

The Beat of the Heartstone: WIPpet Wednesday

It's my favourite time of the week again - the Wednesday WIPpet! Time to crack open the WIP and see if there is anything vaguely related to the date that is worth sharing with the world. Like everyone else, it's getting hard to find a passage sans spoilers to share. So in deference to the …

Kindness: Thursday’s Children

A weekly blog hopwhere writers get together to talk about what inspires them. Someone once asked me what I hoped for my children; what parental dreams and aspirations I had for them? Did I want them to be clever, funny, sporty or creative? They're great kids, and as any parent will tell you I want …

Is Your Plot Bunny Leading You on a Wild Goose Chase?

A weekly blog hop where writers get togetherto talk about what inspires them.This week I'm inspired by plot bunnies. Those marvellous story ideas that turn up at the most inopportune moments, dazzle you with their clever brilliance, and then bound off at speed, so you have no choice but to follow and see where they …

A Time for Answers: WIPpet Wednesday

It's WIPpet Wednesday again, where I crack open my Work in Progress to give you a peak at my writerly heart. Today's WIPet, in honour of the 27th is taken from page 27 of The Legend of the Kings. Legend was the book that started this great big epic fantasy of mine and I've been …