Category: News

These posts contain news about, or wrap ups of, events I’ve been to, such as conferences, conventions and other things beginning with ‘con’. I may discuss my experiences as a presenter, or simply as a participant. All opinions expressed are strictly my own. I’m a watcher – I observe people in context and think about the way they are behaving. Cons are an interesting experience – you get a mix of the eager, the bored, the arrogant, and the genuinely interested.
Actual news may fall under this category too, if anything exciting ever happens or when I have another book coming out. For example, if I was lucky enough to win an award, whatever it was for, I’d probably write about it here. And I’d have to write a panic attack piece in the week or so before any book launch – I think every author needs to do that now and then.

The Birds Take Flight

The Birds Take Flight

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The Birds

I don’t think it’s an exaggeration to say the last two weeks have been amongst the strangest of my life. It has been a period of excitement and exhilaration, since the musical I wrote with Andrew Perkins, The Birds, had its world premiere. At the same time, I have been experiencing deep grief at the loss of my step-mother. Her funeral ended up happening in parallel to the premiere. The two events collided in such a way that it was impossible to attend both.

Looking forward to The Birds

I wrote a post a few weeks back about how I accidentally wrote a musical. Thanks to the tireless efforts of composer Andrew Perkins, that re-telling of The Birds, by Aristophanes, was booked to have its world premiere at the end of May. Knowing this well in advance, I booked flights to New Zealand six months ago. It has been a bright spot on my calendar, something I have looked forward to for a long time.

There was some frantic rewriting once it was decided the premiere would be a shortened concert version. It was written as a two act play, with dancing and comedy, in line with how the ancient Greeks would have done it. I took out most of the dialogue and turned the action into narration. Since it was the world premiere, I thought it would be amazing to take on the role of narrator. With my background in acting, I wasn’t concerned or nervous. I just wanted to be part of the events, not just watching on the sidelines. This turned out to be a bittersweet experience.

A year of travel

My step-mother, Dee, has been ill for a long time. I won’t go into the full details of her illness, but we had seen a serious decline this year. She lived in Sydney, which meant it was difficult to visit – several hours of travel from where we are. I took my children to see her at the start of the year, concerned they might not get another chance once school started up. We had a special lunch together and the kids were able to give her big hugs. There are times that you just know time is running out, and the kids and my step-mother all had that sense, I think. So the farewells were underpinned by sadness.

Seeing how ill she was becoming, a few weeks ago I booked a flight to Sydney for the beginning of June. It meant I would only be back from Auckland for two days before heading off, but I really wanted that time with her. In the end it was time I didn’t get.

Long awaited news finally arrives

A week before my trip to New Zealand for the premiere of The Birds, I received the news. My step-mother had passed away. Grief is never easy, no matter whether you are prepared for it or not. It’s made complicated when you have something very exciting coming up. It’s very hard to hold such conflicting emotions at the same time. I had been looking forward to seeing The Birds take flight. But now, for every moment of excitement, there was a deep moment of sadness.

I knew instinctively the funeral would occur while I was away. There just wasn’t enough time to organise it before then. If it had been two days earlier, things might have been different. But it was scheduled for the day after our flight to Auckland.

Honestly, I never considered not going to the premiere. I don’t think Dee would have let me consider it. She was an actress by profession. She had a cultured, commanding voice. And in the split second when I realised I couldn’t do both, I heard her voice.

The show must go on.

Not a catch phrase. A command. There was no question in my mind. I would still be flying to New Zealand.

A joyous celebration

As is usual, not everything ran smoothly in the lead-up to the performance. Problems were ironed out swiftly though. Conductor Rita Paczian took charge and the chorus and musicians of Bach Musica NZ were unflappable (pun intended!). Everyone was a professional – they knew what to do and did it expertly. The night of the concert came, and the orchestra dove into the dramatic, majestic music of the preludium. The soloists were absolutely superb, Andrew’s magnificent tangos and plainchants played masterfully by the orchestra, and the bird chorus was exquisite.

I had known Dee would not be well enough to attend, but I had always held on to the thought that I would be able to give her a copy of the recording. Now, as the birds took flight, their beautiful voices soaring, I wished she could be there to hear it. But I knew there could be no more fitting tribute to her. Dee was such a pivotal influence on my creative life. She was the consummate actress, as well as a wonderful singer. To be involved in performing an ancient Greek play, with all its drama, and to hear it sung and played so wonderfully, made me feel very close to her. The tears would come later.

A world of choices and a choice of worlds

A world of choices and a choice of worlds

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This is a strange week. I’ve sent off the third book in my fantasy trilogy to beta-readers. Once I get it back from them I will do the final edits before I send it to my publisher. And that, aside from proofreading the final version, will be that. The Tales of Tarya will be finished. I’ve lived with this world and these characters for a very long time, and I’m about to say farewell to them. Which means I have to decide what to do next. I have quite a few choices.

No spoilers…

I’m going to speak in general terms because, like a lot of authors, I’m superstitious about putting story ideas into the world before they’re properly brewed. So don’t expect any big spoilers about what I might produce next.

Too many choices

One option is to write a full length play based on a ten-minute play I wrote a while back. It’s an intriguing story based on an historical event, and I think it’s extremely relevant to world events. It’s funny how, if you look back through history, you see patterns repeating themselves. I love writing plays. My writing brain thinks in terms of visual images and dialogue, so plays feel very comfortable for me. So this has a lot of appeal.

Another option is to tell the back story related to The Tales of Tarya. As I wrote the third book, Pierrot’s Song, two characters kept appearing at the edge of my thoughts. I could see them very clearly, and they were starting to come to life. Which I think is always a sign that their story might need to be told. They’re figures from Mina’s past, and the events they lived through are vital to my trilogy. The question is, do I want to remain immersed in that world?

The next option is a new YA trilogy set in Australia. I wrote the first book for my PhD. I’m nervous about this one, because since I wrote it, the ‘own voices’ movement has surged. This makes me question whether I have the right to present characters with particular issues that are not (necessarily) my lived experience.

Then I have the first book I ever wrote. Normally these sorts of things should, I think, stay firmly in a bottom drawer, never to see the light of day. Beginner writers make a lot of mistakes. To pursue this choice would take a lot of work. But I think the bones of the story are good. And I think it fits the zeitgeist nicely.

How to choose?

At the moment what I’m doing is dipping my toes in to each of the choices. I’m going back and reading over anything I’ve written so far for each of the projects. I’m also looking at the research I’ve already done for each one. But I don’t think my choice is going to be based on logic. I should probably be asking ‘which one is the most marketable?’ But I don’t think my creativity works that way. Ultimately I’m pretty sure my choice will be based on instinct. Which characters are speaking to me? Which story feels like it is closest to being fully formed? What will engage my passion?

Writing is hard work. Plotting, planning, getting words on the page, editing… it takes time and care. I’m going to have to love this project if I’m going to have the energy and motivation to see it through. So, to throw in another metaphor, I’ll dance with each of these stories for a while, and see which one I’d like to spend more time with. I’m in a strange space of uncertainty, but at the same time it’s exciting. Let’s see where the music leads.

 

How I (accidentally) wrote a musical*

How I (accidentally) wrote a musical*

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In May this year I will travel to Auckland to attend the world premiere of a musical I created with brilliant composer Andrew Perkins. It is a musical re-telling of The Birds, a classical Greek play by Aristophanes. The original play is witty, biting and has themes that are more relevant today than ever.

An abbreviated concert version of the full musical will be performed by Bach Musica at the Auckland Town Hall, in a double bill with Beethoven, which is some pretty cool company. To be honest, I can’t believe I’m going to see my work performed live with an orchestra, soloists and a full choir. It will definitely be a night to treasure. And it feels somewhat surreal. You see, the musical was written around the edges of my life. So it almost feels like I completed it by accident.

Would you like to write a musical?

I began working on this musical just after I finished my PhD. It was a very welcome distraction from the post-PhD slump that hits many people. Like any big project, when you finish a PhD it can leave you exhausted, both physically and emotionally. Having something to move on to helped me drag my way out of the slump. The idea for the musical was Andrew’s. He approached me and asked if I’d be interested in writing the book and lyrics for a work based on an ancient Greek play. The idea was an exciting one and I jumped at the opportunity. I particularly loved Andrew’s aim, which was to create something schools could perform that had great educational underpinnings. The Birds gives schools the scope to explore classical Greek theatre, complex musical forms and socio-historical issues.

We began by reviewing classical plays. Some plays quickly dropped off our list as they were… rather inappropriate for a high school production. Once we had a shortlist of possibilities we soon decided on The Birds, because it encompassed so many of the social and political issues we currently face. The story is about building a wall to keep out undesirable visitors, an event with particular resonance now. But The Birds also tackles themes of environmental degradation and the untrustworthiness of politicians and other power-brokers.

What’s it all About?

To begin the process I went through the play and created an extensive synopsis, which gave us our structure. Andrew then went through and suggested where songs might go. We also discussed key themes and which ones we wanted to highlight. I think we were both staggered by how relevant the themes remain now.  The synopsis was my scaffolding and from that point I worked my way through it, fleshing out dialogue and actions.

Writing the Book

Although Aristophane’s play was first performed in 414BC, so you would think it would be out of copyright, some recent translations do have copyright over them. This meant I had to be careful which version to select as the basis for the book. My aim was to rewrite all the dialogue, but adaptations are always tricky – some phrase might slip through by accident. For this reason I chose the Project Gutenberg version as my starting point, checking the copyright restrictions carefully.

I followed the structure of the original, which is dialogue interspersed with songs. The original play is full of witty in-jokes, but many don’t work if the audience isn’t from ancient Athens. So I searched for new ways of playing old jokes. For example, I brought in plays-on-words related to 20th century pop culture, such as referencing the Beatles. Andrew and I also worked out how to update the characters so they were more recognisable to a current audience. One of the characters had a bit of a Trumpian makeover. I used linguistic elements such as repetition and non-sequiturs to create a speech for them that would feel familiar to anyone following US news.

Writing for Schools

I have an extensive background in theatre, so I’m very aware of the gender imbalance that usually exists. For most productions you can guarantee there’ll be a lot more females wanting to be involved. At the same time the majority of plays and, to a lesser extent, musicals, are written with more male roles. I really wanted to address this, especially as we aimed for The Birds to be suitable for all schools, whether co-educational or single sex. Andrew and I agreed that the best way to approach this was to write as many roles as possible gender neutral.

Since many of the characters in the play are birds, this was actually very easy to achieve. Even the two leads, both male humans in the original, could be played by anyone, regardless of gender.

Andrew also wanted the musical to offer a different kind of challenge to students than traditional Broadway shows do. Whilst he kept the orchestration simple as schools don’t often have access to a lot of instruments and performers, he didn’t shy away from complexity in the music. The Birds draws on both ancient and modern musical forms, including Arabic modes, jazz, Greek and Latin American danceforms and church music.

Words and Music

When it came to writing lyrics for the songs, Andrew went through the synopsis and the play, pulling out keywords that he thought encapsulated the message or meaning of each song. He also identified the sort of music he wanted for that song. These varied greatly, from liturgical chants to a tango. At times he would provide me with a song in the style he wanted to write so I had music in my head to help me capture the write rhythms and style.

Writing the lyrics was a real challenge. Each song had to have its own clear scan, an internal rhythm that would work musically. But it also needed to explore the key themes we wanted to bring out, and capture the wittiness of the original play. It was an amazing process though – I would send what was essentially a poem to Andrew, and it would come back to me with a full musical background, as a song. Most of the time the process worked really well. The liturgical chant required a number of revisions as I had different music playing in my head than Andrew did in his. But the Latin American songs practically wrote themselves and were a lot of fun.

Setting The Birds Free

To paraphrase John Lennon, a musical is what happens while you’re busy doing other things. Much of The Birds was written around the edges of a severe attack of real life due to a major health issue for a family member. It was almost an accidental surprise to discover we had a full musical at the end of the process. But retreating into the witty, fantastical world of Aristophanes was not only a great adventure, it also let me play with words and music, which is always therapeutic. And now, in a few months, I will get to see it come to life.

*or, why my writing is going to the birds….

MORE ABOUT WHO IS INVOLVED:

Andrew Perkins, composer, has written many works, including symphonies, choral works and solo pieces. You can find out about him on Wikipedia or on his personal website.

Bach Musica is an Auckland-based choir and professional orchestra who perform four concerts a year.

Swedish death clearing and other adventures

Swedish death clearing and other adventures

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Marie Kondo is so hot right now. Everyone has an opinion on her approach to clearing out stuff. I’ve been following the Minimalist and Decluttering movements for a number of years now. And I think a lot of the time there’s a big ‘can’t see the forest for the trees’ scenario going on. It’s the difference between focusing on the what (getting rid of excess stuff) and the why (making life simpler). I think at this point in time many, many people are overwhelmed – but not just by their physical stuff. There’s an awful lot of mental clutter created by our constant exposure to social media, the expectation that we fill out endless quality surveys, the millions of passwords we need to have, the endless mailing lists we have to sign up to if we want access to anything… Life has become really complicated. It can become incredibly easy to lose sight of what’s important.

Clearing out: a growing impulse

I’m not sure if it’s because of the recent spate of books, or programs like Marie Kondo’s, but decluttering has hit the mainstream. My family and I spent the beginning of the year with relatives who are doing Swedish death clearing. This involves clearing out your home before you die so your family don’t have to do it afterwards. I cleaned out my hoarding relative’s home years ago – a process that took three months, two giant skips and a fortune in cleaning products. So I’m all for the Swedish approach. It requires good communication though, because the relative doing the clearing may want to pass things on. If you’ve cleared out your house it can require some negotiation to avoid bringing home a raft of new things.

Back to the forest

See how easy it is to get focused on trees? I mean stuff? What I really wanted to write about in this post was what I consider the most important thing – the ‘why’ of clearing. You see, I think it works best if the process is about discovering what you want in your life, not just removing what you don’t want. If you touchstone for making decisions about what to keep is ‘is this important to me?’ then it becomes a much easier process. And as a writer the steady hum at the back of my life has always been the need to try to clear space for writing.

In the last twelve months that hum has become louder. I’ve developed a tremor in my hands which makes fine motor control more difficult. I’m not sure how related it is, but my energy levels have been very depleted. What this brings into focus is the need to clear out things that aren’t important or relevant to my life any more, but take up time and energy, to make space for the things that matter. (What I’ve really done here is sneak in a ‘new year’ post. Because what I’m talking about is my focus for 2019.) And not everything that takes up time and energy is physical.

Procrastination

I recently joked that doing my PhD I developed outstanding skills in procrastination. Any excuse not to do research and write the thesis. So one of the things I have to clear out this year is procrastination. Not an easy task. But I discovered when my kids were little

Photo by Casey Horner on Unsplash.

that realising your time is limited is a great incentive not to procrastinate. So now, discovering that there are days when my energy levels are non-existent means that on the days when I have energy, I grab it and use it. It doesn’t always stop me procrastinating, if what I have to do is something I really don’t enjoy, but a lot of times it does. The other thing I do to beat procrastination is to focus on the stories that are waiting to be written. This may sound crazy, but sometimes I wake in a cold sweat thinking about all the stories I may never get to write. But during the day, thinking of those stories can turn my panic into proactive action.

Keeping focused

Of course, procrastination isn’t the only problem. But it’s a start. As I said, life is always complicated. This year I’ll be working two jobs, parenting a family, trying to write and market my books and trying to work out how to deal with my health issues if I want to function at all. The end of the year is always a great time to take stock and think about the year ahead, before you end up mired in everything again. But the chaos quickly creeps up. That’s why I think having a really clear ‘why’ of clearing out is important. For me that ‘why’ is finding time to write. So I’ll be giving more thought to what else to declutter apart from procrastination. Hopefully if I’m successful the stories will stop waking me up in the night wanting to be told. Wish me luck!

 

 

 

 

How to have an amazing book launch

How to have an amazing book launch

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cake, launch
It always helps to have an awesome cake.

In the last month I’ve been lucky enough to have not one book launch, but two. The first was during the Bendigo Writers Festival, and the second was this weekend. They were a lot of fun, and bring my launch total to three, making me something of an expert (cough, cough). So I thought I’d write about what makes an amazing book launch.

#1 –  A venue that is enthusiastic about your launch.

I know authors debate about whether a launch works better in a bookshop, or in a bar or some other venue. Personally I think they all have ups and downs. Ultimately what you want is somewhere that will fit the numbers you are expecting, has parking, and allows for food and drink options. Much like planning any other party, these sorts of needs will be dependent on expected crowd, time of day or night and the atmosphere you want to create. (And how much champagne you feel should be drunk.) But having had launches in three entirely different venues, I’ve realised that the most important factor is working with a venue (or event) that will be enthusiastic, excited and supportive. It’s no fun to feel you’re fighting battles or ennui to get the event together. And it’s an exciting moment in your life, so you deserve to have others excited for you.

#2 – Awesome friends.

Any sort of event can be stressful, so it’s great to have friends who step in to help out by washing mugs, set up displays and give great hugs. They can also periscope the event (!), put photos on social media, step in unexpectedly to begin the proceedings and create other miscellaneous moments of magic. It’s not actually possible to control how awesome your friends are, but you can be incredibly grateful for it. I’m not going to name names, because I’ll probably forget someone, but I’m lucky my friends are unbelievably awesome.

#3 – A cake to die for.

No launch would be complete without a gorgeous cake. If you happen to be a brilliant baker as well as a writer, you may be able to organise this yourself. But if cakes are not your strong point, you can get one made. The wonders of modern technology mean you can get your book cover on a cake. This is surprisingly affordable, and looks fabulous. It has the added advantage that people like to take pictures of it and share it around a lot. Plus you get to eat your words, which in this case is not a bad thing.

#4 – A launch special guest who knows what they’re doing and does it beautifully.

After the welcome at a launch there’s a speech, about you and your book. This has the potential to be deeply embarrassing. As someone with social anxiety, I’m not fond of attention pointed in my direction. Luckily, at each of my launches the speech has been so great I’ve forgotten to get anxious. For Harlequin’s Riddle, George Ivanoff performed as one of the characters from my book and was so perfect he’s got the role if there’s ever a movie. For the first launch of Columbine’s Tale Kelly Gardiner was fascinating as she talked about the magic of storytelling. Finally, for the second launch, Laura Goodin gave an impromptu class on creative writing and creativity that had everyone in raptures.

 #5 – Sparkling wine.

Enough said.

 * * * * * *

Huge thanks to everyone involved with the launch of Columbine’s Tale. If you’d like to know more about the book and read a brief excerpt, click this link.

Who do you think you are? Uncovering history.

Who do you think you are? Uncovering history.

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Who am I? is one of life’s big questions. The SBS show Who do you think you are? explores this by delving into family history. Those involved get a greater sense of who they are – their own identity – by discovering where they have come from. In the last few weeks I feel like I have been plunged into my own episode of the show, and the emotional impact has been surprising.

Not Belonging

I can’t remember a time when I didn’t feel like an outsider. I grew up in Hobart, a place where people have a strong connection to kin and community. Yet in my family I was the scapegoat, and in my extended family other branches were obviously given preferential treatment. Throughout primary and high school I was excluded and bullied. I was told I didn’t fit, and that nobody wanted me in their group. (College was the first time I had a real ‘group’ to hang with – wonderful weirdos I’m still in touch with.)

I couldn’t wait to leave Hobart to go to university. I hoped I would find a place where I wasn’t made to feel different and unwanted. What followed was years of drifting like a ghost, watching other people’s lives. I studied in Sydney, and though I made good friends, the city felt alien to me. When we settled in Melbourne, we met quirky, nerdy people like us, and our children made lasting connections.

But there are ties to place and people that emerge from living in one place over an extended time. When you are born in an area, study there, buy a house, make friends, there are invisible threads of connection that form part of who you are.  They become part of your history. Melbourne always felt like the backdrop to other people’s lives. We had close friends, but no real sense of belonging to place. The invisible threads of connection we brushed past belonged to other people.

A Move in the Right Direction

A while ago now my husband, children and I moved to a regional town. We wanted to get away from the over-crowding, terrible traffic and pollution of Melbourne. There were some immediate benefits. My son and husband both found their asthma vastly improved. Our petrol and mortgage costs dropped considerably. It took five minutes to get anywhere. My sense of being an outsider was worse than ever, but I knew with time I’d start to make friends and connections. I’d done it before. However, recent discoveries have given me a sense of connection far beyond anything I was expecting.

I’m not sure what prompted me to contact my aunt a few months ago and ask for copies of family documents. Amongst the photos and other paperwork was a family tree. Something jumped out at me immediately – one of the places listed on it was the town where we now lived. Was there a family connection? I forwarded everything to my sister, who had already begun looking at the family history. She had a better idea of how to research these things than me.

Diving into History

A few weeks ago my sister came over to visit. Armed with little more than the name of one of our ancestors, she visited our local library. Surprisingly quickly she confirmed that our relatives had definitely lived here. She also found the notice of our great x3 grandfather’s funeral parade in 1917, which gave us the address of the house it had left from. So we jumped in the car and went to visit it. There’s still a house at that address. We don’t know if it’s the same house they would have lived in, but it looks like it could be. We’ll need to do more research on the history of the house. But to stand there and think our family might have lived there was amazing.

The discoveries went on. It appeared our great great great grandmother was buried in the local cemetery. There was a photo of the headstone. Our brother came to visit and the three of us went for a walk amongst the graves, in search of the stone. Although the cemetery is large, we could see a fence in the photo, which gave us a clue where to look. After only a few minutes of wandering we found it. I felt a sense of excitement and shock. What staggered me, more than anything, was that my great, great, great grandmother’s tombstone was only a block away from the house we had bought.

An Amazing Discovery

It didn’t end there though. My sister went back to Hobart, and continued her research. A few days ago she sent me a link to something she had found on Trove. The critical words were buried towards the end of a very long article. The town we live in was founded during the Australian goldrush of the 1850s and quickly became a hub of activity. People moved here from all over, no doubt seeking their fortune. This is a town that was built by outsiders.

Everywhere you look are beautiful historic buildings constructed with money from gold. And one of the prized features is a stunning fountain, right in the centre of town. The article my sister found describes the day the fountain was officially opened by Prince Albert and Prince George, in 1881. A royal visit, standing room only, an excited crowd: I can see it all as I walk down the street.

Towards the end of the article is a list of those who worked on the fountain. And there, right amongst them, is the name of our great x3 grandfather. We already knew he was a plasterer, and now we learned that he had done the plaster work on the fountain that is very much the heart of this town.  I was surprised by how emotional this discovery made me, tearful and excited at the same time. I was so overwhelmed I HAD to tell someone, and sending the message made me miss my train! When we moved here we had absolutely no idea there was a family connection. Walking around town, I had fallen in love with the sense of history. Here, people took time and care to construct things of beauty that would last. But now I had discovered those people included my family.

Filaments of Connection

I want to know more about my ancestors now. Who were they? What were their lives like? Which school did the children go to? Where else in this town will I find their lovingly crafted work? My favourite Thai restaurant is in an old bank designed by the same architect who did the fountain. Might he have employed the same team on other jobs? Could the ornate plasterwork I admire every time we eat there have been designed by my ancestor?

Now, I look at everything with different eyes. My ancestors were some of the founding settlers in this region. Filaments of connection have stretched towards me from the past. I’m not sure if it helps me understand who I am, but knowing I am connected by blood to the heart and history of this town definitely makes me feel less like an outsider.

Supanova – Stars, Geekdom and Cosplay Mania

Supanova – Stars, Geekdom and Cosplay Mania

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I live in a house full of geeks. We are proud of our geekdom. We have been Supanova attendees for years. But this year was a different experience for me, because I booked a table in artists’ alley. Together with fellow Odyssey authors, Carolyn Denman and Elizabeth Jane Corbett, I got to sit back in a reverse goldfish bowl and watch the amazing parade pass by.

I love Supanova because everyone gets to celebrate their favourite fandoms. As Elizabeth said, it’s like book week, but for grown ups. The Cosplay ranges from minimal effort to awesome. There are heaps of opportunities to hear big name stars talk and even to get up close and personal. And there is merch. So much merch. From amazing original artwork (I’m looking at you Samantha of Mamath.net!) in all sorts of styles, to star photos, DVDs, life size replicas, pop vinyls, pillows, Cosplay accessories… aargh! There are too many tempting things.

So here’s my wrap up of the best of Supanova:

Most amazing Cosplay:

Mary Poppins. Played by a little girl who was about 5 at a guess. The costume was perfect, right down to the decorations on her hat and the full Victorian skirt.

Most common Cosplay:

Captain America. Last year it was Game of Thrones. This year GoT barely got a look in. Cap was the man of the weekend. Although running a close second was the Tardis. Usually as some form of dress. Although I did love the one where someone had a galaxy print dress, and a tiny Tardis sitting in her hair.

Most gender-swapped Cosplay:

Loki (of course!). Most surprising was Kiki (of Delivery Service fame).

Unbelievably awesome turn your head accuracy:

Moss. With the internet. Enough said.

Most awesome event of the entire Supanova weekend:

When my niece said, “You know, I’m allowed to have 2 people with this token. Do you want to come and have a photo with Peter Capaldi?”     YEEEEEEESSSS! I first saw Peter Capaldi long before he was Doctor Who, in a movie called Local Hero, in 1983. Check out a young Peter Capaldi on IMDB by clicking here. Getting your ‘photo with a star’ is very rushed, but I told him I’d been a fan since Local Hero, and I got the inside scoop – they’re making it into a musical next year. I may look a tiny bit awestruck in the photo.

I also loved getting to chat with the denizens of Artists’ Alley. There are so many amazingly talented writers, artists and artisans out there. It was also great to see a lot of the crowd supporting them, buying small press or independently produced books, prints and crafted pieces. This is where you will find originality in storytelling and art. Sure it’s great to see the figurines from Weta or the 4 billion (and counting) pop vinyls, but if you buy from an independent artist you are helping them live their dream. And that’s a great superpower to have.

Of course my post wouldn’t be complete without mentioning that Harlequin, who is the ambiguous trickster at the heart of Harlequin’s Riddle, got to meet Harley Quinn. So that was pretty cool.
After the book launch, what happens next?

After the book launch, what happens next?

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It’s very exciting launching your first book into the world. Also daunting, terrifying and a number of other ‘ing’s. Seeing a dream come true is exhilarating. A book launch is like a wedding in some ways – a lot of build up, but only the beginning…

There was a fantastic turn out for the book launch, and I sold a heap of books. It was a wonderful, exciting day – the culmination of some pretty amazing months. There are so many ‘moments’ in the lead up to a debut novel launch. That first email that says ‘I enjoyed the first chapters, please send the rest of the book’. The second email that says ‘I want to publish’. Telling your friends and having them be so excited for you. Telling your sister and having her say ‘finally!’ Being able to announce to the world that you’re going to be a published author. Doing a cover reveal – particularly when you have the most beautiful book cover in the world (thanks Nadia Turner!). Seeing the book internals and realising it’s going to be gorgeous on the inside too. Having a box of your own books delivered to your front door.

Then there is the scary stuff. Wondering if it’s all going to come together in time. Having to co-ordinate so many different things: launch publicity, running an event, doing the final edits, trying to build a social media profile. I was beyond lucky to have an incredible team helping me – staff and students of Swinburne uni, everyone at Odyssey, my SCA friends who catered and transformed a uni pub into the Italian Renaissance for the afternoon. My family calmed my panicked nerves several times and gave me lots of hugs.  I was thrilled to have George Ivanoff as the special guest launching my book – he said the kindest things about it and read from it in character as Harlequin, embodying his theatrical persona perfectly.

Then the book launch was over…

Book launch day passed, book out in the world. With a background in theatre, I know this time well – the post-show slump. I felt fairly directionless for several weeks – not sure what to do next. But as my wise friends pointed out, the launch is only the beginning of a far longer journey. The next stage is making sure people find the book, and that is a marathon, where preparing for the launch was a sprint. It requires a different approach.

So that’s what I’m looking at now. It’s a shift in identity, going from ‘aspiring author’ to ‘actual author’. It’s also a shift in priorities. I don’t have to put energy into writing the perfect pitch and trying to catch a publisher’s interest. It’s an exciting time because there are all sorts of possibilities – revamping my website, working out what I want to say about my books, continuing with books 2 and 3. I’ve taken some time to rest after the flurry of motion, and now I’m thinking about shaping the landscape ahead of me so that my ongoing journey is interesting and enjoyable.

 

 

 

Bio

Rachel Nightingale is a writer, playwright, educator and actor. With a passion for story telling and the theatre, it was only natural that her first fantasy series would centre on both. She lives in regional Australia with her family, a very bossy cat and the cutest dog in the world. She is represented by Creative Net speakers.

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