Josephine Moon's Blog, page 5

Author Interview with Luke Rutledge about his Debut Book ‘A Man and His Pride’

April is Autism Awareness and Acceptance Month. Here’s What You Can Do As An Ally.

Autism Awareness and Acceptance Month, which happens in April each year, following World Autism Day (2 April), can be an upsetting time for actually Autistic people. The reasons for the discord are many. But just like Hannah Gadsby, I identify as tired. So, I’m going to give you a short list of some practical things to do to direct your well-intentioned support into neuro-affirming action.

Firstly, please know that the Autistic community is as widely diverse in presentations, experiences, likes, dislikes, abilities and disabilities as the non-Autistic community. If you have met one Autistic person, you have met one Autistic person.

Get your information from actually Autistic people. This makes sense, right? If you want to learn about another culture, you would, presumably, gather that information directly from the people of that culture. We are lucky to have some wonderful Autistic-led organisations in this country, including Yellow Ladybugs, Amaze, iCan and Reframing Autism. If you have an Autistic child, go straight to the Autistic-led organisations that advocate and educate. There are many actually Autistic therapists (speech pathologists, psychiatrists, psychologists, OTs etc.) who understand Autism from the inside out. Search for the hashtag #actuallyautistic online to find them. (N.B. that hashtag is intended to be used by actually Autistic people themselves so do confirm this when you choose to follow someone for lived experience.) Assume that the actually Autistic community, the people with lived experience, are the experts in Autism. #nothingaboutuswithoutusLearn about Autism. You can do this by attending the wonderful conferences run by Yellow Ladybugs and Reframing Autism (see point above), or by buying books written by actually Autistic people. Here is a tiny fraction of just some of the books I recommend. Love and Autism, written by actually Autistic author, Kay Kerr. Different Not Less, written by actually Autistic actor, advocate and author, Chloe Hayden.The Brain Forest, written by actually Autistic psychologist, Sandhya Menon. Supporting Autistic Girls and Gender Diverse Youth by Yellowladybugs. Remarkable Remy by actually Autistic CEO Melanie Heyworth.The Wonderful Thing About Phoenix Rose by actually Autistic author Josephine Moon (that’s me!).Go yellow or go rainbow (but please don’t go blue and, please, no jigsaw pieces.)The best way you can show your support for your Autistic loved one is to educate yourself, learning from the right people (i.e. those with lived experience and/or are actively neuro-affirming). Books to Buy!

Author Event: Kay Kerr and Josephine Moon, Book Launch

Join me (The Wonderful Thing About Phoenix Rose) and Kay Kerr (Love and Autism) at the delightful Little Book Nook in Palmwoods, 20th April 6pm for drinks, nibbles and book chat. Booking here.

Author Interview with Karina May and her new release “Duck a l’Orange for Breakfast”

Catch up with Kay Kerr and her book ‘Love and Autism’

The Official Unboxing (Kind of) of The Wonderful Thing About Phoenix Rose

In the Hot Seat: Anthea Hodgson’s “The War Nurses“

Get a jump start on Anthea Hodgson’s new book, The War Nurses, which was inspired by her own family’s history. We took a deep dive into this story and at one point we both ended up crying! But don’t worry, we also laughed a lot too. (And make sure you stay till the end to hear about what she’s working on next!) You can pre-order Anthea’s newest novel right now from your favourite bookstore, online or in person, to make sure you don’t miss out. You catch our chat via link in bio.

Yellow Ladybugs Conference 2023: Supporting Burnout

I’m so happy to once again be speaking at the Yellow Ladbugs conference this year, alongside the incredible autism advocates Gilly (@neurodivergent_researcher) and Autistic lawyer Annie Crow (@_anniecrowe). We’ll be chatting about Autistic burnout and ways to support our girls.

It’s absolutely packed with lived experience educators, teachers, speech pathologists, lawyers, doctors, psychologists, advocates, artists, allied health and so much more.

I learned so much from last year’s conference and it’s tremendous value at just $50! Parents, teachers, grandparents, allied health and #neurodivergent people of all ages and stages will find something wonderful in here.

Don’t miss it! https://ylbconference2023.vfairs.com

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More Reasons You Might Need a Manuscript Appraisal

Following on from my last post here are even more reasons you might need a manuscript appraisal.

Oh… I Feel This!

I wrote 10 manuscripts in 12 years before I got a contract. During that
time, I won short story competitions, I wrote freelance, I was shortlisted for
two publishing awards, I had agents request my work and then reject it. I was
scammed by dodgy publishers with dodgy contracts. I was scammed by writing
competitions (that then publish your work and then sell the work back to you).
My spreadsheet of rejections hit 100 (and then I deleted it in disgust). (Oh,
and I had been working full time, part time, casually, in my own business,
running a charity and while pregnant.) I had reached the end of my
tether. It took just one final piece to get me over the line. For you,
that final piece might be a manuscript assessment.

The pain!

Even published authors sometimes need manuscript assessments!
I mentioned above that I once had to ditch 50,000 words of a novel. A novel
that was on contract. With a deadline. I knew ‘something’ wasn’t right. This
was going to be my fourth contracted novel, so it was surprising when I
realised I was absolutely stuck. I paid for a manuscript assessment with
my favourite editor, who I trust, completely. And like a really good editor,
she didn’t tell me what to do. Instead, she asked questions and made astute
observations and in reading her report I knew I had to abandon
that manuscript. (There is a happy ending to this story, which I will share
with you when we begin work together.)

Listen to That Voice

So you just read that bit above where I had to ditch 50,000 words, right? If
I had listened to my inner voice, my gut feeling, just a little bit earlier,
I might not have had to lose so much time, energy, and spinal integrity while
sitting in a chair, working on something that was built on shifting sands.

This is why I’m here to help, with your manuscript, be it fiction, non-fiction, novel or memoir

You can find the Manuscript Appraisal Booking Page Here.

Jo

Do You Need a Manuscript Assessment?

(And let me tell you about that time I had to ditch 50,000 words of my novel….)

If you’re a beginning or emerging writer (or even an established one), you might be in need a manuscript assessment.

The very first memoir I wrote was shortlisted for a publishing award. Looking back, though, the manuscript didn’t have what it needed to get through a publisher at that time. But I didn’t know that then because I didn’t have enough experience yet; however, if I’d had a manuscript assessment, I think an astute assessor could have directed that manuscript into a publishable piece of work.

Then, while writing my fourth book (which was contracted and an advance had been paid), I got halfway through and realised I needed help. I paid for a manuscript assessment with a trusted editor and it shed so much light on the ways I had written myself into a corner. It was so valuable.

Here are a few of the reasons you might find yourself wondering if you need an assessment and why you might be right.

This is An Excellent Time to Get an Appraisal

Getting an appraisal earlier rather than later can save you from taking your story into directions that aren’t helpful. An appraisal can help show you where the gold is among the rubble, allowing you to ditch the rubble and let that treasure through. In our first drafts, we often can’t see the wood for the trees. We are ‘word blind’ to our own work because we’ve been staring at it for so long. We need fresh, expert eyes to see what’s really going on. (And that’s all of us… beginners or multiply published writers.)

If They’re Not ‘In The Arena’…

I’m sorry to say that they are unlikely to be able to give you what you need. Think of it this way. Your mum could probably do a fair bit of skilful first aid when you came off your bike, but if you had bones exposed and wounds of gravel, you needed a doctor! Family and friends can give amazing support. (They can also do the opposite. If so, we need to talk.) Usually,
friends & family’s best support is spent in practical ways (… childcare, cash, coffee, study time, a room of one’s own) and emotional support. But if it’s hard core writing craft you want, you need an expert in the field (in ‘the arena’).

You Are Correct!

Agents and publishers will rarely (if ever) look twice at something you’ve pitched. I know it is hard to wait. I know it’s hard to do yet another draft of your story. Everything moves so slowly in the publishing world. But… the upside of that is that because everything moves so slowly, you have time. You have time to do another draft. You have time to rework your manuscript, but only if you are taking it in the right direction! Trust me, as someone who has ditched 50,000 words of a manuscript that was going in the wrong direction… it HURTS! Don’t spend years going in the wrong direction. The sooner you know, the sooner you can turn around and get back on track. Or, as happened to me, clear the deck for the right story to arrive instead.

If you are ready for a manuscript assessment, you can contact me here.