Gorgeous scenery, great people, fondue and Luxemburgerli ...

Sorry, bit late posting today as there's always so much to get organised after you come back from a trip!

I had a fantastic time in Switzerland. There is plenty I could say, but I'm exhausted and think I'll just let the photos (which you can see by clicking here) do the talking!

Unfortunately I didn't get any photos of food! I knew I forgot something ...

Back to normal next week. Have a great weekend!

Auf Wiedersehen!

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So I'm taking a mini hiatus until next Thursday because tomorrow I'm off to Zurich, Switzerland, for both business and pleasure. Who ever said you couldn't mix the two, huh? Ridiculous :o)

I'm meeting up with my sister, Allison, after three (two/four? lost track of time ...) long years of not seeing each other. And I'm also going to meet the team I work with at Education First. Absolutely lovely bunch of people over email. Let's hope I have the same reaction when I see them face-to-face! (hehe ... joke Joyce)

But before I go, let me say a big thanks to those who have, and will, be promoting Fabric while I'm away. Yesterday the lovely Theresa Milstein wrote a great post by giving it a personal touch, and Stephen Parrish put my announcement up on his blog too. Today, Hart Johnson, in the midst of her own busyness, posted my announcement as well. While I'm away, Kemari Howell, June Ash Moore, Jodi Cleghorn and Brittany Rose are helping spread the word. So thank you, all you wonderful bloggers! :o)

Have a great weekend and see ya next Thursday!

Our writing is worth every penny you pay ... or ... is it in fact, worthless?

With Amazon's free promo facility, there are so many readers that don't "buy" anymore. They just scan the free lists. I know this for a fact. I recently read it in an Amazon forum.

What is the future for us? Don't you think the value of our work is being degraded? Isn't this giving out a message that literature isn't worth paying for? I think it's only going to get worse.

I did a free promo for Twisted Velvet Chains at the beginning of the year. Initially I thought it was a good idea. Easy way to get exposure. But I also noticed, after doing the free promo, that it stopped selling. So was it a good idea after all? Will any of the 3000 that downloaded the book actually read it? Who knows ...

There's nothing wrong with giving away free work. In fact, I would advise that writers give away as many copies of their work as possible. But after a lot of thought, I think it's more beneficial to have control over who gets it for free. Give give give, but give wisely. Ultimately, I think the randomness of Amazon's free promo is going to destroy us. It's sending out the wrong message: Download me for free because I'm not really worth the money.

Can you imagine a supermarket opening an online shop which gives away Kellogg's cereal for free? No one would want to buy their cereal anymore would they? They'd just go and get it for free. Why spend money when you don't have to, right?

This is dangerous.

What do you think? Would love to hear your thoughts.

PS: Many thanks to Tricia and Elizabeth for highlighting Fabric on their blogs today!

I Think I'm in Love ...

So I discovered this woman over the weekend. I was immediately attracted to the CD cover. She calls herself Sóley ('Sunflowers' in Icelandic). And I AM IN LOVE, and really wanted to share. I haven't reacted to music so emotionally in years. And when I say years, I mean at least 5, at least. My gosh, the tears, this music evoked so many tears last night ...

There are SO many amazing tracks, each one quite different, and equally brilliant, so I found it really hard to choose one to embed here. I had to do the eenie meeney miney mo, thingy ...

Have a listen, but seriously, listen to more than just this one!

Have you ever fallen in love at first sound?


PS: Big thank you to Len Lambert for helping me promote Fabric today!

The Only One Left Standing ...

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I’m weighed down by a thick need
tangled between a man who doesn’t care
a waitress who seems to care
and a conscience that cares too much.

Cuban tunes lace Mexican dreams;
cloud the reality I left behind
tucked under a cushion
on our dirty cream suede couch.

I sip my margarita, watch them dance
feel the thump, the twang, taste the tang.
Senioritas twirl, orange skirts become a blur
behind the mumble and slur of his speech.

Then I remember.
I’m still in Greece.
In the restaurant near the bus stop.

The only one left standing.

This is a poem from my latest collection, Fabric, which is now available. Please support the life of poetry today by spreading the news about Fabric. Perhaps you might even like to purchase a copy for yourself?


The e-book is only $1.99 and the paperback $5.50.

Check out the trailer:

Here are the purchase links:

Amazon US

Amazon UK

Goodreads
Barnes & Noble
Book Depository

Let's keep poetry alive! ... Please help spread the word :o)

Special thanks to Matthew MacNish, Cathy Powell, Eightcuts Gallery, Glynis Smy, Karen Jones Gowen, and LM Preston for helping me promote yesterday and today!

This filthy stinky gooey blob called jealousy ...

It's ALL OVER THE PLACE.

Does it have to do with the May moon?

Stories from fellow writer friends are hitting my inbox like a mechanic fly swat about the dark side of being published.

BEING PUBLISHED.

It has become a cue to involuntarily cull friends from your life. It doesn't seem to be like this ON THE OUTSIDE. On the outside there is so much support for each other that it can be overwhelming. Everyone joins forces to help each other out. But unfortunately there are some people in this world who (thankfully I'm not acquainted with) seem to have an agenda that goes far beyond the organic nature of what helping others is all about.

I feel sick when I read things that are patronizingly over-the-top supportive, because I can instinctively feel the curl of their jealous snarl from behind their computer screen.

I once thought I was imagining it. But apparently I'm not, because I have a few published friends who have confided in me about the horrible happenings behind the scenes.

Goodness me, people, jealousy is EVIL. Jealousy can take over your world to the extent that every innocent act is perceived to be slobbered with jealousy goo. There has to be a way to stop this. Doesn't there?

Sure, I've been envious of some of my friends. It's only natural to feel a bit of a sting when someone you're close to gets something you want. But NEVER have I EVER felt this full-fledged jealousy that turns wonderful people into a vicious amalgamation of snotty, spiteful and cruel behaviour (of which I cannot mention, I'm sorry.)

THIS IS NOT ON.

Can those of you who have been victim to the filthy stinky gooey blob of jealousy, please put all of that jealous energy into reaching your own goals? Please? The first person it will benefit is YOU.

Have you ever been victim to jealous friends? Have you lost friends because of jealousy? How did you deal with it?

Another baby of mine is born into the crazy jungle ...

Today I'm celebrating the release of my new poetry collection, Fabric ... Wait! Please don't close the tab at the the mention of poetry! 

My poetry will not baffle you with phrasing that scholars award for academic genius and that can only be understood by those who wrote it. My poetry is for the everyday reader. In fact, it is even for those who don’t like to read poetry at all. Because it is real, stark and simple.

The poems in Fabric are no different. They explore specific moments in different people’s lives that are significant to whom they have become, the choices they’ve made. It’s about how they perceive the world around them, and how each and every one of their thoughts and actions contributes to the fabric of society. Perhaps you will even learn something new about yourself.

So, even if you do not usually read poetry, I urge you to give this one a go. Not because I want sales (though, they are fun!), but because I want more people to understand that not all poetry is scary and complex. Not all poetry is going to take you back to high school English, and not all poetry is going make you feel “stupid”.

You can still say to people that you don’t read poetry … I really don’t mind. Because if you read Fabric, you’re not reading poetry, you’re reading about people. And that’s what reading is about, yes? Living the lives of others?

Are you still here? I hope so!

Please support the life of poetry today by spreading the news about Fabric. Hey, perhaps you might even like to purchase a copy for yourself? The e-book is only $1.99 and the paperback $5.50.

Check out the trailer:

Here are the purchase links:

Amazon US

Amazon UK

Goodreads
Barnes & Noble
Book Depository

Let's keep poetry alive! Because not all poetry is "dead" boring ... Please help spread the word :o)

Special thanks to Maggie for interviewing me today. You can read the interview HERE. And to Leigh T. Moore, Janice Phelps Williams, Angela Felsted and Dawn Ius, for featuring me on their blogs to help promote! Thank you!