I like stories with multiple characters. How about you? The more characters included, the easier it is to weave a decent, believable story. And when I read, I like a real story about real life. I believe having only the interaction between two people does limit the scope of the plot. I sometimes question if I like writing romances or are my stories something else, with a romance element. But I’m pretty sure they belong in the romance genre. I … Continue reading
I recently said farewell to a dear friend. It wasn’t easy. Rather than wait for the celebration of her life, I needed to say my farewells in a little more privacy. So my family and I visited her at the Funeral Home. How calm and peaceful these places are. But its peace did not help very much. As I held her hand and mourned her passing, most importantly, rolling around inside my head was such sadness at knowing I’ll never … Continue reading
I’m now a self-published author. Yahoo. I can’t believe how simple the process turned out to be. Certainly, I have stressed and researched and attended workshops. But in the end, I probably didn’t need to do very much at all. The online information available to assist was spot on. https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0B2J83RCQ Of course, now the difficult part begins. Marketing. While the epidemic and my own wavering interest in continuing to write took their toll during the last couple of years, I’m … Continue reading
Embracing our culture must surely be the same as embracing the heritage of our ancestors. Everything that made them who they were, has some impact on who we are today. How important is your heritage to you? As a keen genealogist, my heritage is a vital part of who I feel I am. As I begin to write this, I’m thinking of the differences between the terms heritage and culture. So I am including a couple of definitions. Heritage is … Continue reading
Recently Whakatane was named the best city in New Zealand. Why had this town beaten every other in the country? Prior to an annual reunion nearby, we decided to spend a few days in Whakatane. I certainly wanted to find out what was on offer. This area is suffering more than many. The lack of international tourists has adverse effects on many industries and towns in New Zealand. But I believe Whakatane’s suffering is more poignant. A huge portion of … Continue reading
How many times does the phrase “I wish” enter your head? While I probably don’t say it aloud too often but today “I wish” is rolling around inside me constantly. We might wish for important things, like the end of Covid, or as the beauty contestants apparently request, peace on earth. But today my wish was for a better understanding of technology. Until I was called to dinner, I had no idea how much of the day I had wasted. … Continue reading
Owning a pet can be problematic. Especially now the world is opening up again and travel is fast becoming possible again. We’ve resisted pets for many years. Initially, I was certain I could never replace my German Shepherd. But between his passing and our retirement, I couldn’t really say why we’ve never had another pet. But since retirement, I am so pleased we don’t own a pet. Owning a pet brings huge responsibility. We like to travel and travelling and … Continue reading
My brush with Covid began twenty-six months after the virus arrived in New Zealand. I’m grateful to have avoided the bug for so long. I’m definitely grateful my brush was a relatively painless one. I admit to being very careful over the last couple of years. While we haven’t isolated completely, we have spent a lot of time at home. Any forays away from home, even to local shops/restaurants have been carefully planned. The couple of times we’ve travelled, we’ve … Continue reading
How do you cope with that empty, disappointing feeling that arises when you close the final page of a really rivetting story? I have just finished a captivating story by Sharon Sala. It was a struggle to put it down. I didn’t want to reach that last page. The mystery is solved. All the angles are tied up. I know the story was fast coming to an end. But acknowledging I was about to say goodbye to characters who had … Continue reading
Today I’ve decided to write about New Zealand’s humble kiwi. Which one you might ask. I imagine Americans recognise only one kiwi, the delicious green or gold fruit. But we do have a couple more which are so much more common to us. New Zealand’s national bird is the kiwi. And for every New Zealander when travelling overseas, we use and are all known as kiwis. Let’s get rid of the humble kiwi fruit. Despite its name, this fruit is … Continue reading