Kapow

a shot in the arm

Some things are worth celebrating

It’s been an exciting fortnight for me and I thought I’d drop a quick newsletter to update those who haven’t caught my excitement (which I dare say isn’t many as I’ve banged on about a lot this week.

My manuscript ‘The Needleworker’s Daughter’ was longlisted for the Queensland Writer’s Centre Publishable program. It’s a validating moment for this manuscript that I have been working on for the last seven years (although a friend did remind me last night that when I first found the early thread that made me want to write the story, I said it would take me ten years, so that gives me another three to play with…). As a writer, there are long stints with nothing so things like this are like a shot in the arm.

Now, to many writers in Australia, being long listed in the Publishable program means something, but to the non writers on the receiving end of my (at times, nonsensical) newsletter, it means diddly squat.

The Publishable program is a manuscript development program for writers to submit an excerpt of their unpublished manuscripts (50 pages). There are 25 writers selected for the longlist (*wave*, hello other longlisters!) and those writers have to submit their full manuscript (done last week). These manuscripts are then read by (I’m not sure whom). The writers get to take part in three workshops and have a reader ‘chat’ about their manuscript. After this is done, we have to resubmit our manuscripts (assuming that we have done some work on them in the in-between time) by 20 August. After that, 10 manuscripts are selected to be shortlisted.

So, it’s a big deal in a way, but it is not (as some of you who follow me on socials may wonder) a publishing deal. It is to help us develop our manuscripts so that may potentially become more pubishable and (here’s to hoping) get a publishing deal.

I have spent more time than normal on socials this week because of this. The posting, the responding to posts etc. It’s easy to get sucked into the social media void.

In other news, I cancelled this weekend’s retreat as there were only two people who could make it. The good news is that I have heard from many people that they want to know about future ones, so I am planning a little further ahead and will publish those dates soon. There will be one most likely in late October, and two in the first half of next year. if you want to get on my mailing list about it, let me know.

Other things

• I read Kate Mildenhall’s book The Hummingbird Effect this week and am blown away. It will be released next week and I have a feeling it will be a big thing, so go out and grab yourself a copy. I’d say to get to one of the launches or events that she’s at, but a lot are already booked out. You can find her events here

• I’ve joined Natasha Lester & Belinda Alexandra’s book club. If you want in, read her newsletter Bijoux and find out more. I also love that she’s a fan of Julia Cameron and The Artist’s Way.

  July's Monthly Digest - A Brand New Book Club, A Boost of Confidence, and a Giveaway of Astrid Bricard!!

• Aphids. My roses are being decimated by them and I’m about to through a tantrum. I’ve sprayed with Neem oil, squirted them off with water, squashed them, but I’m losing the battle. I’m beginning to curse my crazed post-surgery thought I had in 2021 when I imagined a garden full of flowers. Anyone have any tips? Should I give up yet? PLEASE send me all your tips before I pull out the gloves and secateurs and get rid of them.

• Kate Mildenhall and Katherine Collette, the power duo of The First Time Podcast gave my writing retreat a lovely shoutout this week. If you want to feel like you’re more a part of the writing industry in Australia, subscribe to their podcast. It’s full of everything about becoming a published author.

• This last week I have not only gone to yoga three times, I’ve also been to the gym three times. I think that officially makes me someone who has worked out how to embed an exercise routine into their days. Endorphins are the bomb and I think (tentatively speaking) that it may be having a good effect on my migraines (along with all the other things I do for them). It’s not just me that says that, Harvard Medical School (of course) have done a study on it: “Exercise reduces levels of the body's stress hormones, such as adrenaline and cortisol. It also stimulates the production of endorphins, chemicals in the brain that are the body's natural painkillers and mood elevators.”

• Sleep…I haven’t tacked back to that sleep newsletter since throwing it out to you. The update is that I’m 4 weeks into CPAP life and have only had two nights of tantrums about it. It turns out that CPAPs are quite annoying when you have a migraine. While I am feeling potentially more sleepy that I did before, the stats are saying that I’m getting better sleep and my resting heart rate has dropped by nine beats a minute.

Until next time, x Meg