Fae. Romance. Shenanigans.
So. 2020. That happened. How do you reflect on a year where reality became stranger than fiction? Even from the small and personal perspective of my own indie career, the task is daunting. To make some sort of sense of a year that felt a thousand years and simultaneously only five minutes long, I’ve split… Continue reading Writerly reflections 2020: A year in four parts
If you are in New Zealand If you are a NZ library or bookstore, my books are available through Wheelers. If you are buying as an individual and would like a signed copy, I have a small number of paperbacks on-hand that I can send within New Zealand. My friend Marie, who runs Paper Road… Continue reading Where can I buy a Stariel paperback book? (other than Amazon)
I have sat on this cover for far too long, and since book 4 is finally, finally feeling like it's taking a proper shape, I've decided to let it out of the bag. Isn't it just gorgeous? Once again, Jenny at Seedlings Design Studio has outdone herself. I love all my covers so much, but I think… Continue reading Stariel #4: The King of Faerie Cover Reveal
In 2013, a friend dragged me along to the national NZ science fiction and fantasy convention, which that year was held in Wellington. My only knowledge of conventions up to that point came from American TV shows and movies; these had not prepared me for the NZ experience, which is much, much smaller (think around… Continue reading CoNZealand: My first Worldcon experience
This is a special year for New Zealand's speculative fiction awards, the Sir Julius Vogel (SJV) awards. Never heard of the SJVs or Sir Julius Vogel? Fear not, I'm here to meet all your long-winded explanation needs! I only became aware of the SJVs when I started getting into New Zealand's publishing / writing scene,… Continue reading The 2020 Sir Julius Vogel Awards – the whats, whys, and my own eligibility
It feels longer than a year. Self-publishing effectively involves starting your own small business - on top of the actual writing and, in many people’s cases, including my own - on top of the full-time day job and general detritus of life administration. Piecing together stolen moments - from lunch hours and evenings and weekends,… Continue reading One year of self-publishing: Highlights
Alritey folks - after much shilly-shallying, I can finally reveal the cover and blurb for Stariel #3 The Court of Mortals. Once again, the fabulous Jenny Zemanek at Seedlings Design Studio has outdone herself. I love it so, so much! Tiny crowns! Tiny envelopes! Majestic palace! Marrying your fae prince shouldn’t be this hard. Hetta’s… Continue reading Cover Reveal: The Court of Mortals
How do you hook a reader at the start of a book? Slow beginnings are something I feel I'm a bit prone to if I'm not careful (true story: The Lord of Stariel first draft originally had a whole 'nother chapter before Chapter 1 that got cut during rewrites), so I was particularly interested in Sophie Jordan's… Continue reading Writing hooky beginnings: workshop notes
I headed off to Christchurch last weekend for my first-ever Romance Writers of New Zealand (RWNZ) conference.
