About Me
- Satima Flavell
- I am a writer, editor, reviewer and dance teacher 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, and I still teach dance at Trinity School for Seniors, an outreach program of the Uniting Church in Perth.

My books
The first novel of my trilogy, The Talismans, is available as an e-book from Smashwords, Amazon and other online sellers. I do have paperbacks of The Dagger of Dresnia at the low price of $AU25 including postage within Australia. I also have a short story, 'La Belle Dame', in print - see Mythic Resonance below.
Book two of the trilogy, The Cloak of Challiver, will be available again shortly.
The best way to contact me is via Facebook!

Buy The Talismans
The first two books of The Talismans trilogy were published by Satalyte Publications, which, sadly, has gone out of business. Book one, The Dagger of Dresnia, is up on the usual bookselling web sites as an e-book, and I have a few hard copies to sell to those who prefer Real Paper. Book Two, The Cloak of Challiver, will be available soon.
The easiest way to contact me is via Facebook.

Buy 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.

For Readers, Writers & Editors
- A dilemma about characters
- Adelaide Writers Week, 2009
- Adjectives, commas and confusion
- An artist's conflict
- An editor's role
- Authorial voice, passive writing and the passive voice
- Common misuses: common expressions
- Common misuses: confusing words
- Common misuses: pronouns - subject and object
- Conversations with a character
- Critiquing Groups
- Does length matter?
- Dont sweat the small stuff: formatting
- Free help for writers
- How much magic is too much?
- Know your characters via astrology
- Like to be an editor?
- Modern Writing Techniques
- My best reads of 2007
- My best reads of 2008
- My favourite dead authors
- My favourite modern authors
- My influential authors
- Planning and Flimmering
- Planning vs Flimmering again
- Psychological Spec-Fic
- Readers' pet hates
- Reading, 2009
- Reality check: so you want to be a writer?
- Sensory detail is important!
- Speculative Fiction - what is it?
- Spelling reform?
- Substantive or linking verbs
- The creative cycle
- The promiscuous artist
- The revenge of omni rampant
- The value of "how-to" lists for writers
- Write a decent synopsis
- Write a review worth reading
- Writers block 1
- Writers block 2
- Writers block 3
- Writers need editors!
- Writers, Depression and Addiction
- Writing in dialect, accent or register
- Writing it Right: notes for apprentice authors

Interviews with authors
My Blog List
-
Flog a BookBubber 191: Jacky Gray—just not much there - Writers, send your prologue/first chapter to FtQ for a “flogging” critique. Email as an attachment. Many of the folks who utilize BookBub are self-publishe...1 hour ago
-
Links: Fanfic Recs, a Kickstarter, & More - It’s still February. It’s the shortest month, but yet it feels like the longest. Maybe that’s because in New England, winter is still happening and we’re a...1 hour ago
-
The Emerald Sun: Chasing the unknown - Today was a tougher day from the storytelling perspective. I don’t actually know what Genna and Dan and Yarri and Doyati and the cat are going to find. The...3 hours ago
-
Act One: All Setup or Does it Need More? - [image: novel openings, structure] *By Janice Hardy, @Janice_Hardy * *How much goes into setting up the beginning of a novel?* Novel beginnings don’t make ...6 hours ago
-
Going places - When one reads the obsolete phrase go to, go to, the meaning is still understood quite well. After to, one “hears” the word hell. However, directions var...7 hours ago
-
A double trip to Dubai - I have two work trips to Dubai coming up. There’s a huge variety in what I’m going to talk about over both trips and every Read the full article The post...7 hours ago
-
On Re-Viewing The Hate U Give - A while back, I read *The* *Hate* *U* *Give *by Angie Thomas, which was one of the few bestselling YA novels I’ve read which I thought worth the hype. Here...9 hours ago
-
Parenting Advice, Elevator Pitches, and the Essential Heart of Story - When my daughters were little I used to read all kinds of books and magazines filled with parenting advice, looking for the nugget of wisdom that would hel...9 hours ago
-
Medieval Church and State, and the nun who faked her own death - In the high summer of 1318, a nun of the priory of St Clement near York – Joan of Leeds – staged a daring escape from her convent. She left behind a life o...11 hours ago
-
Shopping, Mandarin, Kep - Riddlesworth Hall I always hated shopping but my mother loved it. I remember being dragged from store to store to find things. We were looking for a part...14 hours ago
-
The Battle of Agincourt with Michael Livingston - Episode 8 of The Medieval Podcast - Danièle speaks with Michael Livingston about his latest research on where the Battle of Agincourt might have been fought.15 hours ago
-
Carter for 600 years -- "by whom he had seven sons and ten daughters" - *© 2019 Christy K Robinson* My grandmother Opal was born a Carter in Iowa. She was part of a small family of two daughters. But she had more cousins than ...16 hours ago
-
The problem with historical fiction – Carolyn Hughes - *What *“problem”, you might ask… When I first embarked on writing historical fiction several years ago, I edged my way nervously into a genre that I felt in...20 hours ago
-
Elinor Lipman - Elinor Lipman is the award-winning author of many novels, including The View from Penthouse B and The Inn at Lake Devine; one essay collection, I Can't Com...23 hours ago
-
Forgotten Books, Remembered (For Now) - I suppose it was inevitable: I discovered a that I am listed as a contributor to a book that I was not aware existed. It’s a 2009 book from the National Ge...23 hours ago
-
Book Review: The Care and Feeding of Ravenously Hungry Girls by Anissa Gray - I am still dipping my toes into the literally fiction pool, finding what works for me and what doesn’t. Books like The Care and Feeding of Ravenously Hun...1 day ago
-
Feedback on my books… - Dual Visions and Vashla’s World have a ringing endorsement and great feedback from a recent recipient of signed copies. His wife gave them to him for a bir...1 day ago
-
276: How to Start a Successful Podcast - The post 276: How to Start a Successful Podcast appeared first on ProBlogger . Learn How to Start a Successful Podcast Do you already have a blog, and wa...2 days ago
-
What I've Been Doing Lately - I signed up for Julia Bickerstaff's 100 Day Goal starting on 1 January. The idea is that you set out goals and work towards them one microaction at a time ...2 days ago
-
Cover Reveal: We’ll Stand in That Place and Other Stories Ed. Michelle Cahill - Latest Story NewsMy latest story 'The Do' will feature along side what's a fab lineup of Australian writers in We’ll Stand in That Place and Other Stories ...3 days ago
-
Publishizer: Do Authors Really Need a Crowdfunding Literary Agency? - *Posted by Victoria Strauss for Writer Beware* Publishizer bills itself as "the world's first crowdfunding literary agency." What does that actually mean...6 days ago
-
Edward II and Isabella of France, 1322-1326 - After the Tynemouth incident in the autumn of 1322, when Isabella of France rather unfairly accused Hugh Despenser the Younger of deliberately leaving her ...6 days ago
-
How FRIENDS Makes Character Archetypes Look Easy - All About Archetypes The difference between archetypes and stereotypes is subtle, but crucial. Archetypes are frequently mistaken for stereotypes and vic...1 week ago
-
A Book Ian Likes: The Silver Sun by Nancy Springer - The mid-1970s was a great time to be a fantasy fan. Maybe not an especially discerning fantasy fan, but there seems to have been an awful lot going on in t...1 week ago
-
Emerald Fire is on Pre-order - I mentioned last time that I had Emerald Fire up on pre-order. For those of you who have grabbed a copy of Ruby Heart, don’t miss out on the next book. If ...1 week ago
-
Emerald Fire is on Pre-order - I mentioned last time that I had Emerald Fire up on pre-order. For those of you who have grabbed a copy of Ruby Heart, don’t miss out on the next book. If ...1 week ago
-
DuBay v King: Deposition of James Stenstrum, January 06, 2018 - There's depositions and then there's depositions! The DuBay v King case is far more interesting for what has been said during the depositions than anything...1 week ago
-
New Zealand is a beautiful country that is at the end of the line in the global English-language book supply chain - Quite aside from being stunningly beautiful from top to bottom, New Zealand is unique, a nation of 4-1/2 million English speakers that is not on the way ...1 week ago
-
Ellen Klages and Passing Strange - Ellen Klages joined us on the show to talk about her novella, "Passing Strange," which appeared on Tor.com... as it turned out, precisely two years before ...2 weeks ago
-
Another snippet of Reappraisal - I posted, a month or so back, the first chapter of my second Guerline Scarfe SF-murder-mystery-set-on-Titan, A Reappraisal of the Circumstances Resulting i...2 weeks ago
-
Childrens Book Council of Australia Highly Recommends Rainforest Rescue - Childrens Book Council of Australia highly recommends my book, Song Bird Rainforest Rescue. Childrens Book Council of Australia reviewed Rainforest Rescu...2 weeks ago
-
History of Rugia: Prince Wilhelm Malte of Putbus - I've already mentioned Prince Wilhelm Malte I of Putbus (1783 - 1854) in my prior post. He was the scion of the Slavic noble family of Putbus (the lords of...2 weeks ago
-
Sinister Reads chats with Claire Fitzpatrick - Originally posted on ~ Sinister Reads ~: Tell us a little bit about yourself and your latest story? Hiya. I’m Claire. I’m an author of speculative fiction ...2 weeks ago
-
#WEP/IWSG #FIRST CHALLENGE OF 2019. SIGN UP HERE FOR 28 DAYS. - Hello all and welcome to WEP 2019! Here are the full list of challenges for the year~ Our February challenge is the result of an IWSG competition - won by...2 weeks ago
-
FIERCE PRACTICE: GIVE YOURSELF PERMISSION TO HATE -- ON THE PAGE! - *A PLOT FOR OUR TIME* *LadyGilraen.Wordpress.com*The 2012 film, “The Attack,” directed by Lebanese filmmaker Ziad Doueri, haunts me still. In fact, it fee...3 weeks ago
-
Time to Stay Home - Time levels all of us. At 66, soon to be 67, I am fortunate to be in relatively good health. No prescription drugs needed. No mobility aids. Glasses suf...3 weeks ago
-
#328 - Hello: I have written a manuscript “Baked Lunch” and I'm soliciting agents and publishers. Brief Synopsis: I have written an update (2018) of the William...4 weeks ago
-
-
-
Sol Stein, Stein on Writing (1995) - Carla Miriam Levy About a third of the way through Sol Stein’s Stein on Writing, there is an anecdote that changed the way I think about scene constructi...5 weeks ago
-
Annie Wilson Patterson, Mus.D., composer, teacher, author (1864–1934) - [image: annie-patterson-feis-ceoil-1897-2] *Source: * *Full Report of the proceedings at The Oireachtas;**or, Irish Literary Festival*, held in the Round...1 month ago
-
Happy Public Domain Day 2019! - Today is Public Domain Day 2019, which means (finally!) the end of copyright for works first published in the U.S. in 1923. You are now free to use, reprin...1 month ago
-
That Was The 2018 That Was - It's been a strange year. I've only blogged a couple of times, mostly because I've not had anything to write about except one thing, the hugeness of making...1 month ago
-
The Calendar Year Changes Again - I challenge you--writer or editor--to strengthen one of your writing skills this next year.1 month ago
-
New Year’s Eve 2018 – thank you for everything! - It’s the last day of 2018. I’m thinking a lot about my ancestors as I plan to write the biography of Colonel Thorn during 2019. It’s a tale of lost fortune...1 month ago
-
Melbourne, Gold Coast, and Rotorua, New Zealand! - This writing gig is a funny old thing and sometimes it takes me to distant and interesting places. It’s a genuine honour when I get invited to these thin...1 month ago
-
Deferring the Garter Meeting. - In Kathryn Warner's book on Richard II I found that in 1386 the usual meeting of the Order of the Garter was deferred from St George's Day, although no rea...2 months ago
-
A Primer to Russian (and Ukrainian) Literature - If you ask someone to name a work of Russian literature they will probably give you War and Peace, and if you ask for a second the answer will likely be Cr...2 months ago
-
Aging - Every day I grow a little more "old." I become what "old" should be. I fall into the dictate. This is a choice Perhaps even a concession Perhaps a convictio...2 months ago
-
My Take on Doctor Who - I have been a Doctor Who fan since its inception in 1963. Even more so of its modern incarnation, beginning with Christopher Eccleston. Of course there hav...2 months ago
-
A Movie That No Writer Should See Alone - Really. REALLY. Trust me on this. particularly since this film, ‘Can you ever forgive me?’, is based on a ‘True story’ – and too many writers will see too...2 months ago
-
Queens in Shakespeare's plays - *What a fascinating topic! Our president, Frances, has researched and commented on Shakespeare's depiction of the Queen consorts depicted in his histori...2 months ago
-
We Were Strangers, edited by Richard V. Hirst - Two things I love so much – short stories and Joy Division. What could be better? "We Were Strangers" is a very well presented collection of 10 short stori...3 months ago
-
Setting Helps Define the Story Plot - I’ve been writing fiction for at least twenty years, and for most of those years, I lived in the Detroit suburbs of Michigan. My parents owned property o...4 months ago
-
Review: Trace: who killed Maria James? - [image: Trace: who killed Maria James?] Trace: who killed Maria James? by Rachael Brown My rating: 5 of 5 stars Absolutely jaw-dropping, compelling readin...4 months ago
-
Prince of Glass draft is done - I’ll be more forthcoming soon. Right now I’m exhausted and must prepare for a small bit of surgery tomorrow. I just wanted to say that the preliminary draf...5 months ago
-
Representations of Otherness in Paranormal Romance: Nalini Singh and J.R. Ward - María T. Ramos-García (South Dakota State University) Session 12.2: Love in Other Worlds Abstract: There is currently a very heated debate in progress rega...5 months ago
-
Parliamentarians learn about ground-breaking science on debilitating neurological disease - Originally posted on ISHO (ĭsh'ōō) : In parliament house in Canberra yesterday, members of federal parliament took the time to listen to world renowned sci...5 months ago
-
The November Tour Press Release - *Peter Grant is coming to a bookshop near you. * Meet Ben Aaronovitch on his epic tour of Great Britain to celebrate the publication of his upcoming, new R...6 months ago
-
Dance Photo Shoots - Photo Session Planning & Preparation Have you ever wanted to do a photo shoot for dance but have been a little unsure about how and what really happens? Pe...6 months ago
-
Best of the Independent eBook Awards 2018 - I am honoured to have been chosen as a finalist for the eFestival of Words Best of the Independent eBook Awards, along with my co-host at the Speculative ...6 months ago
-
War, English Delusion, and the effect on the Economy (4) - It was fortunate for Henry V that someone on the Orleanist side of politics decided to murder the Duke of Burgundy. This persuaded the new duke, Philippe t...6 months ago
-
-
SFTV 101 - SFTV 101: 1952 to 1980 For anyone interested in the history of science fiction, fantasy and horror on television, here is a list of episodes recommended...10 months ago
-
Buying my books - So I have taken to Lulu - who originally assisted with the publication of The Woodcarver's Son . Anyone wanting to buy a copy of either the Woodcarver's S...11 months ago
-
On Indefinite Hiatus - (Which I pretty much have been from this site for a while already, but for real now.) You can find most archive content through the On Writing page, and li...1 year ago
-
Amazon Ranking and Bestseller Lists - What's the Deal? - It's really hard to draw conclusions in the self-pub marketing game. After almost ten years of self-publishing on Amazon, I still don't know why some ebook...1 year ago
-
-
Literary Executors: Why you don’t want to be one, and how to know if you need one - So. A writer friend asks you to be their literary executor. You’re not exactly sure what a literary executor does, but you know you should feel honoured: a...1 year ago
-
Promo for a promo - Check this out - it's my crowdfund campaign to fund an extra scene in my Cyrano film. The film is based on my novel *Pyrotechnicon: Being a True Account of...1 year ago
-
First comes painting, Then comes sketching - While enjoying my new acrylics hobby, I started a painting and decided I wanted to include a dragon statue in one of them. There was, though, a hurdle I ha...1 year ago
-
2017 Ditmar Winners Announced - Over the Queen’s Birthday weekend, spec fic fans gathered for Continuum 13: Triskaidekaphilia. Continuum is always a great convention, and this year it was...1 year ago
-
Writing about the Crusades and talking about a "meddlesome priest" - The Middle Ages are in the news again, so here is a roundup of recent news articles. We start with three good reads from historians talking about the crusa...1 year ago
-
The One and the Many – every Sunday - My first serious girlfriend came from good Roman Catholic stock. Having tried (and failed) to be raised as a Christian child and finding nothing but lifele...1 year ago
-
A Shameless Plug Ian Likes: Bibliorati.com - A little-known fact is that I once had a gig reviewing books for five years. It was for a now-defunct website known as The Specusphere. It was awesome fun:...1 year ago
-
Book Review - Nobody by Threasa Meads - Available from BooktopiaThe subtitle for this work is *A Liminal Autobiography*. Liminal: 1. relating to a transitional or initial stage of a process. 2...2 years ago
-
A whole 'nother year-and-a-bit - Well, we have let this blog slip, haven't we? I guess Facebook has taken over from blogs to a very large degree, but I think there is still a need for blo...2 years ago
-
2017 Potential Bee Calendar – & ladybirds and butterflies - Bees on flowers – all sorts of flowers (& bees) – and lady birds and butterflies. There were hundreds (literally) of photos to choose from. This is a small...2 years ago
-
And Father Dragon said "let there be a planet...." - *Lo and behold, Dragon made a planet!!* Oh, I'm so very proud of myself so forgive me if I brag a little bit - way too much. I'm in the process of learni...2 years ago
-
What is dyslexia? - *" **The bottob line it thit it doet exitt, no bitter whit nibe teottle give it(i.e ttecific lierning ditibility, etc) iccording to Thilly Thiywitz ( 2003)...2 years ago
-
Maken Melodye on #WhanthatAprilleDay16 - Goode Friendes and Readeres of thys Litel Blog, Yt doth fill my litel herte wyth gret happinesse to invyte yow to the thirde yeare of a moost blisful and p...2 years ago

Favourite Sites
- Alan Baxter
- Andrew McKiernan
- Bren McDibble
- Celestine Lyons
- Guy Gavriel Kay
- Hal Spacejock (Simon Haynes)
- Inventing Reality
- Jacqueline Carey
- Jennifer Fallon
- Jessica Rydill
- Jessica Vivien
- Joel Fagin
- Juliet Marillier
- KA Bedford
- Karen Miller
- KSP Writers Centre
- Lynn Flewelling
- Marianne de Pierres
- Phill Berrie
- Ryan Flavell
- Satima's Professional Editing Services
- SF Novelists' Blog
- SF Signal
- Shane Jiraiya Cummings
- Society of Editors, WA
- Stephen Thompson
- Yellow wallpaper

Blog Archive
Saturday, 30 October 2010
Fifteen Novellists


Another meme! Instructions: take no more than 15 minutes to compile your list of fifteen authors who’ve influenced you. I’ve put mine in chronological order on the timeline of my life before the age of 40. Other authors have influenced me since, of course, but the works of the names below are woven into my psyche and no doubt always will be.
You don’t have to list your authors chronologically, of course – you can organise your collection however you choose!
I had to leave one author off because he would have been one too many, but let me acknowledge the debt I owe to A.A.Milne, whose Winnie-the-Pooh books formed the basis of my library between the ages of two and six!:-)
1. Enid Blyton: Part of the fabric of my childhood! Between the ages of 6 and 13, I read and re read the Famous Five and the Adventure Series until the covers were falling off!
2. Rudyard Kipling: Likewise, The Jungle Book and Just So Stories were favourites that I read again and again.
3. J.R.R. Tolkien: In grade two our teacher read The Hobbit aloud. It terrified me! I first read LOTR in my teens and have owned several copies since. Don’t tell anyone, but I liked the films better!
4. Arthur Ransome’s Swallows and Amazons series was much loved, too, although I don’t think I ever owned all of them.
5. Rosemary Sutcliff: I first read The Eagle of the Ninth when I was eleven and have re-read it many times since, along with Sutcliff’s other lovely historicals. I’ve never succeeded in collecting the complete set, however.
6. Elizabeth Goudge: An historical writer with an eye for the mythical and mystical who was my favourite author when I was a teenager. I would like to read her books again. (On the to-do list!)
7. Daphne du Maurier: I read her avidly in my teens, too, but have never re-read her work. I should, because she must have had an influence on my own writing!
8. Anya Seton: Another historical author whose work I relished as a teenager, especially, of course, her famous Katherine.
9. P.G. Wodehouse: another author I should re-read. I spent many happy hours in my teens rolling with laughter over his stories.
10. L. Sprague de Camp and Fletcher Pratt: As with Wodehouse, it was their humour, typified by The Incomplete Enchanter and The Castle of Iron, that hooked me. Later, I came to prefer Douglas Adams and Terry Pratchett, but de Camp and Pratt showed me that humour in speculative fiction is not only possible, but great fun.
11. A. Bertram Chandler: The first Australian SF author I read. My favourite was False Fatherland, which won Chandler one of his several Ditmars.
12. Isaac Asimov, Robert Heinlein and Arthur C. Clarke: I’m cheating by lumping the “Big Three” together. As for many fans of my generation, these guys were the saints of SF and their work was Holy Writ.
13. Mary Stewart: The first historical fantasy author I read. I re-read The Crystal Cave every few years and still love it.
14. Anne McCaffrey and Roger Zelazny: Another cheat, because I discovered these authors about the same time, and different though they are from each other, they have both influenced my own writing. The first two books about the Pern Dragon riders and the first five books of the Amber series are still among my favourite re-reads.
15. Ursula K. Leguin: The Left Hand of Darkness is one of my favourite books of all time in any genre.
So, take the meme and run with it, if you like. Let me know when your list is up because I’d love to read it!
You don’t have to list your authors chronologically, of course – you can organise your collection however you choose!
I had to leave one author off because he would have been one too many, but let me acknowledge the debt I owe to A.A.Milne, whose Winnie-the-Pooh books formed the basis of my library between the ages of two and six!:-)
1. Enid Blyton: Part of the fabric of my childhood! Between the ages of 6 and 13, I read and re read the Famous Five and the Adventure Series until the covers were falling off!
2. Rudyard Kipling: Likewise, The Jungle Book and Just So Stories were favourites that I read again and again.
3. J.R.R. Tolkien: In grade two our teacher read The Hobbit aloud. It terrified me! I first read LOTR in my teens and have owned several copies since. Don’t tell anyone, but I liked the films better!
4. Arthur Ransome’s Swallows and Amazons series was much loved, too, although I don’t think I ever owned all of them.
5. Rosemary Sutcliff: I first read The Eagle of the Ninth when I was eleven and have re-read it many times since, along with Sutcliff’s other lovely historicals. I’ve never succeeded in collecting the complete set, however.
6. Elizabeth Goudge: An historical writer with an eye for the mythical and mystical who was my favourite author when I was a teenager. I would like to read her books again. (On the to-do list!)
7. Daphne du Maurier: I read her avidly in my teens, too, but have never re-read her work. I should, because she must have had an influence on my own writing!
8. Anya Seton: Another historical author whose work I relished as a teenager, especially, of course, her famous Katherine.
9. P.G. Wodehouse: another author I should re-read. I spent many happy hours in my teens rolling with laughter over his stories.
10. L. Sprague de Camp and Fletcher Pratt: As with Wodehouse, it was their humour, typified by The Incomplete Enchanter and The Castle of Iron, that hooked me. Later, I came to prefer Douglas Adams and Terry Pratchett, but de Camp and Pratt showed me that humour in speculative fiction is not only possible, but great fun.
11. A. Bertram Chandler: The first Australian SF author I read. My favourite was False Fatherland, which won Chandler one of his several Ditmars.
12. Isaac Asimov, Robert Heinlein and Arthur C. Clarke: I’m cheating by lumping the “Big Three” together. As for many fans of my generation, these guys were the saints of SF and their work was Holy Writ.
13. Mary Stewart: The first historical fantasy author I read. I re-read The Crystal Cave every few years and still love it.
14. Anne McCaffrey and Roger Zelazny: Another cheat, because I discovered these authors about the same time, and different though they are from each other, they have both influenced my own writing. The first two books about the Pern Dragon riders and the first five books of the Amber series are still among my favourite re-reads.
15. Ursula K. Leguin: The Left Hand of Darkness is one of my favourite books of all time in any genre.
So, take the meme and run with it, if you like. Let me know when your list is up because I’d love to read it!
Reactions: |
Sunday, 17 October 2010
Versatile Bloggers


A couple of weeks back, the very wonderful Kim Falconer passed on a meme/award. Now, I’m a sucker for memes, and as for awards – well, who doesn’t appreciate a bit of kudos now and then?
Here’s the meme part: Award Recipients list seven things about themselves that their readers might not know. Here are my seven – the first one is identical to Kim’s!
1. I love dark chocolate
2. Dogs are my favourite animals, followed by cats, sheep and pigs
3. I love language and communication in all forms
4. History is possibly the one thing I love even more than language, and only just behind language follow ballet (and dance generally) Yoga and meditation
5. My musical tastes run to Folk/Ethnic, Medieval, Renaissance, Baroque, Classical and Romantic
6. Jobs I’ve worked at include Astrologer/Palmist, Ballet Teacher, Dancer (of the tits’n’feathers persuasion), Database Manager, Editor, English Coach, Housekeeper, Family History Researcher Freelance Journalist and Pig Farmer
7. I have lived in five countries, at a total of over 30 addresses. And that’s not counting house-sits and other temporary places of abode!
And speaking of house-sits, here is my Playmate of the Month, Jayjay. She is a lovely placid puddytat, whose only foible is a spot of tail lashing when dinner is not what she wanted. But she always manages to swallow her pride and eat it anyway! She's my Playmate of the Month because I am house-sitting for her family for the whole of October. This is the longest house-sit I've had this year and comes as a blessed isle of calm after so many moves in such a short few months!
The Versatile Blogger Award is hard to pass on, because most bloggers don’t set out to be versatile. They blog, often very eruditely, on one topic and one topic only. There are heaps of wonderful blogs devoted to exclusively to writing, reading, language, history, music, dance and all the other things I love – and things I hate, too, come to that! But here are some blogs that don’t limit themselves to one topic and so often come up with the odd surprise to keep the reader interested.
First, my friend Jo Wake, who blogs on travel, cooking, reading, current affairs and life's vicissitudes generally.
Then there’s Laura Goodin who can turn her pen to movies, books, fencing (the foils and sabres kind, not the 12-gauge wire kind) as well as fiction writing and topics related thereto.
And my friend and crit buddy Fiona Leonard, who blogs on anything and everything, especially travel and current affairs. Fiona has travelled widely and currently lives in Ghana, so her posts often deal with matters that seem exotic to those of us left behind in Oz! Her posts are often graced by photos taken by her clever partner, Nyani Quarmyne.
Lisa Gold calls herself the Research Maven, and she researches for writers on any and every possible topic. She passes on the gems she mines via the blog.
Author extraordinaire Karen Miller is a woman of many parts, and it shows in her very versatile blog. Karen writes on writing (of course) and also theatre, current affairs, biography, music and more.
Sue Isle is a versatile author as well as a versatile blogger, as she writes both YA and adult stories. And her hobby is keeping rats! If you want to learn about these fascinating and much-maligned animals, Sue’s your woman.
Gillian Polack is another author whose interests are legion. She loves both history and cooking, so the history of all things culinary features largely in her blog posts. But that’s only the beginning. Her blog provides unique entertainment and is often a barrel of laughs, sometimes through tears.
Lastly, a pat on the back for my Egoboo friends, Carol Ryles, Helen Venn, Joanna Fay and Sarah Parker. The five of us together pretty much cover the spectrum of interests and lifestyles, and I like to think this infinite variety is reflected in our posts!
Here’s the meme part: Award Recipients list seven things about themselves that their readers might not know. Here are my seven – the first one is identical to Kim’s!
1. I love dark chocolate
2. Dogs are my favourite animals, followed by cats, sheep and pigs
3. I love language and communication in all forms
4. History is possibly the one thing I love even more than language, and only just behind language follow ballet (and dance generally) Yoga and meditation
5. My musical tastes run to Folk/Ethnic, Medieval, Renaissance, Baroque, Classical and Romantic
6. Jobs I’ve worked at include Astrologer/Palmist, Ballet Teacher, Dancer (of the tits’n’feathers persuasion), Database Manager, Editor, English Coach, Housekeeper, Family History Researcher Freelance Journalist and Pig Farmer
7. I have lived in five countries, at a total of over 30 addresses. And that’s not counting house-sits and other temporary places of abode!

The Versatile Blogger Award is hard to pass on, because most bloggers don’t set out to be versatile. They blog, often very eruditely, on one topic and one topic only. There are heaps of wonderful blogs devoted to exclusively to writing, reading, language, history, music, dance and all the other things I love – and things I hate, too, come to that! But here are some blogs that don’t limit themselves to one topic and so often come up with the odd surprise to keep the reader interested.
First, my friend Jo Wake, who blogs on travel, cooking, reading, current affairs and life's vicissitudes generally.
Then there’s Laura Goodin who can turn her pen to movies, books, fencing (the foils and sabres kind, not the 12-gauge wire kind) as well as fiction writing and topics related thereto.
And my friend and crit buddy Fiona Leonard, who blogs on anything and everything, especially travel and current affairs. Fiona has travelled widely and currently lives in Ghana, so her posts often deal with matters that seem exotic to those of us left behind in Oz! Her posts are often graced by photos taken by her clever partner, Nyani Quarmyne.
Lisa Gold calls herself the Research Maven, and she researches for writers on any and every possible topic. She passes on the gems she mines via the blog.
Author extraordinaire Karen Miller is a woman of many parts, and it shows in her very versatile blog. Karen writes on writing (of course) and also theatre, current affairs, biography, music and more.
Sue Isle is a versatile author as well as a versatile blogger, as she writes both YA and adult stories. And her hobby is keeping rats! If you want to learn about these fascinating and much-maligned animals, Sue’s your woman.
Gillian Polack is another author whose interests are legion. She loves both history and cooking, so the history of all things culinary features largely in her blog posts. But that’s only the beginning. Her blog provides unique entertainment and is often a barrel of laughs, sometimes through tears.
Lastly, a pat on the back for my Egoboo friends, Carol Ryles, Helen Venn, Joanna Fay and Sarah Parker. The five of us together pretty much cover the spectrum of interests and lifestyles, and I like to think this infinite variety is reflected in our posts!
Reactions: |
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)