Andrew Kooman's Blog, page 7

Plan out your year - Strategies for achieving creative goals amidst your busy life

This is the third blog in a 4-part series on Strategies for Creatives amidst a busy life

I have a major revelation for you, are you sitting down?  There will be twelve months this year, some with 30 days, some with 31.  Only one with 28 days (which means my Leap-Year baby father will go birthday-less yet again).

Beyond getting organized [read blog 2 in this series] and setting aside time in the week to write or create [read blog 1 in this series], a critical part of being successful in your re...

Get organized - Strategies for achieving creative goals amidst your busy life

This is the second blog in a 4-part series on Strategies for Creatives amidst a busy life

There’s a myth about creativity that it’s an elusive and transient thing. Vaporous. A grace that falls upon a person without warning only to leave as it came, unexpectedly and without a sound.

Sure, the lightning does strike and there can be spontaneous, unexpected moments of creative energy and output. But that’s not a sustainable way to approach the writing life, or any other creative discipline, #IMH...

Tell your schedule who’s boss - Strategies for achieving creative goals amidst your busy life

This is the first blog in a 4-part series on Strategies for Creatives amidst a busy life

So you've resolved to get more creative in 2019. #Applause!

Besides losing that extra ten pounds, quitting a potentially life-threatening habit and “disconnecting from social media,” you’ve hit on one of the Top 5 resolutions for people (according to the Telegraph).

As an independent writer, my career depends on self-discipline; resolving to act, not just talk about goals or writing projects (something a...

My Christmas Poem for 2018

Most years I write a poem at Christmas; my way to reflect on the wonder and the meaning of the season. Without doing so, the advent season can so easily rip by.

The past year was a full and joyful one for my family, but it wasn't without pain. Like us, you may have experienced tragedy or have ones you hold dear who did.

Christmas is a collision, isn't it?  Of joy and sorrow, hope and regret, light and darkness. A time of year when, with time to think and the expectation of meaningful connecti...

My Top Ten in 2018

It was a full year, a big one, for me. A Master of Arts degree, a new book, travel and film projects. I'm so grateful for the opportunities given and seized. Overall, my writing year was an exciting one.  Here are some highlights:   Andrew's Top Ten 10. The creative inspiration Vancouver Island provided during a summer visit to my brother's neck of the woods. (Some of it appears in my new book).
9. Joining A Better World Canada's youth leadership conference to talk about the importance o...

Why the busiest times are the best times to write

I had the opportunity to guest blog on writer/blogger Anna Tan's site in the lead up to the release of my new book Ten Silver Coins: The Drylings for Acchora.  

Here's an excerpt: 

If you’re like me, you have to pretty much hire private security to keep yourself from watching reality television, because if you start you can’t stop. Not the self-absorbed-celebrity-does nothing-significant-and-films-themselves-arguing type of reality TV.

I mean the shows where creative people have a deadline t...

Ten Silver Coins: The Battle for Acchora now available in print and everywhere ebooks are sold

"A rich, adventurous tale... with  
hints of influences from legendary authors like C.S. Lewis, Madeleine L’Engle and J.R.R. Tolkien."  ~ Red Deer Express
Book Two in my YA series is here and initial feedback is so encouraging.

It's release day today and I'm a mix of emotion. It's always a thrill and a bit overwhelming to release a new work into the world.  I really hope you and yours enjoy Ten Silver Coins: The Battle for Acchora.

Buy Now Available on...

On courage, writing for young audiences and learning in the long run - my conversation with RDC

I recently had the opportunity to chat with the great people at RDC about my new book, why courage matters and the importance of the Arts and Humanities.

 

I think we need courage to live and thrive in our world today. I’ve written both Book One and Two between writing other stories that have big themes and big questions, pulled from the real world... in the past, but if you look to the present you can see that wherever you go, people face incredible challenges.

I think there can be some c...

Win a free copy of Ten Silver Coins: The Battle for Acchora

This Thursday I'm releasing Book 2 in my Ten Silver Coins series.  As you can imagine, I'm excited!

As a thank you to my followers, both old and new, I'm celebrating with a give-away today and tomorrow.  

Jump over to my Instagram or Facebook accounts and join in!  

Praise for Ten Silver Coins: The Battle for Acchora

I'm grateful for early praise for Ten Silver Coins: The Battle for Acchora, Book Two in my YA series of novels.. 

Editor Mark Weber of the The Red Deer Express has this to say of Ten Silver Coins: The Battle for Acchora.

"As with the first book, Kooman’s imaginative skill and keen sense of what truly makes a rich, adventurous tale work continues to thrive."

"There is no question Kooman has his own unique style, and there are hints of influences from legendary authors like C.S. Lewis, M...