Janis Hill's Blog, page 2

So, where DO I get my ideas from?

Hi everyone, I’ve decided to share exactly what I mean when I say ‘Life inspires me’ when answering the question in the title of today’s blog post.

I personally feel this is the most common question set to Writer’s by those who don’t have an imagination so fierce it is crawling about in their brain like ants. Or maybe that’s just me and actually a scalp issue I need looking at? ;-)

Some people simply appear perplexed I am able to make up stories out of seemingly nothing and I just want to set...

I suppose I should do one of those ‘it’s the New Year’ posts?

Hello everyone!

Yes, I left my blog on a bit of a downer a few weeks ago by using it to say goodbye to a dear friend who sadly passed away suddenly just before Christmas.

Then with all the bedlam of the Solstice, Christmas, the calendar New Year, my revolting Hordes (as in they kept revolting and refusing to help) and a big old nasty heatwave… yeah, like I had time to blog something merry, festive and bright.

I will add my PA (the Death of Rats) did try and lighten my mood, but after this inc...

Yesterday I lost a friend…

And, sadly, I don’t mean in the usual forgetful way where I know I put them down somewhere and now can’t seem to find them again.

No, fellow crazy lady, supporter of my chocolate milk for breakfast campaign, author, mum, wife and friend passed away.

Although I was a late comer to the circle of friends I now gather with to mourn your passing, although we haven’t physically seen each other for about a decade – we were still friends and you were thought of if not daily, at least weekly. And, of...

Yes, I DO blog for free… but only for me!

Okay, so there was a little artistic license used on the grammar in the title of this post, but I’m hoping you get the gist?

I’ve decided to dedicate a blog post today to try and raise awareness for those clever writers new to the whole ‘contributing online’ thing.

Why? Well, because I used to be green and eager and willing to agree to some pretty stupid terms and conditions – as long as my work appeared online. It had meant I’d made it in some small way… right?

Well, in most cases – wrong!

I...

Spring cleaning my Author’s blog.

Hello everyone,

Just a brief blog post this morning – there will be a longer one (I hope) later in the week.

I just wanted to advertise that I’ve finally gotten around to adding some of Bonnie’s blog posts to my Author blog. These posts were originally posted on Bonnie’s Facebook Pagea few years back. Check them out at Bonnie’s Blog Posts.

I’ve not added all of them yet… but have only a few more to go. As they are on a page, rather than the blog, they’re all in one great chunk you will need t...

Why I’m not doing NaNoWriMo this year.

Hello everyone, it’s November and around the world there are Writers sharing the love of our art and pushing their limits by taking part in NaNoWriMo… And, yeah, I’m not one of them.

Don’t get me wrong, I love the whole idea of the different versions of NaNoWriMo and, in the past, I’ve even been invited to participate in a few. Heck, last year I even did my own version of a NaNoWriMo to inspire myself to finish the manuscript There’s no place like Hell – and I did indeed get a huge chunk of i...

Happy Halloween everyone!

Hi, remember me? Yeah, I kind of used to blog here but seem to have forgotten to in a while. ;-)

I will admit I have been meaning to post for some time and have about four pages of notes I’ve made on topics to blog about…. Yeah, they so helped didn’t they?

But with the usual family goings on and a simply fantastic (note sarcasm) winter for illness… I’ve spent more time over on my reviewer blog. As that’s what I do when I’m not well – I read. And what happens when you get sent a free book in e...

I’ve finished my latest manuscript!

Hello everyone, yes I know I’ve been a rather slack blogger this year, but I have had some simply fantastically colourful excuses that I’m not going to share. Quite frankly it’s boiled down to ‘life’, ‘kids’ and all the usual stuff that we all go through so why write about it? ;-)

I will, however, let you know I’ve finally finished book two in the Other World series – There’s no place like hell. And as I’ve just shipped it off to my publisher and I start contemplating whether they will indeed...

I’ve not given up my day job, but I have started reviewing!

Here you were all thinking my day job was being an Author, right? Don’t be silly… my day job is as a Haus Frau and Horde Wrangler. My night job – and any time I can fit it in really – is being a Writer who occasionally stumbles over the opportunity to be an Author too. ;-)

And let me just tell you the Horde Wrangling has been taking up more time than the Haus Frauing… or anything else for that matter of late. Which is why I’ve been so quiet on this blog. Ooops. As much as I refuse to label my...

Emphasising the Australian voice with a short story.

I recently entered a competition hosted by Pan Macmillan where they wanted you to write a 1,000 word short story using characters from William Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet.

So I did. I didn’t win, didn’t even make the top five. Heck, I didn’t even get a mention. Not that I’m bitter (honestly, no sarcasm there for once) as I went into it pretty sure they wouldn’t even read past my introductory blurb about me and even look at my short story. Why? Because I emphasised my love of the Australian...