Rachel bailey – Josephine Moon

The other day Rachel Bailey looked at me and said, ‘Jo, take off your pants.’

And to be honest, I was having the kind of week where I barely batted an eyelid at that.

This post is AN ALMIGHTY CELEBRATION OF My WRITING COMMUNITY (the importance of which is the very FIRST THING I teach all my writing students in all my classes.) You see, Rachel is not only a wildly clever, witty and talented writer, but the woman I refer to as “the godmother of writers on the Sunshine Coast”, and one of the best human beings you will find on the planet… which brings me to the marshmallows.

You see, I had just rocked up to Rachel’s house (with very little notice) in a bit of a ‘state’. And as I emerged from the car—thirsty, hungry, incoherently exhausted, and carrying a bag of cat litter half my size, I discovered that I also had a marshmallow smeared and stuck to my bum. How? Why?!?! No idea. But stuck it was, clinging to my jeans (and the car seat) like a cranky old barnacle.

Rachel calmly ushered me inside and said, ‘Jo, take off your pants and give them to me.’ She then fetched me some lovely soft corduroy pants to cover my blindly white legs while I greeted my feline fur babies (Rachel’s their ‘bonus mum’) and plied me with tea, fed me biscuits and let me pick her PhD-laden brains about writing techniques, all while she took to my marshmallow-ed pants with the enthusiasm and tenacity of an 18th-century washer woman who would not be defeated.

The majority of the people in my life today are here via books/writing and it’s a precious, beautiful, expansive gift. And, you, Rachel Bailey, mean so much to SO many humans and animals, and I am so glad (and LUCKY) that you found me floating around on the Sunshine Coast as a fledgling author so many years ago and brought me into your nest, and continue to, even when I arrive dragging in my sticky, marshmallow-ed arse (and then repay you by accidentally stealing your phone and taking 3 hours to work out that the photo of Bobby dog is not on my screen due to photo rotations but because it’s not MY phone at all!) Here’s to you, you enormous, shiny ball of light!

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I have news!

I have teamed up with best-selling author Rachel Bailey to create The Writers Emporium, a collaboration focused on bringing high-quality professional writing development workshops, retreats and training here to the beautiful Sunshine Coast.

We will be kicking off 2020 with a two-day event from 8-9th February called the Sunshine Writing Lab. We’ve called it a ‘lab’ because we want you to get your fingers into your work! Our point of difference is that we are so committed to bringing you value in our programs that we are running two streams of training alongside each other across both days. This gives us the flexibility to provide quality opportunities to writers of all stages, from beginners through to those more advanced. You can choose from formal workshops, one-on-on session with either Rachel or myself, or small group sessions (three people maximum). The power is in your hands.

If you’re interstate, no worries! Our location at The Sebel hotel in Maroochydore is just minutes from the Sunshine Coast airport so you can fly in and fly out again and stay at the hotel with the discounted room rate.

Rachel and I both love teaching and we’re so excited to join forces to help you reach your writing dreams.

Check out our website for full details of course content and more and while you’re there be sure to sign up to The Writers Emporium mailing list to keep up to date with upcoming events in the future.