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 3 February 2008

Countdown for a Lucky Lady

I can't believe it's only 26 more sleeps before I set off to Adelaide to stay with my friend Annalou for the duration of the Adelaide Writers Festival! Eleven sleeps after that and I head off to Perth, first for Swancon - this year the National Science Fiction Convention - and then for a meditation retreat with Patrick Kearney, one of this country's finest teachers of Vipassana. It's been a busy time lately and I had almost lost track of time. Now I must start to pull myself toegther ready for the Big Adventure.

I have often moaned and bewailed the fact that I cannot afford to live in Perth anymore, yet I must admit that the Limestone Coast is a lovely part of the country. My sister Erica's daughter Linda has been down from Queensland for a flying visit and while she was here we visited places that locals seldom think to go to but which visitors always want to see. One such place was the Waterfall Gardens at Dartmoor, sone 40-odd kilometres from Mount Gambier. We found a beautiful park with natural waterfalls and creeks running into a river. I thought I knew this area quite well and I didn't even know it was there! Linda and I had a lovely walk down to the river, admiring the scenery on the way. The gardens are quite wild - a mixture of native and exotic plants, many of them weeds, growing in tight profusion. One outstanding feature was the Tiger Lilies, which used to be found in almost every garden when I was a child, but for some reason they have been ousted by newer hybrids these days, which is shame as they really are most attractive with their black-spotched orange blooms. They grow tiny bulblets in the leaf axils, so I carefully collected three of them to bring home and hopefully grow on. Nestled into a pot, within a few days they began to elongate, changing from balls to teardrops. Each little teardrop is particloured in black and brown, the colours divided by a curved silver line, rather in the fashion of a Yang-Yin symbol. I often wish I had a much better camera, and this is one of those times. Each bulblet is a tiny work of art that would probably go unseen in the garden.

But in China the news is of a harsher aspect of nature. Storms that have left huge cities without electricity have also deprived millions of people of their one chance in the year to visit loved ones far away. My heart goes out to them and to the countless people who must be lying sick and dying in cold flats because there is no heating in what must be a truly terrible winter.

It's sobering to realise that I whinge and whine about having to live far from the place I call home. At least I have a roof over my head, decent weather (although we're getting some unseasonably cold mornings!) and enough to eat, with a holiday to look forward to: one that will, moreover, cost me virtually nothing. I really have nothing to whine about. I've even had a stroke of luck in the form of an editing assignment from a PhD student in Perth, and her fees will pay my Swancon subscription. No, I have nothing to whine about, nothing at all. Once again, I am deeply touched by the generosity and kindness of friends who have provided me with transport and accommodation, to say nothing of the good company I will enjoy when we get together. May some of those people in China enjoy one tenth of the luck of this little fat old lady!

2 comments:

Jo said...

Lucky you to go stay with Annalou. Give her my love and a big hug. I hope you enjoy your trip to the Writer's Festival and then the Convention.

You are so right we complain about so much and find out that our lives are very much better than other people's be it China or anywhere else. As for the fat old lady comment, if that picture is recent, you look neither fat nor old.

Satima Flavell said...

Heh heh - thanks for that, Jo. The pic is, in fact, about 2 yrs old but it's quite flattering. When I get a more recent one that doesn't look too horrible I'll upload that one:-)

I'm quite seriously fat, though, and I don't mind, so it's OK to describe me as a little fat old lady. 'Tain't no more 'n the truth!

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