Yule : Winter Solstice : Rebirth The winter solstice falls around December 21 or 22 in the northern hemisphere – you can check the timing for you here – and around June 21 or 22 in the southern hemisphere. It’s the longest night and the shortest day of the year, and marks the transition between
Litha : Summer Solstice : Fruition The summer solstice falls around December 21 or 22 in the southern hemisphere – in 2018, it occurs at 8.23am Sydney time on December 22 – and June 20 or 21 in the northern hemisphere. (Check your times here...) It’s the longest day and the shortest night of the
The Spirit of Giving I wasn’t going to mention this in my newsletter, until a stranger from Switzerland said my Instagram post about it inspired her to start doing this with her kids for Christmas, so… During #GivingTuesday, I funded a bee business for a family through Plan Australia’s Gifts of Hope program, which was
Happy Birthday Book Baby! Recently a Facebook memory reminded me that my first book, Seven Sacred Sites: Magical Journeys That Will Change Your Life, is TEN YEARS OLD! Happy Birthday book baby! I’d posted that I saw it in a shop – still an exciting moment! – but unfortunately I didn’t take a photo (no
As the dark moon approaches, I’m wishing you much love, bravery and awareness as you embrace the magic of introspection and what it can reveal to you. This is a powerful time to reflect on your year, and your self, and to look within, seeking the truth of any obstacles you might be facing, and
This blog was going to be about overcoming fear for the Story Queens site. My greatest fear is public speaking, so I agreed to be part of a YA panel at Book Expo in the hopes of breaking through it. But the event was cancelled at the last minute, so I haven’t conquered that fear
So, you want to write a book. There’s an idea stuck in your head that keeps you up at night, or perhaps it’s a dream you’ve had that you just know will make a gripping novel. Maybe it’s a unique experience or situation you’ve been through, which you feel a burning need to share with
Just got a lovely five-star review for Into the Mists... Into the Mists by Serene Conneeley is the story of Carlie, a young woman who loses her mother and father and is sent from Australia to England to live with a woman she doesn't know - her grandmother, Rose. Carlie is dealing with her grief
Equinox Blessings To You! Today is one of the two days each year of harmony and balance, when the sun is directly above the equator and there are twelve hours of light and twelve hours of dark. Ostara Wishes! The spring or vernal equinox, also known as Ostara, is celebrated between September 20 and 23
Sadly postage from Australia is ridiculously expensive (like, $25 a book!), which is why I make all my books available from international retailers. If you buy Into the Fire or Into the Storm from Amazon over the launch weekend, just forward me the order with your email address and I’ll send you the ebook for
As we count down to the launch of Into the Fire, I wanted to introduce you to my two awesome guest hosts. Selina Fenech is an amazing artist – her stunning paintings grace the covers of Into the Fire, Into the Storm and the Into the Mists books – but she’s also an incredible writer.
As we count down to the launch of Into the Fire, I wanted to introduce you to my two awesome guest hosts. Australian author K. A. Last is in the middle of releasing her three-part series All the Things. Part 1, Something, and Part 2, Nothing, are out now, and the final instalment, Everything, will
Australian author DL Richardson interviewed me recently for her Coffee Chat series, so I wanted to return the favour. DL writes speculative fiction for anyone who likes a twist in their tale, from the YA books One Little Spell and The Bird With the Broken Wing to the scifi series Welcome To the Apocalypse. Find
I recently had a Coffee Chat with author DL Richardson, which she published on her blog. We hung out at Sydney Supanova this year – but think our paths crossed years ago when she was in a rock band and I was writing for music magazines. It’s a small world! DL’s books include One Little
Solstice blessings! Wishing all my friends in the south a magical, blessed Yule on this short, chilly, grey-skied midwinter day. As the light returns, may it bathe you in inspiration, passion and joy... And for those in the north, may you celebrate an inspiring, energising Litha, as Midsummer and the longest day of the year
I was nominated by a friend to post seven books (one a day), that I really loved reading, so I thought I would share them here too as I go. 1. Juliet Marillier is my absolute favourite author. And I *LOVE* all her books. The Bridei Chronicles are sooo beautiful, The Blackthorn & Grim Series
Samhain blessings to everyone in the southern hemisphere, and to those in the north, magical Beltane wishes… Samhain, the festival of the ancestors and the dead that marks the beginning of winter, falls in early May in the southern hemisphere (in 2018, it falls on May 5) and early November in the northern hemisphere –
It’s that time again: Camp NaNoWriMo has begun! (Where did the first three months of this year run away to???) As of today, April 1, the site is ready and waiting for you to announce your project for April’s Camp session. One of the best things about Camp NaNoWriMo is that it’s super flexible, so
"Sitting is more dangerous than smoking, kills more people than HIV and is more treacherous than parachuting. We are sitting ourselves to death." So says Dr James Levine, director of the Mayo Clinic-Arizona State University Obesity Solutions Initiative and inventor of the treadmill desk. I work out for an hour a day, partly because it
Wishing everyone much love and magic as the seasonal Wheel of the Year turns again. In the southern hemisphere we’ll be celebrating the enchanted festival of Mabon, the autumn equinox, on March 21, while those in the north will be honouring Ostara, the spring equinox, on March 20. Mabon : Autumn Equinox : Harvest The
