Shambolic Living

I’m Calling A Meeting

Janine — Wed, 26 Sep 2012 22:01:07 +0000

This morning I have been so bereft of blogging ideas I’ve even packed the dishwasher to avoid the computer. I have a thousand and one ideas but all of them require some level of effort, a little bit of research, a touch of organisation, a request to interview people, preparation of photos, reading books to...

If you want to publish a book … you’ve got to WRITE

Janine — Fri, 17 Aug 2012 01:56:17 +0000

It is 10.54 am on my day off from my real-world job. When I decided to work part-time the aim was to spend my day off writing. Get a book published. Uncover that latent dream from underneath the grown-up world responsibilities of kids, mortgage, bills and … well you know the drill. This morning I...

Reading This Week – Silent Fear by Katherine Howell

Janine — Fri, 27 Apr 2012 02:45:08 +0000

I love a good crime novel, mystery or thriller. The obsession began with Enid Blyton’s Secret Seven, moved through Agatha Christie and into Patricia Cornwell, PD James, Ruth Rendell. If I’m left to my own devices to choose a book to curl up with on a rainy day I wade straight into the murky world...

Blogging My World

Janine — Fri, 02 Mar 2012 01:15:09 +0000

Blogging – it’s a weird concept isn’t it? Carving out a space for yourself where you can vent, share, amuse, entertain, inform. Giving yourself a power you have never had before. Welcoming strangers into your life to comment on the thoughts that tumble from your mind. The habit of blogging is slowly beginning to ingrain...

The Power Of Words

Janine — Sun, 26 Feb 2012 00:02:33 +0000

Those of us who blog, or like to read blogs are very aware of the power of words. However, this video says it in the most eloquent way possible. I first saw this video at a work conference last year, thanks to Kirri White at Success Coach for reminding me of it this morning.

Reading This Week – Watercolours – Adrienne Ferreira

Janine — Fri, 10 Feb 2012 03:40:22 +0000

A gifted child, a quirky family, an inexperienced teacher, a mysterious death all jumbled together in a small, country town that’s the essence of Watercolours. This is the debut novel for Adrienne Ferreira and in it she creates an engaging story with a group of likeable characters. Watercolours is a gentle book which meanders through the...

A New Year Begins

Janine — Sat, 31 Dec 2011 22:05:08 +0000

Well the first of my goals for 2012 is down the toilet. I didn’t win the $31 million Lotto draw last night. So instead of shopping for a new, highly expensive car this morning, I’ve got to settle for a cup of coffee (instant I can’t afford one of those fancy schzmancy machines) and a...

NaNoWriMo – The Confession

Janine — Thu, 01 Dec 2011 10:38:11 +0000

Big cheers please, my friend Michele from Savannah Photography completed the 50,000 words in 30 days for NaNoWriMo. I’m expecting that when her book is published the dedication will read “To my dear friend Janine who provided the link (literally) to NaNoWriMo that enabled me to produce this bestseller thereby rescuing me from a life...

Reading This Week – Bereft – Chris Womersley

Janine — Fri, 25 Nov 2011 05:43:10 +0000

The new novel by Chris Womersley is a dark tale with Gothic sensibilities. Womersley portrays a world of sadness and pain, set in 1919 in the aftermath of the First World War and in the midst of the Spanish Flu epidemic. Ten years earlier Quinn Walker had fled his hometown of Flint when he was...

Writing The Great Aussie Novel During NaNoWriMo

Janine — Sat, 19 Nov 2011 19:33:49 +0000

Saturday 6.00am – Rise early to avoid the family. Sit down at computer. Write sentence. 6.05am – Dogs realise you are up, start whimpering. 6.10am – Let dogs out the front of the house. One takes off down the road. Chase after in pyjamas, asphalt pinching into bare feet. Fit looking blokes training for some...