Tuesday, June 26, 2012

Coffee Time Romance Chat

Tomorrow 11am Australian EST Time (Tuesday 9pm US EST) I'm doing my first author chat in cyberspace - the Coffee Time Romance chat room. It's a chance for any 'passersby' to ask questions of me and my two fellow Aussie Historical romance authors, Heather Boyd and Tamara Gill, about us and our writing. Here's the link -http://www.coffeetimeromance.com/Chat2.html - and I'm so hoping I'll have some visitors.

Sunday, June 24, 2012

Nice Review

I love my latest review for Rake's Honour from Manic Readers  http://www.manicreaders.com/index.cfm?disp=reviews&bookid=21335

Saturday, June 23, 2012

Blogging about my Journey to Publication.

My latest book, Rake's Honour, is my first written under the pseudonym Beverley Oakley. Today at ARRA (Australian Romance Readers Association) I talk about my journey to publication and why I had to take a pseudonym. You can read it at:  http://australianromancereaders.wordpress.com/2012/06/24/guest-blogger-beverley-eikli-2/

It's also been a big week in other ways. My husband took a turn for the worst with what we thought was a recurrent bout of malaria and my beloved Rhodesian Ridgeback best friend, Homer, was attacked as I walked the girls to school when a dog jumped the fence. Poor Homer needed 8 stitches and we now call him 'patchwork dog' as he was recovering from an earlier operation on his opposite flank.

However, we all got our HEA. Eivind's much better - weak, but ready to go back to flying next Wednesday. Homer is fine and still romping around any fluffy white dog he sees in case it turns out to be his best friend, Roxy, from whom he was tragically parted when we moved to Victoria. I feel most sorry for the owners of the dog who attacked Homer. They're lovely people who'd rescued their dog from a dog home so as to give him a new lease of life. But while he's proved loyal to his human family he's unreliable with other dogs.

Saturday, June 16, 2012

When my husband was diagnosed with pneumonia last week he said the doctor had described the conditions this winter as a 'perfect storm'. The wet and freezing weather and the cocktail of flu and colds raging throughout the region has knocked out about half my six year old's class at school. Meanwhile poor Eivind has been in bed for seven days now.

Health - or lack of it - seems to be the general topic of conversation these days but it's also a reminder that we are very lucky compared with previous generations.

Though this is a house of sickness I have some good news on the writing front. It's too early to go into details, but I will in my next post.


Sunday, June 3, 2012

Winter is well and truly here. Cold and drizzle prevented the kids walking to school, which didn't matter as I had to be up at 4.45am to take my lovely husband to the airport. I've just remembered I had volunteered to judge three writing competition entries and today is the deadline so I'll have to suspend my own writing for today. As one daughter is sick for the third school day I'll divide my time between judging and looking after her.

Meanwhile the work in progress will have to wait although I'll have some late nights ahead of me if I'm to fulfil my time obligations for a request for the full.

A nice surprise visit from my sister, plus a large chunk of chocolate cake brought around by a friend will help me get through this grey and dreary day, so I've got nothing to complain about.

Right! Back to judging!

Saturday, June 2, 2012

Writing Under the Influence

Many masterpieces owe their immortality to the substances enjoyed by their creators in their creation. Samuel Taylor Coleridge admitted writing Kubla Khan under the influence of opium. Georgette Heyer found gin and dexedrine helped her write throughout the night.

But writing under the influence of back pain? The consequences are spasmodic. Voltaren washed down with red wine makes me sleepy rather than productive. However it's not the first time chronic back pain has reared its ugly head and I'm sure I'll be working away at my book, raise my head in contemplation and think, "I wonder when the pain went away." Pain is like that.