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It’s now just three weeks until The Gift of Life is released into the world! I’m thrilled to share I have a bumper book tour happening and will be getting around to Qld, NSW, Vic, Tas, and SA! All the details are listed on the Contact Me/Events page, but here is a list of what’s there so far. Plans are still being pinned down in the background so there may yet be more added but I do hope I get to see you on the road soon!
Saturday 30 March 2019
Big W, Maroochydore, time to be confirmed
Tuesday 2 April 2019:
A Morning with Josephine Moon at Bribie Island Library, 10-11am
Bribie Island Library, 1 Welsby Parade, Bongaree, QLD, Australia, 4507
Tuesday 2 April:
An Evening with Josephine Moon at Chermside Library, 6-7pm
Chermside Library, 375 Hamilton Road Chermside, QLD 4032
Wednesday 3 April 2019
An Afternoon with Josephine Moon at Garden City Library, 1-2pm
Address:
Garden City Library
Garden City Shopping Centre
Cnr Logan and Kessels Rds
Upper Mt Gravatt
QLD 4122
Saturday 4 May, 10am-3pm, Twelfth Night Theatre, Brisbane
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.
For more info and bookings, CLICK HERE.
Sunday 5 May, 10am-3pm, Twelfth Night Theatre, Brisbane
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.
For more info and bookings, CLICK HERE.
Thursday 4 April
11am – 12 pm Morning Tea with Josephine Moon at Berkelouw Mona Vale
Address: 12-14 Park Street, Mona Vale, NSW
6.30-7.30pm An Evening with Josephine Moon at Sutherland Library
Camden Library
Saturday 6 April 2019
A Morning with Josephine Moon at Hobart Library, 11am-12pm
Venue Details:
Hobart LINC
Address: 91 Murray Street, Hobart, TAS, Australia, 7000 Contact: Leisha Owen
Tuesday 7 May 2019
An Afternoon with Josephine Moon at Mornington Peninsula Libraries, 2-3pm
Mornington Peninsula Libraries
Address: 21 Marine Parade, Hastings, VIC, Australia, 3915 Contact: Gail Higgins
Tuesday 7 May, 2019
An Evening with Josephine Moon at Bunjil Place Library, 7-8pm
Bunji Place Library
Address: Bunjil Place, Patrick Northeast Drive, Narre Warren, VIC, Australia, 3805
Wednesday 8 May, 2019, 6-7pm, An Evening with Josephine Moon at Noarlunga Library
Hannah Road, Noarlunga Centre, SA
Thursday 9 May, 2019, 1.30-3.30p, An Afternoon with Josephine Moon at Auchendarroch House
Auchendarroch House, 17 Adelaide Rd, Mt Barker, SA
Dear (as yet) unpublished writers,
I realised recently that this year it is has been 20 years since I declared I wanted to be a full-time career author. Twenty years! That might have made me feel the teensiest bit old.
(Do you know what else made me feel old recently? My six-year-old came home from school and told me he’d joined the junior choir and they were learning John Mayer’s song, Waiting on the the World to Change. I was thrilled. When I was six years old, I also joined the junior choir and do you know what was the first song I was taught? God Save the Queen!!! I’m not even joking. The second song was Advance Australia Fair. Yep.)
Anyway, back to the writing thing…
I still remember that moment well. It was 1999 and I was in my first year teaching. I had gone to a weekend workshop with the Queensland Writers Centre. I was so inspired that I had a ‘full body moment’ where I decided this is it. This was what I wanted to do for the rest of my life. I wish I could remember who the teacher was that day. Clearly, she was so inspirational that she changed my life.
I’ve been writing ever since, short stories, poetry, flash fiction, contemporary novels, kids books, non-fiction, newspaper and magazine articles, online articles. Not all of it has been published. Not all of it is good. Most of it didn’t make any money. Sometimes it was exhilarating and sometimes heartbreaking. I made friends, a community. I won some prizes, was shortlisted for some, and on one memorable occasion was ranked in the last (i.e. considered ‘worst’) twenty-five per cent of entries.
It all changed in 2012 when I was signed by an agent. My first book, The Tea Chest, was published in 2014, but it was actually the tenth full-length manuscript I had written.
Sometimes, you’ll hear about a writer who just decided to write a book and it got published. If you’ve been slogging away for years and years at your craft, this can be deflating. But everyone’s journey is so different. A writer might publish one book and never publish another ever again. Another writer might publish a book and it’s a runaway hit, only to never have another book live up to the first one’s sale ever again. Another writer might write twenty books and make the same amount of money as the one with the mega hit, just over a longer time period. Another writer will start with modest sales and then build, and build and build.
There’s still time and space for you too. Perhaps you just haven’t truly found ‘your voice’ yet–that important but difficult to describe quality to your work. Perhaps you’re just not writing in the genre that’s right for you yet. Perhaps the timing of the market just isn’t there to support your work yet. Yet. Most writers I know slogged it out for years before they were published. You’re definitely not alone.
This year, I am blessed to have two books hitting the shelves (fiction, with The Gift of Life in April, and non-fiction with Buddhism for Meat Eaters in July), bringing my list of published books to seven. Seven doesn’t sound like a lot, I know. But writing is a slow game, a long game, and you’re going to need stamina to turn it into a career. There’s no one path to publication and no guarantees of outcomes after publication. It’s a game of luck as much as skill. The thing that keeps you going, the thing that must be there to keep you going, is passion. You write because you have to. You write for love. You write for the bliss moment, the moment when the real world falls away and it’s just you racing to keep up with the story your characters are telling. There is no other way.
Write on!
Calling all writers at all stages of the writing journey!
I am thrilled to be joining the 2019 Nash Agency Writers Retreat in February, alongside Rachael Johns, Haylee Nash and Alex Adsett. This inspiring and informative retreat is being held at the Cedar Creek Lodges in the rainforest of Tamborine in the Gold Coast hinterland.
The retreat includes writing masterclasses from myself and Rachael, publishing and pitching guidance from Haylee and Alex, as well as critiques of your work and assistance to polish your pitch to an industry professional, all while enjoying three-night’s individual accommodation with fireplaces and all meals.
This will be a supportive, fun and challenging space to allow you to grow as a writer.
The retreat runs from 11-14 February.
I can’t wait and hope to see you there!
P.S. I’m bringing chocolate and tea to my masterclass! 🙂
I am thrilled to be a part of this exciting retreat, offered by my literary agent Haylee Nash of The Nash Agency.
The Nash Agency Writer’s Retreat 2018
When: Monday 3rd September to Thursday 6th September
Where: Cedar Creek Lodges, Mt Tamborine, Gold Coast Hinterland, Queensland
The Nash Agency is pleased to offer our first writers’ retreat.
Open to aspiring, self-published and traditionally published authors, our writers’ retreat offers the chance to hone your craft through sessions with bestselling Australian authors and experienced literary agents, one-on-one consultations with principal agent and owner, Haylee Nash, and engaging and challenging group workshops, as well as offering the space to focus on your writing in the perfect setting.
Here is just some of what you can expect from The Nash Agency Writers’ Retreat 2018:
* Masterclass with top ten bestselling Australian author, Rachael Johns
* Masterclass with international bestselling author, Josephine Moon
* Learn from Alex Adsett about the role of an agent, the importance of copyright and how to understand a publishing contact
* Hear from Haylee Nash about the state of the Australian book market, current trends in publishing and what publishers are looking for
* Polish your pitch to give your manuscript the best chance of snagging an agent and/or publisher
* Partial manuscript appraisals (on three chapters and synopsis), including a one-page report and 15-minute consultation with Haylee Nash
Click here for more information on ticketing, accommodation and more details about the presenters.
I hope to see you there!
Jo
Hello lovelies,
If you find yourself within driving distance (or hey, maybe even flying distance!) to Surfer’s Paradise next month, you might like to join me and fellow author Jenny Old at a literary luncheon at the Hilton hotel. Better yet, you can now make a weekend of it with a special discount package for accommodation if you’d like to stay over.
And best of all, the luncheon is hosted by VIEW, who funnel their fundraising activities into supporting the wonderful Australian charity, The Smith Family, whose aim is to ensure every child in Australia is able to access everything they need to have a quality education, regardless of their family’s financial circumstances.
I happen to sponsor a child through The Smith Family so I am delighted to be appearing here at this event.
We will have a chance to chat, books will be on sale and Jenny and I will be happy to sign them of course.
All the details are contained in the images below. Click on them for a larger view. Get your mum, sister, bestie on board and come and join us.
Last Easter weekend, we decided to treat ourselves to a night we’d always remember: a Tuscan-inspired feast, right in the Sunshine Coast hinterland in Queensland. Everything came together to create an evening in which it felt as if a huge magic bubble of wonder and love had descended on our house and infused us all with a lifetime of memories.
The heart of a Tuscan-inspired feast is, of course, family and friends. The joy comes from sharing your home, your beautiful produce and cooking, and most of all your love. So invite as many people as you think your time, energy and budget can handle.
As far as the menu goes, Tuscan-inspired food is rustic ‘peasant’ food. The produce should be so fresh and bursting with flavour that it speaks for itself, rather than having to be fussed over and ‘dressed up’.
From my experience travelling to Tuscany, and my research for my novel, Three Gold Coins, I’ve learned that Italians by nature are incredibly regionally focused and fiercely proud of the food their local area produces. As they should be! What better way to honour a community’s history and culture and look after our planet at the same time?
For our feast, we chose cheese from our local cheesemaker and fresh fruit and vegetables direct from our local farmers. The result was scrumptious!
Here are my top ten tips for throwing a Tuscan-inspired feast.