Josephine Moon's Blog, page 12
May 21, 2019
Movie Review, Top End Wedding
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There’s a lot to love in this Australian romantic comedy. It’s funny, heartwarming, entertaining and has magnificent scenery, including locations in Darwin, Katherine Gorge, Tiwi Islands and Kakadu.
Lauren (Miranda Tapsell) and her fiancé (Gwilym Lee) leave their life in Adelaide to fly to Darwin to get married, but upon arriving discover that Lauren’s mother Daffy (Ursula Yovich) has left the family with no explanation. Lauren’s father (Huw Higginson) is heartbroken, preferring to lock himself away in the pantry, while listening to sad songs, and brings us many great moments.
This film is about families–building them, grieving them, celebrating them, mending them. The Australian film and television industry is relatively small and with lean budgets, and I have always felt this works in our favour because when we make a production we generally do them well, with strong scripts and strong acting, and this one is no exception.
Top End Wedding is total joy.
This film is rated M but it could easily have been rated PG, in my opinion. There’s no sex, no violence and the few instances of the f-word are covered over by external noise.
Verdict: Go see it!
April 27, 2019
Why Taylor Swift and Benjamin Button Are Inspiration for Us All
Taylor Swift recently adopted a homeless kitten while on set filming her new clip for Me! and it has us purring with delight. Firstly, let’s talk about the adorable kitten, now called Benjamin Button, who is melting the internet with his gorgeousness.
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It’s no secret we love cats, with numerous rescues in our family, and we also love Taylor, so this news made us extra happy. Also, Benjamin is an inspiration. What an amazing symbol of hope he is.
Here he was a homeless kitten, a potentially bleak future. His first stroke of good luck came when he ended up in the hands of a rescue organisation. But then he found himself on the film set with one of the most influential, wealthy and kind-hearted women on the planet. And in her words, “…he looks at me like, ‘You’re my mum, and we’re going to live together.’ I fell in love… He literally looked at me like, ‘Adopt me please.’ And I was like, ‘Okay I’m going to do that.”
We too have had that moment of locking eyes with a cat and knowing our fates lay together. Sometimes stuff really does happen for a reason.
Bravo to Benjamin, whose future could well have included starvation, accidents, violence or euthanasia, but instead (in true cat style) decided that that life wasn’t for him, that his situation in life had nothing to do with his self-worth, that he deserved better, and that hey, he might as well aim for not just any home but possibly the best possible cat home on the planet.
And brava to Taylor Swift for listening to inner voice that said she and this little guy were meant for each other. Now that’s a love story we can get onboard with.
March 28, 2019
100-book Raffle Winners!
The Authors for Townsville Raffle has been drawn.
Thank you to all who entered this competition. With your help we raised just over $6,000 for this worthy cause for GIVIT. And a HUGE thank you to the generous authors who donated their books, without which we wouldn’t have had a raffle at all! I’ve no doubt the money will be well used and appreciated by the people who need it most.
Winners:
1st prize: Janine A
2nd prize: Sarah H
3rd prize: Gillian D
I have sent you all an email to let you know and to confirm your postal address.
Authors, I will email you as soon as we have address confirmation. X
March 25, 2019
Brisbane Writing Workshops, May 2019
How do you find ideas for stories, and what do you do with them once you have them? How do you write a bestselling novel? This year, I’m delighted to be running two writing workshops in Brisbane in May at Twelfth Night Theatre.
Do you…
Have an idea that’s been hanging around that you’d like to bring to life somehow?
Struggle to find story idea, or have the opposite problem and have too many ideas?
Struggle to work out what format to put your idea into or what to do with it once it’s finished?
Have a burning desire to write a novel?
Have a half-finished (or quarter-finished) novel that you need some help to finish?
Want to have fun, feel creative, meet up with other creatives?
Just want to escape the family and the Brisbane heat for a weekend, eat some chocolate and maybe make a new friend?
I can help!
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Workshop 1: Bringing Your Ideas to Life. How do you find ideas for stories and what do you do with them once you find them? Josephine will guide you through the process of discovering ideas for stories, accessing research and resources, breathing life into words, and then pulling them into some sort of order to get them onto the page. She’ll also help you to work out what sort of writer you might be, which will help you know what to do with your ideas. She’ll cover different types of structure to suit different outcomes and foundational skills in the requirements of a good story.
Workshop 2: How to Write a Bestselling Novel. There isn’t one single way to write a bestseller but there are definitely common elements you can learn. Bring your idea for a novel and Josephine will show you how to plot it out to keep the pages turning, build strong characters and guide you through the foundations of self-editing. This interactive day will see you leave with a bounty of information to set you up for success.
You can book in for either event or attend both for a discount. As well, I’ll give everyone who comes along a complimentary copy of The Gift of Life to take home!
Click here for bookings.
March 24, 2019
Why Do You Want to Read ‘The Gift of Life’?
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Recently, I offered my mailing list subscribers the chance to win a copy of The Gift of Life. All they had to do was tell me in 25 words or less why they wanted to read it. I hadn’t expected to be so delighted by reading their responses, and thought I’d share some with you. Maybe you’ll find a good reason in there to add The Gift of Life to your reading collection when it is released into the world next week on 2 April.
The winner of the competition was April Nisbet, who shared “your books are medicine for my soul. I can always connect to your characters, I feel their passions and their fears from page 1. ”
April also sent me another email telling me how The Tea Chest inspired a total life turnaround for her, fuelling her passion to begin working with tea. She even took her copy of The Tea Chest to Darjeeling for research (see photo), and will be completing her tea blending certificate later this year. April is actually the third person who has shared that The Tea Chest had this affect on her. I can’t tell you what a privilege it is to be a writer and have people not only enjoy my books but actually find meaning in their own life because of them.
Thank you to everyone who entered this competition. There were so many wonderful entries and it was such a joy to read them.
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I have had a transplant and hope to see the emotions of the situation of donor & recipient expressed realistically, sensitively & positively. (Karen K)
I have always wondered if there was a spiritual connection between the donor and recipient of a heart transplant (Delores B)
…life is a precious gift (Sue E)
I often replace your books with my daily meditation practice (April N)
I have been involved in many organ donations aka “the gift of life” as a nurse in ICU (Karen J)
Just read “The Chocolate Promise” for the fourth time. Totally LOVE all four novels so far and can’t wait to read “The Gift of Life”!!! (Ainslie H)
Love all your other books and know I will love this one just as much. (Corinna)
…sometimes I need a reminder to appreciate all I have and the people in my life (Liz H)
I am waiting for a heart/lung transplant (Heidi D)
Love, love, love all your books. (Chrissy B)
Josephine is my favourite and she is yet to write a book I don’t adore. (Bryannan K)
_________________________
If you’re feeling inspired to read The Gift of Life, you’ll be able to get a copy of the book from anywhere good books are sold, Big W, airports, K-Mart, and Target. Or you can buy online at
Booktopia
Get it on audio here (Audible)
Get it at Amazon here
Book Depository (with FREE international shipping)
March 10, 2019
The Gift of Life, Australian Book Tour
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It’s now just three weeks until The Gift of Life is released into the world! I’m thrilled to share I have a bumper book tour happening and will be getting around to Qld, NSW, Vic, Tas, and SA! All the details are listed on the Contact Me/Events page, but here is a list of what’s there so far. Plans are still being pinned down in the background so there may yet be more added but I do hope I get to see you on the road soon!
The Gift of Life, Book Tour Dates
Please check back often as this information is updating.
Queensland
Saturday 30 March 2019
Big W, Maroochydore, time to be confirmed
Tuesday 2 April 2019:
A Morning with Josephine Moon at Bribie Island Library, 10-11am
Bribie Island Library, 1 Welsby Parade, Bongaree, QLD, Australia, 4507
Tuesday 2 April:
An Evening with Josephine Moon at Chermside Library, 6-7pm
Chermside Library, 375 Hamilton Road Chermside, QLD 4032
Wednesday 3 April 2019
An Afternoon with Josephine Moon at Garden City Library, 1-2pm
Address:
Garden City Library
Garden City Shopping Centre
Cnr Logan and Kessels Rds
Upper Mt Gravatt
QLD 4122
Queensland Workshops
Saturday 4 May, 10am-3pm, Twelfth Night Theatre, Brisbane
Workshop 1: Bringing Your Ideas to Life. How do you find ideas for stories and what do you do with them once you find them? Josephine will guide you through the process of discovering ideas for stories, accessing research and resources, breathing life into words, and then pulling them into some sort of order to get them onto the page. She’ll also help you to work out what sort of writer you might be, which will help you know what to do with your ideas. She’ll cover different types of structure to suit different outcomes and foundational skills in the requirements of a good story.
For more info and bookings, CLICK HERE.
Sunday 5 May, 10am-3pm, Twelfth Night Theatre, Brisbane
Workshop 2: How to Write a Bestselling Novel. There isn’t one single way to write a bestseller but there are definitely common elements you can learn. Bring your idea for a novel and Josephine will show you how to plot it out to keep the pages turning, build strong characters and guide you through the foundations of self-editing. This interactive day will see you leave with a bounty of information to set you up for success.
For more info and bookings, CLICK HERE.
New South Wales
Thursday 4 April
11am – 12 pm Morning Tea with Josephine Moon at Berkelouw Mona Vale
Address: 12-14 Park Street, Mona Vale, NSW
6.30-7.30pm An Evening with Josephine Moon at Sutherland Library
Sutherland Library
Address: 30-36 Belmont Street, Sutherland, NSW, Australia, 2232Friday 5th April,2.30 – 3.30pm, An event with Josephine Moon at Camden Library
Camden Library
Tasmania
Saturday 6 April 2019
A Morning with Josephine Moon at Hobart Library, 11am-12pm
Venue Details:
Hobart LINC
Address: 91 Murray Street, Hobart, TAS, Australia, 7000 Contact: Leisha Owen
Victoria
Tuesday 7 May 2019
An Afternoon with Josephine Moon at Mornington Peninsula Libraries, 2-3pm
Mornington Peninsula Libraries
Address: 21 Marine Parade, Hastings, VIC, Australia, 3915 Contact: Gail Higgins
Tuesday 7 May, 2019
An Evening with Josephine Moon at Bunjil Place Library, 7-8pm
Bunji Place Library
Address: Bunjil Place, Patrick Northeast Drive, Narre Warren, VIC, Australia, 3805
South Australia
Wednesday 8 May, 2019, 6-7pm, An Evening with Josephine Moon at Noarlunga Library
Hannah Road, Noarlunga Centre, SA
Thursday 9 May, 2019, 1.30-3.30p, An Afternoon with Josephine Moon at Auchendarroch House
Auchendarroch House, 17 Adelaide Rd, Mt Barker, SA
March 6, 2019
The Full List of 100 Books to WIN, supporting Townsville and surrounds with funds for flooding relief
Thrillers, romance, suspense, fantasy, contemporary, rural, memoir, historical and kids…. whatever you read, you’re sure to find something in this list, with plenty left over to fill your gift buying needs for a long time to come!
Here it is, the full list of 100 books up for grabs in the giant book raffle, raising much needed funds for flooding relief support for residents of Townsville and beyond. A huge thank you to all the Aussie authors who have donated their books to this cause and another round of applause to everyone who has already bought tickets in this competition. Your ticket money will be going straight to GIVIT, the charity coordinating the distribution of donations. You still have time to buy tickets, with 1st, 2nd and 3rd prizes being drawn on Friday 29th March at 9am.
Without further ado… here they are.
Josephine Moon
Three Gold Coins + The Gift of Life + The Beekeeper’s Secret +
The Chooclate Promise + The Tea Chest
Monica McInerney
The Trip of a Lifetime
Lia Weston
Those Pleasant Girls
Rachael Johns
Lost Without You
Michelle Johnston
Dustfall
Michaela Daphne
Purlieu
Rachel Bailey
The Finn Factor
Liz Byrski
A Month of Sundays
Karen Viggers
The Orchardist’s Daughter
Michael Trant
Ridgeview Station
Christian White
The Nowhere Child
Annie Seaton
Diamond Sky
Lisa Ireland
The Shape of Us
Anna Campbell
A Scoundrel By Moonlight
Wendy J Dunn
Falling Pomegranate Seeds
Barbara Hannay
The Summer of Secrets
Kirsty Manning
The Jade Lily
Darry Fraser
The Widow of Ballarat
Tess Woods
Love and Other Battles
Anna Daniels
Girl In Between
Jane Gillespie
Journey to Me
S.D. Wasley
Downfall
Fiona Palmer
Sisters and Brothers
Vanessa Carnevale
The Florentine Bridge + The Memories that Make Us
Christine Wells
The Juliet Code
Helene Young
Return to Roseglen
Kali Napier
The Secrets at Ocean’s Edge
Michelle Endersby
Awakening Around Roses
Louise Guy
A Life Worth Living
Emily Madden
The Lost Pearl
Jodi L Perry
Nineteen Letters
Louise Allen
The Sister’s Song
Charlotte Nash
Saving You + The Paris Wedding + The Horseman
Donna Cameron
Beneath the Mother Tree
Kylie Ladd
The Way Back
Fiona Lowe
Home Fires
Sally Hepworth
The Family Next Door + The Mother-in-law
Jay Ludowyke
Carpathia
Lauren Charter
The Lace Weaver
Nene Davis
Whitethorne
Esther Campion
The House of Second Chances
Beth Prentice
Dangerous Deeds
Phillipa Nefri Clark
The Stationmaster’s Cottage
Eliza Henry Jones
P is for Pearl + Ache + In The Quiet
Rhonda Forest
Two Heartbeats
Lisa Ireland
The Shape of Us
Kelly Rimmer
The Things We Cannot Say + Before I Let You Go
Pamela Cook
The Crossroads
JoanneTracey
Happy Ever After
T.M. Clarke
Nature of the Lion +
(Child of Africa; and Slowly! Slowly!) (to go together)
Cass Moriarty
Parting Words + The Promise Seed
Maggie Christensen
A Model Wife
Joanna Nell
The Single Ladies of Jacaranda Retirement Village
Sandie Docker
The Cottage at Rosella Cove
Lynne Leonhardt
Finding Jasper
Sara Foster
The Hidden Hours
Lily Malone
Butterfly House: Who Killed the Bride?
Di Morrisey
Arcadia
Robyn Cadwallader
Book of Colours + The Anchoress
Amanda Hampson
Sixty Summers
Jenn J McLeod
A Place to Remember
Katherin Johnson
Matryoshka
Kristine Charles
Love Sabre
Alicia Tuckerman
If I Tell You
Torre DeRoche
The Worrier’s Guide to the End of the World
Terry L Probert
Kundela + Voss: The Price of Innocence
John Purcell
The Girl on the Page
Judy Nunn
Sanctuary
Amanda Curtin
Elemental
Cassie Hamer
After the Party
Michelle Dalton (via Sarah Williams)
Epona
Sarah Williams
The Outback Governess
Rashida Murphy
The Historian’s Daughter
Stephanie Parkyn
Into the World11
Alissa Callen
The Round Yard
Kerri Turner
The Last Days of the Romanov Dancers
Candice Fox
Hades + Gone By Midnight
JP Pomare
Call Me Evie
Christopher Raja
The Burning Elephant
Kirsten Alexander
Half Moon Lake
Catherine Evans, Kim Petersen, Beth Prentice
Untamed Destinies
Lea Davey
Silworm Secrets + The Shack by the Bay
1st prize: 70 books
2nd prize: 20 books
3rd prize: 10 books
March 5, 2019
Droughts and flooding rains and your chance to win 100 books!
[image error]Fellow author Jenn J McLeod wrote this wonderful piece for Better Reading recently, describing how her connection to the land (as a nomadic novelist) prompted her to throw her support behind the Authors for Townsville Giant Book Raffle.
Jenn wrote:
“Late last year, while driving Myrtle the Purple Turtle (my home on wheels) from east to west via The Great Australian Bight, I was reminded of Dorothea Mackellar’s poem, My Country. You know the one:
I love a sunburnt country,
A land of sweeping plains,
Of ragged mountain ranges,
Of droughts and flooding rains.
If any road trip can highlight the contrasting landscape that is Australia, it’s the 4,452 kilometres we drove from coast to coast. To start, we climbed the ragged Great Dividing Range, traversed the sweeping plains of a dusty, drought-affected NSW, then paused before passing over our country’s opal heart. A wilful and lavish land indeed! Then we made the windswept and remarkable Nullarbor Plain that lived up to its name. (Null = no, Arbor = trees) Finally, at WA’s southern-most tip we found the light between oceans. (Cape Leeuwin National Park and lighthouse: the inspiration for M. L. Steadman’s novel and a #bucketlist item for this nomadic novelist.)
There was one constant on our journey across this diverse land; the steady convoy of semi-trailers carting hay and bound for drought-stricken farming regions to the east. We tooted and waved and said “thanks” over the two-way for making the trek. We understood how long and costly, and even dangerous that road trip can be. Like many Australians I bought a bale, but I wanted to do more to help our farmers. I wanted to help make a difference.”
You can continue to read Jenn’s article here.
To join me and Jenn in supporting our devastated Queensland communities, and secure your chance to win 100 books, follow this link and click on the ‘Buy Now’ button to get your tickets.
February 21, 2019
An author, 20 years in the making. Trust me, there’s still time for you.
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Dear (as yet) unpublished writers,
I realised recently that this year it is has been 20 years since I declared I wanted to be a full-time career author. Twenty years! That might have made me feel the teensiest bit old.
(Do you know what else made me feel old recently? My six-year-old came home from school and told me he’d joined the junior choir and they were learning John Mayer’s song, Waiting on the the World to Change. I was thrilled. When I was six years old, I also joined the junior choir and do you know what was the first song I was taught? God Save the Queen!!! I’m not even joking. The second song was Advance Australia Fair. Yep.)
Anyway, back to the writing thing…
I still remember that moment well. It was 1999 and I was in my first year teaching. I had gone to a weekend workshop with the Queensland Writers Centre. I was so inspired that I had a ‘full body moment’ where I decided this is it. This was what I wanted to do for the rest of my life. I wish I could remember who the teacher was that day. Clearly, she was so inspirational that she changed my life.
I’ve been writing ever since, short stories, poetry, flash fiction, contemporary novels, kids books, non-fiction, newspaper and magazine articles, online articles. Not all of it has been published. Not all of it is good. Most of it didn’t make any money. Sometimes it was exhilarating and sometimes heartbreaking. I made friends, a community. I won some prizes, was shortlisted for some, and on one memorable occasion was ranked in the last (i.e. considered ‘worst’) twenty-five per cent of entries.
It all changed in 2012 when I was signed by an agent. My first book, The Tea Chest, was published in 2014, but it was actually the tenth full-length manuscript I had written.
Sometimes, you’ll hear about a writer who just decided to write a book and it got published. If you’ve been slogging away for years and years at your craft, this can be deflating. But everyone’s journey is so different. A writer might publish one book and never publish another ever again. Another writer might publish a book and it’s a runaway hit, only to never have another book live up to the first one’s sale ever again. Another writer might write twenty books and make the same amount of money as the one with the mega hit, just over a longer time period. Another writer will start with modest sales and then build, and build and build.
There’s still time and space for you too. Perhaps you just haven’t truly found ‘your voice’ yet–that important but difficult to describe quality to your work. Perhaps you’re just not writing in the genre that’s right for you yet. Perhaps the timing of the market just isn’t there to support your work yet. Yet. Most writers I know slogged it out for years before they were published. You’re definitely not alone.
This year, I am blessed to have two books hitting the shelves (fiction, with The Gift of Life in April, and non-fiction with Buddhism for Meat Eaters in July), bringing my list of published books to seven. Seven doesn’t sound like a lot, I know. But writing is a slow game, a long game, and you’re going to need stamina to turn it into a career. There’s no one path to publication and no guarantees of outcomes after publication. It’s a game of luck as much as skill. The thing that keeps you going, the thing that must be there to keep you going, is passion. You write because you have to. You write for love. You write for the bliss moment, the moment when the real world falls away and it’s just you racing to keep up with the story your characters are telling. There is no other way.
Write on!
February 17, 2019
Story Dogs: sponsoring Sunshine Beach State School
[image error]The saying goes that children who read become adults who think, and this year I am once again delighted to continue my sponsorship of a Story Dogs human–dog team. I am exceptionally lucky to be sponsoring Mercedes and Cleo who visit Sunshine Beach State School to assist early readers with their confidence by extending a paw and hand of support!
Mercedes and Cleo, I hope you have a wonderful year together with your young reading friends!
