There are two books 'written' by Buster the Dog, (with help from me). These two books were fun to write,and have been well accepted by readers. Now it's time for the next one, and I'm enjoying the process again!
Once I have enough material I will forward the text to my illustrator - the clever lady Allyson Hean who illustrated the first two books, and she will give me some excellent pictures yet again. This process is an easy one - trying to find a publisher is a pain and self-publishing cuts through the bull, and I love the freedom of doing or organising it all. A publisher might not like something I love, and want me to change it. I don't have that problem! I'm a little bit precious about these Buster Books ...
The first of the books, "Dig It! Gardening Tips for Dogs" was never going to be the first in a series of books. Neither was the follow-up book, "Doggone It! Mindfulness from a Dog's Point of View", published this year, going to be the second book in a series of books. This third book though, "Dog Buddha's Thoughts", this book was going to be the third book in the series from the moment I conceived the idea of it. This made me realise the first two books were actually a part of a series ... and who knows where it might end...
I've been collecting possible 'thoughts' the Dog Buddha may have about life, in the meantime, and it's fun! I'm thinking after this third book, there may be another book called Dog's Dinner or Dog's Breakfast. Dog Days is another possibility or Dog Day Afternoon ... They will both require much research though. A cookbook called Dog's Dinner is the most likely out of these possibilities, I feel ...
Enough of such talk, I still have to finish book three, and find some more thoughts of the Dog Buddha, and then write up around 250-300 words about each of the thoughts... A fun task, but Christmas has got in the way today and the weeks before.
Cheers,
Are you looking forward to 2017? I am, having a writing project to work on always keeps me happy!
Sunday, December 25, 2016
Friday, December 23, 2016
Things are Becoming Increasingly Progressingish!
Well yesterday, a Thursday, was the day for me to be at my favourite Cafe in Gawler or possibly in the entire world - Poetic Justice Cafe Gallery. On Thursdays I go to Poetic Justice Cafe Gallery (PJs), and basically stay there, talking, writing, have food and coffee, until it's time for me to head off to another Gawler venue for my writing group meeting.
I've been a little sidetracked recently with my writing, I'm certainly blaming Christmas for that ... Things are all skew-if, that's for sure. Anyway, I decided to do some pre-preparation, and printed out some things to do with my work-in-progress "Dog Buddha's Thoughts". When I arrived there were people I needed to talk to etc, but eventually, I had the chance to get to work on my own writing. And work I surely did.
By the time I left PJs yesterday, I had my next book in the 'Buster the Dog' series organised and I had the writer for the foreword of the book organised (Michelle Kynenburg, who did the same thing for me for book two (Doggone It! Mindfulness from a Dog's Point of View). This is a great thing, but even greater is the way I managed to get all of the snippets of book put into separate sections. I whittled my original plan of eight chapters down to three sections, and assigned all of the 'thoughts' I've written so far to their correct chapter.
I need more thoughts still though. around another four thoughts for each section I think. And then once that is done, by the end of January 2017, I hope, I will send the thoughts all off to my illustrator (Allyson Hean), and also send the manuscript to Michelle for her to begin thinking about and writing the foreword for the book. This is fun! And then once those parts are all done, I do a final read of it, give it to a couple of readers for feedback perhaps, and then off to the printer for getting the books done!
I love the freedom of doing it myself, instead of the tedious and sometimes disappointing method of the traditional method of getting books out into the world (or facing rejection after rejection and then giving up, another disappointed wannabee writer ... I am perfectly happy to be a self-publisher. These days, this form of publishing has gained far more respect, and most people no longer look down on those taking this path.
So that's it, my next book is well on the way to being ready to be launched at the Adelaide Plains Festival of Words 2017! And that Festival was also talked about yesterday, and some tasks assigned to sub-committee members. All good again!
I love my life!
I've been a little sidetracked recently with my writing, I'm certainly blaming Christmas for that ... Things are all skew-if, that's for sure. Anyway, I decided to do some pre-preparation, and printed out some things to do with my work-in-progress "Dog Buddha's Thoughts". When I arrived there were people I needed to talk to etc, but eventually, I had the chance to get to work on my own writing. And work I surely did.
By the time I left PJs yesterday, I had my next book in the 'Buster the Dog' series organised and I had the writer for the foreword of the book organised (Michelle Kynenburg, who did the same thing for me for book two (Doggone It! Mindfulness from a Dog's Point of View). This is a great thing, but even greater is the way I managed to get all of the snippets of book put into separate sections. I whittled my original plan of eight chapters down to three sections, and assigned all of the 'thoughts' I've written so far to their correct chapter.
I need more thoughts still though. around another four thoughts for each section I think. And then once that is done, by the end of January 2017, I hope, I will send the thoughts all off to my illustrator (Allyson Hean), and also send the manuscript to Michelle for her to begin thinking about and writing the foreword for the book. This is fun! And then once those parts are all done, I do a final read of it, give it to a couple of readers for feedback perhaps, and then off to the printer for getting the books done!
I love the freedom of doing it myself, instead of the tedious and sometimes disappointing method of the traditional method of getting books out into the world (or facing rejection after rejection and then giving up, another disappointed wannabee writer ... I am perfectly happy to be a self-publisher. These days, this form of publishing has gained far more respect, and most people no longer look down on those taking this path.
So that's it, my next book is well on the way to being ready to be launched at the Adelaide Plains Festival of Words 2017! And that Festival was also talked about yesterday, and some tasks assigned to sub-committee members. All good again!
I love my life!
Tuesday, November 29, 2016
Progress on Book Three in the Buster the Dog Series
Every few day (or sometimes more often) I or Buster, the dog who lives in the back of my brain, have another idea for the new book. The new book is titled "Dog Buddha's Thoughts", and I/we am/are having lots of fun writing all of the 'thoughts' that have to be thought up to make the work in progress a book.
The fact that I have an event that I already know I must have the book ready for, could worry me, but this day isn't until late July next year. So my silly brain thinks, oh that's a long way away, and doesn't worry. Then my sensible brain says - don't be stupid, the time can come and go in a flash and you'll look even stupider ...
I think between these two parts of my brain, things should be OK. I/we come up with a new thought, it gets written down or typed up, and the text of the book grows. This book, the same as the first two books, "Dig It! Gardening Tips for Dogs" (First book) and "Doggone It! Mindfulness from a Dog's Point of View" (Second book), will be illustrated. The illustrator Allyson Hean, has said she's more than happy to help me out with this again, and so all I have to do is to get a copy of the test to her in enough time for her to get the illustrations done.
There will be fewer illustrations this time. I've been thinking hard about the setting out of the book, and I think I have it organised, and it will work well. One potential problem is that not all of the current thoughts are actually in the document, which is on my computer at home. Other thoughts are written down in various notebooks and on scraps of paper. These are in my handbag, and in my car. There may be some in the house, but I don't think so. And of course there are many more still inside my head, or out there in the world waiting to be captured by Buster and me.
The process of writing these books, where there is no pressure to appeal to a potential publisher is a fun process, and I love getting into Buster's brain, and the brains of our four dogs, as much as I can. I want this book to be a fun book again, and I want it to have a level of seriousness too, because of the nature of the subject matter - Buddhism. But remembering the sometimes playful nature of the Dalai Lama, and knowing dogs, there is a good mix of serious and amusing.
I don't really know a lot about Buddhism, but it does interest me, and finding ways in which dogs could be said to behave in an enlightened way (with a doggy angle). I watch my dogs a lot, and I enjoy it. I hope my dogs enjoy being watched, but you never know. Does anyone else watch their dogs and try to analyse what they do. Please leave a message, I'd love to read about it!
The fact that I have an event that I already know I must have the book ready for, could worry me, but this day isn't until late July next year. So my silly brain thinks, oh that's a long way away, and doesn't worry. Then my sensible brain says - don't be stupid, the time can come and go in a flash and you'll look even stupider ...
I think between these two parts of my brain, things should be OK. I/we come up with a new thought, it gets written down or typed up, and the text of the book grows. This book, the same as the first two books, "Dig It! Gardening Tips for Dogs" (First book) and "Doggone It! Mindfulness from a Dog's Point of View" (Second book), will be illustrated. The illustrator Allyson Hean, has said she's more than happy to help me out with this again, and so all I have to do is to get a copy of the test to her in enough time for her to get the illustrations done.
There will be fewer illustrations this time. I've been thinking hard about the setting out of the book, and I think I have it organised, and it will work well. One potential problem is that not all of the current thoughts are actually in the document, which is on my computer at home. Other thoughts are written down in various notebooks and on scraps of paper. These are in my handbag, and in my car. There may be some in the house, but I don't think so. And of course there are many more still inside my head, or out there in the world waiting to be captured by Buster and me.
The process of writing these books, where there is no pressure to appeal to a potential publisher is a fun process, and I love getting into Buster's brain, and the brains of our four dogs, as much as I can. I want this book to be a fun book again, and I want it to have a level of seriousness too, because of the nature of the subject matter - Buddhism. But remembering the sometimes playful nature of the Dalai Lama, and knowing dogs, there is a good mix of serious and amusing.
I don't really know a lot about Buddhism, but it does interest me, and finding ways in which dogs could be said to behave in an enlightened way (with a doggy angle). I watch my dogs a lot, and I enjoy it. I hope my dogs enjoy being watched, but you never know. Does anyone else watch their dogs and try to analyse what they do. Please leave a message, I'd love to read about it!
Sunday, October 9, 2016
Our Diggiest Dog - at it Again
When you have a dog that loves to dig, and has loved to do it since he was a tiny puppy, it can be difficult to break him of the habit. When that dog also has the gene for digging (inherited from his super diggy dad), well I suppose you have to concrete the entire yard, watch him like a hawk, never let him out or just get used to it.
You can do a combination of any or some of things of course. We more or less stick with the not letting him out without being watched, combined with having an area where he is allowed to dig. This last area is the dog run, which is just beyond our backyard, and our dog, Holkschter Lah De Dah, a Pharaoh Hound, has dug some fine holes down the back, where he's allowed to dig.
This dog run has a damaged fence at the moment, and while our dogs don't seem to be jumpers, we know they could easily jump this damaged fence it they wanted to. We make sure the dogs don't have access to the dog run unless they are under some kind of watch. When the fence has been fixed, we can be more relaxed about the whole thing ...
It's coming to the hotter part of the year though, and we know there are probably snakes around the place. There have been in the past and will be in the future. We also know the snakes around our place are likely to be brown snakes, that can kill a dog with just one bite. Snake bites are expensive to deal with, if your dog (or cat) gets bitten. It's a tragic thing to have happen, and I would be grateful to never ever have a dog of ours bitten again!
Lah De's little sister, Missy, was bitten a couple of years ago, and I'm happy we were able to get her to the vet in time. It was expensive though, and could easily not have been successful at keeping her alive. Missy is mostly a sweet girl, with a couple of less than sweet habits, but I'm happy she is still in our little pack of dogs.
I launched a new book very recently, "Tense & Still", a collection of poetry about the various creatures in my life. Missy is in there, her and her brother's mother is in there too, as are snakes, cats, rabbits, and a variety other lovely, and unlovely critters.
You can do a combination of any or some of things of course. We more or less stick with the not letting him out without being watched, combined with having an area where he is allowed to dig. This last area is the dog run, which is just beyond our backyard, and our dog, Holkschter Lah De Dah, a Pharaoh Hound, has dug some fine holes down the back, where he's allowed to dig.
This dog run has a damaged fence at the moment, and while our dogs don't seem to be jumpers, we know they could easily jump this damaged fence it they wanted to. We make sure the dogs don't have access to the dog run unless they are under some kind of watch. When the fence has been fixed, we can be more relaxed about the whole thing ...
It's coming to the hotter part of the year though, and we know there are probably snakes around the place. There have been in the past and will be in the future. We also know the snakes around our place are likely to be brown snakes, that can kill a dog with just one bite. Snake bites are expensive to deal with, if your dog (or cat) gets bitten. It's a tragic thing to have happen, and I would be grateful to never ever have a dog of ours bitten again!
Lah De's little sister, Missy, was bitten a couple of years ago, and I'm happy we were able to get her to the vet in time. It was expensive though, and could easily not have been successful at keeping her alive. Missy is mostly a sweet girl, with a couple of less than sweet habits, but I'm happy she is still in our little pack of dogs.
I launched a new book very recently, "Tense & Still", a collection of poetry about the various creatures in my life. Missy is in there, her and her brother's mother is in there too, as are snakes, cats, rabbits, and a variety other lovely, and unlovely critters.
Copies of this book are available from the publisher Ginninderra Press, or from the Poetic Justice Cafe Gallery in Gawler on Walker Place. Or you can contact me on kittycordo@gmail.com to arrange getting a copy. The cost of the book is $18 plus postage as applicable. Or you can talk to your local library and request the book, to read the poems.
I don't have any diggy dog poems there, but there are certainly some creatures in the book that know how to dig!
I don't have any diggy dog poems there, but there are certainly some creatures in the book that know how to dig!
Sunday, September 4, 2016
Getting Organised ...
What am I going to get organised? My blogs, that's what. Oh who am I kidding, I am a long, long way away from getting my blogs organised. I know this because, apart from making a guess, that would probably be wrong, I don't really know how many blogsites I actually have.
I know there are around twelve, no, maybe fifteen. Some of them are Blogger blogs, as is this on. Some of them are Wordpress blogs. I have one of each that gets a moderate amount of attention from me. Well really, it isn't a moderate amount of attention, it's a poor amount of attention. A moderate amount would be one post a week, I think. I spend far more time on other social media ...
Does that matter? Should I, or could I be doing more on my blogs? Well, I'm a writer, a self-published writer, who has books to sell, of course I should be spending more time on my blogs. Or better yet, I should perhaps be spending far more time on ONE blog, a main blog, a blog for myself as a writer!
I have a Facebook page as a writer, but I can't really format that page very much, and I can't put up lots of links to it, or if I can, I don't know how to do it well. I know a little bit about these social media things, not a lot. And I don't really want to go to much further into these things at the moment.
What I do want to do is to get one blog for myself as a writer, one blog that is mine, not a free one, as I have at the moment, but a paid blogsite. I know the basics of how to go about doing this, and I recently went to an interesting workshop in such things. Anyway, this site here attracts many view, and maybe I should look doing more with this site? Or maybe the most used Wordpress blog? No, a brand new site, in my own name, that's the way to go.
So will I do it soon? Oh who knows, I sure don't, I don't even know how many blogs I have! Haha - do you have similar problems to this too? I'd love to know if you managed to tidy things up, and how you did it. No scams or spam though, thanks ...
I know there are around twelve, no, maybe fifteen. Some of them are Blogger blogs, as is this on. Some of them are Wordpress blogs. I have one of each that gets a moderate amount of attention from me. Well really, it isn't a moderate amount of attention, it's a poor amount of attention. A moderate amount would be one post a week, I think. I spend far more time on other social media ...
Does that matter? Should I, or could I be doing more on my blogs? Well, I'm a writer, a self-published writer, who has books to sell, of course I should be spending more time on my blogs. Or better yet, I should perhaps be spending far more time on ONE blog, a main blog, a blog for myself as a writer!
I have a Facebook page as a writer, but I can't really format that page very much, and I can't put up lots of links to it, or if I can, I don't know how to do it well. I know a little bit about these social media things, not a lot. And I don't really want to go to much further into these things at the moment.
What I do want to do is to get one blog for myself as a writer, one blog that is mine, not a free one, as I have at the moment, but a paid blogsite. I know the basics of how to go about doing this, and I recently went to an interesting workshop in such things. Anyway, this site here attracts many view, and maybe I should look doing more with this site? Or maybe the most used Wordpress blog? No, a brand new site, in my own name, that's the way to go.
So will I do it soon? Oh who knows, I sure don't, I don't even know how many blogs I have! Haha - do you have similar problems to this too? I'd love to know if you managed to tidy things up, and how you did it. No scams or spam though, thanks ...
Monday, August 15, 2016
Food From our Garden - Yummy Goodness
For tea tonight (I'm dining alone for a change), I have decided to make a light meal, using some of the good green things we have growing in our garden, plus other foods from our kitchen. The foods from our garden are garlic, chives and kale.
I chose leaves from the garlic bulbs in the garden, some chive and kale leaves. I cut up the garlic and chives leaves, and also a small mushroom (cut into small dice), as well as a small amount of cheddar cheese (also cut into small dice). I put a left-over wrap on an oven tray, spread the wrap with sweet chilli sauce and then spread all of the chopped up food evenly over it, and put it in the oven (210 C).
With the kale, I cut each kale leaf in half lengthwise, along the stem. This left me with half kale leaves that are about the same size (but not thickness) of potato fries. I put these into a plastic bag, sprinkled on a little olive oil, then place them on another baking tray, then sprinkled on a little stock powder.
I left it all in the oven for fifteen minutes and then checked how it was going. It smelt divine, and when I open the oven, I could see it was nearly ready, the kale crisping up, the wrap getting firmer and browner and the cheese also browning a little, yum!
I turned off the oven, then finished typing this up. My tummy is saying hurry up, and now the proof of the goodness of the meal is about to be tested. I am certain the end result will be excellent. If I don't come back to report on it, you can be assured it was a fine meal. Not much there for the dogs, although I did share some of the mushroom with the dogs when I was chopping it up - the dogs are always in the kitchen when food is being prepared.
Off I go, goodbye!
I chose leaves from the garlic bulbs in the garden, some chive and kale leaves. I cut up the garlic and chives leaves, and also a small mushroom (cut into small dice), as well as a small amount of cheddar cheese (also cut into small dice). I put a left-over wrap on an oven tray, spread the wrap with sweet chilli sauce and then spread all of the chopped up food evenly over it, and put it in the oven (210 C).
With the kale, I cut each kale leaf in half lengthwise, along the stem. This left me with half kale leaves that are about the same size (but not thickness) of potato fries. I put these into a plastic bag, sprinkled on a little olive oil, then place them on another baking tray, then sprinkled on a little stock powder.
I left it all in the oven for fifteen minutes and then checked how it was going. It smelt divine, and when I open the oven, I could see it was nearly ready, the kale crisping up, the wrap getting firmer and browner and the cheese also browning a little, yum!
I turned off the oven, then finished typing this up. My tummy is saying hurry up, and now the proof of the goodness of the meal is about to be tested. I am certain the end result will be excellent. If I don't come back to report on it, you can be assured it was a fine meal. Not much there for the dogs, although I did share some of the mushroom with the dogs when I was chopping it up - the dogs are always in the kitchen when food is being prepared.
Off I go, goodbye!
Wednesday, August 3, 2016
"Doggone It - Mindfulness from a Dog's Point of View" Launched!
Well it was an exciting weekend, the last weekend of July! The 2016 Gawler Festival of Words - Identity was a great success. The people attending have said great things about the Festival events, and the attendee numbers were higher than last year.
With excellent ideas, and a team of passionate people running it all, it was almost everything we could have wished for. The things that weren't everything we wanted were few, but we have taken those on board and that will go toward the 2017 Gawler Fesitval of Words - Freedom even better than this year's event.
The most relevant event to mention on this blog, is the launch of the follow-up book to "Dig It", and that is "Doggone It - Mindfulness from a Dog's Point of View". This book was very well received,and copies of both books sold well on the Saturday afternoon of the Festival. With "Dig It!" being the first book in the Buster the Dog series, and "Doggone It!" being the second, will there be a third book launched for the next Festival?
Ah, now, who knows ... There are certainly words written, and a probably book title almost decided on. There is even thinking about what the fourth book might be about, with an appropriate title for that book too. Ah, life with Buster the Dog is never boring!
The writer is ready, the illustrator is ready and Buster the Dog is ready - just stand back and wait to see what 2017 might bring!
With excellent ideas, and a team of passionate people running it all, it was almost everything we could have wished for. The things that weren't everything we wanted were few, but we have taken those on board and that will go toward the 2017 Gawler Fesitval of Words - Freedom even better than this year's event.
The most relevant event to mention on this blog, is the launch of the follow-up book to "Dig It", and that is "Doggone It - Mindfulness from a Dog's Point of View". This book was very well received,and copies of both books sold well on the Saturday afternoon of the Festival. With "Dig It!" being the first book in the Buster the Dog series, and "Doggone It!" being the second, will there be a third book launched for the next Festival?
Ah, now, who knows ... There are certainly words written, and a probably book title almost decided on. There is even thinking about what the fourth book might be about, with an appropriate title for that book too. Ah, life with Buster the Dog is never boring!
The writer is ready, the illustrator is ready and Buster the Dog is ready - just stand back and wait to see what 2017 might bring!
Sunday, June 19, 2016
Books Sold Out! More Available Soon.
Copies of "Dig It, Gardening Tips for Dogs" have been flying out of the Poetic Justice Cafe Gallery lately, with none currently available there. There are stocks on hold, as we wait for the launch of the second book in the 'Buster the Dog' series.
The second book, "Doggone It - Mindfulness from a Dog's Point of View" is at the printers as I type this, but that one also won't be available just yet.
What are we waiting for? We're waiting for the Gawler Festival of Words 2016 - Identity. Doggone it will be launched at Poetic Justice Cafe Gallery in Gawler, on the second day of the Festival, which is happening 29-31 July 2016. So if you want a book, you have to wait. But to make the wait worthwhile, copies of 'Doggone It!" will be sold for the lower price of $15 for all of July and August. Order or buy your book before then and you too can have a signed copy.
And if you don't already have a copy of "Dig It! Gardening Tips for Dogs" order your copy of that one too, and you can get them both for a total cost of $25 (plus postage if you can't pick it up at Poetic Justice).
The Gawler Festival of Words is shaping up to be the 'Go To' event in the north of Adelaide, with short film screenings, Writing workshops, publishers, a train ride and more!
The second book, "Doggone It - Mindfulness from a Dog's Point of View" is at the printers as I type this, but that one also won't be available just yet.
What are we waiting for? We're waiting for the Gawler Festival of Words 2016 - Identity. Doggone it will be launched at Poetic Justice Cafe Gallery in Gawler, on the second day of the Festival, which is happening 29-31 July 2016. So if you want a book, you have to wait. But to make the wait worthwhile, copies of 'Doggone It!" will be sold for the lower price of $15 for all of July and August. Order or buy your book before then and you too can have a signed copy.
And if you don't already have a copy of "Dig It! Gardening Tips for Dogs" order your copy of that one too, and you can get them both for a total cost of $25 (plus postage if you can't pick it up at Poetic Justice).
The Gawler Festival of Words is shaping up to be the 'Go To' event in the north of Adelaide, with short film screenings, Writing workshops, publishers, a train ride and more!
Tuesday, June 14, 2016
Follow Up to "Dig It! Gardening Tips for Dogs" launched Next Month!
"Doggone It! Mindfulness from a Dog's Point of View" will be launched during the Gawler Festival of Words - Identity -2016, 29 - 31 July. The Festival last year was good, and we hope and expect this Festival to be even better. And with a new book in the Buster series of books, I say woof, woof, be there and have a great time!
I visited the printer in Gawler today (Bunyip Print, great guys!). I had a look at the most recent proof copy of Doggone it, and after one change, said, yes, it's good, please print 100 copies for the launch! Exciting times, and exciting times call for amazing offers.
So my amazing offer is this - if anyone buys a copy of both "Dig It! Gardening Tips for Dogs" and "Doggone It, Mindfulness from a Dog's Point of View", they will get a signed copy at the Festival price of $25.00 plus postage. So here's your chance, send me a message via a comment here, and I will send you my details.
I visited the printer in Gawler today (Bunyip Print, great guys!). I had a look at the most recent proof copy of Doggone it, and after one change, said, yes, it's good, please print 100 copies for the launch! Exciting times, and exciting times call for amazing offers.
So my amazing offer is this - if anyone buys a copy of both "Dig It! Gardening Tips for Dogs" and "Doggone It, Mindfulness from a Dog's Point of View", they will get a signed copy at the Festival price of $25.00 plus postage. So here's your chance, send me a message via a comment here, and I will send you my details.
Friday, June 3, 2016
Living the Good Life, with Coffee
I have many 'roles' in my life, my identity is a many layered thing, as is true for many people. I am a wife, a mother, a former dog exhibitor and breeder, I am a thinking person who cares deeply about many things. I am also a poet and writer, as well as a creative writing instructor and encourager. These last things take up most of my time though, they have done since I gave up paid work with others, and began attempting to make some semblance of a living with my creative writing-related things. I am a blogger too, of course, and this conversation began perhaps when I wrote this blog Writing Life (I have more blogs than I can really take care of properly, but c'est la vie ...)
The dogs are a part of my writing life too, and they are fun to live with, and fun to write about too. I'm having so much fun working with 'Buster the dog', in this series of books that began with "Dig It! Gardening Tips for Dogs", and continue this year with "Doggone It! Mindfulness from a Dog's Point of View". This second book in the series is very close to going to Bunyip Print, in Gawler, to be printed, and I am excited about that.
I'm also excited about the third book in the series, that seems to almost be writing itself, as I sit and think at my favourite cafe, Poetic Justice Cafe Gallery, also in Gawler. This third book won't be in a postion to be launched until some time next year at the earliest, but I am excited about the way it's going. By 2017, who knows how I will be feeling about it. My thoughts may have gone in a different direction by then ...
The joys of being a self-publisher are that they enable you yo do exactly what you want to do, with no publisher standing over your shoulder and keeping you in check. Of course, that publisher also has a budget for marketing the books written, whereas I can only print out as many books as I can afford, and that will fit inside my little car/mobile office.
This is me, at P Js
I enjoy my writer's life though, taking part in things at the cafe where I am the Writer-in-Residence, where I hold Poetry Workshops every Sunday morning, and am there every Monday and Thursday as well, able to be involved in a supportive group there at lunchtime Monday, and at lunchtime every Thursday, ready and able to talk about books and writing. On the last Sunday of every month, as well as an abbreviated poetry workshop at the PJ venue, I also take part, with another poet and member of the writing group I'm involved with, in running workshops and poetry readings on the last Sunday in every month, again in Gawler at the P/A Hotel (Prince Albert).
This may sound like a lot to other people, but I'm having a great time doing it, and I am convinced doing all of this is keeping me going so well, as I battle in life with MS (Multiple Sclerosis). Being able to have a positive attitude to the things I face in life works well for me, and I hope will continue to work well for me. Giving to others helps me, and the love and help they give back to me is wonderfully supportive and helps me immensely.
I find having other people involved in my writing life makes it better for me, and better for others. If you have people who help you with your own writing life, I'd love to hear about it! Please leave a message here ...
The dogs are a part of my writing life too, and they are fun to live with, and fun to write about too. I'm having so much fun working with 'Buster the dog', in this series of books that began with "Dig It! Gardening Tips for Dogs", and continue this year with "Doggone It! Mindfulness from a Dog's Point of View". This second book in the series is very close to going to Bunyip Print, in Gawler, to be printed, and I am excited about that.
I'm also excited about the third book in the series, that seems to almost be writing itself, as I sit and think at my favourite cafe, Poetic Justice Cafe Gallery, also in Gawler. This third book won't be in a postion to be launched until some time next year at the earliest, but I am excited about the way it's going. By 2017, who knows how I will be feeling about it. My thoughts may have gone in a different direction by then ...
The joys of being a self-publisher are that they enable you yo do exactly what you want to do, with no publisher standing over your shoulder and keeping you in check. Of course, that publisher also has a budget for marketing the books written, whereas I can only print out as many books as I can afford, and that will fit inside my little car/mobile office.
This is me, at P Js
I enjoy my writer's life though, taking part in things at the cafe where I am the Writer-in-Residence, where I hold Poetry Workshops every Sunday morning, and am there every Monday and Thursday as well, able to be involved in a supportive group there at lunchtime Monday, and at lunchtime every Thursday, ready and able to talk about books and writing. On the last Sunday of every month, as well as an abbreviated poetry workshop at the PJ venue, I also take part, with another poet and member of the writing group I'm involved with, in running workshops and poetry readings on the last Sunday in every month, again in Gawler at the P/A Hotel (Prince Albert).
This may sound like a lot to other people, but I'm having a great time doing it, and I am convinced doing all of this is keeping me going so well, as I battle in life with MS (Multiple Sclerosis). Being able to have a positive attitude to the things I face in life works well for me, and I hope will continue to work well for me. Giving to others helps me, and the love and help they give back to me is wonderfully supportive and helps me immensely.
I find having other people involved in my writing life makes it better for me, and better for others. If you have people who help you with your own writing life, I'd love to hear about it! Please leave a message here ...
Monday, May 23, 2016
Doggone It! Mindfulness Ready to Take Over!
Well to say it's ready to take over is going a bit far, but the time for the next book in the Buster series to be released to the world is getting closer and closer. This book, "Doggone It! Mindfulness from a Dog's Point of View" will be a further look into the thoughts of Buster the Dog, and the varied ways he sees the world.
Getting this book written, and then put together with lovely images from illustrator Allyson Hean was fun and frustrating. The frustration didn't come from Ally's work, it was from the wresting with the Publisher program, and with my head. Buster wisely stayed in the back of my head and left this part of it to me. He's happy to help me write the words, and then he steps away.
Self-publishing is people business, and Buster knows that. I did the text and Ally did the illustrations and putting together part way back when the first book "Dig It! Gardening Tips for Dogs" came out. I was glad that the book that came from her work has been a popular book, and in recognition of that popularity, I have printed some more copies, getting ready for the glorious day we launch the follow up book. There may well be people at the book launch who haven't already got themselves a copy of Dig It, and want to have the set ...
Having said 'the set', I have to say I don't actually know what and when the third book may be. I've thought about a couple of different things, but realise I still have plenty of time for the next book. 2017 will be the year to work on that one. Plenty of time. This book creating thing is fun and creative, but there are many other things going on at the moment too. Money is always an issue to consider, and marketing is not my most fun part of it.
Marketing and doing it well, they are skills I'm certainly no expert in. I can talk about my books, no problems with that, but getting bookings to do so, and keeping things organised, I sure don't star at those things. Still, if I wanted to make mega bucks, I probably would be writing quite different things, and going about the making of the books in a different manner ...
If you've ever self-published a book, and done well with it, please leave a message, I could do with some tips, and I'm sure others who visit here would appreciate it too!
Getting this book written, and then put together with lovely images from illustrator Allyson Hean was fun and frustrating. The frustration didn't come from Ally's work, it was from the wresting with the Publisher program, and with my head. Buster wisely stayed in the back of my head and left this part of it to me. He's happy to help me write the words, and then he steps away.
Self-publishing is people business, and Buster knows that. I did the text and Ally did the illustrations and putting together part way back when the first book "Dig It! Gardening Tips for Dogs" came out. I was glad that the book that came from her work has been a popular book, and in recognition of that popularity, I have printed some more copies, getting ready for the glorious day we launch the follow up book. There may well be people at the book launch who haven't already got themselves a copy of Dig It, and want to have the set ...
Having said 'the set', I have to say I don't actually know what and when the third book may be. I've thought about a couple of different things, but realise I still have plenty of time for the next book. 2017 will be the year to work on that one. Plenty of time. This book creating thing is fun and creative, but there are many other things going on at the moment too. Money is always an issue to consider, and marketing is not my most fun part of it.
Marketing and doing it well, they are skills I'm certainly no expert in. I can talk about my books, no problems with that, but getting bookings to do so, and keeping things organised, I sure don't star at those things. Still, if I wanted to make mega bucks, I probably would be writing quite different things, and going about the making of the books in a different manner ...
If you've ever self-published a book, and done well with it, please leave a message, I could do with some tips, and I'm sure others who visit here would appreciate it too!
Monday, April 11, 2016
Why Buster looks like he does
The story of why Buster looks as he does is a slightly shameful one, one that we hid from, to some extent, when it happened. To go back to the beginning, my husband and I, for many years since we got our first Schnauzer in 1987, spent much time showing, and then breeding pedigree dogs, first schnauzers, and then pharaoh hounds as well. Then we realised our hearts weren't really that interested in the pure bred dog game, that seemed less and less like a fine way to spend our weekends, and we gave it all away.
Before we gave up dog showing, something happened that made us stop showing for a while, half a year in fact. That thing was something that purebred dog people should never be involved with, and that is cross-breeding. We had two different breeds of dogs at the time. We had Schnauzers and we had one Pharaoh Hound, our first. The Pharaoh Hound was a handsome thing, and one of our schnauzers obviously felt the same about him.
Nena was having her first season, and was at theat stage when she really, really, really wanted to do something about it. She went through two fences to get to Kharis, he did what came naturally to him, she did what come naturally to her, and Nature did what comes naturally to animals when they mate ... Puppies arrived around 63 days, as is usual, and we then had to find homes for what were certainly not as sought after as our usual pure bred puppies.
So these puppies are exactly what Buster is, a Pharoah Hound, Schnauzer cross. A lean dog, built a little like a greyhound, with a mostly smooth coat, but with a slightly bushy face. Slightly like a Pharoah Hounds face (big pointy ears), slightly like a Schnauzer face, bearded. It was a mistake that we didn't keep Nena locked up, but it was certainly not done by us, it was done by the dogs.
We certainly make sure we keep our in season girl dogs well away from out male dog, who is the son of Kharis. We still have Nena, but she is desexed now, and far too old for puppies now anyway. She had some litters of lovely pure Schnauzer puppies after that mistake litter, puppies that had proper Schnauzer ears, not big stick up in the air ears!
The litters are all over now though, and the dogs just lounge around the house, or race around the yard, with no need to prance around the show ring. Life is good.
We still have more dogs than the average person (four of them), but we are happy to have our weekends back so we can do the things most (non-show) people do. Being involved in dog showing is the kind of thing that can certainly take over your life.
Anyway - we just have pet dogs now, so being involved in that bit of cross-breeding is no longer something we have to keep hidden. It was never our idea anyway, it was the dog's idea.
So, if you were to name the offspring of the mis-mating that happened, you would call them Pharaozers perhaps. Whatever you call them, they were cute enough. Having shown dogs for about twenty years, I was against cross breeding of dogs, and looked down on those who had puppies without pedigrees. I've settled down on the idea about that now, to some extent.
I have friends with beloved pet dogs, of various shapes and types, and I can see these little bits and pieces pets bring much joy to the lives of their owners. I'm thinking about Cathy's Bess, and Suzanne's Mozart, and I know these dogs are absolutely perfect! Oh except for Mozart's shoe fetish ...
So many shoes chewed ... But he's so cute and loving!
Before we gave up dog showing, something happened that made us stop showing for a while, half a year in fact. That thing was something that purebred dog people should never be involved with, and that is cross-breeding. We had two different breeds of dogs at the time. We had Schnauzers and we had one Pharaoh Hound, our first. The Pharaoh Hound was a handsome thing, and one of our schnauzers obviously felt the same about him.
Nena was having her first season, and was at theat stage when she really, really, really wanted to do something about it. She went through two fences to get to Kharis, he did what came naturally to him, she did what come naturally to her, and Nature did what comes naturally to animals when they mate ... Puppies arrived around 63 days, as is usual, and we then had to find homes for what were certainly not as sought after as our usual pure bred puppies.
So these puppies are exactly what Buster is, a Pharoah Hound, Schnauzer cross. A lean dog, built a little like a greyhound, with a mostly smooth coat, but with a slightly bushy face. Slightly like a Pharoah Hounds face (big pointy ears), slightly like a Schnauzer face, bearded. It was a mistake that we didn't keep Nena locked up, but it was certainly not done by us, it was done by the dogs.
We certainly make sure we keep our in season girl dogs well away from out male dog, who is the son of Kharis. We still have Nena, but she is desexed now, and far too old for puppies now anyway. She had some litters of lovely pure Schnauzer puppies after that mistake litter, puppies that had proper Schnauzer ears, not big stick up in the air ears!
The litters are all over now though, and the dogs just lounge around the house, or race around the yard, with no need to prance around the show ring. Life is good.
We still have more dogs than the average person (four of them), but we are happy to have our weekends back so we can do the things most (non-show) people do. Being involved in dog showing is the kind of thing that can certainly take over your life.
Anyway - we just have pet dogs now, so being involved in that bit of cross-breeding is no longer something we have to keep hidden. It was never our idea anyway, it was the dog's idea.
So, if you were to name the offspring of the mis-mating that happened, you would call them Pharaozers perhaps. Whatever you call them, they were cute enough. Having shown dogs for about twenty years, I was against cross breeding of dogs, and looked down on those who had puppies without pedigrees. I've settled down on the idea about that now, to some extent.
I have friends with beloved pet dogs, of various shapes and types, and I can see these little bits and pieces pets bring much joy to the lives of their owners. I'm thinking about Cathy's Bess, and Suzanne's Mozart, and I know these dogs are absolutely perfect! Oh except for Mozart's shoe fetish ...
So many shoes chewed ... But he's so cute and loving!
The "Buster" book series - Book Two
Yes, it's official - "Dig It - Gardening Tips for Dogs" is now officially Book One in the Buster book series. The book I've been working on late last year and up until now, "Doggone It - Mindfulness from a Dog's Point of View" is Book Two.
"Doggone It" will be printed this year, and probably be launched during the Gawler Festival of Words in July. This book has more pages, and and touches on deep life issues. Further to that, while the illustrator is the same as with the first book, she shows more mature in her illustrations, and touches more deeply with the innermost truths of Buster.
If you enjoyed the fun of Buster having fun in the garden, you will be amazed at the wisdom he shows as he looks closely into Mindfulness. As the co-writer of these books with Buster, I have enjoyed exploring my inner canine, woof, woof! Exploring Mindfulness while channeling Buster has helped me to consider the the various aspects of Mindfulness, whilst looking further into possible differences between my way, and Busters way.
This enabled me to think about the different parts of Mindfulness, how they appear to the canine, how they appear to humans, what the differences are, and what are the aspects that are the same for both species. It's always interesting to me to see just how alike us humans can be to dogs, and how dogs can sometimes seem almost human.
It is so easy to see how and why we met up so many years ago, and the relationship gets stronger and stronger all of the time. May it ever remain so!
Do you have a mindful dog? Or at least a dog that sometimes has mindful moments? If you do, we'd love to read about it, please leave us a comment here. There may be a free book on offer to the best mindful dog story I read!
"Doggone It" will be printed this year, and probably be launched during the Gawler Festival of Words in July. This book has more pages, and and touches on deep life issues. Further to that, while the illustrator is the same as with the first book, she shows more mature in her illustrations, and touches more deeply with the innermost truths of Buster.
If you enjoyed the fun of Buster having fun in the garden, you will be amazed at the wisdom he shows as he looks closely into Mindfulness. As the co-writer of these books with Buster, I have enjoyed exploring my inner canine, woof, woof! Exploring Mindfulness while channeling Buster has helped me to consider the the various aspects of Mindfulness, whilst looking further into possible differences between my way, and Busters way.
This enabled me to think about the different parts of Mindfulness, how they appear to the canine, how they appear to humans, what the differences are, and what are the aspects that are the same for both species. It's always interesting to me to see just how alike us humans can be to dogs, and how dogs can sometimes seem almost human.
It is so easy to see how and why we met up so many years ago, and the relationship gets stronger and stronger all of the time. May it ever remain so!
Do you have a mindful dog? Or at least a dog that sometimes has mindful moments? If you do, we'd love to read about it, please leave us a comment here. There may be a free book on offer to the best mindful dog story I read!
Sunday, February 28, 2016
Follow-up Book getting Bigger & Better!
"Dig It!" has been a fun book, and a learning experience for sure. Even though I will probably never see sales in the thousands with this book, I've enjoyed the process, and the friendships made and/or strengthened in the whole process. Every signed copy sold, every smile on the face of a new reader, these all bring a welcome warmth to my heart and me confidence as a writer!
This follow-up book, "Doggone It! Mindfulness from a Dog's Point of View" is another learning experience, and oh my, is the book looking like being something super special! The illustrations for the book arrived in the mail this morning, and I took them with me to Poetic Justice Cafe Gallery, to share around with my friends meeting there.
We had a wonderful time, and all agreed that my illustrator, Allyson Hean, has done an even better job with her pictures of 'Buster' my fellow 'writer' for this book. Ally seems to have got into Buster's head and seen the mindful things happening in his mind, with excellent results.
I also asked one of my friends whether she is interested in writing a foreword for "Doggone It!" and I am thrilled and humbled at her enthusiastic response! So, with pictures here, the foreword on its way and the rest of the text almost done, it was time to think about more details.
One of the things a new book needs is a book launch. And given my wonderful friends from Poetic Justice who have played a part in the making of this book, it was obviously the best place, where I have books on display for sale, to consider for the book launch. I have signed copies of "Dig It!" (and my two my other books here). I am the Writer-in-Residence here, and I feel so comfortable here!
So, I've given Cathy, who is working on the foreword, a deadline, and I am sure both Cathy and I will have this book ready well in time for a book launch some time in May! My next job is to speak to a possible printer about cost and a timeline for completion of the book copies, and get the final book finished off and ready to go.
Exciting times for sure, and I am finding it difficult to calm down about it. I will therefore sit still, look into the inner depths of my mind and see infinity, and see nothingness. Omm, omm, omm ...
Done!
This follow-up book, "Doggone It! Mindfulness from a Dog's Point of View" is another learning experience, and oh my, is the book looking like being something super special! The illustrations for the book arrived in the mail this morning, and I took them with me to Poetic Justice Cafe Gallery, to share around with my friends meeting there.
We had a wonderful time, and all agreed that my illustrator, Allyson Hean, has done an even better job with her pictures of 'Buster' my fellow 'writer' for this book. Ally seems to have got into Buster's head and seen the mindful things happening in his mind, with excellent results.
I also asked one of my friends whether she is interested in writing a foreword for "Doggone It!" and I am thrilled and humbled at her enthusiastic response! So, with pictures here, the foreword on its way and the rest of the text almost done, it was time to think about more details.
One of the things a new book needs is a book launch. And given my wonderful friends from Poetic Justice who have played a part in the making of this book, it was obviously the best place, where I have books on display for sale, to consider for the book launch. I have signed copies of "Dig It!" (and my two my other books here). I am the Writer-in-Residence here, and I feel so comfortable here!
So, I've given Cathy, who is working on the foreword, a deadline, and I am sure both Cathy and I will have this book ready well in time for a book launch some time in May! My next job is to speak to a possible printer about cost and a timeline for completion of the book copies, and get the final book finished off and ready to go.
Exciting times for sure, and I am finding it difficult to calm down about it. I will therefore sit still, look into the inner depths of my mind and see infinity, and see nothingness. Omm, omm, omm ...
Done!
Friday, February 26, 2016
Sneak Preview from "Doggone It ! Mindfulness from a Dog's POV"
The putting together of a book is an interesting thing but sometimes frustrating and even tedious thing. Waiting for a book, when you've read the first one in the series and are waiting for the follow-up can be tedious too.
For all of my friends and followers of this blog who are waiting for Doggone It! to be published I'm sharing with you a small part of what is coming. It's a quiz, and I hope you take a look and see how your dog measures up in terms of Mindfulness!
Please let me know how you went with this quiz, I'm panting to find out how people feel about it!
For all of my friends and followers of this blog who are waiting for Doggone It! to be published I'm sharing with you a small part of what is coming. It's a quiz, and I hope you take a look and see how your dog measures up in terms of Mindfulness!
Please let me know how you went with this quiz, I'm panting to find out how people feel about it!
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