Tag: australian

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Join the Fun with Millie and Stella’s Pony Adventures!

Friends, I am so delighted to reveal my brand new children’s series (yes, a series!) that has been eight years in the making! Please, allow me to introduce you to Millie and Stella, Best Friends Forever.

Millie and Stella’s very favourite thing is riding their ponies together. But gates are being left open in their paddock, and Millie and Stella are being blamed! Can the girls figure out who is behind the mischief before their beloved ponies are put in danger?

Join best friends Millie and Stella for a week of friendship, adventure and a little bit of mystery . . .

This is the first book in an uplifting and inclusive series that celebrates friendship, family, neurodiversity, creativity and a love of animals and books. By the bestselling author of The Tea Chest and The Wonderful Thing about Phoenix Rose.

And, yes, there’s a pre-order competition!

Pre-order gift pack prizes include:

  • a one-of-a-kind collage artwork, featuring a purple hoof print from my Sparky pony (who is also a character in the series), dried lavender flowers from my property, and other floral features to symbolise the glorious ‘mindful walk’ garden at the entrance to Millie and Stella’s school. 
  • a postcard of Sparky and myself, signed on the back (and snuffled-kissed by Sparky),
  • a Millie and Stella bookmark, and
  • optionally, if your young person would also like a lock of Sparky’s mane, I’m happy to provide that as well, but I do appreciate that non-horsey people are not always fond of locks of hair… 🙂 If you win, you can let me know.

How To Win a Prize Pack

  • Pre-order a copy of Millie and Stella, Best Friends Forever (The Lost Ponies) before 15th April, 2025 (pre-order links below, or order from your local bookshop).
  • Email a copy of your receipt (along with your name) to: submittojo@outlook.com 

That’s it! I will draw five winners out of a jar on 16th Apri!

(Limited to Australian postal addresses only.)

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Last Hours to Book Early Bird Price Courses

Last call to book your place in the Summer of Short Stories or Write Your Novel for 2025.

Early bird registrations close midnight tonight, 30 November, 2024 (AEST).

Start your new year on the write foot. Join the fast and the furious in the four-week short story writing course. Finish the month with three short stories to pitch or enter into competitions.

Then, follow on with Write Your Novel. Over six months, we’ll coax that story out of your head and onto the page.

Let’s go!

Jo X

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I have a retreat hangover

This weekend, I got to spend it doing one of the things I love most in the world – writing retreat! There quite simply isn’t anything that compares. What writers crave, more than anything, is (usually) time – but not just any time. Most of us are well skilled at writing in the car while our kid plays soccer, or getting up early to bash out a few hundred words before breakfast, or writing on the train. We pull these scraps of time together week after week, year after year. And we get things done.

What we yearn for, though, is a long stretch of uninterrupted time, the kind of time that has no alarm going off at the end of it to remind us to go do the school run or get to the next appointment. In these long, quiet, non-managed spaces, our brains run free into directions they don’t normally get to go. It is the gift of finishing an hour’s work at the keyboard, then getting up to make a cup of tea and being able to allow our imagination to continue wandering, gathering, solving and birthing new work. We can return to it, again and again. We don’t have to solve the Maths homework, or the electricity bill that just arrived, or find a way to entertain the dog when it’s pouring rain. We can just be.

The one thing that make retreats even better is good company. Gosh, I was blessed with brilliant retreat partners this weekend. We laughed, we slept, we ate, we drank tea, we rambled in nature, we wrote by hand, and on keyboard, we wrote alone and in company. We ate a heap of chocolate. (And fluffy socks are a must-have item.)

Post retreat, there is always sadness. A yearning to go back to the magical world. But I know that the only thing that can cure a writing retreat hangover, is to book another one. And book it, you must! Because we are too good at making excuses not to prioritise our writing, not to honour the story waiting to come through us, not to invest in ourselves. Book it in while you still have the feeling with you – the real feeling, the one you should lean into, not away from.

If you are interested in hearing about the next retreat, let me know and I’ll pop you on the list for updates.

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Write Your Novel This Year

Join Me on Feb 18th, 2024

Have you always wanted to write a novel, but just haven’t found the right time or motivation? Maybe you’ve tried before and found it too daunting or you’ve got so many ideas, you don’t know where to start. If this sounds like you, then I invite you to join me on February 18th, 2024, for a transformative journey where we’ll take your ideas and bring them to life.

I’m Here to Guide You Through the Process

Writing a novel can be a challenging task. It’s not just about stringing words together, it’s about creating a world, developing characters, and weaving a story that engages and captivates readers. It’s a craft that requires skill, patience, and a whole lot of creativity.

That’s where I come in. With years of experience in the world of fiction writing, I can guide you through the process of turning your ideas into a compelling novel. Whether you’re a first-time writer or a seasoned veteran looking for a fresh perspective, I’m here to provide the guidance, feedback, and support you need to bring your novel to life.

And…

Over the course of our journey together, we’ll explore the fundamentals of novel writing, from character development and plot structure to pacing and dialogue. You’ll learn how to craft a narrative that not only tells a story but also resonates with readers. By the end of our time together, you’ll have a solid foundation in the craft of novel writing and the confidence to take your work to the next level.

Ready to Join?

Are you ready to bring your novel to life? To join me on this exciting journey, all you need to do is book your spot via https://josephinemoon.com/write-a-novel-in-a-year/ Places are limited, so be sure to secure yours early. I can’t wait to see what stories we’ll bring to life together.

Lastly…

Writing a novel is a journey that requires passion, commitment and, importantly, guidance from an experienced author. Don’t put it off for another year! Let’s embark on this adventure together and make 2024 the year you write your novel. I look forward to meeting you and helping you achieve your writing dreams.

Jo x

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Special Commendation for The Wonderful Thing About Phoenix Rose

Last week, I was honoured to be invited to Government House in Paddington, Brisbane, to attend the Autism Queensland Awards for 2023. I was a finalist in the category of Individual Achievement (18 years and over). The winner of that category was Dr Chris Edwards, who’s been doing some fantastic work with children and the organisation, Aspect. I was proud to receive a Special Commendation, after being nominated for my work on my novel, The Wonderful Thing About Phoenix Rose, and its contribution to opening pathways for more own voices stories to follow. Thank you, AQ, for this recognition and thank you to Her Excellency, The Honourable Dr Jeanette Young AC, and her impeccable staff for such a warm welcome to me and my family.

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Why Does Autistic Representation Matter in Books and on Our Screens? This is Why.

A lot of people (Autistic, mainly) have messaged me to say that The Wonderful Thing About Phoenix Rose made them cry. Sobbed, even. This surprised me, honestly, because that’s not the vision of the book I hold in my head. Overall, I consider it an uplifting book (as do the reviewers). There are some painful moments in the book (it wouldn’t be a story if there weren’t) and many of them were painful for me to write. But as is my style as an author, I surround the pain with life affirming goodness so as to stay on the side of ‘complex’ rather than ‘distressing’. But I get it now, the pull towards tears, because this happened.

Yesterday, neurodivergent social worker, Joanne Hatchard, of Better Being Me – Neurodivergent Family Therapist posted this reel to Instagram and Facebook and it made me cry. Why? Because she was able to articulate so clearly why I wanted to write this story and why Autistic representation matters and our community is so hungry for it.

You see, we (the Autistic community) know there are many books out there with neurodivergent main characters. We know it because we can see it and we can see the signposting that the author has built into it, whether they are aware of it or not (I have definitely written Autistic characters into my past novels without realising it), and sometimes these books are massive bestsellers. Global bestsellers. Oh, the irony of readers loving these “quirky”, “socially awkward”, “different” characters on the page… but not so much in real life, a point mega children’s author, Sally Rippin, also makes in her non-fiction book, Wild Things: How We Learn to Read and What Can Happen if We Don’t. Some examples that come to mind include Anne Shirley (overwhelmingly cited by the Autistic community as a classic Autistic/ADHD character) and Pippi Longstocking.

But my Autistic community is not benefiting from this because we have not been identified. It bites, frankly.

In a perfect world, we would never have to identify or explain anything to anyone. We would all simply be accepted exactly as we are and when we ask for help we get it, without having to justify why. Sadly, the world is not there yet.

We need to start identifying Autistic and ADHD characters on the page. We need to explicitly connect their wonderful qualities, curiosity, bravery, compassion and empathy with the word Autistic because if we are deliberating cloaking Autistic characters under euphemisms (of usually narrow, stereotypical traits) of “walking to the beat of their own drum” and “fixated on routine” and such we are shaming Autistic people.

If we don’t name it, we shame it.

Joanne’s amazing words capture it in 90 seconds. Please, click the image to hear her say the words so many of us are craving.

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A short story of Frances and me

A wee story… They say you should always be wary of meeting your idols. When I was a journalism student (back in the 90s…) Frances Whiting was my absolute inspiration. Mum and I would each take turns reading Fran’s weekend article, variously chuckling or tearing up, and every time I thought “this is what I want to write”. Human stories, character stories, small town stories, big emotion stories.

Jo and Frances at Brisbane Square Library

Sadly for me, there are very few opportunities to make a lifelong career in journalism (especially that kind) but that wasn’t the path for me. I took my skills and I did write all those types of stories… just really, really long versions in novels 🙂

Frances and Jo at Annie’s Books at Peregian

When Fran’s book, Walking on Trampolines, came into the world, I rushed to Annie’s Books on Peregian to see Fran in person (sorry Fran, that photo is a truly awful one of both of us… luckily we just keep getting better with age 😊). This was the moment for me to meet my writing idol and inspiration! Was she just as warm and interested and focused as she was in the paper? Gasp!

Of course she was.

Years later, I attended the Burdekin Writers Festival and was lucky enough to be billeted with a wonderful host family AND Fran AND Susan Johnson! My gosh… I was such the new kid on the block compared with these two veteran writers. Were they good to me? Exceptionally. Did they let me eat more than my fair share of homemade cheesy potato cakes each morning? Yep. And did Fran offer me targeted fashion/style advice that neither shamed nor belittled me but actually made me feel more empowered? YES, she did. (And anyone who knows me knows I NEED fashion/style advice because I live in yoga pants and horse t-shirts.)

Last week, while touring for my 10th book with Phoenix Rose, Fran hosted me in conversation and I have to say that more than once I thought… wow, maybe I’m finally a real author now…

Thank you, Fran, for the warm welcome, taking care of my heart, and allowing me a beautiful full circle moment. You and your writing make the world a better place, reaching more people than you know. x

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A short story of Frances and me

A wee story… They say you should always be wary of meeting your idols. When I was a journalism student (back in the 90s…) Frances Whiting was my absolute inspiration. Mum and I would each take turns reading Fran’s weekend article, variously chuckling or tearing up, and every time I thought “this is what I want to write”. Human stories, character stories, small town stories, big emotion stories.

Jo and Frances at Brisbane Square Library

Sadly for me, there are very few opportunities to make a lifelong career in journalism (especially that kind) but that wasn’t the path for me. I took my skills and I did write all those types of stories… just really, really long versions in novels 🙂

Frances and Jo at Annie’s Books at Peregian

When Fran’s book, Walking on Trampolines, came into the world, I rushed to Annie’s Books on Peregian to see Fran in person (sorry Fran, that photo is a truly awful one of both of us… luckily we just keep getting better with age 😊). This was the moment for me to meet my writing idol and inspiration! Was she just as warm and interested and focused as she was in the paper? Gasp!

Of course she was.

Years later, I attended the Burdekin Writers Festival and was lucky enough to be billeted with a wonderful host family AND Fran AND Susan Johnson! My gosh… I was such the new kid on the block compared with these two veteran writers. Were they good to me? Exceptionally. Did they let me eat more than my fair share of homemade cheesy potato cakes each morning? Yep. And did Fran offer me targeted fashion/style advice that neither shamed nor belittled me but actually made me feel more empowered? YES, she did. (And anyone who knows me knows I NEED fashion/style advice because I live in yoga pants and horse t-shirts.)

Last week, while touring for my 10th book with Phoenix Rose, Fran hosted me in conversation and I have to say that more than once I thought… wow, maybe I’m finally a real author now…

Thank you, Fran, for the warm welcome, taking care of my heart, and allowing me a beautiful full circle moment. You and your writing make the world a better place, reaching more people than you know. x

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Orion Kelly and I Sat Down for a Chat

I had a great chat with YouTube star, Orion Kelly (That Autistic Guy), about what terrible travellers we are, late autism diagnosis, writing neurodivergent characters, planting seeds of change through The Arts… and more! You can watch it now and marvel (as I do) at how much I talk with my hands… 🙂

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Author Interview with Amanda Hampson and The Tea Ladies

Hands up who loves cosy mysteries. Me! And especially if they involve tea ladies?? (Me, again!) This week we have Amanda Hampson in The Hot Seat, sharing the inside story on her new release, The Tea Ladies, which is out this week! You can catch our chat here. Amanda’s book is out now.