Satima's Blogspot

Sunday, 28 September 2014

The best part about getting published!

Sunday, September 28, 2014 |

Posted by Satima Flavell

Greenmount's view over the suburbs of Perth

Yesterday was the annual assessment day at the Katharine Susannah Prichard Writers Centre in Greenmount, beautifully situated in the hills outside Perth. I was invited to spend the day chatting with writers. And they paid me to do it.

The day started badly. The weather was utterly terrible! I'd dressed myself up to the nines, put pink streaks in my hair and even donned a bit of lippy - but when (after an hour and half on buses and trains) I arrived and saw myself in the mirror I realised that I resembled nothing so much as a bedraggled pink bear. A bedraggled pink bear with glasses.

Eventually, having dried myself off, combed my straggly wet tresses (which by this time sported odd pink blotches) and fortified myself with coffee, I girded my loins to start work.

'Work' should always be like this. I had the privilege of sitting with five gifted writers, one at a time, to discuss their manuscripts in some detail. Each of these very nice people was working on something that showed considerable promise. I was most impressed by their talent and enthusiasm! Their works were very different from each other, ranging from family history to high fantasy, with a bit of ‘chick-lit’ — and one rather 'literary' short story with which I was particularly impressed.

If you should get a chance to participate in such an event, do take it, for it is a really worthwhile experience to be able to chat about your work and your plans, and maybe go away with some new ideas. The KSP Centre gave me many such opportunities when I was starting out, and I am delighted now to be on the other side of the conversation. It would have been nice to get all those lovely people together so they could share their work with each other, but the program of one hour individual time slots did not allow it. Perhaps we might be able to do that another time.

Next weekend is the Conflux Convention in Canberra. I am going with Egoboo buddy Helen Venn. We shall sit on panels, drink a lot of coffee and maybe guzzle something stronger now and then, and we'll talk about writing and publishing with like-minded people for four whole days! I should also be able to catch up with my Canberra-based son and daughter-in-law and my lovely publishers, Stephen and Marieke Ormsby of Satalyte Publishing. Watch for my full report in about ten days time!

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Sunday, 14 September 2014

Author interview: Fiona Leonard

Sunday, September 14, 2014 |

Posted by Satima Flavell

A few years ago I belonged to a critiquing quartet. We used to meet regularly, and between meetings we would send each other our latest chapters by email.

One of other members was Fiona Leonard, and the highly amusing political thriller she was writing then, The Chicken Thief, has since been published by Penguin. Fiona and I have done an interview swap: my interview of Fiona (who currently resides in Ghana) is below, and you can read her questions to me and my answers at http://www.fionaleonard.net/2014/09/author-chat-satima-flavell.html

Q. The Chicken Thief is one of my very favourite books. It is whimsical and funny, yet it has edge-of-the-seat moments with plenty of tension. Alois is a delightful character with very human desires and failings, and we can’t help but cheer him on. How did you get your inspiration for the story? Have you known someone like Alois?

A. I spent three years living, working and travelling in southern Africa. During that time I read a lot about the liberation struggles of the respective countries, and that research very much provided the foundation for the story. That said, Alois is very much a product of my imagination. If anything, Alois is more of an exploration of my experience with the region. Of all the characters, he's the one I associate with the most – although maybe that's simply a product of having lived with him for so long!

Q. Have you written (or are you planning to write) more books about Alois and his friends? If so, when might we expect them?

A. There are two more books in The Chicken Thief series. The second is finished and I'm in the midst of a final rewrite of the third. I am hoping that book two will go to print next year.

Q. You must be familiar with African cultures, having been a diplomat in Zimbabwe and now living on the other side of the continent in Ghana. Are you planning any books – fiction or non-fiction – based on your own experiences of the continent?

A. No, I'm actually planning to take a major detour with my writing and shift continent and genre. The next book – which is very much in its infancy – is a YA fantasy that will be set in London!

Q. What else would you like to write about?

A. I'm actually really excited about writing a YA fantasy. I'm a passionate advocate of promoting reading amongst teens and have often wondered why it is that I love researching and finding YA books and yet I don't write them. It's very much out of my comfort zone, which is both terrifying and also very exciting!

Q. What sort of books to you best like to read? Do you have a favourite genre?

A. I believe very strongly that in order to be a good writer you need to read, and read a lot. I read a book a week and try to read across a range of genres. I keep a very long wishlist and add books to my kindle on a regular basis – I think I have about thirty-five unread books on there at the moment! Sometimes if I need inspiration in my writing I will focus on a particular genre – for example reading thrillers when I feel like I'm struggling with pacing.

Q. Do you see yourself returning to Australia in the foreseeable future, or are you planning to seek other pastures?

A. There are no plans to return to Australia at the moment, but there's a reasonable chance that we will be on the move again soon. I have a serious travel bug and start to get nervous if I stay still for too long! Stay tuned for updates!

Note from Satima: You can buy The Chicken Thief from Mr Amazon or any one of a number of gentlefolk who trade in printed matter on the web.

And the delightful chook picture is from Wikimedia Commons.

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Wednesday, 3 September 2014

Fifteen thoughts of gratitude

Wednesday, September 03, 2014 |

Posted by Satima Flavell

There is a meme going around on Facebook that requires participants to name three things they are grateful for, every day for five days. Lorraine, a Facebook friend, challenged me to join in. I found it so thought-provoking that I decided to collate my responses and republish them here.

Day One:
1) I am grateful for the ability to turn on a tap and have clean water whenever I want it.
2) I am grateful for my dear little apartment in a secure building that I have for very moderate rent.
3) I am also grateful that I live in Perth, surely one of the most beautiful cities in the world - and with a nice warm climate!

Day Two:
1) I am grateful for the privilege of rearing my five beautiful children
2) I am grateful for my amazing grandchildren
3) I am also grateful that I still enjoy reasonably good health in old age, and that I am fit enough to attend belly dance and keep fit classes and to teach my own class on Theatrical Dance for mature adults.

Day Three:
1. I am grateful for the opportunities I've had to exercise my talents, mediocre though they may be. I've been involved with dance, music, acting and writing and sometimes I've even been paid! But like everyone who loves the arts, I have willingly undertaken assignments gratis if I've liked them enough.
2. I am grateful that I'm still fit enough to dance and still have good enough eyesight to write.
3. I am grateful that Satalyte Publishing bought my first novel, enabling me to get the story I've sweated over for so long out there for all the world to read!

Day Four:
1. I am grateful for the fact that ever since I was two years old — D-Day in 1945 — I have lived in countries at peace and been free to travel wherever I wished (or could afford!)
2. I am grateful for the marvellous tuition I had when I was young, in dance (Scully-Borovansky and Beth Dean, inter alia), music (Sydney Conservatorium) and acting (NIDA).
3. I am equally grateful for the tuition I've had as an adult in dance (Valrene Tweedie, WAAPA and others) and in writing (various people via the Katharine Susannah Prichard Writers Centre.)

Day Five:
On the last day, my three gratitudes pertained to matters spiritual.
1. I am grateful that I live in a land where freedom of religion is taken as a given. At different times in my life, I have practised Christianity, Wicca and Buddhism (both Tibetan and Theravada) sometimes more than one at a time. I also practise hatha yoga in the Iyengar method.
2. I am grateful to my spiritual teachers in all those disciplines for their instruction, advice and support. Christianity gave me an appreciation of the power of prayer: Wicca taught me the power of ritual, Buddhism taught me the power of sitting in meditation and yoga taught me power of moving in meditation.
3. I am also grateful to my tutors in the secular domain who encouraged my reading and research when I was studying for my BA in Religious Studies. An intellectual understanding can often prepare us for the inner understanding that is essential to all true spiritual practice.

I think I’ve covered every dimension of my life and realised how much I have to appreciate!

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Tuesday, 2 September 2014

Still getting good reviews!

Tuesday, September 02, 2014 |

Posted by Satima Flavell

More good reviews for The Dagger of Dresnia! There are now eight on Amazon, where the average is 4.6 stars. Readers are saying things like:

The characters were really strongly written, and I really liked Ellyria.
Callisto| 5 reviewers made a similar statement
I'm looking forward to finding out what happens in the second novel.
Joanna Fay| 2 reviewers made a similar statement
I have to tell you this book had me entranced from the first pages.
Lisa K. Hodgson

And here's a really nice one from Marie Cox's Facebook timeline! 'I have finished reading the first book of the Trilogy, "The Dagger of Dresnia". It is such a great book, loved the characters (Pillars of the Earth meets Fifty Shades of Grey) and can't wait until the author, Satima Flavell, publishes the next book in the Trilogy. I purchased my copy through The Book Depository.'

There are nice ones on Goodreads as well, where the average is 4.17 stars. For instance, Ian Banks says: 'Flavell’s skill at mixing these strands of plot and character make this a gripping read and the way which these stories intertwine is clever and natural, leading to a climax that is gripping and a conclusion that, while sudden, does wrap up this story while still leaving openings for the future volumes in this series.' (This review first appeared at http://stuffianlikes.aussieblogs.com)

And Tsana Dolichva says of the ending: 'I had a suspicion it was coming but the way it actually happened was great. (No spoilers!) It was hilarious, like a pun ...'

While Dave Dunn's five-star review says, 'In short, the story of Queen Ellyria and her sons reads more like a realistic work of literature than some purple-prosed Tolkien imitation, which the same material in lesser hands could have turned out to be. These are real people who love, hate, doubt themselves, use the restroom, have sex, and at times, curse like sailors, and that is the real magic of this decidedly magical tale.'

And Helen Venn says, '... a great read with a nicely realised mediaeval world where magic can be good or evil. It's a well written tale with a complex and wide ranging story line with many twists but its closely observed characters are what lift it above many other similar novels. While there is plenty of action it was the relationships and interplay of the characters that engaged me most and it was a pleasant change to see a mature woman as the protagonist, something that is all too rare in speculative fiction.'

I hope I don't sound smug, but I feel really chuffed by all these kind people taking time to review The Dagger of Dresnia!

4 comments

Tuesday, 12 August 2014

Interview: Steven Gilshenen

Tuesday, August 12, 2014 |

Posted by Satima Flavell

Steven Gilshenen is a fellow Satalyte author, one with an unusual mission or two! For years, he sought Wuxia (Kung Fu Fiction) in the English language but could find little to satisfy his thirst, so he began creating his own story of a Shaolin Warrior Monk and a Wudang Taoist Warrior. The result isThe Tigers of Wulin series, the culmination of old legends, talks with Shifu (teachers) and research into the Martial Arts in hopes of not only sharing Wuxia with the English speaking world but also of conveying the lessons within these legends. Book one, Mark of the Shaolin, is available from Satalyte and other online booksellers.

By the request of the current Head of He Family Taijiquan in China, Steve has also written the first English language book on this style of Tai Chi. It will also be released by Satalyte Publishing later this month. And as if this wasn't enough, he's written a stand-alone novel, Cloud Hands, also published by Satalyte.

Here are the questions I asked Steve, along with his replies.

1.You've been living in Japan for a decade now. What made you decide to move there?

I have a 13 year old half-Japanese son. Since culture is something I value greatly I didn't want him to grow up not knowing that side of who he is and I couldn't teach it properly to him. Japan became home (I came here in 1999 and have been back in Oz for about 3-4 years total over the years since), but Australia will always be my true home. When the big earthquake happened a lot of friends fled, and I don't question their decision, but I made the choice and stayed. I'd been here when times were great, I felt I should stay even when times got rough. Over three years have passed since that terrible time and a return to Oz for good is in the near future.

2.You had a Damascene moment when you realized that Taijiquan (Tai Chi) was something more than 'punch-kick-block'. Can you describe what triggered this change in your attitude?

It was not so much one moment as a progression of seeing I was not good at the punch-kick-block stuff no matter how hard I trained. It just wasn't the right fit for me. I met a doctor of Traditional Chinese Medicine going by the English name of John Chen in Sydney through my job and he instantly recognized I had breathing problems (due to my dad's experience with Agent Orange) and offered to teach me Qigong breathing exercises to help. The results, utterly amazing, happened pretty quickly and he began teaching me what he called the Dragon Game, something I later found out was Qinna, a method of locking an opponent's joints and manipulating their balance/posture. Unfortunately, the doctor returned to China but the seeds had been well and truly planted by this time that there was a lot more to Martial Arts than I knew. Since each body/personality type has the right fit for them as far as Martial Arts go, I knew I was lucky to find mine and began private lessons in He-Style Taijiquan. That was twenty years ago last April and I haven't sought out any other Martial Art since. When you find that perfect fit, grab a hold and enjoy the ride.

3. Many people are unaware of the different purposes of Taijiquan. Can you say something about it as a meditative training system and as a martial art? Are they both studied at once or do pupils choose to do one or the other?

What we see as Taichi around us today is a relatively modern evolution, compared to the ancient method. Originally there was no distinction between health, spiritual method or fighting system. Whatever your purpose for learning Taijiquan, it is a moving meditation and the health benefits will come. They're are undeniably amazing! But, if someone was to learn Taijiquan as a Martial Art from a knowledgeable teacher those benefits are increased considerably. I was fortunate in that my first exposure to Taijiquan came when I was around five and never saw it as anything other than its complete form of health and Martial Art. I can't speak on any one else's training program, but within my school we learn it as a Martial Art, a complete system, that happens to also give miraculous health and spiritual benefits. I personally see this as following the way it was always meant to be, but that does not mean another way is not correct nor beneficial. A little of something great is better than a lot of nothing.

4. Most people would not even think to look for fiction based on a martial arts discipline, yet you have long been interested in it. What sparked this interest in the first place?

Monkey Magic! I grew up on that show. Then I started learning Martial Arts at six but fell in and out like most Aussie kids until my late teens. I'd always loved reading, especially fantasy, but never really understood how the characters fighting didn't really differ in their methods. To use fantasy as an example, elves are slender of body and long lived (and therefore their methods would most likely be highly developed with a deeply structured instruction system) while dwarfs/dwarves are short and stocky. The philosophy and art of both would influence their combat methods as well yet it wasn't really covered anywhere I read to the degree I was looking for. Over the years I had found novels with some Martial Arts in them but I felt it didn't carry the essence of the various systems when detailing fighting or even the learning process the characters would go through sufficiently. So at 16 I started writing my own about a young Shaolin Warrior Monk in training and his Wudang Wandering Taoist buddy that is now the Tigers of Wulin series.

Writing Martial Arts themed stories is not so different from other genres. Rather than have a fight within a story, the fight is the centerpiece. But at the end of the day, the story is the most important factor. I did have a 20,000 word fight in one book that had to be cut WAY down (obviously). It can't be just one long fight from start to finish!

5. One of your stated aims in writing Tigers of Wulin was convey to a Western readership something of the philosophy and teaching of Taijiquan. How well do you think you have succeeded in this aim? Has it aroused interest among readers?

For me writing is a component of teaching. Sharing these morals, these values, is part of what I hope to do within my classes as well. I benefited greatly from them and have the duty to pass that on. Being over in Japan, and my books read in English speaking countries (other than a few in Japan and China), I haven't had many opportunities to talk with readers so I can't say confidently it has had that desired effect yet. Those I have spoken to have appreciated that component of the story, though. The next book, Cloud Hands, has a lot more of the healing and spirituality side of Kung Fu in it so we'll have to wait and see how that goes. I have studied Traditional Chinese Medicine in the past and consulted with Adam O'Mara, an acupuncturist friend, so it will be interesting to see how that is aspect is received. There are some simple acupressure methods detailed in the story which may be of interest to readers too.

6. Your new book, which is more of a text on the History, Theory, Form and Applications of He-Style Taijiquan, is now available for pre-order. Do you see it as filling a gap in the literature about martial arts in English, and if so, in what way does it differ from other handbooks on the subject?

Actually, the next book is Cloud Hands - the Origins of Taijiquan. But in a sense it is a companion to the manual you mentioned, as both are on He-Style Taijiquan. It is because of that manual that the Tigers of Wulin series and Cloud Hands even exist. See, this style of Kung Fu is not widely practised. It is difficult to find information relating to its history and theory, was almost impossible twenty years ago. To help my students access this info I wrote a little guide for them but also had it checked by He Youlu, the Head Representative of He Family. He asked me to turn this guide into the first ever English language manual on the style. Lineage and respect are of paramount importance to me so when the Head of your system, a man that is a true Martial Arts Master in every sense and one who has given you so much, asks you to do something, you get it done! While there is ample in there for people interested in the history and theory of any style of Taijiquan/Kung Fu, it is mainly for the purpose of sharing this little known style with the English speaking world, especially the students of it that haven't had access to this information before. As far as differing from other manuals, I'd have to say I have never seen a book covering the physical movements of an entire system (Form, Push Hands, applications) in such detail before on any style. I have to add, this content was only made available due to the kindness and sincere devotion to sharing from the He Family themselves.

7. Since Mark of the Shaolin is book one of Tigers of Wulin, no doubt there will be at least one further volume. How many books do you think there might be in the series?

The Tigers of Wulin series is nine books long, with room for a few off-shoots if readers want to know some of the side stories. Currently, books 2 to 5 are sitting in the Satalyte Publishing office, Book 6 is pretty much complete on my IPad. The plan is to release Book 2 - Swords of Wudang - on 25 April 2015, to coincide with World Taichi Day, as the Wudang Mountains are the legendary birthplace of Taijiquan. Originally it was due out now with Book 3 - Scroll of the Drunken Fist - coming in December but I just had to get this story (Cloud Hands) and the manual out to people. After a lot of begging I managed to persuade Stephen at Satalyte to let me get these two out this year. That said, Swords of Wudang is probably my favourite story that I have written, or a close second to Cloud Hands. It sounds like a big task writing nine connected stories but really it isn't considering I've been creating this story for over 20 years now, drawing in history and myth. In Martial Arts, there are always connections between styles if you dig deep enough, and hopefully I have provided a clear path to seeing that with these books while keeping it entertaining enough to not read like a textbook.

8. Do you plan to write stories on topics other than Taijiquan?

I can guarantee everything I write will be a Kung Fu story in some way! Whether they are based in old days China or not, my stories will always have the themes of Wuxia in them. The reason I write is a little different to most: I see it as an extension of my teaching as I said above, something I have dedicated my life to. Martial Artists spend years honing their skills, training when their family are sleeping or their friends are out having fun. But I do not believe the benefits they acquire, whether health, spiritual or self defence, should be exclusive to any one group of people. If I can share the benefits I have received to even one person who may not want to learn a Martial Art, then I have become succeeded in my goal as a writer. Already I have seen the little difference I can make and it powers me on. David Greenland of Emerald Dragon Martial Arts in Australia put me onto a great cause, that of building an orphanage at the Shaolin Temple, and I am donating a portion of sales towards this project. I have been blessed with guidance and support from so many throughout the Martial Arts and I hope I can give back and share this with others.

Thank you, Steve! I hope that your books convince many more people of the benefits of your art. And I hope you raise lots of money for the orphanage, too.

Steve has also interviewed me - you can read the result on his blog at
http://stevegilshenen.blogspot.com.au/2014/08/interview-writers-satima-flavell.html

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The best part about getting published!

Author interview: Fiona Leonard

Fifteen thoughts of gratitude

Still getting good reviews!

Interview: Steven Gilshenen

Some reviews of The Dagger of Dresnia

Goodreads reviews for The Dagger of Dresnia

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