This is my new obsession, a podcast about what it was like to be at the college Donna Tartt went to, which was also the college Bret Easton Ellis went to, and Jonathan Lethem. I've listened to the first episode, loved it. Lili Anolik has written a lot of journalism about Hollywood and LA (I [...]
Category: Uncategorized
The new George
This is incredible this book. I'm up to Gooseberries by Chekhov, have read it once and the accompanying text but have gone back to the beginning to re-read. I've done this also with the first story In the Cart (also by Chekhov), The Singers (Turgenev) and Master and Man (Tolstoy). What a gift this book [...]
When writers… critique
So there's been a bit of a thing on Twitter about Sally Rooney's next book (yeah, yeah I'm not tweeting but I'm still reading). The flurry of responses has been about a 'review' of Rooney's upcoming book, Beautiful World, Where Are You. I put review in scare quotes because some people say it's not really [...]
Writing the natural world
https://www.youtube.com/embed/881LXo0kAWs Grindavik, Iceland This is a fantastic article I came across yesterday morning, from The New Yorker's little morning blast. I find I'm reaching for this - and The Monthly one, and something called POST from The Saturday Paper. This one, Chasing the Lava Flow in Iceland. by Heidi Julavits, is a treat.
Hello 2021
Long time, no type. I'd put all my blog posts into some sort of hidden folder and just now reinstated them. I plan to get back to a bit of blogging because why not, also we're in a pandemic and nostalgia is a real pull right now. I don't know how much time I'll have, [...]
HELLO 2018
I'm having some trouble with my website here. A wonderful wonderful designer is doing things with it to make it better but I managed to muck it up a bit by fiddling. So bear with me/us as I/we get it how I want it. But for now. A list: I am reading Bruce Pascoe's [...]
First real proper lit festival appearance locked in
I'm a bit excited because I have a booking for next year, for a literary festival. I don't want to say too much about it in case it's too early (let's face it, it's too early) but I'm pleased partly because it came from a pitch that started last year (or earlier this year, I [...]
Stuck fishing in Bali
Hope to be back early next week.
Gone fishing
Reading catch-up: Orhan Pamuk’s A Strangeness in My Mind
Book 44 for the year is A Strangeness in My Mind. I love Orhan Pamuk's novels but I haven't read them all because not all are, well, accessible. The ones I've tried and not finished: My Name is Red and The Black Book. The ones I have, and have loved them all: Snow, The Museum of [...]
Wednesday catch-up
Well, I can barely catch my own breath at the moment. It's all things proofing at my house, and looking at blurbs. My wonderful editor has sent me the proofed pages, and while they are quite 'clean' (dig the lingo, baby), I want to go through carefully. It's the last chance. My reading continues apace. That never [...]
Reading, reading and more reading. And some editing.
My edits are done. Again. So next stage will be proof pages and seeing some cover artwork. Fingers crossed for that. It's been school holidays and while Term 2 has started today, I'm not teaching until Thursday, and then it's only a couple of sessions in the middle of the day. Easy. I've been reading, [...]
All things goshawk
So a little while ago I was all things Karl Ove Knausgaard. That hasn't changed, in fact I finished his book three and have book four waiting. It's very thick and heavy, with a teen Karl Ove on the cover. Also, here is an interesting article I saw during the week, on what it means when [...]
Saturday catch up
It's been a while since I posted. I have just finished a full-on week of teaching, as well as getting my edited manuscript back to Allen & Unwin. Am tidying my work space and getting things under control after a three-week frenzy with lots of teaching and lots of editing. Celebrating tonight with some French bubbly, [...]
To be published later this year: my novel The Secret Son*
Someone gave me a push to write a new post here, with my news in a more highlighted fashion. I mentioned it earlier before I left on my trip, but this 'someone' I think wants me to make more of it. It's not my natural inclination to fanfare but here goes. Some of you will know [...]
Getting ready to fly the old coop
Friday week I jet off (read: become paralysed stuffed in small almost-reclining seat within long metal tube) to London and beyond. My preparations have consisted of making sure I have warm clothes to take and even more importantly, comfortable shoes (remember the LA-NYC Blister Saga?) My blister saga was caused last time by me flying [...]
Shacks (and one non-shack), Werribee South
This post is for Sarah, who posted some shacky stuff here and here.
Going Global, ASA Seminar held Wed 14 May, Melbourne
Anne Beilby, Rights Manager at Text Publishing.I went along to this not quite sure what it was about (my fault, no one else's.) But I knew two things:1. Anne Beilby from Text Publishing was the speaker and 2. she is a guru when it comes to all things to do with publishing rights.Actually I knew [...]
PWF Day 1, Publishers Seminar, Session 5. THE PITCH.
What we've all been waiting for, and on the day, the Pitch session was mentioned throughout, with info about how it would work. This is how it worked:People were invited to put their names into a box and we were told they'd be pulled at random, and possibly up to ten or so would be [...]
My 2013 reading wrap up
So everyone else is doing it, here's mine. These aren't all the books I read this year, but these are the ones I want to mention. The knock-out book for me: The Goldfinch by Donna Tartt. Possibly my favourite book for the last few years. Biggest surprise of the year: Addition, Toni Jordan. This book [...]
Gone fishing
Back at the end of the week my pretties.
First anniversary of this blog, and an interview with Iowa Writers’ Workshop teacher Marilynne Robinson
Well, apparently it's the first birthday of this blog. How nice. Some stats: Today, 16 views so far from 16 visitors. USA - 8 UK - 8 One each from Qatar, Germany, Italy, Austria and Netherlands. Total 63 followers, total 187 comments. Total of 3,936 views, best ever single day was 69 views (I think [...]
Colm Tóibín workshop – Melbourne Writers Festival 2013
UPDATE: It was announced yesterday that Tóibín's The Testament of Mary has been shortlisted for this year's Man Booker Prize. I haven't read it but it's 'on the list.'*It's a writing day today. I'm lucky to have taught my last session for term last Wednesday and so have been burrowing into my manuscript, wrangling with [...]
Workshop with MJ Hyland at the Melbourne Writers Festival
MJ Hyland has written three novels and I enjoyed all of them, particularly the second (Carry Me Down) and third (This is How). Her stripped-back prose and clever, clever management of points of view I find exciting. In an earlier writing course I did, in 2009, in between meetings every two months we read books [...]
Catching up on… The Writer’s Room Interviews
I've mentioned this fabulous suite of interviews before but really, they are such a great source of information and insight that it's worth mentioning them again. You really should subscribe. (It's The Writer's Room and you can go here to find out more.)Author Charlotte Wood established this project earlier this year? Late last year? A [...]
Gone Fishing
Back next week.
First interview with Amanda Lohrey from The Writer’s Room
Writer Amanda LohreyIf you haven't already subscribed to this new publication, and you are a keen student of learning as much as possible about 'the craft' (and also if you are a nosy sticky-beak like me and love to read about writers and their writing processes) then get thee here and subscribe. If you do, [...]
January over, what does Feb have in store?
Disclaimer: this is a meandering post and it's really quite self-absorbed. You have been warned. Last night on twitter I saw someone write: A writer is someone who has agreed to do homework every night for the rest of their lives. This stuck with me, because it does seem as if I am constantly 'doing [...]
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