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Exclusive, Personalised Writing Retreat

Fellow writers, for the first time, I’m offering 2-3 places for you to receive personalised attention on your manuscript and enjoy a three-night writing retreat in the quaint, peaceful town of Cooran on the Sunshine Coast, Qld.

(If this is the first time you’ve been to my site, you can find out about me here.)

Dates: Thursday 23 November to Sunday 26th November, 2023

What: Novels, children’s, memoirs and other non-fiction are all welcome to apply.

Cosy crime in the style of Phryne Fisher, Lenny Marks Gets Away with Murder or The Maid is welcome.

“Thank you so, very, much  – it was lovely meeting you and thank you for being so gentle and positive with your feedback. I was incredibly trepidatious, and knowing that there is some merit in my attempt at  long-form… Well I don’t think I can put into words just how much this means to me!”

A Full Manuscript appraisal client

What’s included?

  • A full manuscript appraisal (or up to 100,000 words). You will get your feedback prior to the retreat so that you have time to think about it before you get to retreat.
  • Three nights of accommodation (own room and queen sized bed for each participant), full kitchen facilities and two bathrooms (shared). The property has WiFi, fireplace, ceiling fans, all linen, fridge, microwave, dishwasher, stovetop, coffee and coffee maker.
  • Drinks and grazing platters on the first night of arrival. (Dietary requests are important, valued and lovingly provided.)
  • Airport transfers, if necessary. We can also help you get to the store for food supplies if needed.
  • Coffee… I will make sure there is plenty of coffee! Or tea or hot chocolate depending on your preference. Chocolate… you cannot write without it! I’ll make sure you have it.
  • Time with me for an individual consult/chat/brainstorm about the way forward for your manuscript, group sessions and facilitated writing/group time.
  • Special gifts from me to you.

Your notes have been brilliant, thanks again.
 
I look forward to being in your group and wonderful community.

A first three chapters client

Food

It’s a short drive to shops and cafes in Cooran and Pomona. Cooran has a really cute little general store, which might easily have enough to help you out over the three days, including artisanal bread, gluten free treats, meat, fruit, veg, pasta, Kenilworth cheese and more. If you don’t have a car, let me know and we’ll sort out a bit of shopping for you on the way in.

You’ll also find Hinterland restaurant and bar in Cooran.

Pomona Hotel and Pomona Distilling Co are in Pomona, as well as several cafes and an IGA.

Retreat Structure

Rest assured, you are in control of your time. Everything is optional. If you decide you want to hibernate for three days, that’s fine! Join in, or fly solo. This retreat is yours!

Thursday 23rd November. Travel to Cooran. Check in from 2pm. Settle in with drinks and grazing platters for dinner as we get to know each other and chat books and writing. (Check with me in if you need an airport transfer.)

Friday 24th November. Manuscript focus. Group chat plus individual brainstorming/consult/chats with me about your development plan for your manuscript.

Saturday 25th November. Free time in the morning. Writing sprints and live readings in the afternoon.

Sunday 26th November. Check out by 10am and back to the everyday world. (Check with me in if you need an airport transfer… I’ll do my best to help!)

Your place on retreat includes:

  • your opportunity to send me your whole manuscript (or at least 50% of it), whereupon I will read every single word of it and make loads of scrawly notes along the way (which I will then type up neatly for you)
  • my reading, preparing and reporting time
  • an emailed copy of my notes, feedback and suggestions
  • notes will include reflections on a variety of observations, such as character, story arc, plot, writing style, sub-plots, themes, word lengths, balance of chapters, points of view, tense, contradictions, logic issues, and any potential problems I might spot in regards to sensitive content, global trends or legalities**
  • a mountain of useful information to help you take the next right steps
  • complimentary digital assets and working resources, delivered to your inbox
  • lifetime membership* to my private coaching/mentoring/assessment email list, with exclusive content just for this group
  • FREE access to my e-course on how to find the time to write
  • lifetime invitation* to a quarterly Zoom call for all my students, where you can ask me anything, and also (if you want to) connect with other writers who might be writing similar stories to you. (Writing buddies are the best! You might find a new one here.) 
  • GST, processing fees and printing costs

* “lifetime membership” and “lifetime invitation” means for the duration of the time that I am offering these services… which is hopefully many years
**Please note that a manuscript assessment does not include editing services. Editing is an entirely different process. This means, I do not fix your words, sentences, paragraphs, typos, spelling, punctuation or grammar. (Having said that, it is highly likely I will pull out sections of text to demonstrate how you could improve your writing style and fluency.)

Thank you so much for yesterday and for sending these notes. Your suggestions and line notes are amazing. So much to think about and go through. I am especially impressed since I had the first fifty pages looked at by [an organisation] and your suggestions resonate so much better with me… I have a lot of work to do but am very grateful for your feedback.

First 50 pages client

Who is This For?

This retreat is for a writer who has a completed manuscript (at least a full first draft) and who is seeking feedback and is committed to embarking on another draft of development.

This retreat is for a writer:

  • who understands that drafting is a process that can go on for many drafts … and that it is absolutely normal (and necessary) to do so.
  • who realises that a book won’t (and shouldn’t) go to print before, likely, at least six rounds of drafting/editing has occurred (through the various levels of structural editing, copy editing and proofreading).
  • who understands that it is normal to sometimes have to delete an entire character (or family) from an early draft, or to have to strip and rewrite 10,000 words, or to go back and build in more subplot or take some out to let the rest breathe.
  • who sees feedback and drafting as the exciting bit because you know it’s bringing your book closer to reaching the outside world (even if it is daunting… that’s what coffee and chocolate are for!).

What: Novels, children’s, memoirs and other non-fiction are all welcome to apply.

Cosy crime in the style of Phryne Fisher, Lenny Marks Gets Away with Murder or The Maid is welcome.

Your Investment

$3,300 (all inclusive, from manuscript assessment to farewell at checkout/the airport).

If you and your project sounds like something I believe I can add value to, I will send you a booking sheet ASAP so we can get the ball(point pen) rolling.

Apply for a Place on Retreat

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Thank you for your response. ✨

Want More? Why Not Extend Your Stay

Cooran is part of the Noosa hinterland. You will be perfectly placed to extend your stay on either side of retreat. The famous Eumundi Markets are on Saturdays and Wednesdays. Glorious Main Beach at Noosa Heads is a mere 40-minute drive from Cooran.

Lastly… Please Note these Physical Access Specifics

This is a rural property with uneven terrain surrounding the house. There are 10 steps that lead to the house entry. There is no disabled access in this home. I apologise for, well, the world, really… that everything is not created with disability access requirements in mind, especially since 1 in 5 people in Australia has a disability, and that disability is a normal variation of human beings. I will always try to find ways to work around the world’s shortcomings if possible. I hope this will change for future events.

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Bribie Island Weekend Writing Retreat

This course is HOT!!

By popular demand… this is the SECOND workshop (the first one sold out!)

Writing retreats are, hands down, one of the most important things you can do as a writer. Having just come back from my twice-yearly writing retreat week, I am bubbling with enthusiasm to share the joy. Why not join me for a weekend of writing at Bribie Island (Qld) this October to find the time and space to go deeper.

Are you writing a novel, memoir, short story or lived experience self-help book?

You’re invited to join a small group of fellow word lovers to spend quality time diving deeper into your project.

Writing retreats take us physically out of our everyday, which translates nicely to transporting our minds to different places too. Writers can and will write under any circumstances, if they are so determined. Yet, in my considerable experience of writing retreats, absolutely nothing comes close to the value of dedicated writing time and (possibly more importantly) mental space for our creative brains to expand and grow.

I’ve balanced this retreat with enough structure to give you guidance but also enough free time for you to follow your heart.

Retreat Structure

  • Our home base will be in the Bribie Island Library on Saturday and Sunday, from 9am to 2pm.
  • We will spend time talking about our projects and brainstorming our way through problem areas. We’ll practise different ways to access the deeper parts of our characters and their backstories.
  • We’ll break between 11am and 12pm for coffee and lunch. You can wander solo or join with others to continue chatting over food.
  • We’ll leave the library at 2pm, at which point, you decide how to best continue your retreat. You might head for coffee and cake with fellow writers and continue book chat, wander the extensive walking path along the foreshore and get some sea air to allow your subconscious some processing time before heading back to your accommodation to write some more, or head out again for dinner. It’s your call.
  • The theme of this weekend is Diving Deeper, with the focus on adding depth and value to our words rather than racing to add words to our total word count. (Don’t worry, though, we’ll also do that too.)

The maximum number of spaces for this weekend is 7.

Your Investment: $225pp.

(Accommodation is not included. See below for suggestions.)

Yes, Please! I’m in!

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Thank you for your response. ✨

Attending?(required)

The Area

This lovely library is situated on the foreshore of Pumicestone passage (Bongaree) and is an easy, flat, few minutes walk to cafes, coffee, ice cream, and various shops. I recently ate at Annie Lane cafe every day while on retreat and enjoyed coffee and incredible cakes from Scoopy’s, just over the road. I also enjoyed the foreshore walk, which has a wealth of historical photos, information and quotes to inspire a dozen new stories or characters that you might even weave into your own project.

Accommodation

Bribie Island has a wide range of accomodation options available so you are sure to find something to suit your needs.

Bongaree Caravan and Cabins has simple but affordable options that can suit up to 4 people art once, in some cases. They are also just a stone’s throw from the library!

Big4 also has luxury cabins available.

And of course there are the usual online accommodation searches to find plenty of other options (e.g. AirBnB, Wotif, Booking)

I look forward to sharing a weekend of writing with you soon!

Jo

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More Reasons You Might Need a Manuscript Appraisal

Following on from my last post here are even more reasons you might need a manuscript appraisal.

Oh… I Feel This!

I wrote 10 manuscripts in 12 years before I got a contract. During that
time, I won short story competitions, I wrote freelance, I was shortlisted for
two publishing awards, I had agents request my work and then reject it. I was
scammed by dodgy publishers with dodgy contracts. I was scammed by writing
competitions (that then publish your work and then sell the work back to you).
My spreadsheet of rejections hit 100 (and then I deleted it in disgust). (Oh,
and I had been working full time, part time, casually, in my own business,
running a charity and while pregnant.) I had reached the end of my
tether. It took just one final piece to get me over the line. For you,
that final piece might be a manuscript assessment.

The pain!

Even published authors sometimes need manuscript assessments!
I mentioned above that I once had to ditch 50,000 words of a novel. A novel
that was on contract. With a deadline. I knew ‘something’ wasn’t right. This
was going to be my fourth contracted novel, so it was surprising when I
realised I was absolutely stuck. I paid for a manuscript assessment with
my favourite editor, who I trust, completely. And like a really good editor,
she didn’t tell me what to do. Instead, she asked questions and made astute
observations and in reading her report I knew I had to abandon
that manuscript. (There is a happy ending to this story, which I will share
with you when we begin work together.)

Listen to That Voice

So you just read that bit above where I had to ditch 50,000 words, right? If
I had listened to my inner voice, my gut feeling, just a little bit earlier,
I might not have had to lose so much time, energy, and spinal integrity while
sitting in a chair, working on something that was built on shifting sands.

This is why I’m here to help, with your manuscript, be it fiction, non-fiction, novel or memoir 🙂

You can find the Manuscript Appraisal Booking Page Here.

Jo

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Do You Need a Manuscript Assessment?

(And let me tell you about that time I had to ditch 50,000 words of my novel….)

If you’re a beginning or emerging writer (or even an established one), you might be in need a manuscript assessment.

The very first memoir I wrote was shortlisted for a publishing award. Looking back, though, the manuscript didn’t have what it needed to get through a publisher at that time. But I didn’t know that then because I didn’t have enough experience yet; however, if I’d had a manuscript assessment, I think an astute assessor could have directed that manuscript into a publishable piece of work.

Then, while writing my fourth book (which was contracted and an advance had been paid), I got halfway through and realised I needed help. I paid for a manuscript assessment with a trusted editor and it shed so much light on the ways I had written myself into a corner. It was so valuable.

Here are a few of the reasons you might find yourself wondering if you need an assessment and why you might be right.

This is An Excellent Time to Get an Appraisal

Getting an appraisal earlier rather than later can save you from taking your story into directions that aren’t helpful. An appraisal can help show you where the gold is among the rubble, allowing you to ditch the rubble and let that treasure through. In our first drafts, we often can’t see the wood for the trees. We are ‘word blind’ to our own work because we’ve been staring at it for so long. We need fresh, expert eyes to see what’s really going on. (And that’s all of us… beginners or multiply published writers.)

If They’re Not ‘In The Arena’…

I’m sorry to say that they are unlikely to be able to give you what you need. Think of it this way. Your mum could probably do a fair bit of skilful first aid when you came off your bike, but if you had bones exposed and wounds of gravel, you needed a doctor! Family and friends can give amazing support. (They can also do the opposite. If so, we need to talk.) Usually,
friends & family’s best support is spent in practical ways (… childcare, cash, coffee, study time, a room of one’s own) and emotional support. But if it’s hard core writing craft you want, you need an expert in the field (in ‘the arena’).

You Are Correct!


Agents and publishers will rarely (if ever) look twice at something you’ve pitched. I know it is hard to wait. I know it’s hard to do yet another draft of your story. Everything moves so slowly in the publishing world. But… the upside of that is that because everything moves so slowly, you have time. You have time to do another draft. You have time to rework your manuscript, but only if you are taking it in the right direction! Trust me, as someone who has ditched 50,000 words of a manuscript that was going in the wrong direction… it HURTS! Don’t spend years going in the wrong direction. The sooner you know, the sooner you can turn around and get back on track. Or, as happened to me, clear the deck for the right story to arrive instead.

If you are ready for a manuscript assessment, you can contact me here.

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4 Weeks to Find & Grow the Time to Write Your Book

Lovelies, do you dream of writing a novel or maybe a memoir? A children’s book or fantasy trilogy? Is finding the TIME the thing that is holding you back?

TIME is a writer’s greatest resource yet I find few of us really have a handle on how to work in harmony with it. If you are doing the ‘life juggle’ and trying to find the time to get to your passion project, then this four-week e-course might just be the thing you need to break through your time blocks.

I know what it’s like to write with an array of competing deadlines and priorities and I’ve done it badly and I’ve done it well. If you want to learn how to find the time to write your own book, I’m delighted to share with you the techniques, wisdom and strategies I’ve developed over the years. To find out more about this e-course I created just for you–the time-challenged writer–head on over to this link. 

If you already know this course is right for you, you can enrol now!

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The Full List of 100 Books to WIN, supporting Townsville and surrounds with funds for flooding relief

Thrillers, romance, suspense, fantasy, contemporary, rural, memoir, historical and kids…. whatever you read, you’re sure to find something in this list, with plenty left over to fill your gift buying needs for a long time to come!

Here it is, the full list of 100 books up for grabs in the giant book raffle, raising much needed funds for flooding relief support for residents of Townsville and beyond. A huge thank you to all the Aussie authors who have donated their books to this cause and another round of applause to everyone who has already bought tickets in this competition. Your ticket money will be going straight to GIVIT, the charity coordinating the distribution of donations. You still have time to buy tickets, with 1st, 2nd and 3rd prizes being drawn on Friday 29th March at 9am.

Without further ado… here they are.

Josephine Moon Three Gold Coins + The Gift of Life + The Beekeeper’s Secret +

The Chooclate Promise + The Tea Chest
Monica McInerney The Trip of a Lifetime
Lia Weston Those Pleasant Girls
Rachael Johns Lost Without You
Michelle Johnston Dustfall
Michaela Daphne Purlieu
Rachel Bailey The Finn Factor
Liz Byrski A Month of Sundays
Karen Viggers The Orchardist’s Daughter
Michael Trant Ridgeview Station
Christian White The Nowhere Child
Annie Seaton Diamond Sky
Lisa Ireland The Shape of Us
Anna Campbell A Scoundrel By Moonlight
Wendy J Dunn Falling Pomegranate Seeds
Barbara Hannay The Summer of Secrets
Kirsty Manning The Jade Lily
Darry Fraser The Widow of Ballarat
Tess Woods Love and Other Battles
Anna Daniels Girl In Between
Jane Gillespie Journey to Me
S.D. Wasley Downfall
Fiona Palmer Sisters and Brothers
Vanessa Carnevale The Florentine Bridge + The Memories that Make Us
Christine Wells The Juliet Code
Helene Young Return to Roseglen
Kali Napier The Secrets at Ocean’s Edge
Michelle Endersby Awakening Around Roses
Louise Guy A Life Worth Living
Emily Madden The Lost Pearl
Jodi L Perry Nineteen Letters
Louise Allen The Sister’s Song
Charlotte Nash Saving You + The Paris Wedding + The Horseman
Donna Cameron Beneath the Mother Tree
Kylie Ladd The Way Back
Fiona Lowe Home Fires
Sally Hepworth The Family Next Door + The Mother-in-law
Jay Ludowyke Carpathia
Lauren Charter The Lace Weaver
Nene Davis Whitethorne
Esther Campion The House of Second Chances
Beth Prentice Dangerous Deeds
Phillipa Nefri Clark The Stationmaster’s Cottage
Eliza Henry Jones P is for Pearl + Ache + In The Quiet
Rhonda Forest Two Heartbeats
Lisa Ireland The Shape of Us
Kelly Rimmer The Things We Cannot Say + Before I Let You Go
Pamela Cook The Crossroads
JoanneTracey Happy Ever After
T.M. Clarke Nature of the Lion +

(Child of Africa; and Slowly! Slowly!) (to go together)
Cass Moriarty Parting Words + The Promise Seed
Maggie Christensen A Model Wife
Joanna Nell The Single Ladies of Jacaranda Retirement Village
Sandie Docker The Cottage at Rosella Cove
Lynne Leonhardt Finding Jasper
Sara Foster The Hidden Hours
Lily Malone Butterfly House: Who Killed the Bride?
Di Morrisey Arcadia
Robyn Cadwallader Book of Colours + The Anchoress
Amanda Hampson Sixty Summers
Jenn J McLeod A Place to Remember
Katherin Johnson Matryoshka
Kristine Charles Love Sabre
Alicia Tuckerman If I Tell You
Torre DeRoche The Worrier’s Guide to the End of the World
Terry L Probert Kundela + Voss: The Price of Innocence
John Purcell The Girl on the Page
Judy Nunn Sanctuary
Amanda Curtin Elemental
Cassie Hamer After the Party
Michelle Dalton (via Sarah Williams) Epona
Sarah Williams The Outback Governess
Rashida Murphy The Historian’s Daughter
Stephanie Parkyn Into the World11
Alissa Callen The Round Yard
Kerri Turner The Last Days of the Romanov Dancers
Candice Fox Hades + Gone By Midnight
JP Pomare Call Me Evie
Christopher Raja The Burning Elephant
Kirsten Alexander Half Moon Lake
Catherine Evans, Kim Petersen, Beth Prentice Untamed Destinies
Lea Davey Silworm Secrets + The Shack by the Bay

1st prize: 70 books

2nd prize: 20 books

3rd prize: 10 books

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Authors for Farmers: 100 Books for $100,000. Final List of Books.

promo authors

I’m setting the bar stupendously high and aiming for $100,000 for our farmers. Think we can do it? We’ll never know if we don’t try!

Get your tickets here!

Here is the final list of books in the prize pool:

Josephine Moon Three Gold Coins + The Chocolate Promise
Nick Earls Analogue Men
Monica McInerney Trio of Quinlan novels: The Alphabet Sisters, Lola’s Secret, Trip of a Lifetime, signed
Rachael Johns Talk of the Town + The Greatest Gift
Katherine Howell Web of Deceit (US hardback), signed
Nicki Edwards The Peppercorn Project
Liz Byrski A Month of Sundays
Karen Viggers The Lightkeeper’s Wife
Michael Trant Ridgeview Station
Louise Allen The Sister’s Song
Annie Seaton Come Back to Me + Her Outback Playboy
Sandie Docker The Kookaburra Café
Eleanor Limprecht The Passengers
Nene Davies Distance
Aoiffe Clifford All These Perfect Strangers + Second Sight
Elise McCune Castle of Dreams
Monique Mulligan Writing the Dream
S.D. Wasley The Seventh
Emily Madden The Lost Pearl
Pamela Cook Close to Home + The Crossroads
Tess Woods Beautiful Messy Love
Fiona Palmer Sisters and Brothers, Secrets Between friends, The Road Home, The Family Secret & The Saddler Boys, The Family Farm
Vanessa Carnevale The Florentine Bridge + The Memories that Make Us
Christine Wells The Juliet Code
Love Sabre (Kristine Charles) Love Sabre Anthology
Helene McCarthy A Quiet Hero
Katie Rowney Front Page News
Louise Guy Everyday Lies
Nadia L. King Jenna’s Truth
Amanda Knight Situation Critical
Sally Hepworth The Secrets of Midwives, The Family Next Door, The Mother’s Promise, The Things We Keep
Kylie Ladd The Way Back
Susan Johnson The Landing
Elizabeth Foster Esme’s Wish
Adele Dumont No Man is an Island
Cassandra Austin All Fall Down
Jennie Jones The House at the Bottom of the Hill
Shirley Patton The Secrets We Keep
Beth Prentice Dangerous Deeds
Phillipa Nefri Clark Jasmine Sea + The Station Master’s Cottage
V.P. Colombo A Little Bite of Happiness
Laura Sams Crazy Busy Guilty
Lisa Ireland The Shape of Us
Kelly Rimmer Before I Let You Go
Melissa Schembri How to Find Your Dream Job in 21 Days
Susanne Bellamy et. al. Hearts of the Town
Anna Daniels Girl in Between
Reba A Booth Hosts of Erravilla
Jane Gillespie Journey to Me
Joanna Nell The Single Ladies of Jacaranda Retirement Village
Kate Forsyth Beauty in Thorns
Racel Watts Survival
Margareta Osborn Mountain Ash
Ellie O’Neal The Right Girl
Michelle Endersby Awakening Around Roses
Darry Fraser Daughter of the Murray + Where The Murray River Runs
Amanda Hampson The French Perfumer + The Yellow Villa
Maddison Michaels The Elusive Earl + The Devilish Duke
Andy Muir Something for Nothing
Claire Varley The Book of Ordinary People
Fleur McDonald Fools Gold, Suddenly One Summer, What Does a Horse Say?
S.L. Mills GOM’s Gold
Alicia Gilmore Path to the Night Sea
Melinda Terranova Bequeathed
Ben Hobson To Become a Whale
Mark Brandi Wimmera
Liane Moriarty Nine Perfect Strangers
Anita Heiss Tiddas
Kirsty Manning The Jade Lily
A.L. Tait The Book of Secrets
Benjamin Law The Family Law
Christian White The Nowhere Child
Dervla McTiernan The Ruin
Brooke Davis Lost and Found
Jessica Rowe Is This My Beautiful Life?
Sophie Laguna The Choke
Tim Winton The Shepherd’s Hut

1st prize: 75 books

2nd prize: 15 books + $30 Dymocks voucher

3rd prize: 10 books

Open to Australian postal addresses only. Books will be posted directly to the winners from the authors. Prize drawn 2 October 2018.