The Blog

I was picking sweet peas this morning, perhaps the sun on the scent brought back memories of my life in 1960's Tahiti. I went upstairs, opened my clothes closet, flicked the hangers until I reached my yellow cotton ballgown - low cut out bodice, trimmed with white lace, fitted and falling to the floor with a slight train. Governor Sicerani's ball. Brigitte Bardot, Gunther Sachs, and Marlon Brando would be there. We had already met. Kenneth, the hairdresser from New York was in Tahiti on holiday that week with my closest friend, Nancy Rutgers. He had woven Tiare Tahiti flowers in my long blond hair and piled it all into a chignon. When we arrived, Marlon Brando was there and brought us 2 glasses of champagne. We chatted about his atoll, he asked me to dance, later we chatted about our personal demons. We felt close to each other. Brigitte arrived and was swallowed in a sea of good looking French officers in dress uniforms. Marlon raised an eyebrow. "Did you enjoy your day on Ed's boat…

I allow thoughts to find their own spaces before I gather them up and begin to outline my story. I ponder, scribble small paragraphs with details of where my characters are, how they feel and react and what they need, to make them come alive for the reader. The reader must recognise immediately who my characters are. I flesh them out and I fill in as if my pen is a crayon in a colouring book. I write a few pages, try to take it easy, leave them overnight and notice how excited I am to return next morning to see what I have written. I edit and cross out, I begin again adding and subtracting, maybe reshaping the plot and the characters. If one of my characters is on a bus, I will fill in with descriptions of what they see outside as the bus goes by. I will describe what they are wearing, this will reveal how they feel about themselves and what they wish to project to the world. All of this is “colouring in.” It is giving life, animating your character. I make the movie with my pen. The…

We're thrilled to share that Jane and Elaine have been named a Third Place Winner in the New Fiction – First Time Published category of the Firebird Book Awards for their novel Not In This World. The International Firebird Book Awards celebrate outstanding authors and publishers globally, featuring a diverse range of genres. Submissions are evaluated by a panel of 29 judges, with each entry reviewed by two judges using consistent criteria. Only those with the highest scores win the prestigious Firebird Award, recognizing exceptional talent in the literary community. Participating in the Firebird Book Awards goes beyond just submitting an entry. Founder Patricia J. Rullo shares that your entry fee is a tax-deductible donation that supports women and children facing homelessness. It helps create cheerful, handmade pillowcases and provides inspiring books to shelters like Enchanted Makeovers. By entering, you’re not only aiming for recognition but also helping transform shelters into…

Celebrating today's Firebird Book Award in the sunshine with my favourite friends. They haven't read the book yet, but they tell me they will...