Well, our warm weather has gone the way of – I don’t know what. It’s disappeared for a few weeks, anyway. Although it was warm today, there’s definitely a chilly breeze now.
It’s getting close to Halloween. Now, I know Australia doesn’t officially do Halloween like the US, but about 10 years ago, we got introduced to it by our neighbour and I thought it wonderful how families come out and stroll through the streets together – just for one night. Unlike in the US, it’s not dark here, but early evening, so it’s not too scary for kids. But even after our neighbours moved out, we continued the tradition and I’m looking forward to this year’s. We’ve got some new things and I’m going to be cheeky and add stuff about Hidden Heritage out the front of our house. Might get some people interested enough to buy it.
The other thing is I have a new keyboard. We were doing some things around the desktop and noticed that the ends of the existing cable for the keyboard were bare, so can’t have that – not when I rely on the desktop for work as well as writing. So, I have a new one and it has a completely different feel and sound and there’s no “end” button! Haha So, I’m learning about the keyboard all over again.
Updates
Okay, the only thing that’s changed is that I noticed that Heart of Deception needed tweaking, so I’m partway through that. We’re at the pointy end of writing our Otherworldly Origins novellas, though, so it has been put on hold until the end of the month. I should be able to finish tweaking it by then. Then I’ll run it through the kindle to pick up anything else before republishing it – with a tweaked cover – yes, we did want a darkish cover, considering Marek’s work, but it did turn out a little too dark. Stay tuned!
Grow Write
Yes, our writing group is still going. We are currently working on our 2027 anthology and hope to have that out later next year. We had a great time writing our last one in 2025 and I know I’ve had fun gathering stories for next year’s.
Bushland Castle Productions
Otherworldly series
Bushland Castle Productions are currently in the second series of a group of five series related to Otherworldly topics. So far, the Emergence series has been published and the Origins series is currently being written and edited.
These are all separate novellas with an interweaving element. Emergence had a reaper.
Otherworldly Emergence
Yes, they’re completely out there! All 12 ebooks and paperbacks are available online and the best place to buy them is at www.bushlandcastleproductions.com/book-shop. Every book is listed there.
Otherworldly Origins Series
This series builds on the Otherworldly Emergence series. Some of the stories relate to the ones in the Emergence series, but some don’t.
This series is about the first of a kind. Like, the first of a creature, the first of a power, the first of a magical element. Something that has never been seen before.
The Otherworldly series are not the only publications Bushland Castle is working on. They also have a memoir series they are currently working on. The first series of that is titled “Living in Australia in the 70s”. This is for those of us who were late teens between 1970 and 1980.
They also produce Low Content journals aimed at aiding writers in whatever style in which they write.
Bushland Castle Productions also provide an author support platform. This includes workshops, twice weekly catchups online, write-in sessions on Discord and a whole heap more assistance.
So, visit www.bushlandcastleproductions.com for further information on their products and their street team – known as the Town Criers. If you’re interested in being an ARC reader for any of the series, Town Criers are always needed.
Finally, the last thing Bushland Castle Productions have is the Finding Elara podcast. This podcast features special guests who discuss their goals and achievements and answer questions about their creative works and how they came to do what they love.
Seasons 1 – 3 are available and season 4 is in the planning stage. So, stay tuned.
National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo)
I think I need to write about all the inspiration this program gave me.
NaNoWriMo is an event, created by an American, where authors and writers are encouraged to write 50,000 words in the month of November. Bang, novel written.
I got introduced to this in the early 2000s and I have to say this has kickstarted my writing adventure. I know everyone calls it a career, but I call it an adventure. I get to meet new people and see new places and have new experiences every time I write a story.
Now, this came soon after I ended a 20-year hiatus where I only wrote procedure manuals for my fulltime job and played DND. I don’t know why it lasted so long, but it did.
I have to thank a small group that I won’t name for that end, because we got involved in writing fanfic in the Babylon 5 universe. No, I didn’t get paid for it, but it woke my thirst for writing – or should I say it “rebirthed” it (going with Babylon 5 references here).
Anyway, after that, my writing started to take off and when I was introduced to NaNoWriMo, one of the first things I did was break most of the rules – which I found out was quite acceptable.
But out of NaNoWriMo came Dark Dimensions, Heart of Deception and a few other series – including the original characters that Jordy and Rafe of Not Your Normal Heroes are based on. Nina, from Hidden Heritage, met with Ben, Phil and Rocky through NaNoWriMo.
In the traditions of NaNoWriMo, I still write a complete story before launching into editing. I really don’t know how to write otherwise.
NaNoWriMo was a brilliant way to kickstart your life of writing. It gave authors and writers the support of other, like-minded people, and you received a certificate if you reached the goal of 50,000 words. And while it was supposed to be one brand new novel, some of us, as I said, broke that mould. I know when I wrote Nina’s first story, that was the second story that I wrote that year and it was also the same year I wrote 25,000 words in one week. I still don’t really know how I did that.
After NaNoWriMo’s untimely demise, a new version 2.0 came online. It was a barebones version of the original and whilst I no longer participate, I hope they help a lot of people meet their goal of successfully writing at least one novel per year.
So, the first thing I have to do is apologise. For some reason, I couldn’t get into my WordPress site, so my regular blog only went to Facebook and Discord. I have uploaded that just before this one. Might be confusing, but they say life is full of surprises.
I know you’ve been keeping up with my updates, but one of my characters had me research Yellowstone National Park. I know I’ve always been fascinated with volcanoes and tectonic plates, etc, but this character got me so fascinated that when I pulled up the National Parks website, I found a live webcam on the geysers.
So, I’ve been watching it off and on and I’ve seen an eagle, a bison, and today I got to see Old Faithful erupt twice. How amazing is that?
Okay, and we’re in a new financial year. Has anything changed? Really? Maybe. I really don’t know. I do know that the sun still rises and sets and that there might be rain or sun through the day. We can lose ourselves in all the hype that goes through the world – and I’m not saying that sort of stuff is not important – I’m just saying that some things are fundamental and life continuing is one of those fundamental things.
Anyway, enough with heavy stuff. We have yet to visit our tax agent.
On another subject, I finally am getting my very own logo. I have been experimenting with early versions, but we’re finally down to the nitty gritty.
But it’s updates time!
Updates
Clans in Conflict
For those who don’t know much about it, this is a series about a clan that is lost travelling through dimensions due to a scientific experiment gone horribly wrong and about the city-state Part 2 concludes in.
Dark Dimensions Part 1 and 2 is recounting that journey to Torkandisch. Dark Reign is the next book in the series and covers the next 12 months in the city-state.
The Dark Road is back with the beta readers. This story takes place about 16 years later. Lots in Torkandish has changed and there is lots of intrigue and heartache throughout this book. Some funny instances, too.
But Dark Beginnings will take us back to where it all started in Tordun, covering Vlad’s rise to power and, perhaps, that fateful experiment, along with the first 15 years of dimension-hopping. Dark Beginnings is still on the backburner. I have started this and I will return to it.
So, that’s what’s in store for anyone who wishes to immerse themselves in this world.
There are also going to be other stories, along with a special edition of Dark Dimensions where the two parts are combined. That will be in the future.
Speaking of other stories, Deadly Convergence is centred on Torkandisch 5 years before the Clan lands in the city-state and follows a crime that twists into something else. This is available only on Kindle and on Kindle Unlimited.
I have had the first peeks at the cover of Explosive Reality, so I can’t wait for that to be finished and it to go online! This story runs in line with Dark Reign and follows the reporter, Ryan Locke through some adventures he experiences. Watch out for that one coming hopefully in a few weeks! (Sorry, cover artist – no rush!) UPDATE – the cover is finalised and once I receive it I will publish it to Amazon. Can’t wait!
Consequences
This series follows the rise of Marek from a mastermind thief to the saviour of a nation.
Heart of Deception is now available through Amazon. It has been donated to the Midland Library, so it is available to lend out.
Legacy of Risks will follow in the next few months, once cover art is finalised for it. The reason why it will take a few months is because I’m applying The Emotion Thesaurus options to it. And, yes, I am still working on it. I want to be absolutely certain it is finished before it’s published. (Have I mentioned how much I hate editing?)
I am currently halfway through the editing. So you understand why it’s taking so long, I am pulling apart every scene and editing each scene individually. Then I’ll go through it as in the below paragraph. So, I’ll keep supplying updates as I get further along with the editing.
I have been heavily editing Legacy of Risks. As with Heart of Deception, I made some major alterations to Legacy of Risks, so I’m making sure those changes feel right. I am still going to be applying the Emotion Thesaurus to the manuscript before a final look through and then sending it to the editor. Watch this space!
Update – I am now more than two thirds of the way through. I will go through it once more to tidy things, then it’ll go to the editor.
Dangerous Heart will then go to beta readers.
Watch this space.
There will be some short stories come out and, possibly, a fourth book that covers events much later after Dangerous Heart. Definitely a “watch this space” moment.
Other Universes
Strefinobhan
With Heart of Deception released and my work on the Otherworldly Emergence series coming to a conclusion, I should be able to get back into editing the first book of this series and sending it to beta readers. I am still unable to say when this will happen, but hopefully sooner rather than later. This is still on the backburner, I’m afraid to say.
Paranormal
Again, this will have to wait until work on the Otherworldly Emergence series is completed. One of my paranormal pieces, however, is in the Emergence series, so stay tuned for updates there.
Actually, I’m going to move this universe into the Gifted, because all of my paranormal stories are based around Nina and Perth. So, technically, they’re part of the Gifted universe – just specialised in supernatural entities.
PS. I have started a new paranormal story that draws both sides of this together, so from the next blog, paranormal will be part of the Gifted.
The Gifted
The Gifted is a universe where some people have an extra gene than others. When this gene is activated, usually around the age of fifteen, it unlocks a Gift. Gifts can be specialised, as in one ability, or they might be blended. It just depends on that Gift. I have a few characters in this universe and I have been writing furiously about them. Once Hidden Heritage goes to the editor, I will start to edit the first of these new stories with the hopes that it comes out later this year. It will be after the Otherworldly Emergence series is completed, however.
On an update to the Gifted Universe, I have been writing other stories to support Not your Normal Heroes. These explore the Gifts a lot more and possible consequences of some of those Gifts. Yes, there is a really exciting yet dangerous Gifted being worked on at the moment.
One of those stories is about the detective in Not Your Normal Heroes and a journey of self-discovery that he goes on. Two others are about another Gifted detective. Now, those were pretty full-on, so I’m having a rest from the Gifted Universe.
So, in the last 2 weeks I finished my last story on The Gifted for now and everything’s quiet, so I am able to edit other work. When I’ve finished with that one, and then another, I’ll start editing my first Gifted work and going through that.
The Gifted universe has a heavy police presence and the main character for two of the stories I’ve written is a drug squad officer who is also Gifted. His Gift is the most dangerous and his stories are quite traumatic in themselves. But you’ll read about him in his own stories. Stay tuned – they will come out.
Bushland Castle Productions
Not your Normal Heroes is currently with Bushland Castle Production’s editors. The second story, now titled Hidden Heritage, is going through the second round of editing with Bushland Castle Productions editors. Stay tuned for more updates.
Pitches for this novella series has now closed and we are working hard on our manuscripts to bring them to you in a timely manner.
All of the information regarding the novella series is at the website:
The upshot of being involved in the Otherworldly Emergence is that it has opened up a whole new universe for me which has been expanding exponentially. The possibilities in that world are almost limitless and I have to admit to being distracted by writing in that universe. I have called this universe the Gifted universe.
Having admitted that, I will say that I have completed a story that links both my stories in the Emergence series and starts a whole new series in itself. It’s very, very exciting and a lot of questions raised by the second story are being answered in follow up novels.
Otherworldly Emergence
It’s getting very close! We’re sharing more online and we’re all proud to announce our novellas. These are works that are close to our hearts and I know that I can’t wait for them to be released.
Covers are now being revealed, so check out BCP Creative on Facebook – or visit BCP‘s website for the reveals!
Launch dates
We have launch dates for each novella and for the series as a whole.
There is a door prize, an epub and an autographed book available for this one as well. See details at the link.
The covers have been revealed. On the BCP Creative Facebook page, information about the authors has been shared, so feel free to use the BCP Creative link below to read up on the authors and subscribe or like the page for more updates!
Otherworldly Origins
Pitching for Otherworldly Origins is open from 6 July (tomorrow) for concepts! Book in so you can pitch your story concept for this series. You’ll join a whole collaborative community where you can get help and insights with your writing.
The world we know is about to change forever. Hidden for centuries—or even millennia—otherworldly creatures such as vampires, werewolves, shapeshifters, gnomes, and more finally step into the light. Whether by choice, accident, or necessity, their existence can no longer be denied. Otherworldly Emergence explores the emotional, societal, and fantastical consequences of this revelation.
Each novella will tell a unique story set during this critical period of emergence, offering readers different perspectives and settings while connecting to the shared theme.
While you’re on the website, you will find information about their nonfiction series Australia: Living in the 70s. If you have a life story about living in the 70s in Australia, check the website for more details on that series. I know if I were to submit, it would all be about CountDown, Sandman vans and learning about Unionism through school (and other things, of course).
Also check out their podcast – Finding Elara. Learn about Mindfulness from other creatives – not just writers, but other creative persons, as well as worldbuilding and other information. Season 3 has started, so check out BCP’s website for further information.
At the end of each segment, there’s a prize drawn. Go in to win books and other goodies!
Finding Elara is in season break at the moment and coming back soon with Season 3. In the meantime, there are mini episodes with interviews with local writers at a convention in Bunbury last year.
Bushland Castle Productions have also created two brand new competitions – the Catalyst Scroll and the Heritage Scroll.
These competitions have now closed and I ended up entering the Catalyst Scroll. Details of the winners of those will be announced shortly.
Otherworldly Origins
Also, check out the next speculative fiction novella series coming out from BCP. It’s about the first one of any creature. You’ll find more details on their website: www.bushlandcastleproductions.com/publishing/owo
I’ve already booked my pitch meeting and got a sample together for the pitch! I’m looking forward to this series.
Grow Write
Once every fortnight, Grow Write meets at the Midland Library in Midland, Perth, Western Australia. Our very first anthology has been published and is available on Amazon to purchase. It is also available through Midland Library
We are all excited to share this anthology with everyone.
I have suggested to the group that we produce an anthology every second year rather than every year.
Pantsing (writing by the seat of your pants – sometimes called “discovery” writing)
Okay, so as you all know, I’m a pantser. I write without knowing what is going to happen in the story. Sometimes I have an end goal, but sometimes I don’t. Most of the story is up in the air. (Which means I have to have a finished story before I can write a pitch for it!)
The most “planning” I’ll do is to discuss with the character when I go to bed what they hope to achieve in the next scene. I clearly remember one from the Consequences series. I asked myself what I was going to do to the MC next. I got a clear answer: ‘Shut up, you’ve just shot me!’ Imagine my surprise!
Now, I know people spend time worldbuilding, but being a pantser doesn’t really allow for that. Because you don’t know how your world is going to end up like.
A lot of you might say ‘how can you write like that? How can it make any sense?’
Sometimes, that happens. Sometimes, a story will go in a completely different direction to what I think it will. Take the latest paranormal story I’m writing. Starts off as you’d expect it to, then after a few scenes, ends up in a completely different place. I’ve had to jump ahead to get it back on track. But I might return to that set of scenes because it brought together a lot of earlier work and characters. Which is a bit of closure for at least one of them.
Anyway, that’s one of the things about pants writing. It’s character and plot-driven. Because the setting and world are dynamic when you write as a pantser. You’re bringing everything together as you go. You don’t have time to build a world or a universe. You know why? Because a pantser has to get that story down.
I don’t know about other writers, but my characters drive me to write. Take one of my Gifted. I started his first story with a broken character. He was torn between grief and revenge and he was the worst Gifted to experience that.
But he pushed and pushed until I not only finished his story after Hidden Heritage (yes, he tried to interrupt that) but he continued to push until I’d finished his second story. Now he’s quiet. (That’s a strange feeling for me.)
So that’s what I mean by my stories being character-driven. And Ben did the same with his story. Pushed and pushed until I finished it – even when I had to add more to it. (He’s quiet, too.)
Now a lot of you are probably saying that’s all well and good, but how much do you know about the universe you’re building? How do you stop the inconsistencies?
I do that by talking with the characters. I remind them how things like (in Jamie’s case) the laws of physics work. How consistency works. How changes to them can affect how they react. (And, yes, we’ve had arguments.)
But even when you’re a pantser, you still need to build your universe and you’re probably asking when that happens. It happens after the story is written.
When it’s a complex world, like the Clans in Conflict and Gifted/Exiled universe, then this happens after that first (or zero) draft is written. Because that’s when I’ve got time to write down more things.
Mind you, Ben’s Gift is so complex that I actually got to draft 2 before I realised I had to really bed its various effects down. And I continue to do that with his Gift.
It is serendipity that I write about worldbuilding and pantsing here because I really need to set down the history of the Exiled’s home world. I have notes and stuff all over the place, but I haven’t actually set it in place.
And that’s how I work as a pantser. I will take this time and write down all that information. I’ll bed down how the Gifts work. How the Exiled came to be in Perth. How it came to be that they can’t go home (oops, nearly gave the game away there!).
Because I have time to ensure that everything works out properly. I have time to go over things time and time again. And spreadsheets are my friend in these instances. And I’ll admit I don’t use them for financial stuff very much, but for lists and notes.
But to go back to my version of worldbuilding. After that driven writing is completed, I look back at what the elements are of the universe I’m writing in and I make note of all that. The reason I do that before I start editing is so that I can make sure that any changes I have to make are done before I start editing. Even now, I’ve noticed some thinks in Ben’s first story that don’t line up with what I know now, so I must write down all the Gifts, all their recipients and how everything works and apply that to the next round of editing for that story.
So, that’s how I pants a story and then worldbuild after it.
