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For You...

Readers are awesome!!!

Thank you for buying my books.

Readers are special

Readers are special

Without readers I have no one to write for, and that prompts me to ask,'what am I writing for?'; and 'for whom am I writing?'

I write to entertain and to encourage my readers they aren't alone with their thoughts and ideas, that life gets in the way and the journey can sometimes feel insurmountable. At the end of a story, I hope my readers feel satisfied they have had a good read and are entertained for the few hours they've spent between the pages in my imaginary world.

I'd like to know if I'm achieving this for you, and what you would like to see in my books in the future. So don't be shy! I look forward to hearing from you.

Australian Authors Hook Up

Have you ever thought about working with another author to produce a novel? When I first heard about the possibility of collaborating, I had my doubts, however, four Australian authors have worked together to produce The Greenfield Legacy.

Their journey started with the seed of an idea from Paula Vince. She contacted Meredith Resce, Rose Dee and Amanda Deed to work with, and in all authors' opinions it proved to be a successful venture. It started with a brainstorming session on skype. By the end of this time they had a story and then a cast of characters was alloted to each of them. They each returned to their computers and built their character profiles. As each author wrote about their characters, the plot developed and the story was written quickly.

This was a plus for each of the authors and Resce sums the process up well when she said, "The best thing about collaborating was that we each had at least three other people who were passionate about the story as we were, which when you write alone, and you enter your said fantasy world, you usually go there alone, and when you re-emerge into reality, no one really gets where you've been and what you've been working on. With The Greenfield Legacy, Rose, Amanda and Paula were on the same page, planet, wave-length, and it was great to be able to chat your characters and ideas through with enthusiastic and informed responses."

When I read this book, I was surprised that the authors' voices sounded so much alike, I expected them all to be different. I applaud these authors for hooking up with each other to create a novel that gets emotional as the characters work through their issues of where they fit into the Greenfield family. I was pleased to find a character list at the end of the book I could refer to. In the beginning so many characters were introduced I became a little confused, so the character list was very helpful.

The Greenfield Legacy is set in South Australia's beautiful McLaren Vale wine region and is available from all good book stores.

The Greenfield Legacy

The Greenfield Legacy

Inside The Writer's Mind

Being a writer means communicating at multi-levels.

Being a writer means communicating at multi-levels.

There are a lot of books on finding your writing voice in the market place. Ever since I was six years old I found the magic in being able to read a book and get inside the writer's mind. The words took me to outer space, into the future, on the farm, overseas and places I'd never known. It was wonderful and exciting to be inside the mind of another person. Intriguing, too ...

When I started writing I didn't understand what was meant by 'writing voice'. My writing seemed lame compared to all the published work. What was I doing wrong? Lots..!

Well, I was trying to be like some of the greats that I'd read, Pearl S Buck, Virginia Woolf, Ray Bradbury, and all the others. I wanted to write like them when I grew up. I'm still growing up, so there's hope yet. However, now that I've found the confidence to put pen to paper, I've realised I can't write like them. I'm not them, I'm Laura, and so I have to write like Laura with her personality. My first unpublished works resembled others I'd read and it sounded like I was trying to be someone I wasn't. No wonder I wasn't getting published. My writing was bland, bland, plain boring.

So how do you find your writing voice? Write, write and write some more. From the heart with the words that are yours in the way you would say it because of the life experiences you have had. It's your life experiences that have made you the person you are and there is no one in the world like you. Really. Your perception of the world and what you see as important or unimportant is different to Pearl, Virginia or Ray, and all the others. Now that I've realised my writing is different from every other writer's on this sphere we call Earth, I hope to find the voice that is uniquely mine. I don't think this will happen overnight, but with practice I'm sure I'll find the unique way of writing that says 'It's Laura'. I'm hoping my future works will reflect the 'genuine article'.

How about you? Are you writing from the heart with your unique perspective on the world? I'd really like to hear about your journey in how you got to that point.

A Precious Moment

Loving all creatures.

Loving all creatures.

While I was in my back garden this morning, I found this butterfly sitting on the grass. I think it's called a Blue Tiger. Please correct me if I'm wrong.

I felt privileged to have gotten so close. I bent down and placed my finger in front of it. Amazingly, this little creature took a couple of steps toward my finger and climbed up on it. It stayed there until I nudged it to take flight.

It's not often these special experiences come our way. I felt blessed that an elusive creature had sensed my love for everything on this earth and was content to be with me for a few minutes to appreciate its beauty and share a special moment to bond.

When I looked closely, I saw its left wing was damaged. Perhaps I was meant to be there as it was taking its last breaths...

What this experience made me realise was that it's important to take the time to tune into the world around us. These moments are there to encourage and pause us in our busy lives; to refresh and inspire us think about what's really important.

Charlotte's Web

“Never hurry, never worry”.

I came across these words from Charlotte’s Web by E.B. White while cleaning out old files during the last three weeks as I waited impatiently for my landline/internet connection. I’m still waiting…

I began to think about why I’m hurrying for it to be connected and why I’ve been worrying. Firstly, I feel cut off from the world. Writing is a solitary occupation. I need to connect with family and friends. I rely on the internet for marketing and research.

I’m using a mobile broadband, but the connection is only one bar’s worth and it tends to drop out every now and then, and it is sooooo slow. All because our home is in a bit of a hollow.

What did I do before broadband?

I waited patiently for the internet to load because that was all that was available. I've been spoilt with the new fast broadband. I realised there is no point hurrying and there is no point worrying because the landline will be connected when the technicians are able to do it. No amount of huffing, puffing or blowing by me is going to get me my landline any sooner. Instead, all it’s doing is upsetting those around me and stressing the person at the end of the phone who's doing the best they can to help me.

So calmly, does it. I’ve forgotten about the internet. I've written this in Word, and copied and pasted it onto my website that I downloaded without hurry and worry as the connection speed allowed. I can do nothing about the speed, so this week I’m endeavouring to remain cool, calm and collected. I'm working on my third novel, working title, Operation Rainbow's End, and trying to forget the internet exists. It will be an interesting exercise to see if I become more productive. Keep posted to see what this forced exercise reveals.

How about you? Can these wise words from Charlotte help to make your day less stressful, and more productive, too? I’d love to hear from you.

Charlotte's Web

Charlotte's Web