The topic for  for this week's  52-week Illustration Challenge is 'Selfies'. All the clever illustratory folks doing the challenge are posting wonderful self-portraits in all sorts of formats. As you may know, if you follow this blog, I joined the challenge on the proviso that I could write a poem each week rather than draw/paint/sketch, as my artistic skills are really non-existent. I figure

Cleaning my desk today I came across this, written as a little writing exercise on a writer's retreat last year, where my obsession with apostrophes had become public. Enjoy! <!--[if gte mso 9]> <![endif]--> <!--[if gte mso 9]> Normal 0 false false false EN-AU X-NONE X-NONE

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Here's my effort for Week 2 of the 52 Week Illustration challenge . Because the visual artists are pushing themselves to try new things, I've decided that I shall push myself to experiment with new forms. This week I read a pantoum in the verse novel I was reading (Shakespeare Makes the Playoffs by Ron Koertge)  which reminded me that this form is both fun and challenging to write. So I had to

The lovely Tania McCartney has started a 52 Week Illustration challenge on her blog and on Facebook. She invited me to join and (after I stopped laughing) I thought 'why not?' The thing is, I can't draw to save myself, and whilst I've often heard people say 'anyone can learn to draw' I think that's about as true as 'anyone can learn to write' -  ie a bit true, but to do so requires a dedication

Throughout my childhood and well into my adult years I loved the thrill of revisiting a favourite book. Like visiting an old friend, the conversation with a favourite book is comfortable, yet frequently surprising. But these past few years – maybe even as long as ten years – rereading has been a rare thing for me. Since I started Aussiereviews, I always have a steady supply of new books (

Dear Blog I am so sorry to have left you unattended for so long. There was a plan to move you from this site over to my author site during a renovation there which has stalled. And I was so very very busy in the second half of 2013, completing my Honours project (I got first class - hooray!) working two jobs, finishing edits on my new verse novel (due out this year - double hooray!), an

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Really pleased to spot this little review of Meet Mary MacKillop on the YARR-A blog.  Have a great day. I know I will.

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Another new month means that it's time to look back over what I read last month. I got through nineteen books and, as with the previous month, lots of poetry collections, which has been fun. I also read several Anzac and war-themed books, with Anzac Day falling in April. Here's the list with, as always, links to those I've reviewed. Have a great month. Monsieur Albert Rides to

Want to hear more about my new book, Meet Mary MacKillop? Pop over to my other blog, at the Aussiereviews site, where I answer ten questions about the book's origins and release. Look forward to seeing you there.

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This be their epitaph. "Traveller, south or west, Go, say at home we heard the trumpet call, And answered. Now beside the sea we rest. Our end was happy if our country thrives: Much was demanded. Lo! our store was small - That which we had we gave - it was our lives." L.L. (Written by  an Anzac soldier, and published in the Anzac Book, 1916) Lest we forget.

There is nothing more nerve racking than waiting for the first review of a new book. Okay, apart from waiting to see if a publisher likes it enough to publish it. Or if you can actually get the text right in the first place. Or if the .. .Well, you get the idea. But I digress. I get pretty nervous waiting to see if reviewers will like my book. After all, reviewers are more likely to be honest

I had lots of reading fun in March. I’m currently immersing myself in collections of children’s poetry, which has given me a chance to rediscover some old favourites and discover some new (to me) gems. Of course, I’ve read lots of prose, too, but it may be the first month ever that the amount of poetry I’ve read outweighs the prose – and I like it. Hopefully it will reflect in my own poetry

Last year at the Perth Writers Festival family Day  I got a free magnet board and enough letter magnets to spell my name. This year  got a sheet of magnet words. Today I finally opened both - and wrote a poem. Not a great photo - actually very hard to photograph because of white background and tiny size of words. But lots of fun.

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Another month has passed, and so it’s time to have a look at what I read for February. Pleasing to see my balance being restored towards my chief love – books for children. This month I indulged my six year old self and tracked down old copies of AA Milne’s poetry from Ebay. I loved rediscovering them and have moved from there to lots of other verse and poetry, so look out for them in my

Well, where did that go? And by that I mean January. Seems only seconds ago we were ushering in the new year and now here it is February already! After last year's challenge to try to read a book a day (at which I failed miserably) this year I've decided not to put a number on t, but I am keeping track of my reading and am going to try to post my list each month. So, without any further

There are many exciting moments in the months ( or years) between writing a book and finally seeing it in print. There's the moment when you write (literally or otherwise) the words 'The End' (And, of course, it should be said that this may happen multiple times for the one book, as each new draft and set of edits is completed) There's the moment when you are offered a contract, the moment you

Tough choice Should I walk 'Round lake? Through bush? Along beach? I have a hard life. (Today I chose the beach)

At about 4 o'clock this afternoon I had to choose: write something, read something, or take a stroll along the beach. I chose the latter, and it was a wise choice. My beloved came with me and we strolled, hand in hand, on a beach that had that beautiful stillness that comes before a storm. The odd drop of rain, and we could see more falling over near Dunsburough, There were fewer people on

It's the last day of 2012 which means the last day of the wonderful National Year of Reading.  It also means that it's the last day of my year-long challenge. Back on January1 I set myself a challenge: to see if it was possible to read 366 books in 366 Days - ie a book a day. At the time I knew it was a big task but I believed it was doable, even though I also knew there was a good chance I