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.
Yesterday, I used the ‘C’ word online for the first time this year. Yep, I said it: Christmas.
This year, I am kicking off my Christmas cooking with a batch of my finest strawberry jam. And what is the recipe I’m using? Nothing other than my blue ribbon winning strawberry jam from the Royal Queensland Show (the Ekka), 2019.
I had never made jam before that but, as I like to do, I researched my food theme and competitive jam making thoroughly in order to write about a family of jam makers in my novel, The Jam Queens.
Researching is one of my favourite parts of writing a book so I do it thoroughly, that’s for sure. I will always try to do whatever it is my characters are doing so that I can write about it authentically. And I was glad I did because officious world of competitive jam making is staggeringly strict! To say I shocked to take 1st place in a Royal Show is an understatement. Beginner’s luck, no doubt, but still something that was incredibly exciting and fun.
This week, I’ll be using my blue ribbon winning recipe (which is printed in the back of The Jam Queens) to make gifts for loved ones, not for competition. I am a ‘slow jammer’, making my jam over several days. And the heavenly aroma of macerated strawberries is reward enough.
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
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
So, fun fact: when I was a journalism student at Griffith University, Frances Whiting was my writing idol. Her warmth, her humour and her focus on people’s stories was exactly the thing that attracted me to writing the most. I didn’t get to have a job or career that allowed me to write like that for newspapers, but it was those same qualities that I honed and carried over into my fiction works.
Years ago, Frances and I were once billeted into a home in north Queensland, where we’d gone to be part of a writers festival, and she gave me some awesome clothing advice. (Because, I most definitely AM the person who needs styling clarity.) And because she is Frances, it didn’t feel like a criticism, it felt like, oh, wow, I wish I’d known that before — thank you!
This week, I get to sit down and have a chat with her about my new book, about road trip stories and animals and neurodivergence, and it kind of makes me feel like, ten books down, I might finally be An Author…
I’m so looking forward to this. If you’re in Brisbane, you can come along too. It’s a free event but you must book online here.
Today is the day that The Wonderful Thing About Phoenix Rose lands out in the world for your to read. And to celebrate, I’m just going to leave you with this quote that my publicist just sent me and I have to say it has made my day.
Josephine is proving to be the go-to voice for warm, funny and vibrant stories – and this novel about a woman who is tasked with driving a car load of eccentric animals from Tasmania to Brisbane is an escapist’s dream!
I’m very pleased to announce that I will be presenting the opening session of the ‘Diverse Learners Symposium’ at the National Education Summit in Brisbane, in August this year.
The title of my session is “Reimagining Autism: Myths, Autistic Truth, Cultivating Empathy”.
If you’re heading to the summit, I’d love to see you there. If you’re still to get tickets, you can find them here.
I’m looking forward to engaging with teachers, principals and therapists in ways that help shift the negative bias towards autism and help us to embrace our young autists, encouraging and supporting them to flourish authentically.
I’m also authentically super nervous (speaking is not my comfortable space) but I am proud to be there as a contributor to the growing number of autistic voices in public spaces, working for positive change. I will be sweaty, and shaky, and probably mix up a few words. But I will be there.
How do you find ideas for stories, and what do you do with them once you have them? How do you write a bestselling novel? This year, I’m delighted to be running two writing workshops in Brisbane in May at Twelfth Night Theatre.
Do you…
Have an idea that’s been hanging around that you’d like to bring to life somehow?
Struggle to find story idea, or have the opposite problem and have too many ideas?
Struggle to work out what format to put your idea into or what to do with it once it’s finished?
Have a burning desire to write a novel?
Have a half-finished (or quarter-finished) novel that you need some help to finish?
Want to have fun, feel creative, meet up with other creatives?
Just want to escape the family and the Brisbane heat for a weekend, eat some chocolate and maybe make a new friend?
I can help!
Workshop 1: Bringing Your Ideas to Life. How do you find ideas for stories and what do you do with them once you find them? Josephine will guide you through the process of discovering ideas for stories, accessing research and resources, breathing life into words, and then pulling them into some sort of order to get them onto the page. She’ll also help you to work out what sort of writer you might be, which will help you know what to do with your ideas. She’ll cover different types of structure to suit different outcomes and foundational skills in the requirements of a good story.
Workshop 2: How to Write a Bestselling Novel. There isn’t one single way to write a bestseller but there are definitely common elements you can learn. Bring your idea for a novel and Josephine will show you how to plot it out to keep the pages turning, build strong characters and guide you through the foundations of self-editing. This interactive day will see you leave with a bounty of information to set you up for success.
You can book in for either event or attend both for a discount. As well, I’ll give everyone who comes along a complimentary copy of The Gift of Life to take home!
