Not being very experienced in these things, I asked my guardian angels for protection and if they could not just help change my vibrational energy to match my friend’s so I could stand guard, but also if they could summon my friend’s guardians aswell to make sure it was okay for me to help and if they could also help.

Even though I was fully aware that physically I was still safe and sound in my own house,  I was also aware that my spirit was watching over my friend in a completely different house. I was floating beneath their ceiling. Not only that, but my protectors and my friend’s protectors were also there. It was a long and tiring night and I finally felt it safe to leave at 6.00am.

When I spoke to my friend the following day, I was delighted to learn that they’d had a sound night’s sleep and woken refreshed – at 6.00am.

During the experience I really felt as though I’d crossed through solid boundaries to enter a completely new dimension. It’s taken me a few days to actually return to earth but it’s certainly opened my eyes to what really is out there.

If you ever need help, all you have to do is ask

Congratulations to all who entered. The entries were all outstanding and definitely had the goosebump factor!

Great stuff!

At a conference last year,  a speaker made the comment about there being many roads to Rome. At that point, my mind switched and I contemplated taking a different road to the one I had pursued until that point. A few months later, Phoenix was published. All very wonderful and exciting, particularly when readers ask me when Revival will be out, but it is another turn of events that I write about today.

My book was taken to the Frankfurt Book Fair last month and as a result, Phoenix is now with a New Zealand publisher and a German agent. Something I would never have dreamed possible before I had the actual book! Of course there is nothing definite but regardless of that, I’m just stoked that my book has international appeal.

Add to that the whirlwind chain of events that has seen me launch another side of my career – as an editor! Never in my wildest imagination would I have approached a company to be added to an editorial pool had I not gone down the self publishing road, yet here I am, now busy editing manuscripts for others and loving every minute of it.

If you too are on your publishing journey, don’t be afraid to take a little detour – you never know where it could take you

This is just to let you know that the Spooky but True competition being run by www.warrambuccabooks.com.au  will now be closing on 5th December 2011. So you have an extra couple of weeks to work on those creepy, spine-tingling stories!

Happy writing and good luck!

There’s the old adage, ‘write about what you know’ but equally true is write about what you feel. Apart from books, some of the most moving songs have also been written from the writer’s emotional experiences.

As a novelist, I tend to have many, many words to say, but yesterday, for something completely different, a song leapt from my heart!

I was amazed at how few words were needed to actually convey the story and emotion. All I need now is some music…

So, today, to clear my head I went for a run with some upbeat music that always  helps me go beyond my limits and finished the run so easily that I knew I was going to have a productive day.

Procrastination tossed into the rubbish bin, I dug out my assignment and focused. Three hours later, the job was done and to my absolute amazement, I actually enjoyed it.

With that blockage cleared from my mind and my to-do pile, I sat at the computer and opened up a blank document, something I’ve not done in a very long time. For the past year I’ve been so stuck on rewriting and editing and stressing about my study that I daren’t let my thoughts stray to something that could lead me even further away from course completion.

The blank document lasted about a zillionth of a micro second as now that I’m open to receiving again, the words just flowed. In just minutes, I had 1,800 words and the beginnings of something totally different to anything I’ve written before.

Life’s good!

Happy to be on the success panel

What an amazing weekend I’ve had at the CYA Conference in Brisbane! It’s always so exhilarating being with like-minded people but the extra buzz this year was being invited to speak on the Success Panel with other authors and illustrators who are now published as a result of the CYA Conference and competition.

We each spoke about how CYA has helped us on our publishing journey, and I included how it has also helped me on a personal journey. Who would have thought that in just two years I’d go from being the shy little critter creeping into the conference hoping no one would notice I was late, to someone who would actually accept an invitation to speak to the public.

Demonstrating how NOT to enter a presentation late

The festival was kicked off on Friday evening with a sumptuous three-course meal, meeting new people and sharing our dreams.

Saturday was filled with entertaining and insightful panels of authors, editors, illustrators and publishers sharing journeys, knowledge and laughter.

The whole event passed so quickly and was filled with wonderful opportunity to learn, network and eat! So much food, so little room in the belly! The Alexandria on Lydiard put on such a wonderful, endless supply of fresh fruit, yummy rolls, wraps, salad, cakes and endless soft drink.

Part of the opportunity at the festival was the first page critique competition where attendees could submit the first page of their work in progress anonymously between 9 and 10 on Saturday morning, to be read by editors and publishers. These professionals would then choose a select few and critique them in front of the entire audience. A daunting prospect but one also filled with great anticipation.

The critique session was the last item on the agenda and I was stoked when my submission was read out! The feedback from the panel was so useful. I’d entered the first page of Revival, the sequel to Phoenix, and being the second in the Fifth Shadow series, I wasn’t quite sure how to let the reader know what had transpired in the first book if they hadn’t yet read it.

My answer came across loud and clear, leave out the two lines of back-story, something I would never recommend putting in a first chapter let alone a first page!

As the festival drew to a close, I approached the assessing panel to seek further advice and when I explained my entry was a sequel, I was asked not only for Phoenix, but for more of Revival too!

Floating with happiness, I didn’t think my day could get any better, but a couple of other attendees approached me and told me how inspiring I’d been to them in the way I’d approached my goals. I’d never even considered that me following my dream could help others but I’m so happy I could help!

One little thing which I found really quite spooky, consider there were approx 110 attendees at the festival, of those 60% entered the competition, and 50% were at the Friday night dinner. Those at the dinner were split around tables of 8. Of the 6 entries chosen by the panel, 3 of those belonged to writers at my table.   

Good work everyone!

Full details can be found on the Warrambucca Books website.

Good luck!

My next task is to make sure those extra words all work and to turf out the ones that don’t!

For all of those anxiously waiting, Revival is most definitely on its way!

Stay tuned!