About Me

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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.

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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!

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Sunday 10 February 2008

The countdown continues...

Only twenty more sleeps now, and I’ll be on a journey that will involve my participation in some wonderful events. First, the Adelaide Writers Festival, which runs from 2-7 March. We are lucky in Australia to have several excellent Arts Festivals, and they tend to have free “Writers Weeks” associated with them. This will be my first time at the Adelaide one, courtesy of my friend Annalou, and I’m looking forward to hearing some of the panels and talks by authors and publishers. I especially have my eye on sessions involving Margo Lanagan and Lian Hearn, two fine Australian Speculative Fiction writers, and the panel on “Directions in British and Australian Publishing”, with representatives from Scribe Publications here in Oz as well as three British houses. Another panel is called “Germaine’s Legacy”, with Germaine Greer herself on the panel. Still another is entitled “They Fuck You Up”. I must hear that one to find just who it is that’s causing all the problems in my world.

Then a few days with my daughter Billy in Adelaide before heading off to Perth (plane trip courtesy of another kind friend) where I’ll spend a week catching up with groups and individuals before the second highlight of the trip, Swancon, where I expect that, as usual, I shall be informed, entertained and embraced by the lovely SpecFic community. One of my favourite Aussie SpecFic writers, Glenda Larke, is one of the guests of honour. There is an excellent academic stream at Swancon this year as well as the usual discussion panels (they are always very good) book launches, demonstrations and social events. And books! I always go determined to buy only one book but it's impossible. I don't eat much in the week that follows a convention:-)

After Swancon, there should be three weeks house-sitting if all goes to plan and something else if all doesn’t, then another highlight – the Vipassana meditation retreat organised by Perth Insight Meditation Group. Insight meditation, I have found, is one of the best possible tools for the acquisition of self knowledge and the development of tolerance and compassion. We will spend twelve days in almost total silence, each meditator or "yogi" watching the mind's silly chatter and the body's reactions to thoughts and emotions as they arise. Many people are horrified at the thought of twelve days without talking - no mobile phone, no TV, no radio, no MP3 - but believe me, a Vipassana retreat is one of the best gifts you can give yourself. I have been honoured with a scholarship for this retreat, which will be under the care of Patrick Kearney, an excellent teacher.

I have been very lucky in my meditation teachers. I toyed with meditation, on and off, for perhaps twenty years before I did my first retreat. That was with Chime Shaw in Perth in 1988. I studied with Eric Harrison at Perth Meditation Centre for several years on and off eventually completing his Teacher Training course. The "on and off" was due to the three and a half years I spent overseas, sitting with many fine teachers in Nepal, England and the USA. It was at the Bhavana Centre in West Virginia where I was given the name Satima, which means “mindful”, and it is indeed a good reminder, every time I hear it, to stay present in the moment and to be as aware as possible of the fluctuations of the mind and body and of the world around me. Later, I moved on to the Insight Meditation Society in Barre, Massachusetts, where I had the privilege of sitting with world renowned teachers such as Joseph Goldstein, Sharon Salzberg, Jack Kornfield, Stephen Armstrong, Kamala Masters and many others. I was on staff at IMS for about a year and a half and it was one of the happiest and most contented periods of my life. Even now, ten years later, I sometimes go to the IMS website to look at pictures of my beloved teachers and workmates there, and every time my heart is filled with joy. It’s a painful joy because I am no longer there, but all the same, a joy like no other to think of them all and send them lovingkindness.

Over the years I was away, “dharma-bumming” I learnt more about my mind than I ever discovered in a university or the many self-help books I’ve read. And Vipassana can help you with mundane things, too. It was at my last retreat with Patrick Kearney that I found the beginnings of the trilogy I’m writing – you know, the one that I can’t get right and am always complaining about! Maybe this time I’ll find out how to get it out of the unconscious and onto the page!

8 comments:

Jo said...

I am afraid I don't really understand the term specific fiction. I have read Glenda Larke's Glory Isles trilogy which you term spec fic, so what is it - to me that's just fantasy.

Sounds like you have a very full time coming up, say hi to Glenda for me, if she knows who I am, I comment on her blogs a lot. As I said before, hugs to Annalou.

Anonymous said...

Not 'specific', Jo. Spec fic is short for speculative fiction. Unfortunately, spell-checkers tend to 'correct' this term if it's written as a single word. That's what has happened in Satima's blog post.

The term speculative fiction covers science fiction, fantasy and horror.

I'm sure Satima would have told you this! Maybe she could blog about the differences between sf, fantasy and horror, which are many.

Satima Flavell said...

Oh drat! I wrote that in Word and it did indeed change my SpecFic to specific. I changed it back in the first instance but missed the second one - sorry! Yes, it would indeed be worth blogging on sometime. It's one of those catch-all terms that tends to mean different things to different people.Some would stretch it to include things like, forex, magical realism and alternative history: others wouldn't. If I blog it I'll have to do some research:-)

Jo - and any one else reading this - are you familiar with Juliet's work? She has written nine or ten superb books in the historical fantasy mould. If you go to http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Juliet_Marillier you'll find a bio and a listing of all her fantastic books, many of which have won awards.

Marilyn Z. Tomlins said...

Satima -- It's good to know I have a friend who's going to be doing such wonderful things the next few weeks. Think of me ... working ...
Marilyn

Satima Flavell said...

Hey Marilyn, I'll be thinking of you all right and envying your view over Paris and the fact that you're actually editing your deathly doctor for a real live publisher! I hope all goes well with you and the book and the spring weather:-)

genevieve said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
genevieve said...

Hi, I'll try again - came here via Australian Writers Online, Satima. I hope you enjoy the Adelaide festival and get time to blog it - I would have liked to go see Paul Auster, but left it a bit late.

Satima Flavell said...

Hi Genevieve - thanks for visiting! Have you got a current blog? Your name takes me to an old one, but I notice in your links there are some you contribute to.

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