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Aussie Expats Update – Some Pre-Christmas Adventures!
Hello world! It’s TWO sleeps until Christmas: TWO! How time flies and how crazy it is to think that soon the jolly fat man will be bringing joy and gifts to everyone. Exciting times. It’s been some time since I posted; I decided last week that there hadn’t been enough happening to write an update post, especially as I was also trying (and failing, it turned out) to get ahead with uni so I’d have less to do this week while James is off work. Yet, despite our silence, we actually have been doing things (yes, I’m proud). Last week was mostly focused on trying to get through uni and…
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Writing An Author Bio
Happy Monday! So, if you caught my post last week, you’ll know that I recently received an honourable mention in the inaugural Fiction War—hurray! I received an email from the event coordinators not long afterwards which requested that all finalists submit an author biography and issued a mental sigh of relief that obviously this wouldn’t apply to me, and I wouldn’t have to figure this out, because I’m not a finalist… But I sent them a reply email, just to confirm. Turns out I still had to do one. The sticking point? I’ve never written a biography about myself before. I mean, to give you some idea of where I…
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Aussie Expats Update – Writing Wins & December Socialising
Friiiiiiday! AND December, the month of Santa, chocolate, eggnog, presents, a brief stint of holidays for both James and I (which is a serious change from Aus, where our long break is over Christmas) and maybe a white Christmas (come on Oklahoma, you can do it!). Needless to say, I’m excited. Part of that could be to do with the fact that I’ve submitted my Ancient History assignment (after a real struggle!) and I’m feeling a little more on top of my study—I had to pay the piper this week after our frivolities in Kansas last week—and we put up our tree together yesterday. Okay, okay, it doesn’t sound like…
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Failing and the Intimidation of the Great Big Writing World
I got my results back from the NYC Midnight Flash Fiction Challenge in the early hours of this morning (only the score, as feedback will come later this week), and it would be a mild understatement to say I’m a bit disappointed. I thought that maybe there was some possibility that I would knock this one out of the park and make it into the top 5 to head to Round 3. I got zero. I wasn’t expecting that. I also didn’t know I was going to be as disappointed as I am (I wonder if it’s just a case of bad timing with a number of other things that…
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Aussie Expats Update – Our First Halloween Party!
Well peoples, It’s been a bit of a mishmash week. Getting back into uni again for Trimester 3 has seen me chasing my tail a bit (and I only did one other blog post this week: what a sissy!), and James is working his butt off to finish his last essay for his Masters, plus we’ve recently started a new training program in the gym involving a lot of (very, VERY) basic bodyweight movements… And I’m fried. It’s really hard work, but also pretty cool. That being said, if I can’t do the splits, a full static handstand and a couple of other seriously epic things in the next week or so, I’m going to…
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NYC Midnight Flash Fiction Challenge #2 – The Evacuees’ Circus
This is my second entry for the NYC Midnight Flash Fiction Challenge, where my prompts were historical fiction, a circus tent and a doll’s head (creepy, right?). When Operation Pied Piper sends forty little girls from their school in Manchester to Lyme Park in Cheshire, Lord and Lady Newton find themselves having to make some adjustments for their new wards. “Clara!” Lord Newton exclaimed as he walked into the room, two favourite dogs in tow. “What on Earth is this?” Lady Newton spun around. “Oh, dear,” she laughed, a long-fingered hand flying to her chest. “You startled me.” She turned to survey her handiwork. “Wonderful, isn’t it?” Lord Newton looked around…
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Inspiration
Happy Monday everyone! I’m prepping for my politics exam at the moment, which consumed a relatively large portion of the weekend (it also meant getting this up and ready was a challenge). It’s fascinating stuff, if pretty complex; I can foresee this area of my study spawning some politically-oriented posts in the future (hopefully I can keep it theoretical and avoid having to actually understand contemporary Western politics), but for now, I’ve generously decided to keep this post apolitical. You’re all welcome. So, inspiration. I can’t help but feel that, in terms of creative endeavour, inspiration is often held up to be this wondrous, mythical beast we’re all in wild…
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Aussie Expats Update – Birthday Celebrations in Dallas, Mini-Golf and a New Toy!
HAPPY FRIDAY WORLD!! It’s been a big week for us, in part I think because it took us quite some time to recover from the events of the weekend. Yes people, I drank… Two cocktails. At the ripe old age of 25, I’m pretty much incapacitated by a big meal and a couple of tasty cocktails (also apple pie, and a free makeshift cake comprising 2 oreos and some whipped cream with a candle on top – so in my defence, I ate a lot). We had a great time visiting Dallas. On Saturday morning we spent some time at the Perot Museum of Nature and Science, which was seriously…
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Burning Out
I’m feeling burnt out. It’s Sunday night and we had a big day today. Though it fortuitously included waffles for breakfast and froyo for a pseudo-lunch, it also included a hike through the Wichita Wildlife Reserve with Kim and her pup Frankie that left me pretty wrecked. Writing Monday’s blog post on a Sunday evening, I feel exhausted. And typically, that leads me to feeling some mild form of creative despair. I’m sure you’ve been there. Raise your hands if you know what I’m talking about (don’t worry, no one can see you guys). Yeah, that’s what I thought: almost everyone in any kind of creative endeavour has. [Disclaimer: I…
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NYC Midnight Flash Fiction Challenge #1 – Redemption
Redemption As a poor teenager on a scholarship to a private high school, Ethan fell in love with a rich, wayward and rebellious Imogen Howard, but knew he could never tell her how he felt. When she shows up unexpectedly as a patient in the rehabilitative nursing home where he works, everything he once felt for her comes rushing back… but will she ever let down her walls to let him in? * * * * * It started off as just another day. “New one in for you, Ethan,” Marie called out as I strode through the foyer. “I hear she’s fiery,” she added conspiratorially, stage whisper bouncing off…
