Suzanne Bowditch's Blog, page 19

Book Review: The Secret Chord ; Geraldine Brooks

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“I heard there was a Secret Chord/That David played and it pleased the Lord” – Leonard Cohen 

The Secret Chord – Geraldine Brooks

This is another satisfying read from Pulitzer-prize winning author Geraldine Brooks. The story revolves around the life of King David (he of the Old Testament), from working as a shepherd in his youth, to soldier, then as King. 

Brooks weaves a magical tale and manages to bring both connections and emotions to people of the past (loved People of the Book by her). She writes themes of desire, ambition, family and faith and gives us an insight into the man himself, who played the harp and fought fiercelessly in battle. 

Fans of Brooks books (myself included) will enjoy this historical fiction novel. I loved The Year of Wonders, and found the Secret Chord not my favorite subject matter. Still a very worthy 4/5

Wynnum Waterfront

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These photographs were taken at a recent trip north to Moreton Bay. Wynnum is a small coastal town overlooking the bay. Further north is the Port of Brisbane and the Gold Coast is to the south.

 I couldn’t resist taking a snap of these seagulls, looking down at the paddling pool as if waiting for a paddle. Three little birds as the song goes….

The second pic has the wood from the original jetty that was built in 1882 to accommodate the first European settlers to the area. Now it makes a great art piece! 

#artfeatures #art #wynnummanly #wynnumpier #queensland 

Tea and Creativity

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I always start my day with a cup of tea. Monday morning is no exception. Tea helps my creativity, gets my focus and mood up and running after the sloth of the weekend. 

So as I sip my second cup of the morning, (a nod to my British roots), I got to thinking about the roots of tea and its role as a quintessentially British drink. The history of tea states that the lovely brew started as far back as 2737 BC when the Chinese emperot Shen Nung sat under a tree whilst his servant bolied up a hot cup of boiled water. Accordingly, Nung being a herbalist mixed up some leaves that had fallen into the cup…. thereby making the first brew.

Have a very creative week fellow bloggers

Backing up your Blog Content

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I just read some great advice from Hugh W Roberts blog, hughsviewsandnews.com. Its something that I’d never thought of – backing up your blog content – especially if you have a lot of posts, images, comments etc. Who wants to lose that? 

So here are some easy steps that will prevent that and ensure you have a back up in place.

Backing up your blog content:

1. Go to the WP Admin (your dashboard)

2. Click ‘Tools’ and a side window will open

3. Click ‘Export’ – ‘Choose what to export’ -click ‘All content’

4. Click ‘Download export file’

5. All content will be downloaded – you will receive a message from WordPress, saying that they will email you a link to the file

6. Go to your email box – look for the email

7. Click on the link in the email and the backup will be downloaded to the hard drive on your computer

8. I recommend you also back this up with a memory stick in case your hard drive fails – then you know its secure!

Hope this helps!

Works in progress: The Tourmaline Bracelet A Celtic Trilogy

WIP. Just at the printing off stage of my manuscript. Now it needs some beta readers , editing and a book cover. 

Love this stage of writing when it starts coming together and its so cool to see mt work in print!  

Shared Post from Belinda Grover Photography: so inspiring

 Such a lovely photograph by Belinda Grover Photography

Although it’s still spring, the temperature has been in the low 30Cs the last few days. The birds and their offspring are scarce but the wildflowers and insects are everywhere you look at the reserve. My first bee and flower photograph of the season, always a cheerful combination!

via THE FLOWER AND THE BEE — BELINDA GROVER PHOTOGRAPHY

Book Review: Ann Patchett, Commonwealth

 #annpatchettcommonwealth #books #reading 

[image error]         Commonwealth : Ann Patchett 

1964: When Bert Cousins shows up at a christening party unannounced and holding a bottle of gin, the events of what follows lead to the break up of two marriages. 

1988: Franny is working as a cocktail waitress in Chicago when she meets the esteemed writer Leon Posen. When she tells him her life story he turns it into a best selling book called Commonwealth.

This is a wonderful family saga that superbly tells of the aftermath of divorce and the rippling effects it can have on the family members. There are six children spread amongst the two families, and each one has their own upsets and ways of dealing with the seperation to their lives and to the dysfunctional family that they inevitably become. 

Franny (the baby in the original christening party) has dropped out of law school; Albie (the youngest child ) chooses to live a nomadic life, while Holly moves overseas. There are themes of loss, family, death, passion and childhood.

The saga spans 50 years and is beautifully written, moving back and for across two different states in America. The characters are well formed and distinctive, especially Franny and her father Fix Keating, whose brash personality I found endearing as we learnt of his regrets at opening the door to Bert Cousins on that fateful day.

Patchett is a master story teller and on my list as one of my favorite authors. 5/5.

Autumn in Queensland

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I am on a fitness spurt at the moment. So this morning I drove up to a lake near our house. Regatta Waters is a popular spot for all sorts of people to visit; new mums pushing prams, energetic dads on bicycles, groups of walkers, picnickers and dog walkers. The lake accomodates water sports like canoeists and kyakers – its a fast growing community with one interest; to enjoy the beautiful scenery and wildlife around the lake.

Here are a couple of pictures I took this morning. I’m back home with a hot coffee and a very tired terrier. 

Have a good day fellow bloggers. ☺

#regattawaters #lagoon #dogs #flowers #australia 

University life vs normality

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Since I enrolled on the Creative Writing course in Feb (is it really only 12 weeks ago?), the time has run away from me. I have forgotten how intense uni life can be and I’m just studying part time! Suddenly, I have academic research to do, papers to read (and try and understand ), powerpoints and group discussions to attend,  as well as assignment work. Luckily the course has no exams, which I loath with a passion, or I may throw in the towel on this! 

My book has had to take a backseat while I tackle this coursework. I managed to get 2,000 words down on the weekend, when I usually achieve at least 5, 000 words. The first semester ended last week, so I have a month off! Thank goodness ☺

I’ve learnt so much already about researching  (very helpful for a historical writer!), about Creative nonfiction as an incredibly powerful genre of writing (and we’ve discussed some awesome writers , Truman Capote and Jack Kerouac to name just a few) that my brain is set to explode with knowledge! 

So many good writers. Is my writing up to it? Feel partly inadequate , and partly inspired to carry on! ☺ 

Such a weird feeling.

How do people feel about their writing? 

Please let me know . We are not alone.  

Elen : A Celtic Trilogy, Historical novels

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I’m just at the finishing stages of the third book of the A Celtic Trilogy series. Its title is The Tourmaline Bracelet and is set in WW1, based around Elen’s great grandson Harry Jameson.  I just have editing and proof reading to do for release August 2017. I ordered a matte cover version of Elen which arrived this week.I am really pleased with this compated to the glossy option they provide, and will definitely use this again!

Elen is available on Amazon.com:

https:// http://www.amazon.com/dp/B01911AE8Q.