I’d never written a play before I wrote As the Sun Sets. Well, one, as a very naïve and unskilled nineteen year old. It was a terrible rip-off of Tarantino, or maybe Scorsese, entitled And the City Rats Screamed. Hardly a homage, barely a fan-fic. A misguided attempt to write a movie I’d not seen yet. It
mental health
Feel the Fear. Do it Anyway.
While procrastinating doing research on the internet recently (instead of getting on with the millions of projects I have ongoing right now) I saw two affirmations that hit very close to home. I apologise that I don’t know who to credit for either of them. “If you wait until you feel ‘better’ to start living,
A message to my future (present) self regarding the removal of all my adult teeth.
<Note: on the 9th November 2023 I had surgery to remove all my remaining adult teeth and replace them with dentures. This was due to the pain and trauma I had experienced over a period of 18 months at the hands of a dentist who removed a tooth in such a way that I experienced
Life After Lockdown — A Year On
I turned forty-one last year in the middle of lockdown, alert level 4, and it was one of the best birthdays I’d ever had...
Black Dogs, Black Thoughts
I’ve been working for a while now on a project, selecting stories for an anthology to raise money and awareness for the Mental Health Foundation of New Zealand. I’ve been supported by a fantastic, international team of writers and editors to pull this together, and the end is finally in sight. But it feels strange
Things I Didn’t Do…
This weekend ended up being the One Where I Didn’t Do Things. I didn’t go to a social meet-up I had been planning to go to due to feeling unwell. I didn’t send off a story before a submission deadline because I realised it needed a lot more work to properly shine. I didn’t work
Open call for submissions — Black Dogs, Black Tales
I am extremely pleased to announce that after a good deal of plotting and scheming, I will be working with a fantastic team of people to put together a brand new horror and dark speculative fiction charity anthology entitled, “Black Dogs, Black Tales.” This collection of short fiction will be raising money for the Mental
Don’t Self-Reject!
Have you ever felt super excited about doing a Thing, only to suddenly find yourself crippled by unexpected anxiety, uncertainty and a strong urge to run away and hide? I don’t just mean a physical Thing, but also a creative or artistic one. Self-rejection is the nasty little brother of the Imposter Syndrome Gremlin, and
My Contributory Verse
My brain is being an asshole. I don’t mind admitting that at all. Sometimes it does this, and I know it will pass, but while I’m floundering in that deep, dark hole, everything pretty much sucks. On the positive side, I’ve used it as a catalyst for some extremely dark new stories, which I absolutely
Finding My Way Back
My regular readers and followers will know that I frequently write for mental health. I’m also aware that this often turns people off too. “Oh great, she’s going on about depression again.” “Why does she always focus on the serious stuff?” “She must be pretty unstable if she has to keep focusing on all that.”