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
Buy The Talismans
The Dagger of Dresnia
Want a copy? Contact me at satimafn(at)gmail.com
The Cloak of Challiver, Book two of The Talismans
Available as an e-book on Amazon etc!
Mythic Resonance
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. 
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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
Interviews with authors
My Blog List
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HaBO: Indiana Jones Contemporary Romance - This HaBO is from Ren, who is either looking for a contemporary romance or a book with strong romantic elements: I’m looking for a contemporary romance abo...58 minutes ago
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The Big Idea: Tina LeCount Myers - In today’s Big Idea, author Tina LeCount Myers discovers that in writing Dreams of the Dark Sky, her conscious was writing one thing, and her unconscious w...1 hour ago
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How to Write a Real Page-Turner - *By Laurisa White Reyes, @lwreyes Part of the How They Do It Series * *JH: No matter what they write, I think every writer hopes for a book readers can’...
3 hours ago -
Why some value safety, others value risk - No one has ever crossed the Antarctic by themselves and without help from other people or engines. To me, this is very unsurprising and uninteresting. No...5 hours ago
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The Dog Runner: A Launch! - On Sunday, I went to Benn’s Books in Bentleigh to attend the launch of Bren McDibble’s new novel *The Dog Runner. *Here is my copy. The book was being la...
6 hours ago -
Lunch, Movie, Diabetes, Bulbs, - Guess where I am going to lunch today - yes, Mandarin. I wanted to get in one more visit whilst the New Year's dumpling festival was still taking place. I...
9 hours ago -
On the Smugglers’ Radar - “On The Smugglers’ Radar” is a feature for books that have caught our eye: books we have heard of via other bloggers, directly from publishers, and/or fr...12 hours ago
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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...15 hours ago
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The Terminators By L.J. Trafford - In a previous post I examined just how damn dangerous it is being a Roman emperor (click here). You have a whoppingly high chance of an unnatural death and...
15 hours ago -
Flog a BookBubber 190: Jana DeLeon—three good story questions in one page - 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...17 hours ago
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Amber Cowie - Amber Cowie is a graduate of the University of Victoria and was short-listed for the 2017 Whistler Book Award. She lives in the mountains in a small West C...
18 hours ago -
Dead Man’s Party: Things turn mean on the Caravan road - I haven’t talked a lot about the story of Dead Man’s Party — and twenty chapters in is probably not the time to start giving complex plot hints. And, reall...21 hours ago
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Storytelling and Stepping Beyond the Veil - Are you already wondering what I mean by “the veil”? Whether you’ve read my essays before or not, you likely have a suspicion. Do I have a ghost of a chanc...1 day ago
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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...1 day ago
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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 ...1 day ago
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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 ...
2 days ago -
Traces of the Past: Reenacting the Medieval Period in Argentina - What is the reason why more and more people participate in these events: historical curiosity, cultural immersion, entertainment, or all three of them?2 days ago
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The Arabian Gulf Digital Archive and the General Maritime Treaty of 1820 - Over the past two years, The National Archives and the National Archives of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) have been working together to develop the Arabia...4 days ago
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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...
4 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 ...5 days ago
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Shelf Help and Reading Well – Northern Ireland - I’m flying to Northern Ireland this evening to give a couple of talks tomorrow to help Y9 and Y10 students manage their mental health and Read the full ar...6 days ago
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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 ...
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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...1 week ago
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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
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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
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#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
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#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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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An heirloom carriage clock from John Russell Stone - *© 2018 Christy K Robinson* In the early 1990s before she passed away, my mother gave me an antique carriage clock she said belonged to her grandfather, ...
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
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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...2 months ago
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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 R...6 months ago
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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 -
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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
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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
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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...
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
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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
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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:...1 year ago
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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
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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 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
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
Inner Peace Blog
Awarded by Joanna Fay. Click on the image to visit her lovely website!
Versatile Blogger Award
Awarded by Kim Falconer. Click on the pic to check out her Quantum Astrology blog!
Fabulous Blog Award
Awarded by Kathryn Warner. Click on the pic to check out her Edward II blog!
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Friday, 15 May 2015
Guest Post on Kim Cleary's blog
Friday, May 15, 2015 | 
Posted by
Satima Flavell
Check it out at
http://kimcleary.com/high-fantasy-and-satima-flavell/
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2 comments:
Will try and get there later. Time seems to have disappeared lately. Never have any.
Yes, I'm finding the older I get, the shorter the days become!