The journey

As a newish arrival in Australian I think Australia Day is a good day for me to launch my book from my Website… Australia has been good to me and I like to celebrate that on Australia Day. Whatever day the powers-that-be-choose will be fine with me.  I am one of the many new residents here who want to thank the country for welcoming us. Mayhem in Melbourne -Behind the scenes at Caruthers Real Estate. My book is beside me on my desk and every time I look at it I want to shout ‘whoopee’ and ‘wow’ and thrust it…

I’m not going to tell you my goals.  Some Guru’s say that telling everyone commits you to sticking to them. On the other hand it could commit those you tell to keep nagging you about them. That’s something I don’t need. But that may work for you. We all respond differently. I have written my goals down.  I’ve kept the list short.  Experience has shown me that when I read them a month later if I have too many I’m daunted. It looks too hard and most of them drift away. I’m not writing down ‘lose at least 5 kilos…

A New Decade but not a good beginning. I have been holding off on writing anything about the start of this decade.  It is such a sad time in Australia for so many people that to say Happy New Year seems kind of cruel. As I watched the stunning and beautiful fireworks display over Melbourne city at midnight on New Year’s Day it was with mixed pleasure. Should we be celebrating with fireworks while beaches on the East Coast of Australia are crowded with thousands of people escaping the fires?  We wished each other happy New Year with hugs and…

I have just read a piece by Australian author Ilka Tampke whose book, ‘Songwoman’ was voted the most ‘underrated book of the year’.  Her article in the Guardian starts by saying, ‘Writing is tough. My book went so unnoticed I won an award for it.’ Going unnoticed is the plight of so many of us writers. There could be an award for the most unnoticed book of the year. But I guess the underrated is better because not only was this book not noticed for some time, it was seen as a great book when it was noticed. Sadly, unnoticed…

Self-publishing?  Why do it? There are many answers to that question and one was delivered to me on plate, as it were, by a guy I had lunch with.  He’s a writer who has self-published one book and is working on his second. ‘It’s the arrogance of the publishing world, that gets me,’ he began.  ‘They treat us writers as if we’re nothing, not even human beings unless we look like a money.   If the publisher can’t hear the ‘Cha Ching, Cha Ching, Cha Ching’  of money falling into their laps you’re of no use to them. “Why be polite…

Hello and welcome to My blog. Why am I blogging? There are thousands probably millions of blogs out there. Does the world need one more? It’s a good question. My name’s Juliette Davis and I’m a writer, well I suppose, to be more precise I’m in training to be a writer. The training takes me to numerous writers’ courses and workshops. The tutors always say, ‘To start, make sure you have a blog so everyone knows who you are. And it’s a good marketing platform,’ or words to that effect. They say it regularly and often. I’ve got the message.…