About Me
- Satima Flavell
- 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 Cloak of Challiver, Book two of The Talismans

Available as an e-book on Amazon and other online booksellers.
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
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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
My Blog List
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Moon Shot - I noted last week that I had gotten a new camera and unfortunately I have been traveling so much in the last several days that I haven’t really gotten a ch...5 hours ago
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Hockey, a Bookish Romance, & More - *The Duke Heist* *The Duke Heist by Erica Ridley is $1.99 and a Kindle Daily Deal! This is book one in a new series and was mentioned on a previous Hide ...9 hours ago
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Somerset Storyfest Tania Moloney… - This is another author writing for younger children and the last of the authors and presenters I will share with you. There are more, but, I’m sure you’ll ...11 hours ago
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The Double-Headed Eagle in Byzantium: Myths and Realities - It’s a familiar image on church banners and tourist souvenirs: the double-headed eagle soaring over the memory of Byzantium. Yet the real story behind this...13 hours ago
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Canine Enhancement of the Writing Life - Have you read Barbara O’Neal’s latest WU post? If not, I recommend going there first and reading it—even if you run out of time and can’t make it back to...14 hours ago
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A To Z Blogging Challenge 2025: Mysteries: X is For EXtras - This is the post where I slip in a couple of items I had no room for, elsewhere. I have only managed to find a word starting with X once, when I was doi...15 hours ago
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Reflections on History and Practice 2025: Working with Memory - Ellen Addis shares her view of this year's event for historians and archivists. The post Reflections on History and Practice 2025: Working with Memory a...17 hours ago
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10 Brutal Writing Lessons You’ll Wish You Learned Sooner (I’m Not Kidding) - 10 Brutal Writing Lessons I’m not a fan of the term ‘brutal honesty’. This is because too often, the person being honest is paying more heed to the bruta...1 day ago
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What to do with too many books? - [image: Room full of white bookshelves full of books surrounding a doorway] What to do with too many books? A while ago, my wife and I had some work done o...1 day ago
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The Tower Suffragette by Penny Dolan - Inside Harrogate Library, at the start of March,a new display was put up, decorated with small flags and badges, and arranged by the Local Studies grou...3 days ago
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The Eve of Ages of Pages - I have had an enjoyable time in Auckland in the run up to Ages of Pages. The weather has been interesting. Wind, rain and some sun, but compared to nights ...4 days ago
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The Eve of Ages of Pages - I have had an enjoyable time in Auckland in the run up to Ages of Pages. The weather has been interesting. Wind, rain and some sun, but compared to nights ...4 days ago
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Latest newsletter – 22nd April 2025 - Hello fiends I hope this finds you well. Or at least surviving. It’s a wild time out there, and most of us are just swimming along, trying to keep our he...6 days ago
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Julie Mae Cohen - Julie Mae Cohen is a UK-bestselling author of book club and romantic fiction, including the award-winning novel Together. Her work has been translated into...6 days ago
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Kasino Slot Online Filipina - Jika Anda seorang pemain kasino, maka Anda tahu betapa pentingnya menemukan kasino online yang aman dan andal. Anda harus mencari situs web yang dilisens...1 week ago
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The Revision Ripple Effect - *By Janice Hardy, @Janice_Hardy * *Tiny tweaks in a story can cause a tidal wave of changes. * Maybe I’m a writing freak, but I actually love revisions. A...1 week ago
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IFWG Publishing and IPI Comics at Supanova Gold Coast 2025 - Supanova was a blast, on the Gold Coast, last weekend! There was a new layout this year, as the con has grown so big it now takes up the main arena downsta...1 week ago
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"The Tic-Toc Boy of Constantinople" reprinted in the anthology The Apparatus Almanac Ed. Jessica Augustsson; bit on a Goodreads Dilemma, and other writers' on stories - * "The Tic-Toc Boy of Constantinople"in The Apparatus Almanac: Gizmology and Technomancy Ed. Jessica Augustsson * It's always a thrill when stories reeme...3 weeks ago
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Old King Coal still has a job to do in Australia (sort-of) - So here’s the idea right up front: Retro-fit Old Power Stations as INERTIA-WHEEL Rapid-Response Grid-Stabilisation (and Storage). Huzzah! We are finally sh...1 month ago
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The Great Discworld Retrospective No. 41: The Shepherd’s Crown - Sir Terry Pratchett passed away on March 12, 2015. An advocate of Assisted Dying, he nevertheless succumbed to the conditions of his Alzheimer’s Disease an...1 month ago
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Teaching Schedule in 2025 - Please click the Travel and Teaching Page for Bhante Rahul's teaching schedule in 20252 months ago
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This feed has moved and will be deleted soon. Please update your subscription now. - The publisher is using a new address for their RSS feed. Please update your feed reader to use this new URL: *https://problogger.com/feed/*3 months ago
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A Little Piece of Alternative History - Elizabeth, Duchess of Norfolk, is a good height for a woman, but not tall – only her headdress make her seem so. As a recent widow, she is clad entir...3 months ago
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Breaking the Silence - Over the past many months, I have watched the stories circulating the internet about me with horror and dismay. I’ve stayed quiet until now, both out of ...3 months ago
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Photo Parade 2024 - I’ve decided to participate in the annual Photo Parade (Fotoparade) on Michael’s blog Erkunde die Welt (Discover the World) again. My post from last year’s...3 months ago
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Happy Public Domain Day 2025, the end of copyright for 1929 works - This is my annual reminder that January 1st is Public Domain Day, and this year copyright has ended for books, movies, and music first published in the U.S...3 months ago
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Titles - This is a bit of a technical post, provoked by reading a certain novel. In England, pre-Tudors, there was only ever one Prince. The Prince of Wales, when...4 months ago
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About Holly - There is no way to soften the blow of this and Mom never liked euphemisms, so I’m just going to speak plainly. Mom died due to complications from cancer on...5 months ago
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WRAP UP OF HORRORFEST POST, OCTOBER. - Hi all! Thank you so much for posting to WEP's Horrorfest in October. I'm sure everyone enjoyed reading the entries. So good to see so many of the 'oldi...5 months ago
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Introducing Maneyacts Media - At Maneyacts Media, we specialize in professional video recording for events, seminars, and competitions. With a diverse selection of standard and PTZ (pan...6 months ago
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PhD Milestone 3 at Curtin University - Yesterday I had the pleasure of doing my Milestone 3 presentation for my PhD at Curtin, which is in its final stages before it goes off to be examined. App...7 months ago
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A personal thought on the passing of publishing legend Tom McCormack - The passing of publishing giant Tom McCormack makes me recall the interaction he had with my father, Leonard Shatzkin, from the very beginning of Tom’s p...10 months ago
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Henry of Lancaster and His Children - The close bonds which Edward II's cousin Henry of Lancaster, earl of Lancaster and Leicester, forged with his children have fascinated me for a long time...1 year ago
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Questions from year 9 students - Recently – actually, not very recently but I somehow forgot to write this sooner – I did what has become an annual online Q&A with the Year 9 girls at Bedf...1 year ago
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Flogometer 1180 for Christian—will you be moved to turn the page? - Submissions sought. Get fresh eyes on your opening page. Submission directions below. The Flogometer challenge: can you craft a first page that compels me ...1 year ago
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Storny Weather - I've just been out fixing up the damage from last night's storm. This is pretty much the first time I've been able to spend much time outside and do any...1 year ago
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another review for the Christmas Maze - *The Christmas Maze by Danny Fahey – a Review by David Collis* Why do we seek to be good, to make the world a better place? Why do we seek to be ethi...2 years ago
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Publishing Contracts 101: Beware Internal Contradications - It should probably go without saying that you don't want your publishing contract to include clauses that contradict one another. Beyond any potential l...2 years ago
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Tara Sharp is back and in audio book - SHARP IS BACK! Marianne Delacourt and Twelfth Planet Press are delighted to announce the fifth Tara Sharp story, a novella entitled RAZOR SHARP, will be ...3 years ago
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Non-Binary Authors To Read: July 2021 - Non-Binary Authors To Read is a regular column from A.C. Wise highlighting non-binary authors of speculative fiction and recommending a starting place fo...3 years ago
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ATTENTION: YOU CAN’T LOG IN HERE - Hey YOU! This isn’t the forum. You’re trying to login to the Web site. THE FORUMS ARE HERE: CLICK THIS The post ATTENTION: YOU CAN’T LOG IN HERE a...3 years ago
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Grants for Writers Masterclass Online - Grants For Writers Masterclass Online Winner of 6 grants, author Karen Tyrrell shares her secrets to Grant Writing for Australian writers and authors. ...5 years ago
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UPDATE ON WORK IN PROGRESS... - *THE FUGITIVE QUEEN * *(title may change!)* The initial draft of this novel has been finished at slightly under 150,000 words, so not quite as long as the...5 years ago
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Productivity - If you're looking for a post on how to be more productive in your writing, this is not it. However, if you're looking for a discussion of how we conceptual...5 years ago
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HOW TO UPGRADE YOUR LIFE - Stories end. New stories begin. It's fascinating -- the great and small adventures of every day. Honor the place where you're rooted. What stories are f...5 years ago
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Geoffrey Chaucer - [image: Geoffrey Chaucer] Geoffrey Chaucer *Geoffrey Chaucer* turned into born in 1343, the son of John and Agnes (de Copton) Chaucer. Chaucer was descen...5 years ago
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#332 - Question: I wrote LOST IN LA as a retelling of Pretty Woman with “modern” social issues, but I don’t know whether to focus on the characters, the fake rel...5 years ago
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Travelin' Man: a new Song & Music-Video from me - There's also a bit of my tongue-in-cheek, philosophy for living in the lyrics - *life should be about the journey, never about arriving. * It's also on Y...5 years ago
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Day 1: Harlequin Presentation - Sue Brockton – Publishing director Jo Mackay – head of local fiction, HQ, Mira, Escape Kita Kemp – Publisher Mills and Boon (ANZ) Nicola Caws – Editor...5 years ago
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#Mayflower400: They that in Ships unto the Sea down go - *Music for the Mayflower* *A guest post by Tamsin Lewis * I direct the early music group Passamezzo [www.passamezzo.co.uk], an established ensemble kno...5 years ago
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Book review: The Heat, by Sean O’Leary - Jake works nights as a security guard / receptionist at a budget Darwin motel. The job suits him: he has an aptitude for smelling out potential trouble, an...5 years ago
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Portrait of a first generation freed African American family - Sanford Huggins (c.1844–1889) and Mary Ellen Pryor (c.1851–1889), his wife, passed the early years of their lives in Woodford County, Kentucky, and later...5 years ago
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Review of Bell's Much Ado about Nothing - Bell Shakespeare's *Much Ado About Nothing* 2019-07-07 reviewed by Frances, our president. A group from the Shakespeare Club went last week to see the B...5 years ago
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The Girl from the Sea launches: 31 July 2019 - Some of you will already know that my new novella, The Girl from the Sea, is launching on July 31. This book is the prequel to Children of the Shaman an...5 years ago
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Six Things Writers Need To Stop Worrying About - Some things don't change. When I got my start in this biz, way back in 2002, writers had to get a lit agent to get a publisher, then they did what their pu...5 years ago
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Story Goal, Story Question, and the Protagonist’s Inner Need (Story Structure Part 1) - This is the first article in a series exploring the elements of story structure. Part 1 looks beyond the topics of three-act and mythic structure to a revi...5 years ago
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Assassin’s Apprentice Read Along - This month, in preparation for the October release of the Illustrated 25th Anniversary edition of Assassin’s Apprentice, with interior art by Magali Villan...5 years ago
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Want Booksellers to Stock Your Books? - Booksellers in your community will help you sell your books if you approach them with good sense and a professional approach.5 years ago
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The Scarred King by Rose Foreman - "From the moment he could walk, Bowmark has trained for a fight to the death. The Disc awaits him: a giant bronze platform suspended over a river of l...6 years ago
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Gratitude, therefore God? - I recently saw a video where a prominent TV personality was interviewing another TV personality who is a self-proclaimed atheist. The interviewer explained...6 years ago
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It's the End of the (Fringe) World As We Know It... - I didn't get to the Fringe World Awards because I was volunteering at another venue at the time, which is also the reason I saw almost none of the shows th...6 years ago
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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...6 years ago
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Catching up on books I've read - Recently I've been looking at some of the books I've enjoyed over the past year or so – and in the process, it's made me realise just how many I've read! M...6 years ago
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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 ...6 years ago
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Review: Red Harvest - [image: Red Harvest] Red Harvest by Dashiell Hammett My rating: 5 of 5 stars An absolute classic featuring the most literate and technically clever of the...6 years ago
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New story at Giganotosaurus - “The Wanderers” – the furry fantasy I wrote for my kids about a couple of fox people who go off in search of the end of the earth (and then have to find th...7 years ago
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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...7 years ago
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More Cabinet of Oddities News - Back in 2015, I was lucky enough to be part of an amazing collaborative event put together by the talented Dr. Laura E. Goodin. The Cabinet of Oddities, a ...7 years ago
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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...7 years ago
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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:...8 years ago
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10 New Youtube Videos for Medieval Lovers - Volume 2 - We found 10 more new videos on Youtube about the Middle Ages. *Rediscovered: Medieval Books at Birkbeck * This video introduces University of London - Birk...8 years ago
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2016 Wildflower Calendar – Long List - This is the ‘long list’ for a potential 2017 Wildflower Calendar. They are pictures from suburban Perth, in conservation areas, parks and verge gardens. ...8 years ago
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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 learn...8 years ago
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The Stars Askew - release imminent - Pre-order at Booktopia Just a short post to let you know that I am still alive and writing poetry over at the poetry blog. I also wanted to mention that...8 years ago
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The Tame Animals of Saturn - It's done. It's in the world! Often, the journey to publication is itself worthy of a book - though it'd be a tiresome book indeed. Still, I'm happy. I co...9 years ago
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Children learning English as a second language with dyslexia. Lese-rechtschreibeschwache Schüler/innen und Englisch in der Schule. - *"Legasthenie/LRS und Englisch als Fremdsprache* Lese-rechtschreibschwache Schülerinnen und Schüler bekommen in der Regel auch Schwierigkeiten in Englis...9 years ago
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Prompts, Anyone? - I'm a great fan of writing to triggers or prompts so when I was delighted came across something useful on poet Katy Evans-Bush's blog, *Baroque in Hackney....11 years ago
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Cherries In The Snow - This recipe is delicious and can also be made as a diet dessert by using fat and/or sugar free ingredients. It’s delicious and guests will think it took ...12 years ago
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Al Milgrom’s connection to “Iron Man” - Via the Ann Arbor online newspaper - I felt it was worth repeating as a great example of Marvel doing the right thing by a former employee and without the ...14 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
Places I've lived: Manchester, UK

Places I've lived: Gippsland, Australia

Places I've lived: Geelong, Australia

Places I've lived: Tamworth, NSW

Places I've Lived - Sydney

Sydney Conservatorium - my old school
Places I've lived: Auckland, NZ

Places I've Lived: Mount Gambier

Blue Lake
Places I've lived: Adelaide, SA

Places I've Lived: Perth by Day

From Kings Park
Places I've lived: High View, WV

Places I've lived: Lynton, Devon, UK

Places I've lived: Braemar, Scotland

Places I've lived: Barre, MA, USA

Places I've Lived: Perth by Night

From Kings Park
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Sunday, 19 April 2015
Battle stations!


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The armour is a couple of centuries too new for my chosen period,but when it comes to free battle pics there's not much available for the late C12! |
It's just hit me that the deadline for The Cloak of Challiver, book two of The Talismans, is fast approaching and I still have a Big Battle Scene to write! This means deciding who can live and who must die. (A chance to play god - woo hoo!) I shall have to kill off quite a few people to make room for the new cast coming up in book three, when (spoiler!) we'll have a princess with a pet dragon as the main character. I don't like killing off my characters, because I love them, and I know a lot of readers do, too, but a handful is going to have to go.
On a brighter note, I'm looking forward to seeing what the very talented Marieke Ormsby comes up with as a cover for The Cloak of Challiver. If it's half as lovely as the one she designed for The Dagger of Dresnia, it will be utterly gorgeous!
Monday, 13 April 2015
Sailing the Top End


My recent
silence has been due to an exciting adventure! I have been on a cruise around
the Top End of Australia with my sister, Anne, aboard the lovely Dawn Princess.
We left Sydney
on March 24 to travel the 5,517 nautical miles to Perth, calling at seven ports
en route. First up was Brisbane, apparently a tricky port to manoeuvre as it involves
sailing up the Brisbane River and under a bridge. We spent a pleasant day
ashore before setting off again to see more of Queensland’s lovely coast.
Airlie Beach was the next port, and I did a bit of self-indulgent shopping.
Port Douglas was next, but we decided not to go ashore as the tender was slow
to get going and the sea looked very rough.
Three days' sailing brought Dawn Princess to
Darwin, a town I have always wanted to visit. Darwin is the Northern Territory’s
gateway to South-East Asia. Having been almost entirely rebuilt twice,
once due to Japanese air raids during World War II, and again after being
devastated by Cyclone Tracy in 1974, Darwin is now a very modern city. With its tiny population of less
than 140,000, it hardly seems big enough to be any kind of capital, yet we were
deeply impressed by the lovely art gallery and museum, which kept us engrossed
for several hours. Boasting a fine Aboriginal art collection and several
important works by French Impressionists, the gallery is, on a smaller scale,
as notable as that of any other capital city. Funnily enough, Anne and I had
been watching a TV series on the Impressionists on the TV in our ship’s cabin,
so we felt very virtuous at having done some homework before studying the
sketches and paintings in the gallery.
We had four
days at sea before the next port, Broome, which lies many miles around the
coast from Darwin. En route, we cruised the impressive Kimberley Coast, which
is over 12,000 kilometres long, and is fringed by more than 2,500 islands.
There is nowhere in all that stretch for a large ship to dock, but we were
entranced by the beautiful scenery.
With the help of a local pilot, Dawn Princess moored at Broome well before lunchtime on 4 April,
allowing us a full afternoon of adventures ashore. (For ‘adventures’ read ‘shopping’!)
We had a lovely time there, much of it spent eating and drinking! That night
there was total eclipse of the moon, and we had an excellent view from the
window of Dawn Princess’s dining
room.
Then came the highlight of the trip – a run up to Lombok,
one of the islands of our northern neighbour, Indonesia. Right next door to the
better-known island of Bali, Lombok is relatively unspoilt. On the debit side,
that means there are few amenities, and we spent a lot of time in a bus that
took an hour to travel up to the town of Senggigi on the island’s west coast.
We were left to our own devices for three hours before our coach picked us up
for the return journey to the ship. Senggigi has the makings of a lovely
tourist spot but it has a way to go before this potential is realised.
Three days of leisurely sailing brought us to Perth,
seventeen days after our departure from Sydney. In that short time, we made
friends with other passengers and came to love the crew, whose kindness and
unfailing good humour were a credit to Dawn
Princess. We even had daily exercise classes under the watchful eyes of the
ship’s dancers, who doubled as teachers. Apropos, all the entertainers were
utterly delightful. The Alegria Strings from Ukraine entertained us almost nightly. If you checkout their site you will see a pic of them playing in the 'Atrium' of one of Dawn's sister ships when it was 'christened' by the Duchess of Cambridge. There were excellent theatre shows on the remaining evenings. I even got to
perform one night, when the ‘Pop Choir’, led by the very talented musician and dancer Simon Chilvers, sang as part of a passengers’ talent
evening. We’d been practising hard but I still felt a bit scared when
confronted by my very own microphone to sing a few lines of ‘I will follow him’ before about a thousand people!
We docked at Fremantle seventeen days after leaving Sydney,
and Anne spent the weekend with me in Perth before heading off back to her home
in Mount Gambier, South Australia. I am now feeling quite let down, even
depressed, but I’m sure that within a few days I will have perked up, feeling
happy to be home after a great adventure!
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