In this months post you will find 5 things I have currently been involved in or done this Spring. It’s been another busy writerly month full of inspiration and wonder. However as the Summer months approach I look forward to some quieter time to myself, to write and spend time with family and look forward to the breezy, lazy Summer days to come. Below are things I am currently loving, reading. watching, that are making me happy or I have seen through my camera lens as I make the most of this beautiful season.
Please join me as I reflect on the past month, then visit the other #Gr8Blogs at the end of this post for even more inspiration and smiles.
Loving
October has been another month of celebrations and book launches. As we prepare for Halloween, I was lucky to have stories included in not one, but two anthologies released in time to spread a little spooky fun to kids around Australia.
I loved flying up to Brisbane to attend the launch of the Share Your Story Spooktacular Anthology - Thrilling Tales for Brave Kids. This is one very special book and it fills my heart with joy to know that for every copy of the book sold, another copy is gifted to sick kids in hospitals around Australia. I loved attending the launch at the Queensland Children’s Hospital and the Mad Hatters Book shop. I have brought home special memories from both events.
The book is available from Amazon AU and US.
The spooky fun continued in Sydney with the launch of Creative Kids Tales Story Collection 2. I loved three things about this event.
1. Meeting other incredible authors that have stories in the collection, including the wonderful author/illustrator who manages our critique group.
2. Meeting a little girl who was so excited to meet a witchy author and have her book signed by that particular witch.
3. Seeing the delight on my nephew’s face as he listened to my story being read to him after the event.
After Halloween there was one more launch to go. Two author friends and I launched the CKT Story Collection in our home town of Canberra. While I loved dressing up as a witch for all these previous events, it was time to brighten things up a little. So instead of dressing for the Things That go Bump theme, I decided to dress for the Enchanted theme instead. I loved being a PInk Book Fairy for a change and seeing the smiles on kids faces when I spoke to them or simply smiled as I walked passed.
Reading
Obviously with the launch of these two anthologies, I have been busy reading all the amazing stories from so many wonderful Aussie authors.
Sppoktacular Stories -Thrilling Tales for Brave Kids has a collection of 39 stories and poems that are not too scary but will thrill and delight kids who love a touch of spookiness. There was fierce competition to win a place in this collection, and I am proud to have one of my stories included among these awesome contributions by so many talented Aussie authors.
Creative Kids Tales Story Collection 2 - Things that Go Bump/Enchanted, is a little different. A collection of 74 short stories and poems under two themes. This book is designed to read with two front covers. Choose to read all the stories in Things That Go Bump then flip it over and read all the Enchanted stories. This is a clever idea and works well to keep the young reader intrigued and entertained. I have contributed a story to both themes, and am again delighted to be included among so many talented emerging Aussie Authors.
Watching
During my evenings when the day is done, I can no longer concentrate to write, I settle down to binge watch a bit of Netflix. Currently my ‘go to’ is Heartland. This series set on a horse Stud ranch in Canada is full of beautiful scenery, majestic horses and some wonderful story lines. With twelve seasons in total to watch, I’ll be visiting Heartland for sometime to come yet, I’m only in season 4.
I’m also watching my water tank level drop. Winter and Spring have not brought much rain. Not only do we need rain here, but all over Australia. The drought is effecting even the most unexpected places Hubby and I were in far north Queensland earlier this month. We were shocked to see even the tropical north is not as green as it should be. Barren Falls, certainly were barren. When we showed friends and family the trickle of water that spilled over the top, they were all surprised.
Making Me Happy
The best part of attending events like book launches is is seeing the delight on kids faces. Putting smiles on faces of sick kids and their parents at the Children’s Hospital made me happiest of all. It made the trip to Brisbane so worthwhile. People often ask why I write for children? It’s those simple smiles when they read my stories that says it all. That’s all I need. I don’t need awards or peer praise, I am happy if I have made a child happy and they want to read. Due to privacy reasons, there are no photos of the kids or their parents at the hospital.
Seeing in my Lens
Springtime in Canberra is Tulip time and among all the business and fun of book launches, I found time for a walk among the tulips too. Most years we walk around Floriade in the heart of Canberra. Floriade is a magnificent display of tulips on show around the foreshore of Lake Burley-Griffin. This year, we decided it was time to visit Tulip Top Gardens on the outskirts of Canberra for a change. As you can see through my camera lens they did not disappoint.
I always find time to walk, whether it’s around our beautiful bush property or through the city on my way to the National Library of Australia on a Wednesday to meet my writers group. Spring is in full bloom as a stroll through the Rose Gardens at Old Parliament House.
As you can see, it’s been another crazy month preparing for book launches and Halloween. I’ve not had a great deal of time to think about the upcoming Summer months ahead or begin any Christmas plans. I am looking forward to slowing down and concentrating on finishing writing book 3 in my Adamson Adventures. I am having a lot of fun writing Fossil Frenzy, there is plenty of fun and adventure ahead.
Thanks for stopping by! How are you CURRENTLY jumping into winter/ summer? Making big plans? Ticking off books on your to-read list? Please share in the comment section.
Carmela Dutra https://carmeladutra.com/blog/f/finding-your-winter-bliss-blog-hop?fbclid=IwAR3e62zDk1QrdkpxHx5cHEHtac37_0_VXvTeOXq274TreLPTwYOrgBJf15Y