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
Interviews with authors
My Blog List
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First episode on Kindle Vella today, and it's free! - This is the start of something new. I'm publishing a novel one episode at a time on Kindle Vella. The first three episodes are free, so please check them o...1 hour ago
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Winter Meander - I downloaded a new synth and fiddled a bit with it today, and this is what came out. As the title implies, it’s a bit of a meander rather than a proper com...11 hours ago
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The Alhambra is now the World’s Instagrammable Castle - What are the Most Instagrammable Castle to Visit in 2023? Here are the top 20.11 hours ago
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Another quirky book or two… - Darkness Becomes by Melita Jones Exantra is 13 years old, bored and always getting into trouble. She is also a witch and when she gets her hands on a forbi...17 hours ago
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Whatcha Reading? January 2023, Part Two - It’s that time! Time for you to tell us what you’re reading! EllenM: After a long period of being totally bored by and sick of most historical romance, I’m...1 day ago
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Tale As Old As Time - Musicians in The Cobblestone, Dublin, Ireland by Giuseppe Milo Recently I had the good fortune to listen to traditional live music at a bar in Dublin, Ir...1 day ago
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Finding Readers for Your Blog – What We Wish We Knew - The post Finding Readers for Your Blog – What We Wish We Knew appeared first on ProBlogger. This post is part of the ‘What we wish we Knew’ Series. In th...2 days ago
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Remembering the Gross-Rosen concentration camp - Warning: This blog post contains distressing text and images. Friday 27 January is Holocaust Memorial Day. Together, we remember the millions of victims ...3 days ago
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Discovering Lost Culture, by Gillian Polack - Lost culture is exciting. How can something be exciting when we have lost it? Most times when we talk about loss, it’s in terms of the events that cau...3 days ago
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Teenage anxiety resources – at a glance - Last night I did an online event for parents and it was striking how many questions were about anxiety. It’s a topic I’ve been thinking about in great de...3 days ago
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A Reference Book Ian Likes: The Encyclopedia Of Science Fiction (1978) - First things first, this isn’t an actual or proper encyclopaedia. It’s a collection of essays that each detail a particular aspect of the history and make-...4 days ago
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Sallow Bend hits the Bram Stoker Awards® preliminary ballot - I was absolutely floored this morning to see my latest novel, Sallow Bend, on the preliminary ballot for the Bram Stoker Awards®. This is the longlist, s...4 days ago
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The Ultimate Guide To Producing (Plus 3 Proven Methods To Find Producers!) - What is Producing? ‘Producing’ is a term often shrouded in mystery. Personally, I believe that’s because producing involves a bit of everything! It also ...4 days ago
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Stephen Policoff - Stephen Policoff is the author of Beautiful Somewhere Else, which won the James Jones Award, and was published by Carroll & Graf. His second novel, Come Aw...5 days ago
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How a Sequel Works with a Scene - *By Janice Hardy, @Janice_Hardy * *Sequels are the emotional glue holding scenes together. * Before I dive it, I’m over at The Insecure Writer’s Support G...5 days ago
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Poem: If Wishes were horses - A team of horses racing toward me Brown like the uniforms of soldiers fortressing me around Speckled like a found family, salt of the earth Whit...1 week ago
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A Trip To Sydney - And Books! - So, last week I went to Sydney to see Amadeus. It was a wonderful, if short, visit, and worth every cent I paid. And I bought books, despite promising m...1 week ago
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A Perfect Storm - as they say - or would if they (whoever they are) could. So what do I mean by that? Well, we've had a series of medical problems - and that's the nice...2 weeks ago
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Trying to get my head together - It’s 2023 and I haven’t written a word. I want to but things are complicated. I seem to be lazing my way through hot summer days, focussing on housework an...2 weeks ago
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Trying to get my head together - It’s 2023 and I haven’t written a word. I want to but things are complicated. I seem to be lazing my way through hot summer days, focussing on housework an...2 weeks ago
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Google knocked us out for a couple of days, but we’re back! - I was very pleased with my post of last week, about how my friend Ed Rogoff could possibly self-publish a book about health called “Scary Diagnosis” bett...2 weeks ago
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2022/2023 - 2022 was a busy year for me, with work, play, and family all doing their things. Jasmine completed Year 10 and Rohan started high school. Jasmine manages ...3 weeks ago
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#WEP DECEMBER CHALLENGE WINNER PAT GARCIA WRITES FOR US! #HOW TO BECOME A NOVELIST - Hello friends of #WEP, your foremost online writing challenge site. Pat Garcia blew us away with her beautiful rendition of THE FIRST TIME EVER I SAW YO...3 weeks ago
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Happy Public Domain Day 2023, the end of copyright for 1927 works - January 1st is Public Domain Day, my favorite day of the year. Today marks the end of copyright for books, movies, and music first published in the U.S. in...3 weeks ago
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Last day of the year… and about ready to get back to work - It hasn’t been the best year in my life. It hasn’t been the worst, either. I wrecked four first drafts of my Ohio Series (books two through five) by exuber...4 weeks ago
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"Anthropophages Anonymous (AA)" from Bourbon Penn 25 on Ellen Datlow's "Recommendations for Best Horror #14 Long List"; and Bourbon Penn praised in Datlow's Opening Essay/Review - It's nice to have "Anthropophages Anonymous (AA)" from *Bourbon Penn 25* on this renown and respected annual list from Ellen Datlow. Ellen Datlow is argu...1 month ago
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Finalist in Van Diemen History Prize - As part of my PhD studies, I have been researching the lives of early Vandemonian sealers with a particular emphasis on George Briggs, an important but mos...2 months ago
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“Exclusive Offer!” (You need not apply.) - I’m not the first to think of this. It took another writer alerted me to the undercurrents in that one familiar word: “Exclusive.” We see it everywhere. It...2 months ago
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#344 - Question/Concern: I have been submitting queries to agents since May of 2022 and have only received kind rejections so far. I have decided to blame this ...2 months ago
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Post-summer gleanings - [image: Oxford Etymologist post-summer gleanings]The Oxford Etymologist answers readers' questions on the origin of the word "race", variants of "in one's ...2 months ago
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Unboxing the most expensive book I have ever paid for... - I just filmed a little unboxing-and-enthusing video. It's for the 25th Anniversary editions of *Little, Big or, The Fairies' Parliament,* by John Crowley. ...2 months 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 months ago
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It is Nano Time Again – And some Personal Remarks - I know I’ve not been blogging for several months, partly due to private problems, partly because of the geopolitical situation that takes up some of my fre...2 months ago
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Children’s Rights QLD Ambassador - Children’s Rights QLD appointed Karen Tyrrell (me) Ambassador for Logan City, ahead of Children’s Week, 24-29 Oct 2022. I’m an award-winning child-empowe...4 months ago
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ANWERING THE CALL: LESSONS FROM THE THRESHOLD - NEXT STORY SANCTUARY "Anwering the Call: Lessons from the Threshold" Sept. 20, 7 pm eastern $30 Online Whether you're starting a project, a school year, ...4 months ago
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The Green House, Chapters 1-4 (Revised) - [Dear Reader: Having refined my intentions for this novel based on a lot of recent thinking about life and art, I have restructured and revised the first f...5 months ago
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(ahem) - I reached a certain age earlier this year. Where in a more extroverted individual this might have been seen as an opportunity, or at least an excuse, for a...6 months ago
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A no-good, horrible, terrible day - *© 2022 Christy K Robinson* I was looking at the events in the life of my great-great grandmother, Mabel Alice Rowley Hall, when I noticed that she had a...6 months 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...7 months ago
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More Progress on Books - I am pleased to say that I am more than 60% on with the *second *book in the *Walking Among Lions *series, and I expect to see it finished and out there...8 months ago
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COMING IN OCTOBER: Terror Down Under A History of Horror Film in Australia, 1897–1973 - Coming in October, from McFarland Publishing. Terror Down Under: A History of Horror Film in Australia, 1897 - 1973 is available for pre-order right now d...8 months ago
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My website - My website which has been sadly neglected has been updated and may be found here. At the present, the site is mainly about my books and future plans fo...8 months 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 ...9 months ago
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Website Update - My website www.stephendedman.com has been updated, with details of my latest books; please check it out!1 year 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...1 year 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...1 year ago
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I'M INSIDE A SHORT STORY!! - Ok everyone, you have to read this very short short story. Firstly because it is good, (check out the Bligh story within it too), but also because I'm ...1 year ago
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Grandma's Chicken & Dumplings for Jo - Still haven't returned to blogging yet, but I did want to honor Jo. I had the pleasure of meeting her and her husband in North Carolina back in Sept 2013...1 year ago
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Grandmother Dragon Forever - It feels like centuries since the last time I wrote something for the Dragon Cave. Only something of great importance would drag me out of my retirement...1 year ago
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What communicates power? - Well, I have to say, I wasn't expecting to get this far behind on my reports on the show, but the launch month was very busy, and then the next month turne...2 years ago
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The Legendary Game Pac-Man Has No Meaning. - [image: The Legendary Game Pac-Man Has No Meaning.] The Legendary Game Pac-Man Has No Meaning. Let's take a look at how this word came about. Actually, Pac-...2 years ago
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Readers Notice and They Care - Readers care about story details and they care about characters. Both last night and this afternoon I had conversations with readers upset about the way au...2 years ago
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Review of Verdi's MacBeth (WA Opera) - *Our president, Frances Dharmalingham, has written a critique of a recent visit to the opera: Verdi’s ‘Macbeth’.* At Christmas 2018, my family’s gift to ...3 years ago
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Breakout 3: tips for engaging your audience - Tips for engaging your audience: how to improve presentation, public speaking confidence and presence on stage, no matter how small the stage is. Present...3 years ago
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The Trains Don't Stop Here - It's been a long, long time since my last blog post. One of the main reasons for this – apart from life being way too busy in general – is that, in my dwin...3 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...3 years ago
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Revisiting the Comma Splice - One of the difficulties as an editor, particularly when working with fiction, is to know when to be a stickler for the rules. For some people this is not a...3 years ago
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New releases - SFFBookBonanza - StoryOrigin - SciFi and Fantasy Book Sale - New Releases – Jul 2019 The latest and greatest new releases in Science Fiction and Fantasy books! New releases July 2019 99 cent sale - July 22nd - 28th ...3 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...3 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...3 years ago
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STOLEN PICTURE OPTIONS TELEVISION RIGHTS TO BEN AARONOVITCH’S RIVERS OF LONDON - *STOLEN PICTURE OPTIONS TELEVISION RIGHTS TO BEN AARONOVITCH’S * *RIVERS OF LONDON* *London, UK: 29April 2019*: Nick Frost and Simon Pegg’s UK-based ...3 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...4 years 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 years 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? ...4 years 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...4 years ago
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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...5 years 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...5 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...5 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:...5 years 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...6 years ago
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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...6 years ago
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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...6 years ago
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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)...6 years ago
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Rai stones - *(Paraphrased from Wikipedia)*: Rai stones were, and in some cases are still, the currency of the island once called Yap. *They are stone coins which at th...9 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 ...10 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
Versatile Blogger Award
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Sunday, 21 June 2020
Farewell to My Blog


I've been writing for Blogger for ten years with an output of 79 posts. This will be the eightieth and final offering.
It is a shame that blogging has been usurped by Facebook et al, but it must be admitted that the newer form of communication is faster and easier to maintain - and reaches a bigger audience than blogging. If you don't already read me on Facebook, look me up at https://www.facebook.com/SatimaFlavell. I am there almost every day, reading what my friends have been up to and shouting to the universe about my own activities.
Those of you who use Facebook are welcome to friend me, and if you have a Facebook page of your own I will friend you, too, and I'll stop by to say g'day.
I'd like to think I've made friends on Blogger, and I hope all those friends will will have long and happy lives and enjoy many cyber-friendships, as I have, both here and on Facebook.
May you all be well and happy for many years to come. My love to you all.
And hey, don't forget to look up my offer of a free novella about Nariel!
Sunday, 21 July 2019
Writing, Writing, Writing


Writing books - what fun! At least, that's what I thought at the age of five, when I was just starting to realise that books had to be written by somebody. Enid Blyton, Rudyard Kipling and Arthur Ransom were my favourite authors until I was about eleven, and when anyone asked what I wanted to be when I grew up I would say 'I want to be a children's authoress, like Enid Blyton'. I also had a yen to be a ballet dancer, but seeing as my parents wouldn't let me join a class, I read books about ballet instead. The Ballet Annual was my favourite, but anything with pictures of dancers would grab my fancy at the library.
By the time I was eleven, I was getting enough pocket money to pay for one ballet class a week, and when I was fourteen my teacher gave me free lessons in return for helping with the young children's classes on Saturday mornings. I struggled through my exams, rarely getting honours, while at school I was winning awards and high grades for writing. I also wrote stories and poems for the Chucklers Weekly - a magazine for kids and teens. They paid me a pound ($2) a time!
Dance-wise, by this time, the 'Balanchine body' was the one ballet companies sought - light build, a long neck, and legs half the total height. Prior to this time, most dance companies and musical shows had room for a few shorter girls to appear in character roles: they even had their own routines in musicals as the 'pony ballet'. Alas, Mr Balanchine's preference prevailed in all dance auditions by the time I reached my late teens, so professional ballet dancing as a career was a door closed to me.
However, I continued to excel academically, to the point I was able to matriculate a year early. I continued to dance, and eventually found work in cabaret (dancing the can-can three or four times a night keeps you fit, believe me!) while dancing occasional seasons with the Australian Dance Theatre a small contemporary dance company. With them, I danced before the Queen and Prince Phillip, dressed as a brolga! (See my post from December 2018 for more on this.)
In my forties I studied at the West Australian Academy of Performing Arts to 'update my expertise'. Hah hah! - when one is in one's forties, one's expertise does not enjoy being updated, and it was only with a struggle that I attained an Associate Diploma of Performing Arts. I also undertook Religious Studies (this was mainly in that glorious time when tertiary education was free in Australia!) and eventually I graduated Bachelor of Arts.
The BA with a Religious Studies major and a Dance minor has proved to be quite the least useful degree when seeking employment, but I was fortunate enough, due to a tip from one of the staff at WAAPA, to get a regular gig writing reviews of dance shows for Music Maker, and to my surprise I was head hunted by the Sydney Morning Herald to write for them, too. Since then I have continued to write reviews here and there, except for a three year break when I was traveling overseas in the late nineties. When I got back from my travels, I went back into this line of work, writing for the Artshub website, balanced by teaching ballet to senior folk like myself until late last year, when I finally hung up my ballet flats, and have only written a few reviews in the interim.
Writing fiction, however, is a whole different kettle of fish. It was during my travels that I first thought of writing fiction since I was a little child. I had a tiring job as housekeeper at a hotel in Devon, UK, and every evening after work I would collapse in front of the TV to watch the soapies. But one night, before I turned on the TV, a sentence popped in to my head: 'To be left a widow at the age of twenty-one may sound like a tragedy, but, to be honest, I felt liberated by Reyel’s death.' I knew at once it was the start of a story. not one that I'd read, but a new one - my very own book! The next day I bought an exercise book, and every night after work I would write for an hour or two. Of course, the result was not a very good book. First novels seldom are any good, but as the Bard of Avon said 'Tis a poor thing, but mine own'.
So here I am trying hard to make sense of my third novel to complete The Talismans trilogy. The first two books have not sold particularly well - but for the creator, traveling hopefully is better than to arrive.
Saturday, 15 June 2019
Review: Tosca by Freeze Frame Opera


Review of Freeze Frame Opera's production of La Tosca (Puccini)
‘Freeze
Frame Opera’ is a puzzling name for a new opera company, and I have been unable
to find a rhyme or reason for the choice of name. Set that aside, though,
because this is as professional a troupe as any other ensemble I’ve seen in the
genre. Their Facebook page tells us they are ‘committed to creating
engaging, intimate opera experiences that appeals to both traditional and modern
audiences’ and if the performance I saw is any guide, they have indeed succeeded
with this fine production of Puccini’s Tosca. OK, there is no orchestra. Nor is
there a chorus, although in one scene, the singers, still in character, created
a chorus by playing a recording.
The singers,
James Clayton as Scarpia, Jun
Zhang as Cavaradossi, Kristin Bowtell as Angelotti, Pia Harris as Spoletta,
Jake Bigwood as Sciarrone, Robert Hofmann as the sacristan and jailer and
Harriet (Hattie) Marshall as Tosca all did a sterling job.They were fortunate in having engaged the
services of Tomaso Pollio as musical director – he spent the entire performance
(three hours!) at the piano -an excellent baby grand, played beautifully.
The season was, I understand, the brainchild of soprano ‘Hattie’
Marshall who, apart from singing the lead role, is credited as ‘producer’. This
suggests she was in charge of finding finance as well as singing, and if so, she
has done a great job on both fronts. Some thirty benefactors are listed, not
counting the input from the state government’s Department of Local Government,
Sport and Cultural Industries. Anything that keep entertainers working between
seasons (the singers are all members of the WA Opera) has got to be a boost for
the industry. I saw only one performance, but it had a packed house, and if the
other performances were as well attended, it’s a sign that opera has a keen audience
and therefore a viable future.
The musical high point of any production of Tosca is the diva’s rendition of Vissi d’arte, vissi d’amore. Marshall
delivered this beloved aria with feeling and, of course, beautiful technique.
All the performers are consummate actors as well as excellent singers. Gone are
the days, heaven be thanked, when divas were all chubby ladies who could sing
but not act!
This season, the company is using the Centenary Pavilion at
Perth Showgrounds. It is not, perhaps, the best venue for an intimate opera
performance – the acting area was huge, and largely wasted. A possible
improvement might be to close off some of the rather factory-like archways.
Such an intimate performance with limited audience seating
didn’t quite work for me at that venue – not only because of the above minor complaints – but largely because it was
a very cold night and the heating was inadequate. Given the unsuitability of
the venue, the performers did a sterling job. Quite honestly, I’d rather see a
show in a church hall, if a theatre booking would overstretch the budget.
This was my very first ‘Tosca’. I was familiar with most of
the music (thanks largely to the ABC, but also to my singing teacher of long
ago who coached me in my teenage rendering of Visi d’arte!) It was great to see the story come to life. Many
thanks to the cast and crew for all their hard work!
Apologies for the dual pic,if it shows up as such on your screen. I cannot get rid of the extra one! Ah, the wonders of technology. :-(
Apologies for the dual pic,if it shows up as such on your screen. I cannot get rid of the extra one! Ah, the wonders of technology. :-(
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