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Sometimes I’ll give you stories, but today I’m giving you my thoughts on whatever headlines I find on a news page. This will never get stale for Australian news is seldom dull. Australia is in election mode right now. The … Continue reading
Tag Archives: australia
Whenever I say, “Meanwhile in Australia” I want to make a joke about my own country. This is one of the ways Australia is seen by the rest of the world. We’re often amusing and we’re usually within tolerable limits … Continue reading
So many people joke that in Australia everything’s different. Compared with the US and the UK, Christmas is also different. For me, anyhow. Australia is one of the most secular countries on Earth. This has led to Australians claiming certain … Continue reading
This month, I want you to introduce you to something that is not actually in my writing box at all. It has nevertheless fuelled a lot of writing in class. It is also a little topical. I chose this item … Continue reading
Time travel with a twist. A group of scientists travel to 14th century France… and the novel is written by a Medievalist.
Continue readingSo many cities have festivals of light. This year, I was teaching in Sydney on a weekend during Vivid, their festival. Because it was the start of June and from June to August is all about research and launching of … Continue reading
When we set a novel in New York, London or Sydney, most readers have a picture in their mind, even if they’ve not been to the city. New York, Paris, London and Sydney are so important to global culture that … Continue reading
Ghosts trail after us. They are our fears and the shape of our hates. We bring them into our lives and into our homes.
Some years our fears and hates are so strong our ghosts turn tangible and fracture our landscape.
Poltergeists and the spirits of drowned girls; malicious presences and portents; cat vampires and roaming bushrangers.
These ghosts haunt Canberra.
Continue readingThe world of fiction isn’t the same as the world we live in. In “After Eden” (my story in Nevertheless, She Persisted) I added hints that the town in the story wasn’t the real town. They were hints that only … Continue reading
My typical Christmas Day is a writing day. When I get tired of writing, I watch DVDs, for I can’t face Christmas advertisements. This is one of the many effects of being Jewish in Australia. This year, however, some friends … Continue reading