Ramblings of an Australian Writer

I'm over at Nic Starr's blog today, talking about Christmas, evil nutcrackers, and other things! I'm giving away a copy of Song of Song and as well as that, there's a huge giveaway that Nic is running! So pop on down and join in the fun!

Come share the Holiday Spirit Down Under!

It's a hot day here in Adelaide. That's okay though, as my latest book and first release for 2016 is out today! Song of Song is out with Dreamspinner Press (it's the 18th here, so it counts, even though it won't be the 18th in the US until tomorrow here) and you can get it here in your choice of ebook or paperback.

And that's not all that's happening today. My niece is having her baby, her fourth child! She's gone into hospital with her husband and the whole family are waiting by our phones to hear if she has a boy or a girl. I'm about to be a great-aunt... again!

More about What's Up Wednesdays here.


WHAT I'M READING.

I'm half way through Ice by Sarah Durst right now. I'm enjoying it, and I like the melding of the modern world of an artic research station with the fairy tale fantasy element of a castle made of ice and the Polar Bear King. The characters are pretty likable and the story is engaging. If only I had more energy to read, I'd have finished it by now.

WHAT I'M WRITING (+ A WRITING GOAL).

The only thing on the go right now is another collaboration with my good friend and wonderful author, Cate Ashwood. We're working on a contemporary set in my hometown of Adelaide. It's about a Canadian nurse who comes to work in Adelaide to get away from his personal demons, and meets a local, who is the son of one his patients. Attraction ensues and romance happens!

My goals for this year are pretty basic because I am Lady L. J. of the Many Edits this year, with six books on the go in the editing queue. (And my editor, Erika, is really the bees knees of awesome, she's been so helpful and understanding with regard to surprise life issues that have cropped up, which is a huge relief.) So with the co-write with Cate and the editing, I've only got a few ideas percolating. I want to go through and change some things in Song of Song, which is finished, but I need to be sure for myself. Then I want to finish my contemporary m/m set in the Flinders Ranges, and I've got notes and ideas for a paranormal, which I'm looking forward to having energy to write.

WHAT WORKS FOR ME.

Right now, I'm afraid to say, not a lot. While 2014 was a bad year, I channeled that badness into writing, hence having the six books out in 2015. I think I wore myself out in the process, and there's some health issues happening that have sidetracked me, which happens to us all. But generally, when I'm in the zone, what helps me best stay there is either having on some very loud hard rock or something particularly atmospheric (current choice for this genre is the work of Ólafur Arnalds, an Icelandic ambient composer, who has done the music for the UK series Broadchurch among other things. Otherwise, the sound of rain is always awesome, but as it's summer and hotter than the armpit of Hell here, there isn't any rain to be had! That, no conversation or discussion, lots of water, and keeping hydrated helps too.

WHAT ELSE IS NEW.

Hm. I think I'll use ye olde bullet points for this!

Catching up on telly that I've missed--a rewatch of True Detective, then I binge-watched Broadchurch season one, now we're up to season two, and I'm watching Fortitude. Enjoying the lulz of Would I Lie to You? and Shaun Micallef's Mad as Hell.

Booked in for another tattoo, set for the 31st March. YAY!

Delighting in new, fresh tomatoes from the garden--best ones so far have been the Mortgage Lifter variety, which are beefsteak toms and SO GOOD.

Finishing up some weaving projects. I love doing them, but there's such a great satisfaction in finishing them!

L-R: Castiel reposing; my new Doc boots! Dark blue baroque patterning on white leather. I <3 them.; the Mortgage Lifter tomato all sliced and ready for eating; A finished leg warmer, all woven up; my new dwarf Eureka lemon tree.