About Me

My photo
Perth, Western Australia, Australia
I am based in Perth, Western Australia. You might enjoy my books - The Dagger of Dresnia, the first book of the Talismans Trilogy, is available at all good online book shops as is Book two, The Cloak of Challiver. Book three, The Seer of Syland, is in preparation. I trained in piano and singing at the NSW Conservatorium of Music. I also trained in dance (Scully-Borovansky, WAAPA) and drama (NIDA). Since 1987 I have been writing reviews of performances in all genres for a variety of publications, including Music Maker, ArtsWest, Dance Australia, The Australian and others. Now semi-retired, I still write occasionally for the ArtsHub website.

My books

The first two books of my trilogy, The Talismans, (The Dagger of Dresnia, and book two, The Cloak of Challiver) are available in e-book format from Smashwords, Amazon and other online sellers. Book three of the trilogy, The Seer of Syland, is in preparation.I also have a short story, 'La Belle Dame', in print - see Mythic Resonance below - as well as well as a few poems in various places. The best way to contact me is via Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/satimaflavell

Buy The Talismans

The first two books of The Talismans trilogy were published by Satalyte Publications, which, sadly, has gone out of business. However, The Dagger of Dresnia and The Cloak of Challiver are available as ebooks on the usual book-selling websites, and book three, The Seer of Syland, is in preparation. The easiest way to contact me is via Facebook.

The Dagger of Dresnia

The Dagger of Dresnia

The Cloak of Challiver, Book two of The Talismans

The Cloak of Challiver, Book two of The Talismans
Available as an e-book on Amazon and other online booksellers.

Mythic Resonance

Mythic Resonance

Mythic Resonance is an excellent anthology that includes my short story 'La Belle Dame', together with great stories from Alan Baxter, Donna Maree Hanson, Sue Burstynski, Nike Sulway and nine more fantastic authors! Just $US3.99 from Amazon. Got a Kindle? Check out Mythic Resonance.

Follow me on Twitter

Share a link on Twitter

My Blog List

Blog Archive

Places I've lived: Manchester, UK

Places I've lived: Manchester, UK

Places I've lived: Gippsland, Australia

Places I've lived: Gippsland, Australia

Places I've lived: Geelong, Australia

Places I've lived: Geelong,  Australia

Places I've lived: Tamworth, NSW

Places I've lived: Tamworth, NSW

Places I've Lived - Sydney

Places I've Lived - Sydney
Sydney Conservatorium - my old school

Places I've lived: Auckland, NZ

Places I've lived: Auckland, NZ

Places I've Lived: Mount Gambier

Places I've Lived: Mount Gambier
Blue Lake

Places I've lived: Adelaide, SA

Places I've lived: Adelaide, SA

Places I've Lived: Perth by Day

Places I've Lived: Perth by Day
From Kings Park

Places I've lived: High View, WV

Places I've lived: High View, WV

Places I've lived: Lynton, Devon, UK

Places I've lived: Lynton, Devon, UK

Places I've lived: Braemar, Scotland

Places I've lived: Braemar, Scotland

Places I've lived: Barre, MA, USA

Places I've lived: Barre, MA, USA

Places I've Lived: Perth by Night

Places I've Lived: Perth by Night
From Kings Park

Inner Peace Blog

Inner Peace Blog
Awarded by Joanna Fay. Click on the image to visit her lovely website!

Versatile Blogger Award

Versatile Blogger Award
Awarded by Kim Falconer. Click on the pic to check out her Quantum Astrology blog!

Fabulous Blog Award

Fabulous Blog Award
Awarded by Kathryn Warner. Click on the pic to check out her Edward II blog!

Search This Blog

Saturday 18 November 2006

Settling in

A few weeks ago, I moved house. It was a Big Move, all the way from Perth, Western Australia, to Mount Gambier, South Australia - about 2,000 miles or nearly 3,000km. I've lived in Mount Gambier before and I have siblings here so it's not as much of a shock as it might have been, but it will take me a while to get used to living in a country town again.

With all the angst of leaving Perth, the trials of settling in and the constant socialising I haven't been writing much. Normally, I'm one of those writers that needs days of seclusion to get anything on paper, but I've managed to pen a short story that had been gestating for weeks and there are a couple more on the simmer. However, I haven't touched the new book I'd hoped to have drafted before I go overseas in February. I have Good Intentions - you know, those things that pave the road to Hades - of getting started within the next couple of weeks. Now I've blogged it I shall have to do it, right?

Like the rest of the country, the south-east of South Australia is in the grip of drought. Yet in the last week we have had not just rain, but hail stones! The temperature has swung from a minimum of almost zero on one of the coldest November days on record to a maximum of 29 degrees Celsius, which is a bit more reasonable, given the time of year. Today should be lovely - 27 degrees and balmy. That's good, because today Mount Gambier residents and a horde of visitors will turn out in force to view the annual Christmas Parade, complete with brass bands and The Man Himself. He's going to feel pretty warm in that red suit.

That reminds me of a silly thing I did when flying over from Perth. My friend Ellen had given me a beautiful pair of red leather ugg boots and I couldn't wait to wear them. When I arrived in Adelaide en route to the Mount it was 35 degrees! Oh boy, did I get some strange looks!

But I'm settling in OK and have already had some visitors. My son Bruce and his family are over from Perth at the moment and on Thursday night I had my friend Tracey Spark and her new fiancé Gary to stay over. They are just starting the last leg of what has been a wonderful trip around the country; all the way up to Broome, Darwin, Katherine Gorge, Cairns, Sydney, Canberra, Victoria and Tasmania, camping in many wonderful wild places. Tracey, a colleague from the Katharine Susannah Prichard Writers Centre in Perth, is a film-maker and performance artist. She will have so much new material to process when she gets home that she will no doubt have inspiration for months, if not years, to come.

Travel is one of the best sources of inspiration, I think. And one of the best ways to learn about ourselves and other people. I congratulated Tracey and Gary on still being engaged - and very happily so:-) - after nearly four months on the road. I've heard of some relationships crashing after less than a fortnight when subjected to the stress of travel!

Last night I went with Bruce and his family to visit the Umpherston Sink Hole, a local beauty spot. (My sister Anne, a keen local historian, has recently published a book about its history.) It has become home to myriads of brush-tailed possums, who have learnt to beg their food from tourists and locals. There must have been upwards of thirty people there at dusk, all armed with food for the furry little scavengers. While I question the desirability of feeding possums, and especially feeding them white bread, where else are our children going to get close to wildlife? At one time, any country drive would bring a sighting of kangaroos or wallabies together with plenty of birds and reptiles, but alas, no longer! The ones we haven't killed seem to have become shy and nocturnal, and who can blame them? My grandchildren were delighted at their close encounters.

5 comments:

Anonymous said...

Best wishes from The Katharine Susannah Prichard Writers Centre. It is good that the global village keeps us in touch, 'cos we miss you.

Satima Flavell said...

I miss you guys, too:-) I hope to catch up when I'm back in town for a few days in February.

Anonymous said...

Hey Mum - well done! What a great to continue the family tradition of 'round robins'!
xxx Billy

Satima Flavell said...

Why don't y'all get one, too? Be sure to visit here and leave the URL when you do.

Anonymous said...

Hey, if kids need to see brushtail possums in the wild, just bring them to our place, LOL! (And an old and dumb koala who stooges around ours and the neighbours' gardens.) Glad to hear you're settling in well!

Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...