Josephine Moon's Blog, page 3

Joy! My First Recipe Book is Here!

Lovely ones, for years and years, you’ve been telling me how much my books make your mouth water and make you hungry and how much you want me to write a recipe book. Well, finally I have put together my first recipe book, and it’s available from today, just in time for Christmas celebrations and gift giving.

Joy: GET YOUR COPY NOW

What’s in it? My blue ribbon winning strawberry jam recipe, for one. These recipes are family friendly, all gluten free by default (but you can substitute your own flour, no problem) and usually dairy free (but you can also substitute your usual replacements). They are highly flexible recipes, made for you to play with. Cooking is creative, after all, so I want my recipes to be inspiring and supporting, as much as they are instructional.

I’ve also included a five-page special event guide on How To Throw A Tuscan Feast. This is a great event for a special occasion, such as Christmas, Easter or (as I did) for a special wedding anniversary. I’ve also included recipes for cakes, cupcakes, icing, cocktails, apple crumble, a hearty chicken dinner, gingerbread and more.

My food stories and recipes are inspired by my bestselling foodie fiction books. For years, I’ve wanted to bring you, my readers, this accessible, family friendly and tested collection of some of my favourite recipes. This is the first volume of recipes, accompanied by behind-the-scenes stories and memories. It’s a great idea for a Christmas gift for a loved one, especially if you can’t catch up in person – you can send this ebook to them, wherever they are.

I hope you love it.

Jo x

A Tail from Joey’s Ark

My big boy, Lincoln, was sick this week and it shook me, for two reasons.

Firstly, when I accidentally bought him at auction, he’d endured long-term starvation. He didn’t look like he does now. He even had fluid sacs around his abdomen, which is (in short terms), very bad. But, he survived. His mane (which had mostly fallen out, or been chewed off by fellow starving horse friends), grew back, thick long, and soft. What remained of his coat (small, gingerish-brown, twists of brittle nothing) fell out, and he surprised me with a gleaming, jet-black summer coat. He ate… and ate… and ate… and in just seven weeks, he had transformed (physically, anyway… his mental and emotional scars took a bit longer). But, I guess, I always think of him as a survivor. Tough as nails.

Secondly, after that initial rehab, he has had precisely ZERO problems. 14 years of complete stability. He’s not needed a vet for anything other than routine annual dental work and Hendra vaccines. I’ve often thought that Lincoln must have used up all his suffering and bad luck/karma in the first 8-ish years of his life and it would be easy sailing for him now. True, two years ago, he lost Tansy (the love of his life) and I’ve never felt that he’s ever completely bounced back. But on the whole, he’s had a charmed life with me since that fateful day I accidentally brought him into our lives.

Over the weekend, though, he stopped eating, and I’m pretty sure my own heart stopped for a moment too. There’s not much sadder then a horse that won’t eat! And, it’s dangerous. As grazers, they need a pretty constant rate of food going through that enormously long intestinal tract, and things can flip from ‘okay’ to ‘life threatening emergency’ pretty quickly. (Horses really aren’t for the faint-hearted.) He wasn’t showing any signs of colic. (That was good.) But he wouldn’t eat. (That’s bad.) Still, he looked stable, it was late, and I checked on him overnight – still no colic. In the morning, he was the same. I took his temperature and he was running a fever over 39 degrees. (Not good.) Anytime I’ve had a horse that’s off its food and running a fever, it has either turned to colic or it turned out to be pneumonia. So, I called the vet. (It was a Sunday, of course, because you can set your watch on it that if a horse is going to get sick or injured it will happen after hours.) It was not colic, nor pneumonia, nor laminitis and nothing else that could be seen. On-the-spot blood test (in the back of the vet’s truck) showed he had quite high levels of inflammation, but that was all we got.

The short end to this story is that he got IV painkillers and started eating about ten minutes later. I kept him on painkillers for a few days and he’s been fine since. The bloods were sent off for more thorough analysis but other than one random anomaly, there was nothing to go on. I’d had him tested for Cushings only a few months ago (I now do this will all older horses after the mammoth week-long colic nightmare I had with Yum Yum six months ago) and it was negative. His vaccinations are up to date. There are no horses on our boundaries. None of my other horses are ill. The whole thing is a mystery.

And it’s shaken me. I’m an emotional wobble board most of the time and excessively so if something is wrong with any of my animals. But with Lincoln, I have a bonus layer of panic thrown in. I think, having had a glimpse of how much he suffered prior to coming to me, his clearly unusual background (that’s another story but suffice to say, Lincoln is ‘different’) and the rather odd way he came into my life, has made me extra protective of him. He was clearly ‘meant’ for me. I never want him to suffer ever again. He went through too much before he got to me. Plus, he’s rather hilarious, a huge personality, and very cuddly, all of which makes him a favourite with everyone who meets him.

This unexpected and mysterious illness makes me realise that he’s not my 8-year-old boy anymore. He’s 22… we’ve turned a corner, and the clock is counting down.

[Image ID] A wide shot of a black horse standing behind a half wall in a garage-turned-stable. He is turned towards the camera, waiting for food. His eye isn’t entirely relaxed. Something is bothering him.

Blue Ribbon Winning Strawberry Jam? Yes, please!

Yesterday, I used the ‘C’ word online for the first time this year. Yep, I said it: Christmas.

This year, I am kicking off my Christmas cooking with a batch of my finest strawberry jam. And what is the recipe I’m using? Nothing other than my blue ribbon winning strawberry jam from the Royal Queensland Show (the Ekka), 2019.

I had never made jam before that but, as I like to do, I researched my food theme and competitive jam making thoroughly in order to write about a family of jam makers in my novel, The Jam Queens.

Researching is one of my favourite parts of writing a book so I do it thoroughly, that’s for sure. I will always try to do whatever it is my characters are doing so that I can write about it authentically. And I was glad I did because officious world of competitive jam making is staggeringly strict! To say I shocked to take 1st place in a Royal Show is an understatement. Beginner’s luck, no doubt, but still something that was incredibly exciting and fun.

This week, I’ll be using my blue ribbon winning recipe (which is printed in the back of The Jam Queens) to make gifts for loved ones, not for competition. I am a ‘slow jammer’, making my jam over several days. And the heavenly aroma of macerated strawberries is reward enough.

How to Write a Book (for those who want to, but have a hundred excuses not to).

Reposted from 18th November, 2015 … but still seems relevant

Consider this post both a gentle, supportive hug, and also a loving butt kick. I’ve had too many conversations in the past month with beautiful, talented, creative women that go something like this:

“Yeah, I’d love to write a book but I don’t want to do it and have it be bad.”“I don’t want to write a book and have people criticise it.”“I’d love to write a book but I know it’s so hard to get anything published [and therefore why would I bother].”“I really want to write a book but I know hardly anyone makes money out of it and I need to be able to support myself… I can’t give up my day job.”

Look, to be blunt, none of this is new. All of this has been said before, by me and every other person with a creative wish. As Elizabeth Gilbert says, “your fears are boring”. (Ouch! Hurts just a bit, doesn’t it?)

People get so messed up in their heads thinking about the outcome of their creative project that they fail to even start it.

And in my experience, what happens to your book  after it is finished is largely out of your hands. You have very little control over it after it leaves your laptop and flies off into the world.

Maybe it will sell, maybe it won’t. Maybe it will start a revolution across the world, or maybe it will change a single person’s life and help them through a difficult time. Maybe it will make you really rich, or maybe it will pay a phone bill, or maybe you’ll end up in debt.

Like bringing a child into the world, there is only so much you can do to protect, shepherd and guide her where you want her to go. She has her own journey.

Is this poking at your deepest fears? Can you feel your stomach knotting and your breathing constrict?

Here is something terrifying.

That fear never goes away.

I emailed my lovely fairy godmother, Monica McInerney, not long after getting my contract for The Tea Chest and The Chocolate Promise and asked her how to deal with the paralysing fear that was stopping me writing. She laughed (lovingly) and told me it wouldn’t ever go away and she was going through it right then too, on her tenth novel.

Julia Cameron, master of living a creative life (and famed author of The Artist’s Way) confesses in her book, The Creative Life, that as time goes on, the mind’s tricks, which it plays to stop us from writing, only get trickier.

Please, beautiful people with creative dreams, don’t be a slave to the ego’s fear.

You are stronger than that. You are wiser.

Name it, if you like. (My creative monster, my ever present fear, is called Maureen. Julia Cameron’s is called Nigel.) It is like an unwanted relative. You can’t get rid of it. It will always be at the table, eating your food.

Give it a job if you like. Many years ago, I listened to my saboteur tell me that everything I wrote was crap, turned to the corner of the room and said, ‘Really? Thanks for that feedback. Now go do something useful and find me a book contract.’ (Well… I got a contract!)

But please, write.

Please write.

Write.

Write for the sake of writing. Write because you want to. Write because in this hour, this day, that is what your soul calls you do to. Write because you love it. Write because you have something to say.

What happens to it after that?

It’s irrelevant. The important thing is that you wrote.

Much love,

Jo x

Seven Reasons to Join the Bribie Island Weekend With Me

Oh, I do love a good list! And I do love the number seven, specifically, for a list. Although, eight is actually my favourite number and always has been… don’t know what that’s about, but I’m sure there are some numerologists out there who could tell me Alright, enough of that. The big news is that I have two glorious weekends coming up on Bribie Island in Queensland. Huzzah!

#1 is on 21/22 October (it was sold out but has had a late cancellation). If you want to join that one, email me at josephinemoon@live.com.au and I’ll sort you out, quick sticks!#2 is on 11/12 November and is already half full! You can book into that one via the booking page.

There is something so magical about getting together with fellow writers, and especially, I think, for a weekend (at least!), where you can let the rest of the everyday go and just breathe deep and sink down in your story. That’s what we’ll be doing with fellow writers, following with the theme of ‘Diving Deeper’, and there aren’t many seats left. Maybe, one of those seats is for you?

May I suggest, then, the ultimate Seven Reasons to Join the Bribie Island Weekend With Me.

Honestly, what better way to spend a weekend than nurturing yourself and your story!? How often do our plans to write get scuppered by other people’s plans, or demands or interruptions or distractions? Get away from it all and “date your book”. (That’s my term for it… giving your book your undivided attention, as much as you would in the early days of dating a new beau.) Show it a good time! Show your book how much you love it!You’ll make writing connections. It’s a truth universally acknowledged that a writer in possession of a good manuscript, must be in want of a contract. And do you know what you need in this business? Connections. First and foremost, we need other writers for fellowship, company, tea and sympathy when it all goes wrong, and champagne and selfies when it all goes right. It also helps to share cabins and fireplaces when we need to belt out 10,000 words to meet a deadline and to have readers to swap stories with and give and receive feedback. Connections help us with tips on competitions and opportunities and, eventually (not always, but often), as colleagues in the business who look out for each other. This is why it’s great to get out from behind the computer every now and then and meet up with real writers, in person. Friends for life? Possibly. Friendly faces to see at festivals and conferences? Probably. The right person at the right time… almost guaranteed, in my experience.Bribie, itself. You know, as a kid, I had an uneasy relationship with Bribie. My memories are full of injuries (bare feet being sliced open on shells as sharp as scalpels); seaweed (so. much. seaweed.) in all the wrong places; dingy, damp huts; and wild surf you couldn’t swim in and winds that tore through clothing. But having only recently been there for a week with my fantabulous writing buddy, Kate, I have an entirely new appreciation for this kind-of-daggy-kind-of-lovely place. Specifically, I mean the Bongaree area, the calm side, the gentle, slow-paced, undemanding vistas and gentle water. The waterfront space along Pumicestone Passage there is truly delightful. Blue water. White sand. Upgraded parkland. Ice cream. Coffee. Unhurried. (I swear, everyone actually drives more slowly there.) The fantastic foreshore celebration of the history of the area. There are so many brilliant stories of people and their triumphs, disasters, bad tempers and generosity that your writer brain can’t fail to be intrigued. And I would wager that if you do spend some time perusing the foreshore information stations, something in there will either find its way to influence the story you’re working on, or sit inside your brain and percolate gently until it finds the next story of yours to influence.The museum! Yes, there is a museum nearby and it is really quite intriguing. Again, as above… stories! Everywhere! Those stories are begging for someone (you?!) to bring them fully to life inside your fictional world.Food! May I recommend Annie Lane for breakfast? The vegetarian breakfast is just mouth-wateringly perfect! Also, it would be hard to go past Scoopy’s for cake, coffee, and fish and chips.Me! Your over zealous, highly excitable, highly experienced, multiply published, frequently rambling but always helpful guide! I am hooked on retreats and it is a sincere joy to be able to share them with you.

If there’s a reason in that list that makes you think… hm… maybe I should do this!… Just head on over to the booking page to claim your spot!

Let’s dive deeper!

Seven Reasons to Write Short Stories

The biggest mistake I see emerging and aspiring writers make is that they jump straight to writing a novel without first mastering the art of the short story. To me, that’s a bit like my sixteen-year-old fantasy of competing in the Olympic Games with my horse, Hercules, who I loved very dearly, but despite him being a whopping 17 hands high, he refused to jump anything much over the size of a ground pole.

A novel is a marathon; and few of us are genetically blessed to simply get up and run marathons. Most of us, though, can manage a short burst of jogging through the park with our dog or kids or new year aspirations. That’s the beauty of the short story. They are fast! They are fun! And then… they are DONE!

So, I now present to you….

You can practise writing in different genres, from different points of view, in different tenses, about different topics… without investing too much time and effort. Most importantly, it helps you learn to find and strengthen your “voice”. Your voice is unique to you and it’s often the thing that secures you fans for life.You can practise risk taking! Ooo, this is such a good one! For your writing to grow and mature, you’re going to need to practise taking risks. Just like a little kid needs to learn how far up a tree to climb before they get stuck or fall, you too will need to work out how far outside of your comfort zone you can write before it turns into a steaming hot mess. Confession: I tried to write an erotic short story once but once was all it took for me to know I would never go there again. In summary, try before you buy.Log you ‘apprenticeship’ writing hours before you commit to a full novel. As already mentioned, the biggest mistake I see beginning and emerging writers make is that they jump straight into a novels before they can nail a short story. (That’s also a bit like saying you’re going to run a marathon when you haven’t even gotten off the couch yet.)Cultivate a habit of writing, editing, writing, and then…. letting go! Writers are often fearful of letting go of their work, afraid of the criticism or perceived failure. This is where short stories are a triumph. You can have a go, not invest too much of yourself into it, submit it somewhere and let go. We have to learn to write, let go, and start something new while we’re waiting for feedback.Learn to write to deadline. Short stories can be written in a day, or a week or even two if it’s a longer short story and/or you like to take longer to write. But then… it’s done! Submit it, and move on.Ask for feedback. Look, hardly anyone will willingly and joyfully read your full novel manuscript and give you helpful feedback, but lots of people will read your short story because they know they can finish it in the time it takes to have a coffee.You might actually win a competition! And this is a fantastic feeling of recognition and affirmation that you do have talent and you should definitely write some more. As well, having these wins or shortlisting or publications look good on your writer’s CV. Join Me for the Summer of Short Stories!

If you’d like to spend January playing in the world of short story writing, why not join me for the Summer of Short Stories? We’ll read stories, we’ll write stories, we’ll learn to offer and receive feedback in a structured, helpful way, and by the end you will have three short stories ready to go and submit. Or, as I like to call it, throw spaghetti at the wall! You never know what will stick.

All the good details about the course are over here.

Gympie and Kilkivan Library Tour

Okay, so it’s not so much a TOUR as it is fun two-day celebration! I’ll be at Gympie and Kilkivan libraries next week! Thank you to Gympie Regional Libraries for your support. I hope to catch up with many readers I’ve not yet had the chance to meet.

Gympie Library: Friday 29th September 2023, 5.30

Kilkivan Library: Saturday 30th September 2023, 10am

Come along and celebrate The Wonderful Thing About Phoenix Rose! FREE event, but you need to register. I’d love to see you there!

Bookings Gympie:

https://library.gympie.qld.gov.au/events/event/459/page-turners-josephine-moon

Bookings Kilkivan

https://library.gympie.qld.gov.au/events/event/460/page-turners-josephine-moon

Welcome, Baby, Greeting Card

A friend of mine is having a baby, so I decided to give her a special gift and create something just for her… but now I will share it with you too.

Welcome your loved one’s new baby with this completely unique, individual creation. It features a serene stork holding a baby in a sling. The card is in simple, natural tones of and neutral gender with pink, blue and yellow, this sweet card celebrates new birth, life, nature and joy. It says ‘Welcome, little one’. Available now from Josephine Moon’s Redbubble store. It’s a Josephine Moon original.

Exclusive, Personalised Writing Retreat

Fellow writers, for the first time, I’m offering 2-3 places for you to receive personalised attention on your manuscript and enjoy a three-night writing retreat in the quaint, peaceful town of Cooran on the Sunshine Coast, Qld.

(If this is the first time you’ve been to my site, you can find out about me here.)

Dates: Thursday 23 November to Sunday 26th November, 2023

What: Novels, children’s, memoirs and other non-fiction are all welcome to apply.

Cosy crime in the style of Phryne Fisher, Lenny Marks Gets Away with Murder or The Maid is welcome.

“Thank you so, very, much  – it was lovely meeting you and thank you for being so gentle and positive with your feedback. I was incredibly trepidatious, and knowing that there is some merit in my attempt at  long-form… Well I don’t think I can put into words just how much this means to me!”

A Full Manuscript appraisal client

What’s included?A full manuscript appraisal (or up to 100,000 words). You will get your feedback prior to the retreat so that you have time to think about it before you get to retreat.Three nights of accommodation (own room and queen sized bed for each participant), full kitchen facilities and two bathrooms (shared). The property has WiFi, fireplace, ceiling fans, all linen, fridge, microwave, dishwasher, stovetop, coffee and coffee maker.Drinks and grazing platters on the first night of arrival. (Dietary requests are important, valued and lovingly provided.)Airport transfers, if necessary. We can also help you get to the store for food supplies if needed.Coffee… I will make sure there is plenty of coffee! Or tea or hot chocolate depending on your preference. Chocolate… you cannot write without it! I’ll make sure you have it.Time with me for an individual consult/chat/brainstorm about the way forward for your manuscript, group sessions and facilitated writing/group time.Special gifts from me to you.

Your notes have been brilliant, thanks again.
 
I look forward to being in your group and wonderful community.

A first three chapters client

Food

It’s a short drive to shops and cafes in Cooran and Pomona. Cooran has a really cute little general store, which might easily have enough to help you out over the three days, including artisanal bread, gluten free treats, meat, fruit, veg, pasta, Kenilworth cheese and more. If you don’t have a car, let me know and we’ll sort out a bit of shopping for you on the way in.

You’ll also find Hinterland restaurant and bar in Cooran.

Pomona Hotel and Pomona Distilling Co are in Pomona, as well as several cafes and an IGA.

Retreat Structure

Rest assured, you are in control of your time. Everything is optional. If you decide you want to hibernate for three days, that’s fine! Join in, or fly solo. This retreat is yours!

Thursday 23rd November. Travel to Cooran. Check in from 2pm. Settle in with drinks and grazing platters for dinner as we get to know each other and chat books and writing. (Check with me in if you need an airport transfer.)

Friday 24th November. Manuscript focus. Group chat plus individual brainstorming/consult/chats with me about your development plan for your manuscript.

Saturday 25th November. Free time in the morning. Writing sprints and live readings in the afternoon.

Sunday 26th November. Check out by 10am and back to the everyday world. (Check with me in if you need an airport transfer… I’ll do my best to help!)

Your place on retreat includes:

your opportunity to send me your whole manuscript (or at least 50% of it), whereupon I will read every single word of it and make loads of scrawly notes along the way (which I will then type up neatly for you)my reading, preparing and reporting timean emailed copy of my notes, feedback and suggestionsnotes will include reflections on a variety of observations, such as character, story arc, plot, writing style, sub-plots, themes, word lengths, balance of chapters, points of view, tense, contradictions, logic issues, and any potential problems I might spot in regards to sensitive content, global trends or legalities**a mountain of useful information to help you take the next right stepscomplimentary digital assets and working resources, delivered to your inboxlifetime membership* to my private coaching/mentoring/assessment email list, with exclusive content just for this groupFREE access to my e-course on how to find the time to writelifetime invitation* to a quarterly Zoom call for all my students, where you can ask me anything, and also (if you want to) connect with other writers who might be writing similar stories to you. (Writing buddies are the best! You might find a new one here.) GST, processing fees and printing costs

* “lifetime membership” and “lifetime invitation” means for the duration of the time that I am offering these services… which is hopefully many years
**Please note that a manuscript assessment does not include editing services. Editing is an entirely different process. This means, I do not fix your words, sentences, paragraphs, typos, spelling, punctuation or grammar. (Having said that, it is highly likely I will pull out sections of text to demonstrate how you could improve your writing style and fluency.)

Thank you so much for yesterday and for sending these notes. Your suggestions and line notes are amazing. So much to think about and go through. I am especially impressed since I had the first fifty pages looked at by [an organisation] and your suggestions resonate so much better with me… I have a lot of work to do but am very grateful for your feedback.

First 50 pages client

Who is This For?

This retreat is for a writer who has a completed manuscript (at least a full first draft) and who is seeking feedback and is committed to embarking on another draft of development.

This retreat is for a writer:

who understands that drafting is a process that can go on for many drafts … and that it is absolutely normal (and necessary) to do so. who realises that a book won’t (and shouldn’t) go to print before, likely, at least six rounds of drafting/editing has occurred (through the various levels of structural editing, copy editing and proofreading).who understands that it is normal to sometimes have to delete an entire character (or family) from an early draft, or to have to strip and rewrite 10,000 words, or to go back and build in more subplot or take some out to let the rest breathe.who sees feedback and drafting as the exciting bit because you know it’s bringing your book closer to reaching the outside world (even if it is daunting… that’s what coffee and chocolate are for!).

What: Novels, children’s, memoirs and other non-fiction are all welcome to apply.

Cosy crime in the style of Phryne Fisher, Lenny Marks Gets Away with Murder or The Maid is welcome.

Your Investment

$3,300 (all inclusive, from manuscript assessment to farewell at checkout/the airport).

If you and your project sounds like something I believe I can add value to, I will send you a booking sheet ASAP so we can get the ball(point pen) rolling.

Apply for a Place on RetreatSubmit a form.Want More? Why Not Extend Your Stay

Cooran is part of the Noosa hinterland. You will be perfectly placed to extend your stay on either side of retreat. The famous Eumundi Markets are on Saturdays and Wednesdays. Glorious Main Beach at Noosa Heads is a mere 40-minute drive from Cooran.

Lastly… Please Note these Physical Access Specifics

This is a rural property with uneven terrain surrounding the house. There are 10 steps that lead to the house entry. There is no disabled access in this home. I apologise for, well, the world, really… that everything is not created with disability access requirements in mind, especially since 1 in 5 people in Australia has a disability, and that disability is a normal variation of human beings. I will always try to find ways to work around the world’s shortcomings if possible. I hope this will change for future events.

Bribie Island Weekend Writing Retreat

Writing retreats are, hands down, one of the most important things you can do as a writer. Having just come back from my twice-yearly writing retreat week, I am bubbling with enthusiasm to share the joy. Why not join me for a weekend of writing at Bribie Island (Qld) this October to find the time and space to go deeper.

Are you writing a novel, memoir, short story or lived experience self-help book?

You’re invited to join a small group of fellow word lovers to spend quality time diving deeper into your project.

Writing retreats take us physically out of our everyday, which translates nicely to transporting our minds to different places too. Writers can and will write under any circumstances, if they are so determined. Yet, in my considerable experience of writing retreats, absolutely nothing comes close to the value of dedicated writing time and (possibly more importantly) mental space for our creative brains to expand and grow.

I’ve balanced this retreat with enough structure to give you guidance but also enough free time for you to follow your heart.

Retreat Structure

Our home base will be in the Bribie Island Library on Saturday and Sunday, from 9am to 2pm.We will spend time talking about our projects and brainstorming our way through problem areas. We’ll practise different ways to access the deeper parts of our characters and their backstories.We’ll break between 11am and 12pm for coffee and lunch. You can wander solo or join with others to continue chatting over food. We’ll leave the library at 2pm, at which point, you decide how to best continue your retreat. You might head for coffee and cake with fellow writers and continue book chat, wander the extensive walking path along the foreshore and get some sea air to allow your subconscious some processing time before heading back to your accommodation to write some more, or head out again for dinner. It’s your call.The theme of this weekend is Diving Deeper, with the focus on adding depth and value to our words rather than racing to add words to our total word count. (Don’t worry, though, we’ll also do that too.)

The maximum number of spaces for this weekend is 7.

Your Investment: $225pp.

(Accommodation is not included. See below for suggestions.)

Yes, Please! Book Me In!Submit a form.Pay Now

The Area

This lovely library is situated on the foreshore of Pumicestone passage (Bongaree) and is an easy, flat, few minutes walk to cafes, coffee, ice cream, and various shops. I recently ate at Annie Lane cafe every day while on retreat and enjoyed coffee and incredible cakes from Scoopy’s, just over the road. I also enjoyed the foreshore walk, which has a wealth of historical photos, information and quotes to inspire a dozen new stories or characters that you might even weave into your own project.

Accommodation

Bribie Island has a wide range of accomodation options available so you are sure to find something to suit your needs.

Bongaree Caravan and Cabins has simple but affordable options that can suit up to 4 people art once, in some cases. They are also just a stone’s throw from the library!

Big4 also has luxury cabins available.

And of course there are the usual online accommodation searches to find plenty of other options (e.g. AirBnB, Wotif, Booking)

I look forward to sharing a weekend of writing with you soon!

Jo