Being grateful for simplicity

FairyangelOne gift in this life that I love celebrating – and one which we are often not grateful enough for, in fact often don’t even recognize, is the virtue of keeping life simple.

I might fantasize about living in a home with six bedrooms, a library and a landscaped garden. In reality, my husband and I run three businesses from a two-and-a-half bedroom home. The garage is both his office and the laundry and my writing desk is in our bedroom – so my early-morning typing is always at risk of waking the sleeping giant (aka hubby).

pencilsThis month (and what better time than the start of a new year?), I have been de-cluttering. Feng shui practitioners believe this process removes stagnant energy from a home or workplace, allowing new energy (and a whole world of possibilities) to sweep inside your doors – and your life. I always feel refreshed and invigorated when I clean, de-clutter and organise so maybe there’s truth in these principles.

However, I’m a sentimental person, so it is often difficult for me to let go of hundred-year-old knick knacks inherited from my Great Uncle or a chipped mug that was once given to me by a now departed friend. We will never forget our memories of loved ones, but too much clutter and immersing ourselves in our past all the time can sometimes thwart us from moving on to the next stage in our short life on this world.

catsSo I’ve had to be quite ruthless in discarding those objects in my home that are no longer useful or inspiring to me at this point in my life. To do this effectively, I have to focus on two things: 1) That someone else has a greater use for these items that I’m not using; and 2) By releasing them back into the world, I am allowing space in my life for new ideas and possibilities. De-cluttering my house, although sometimes frustrating and agonising at the start of the process, is an incredibly simple action that you can implement in your life to create new energy in 2014. Now that’s certainly something to celebrate at the start of a new year.

What are you Celebrate the small thingscelebrating this week? I’m celebrating the many ways in which I can simplify my life.

This post is part of VikLit‘s blog hop, Celebrate the Small Things.

To be part of this blog hop, all you have to do is follow the link and put your name on the Mr.Linky list, and then be sure to post every Friday about something you’re grateful  for that week.

It can be about writing or family or school or general life.

 

A Wrinkle in Time at Bundaberg

A Wrinkle in Time 1Bundabergians wrinkled in style when they gathered at BRAG (our local regional arts gallery) on Wednesday night to discover how multimedia developer & artist Neil Jenkins created an online-based installation that paid homage to Madeleine L’Engle’s 1962 children’s sci fi classic, A Wrinkle in Time.A Wrinkle in Time

The gallery was transformed into a cosy lounge room and the fascinating Mr Jenkins told how he was inspired by early computers at a young age, which has ultimately led to a lifetime working with them, in both commercial and art spheres. Mr Jenkins’ installation is on display in BRAG’s The Vault and features text from the novel, captured against a dark and stormy background.

I first read A Wrinkle in Time when I was a young 12-year-old and, although I had forgotten the characters, I’d never forgotten this book’s magic, including Mrs Whosit’s endearing voice and the many concepts (at the top of the list: Tesseract wormholes and the fascinating new dimension of time) it embedded in my mind.

Cheryse Durrant, Neil Jenkins and Kallee BuchananLEFT: Here I am with artist Neil Jenkins and my old friend Kallee Buchanan (right) on the night. I wore a witch’s hat to pay tribute to one of the book’s characters, Mrs Which (Yes, that’s how her name is spelt!).

A Wrinkle in Time was the first of the Literary Notions series, spearheaded by exhibitions officer Trudie Leigo, which brings together some of Australia’s premiere contemporary installation artists, inspired by literature. In conjunction with the series, Bundy residents are able to read the associated work of literature that inspired each artist’s installation.

Upcoming Literary Notions events, running on a Wednesday night from 5.30pm unliterary notionstil 7pm,  include:

  • March 5: The Day of the Triffids & Alison McDonald
  • May 14: Long  Long Way & Fintan Magee
  • June 25: When The Rain Stops Falling & Hossein Valamanesh
  • August 20: Confessions of  Zeno & William Kentridge
  • October 20: Brothers Grimm fairytale (TBC) & Simone Eisler

For more information or to get involved, visit the Bundaberg Regional Arts Gallery (BRAG) in Barolin Street or telephone 4130 4750.

You can find out more about Mr Jenkins’ artwork HERE.

Fave fantasy eBook reduced to $2.99

Exciting news! The Blood She Betrayed eBook is now half-price, only $2.99, on Amazon, Kobo and Clan Destine Press – and only $4.74 on Lulu.

Bestseller listMy Publisher Clan Destine Press has reduced its price – for a short time only – to celebrate The Blood She Betrayed’s shortlisting in the Australian Romance Readers Awards (Favourite Sci Fi, Fantasy or Futuristic Romance category). For a full listing of all shortlisted entries, visit the ARRA website here. I felt both humbled and awed to hear that I had been shortliste2013 ARRA finalistd in the top 10 spec fic books in Australia – the other entrants in all these categories are incredibly talented authors who crafted amazing tales. It’s taken me a while to recover from the shock! Congratulations to all entrants and a huge thanks to the Australian Romance Readers Association and their dedicated team who work so hard every year to organise and host the awards – as well as the many other features of ARRA membership.

So… if you haven’t downloaded your copy of The Blood She Betrayed, now is the time to do so because the $2.99 download is only available for a limited time. Find out what everyone else has been talking about – and why. I’m looking forward to hearing from you once you’ve read my book. Don’t be the last one to read it!