Lara Morgan's Blog, page 7

This writer’s life…..

well in my day dreams my writing life consists of me actually getting to write for hours a day surrounded by endless cups of tea, fresh sliced mango and mini Mars bars served by the person who is busy doing all my housework - in reality it’s nothing like that.  The pile of washing is bearing a remarkable resemblance to the leaning tower of Pisa, I’m almost out of tea and the only chocolates in the house are mint flavoured which I hate. Although I believe there is a mango somewhere in the fridge buried behind half empty jars of curry paste.

So, it’s not all sunglasses and autographs , but I can work in my pyjamas which seems a pretty fair trade.

So what have I been doing? Lately, since sending off the ready-for-the-editor draft of Rosie 3 (yay!), I’ve had to attend to all those things that pile up when you’re pretending the real world isn’t, well, real. Sorting paperwork, paying bills (argh!) and getting the dishwasher fixed – you know THAT sort of stuff. Boring.

I’m also having to devote some time to getting ready for the Perth Writers Festival at the end of the month. Not so boring.  I’m running a 3 hour workshop so that means I need to come up with some creative and worthwhile discussions and exercise for that as well as preparing for the talks I’m doing.

You might not have thought about it, but writers who talk at Festivals aren’t all just natural stand up comedians with a line in wit to entertain the crowds. I know, shocking isn’t it? And you thought we were all as smart and funny as Stephen Fry.  Generally we tend to be more of the deer caught in the head lights startled staring types when put in front of vast groups of people – well I can be anyway – so I need to come up with things to say that won’t  result in a tent full of blank silent people wondering what I’m talking about. Seriously, I’ve said things on a stage and the resounding vacuum of sound has me sure I can see tumbleweeds rolling down the aisles.

This is not the preferred reaction.

So, amusing anecdotes and things that will convey that I have some idea about this writing thing are what’s filling part of my brain at the moment and occasionally spilling out onto the keyboard.

I’m also working on the third and last book in my fantasy series The Twins of  Saranthium for the German market which is involving a lot of re-reading the 100,000 or more words I’ve written already and then taking copious amounts of notes done in long hand in notebooks, on what’s happening next. This, by the way, is going to be a large book. And I write the notes in longhand because, for me, literally putting pen to paper has always been the best way for me to plot the story and figure out who is doing what and going where.

Then the next step in the process is typing up all those notes, which takes me hours to decipher because my handwriting can look like it was written by a drunk monkey  – and I’m not talking about the kind trained by NASA . But you know, that’s just how it is.

So here I am this afternoon, about to apply fingers to keyboard again to knock the notes into shape so I can, in the very near future, actually get down to the nitty-gritty of really writing and finishing the book so I have a hope of making the deadline. Which is May. I’m pretty sure. (scratches head and looks worried). So I should probably go and do that, shouldn’t I? I mean I can’t just hang around here procrastinating can I?

……….ooh look, is that a funny You Tube link……

 

This writer's life…..

well in my day dreams my writing life consists of me actually getting to write for hours a day surrounded by endless cups of tea, fresh sliced mango and mini Mars bars served by the person who is busy doing all my housework - in reality it's nothing like that.  The pile of washing is bearing a remarkable resemblance to the leaning tower of Pisa, I'm almost out of tea and the only chocolates in the house are mint flavoured which I hate. Although I believe there is a mango somewhere in the fridge buried behind half empty jars of curry paste.

So, it's not all sunglasses and autographs , but I can work in my pyjamas which seems a pretty fair trade.

So what have I been doing? Lately, since sending off the ready-for-the-editor draft of Rosie 3 (yay!), I've had to attend to all those things that pile up when you're pretending the real world isn't, well, real. Sorting paperwork, paying bills (argh!) and getting the dishwasher fixed – you know THAT sort of stuff. Boring.

I'm also having to devote some time to getting ready for the Perth Writers Festival at the end of the month. Not so boring.  I'm running a 3 hour workshop so that means I need to come up with some creative and worthwhile discussions and exercise for that as well as preparing for the talks I'm doing.

You might not have thought about it, but writers who talk at Festivals aren't all just natural stand up comedians with a line in wit to entertain the crowds. I know, shocking isn't it? And you thought we were all as smart and funny as Stephen Fry.  Generally we tend to be more of the deer caught in the head lights startled staring types when put in front of vast groups of people – well I can be anyway – so I need to come up with things to say that won't  result in a tent full of blank silent people wondering what I'm talking about. Seriously, I've said things on a stage and the resounding vacuum of sound has me sure I can see tumbleweeds rolling down the aisles.

This is not the preferred reaction.

So, amusing anecdotes and things that will convey that I have some idea about this writing thing are what's filling part of my brain at the moment and occasionally spilling out onto the keyboard.

I'm also working on the third and last book in my fantasy series The Twins of  Saranthium for the German market which is involving a lot of re-reading the 100,000 or more words I've written already and then taking copious amounts of notes done in long hand in notebooks, on what's happening next. This, by the way, is going to be a large book. And I write the notes in longhand because, for me, literally putting pen to paper has always been the best way for me to plot the story and figure out who is doing what and going where.

Then the next step in the process is typing up all those notes, which takes me hours to decipher because my handwriting can look like it was written by a drunk monkey  – and I'm not talking about the kind trained by NASA . But you know, that's just how it is.

So here I am this afternoon, about to apply fingers to keyboard again to knock the notes into shape so I can, in the very near future, actually get down to the nitty-gritty of really writing and finishing the book so I have a hope of making the deadline. Which is May. I'm pretty sure. (scratches head and looks worried). So I should probably go and do that, shouldn't I? I mean I can't just hang around here procrastinating can I?

……….ooh look, is that a funny You Tube link……

 

In case you missed it

I'm all excited because the West Australian newspaper had a feature on me in their weekend mag just recently. Big thanks to journo Claire who wrote the piece and was so lovely to talk to.

In case you didn't see it, here's a screen shot…

Back from the dead…

or at least that's how it feels as I've been away from the blog for so long, so a big hello to all and hope your Christmas and New Year break was fabulous.

I've been off visiting friends for the last few weeks but am now back in the land of sweltering heat – an actual heat wave I'm hearing. The trip was a reward for finally handing the first, hot off the sweaty keyboard, draft of the third book in the Rosie Black Chronicles.

But don't get too excited yet! We've still got months  of editing ahead, then there's covers and typesetting etc, etc, but it will be out in November. Yes you heard it here first. November. 

In the meant time, keep cool and don't forget your hat.

best wishes

Lara xx

How long til Christmas???

I love Christmas. The tree, the decorations, the over abundance of glitter that always ends up on my face, the mince pie eating competition I have with my brother (he usually wins) and the bloated lethargy of Boxing Day where I've eaten so much I can do little more than roll off the couch onto the bean bag to change the dvd I'm watching. 

maybe it will be these guys….

However this year I"m a little behind and the panic button has been officially hit. I've done no shopping, haven't got a tree and am yet to dig out the decorations. What?? What's going on there?? I hear you ask. 

Well, I've been distracted. What with that whole Equinox just coming out thing ( so exciting!) and the blog tour and interviews etc etc. PLUS I've been working on Book 3. Yes already! And no I can't tell you anything. It's all a big secret wrapped in bubblewrap kept in a large black box with a key imprinted to my DNA. You'll have to wait. All I can say is it will be out next year. No spoilers.

In the meantime, hug your pets, maybe your family too if they're not too smelly, and have a fabulous Christmas. (I'm getting in early because I think I get more points with Santa this way. Seriously. You should tell him I'd doing this. )

xxx

Lara

Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year with presents and stuff and things!

 

 

Thanks for all the posts…

My blog tour for Equinox finished up yesterday and I'm putting out a big thank you to all those lovely people who were involved and helped me celebrate the new Rosie Black Chronicles book.

I had a great time answering your very inventive and thoughtful questions and it was a privilege to be hosted on your site. Thanks also to all those who participated and congratulations to the lucky winners of the giveaways!

Some of those giveaways are still going though so don't forget if you missed out to check back with the websites.

I've listed giveaway beside each link below so you can find them easily. And my giveaway on Goodreads is still going so if you're quick you can enter there as well!

So a very big thank you to these fabulous blogs :

Christchurch Kids Blog                        Booksellers New Zealand

Fictional Fantasy (giveaway)           The Tales Compendium (giveaway)

Rhiannon Hart                                       The Paperback Heart

Burn Bright (giveaway)                       Read In A Single Sitting (giveaway)

Tea Mouse (giveaway)                        Everything to do with Books

Book Couture (giveaway)                  In The Good Books

The Phantom Paragrapher                She Known As Jess  (giveaway)

Little Elf Man  (giveaway)                   Bad Ass Bookie  (giveaway)

Sandy Fussell                                            Literary Clutter  (giveaway)

Equinox Blog Tour …

   Get on board the Blog  Tour express for Equinox every day until November 24.

All the details of the dates and places I'll be are available by clicking on the Equinox Blog Tour page in the menu bar up the top. So if you want to know more about Rosie Black, follow the blogs!

 Today is the very last day of my tour (phew!) and to round it off I'm visting

George at Literary Clutter : http://content.boomerangbooks.com.au/literary-clutter-blog/ and this is your last chance to WIN a copy of Equinox during the tour, so get over there now!

Tomorrow I'll be doing a blog tour round up of all the excitement. Ciao for now. 

Equinox Blog Tour Starts Today…

   It's all hands on deck today as my super fantastic Blog  Tour for Equinox starts today.

All the details of the dates and places I'll be are available by clicking on the Equinox Blog Tour page in the menu bar up the top. So if you want to know more about Rosie Black, or me, get on board the Equinox Express and leave a comment anytime, anywhere from now until November 24.

I will be dropping by all the blogs and will try to answer as many questions and queries as I can. Happy Monday!

 

And a fabulous time was had by all…

I am exhausted and overwhelmed by all the love. Yes Equinox was officially launched last night at an intimate soiree at my local libary in Geraldton attended by friends, family and new people I got to meet. Champagne was flowing as freely as the good will and many thanks go to the Geraldton Library staff for their support, as well as my good friend Jackie who gave a lovely speech about the book. So it is official, Equinox is out there, so go forth and find it!

Next up is the Blog Tour!! Starting on November 14 I'll be hopping around the blogsphere visiting some lovely YA blogs talking about life, the universe and writing. For details check the Equinox Blog Tour page.

Meanwhile, here are some more fun pics from the night….

xx Lara

 

Countdown to release

It's weird, that time before a novel finally hits the shelves. It's all you can think about because there are promotional things to organise, questions to answer, book launches to prepare for, but you're also looking forward to the final moment in the evening after everyone else has gone home and you can put your feet up and sigh and say, 'right, done!'.

Because books do take a long time to make it from the computer screen on your desk to the bookshelf. I finished Equinox and handed the first, ready to proof, draft to my editors in December last year. Yep, last year. So this year has been all about edits, and re-edits, and checks and final checks and do I like the cover and what about the acknowledgments, until finally, a package in the mail with a shiny new book. It's an odd surreal moment opening that package.

When I got mine last week, I was in the middle of writing the third book in the Rosie series. Still am actually, with a timetable to finish the draft in the next few weeks. (Here's hoping!) So getting Equinox as weight in the hand hard copy was like a visit from an old friend who had stayed with me for a while, made a huge mess, drank all the tea and never cleaned the bathroom, and then finally left to see other people. Yet I still remember it with fondness. I'm not quite ready to read the whole thing again, but I can flick through with some pride and nod and say, yup, that's done.

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