Tag: book launch

My Mandala Journey

My Mandala Journey

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When someone says to you ‘I’ve been looking for a writer’, you might be about to begin an intriguing journey. For me that journey took me into the heart of the mandala. My exploration was intriguing and deeply moving. Ultimately, it led to a beautiful book of which I’m very proud. It also led to an enduring friendship.

A Lucky Outing

A number of years ago I decided to follow the Dandenong Ranges Open Studios trail. Once a year, artists throughout the hills to the east of Melbourne open up their secret, sacred studio spaces. They invite errant adventurers to dive deep into creativity and imagination. For me this adventure opened the door to exploring the power of mandala art.

Karen created this mandala to celebrate our collaboration

Mandala Magic

Karen Scott (www.mandalamagic.com.au) had her Mandala Magic studio open that day. Karen has painted mandalas for over 30 years. Her deep exploration of these sacred circles has taken her all over the world. Along the way she has met the Dalai Lama and conducted mandala-themed tours in Asia and Europe. She has studied Jungian psychology, Buddhism and sacred mysticism.Suffice it to say, Karen is very in tune with her intuition. Luckily for me, the day I wandered into her studio, something prompted her to say ‘I’ve been looking for a writer’.

At that stage I wasn’t a published author, only an aspiring one with dreams. Maybe, as I fell into the stunning mandalas at Karen’s studio, my dream resonated with hers. Karen wanted to write a book encapsulating her wisdom, and her experience with this beautiful art form. Something told her I was the person to write it with her.

Beginning the Journey

Our book journey began with a number of long conversations. Karen told me about her personal mandala story, beginning with the first mandala she created as a teenager, before she even knew what they were. This process had a profound impact on her at a difficult time in her life, opening her eyes to the magic of mandalas. Creating and sharing mandalas became her life mission.

Karen also spoke about her experiences travelling the world learning about mandalas and the spiritual traditions they sit alongside. The depth of knowledge and wisdom she holds is extraordinary. She invited me to take part in a mandala workshop and I created my first ever mandala (below…).

Hearing Mandala Stories

For the next stage, Karen introduced me to her students. Karen has taught hundreds of people how to make personal mandalas. During a series of interviews, I was privileged to hear extraordinary stories of transformation and discovery. I learned about the magic of mandalas through these stories. Time and time again people spoke about how the mandala experience was a catalyst for change when they were struggling with life’s difficulties. Creating a mandala truly offers a meditative journey towards recovering your authentic self. These stories make fascinating reading.

Bringing it All Together

Once all the research was complete, the writing and editing process began. Karen selected many beautiful mandalas to illustrate the magical stories. Some were her own. Others were the powerful images created by her students. I taught myself In Design specifically to bring words and pictures together in one coherent design. It was finally done.

Now all that is left to do is to celebrate!

Mandala: Journeys within the Circle will be released by Publisher Obscura on 17 March 2020. It will retail for $24.95 (paperback). Pre-orders are available now: www.odysseybooks.com.au or via Amazon.

The book will be launched at Habitat, in Hawthorn (2 Minona St), on Saturday 18th April at 2pm. Mandalas from the book will be on display. We would love for you to celebrate with us.

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.

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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