What a strange year this has been. First, thick, blanketing smoke forced us into our houses with the windows and doors shut tight. Then the super-scary COIVD-19 virus appeared, sending us scurrying inside once again. Here in Australia, we seem to have been extremely lucky and dodged the full-blown outbreaks the rest of the world seems to be suffering from. However, a new resurgence has just forced the state of Victoria into a harsh new lockdown, and I know everyone here in Sydney is now holding our breaths … what will the next few weeks bring for us?
As a writer, I already work from home every day as it is. However, lack of social contact is my biggest challenge. And where once, friends and family used to think I was ‘living the dream’ by getting to work from home every day, now I think many people will realise that working from home isn’t quite the dream lifestyle they thought it was. Who would have thought we’d all miss that ‘water-cooler chat’ quite so much? (or realise just how important it is to have contact with other humans every day!)
That being said, this isn’t a blog about how to work from home without going crazy (as a writer, I’m arguably already fairly up-there on the crazy scale). This is a blog about the exciting world of story-telling, making books and trying to convince people to read them! So, on to my writing updates!
Side-Projects in the Spotlight
Since the launch of Eat Pray Shag back in May, I’ve been focusing a fair bit on a couple of side projects (apologies readers who are eagerly awaiting book 3!). Kalileia, my YA fantasy manuscript, was recently long-listed for Publishable, the Manuscript Development program run by the Queensland Writers Centre. The best part about being long-listed was that, since this year everything is being run online, they invited me to take part in the online workshops and talks. This was really exciting, and I ended up spending a few weeks tinkering with that manuscript (though it’s still not at the point that I’m truly happy with it yet).
I’ve also been doing a few online courses in author book marketing which have been really interesting and helpful – though mega time-vampires. And lastly, I’ve been working on a secret project that has something to do with the Laura the Explorer world, but I can’t say more about that. (Hopefully there will be more to say about this soon!)
Great Sexpectations
Yes, book 3 in the Laura the Explorer series has a name! I’ve been doing a lot of deep work with outlining this novel, as I’m trying to get all the plot kinks ironed out in the planning stage, with the hopes of avoiding the need for too many extensive rewrites. I’m now at the point where I’m really happy with my outline, and I’m starting to working on the actual writing and drafting process. Also, FYI, this book is going to be AMAZING! (in my opinion)
What I’m Reading
Sex and Vanity by Kevin Kwan – this book is absolutely stunning.
The UnHoneymooners by Christina Lauren – I’m really trying to get into Christina Lauren books, as they seem to be so popular and highly rated, but sometimes I find traditional rom-com just a bit … frustrating.
Aurora Rising by Jay Kristoff and Amie Kauffman – LOVED this! Can’t wait for book 3
Wildcard and Warcross by Marie Lu – enjoyed this duology, though the first book was definitely my favourite.
What I’m Listening To
Why I'm no Longer Talking to White People about Race by Reni Eddo-Lodge – in response to the Black Lives Matter movement, like most people I've been trying to educate myself more on topics of racism. This book (I listened to the audiobook version) is really powerful and informative, and I'd definitely recommend it to everyone to read or listen to.