Wollongong

We visited Wollongong after nineteen years and caught up with some great friends, and we found some had moved on to new locations, too. It never ceases to amaze me how places change over the years. New roads, and shopping centres have mushroomed during our absence and renovations to buildings and suburbs change the landscape so much that often we felt confused as to where we were.

We were thrilled to get the opportunity to catch up with a delightful couple who have been extremely helpful for research on my third novel in which my main protagonist is a double amputee. Sid and Margo made Frank and I most welcome in their home. I can't wait until I finish this novel. I'm not sharing too much about it at this stage because I've just finished my second novel, Family Secrets (working title) and it is off to the editor later this week.

We did a successful book signing of African Hearts at CLC Bookworld:

CLC Bookworld

Thanks to Brian and all the customers for making me feel so welcome and making the day a great success!

Tathra to Berry

God knows what we need more than we do. For Easter he took us to Tathra for a much needed rest after our hectic travelling schedule. The caravan park allocated us a site at the base of a huge hill where we had no phone or internet coverage and we were able to meet lots of people who were also camping and enjoying time out. Tathra is a great fishing place. I'm not a good sailor so we fished from the shore and caught two small bream which we threw back so they could experience more of life. Those fishermen and women who went out in boats caught many good sized fish.

My husband's family roots are embedded at Cathcart west of Merimbula where the family farm is a great place to visit and reflect on family and times that have passed. The last surviving brothers of the original parents are deciding what should be done with the farm. There are many interesting pieces of machinery and unfortunately the house is now falling into disrepair. A few head of cattle are run on the property but these will be sold soon as one of the brother's estate is finalised. I'm glad I don't have to make the decision on the future of the farm.

A farm in Cathcart.

After Tathra we turned north to Bodalla State Forest and we explored the track through the bush to Lake Mummaga. This camping area was a restful place where we were able to have a camp fire. We invited all the other campers to share the warmth and chew the fat.

A welcome rest stop from the endless white line.

We then headed for the delightful historical town of Berry where Frank and I had a romantic walk amongst the historic buildings. It's a place full of history and art. Wonderful atmosphere. I'm very much a live in the here and now type of person and all that old stuff belongs back then, but Berry had a special something that caught my imagination, so looks like we'll be heading back. We didn't take any photos here because we want to return here again, hopefully next summer on our way to Tasmania.

Next stop - Wollongong!!

Thank You Melbourne

I felt sad as we left Melbourne this week. I thought about the time we spent with family; time spent with friends from my husband's teenage years; and time spent with the new friends I made at my book signings.

Kooyong Bookstore - Blackburn Vic.

A very special thank you to everyone who came to my book signings at Koorong Blackburn and Koorong Melbourne CBD, and a special thank you to radio Light FM 89.9 for interviewing me. You all made my day special.

You see, I spend a lot of time behind the keyboard, or scratching with pen on paper hoping to write a saleable novel, and often I'm plagued with doubts about my work. When I have the opportunity to showcase my work it's so humbling to know that someone is going to take the time to read it.

Everyone is short of time, so to come to my book signing made me feel really valued. A special thanks again to all who came.

From the city to the bush at Eagle Point: I just had to share what happened yesterday.

A family of swans came to visit us at our camp site. I'm not sure if this is mum or dad with the cygnets, but the other adult is chasing up a wayward young one while the others watch with interest....could we get away with a bit of adventure just like our brother?

Feeling safe and secure with Mum

Best wishes to you all for a blessed Easter with family and friends.

African Hearts ........

African Hearts by Laura O'Connell

It's finally arrived! African Hearts is in a Koorong store near you now!

I'm speaking at Peninsula Life Church on Saturday, 26th March at 10.00 am. If you're in the Melbourne/Mornington Peninsula area, come along and hear about my journey from numbers to words. All welcome! See you there!

Facing Your Fears

Back in January, I blogged about our motivations for achieving our dreams and goals. I hope you've had time to think about your motivations for your project. This was a great time for me to evaluate why I write, too, and I thought I would share that with you today.

I write because I'm compelled to write. It's part of who I am. Through my writing I hope to encourage others who may have a dream but are so paralysed by fear of failing that they can't get started. Fear used to be a constant companion of mine during the transition from the numbers world to the world of words. If I was called to be a writer, I had to get over my fears.

I believed God called me to write when he was planning for my life on earth. Under his Laura O'Connell file he wrote "Fiction writer- experience required: numbers, deadlines, stick-to-itiveness, life experience, ie. trials and trauma that can be used as fodder for characters; and the ability to learn words".

He put me into the accounting field first so that I could learn the discipline of working on my own, what it means to meet deadlines, and how to work at a project until it was completed. There was no point in handing in a Balance Sheet to my boss if it didn't balance.

He gave me life experiences for making my characters into real people: he put me youngest in a family of twelve; orphaned at eight years of age; scoliosis; scuba diving; wife of a serving soldier; business owner; mother of Aspergers Syndrome child; stress attack that held me captive for eighteen months; unemployment; and the fear and uncertainty that comes with a change in career. All good stuff for drawing on when creating characters for a story.

Working on your own can be a challenge, especially when the day is hot and the surf's up. Oh why am I stuck in this claustropobic room when I could be out there riding a wave. So why didn't I get up from my desk and walk out. Because I wanted to achieve my goal of being a writer. That meant I had to sit at my desk and get the words done. No one is going to do them for me. How can I encourage people when there are no words written to encourage them?

That is the truth of the writing life, or any other endeavour that you may be undertaking to achieve a dream. It doesn't get done by itself. The job gets done by applying ourselves to the task and chipping away bit by bit until the dream is achieved. When motivation is strong and time is short it's easier to keep going. If you don't have a deadline to achieve stage one or stage six, the going will be harder. Set a realistic time frame to achieve that first stage and work towards that goal. Define what it is and make smaller goals along the way that have to be met.

My goal was to plan to write African Hearts in a year. I broke the year down into segments: six weeks for planning, two months for research; four months for writing the first draft; and four and a half for editing and polishing the work. This was my rough plan. The actual time frame ended up being written and off to a publisher within nine months. This now gives me a bench mark for subsequent books. I saved time on writing the first draft which only took 2 months and my research only needed a month.

So I want to encourage you to overcome your fear with a verse from Isa. 41:10:

"So do not fear, for I am with you;
do not be dismayed for I am your God.
I will strengthen you and help you;
I will uphold you with my righteous hand."

With God anything is possible, it's the fear that holds us back.