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Roger Macdonald Andrew

Goodreads Author

Born

Cambridge, The United Kingdom

Website

https://www.rogerandrew.com.au

Genre

Philosophy, Psychology, Spirituality

Member Since

May 2023

URL

https://www.goodreads.com/rogerandrew

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Why did it take you so long to write this book? Good question! How long? Well, seventy-six years to be precise, give or take a year or two. Seventy-six years of gestation is a lot longer than just a pregnant pause, that's for sure.

However, it has become clear to me recently that every one of those years has played a part in pulling this book together and preparing me for the journey. The truth of the matter is that I have always wanted to write. I remember, as a pre-teen child, staring at an open fire, and being honest enough to reflect that I was an empty vessel, and had nothing yet to say. The dream began there though, in front of that fire, at quite a tender age. Patience is always a virtue, and I have at least been a commercial writer Why did it take you so long to write this book? Good question! How long? Well, seventy-six years to be precise, give or take a year or two. Seventy-six years of gestation is a lot longer than just a pregnant pause, that's for sure.

However, it has become clear to me recently that every one of those years has played a part in pulling this book together and preparing me for the journey. The truth of the matter is that I have always wanted to write. I remember, as a pre-teen child, staring at an open fire, and being honest enough to reflect that I was an empty vessel, and had nothing yet to say. The dream began there though, in front of that fire, at quite a tender age. Patience is always a virtue, and I have at least been a commercial writer for over 30 years.

Study choices were a degree course in English Literature, History and Philosophy at the University of East Anglia in Norwich, England. After a rather ‘geeky’ career as a chartered librarian with a Government Legal & Political Library in London, emigration to Perth, Western Australia, followed in September 1981.

Employment choices included a stint as a quota-bearing salesperson with Fuji Xerox, and work with a Perth-based business magazine, which led in time to the role of features planning manager and a decent chunk of responsibility. I was not encouraged to write, but the publishing bug had bitten me hard and by 1994 I left to work on a Quality Assurance book with a close colleague.

As a salesperson, I had taught myself how to listen actively to what was said and pay close attention to what remained hidden and might be revealed given some astute and gentle questioning. In short, I learned how to interview, how to engage with people and learn the stories that they were happy to share.

By 1995, my wife Barbara and I were ready to strike out 100% on our own as a boutique agency specialising in high-quality commercial books. Titles followed such as 'The Cash Converters Story' (1995) 'Western Australia The Quest for Excellence' (1997), 'Western Australia Leading in the New Millennium', (2000) And co-authored with Ross Addison: 'Old Masters, Young Guns' (2012), The CSBP Wesfarmers Centennial book (2012) 'Real Estate Tips & Advice' (2012) 'Rite of Passage' (2013) and 'The Power of Giving' (2016).

Major projects were always interspersed with writing advertising copy, case studies, researching articles and writing website copy. By the time the COVID-19 pandemic was under control in 2022, it was time to re-focus on the possibilities provided by major tectonic shifts in the publishing marketplace. With Kindle and Amazon print-on-demand on offer, we felt that the world of creating high-quality, thoughtful books was once again close to being our oyster.

'Forgive' is our first publishing adventure under our own brand now that our commercial copywriting and business book-writing career has come to a natural conclusion. It started to take shape as a result of my own research into forgiveness and estrangement as topics that I have been grappling with for many years.

I have felt spiritually urged, nudged, prompted and prodded to write and shape this 32-chapter, 266-page book. I recognised, right at the beginning of this journey, that 'Forgive' is the book that I have always been waiting for and it meets and matches the goals that I have demanded of myself from the outset. It has been both a labour of love and a commitment to 'give back' what I have been privileged and blessed to learn over the course of a long career of living experience with words at my fingertips.

It is, what a close friend in England, described as ‘Legacy’. This is so true! I have felt incredibly driven to leave something worthwhile behind. We have, Barbara and I, done our level best to do justice to this project. We believe in it, and we believe passionately in the power of forgiveness to transform lives ...more

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I enjoyed your book tremendously and would appreciate your advice for aspiring writers who plan to embark on the journey of writing their own book?

Roger Macdonald Andrew Hi Gigi
I’m so glad to hear that you enjoyed reading 'Forgive' and thank you also for your question. It’s a really good one (an absolute cracker in fac…moreHi Gigi
I’m so glad to hear that you enjoyed reading 'Forgive' and thank you also for your question. It’s a really good one (an absolute cracker in fact!) that deserves a thoughtful and well-considered response. I shall answer it briefly here as space may be limited, and then put together some more thoughts in a blog post next week.

PART ONE

A good place for aspiring writers to start may be to sit back for a moment or two and seek clarity by asking themselves some fundamental questions such as ‘Why’. Why do you want to be a writer?

Your questions might head off in at least three directions.

Are you skilled with words, interested in communicating ideas and would like, ideally, to see your work in print? Would you like to evolve your skills to the point where they are appreciated by an employer, or employers, and suitably rewarded? Would you like to pursue a formal qualification so that you could, quite legitimately, make a professional living through your writing skills?

Alternatively, what is the message you care about so deeply that it’s literally bursting to get out and become heard? What do you love most about the written word, what do you adore about language, and what excites you about shaping those words into persuasive, amazing patterns? And then, last here, but not least, what is it about you and your unique personality that will help to fuel the delivery of your words with such compelling power and passion that your readers will be enthralled, want more and hurry along to turn the next page?

The two thoughts above are not mutually exclusive – you can have and be both, if you want to. You can be both a skilled and appreciated journalist or business-oriented writer… and you can take an even harder, more demanding path and live by your imaginative writing wits as a novelist, dramatist, poet or short story writer.

And that’s where the third possibility enters the fray. Become a qualified writer through education and training in a specific field … and then indulge your imaginative authoring adventures in your spare time. That’s a very smart way of hedging your bets and having your literary cake as well as eating it!

It comes back to answering that very first question which is Why? Why do you really want to become a writer? It’s well worth spending some time on that one and pondering the possibilities!

In PART TWO next week, we’ll share some other thoughts on topics such as:

Educational writing courses;
Reaching out to more writers;
Joining a Writers’ Association;
Tapping into a local writers’ group;
Appreciating the importance of mentoring;
Understanding publishing in the Brave New World of Amazon and Kindle.

Until then, best wishes Gigi!
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Forgive: Finding Inner Peace Through Words of Wisdom
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Roger Macdonald Andrew (Goodreads Author),

Barbara Phyllis Andrew (Editor)

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The Book of Forgiving: The Fourfold Path for Healing Ourselves and Our World

by Desmond Tutu

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Jul 30, 2023 10:40PM

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Roger’s Recent Updates

Roger Andrew liked an answer from C.S. Areson: Dear C.S. I'm an author from Perth, Western Australia. I have written a book called 'Forgive' which was initially sparked by an estrangement journey ... but later became much more than that. I came across a marvelous quote from you which I would like your blessing to include in the book. Could you please provide me with your email address so that I can explain more? Mine is roger.andrew1@outlook.com. Thank you! My apologies for not answering the question in a timely manner. Actually, it wasn't even close to being timely. I have to find out why I didn't get a notification though I'm sure it's my fault. C.S. Areson
Sep 28, 2025 05:53PM
C.S. Areson answered Roger Andrew's question: Dear C.S. I'm an author from Perth, Western Australia. I have written a book called 'Forgive' which was initially sparked by an estrangement journey ... but later became much more than that. I came across a marvelous quote from you which I would like your blessing to include in the book. Could you please provide me with your email address so that I can explain more? Mine is roger.andrew1@outlook.com. Thank you! My apologies for not answering the question in a timely manner. Actually, it wasn't even close to being timely. I have to find out why I didn't get a notification though I'm sure it's my fault.
Mar 04, 2025 04:54PM · 1 like · like

More of Roger's books…

Quotes by Roger Macdonald Andrew (?)

“Standing as I do in view of God and Eternity, I realise that patriotism is not enough. I must have no hatred or bitterness for anyone.” Nurse Edith Cavell reached deep to find forgiveness just prior to her execution at dawn on 12th October 1915 by the German Army for assisting Allied prisoners. Edith is celebrated for caring for the plight of others, for saving the lives of soldiers from both sides without discrimination and for helping some 200 Allied soldiers escape from German-occupied Belgium during the First World War. For this she was arrested, tried, found guilty
under German martial law and shot.”
― Roger Macdonald Andrew, Forgive: Finding Inner Peace Through Words of Wisdom

tags: edith-cavell, forgiveness, patriotism

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“Oscar Wilde, was an Irish poet, brilliant wit and
dramatist who was imprisoned for two years for ‘indecency’ and ruined as a result. Oscar uttered his last words in Room 16 of the Hôtel
d’Alsace in Saint-Germain-des-Prés on Friday, November 30th, 1900.

The wittiest man of his epoch was said to have quipped, ‘My wallpaper and I are fighting a duel to the death. One or the other of us must go.’ Sadly, Oscar lost the ‘duel’ and died shortly afterwards.”
― Roger Macdonald Andrew, Forgive: Finding Inner Peace Through Words of Wisdom

tags: my-wallpaper-and-i, oscar-wilde

1 likes

“The Labyrinth is an ancient symbol of
wholeness. The imagery of the circle and spiral combine into a meandering but purposeful journey and the Labyrinth represents a journey or path to our own centre, with a return again out into the world.

Labyrinths have long been used as meditation and prayer tools and when we walk in one, it serves as a metaphor for life’s journey. It is a symbol that creates a sacred space and place that takes us out of our over-active ego to our spirit, and to ‘That Which is Within’.”
― Roger Macdonald Andrew, Forgive: Finding Inner Peace Through Words of Wisdom

tags: labyrinth, life-journey-metaphor

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Roger’s Quotes

“Thoughts of estrangement and unforgiveness take no prisoners. They may come like thieves in the night, or devious daylight muggers, to waylay your thoughts, rob you of peace and hijack your joy in the simple pleasures of everyday life. Their presence is constant,
unremitting … forever peering over your shoulder, or creeping just around the corner to trip up your thoughts or hamper your happiness.”
― Roger Macdonald Andrew, Forgive: Finding Inner Peace Through Words of Wisdom

tags: estrangement, forgive, forgiveness-quotes

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“The shadows of estrangement, anger and unforgiveness wear black hoodies for disguise and inhabit the darkest corners of your life, and the furthermost caverns of your mind. They are the unwelcome stalkers that
never really leave you alone. They’re the ugly presence of despair, grief, regret and sorrow. They are forever rising up to blame you and point accusing, angry fingers.”
― Roger Macdonald Andrew, Forgive: Finding Inner Peace Through Words of Wisdom

tags: estrangement, unforgiveness

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“Overnight success is one thing, but it takes a lot more than just being a shooting star to make a lasting mark on the world.”
― Roger Macdonald Andrew

tags: overnight-success, personal-brand, shooting-stars, success-quotes

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“Learning from failure is an essential element in any human endeavour. Mistakes should not be feared ... just learned from.”
― Roger Macdonald Andrew

tags: failure-quotes, learning-from-mistakes, mistakes-quotes

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“Our happiness rubs off on those we care about, and it's contagious in a good way!”
― Roger Macdonald Andrew