Chapter 20: The bad news and the good!
We’re only three days into 2023 – and my year is already off to a very memorable start, thanks to two bits of news (bad and good) I received on 21 December (just seconds apart):
The bad news: my daughter tested positive for Covid.
The good news: I got accepted into Victoria University’s Masters of Arts in Creative Writing Programme.
So, sod the bad news, I’m going back to uni! And this time, at the very mature age of *coughs* 51, I’ll be sure to learn more than the quickest route from the lecture theatre to the bar.
The thought of dedicating a year to writing is both exciting and terrifying (but mostly exciting). Ever since I won a writing competition in Salient magazine circa 1998, I’ve fantasised about doing Vic Uni’s prestigious course. It means that instead of plodding along on my own, I’ll be writing with the support of a supervisor and 14 other writers. Best of all, I’ll be forced to complete a draft of my next book in one year (as opposed to five!).
This good news definitely took the sting out of the fact that most of my family would be getting Covid for Christmas and we’d have to rethink many of our holiday plans, though I can’t say that’s been fun. Incidentally, I’ve yet to recover, so if you notice any typos in this post, please put them down to brain fog rather than me being too lazy to proof properly (though the latter is also true).
Other exciting things that happened recently
The radical possibility of pacing
Wellington’s Verb Festival is always a huge buzz, and last year’s was no exception. I was part of a LitCrawl panel, along with Christine Leunens (author of Caging Skies/Jojo Rabbit) and Rachael Herron, where we discussed pacing, characters, lightbulb moments and, in relation to Rachael’s novel Hush Little Baby, the fascinating phenomenon that is pseudocyesis.
Christine Leunens, Rachel Herron, me
Nefarious Novels at Newtown
A heavy downpour provided a fitting backdrop to a conversation about all things crime on 18 November. And for those who didn’t brave the weather (I don’t blame you), the event is now on YouTube. I can’t say I’ll ever watch it (listening to myself on the radio is a punishment worth than death, let alone actually watching), but it was a thrill to talk to Renée and Anne Harre, with Louise Dowdell as Chair.
Louise Dowdell, Anne Harre, me, Renée
“This is a book to savour. It is full of beautiful poetic language that is begging to be read out loud. Take your time to chew over every rich, juicy word that Lane has carefully crafted and enjoy the charm and the messiness of the relatable characters. Take your heart on the journey to the end of Miracle’s childhood.”
Read more of Courtenay Rose Brown’s review in the Regional News.
Oh, and Miracle also made it into The Listener’s list of Best Books for Kids.
If you’ve read and enjoyed Miracle, please leave a rating or review on Goodreads.
More soon (ish).