Alison Stuart's Blog, page 35

A NEW BOOK IS COMING!

Hot off the press:  


I am thrilled to announce that GATHER THE BONES, the book I have been loosely describing as "Downton Abbey with ghosts" (I will come up with a better description!), has been bought by Lyrical Press and will be published as an ebook in the mid year.


Watch this space!


A very excited...


Alison xxx

Australian Women Writers Challenge 2012

Keen on romance, fantasy, crime, YA, literary, mainstream women's fiction? Contemporary or historical? Memoir, other nonfiction or poetry? 


Whatever your preference, whether you're a fan of one genre or a devoted eclectic, the 2012 Australian Women Writers Book Reading & Reviewing Challenge invites you to celebrate a year encountering the best of Australian women's writing. 

Challenge period: 1 January 2012 - 31 December 2012 

Goal: Read and review books written by Australian women writers – hard copies, ebooks and audiobooks, new, borrowed or stumbled upon by book-crossing. 

Genre challenges: 
Purist: one genre only 
Dabbler: more than one genre 
Devoted eclectic: as many genres as you can find 

Challenge levels: 
Stella (read 3 and review at least 2 books) 
Miles (read 6 and review at least 3* 
Franklin-fantastic (read 10 and review at least 4 books)* 
* The higher levels should include at least one substantial length review 



I will be joining the challenge and it is my GOAL to be a "Stella" reader (I'm a painfully slow reader these days!) in a genre other than my own (OK...choosing CRIME!).


If you would like to join me GO TO the Goodreads Australian Women Writers Challenge and sign up!  


And if anyone would like to choose one of my books (yes, I am an Australian writer!) to read and/or review, please email me at alison@alisonstuart.com and I will give away a free copy of the chosen book in the e-format of your choosing.


Happy reading in 2012.


Alison

CHANCE ENCOUNTERS

Donne wrote "No man is an island" but for many writersstarting on their writing journey, they can feel that they are not only anisland but a very remote island stranded in a wild sea. When I first started towrite it felt like some sort of guilty pleasure that I would be embarrassedabout if anyone caught me at it! I felt completely and utterly alone.
Gradually, as that first novel began to take shape I started to believe that this wassomething I could do, that a childhood dream of being a writer was achievablebut like any spring growth, that dream felt new and vulnerable to criticism. Acouple of wrong words and I would have crawled into a corner and tried toforget all about it. It took a couple of chance encounters to realise that itwas all right to keep writing and to keep dreaming.
The firstencounter was with a woman in our church choir who I'll call "Ann". To me shewas an idol…a successful career woman who had managed to reach the pinnacle ofher profession and yet also be a wife and mother at a time when women werestill expected to be the little housewife. I can't recall how the conversationstarted, during which she "confessed" that in her spare time (what spare time,I wondered?) she liked to write romance novels. I never knew if Ann was apublished author or not – in hindsight she seemed rather cagey about thataspect of her secret life. That short, snatched conversation in the choirvestry had a deep impact on me and it felt as if she had given me permission topursue my dream. If this amazing woman wrote romance novels then it was OK forme to do so too.
I typed"The End" and that first manuscript (begun when I dislocated a shoulder on askiing holiday) had become a fully formed book. A BOOK! I'd done it! But publication seemedan unachievable aspiration as the rejection letters began to flow in. In themeantime my legal career limped on and led me to my second chance encounter inthe crowded foyer of a local magistrate's court, among the speeding drivers andpetty criminals. There I met an upcoming crime writer, and lawyer, by the nameof Kerry Greenwood. I had read several of her wonderful Phryne Fisher novelsand she was enough of a local identity for me to recognise her. In the courseof the conversation I blurted out my hopes and dreams of leaving law behind andbecoming a writer. Kerry listened patiently and told me that of course I coulddo it. I just had to keep at it.
The rest ishistory. I found a writing family with Romance Writers of Australia and nolonger felt alone. I kept writing and eventually my stories were published butI never forgot Ann and Kerry's encouragement to a young, vulnerable, fledglingwriter with a dream.
Recently Imet Kerry Greenwood again. No longer up and coming but arrived, Kerry'sfabulous stories are being transformed into film with a Phryne Fisher seriesdue for release on the ABC next year. Like any nervous fan I sidled up to herat the end of the panel and began "You won't remember me, but…". "Of course Iremember you," she said. "How is the writing?" I felt myself flushing withpleasure that a chance encounter so many years ago had stayed with her. If sheonly knew what it had meant to me at the time.

Musing about the Muse

"Those who work only when the Muse strikes them make little progress." (William V. Dunning)


Thank you William, your words are so true! Any writer, poet or artist will tell you that if they waited for the muse to appear at their shoulder then there would be little in this world of great literature, poetry or art. The creative life is, I am afraid to say, 10% inspiration and 90% hard graft!


Since becoming "differently employed" in November last year, I have learned that my previous excuses of work pressures no longer excused me from writing. I have spent many mornings sitting at a blank computer screen (well not completely blank, generally it was occupied by Facebook or some other distraction). In order to write I have had to chain my muse by the ankle to the desk and she has howled and sulked and occasionally come up with the goods, but writing, like my previous employment is hard work. Some days the words flow and other days they have to be drawn out like fingernails.


So, who are these muses that so torment us?  According to Greek mythology there were nine of the lovely ladies:



Calliope:  Epic Poetry (symbolised by a writing tablet)Clio:  History (a scroll)Erato: Love poetry (a cythara - harp)Euterpe: Song and Elegaic Poetry (an aulos - flute)Melpomene:  Tragedy (tragic mask)Polyhymnia: Hymns (veil)Terpsichore:  Dance (lyre)Thalia:  Comedy (comic mask)Urania: Astronomy (globe and compass)The word "muse" comes from the Greek "mousa" meaning to excel in arts and in the ancient Greek culture, this covered all learning. Modern words such as "music" owe their derivation to the mousa.


I have decided my own personal muse thrives on stress.  With an imminent overseas trip, a bathroom renovation and general domestic upheaval, I signed off on a draft of one of my WIPs last week with the decision that I would take a break from writing to get everything sorted out. 
That is when my muse came out to play. Without warning I felt compelled to shake the dust off my novella. I have decided this particular story is born of stressful occasions, as I started writing it during my father's last illness.  Suddenly I found I could pass the computer and out would come another few hundred words, without conscious thought and recourse to Facebook or Spider Solitaire. 
Perhaps I am not meant to be a "full time writer", maybe I need some added dimension to my life to kick start my muse into life, or maybe it is just about self discipline and taming my muse into submission?
What kick starts your muse? 


PS You may notice that my blog has changed "look" - that's just me procrastinating again. Then again I am still in spring cleaning mode so a fresh new look for the spring?

HEADS UP - HISTORICAL HEARTS ARE COMING...

HEADS UP – HISTORICAL HEARTS LAUNCH PARTY

Historical Hearts, a group of Australian historical romance authors,is holding a week long Launch Party from Monday 12th until Friday 16th September, 2011. Our authors will talk about their writing, the historical eras they love best, and have give-aways for commenters.There will be discussions, prizes and fun times for readers and writers alike.

An event you'll not want to miss!

 I'll be there on our first day, so please drop by and leave a comment or answer a question.

Guest Blog: How does Feng Shui Work?

I have done several blogs on Feng Shui and its accidental role in my life. This week I am delighted to have a practitioner in the subject as my guest, Michael Shnippering, who is far better qualified than I am to tell you how Feng Shui works!



In order to understand how Feng Shui works, it is crucial to understand chi. Chi is energy; chi is life force. There exists both positive and negative chi, or energy. Feng Shui is used to promote positive chi and subdue or remove negative chi.
However, there are also other, crucial concepts that form the foundations of Feng Shui. One of these is harmony. Harmony, balance, and symmetry are very important in Feng Shui as well. By improving chi flow, creating openings for chi to enter, and formulating spaces where harmony, beauty, and balance are abundant, Feng Shui works to make a home and the people who live there healthy, happy, and prosperous.
Because energy affects us on every level – physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual, by working with the energy and creating positive situations, Feng Shui helps us improve our lives. With Feng Shui, if you change the energy, you change your life.
Feng Shui is referred to as a science and an art. Some even call it magic. It is all three. For those who don't believe in magic, simply open your understanding to define magic as a science we don't yet understand. Because in the Western world, the study of energy is often considered to be "New Age", there is a great deal of ignorance about it and people tend to negate what they do not understand.
In many other places and civilizations in the world, the study of energy has existed for thousands of years. Scientific experiments have proven that we have energy. Whether you call it chi, prana, or energy, it not only exists but plays an important role in our lives.
A doctor named Masuro Emoto did a study where he froze ice crystals. On some of the crystals he wrote the word "love". On another set he wrote "Hate". The ones marked "love" produced beautiful, symmetrical crystals. The others, marked "hate", yielded deformed, lopsided, sickly-looking crystals. You can think of Feng Shui working for similar reasons.
Feng Shui works because like attracts like. When we attract positive energy into our homes, we attract positive energy to our bodies and the events that surrounds us. Certain elements in our homes may promote negative energy. This is often because they are disharmonious. For example, things that are dirty, broken, or ugly make us feel bad – we are picking up on the energy they emit and cause.
The ancient Chinese studied chi in great detail. They were able to discover how things in our physical world carry a certain kind of energy or cause a particular type of energy. They then translated this into a template for making a home harmonious,. In addition, they also used astrology and astronomy, for the positions of the planets, seasons, elements, and other aspect of nature also guide and shape their own energies. [image error]  The bottom line is – Feng Shui works. People have noticed the changes to their homes and lives.
BIO: Michael Schnippering is the founder of of Feng Shui at Work. He is committed to the true art and science of Feng Shui. Over the years his Feng Shui practice has taken him to various parts of the United States, Germany, France, Spain, Colombia and Argentina.
Visit Michael and his team at  Feng Shui at Work http://www.fengshuiatwork.com
Twitter: @fengshuiatwork

On Blogging and Spring Cleaning

Spring is in the air and I am spring cleaning! So far I today I have cleaned the oven, launched a new book and revamped my website.

In September I will be part of an exciting new grop blog -- Historical Hearts -- which launches on September 14 and in the interests of maintaining my sanity and the best use of my time, I am moving my personal blog over to this site. Past posts will still be able to accessed over at the blogspot but all future blogging will be done from here.

Now, I'm off to look at bathroom fittings...Oh, the glamorous life of a writer!

PS the book I have launched is a collection of my short stories TOWER OF TALES. You can find more information about it on my home page 

On Spring Cleaning and Blogs

Spring is in the air and I am spring cleaning! So far I today I have cleaned the oven, launched a new book and revamped my website.

In September I will be part of an exciting new grop blog -- Historical Hearts -- which launches on September 14 and in the interests of maintaining my sanity and the best use of my time, I am moving my personal blog over to my website. Past posts will still be able to accessed here but all future blogging will be done from http://www.alisonstuart.com/alison-stuart-blog.html.

Oh... and the new book I have launched today is a collection of my short stories:  TOWER OF TALES available at Smashwords and Kindle.  From now until the end of August you can download it for free from Smashwords. Just quote coupon #CZ59R!

Fit to Write - A Personal Journey

This time last year I was a mess. 


My dream job had begun to unravel as the organisation I worked for as a senior executive went through an organisational restructure. I was working long hours, dealing with some difficult issues,  what little exercise I did was getting pushed to the back burner and my diet seemed to largely consist of Board room sandwiches and take away. My weight climbed up over the 80kg mark for the first time ever which on a 162cm frame was not a good look! I was going to bed exhausted, sleeping badly and waking up just as exhausted. In short I was stressed, overweight and miserable. 


My father had died earlier in the year and in retrospect I was still dealing with his loss - I simply hadn't acknowledged my need to grieve. I was also frustrated because that five minutes I grabbed on a Saturday afternoon to write was just not enough time to produce anything of any worth. So add 'creatively stifled' to the mixing pot and I was going nowhere fast.



You know things aren't going right when you feel nauseous just driving into the car park in the morning and you tear up just looking at a white board!

Something had to be done or I was heading for the ubiquitous "burnout". Early in September I attended a conference at which the motivational speaker was Matt Church. Every conference has a motivational speaker these days but Matt Church brought a different perspective. He talked about the chemistry of the body and how it affects your working life. He described "Adrenalin Junkies" and as he spoke I could hear the voice in my head..."He's talking about you". To paraphrase him, our bodies give us effectively 3 hours of adrenalin a day and if you are an adrenalin junkie (and I ticked all the boxes), you've burnt it off by 11am. After that cortisol kicks in which, while giving you the same energy level, has the physical effect of thickening the blood. When you stop, "it's like being hit by a Mack truck"...it affects your sleep, causes weight gain...etc.  


How to deal with the problem? Seratonin - it takes at least 3 weeks to begin to replace your seratonin levels. I couldn't change the work situation but I could change me - diet and exercise needed serious re-evaluation. So I signed up to Michelle Bridges 12WBT program. This is not a quick fix weight loss program; it is careful eating and a minimum of 6 days of exercise. I began to use the gym at work in a quiet hour in the afternoon if I could grab one, I changed into my exercise gear before I left work thus ensuring I made it to my Step Into Life classes or simply worked on Michelle's "Learning to Run" Program.


Then in November my employer and I parted ways. It was one of those unpleasant Friday afternoon discussions that come from left field. Yes, I was devastated but at the same time exhilarated. I felt as if I had been set free. As a measure of how stressed I had been, it took at least two months to begin to feel as if I had achieved some sort of equilibrium again. In that time I had lost 8kg and I was exercising every day. In May this year I ran my first 5km "Fun Run" (not two words I have ever put together!) in 37 minutes.


I now write full time. I sit at a desk from 9 to 5 talking to imaginary people, which after my recent work experience, certainly beats talking to real ones! But you have to be fit to write. It is an occupation that demands as much attention to your physical well being as any other job. I'm at an age where bits of me are starting to wear out but that is all the more reason to exercise.

Exercise is now a vital part of my life, if I miss a day then I know it. I still need to lose more weight but at least that is not down to Board room sandwiches any more! The fact is I like a glass of wine in the evening and good food and I'm at an age where the metabolism doesn't function quite the way it used to but at least I don't FEEL overweight any more.


So where am I going with this? Some advice for being "Fit to Write" 

Make exercise part of your day - whether it is going for a walk, yoga or anything. Start setting yourself goals. You do it with your writing...do it with exercise. "Today I will walk one street further" or (as happened to me) "In May I will participate in a Fun Run". It is easy for me to say this and I can hear the excuses (I know them all...believe me) but you can do it. Not exercising is a habit. It takes 21 days to make a new habit. If I could do it, you can too. 
Watch your diet. I know chocolate is a compulsory part of any writer's life, but make it a treat, not a part of the daily food group.
Get up out of that chair at least once ever hour and do something different for 5 minutes.
I know many of you are not just writing, but also balancing employment and families. Nothing changes what I've said above. I did it...you can too! When I started running, I could barely make one minute before feeling as I was about to have a coronary, now I can run 3kms without stopping (OK...I will never be a marathon runner but this is about you...not what others can do!).
In summary: Listen to your body, cultivate a "whole of body awareness" and set yourself goals, even if they are "baby steps". Striving to achieve a goal is better than just sitting back and letting life happen to you.


Any more tips to allow us to be "Fit to Write"?


Alison after the Run for Kids - still smiling!


(PS Another great reference that resonated with me  is the "Strong Women Stay Young" concept. See the website at http://www.strongwomen.com/ )

The English Civil War explained

I don't know why such great tomes are written about the English Civil War when it can be easily explained in less than two minutes. Enjoy!