#there ya go. legal clarification on what it actually is there for

[babyloniastreasure]

i keep seeing folks using FGO's 'Any resemblance to real persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental' disclaimer as a defense/excuse that the game's depiction of Wandjina is fine, which is the most low effort excuse in the book, but it's also bullshit

First of all even with the disclaimer it is still a potential violation of aboriginal law, but also potentially copyright law. Japan is notoriously strict about the use of IP/copyright. Unless they went through the proper procedure (doubtful) it stands to reason they didn't know there were laws surrounding Wandjina in the first place. Otherwise, I don't think she'd have made it through the pipeline. Even then though that is not an excuse

The disclaimer also isn't there to waive the company's responsibility for disrespectful/incorrect/forbidden depictions of people or religious figures (something I've seen both sides of the argument claim to be its purpose). It's there to protect the company from people who claim to be personally connected to and affected by the depictions

An example: Let's say there's a Real Living Person out there right now named Bartholomew Roberts. Let's go a step further and say this guy also looks kinda like the game's depiction of the pirate captain. The disclaimer is there so that this guy cannot sue the company for 'using his likeness' for their game. It's also there so that Living Relatives of the pirate can't sue the company for how he's depicted or for 'false' claims FGO Roberts makes about his history or interests.

The disclaimer does not, and was never intended to, protect the company from depicting a figure that is literally against the law to depict.

[am-i-the-asshole-official]

AITA for not wanting to writing a positive review of my brothers moral character?

(🖌️ to find later)

TW for drug use and misogyny

My (24X) older brother (26M) recently ended up getting arrested and charged with some very serious charges due to his distribution of fentanyl. I’m not going to get too into the legal stuff for obvious reasons but he could end up in prison for up to 30 years. I’m not any type of fan of the legal system (US, for clarification) and am not a fan of the situation but can definitely see some silver linings to him being in there. I wish there was an actually system of help he could get but with the rate he has taking drugs and the way his circle of friends was dropping (4 funerals in 6 months) my mom and I were fairly certain he was going to over does soon and he showed no signs of wanting to seek help. So ya know, at least he’ll be alive.

But that’s not fully the issue. My mom and I talked and she said his public defender wanted letters from people to prove his good moral character to read in court and, as his little sibling, figured of course I would provide one. But I truly have nothing good to say about the man’s ‘moral character’ the last time we had a conversation was before I moved out over two years ago. When I moved out my roommates I was moving in with said they didn’t want him to know our address as they would be living there too and didn’t want him bringing his violence into their lives. He blew up called me a bunch of homophobic slurs and that was pretty much it.

Before that he was my biggest reason for wanting to move out. He regularly calls my mom a bitch and a c*nt. He never cleaned up after himself because ‘there was two women in the house and we were f*cking (r-slurs) if we thought he should have to do anything.’ Lovely things like that. He punches holes in the walls, says slurs like they’re the only descriptive words he knows, steals anything not locked up (and smashes through doors and windows even then to get to it), and hounds my mom for money non-stop, usually until she gives in. In short I have nothing positive to say about his moral character.

Now my mom is a very loving mom. Far more than I could be at this point and is in denial about the man her son is. She would say she’s spent the last decade living with the personification of meth and heroin and she will get her son back some day if he could only get clean. But none of that has actually been him. I just can’t have that kind of optimism or denial towards the situation. She’s going to be very upset if I don’t submit something because she (fairly, again fuck the prison system) doesn’t think he should be locked up for upwards of 30 years.

I’m a good writer. I could come up with something. None of it really true but it can sound nice. Make my mom feel better (gods know she needs a break) but just thinking about it makes me feel gross. I don’t even know if it will matter much in court, but I don’t know how awful of me it would be to abstain.

There’s obviously more nitty gritty to the situation but this is long as it is. I just hope I didn’t make my mom sound bad because I do want to say she’s a loving woman in an abusive situation and I hope it’s not to much to ask that no one be too cruel to her in the notes, thanks.

What are these acronyms?

[izzy-b-hands]

Ya know, actually fuck it. TW Work complaining and talk abt disability stuff on this post. Vague venting isn't gonna get this out of my system and I have no one safe to talk to abt this.

So my boss decided she feels my dept doesn't talk enough. Like small talk. Which is how I like it, because having to engage in that when we were all in the office was like fucking ASD Torture Time for me (doesn't help the sort of beliefs and politics my coworkers in my dept keep. Lot of tongue biting I've had to do in the past to not get my ass in trouble.)

But no, that simply won't do for my boss. Now, we have to write up and email out to our dept, weekly reports of, and I quote: 'successes you had, positive or negative patient feedback, procedure clarification requests, how things are going, if you found the phones to be busy or slow this week, or just if you have something you want to share!'

Please end me now, was my feeling with that. I share when and if I am rarely comfortable enough to do so at work, or if I must to try and get (and so far, fail to get) reasonable accommodations for myself (that my doctor keeps reminding me I can ask for legally, and that she pushes me to ask for because, and I quote 'as of right now, a heart attack from work stress might be the most likely thing to take you out, and we don't want that.') I don't want to be pushed to share some piss take of the week that usually blurs together so I can only remember major events within it.

And I was honest with her, when I emailed back to ask for clarification on all what she wanted in this report, and to let her know that while my ASD makes this sort of thing physically uncomfortable and frankly terrifying for me, I would give it my best go, and I even meant it!

So I wrote up the first one ever, and sent it out.

Nothing. No replies from my boss to my email saying I'd do my best, and no replies from her or my coworkers to the report I had a fucking anxiety attack after putting together. Radio fucking silence.

And yeah it was short, but polite and addressed what she wanted addressed. Probably a little awkward, but until I get a social script written for it, that's just the way it's gonna be probably.

I just want to fucking scream and cry over it because while for them it's a small thing, for me it was like climbing a fucking mountain. I'm scared to share anything with these ppl because they have a history of using it all against me when it benefits them to do so, but I did this anyway.

And got nothing.

The mum thing after work was much smaller and stupider an issue so I'm not even gonna go over it, but it didn't help that I was already on eggshells mentally and emotionally and then she took a look and went 'oh let me make that worse!'

I try so hard to make it seem like I'm not on the spectrum because that's the only way to get by round my job and family. But then there's shit like this and I wonder why I put in the fucking effort. I even stopped buying cheap stim toys so I wouldn't pick at my eyebrows or lips while sitting around but no, that bugs my family and coworkers, so I don't get to use them anymore.

And next week, I'm gonna get to feel like shit all over again writing another one of those fucking reports. Cheers to fucking that, I guess.

[xuune]

Why do hate living in America so much?

clarification just in case for anyone else who thinks america = the americas bc i really dont want anyone to mix this up

america -> united states of america

“minorities” are living under the cheeto puff/mango regime its not fun (if you dont know what im talking about just google the current us president)

still a shit ton of racism but you can barely entirely erase that can ya (seriously this country is letting down mlk jr every single day)

racism is still leading to gun violence and police brutality, shit ton of other things (like school shootings, there was an anti-semitic one)

homophobia still a problem around this country, then again its the same in other countries (obama legalized same sex marriage and there was a page made for it on the white house site, but when you know who arrived, they removed the same sex marriage page on the white house site disappeared HMM I WONDER WHY)

dont make me mention the white caps and the 45 degree angle salutes with the right arm

anything you see on the news is always bad news because thats what the media wants you to see (then again countries around the world are like this too)

some news on the tv are always so biased and less factual (lookin at you fox news and your biased white ass) 

we’re under cheeto puff regime so govt administration would be too so the ppl u can really rely on for your voice in the govt are your state reps (that is if they actually listen to you)

our government isnt even a true democracy (your state representatives can always vote for the president you dont want) which is why a lot of ppl complain when some presidents get voted 

yea we have a lot of protests (ever since this country was made tbh) does the government listen? naaaaaah they just wanna see people die and suffer

this country is severely built on oppression, racism, and discrimination but immigrants here are given the false dream of equality, freedom, rights, and liberty 

“go back to your country” 

did you know, some schools erase the topic of slavery entirely in their history books? shocker :00000000 

they sometimes never even teach crucial history lessons like the world wars :ooo

some schools encourage racism 

“america, land of the free” should be changed to land of the shittiest tbh

my canadian friends want to adopt me

the ppl: put more restrictions on gun laws 

the govt/rfa: pardon? lets just pray yea that works better than actually doing something

dont get me wrong, there are ppl in the govt who dont support the new president and are trying to help the ppl who are against the shit the govt and what the president does, but the efforts for change is honestly being undermined by a shit ton every single damn day 

i could also go on listing more issues in this country, but you can literally find out all about this in a accurate united states history text book or online. new shit always pops up every day when it comes to issues in america man. not even surprising at this point. 

dont get me wrong again, the issues mentioned here are also prominent in other countries, but these are some serious things that happen all the time here that makes it harder for anyone to live in this shit hole of a country, so i dont understand why people would always want to paint the us in such an amazing spotlight. 

edit: i have more bc im salty as fuck 

electoral colleges are a scam (google this if you dont know what it is) 

housing discrimination

gentrification and red lining

cultural appropriation, but the definition of that shit is also ambiguous everywhere in this country and every where else

our education sucks ass (literally one of the many countries ranked on the bottom ladder)

mass incarceration

giant wage gap, especially with gender and race/ethnicity

welfare system sucks ass 

who the fuck thought it was a good idea to make healthcare a business/monopoly this country sure loves to see people fucking die 

legal status as a citizen when youre undocumented (ppl are stuck in limbo and govt doesnt wanna help boohooo what a caring country this place is) -> you can get deported and lose your job when youre the main source of income

we have loophole laws that even the govt chooses to abuse and exploit the shit out of 

theres a 100 question test for immigrating here to gain citizenship, and its only in english and you can only answer in english (they ask you 10 out of the 100 and you need to know the answers to all of them) 

no pay for maternity leave despite being a first world country 

going to college costs a fuck ton (is a monopoly and business, what a shocker) and this country wants to see you in debt especially if youre a minority or anyone with low income

[littleindigochildx]

thorne 🚫

“You two be good for Rory. We’ll be back in a couple of hours.” Victoria told Timothy and Savanna as she kissed them both goodbye. It was parent/teacher conferences at Palm Valley Elementary. “Mommy, how come ya gotta see my teacher?” Savanna asked nervously. Her teacher, Ms. Lawson, sent a note home requesting a meeting with Victoria and Declan. She wanted to speak in person about the changes she had seen since the start of the school year. It wasn’t anything drastic...Just a couple of things she wanted to clear up. “We’re gonna see Timmy’s teacher too.” Vic explained. “They’re going to show us what you’ve been doing in school.” She spoke in a reassuring tone. “We’ll be back before you know it.” 

Without another word, Victoria and Declan walked out the front door. Neither one of them were really quite sure what to expect when they got to the school. Conferences weren’t typically something they went to unless their kids were in trouble or in danger of failing a class. That wasn’t the case here. 

Ms. Lawson was sitting at her desk when the Deschaines arrived. “You must be Savanna’s parents.” She wasn’t wrong. Declan had been more of a father to the little girl than David had been in the last few months. That was actually part of the reason they were called in for the meeting. “Savanna is a remarkable child. She’s the best reader in my class, she always participates, and she is so creative.” The teacher began. Victoria could tell there was a <i>but</i> coming. “These are some of her art projects we’ve done in class. She tells me you’re an artist?” The comment was made at Victoria. “Says she wants to be just like you some day.” Ms. Lawson put some of Savvy’s pictures on the desk and spread them out. Her name was on each masterpiece in the teacher’s handwriting, but Savanna crossed out Thorne on all of them and wrote Deschaine as her last name. 

“She just started doing this on all of her work. She even changed her name tag on her desk…” The teacher didn’t seem too concerned about it. She had at least one student every year who’s legal last name changed because of marriage, adoption, or both. “Is Deschaine the last name she goes by now and there’s something I missed? I know it’s none of my business...I was just hoping for some clarification so we can update school forms and emergency contact information if necessary.” The woman didn’t need to know details. Whatever was going on in the Deschaine household was none of her concern. She really just wanted to make Victoria and Declan aware that Savanna no longer wished to go by her legal last name. “Other than that, she’s a star. I love how eager she is to learn. I think art is probably her favorite subject, but she seems to be doing remarkably well in math and English too. See? All A’s.” Ms. Lawson passed them Savanna’s report card with a small gift bag she made for each of her students at the end of a marking period. “Unless you have questions for me...You can take these home and tell Savvy I’ll see her on Monday.” 

[misfitsofwestburryhigh]

Things You Should Know About: Bee

 Full Name? Beatrix Franklin Long 

How easy is it for your character to laugh? When I have Luna, I always laugh.

How do they put themselves to bed at night (reading, singing, thinking?) I usually sing Luna to sleep, then I fall asleep listening to Broadway musicals.

How easy is it to earn their trust? It's pretty hard. I don’t let very many people in.

How easy is it to earn their mistrust? Again I don’t trust that many people, so if you’ve earned it, don’t lose it .

Do they consider laws flexible, or immovable? They're flexible,like the legal driving age.

What triggers nostalgia for them, most often? Do they enjoy that feeling? I really enjoy feeling nostalgic. I usually find it talking about old TV shows or movies.

What were they told to stop/start doing most often as a child? Banging on pots, pans, counter tops, or really banging on anything.

Do they swear? Do they remember their first swear word? Yeah Probably more than I should but oh well. My first cuss word was booty hoe but things gradually got more aggressive.

What lie do they most frequently remember telling? Does it haunt them? I don’t lie. I did once told everyone I was emo.

How do they cope with confusion (seek clarification, pretend they understand, etc)? I ask questions until I understand.

How do they deal with an itch found in a place they can’t quite reach? I make Luna scratch it. I also invested in a back scratcher.

What color do they think they look best in? Do they actually look best in that color? I look best in black. Nobody can argue. 

What animal do they fear most? Tigers. They're really big and scary.

How do they speak? Is what they say usually thought of on the spot, or do they rehearse it in their mind first? I have to rehearse what I say before I say it because I don’t want to sound dumb.

What makes their stomach turn? Blood. Enough said.

Are they easily embarrassed? Not really

What embarrasses them? Luna brings up stories from the past and it embarrasses me.

What is their favorite number? 666. You know why.

If they were asked to explain the difference between romantic and platonic or familial love, how would they do so? Romantic is what Collin and Luka try to hide. Platonic is what Collin and Luka say they are. Familial is what Collin and Luka will have when they get married and have kids.

Why do they get up in the morning? Luna.

How does jealousy manifest itself in them (they become possessive, they become aloof, etc)? I am VERY possessive.

How does envy manifest itself in them (they take what they want, they become resentful, etc)? I take what I want and you cant stop me.

Is sex something that they’re comfortable speaking about? To whom? Yeah. Luna and I talk about it a lot if you know what I mean ; )

What are their thoughts on marriage? I used to think it was just a piece of paper but now I’d like to get married to Luna one day I think.

What is their preferred mode of transportation? Minivan

What causes them to feel dread? TESTS. Mainly school in general.

Would they prefer a lie over an unpleasant truth? I’d rather someone tell me the truth.

Do they usually live up to their own ideals? Yeah I think so.

Who do they most regret meeting? Jennifer, the drum major and my nemesis. She's an evil person.

Who are they the most glad to have met? Luna, I love her a lot.

Do they have a go-to story in conversation? Or a joke? I really like telling the story of how Luna and I met.

Could they be considered lazy? YES. I NEVER MOVE.

How hard is it for them to shake a sense of guilt? Very hard. I don’t care what other people think.

How do they treat the things their friends come to them excited about? Are they supportive? I LOVE THEM

Do they actively seek romance, or do they wait for it to fall into their lap? I kinda have a girlfriend, Luna , ya know the love of my life?

Do they have a system for remembering names, long lists of numbers, things that need to go in a certain order (like anagrams, putting things to melodies, etc)? I'll say things over and over again so I don't forget.

What memory do they revisit the most often? My brother leaving. It was a really hard time in my life.

How easy is it for them to ignore flaws in other people? I don’t look at flaws in others. I don’t like pointing out whats “wrong” with people.

How sensitive are they to their own flaws? Sometimes I cry. Is that an answer?

How do they feel about children? If it was with Luna I guess they couldn't be that bad.

How badly do they want to reach their end goal? BADLY.

If someone asked them to explain their sexuality, how would they do so? Dude. your guess is as good as mine.

[cataclizard]

Gonna be opening the floodgate/aka putting down some Deus Ex theory brewing I’ve been doing the past few days because BOY OH BOY that’s one hell of a rabbit hole to go down. I’m sure someone’s speculated on this in the past since MD came out, but here I am fashionably late to the Fandom/Lore Party like always.

Gonna be putting it under a cut so my rambling doesn’t take up too much space!

So regarding the ‘Son of Rusalka’ from this post, it seems like some pretty standard “Wow that’s pretty cryptic, thanks random homeless guy” stuff. But I mean, even being relatively new to this series [HR was my first dive into Deus Ex] it’s pretty hard to just dismiss it as a fluff statement, something thrown in just for a random ‘?? ? ???’ the player might feel when they talk to that random NPC.

References to old myths and legends are fucking everywhere in this series, usually of Greek origin and the most immediate examples coming to mind are the near-constant references to Icarus, Daedalus, Helios and Atlas either in actual references with Promo material, or just random details you see throughout playing the games.  But what about Rusalka? With the power of Mighty Google, it’s thankfully pretty easy to find out that Rusalka is the general term for a Water Nymph in Slavic mythology [I’m pretty much just paraphrasing from the Wiki article] that was essentially suffering from ‘Started off cool but then got turned into an asshole as time went on’ that tends to happen with mythical figures. Also turns out Rusalka’s also the name of an Opera which premiered in- whadda ya know!- Prague!

Mmkay So how the hell does a Slavic myth mix into the normally Greek-heavy legend references? Outside of the general ‘Oh they’re in Prague in MD so it makes sense they reference a creature their culture is familiar with’ it just kinda seems odd with the references prior.  Then after a bit of mulling, the only thing I could think of as like an ‘Aha!’ moment: Maybe it’s got something to do with Panchea from Human Revolution.

I haven’t had the chance to read Black Light yet, if there’s any references outside of mentionings of a “Facility in Alaska” where Adam was recovering for a year or two after he had been declared legally dead, so here’s where literally all of my theorizing starts to get fuzzy.  Rusalka are essentially fertility spirits who “Came out of the water in the spring to transfer life-giving moisture to the fields and thus helped nurture the crops.” but basically got turned into ‘Man these are some angry spirits of women who wrongly died by X means’ later on. Meanwhile Adam was hauled out of the ocean after Panchea basically being dead, only really saved by the Sentinel RX system in his body keeping him from being legit dead. Vague theorizing and process of elimination, with a bit of reaching for the pieces, thus dictates that in a way Adam essentially being ‘reborn’ from the ocean he was pulled out from could- in it’s own way- be him becoming a quasi literal ‘Son of Rusalka’. BUT THAT’S THE JOY OF THEORIES AM I RIGHT Feel free to add your own thoughts/clarifications/literally anything to this because I’ve been travelling down the rabbit hole for Mr. Jensen pretty much since I finished MD the first time around.

[oliverphisher]

Hazel Edwards

Hazel Edwards writes quirky, thought-provoking fiction and fact for adults and children. Coping successfully with being different is a common theme. Co-written ‘junior novel ‘Hijabi Girl’ explores cultural diversity and is to be a Larrikin Puppets’ musical in 2020.

Best known for ‘There’s a Hippopotamus on Our Roof Eating Cake’ series, recently touring as a musical, Hazel has grandkids for whom she writes a story each birthday. ‘Outback Ferals’ her YA novel set in Darwin, is a sequel to ‘Antarctica’s Frozen Chosen’, researched during her 2001 Antarctic expedition. 

Hazel runs book-linked workshops on ‘Authorpreneurship’ and ‘Writing a Non Boring Family History’. ‘Complete Your Book in a Year’ is run at PROV (Public Records Office) and all finish their memoirs or history based books.

A National Reading Ambassador, in 2013 Hazel was awarded an OAM for Literature. Her memoir ‘Not Just a Piece of Cake-Being an Author’ explores longterm creativity.

Also on Audible, ‘Celebrant Sleuth; I do or die’ an adult mystery with Quinn her innovative sleuth who continues in ‘Wed, Then Dead on the Ghan’ mini sequel. ‘Almost a Crime’, short crimelettes are also available on Kindle.

‘Ho! Ho! Ho There’s a Hippopotamus on Out Roof Eating Christmas Cake (Penguin) is the seventh and last in the classic picture book series. 2020 is the 40th anniversary celebration of the cake-eating hippo.

2012 Ambassador for National Year of Reading, and three times (2010, 2011, and 2012) nominee ALMA award, Hazel, received Order of Australia Medal (OAM) for literature in 2013. Hazel became the Soceity of Women Writers' Patron in 2013.

In the two years, since you were last interviewed, the genre in which you write has changed from children to adult mystery/crime.  Formats have changed too. And some earlier works have moved into new mediums like comic graphic novels. Why was that?  

Although my cake-eating hippo character is celebrating 40 years of being constantly in print and three generations have loved him, I wanted a new plotting challenge which could use varied settings.  I always wrote across genres, but the hippo picture books were the best known.

Quinn, my sleuth character works as a celebrant, and this enables her to move into different cultures and geographic settings for each story which is a self contained chapter in the original longer work. She’s a quirky problem solver and murder isn’t always on the agenda. 

Originally I wrote her with a series in mind, and thought she would adapt well to television.  That hasn’t happened, YET. But she has travelled onto AUDIBLE via my voice.

Learning to audio record such a long novel work was a new experience although I had recorded shorter picture books and junior novels like ‘Hijabi Girl’.  Just the sheer length of 9 hours finished audio story indicates much longer rehearsal/recording time. Took about four months, with studio visits twice weekly. Spring Studio producer Harry Williamson was very patient with me. But having an author record their own story in studio gives special nuances and having a female Australian voice was vital as my Quinn character is of diverse gender and most AUDIBLE actor voices are American.

As an author I’m an intellectual risk-taker and hope  my innovations will be seen as strengths not weaknesses. But sometimes, the timing is wrong.

‘Wed, Then Dead on The Ghan’ is a mini- sequel to ‘Celebrant Sleuth; I Do or Die’ and I had qualms about its brevity as a stand-alone but the story actually matched the length of earlier chapters of complete stories in the original book which I had designed as possible TV episodes. 

My working methods have changed too. I write 6am-8 am on original fiction as mysteries are the most challenging to plot and I need to be mentally fresh. As a fulltime writer with a big backlist, the literary administivia seems to be growing. Other authors have also commented on this escalation too because with new formats which require clarification of rights, copyright issues or pirates pinching stuff, the legal aspects and form filling and filing of authors’ work is more complicated and takes time from new work.

So although ‘Wed, Then Dead on The Ghan’ is only 7,000 words and a mini sequel in e book and a cute, small format, I know exactly how long it took. After a research trip on the Ghan from Adelaide to Darwin in late January, I wrote 2 hours every morning, until late June. Then it was edited, the cover designed and published by October.  Earlier I had taken over a year to write the original Quinn ‘Celebrant Sleuth’ but for that initial concept , characters had to be developed and a country town scenario which was used in subsequent stories. With ‘The Ghan’ story I had to check facts about the real train but also it was an experiment in writing ‘short’ for e-format. And of experimenting with a tiny book format which sells at 99 cents on Amazon

Having a versatile character like a celebrant enables me to utilize different settings and include my travel research.  So I live more intensively by looking at what might go wrong. Tends to worry the OH&S people.

What are one to three books that have greatly influenced your life? 

Probably the first one I was able to read by myself influenced me the most. There was a joy in cracking the code of the words. And I can remember Blyton’s ‘The Land of Far Beyond’ which was my first experience of a book with subtext which was a kind of quest and not just a ‘what happens next’ story for kids. Although I had a Grandma who read me lots of stories, and who taught me to read, I didn’t know Blyton’s book was a children’s version of ‘Bunyan’s Pilgrim’s Progress,’ but I liked the ‘journey with a purpose’ structure. That’s what writers do in real life travel-research: travel with a purpose. (But didn’t know then I’d go to Antarctica etc to write).

George Orwell’s ‘Animal Farm’ influenced me as a student when I realized it wasn’t just about animals taking over the farm, it was a political and historical allegory. So although I am not religious nor political in adulthood, I’m drawn to books which have layers of thought as well as a good story and insight into another world. Possible why I take cultural risks in some of the subjects about which I’ve co-written, such as ‘Hijabi Girl’ and  ‘f2m; the boy within’ about trans youth and my asexual sleuth Quinn in adult mystery ‘Celebrant Sleuth: I do or Die’. 

How has a failure, or apparent failure, set you up for later success? 

Most writers struggle to survive financially. They are short of time, money and get little recognition at the beginning. Add to that family responsibilities and there’s not much slack. I coined the term ‘Authorpreneur’ where a writer becomes a solo practitioner in the small business of ideas. Being an author requires a portfolio of skills, but you also need to retain a quirky enjoyment in your subjects.

And it’s part of seeing yourself as a business, not a victim of rejection. So you pitch ideas, have a business plan and keep to deadlines. You also choose your projects with a specific audience in mind.  And if you get rejected, you recycle in another format or to another publisher.

But occasionally your subjects may be ahead of current interests. We got 41 rejections on ‘Hijabi Girl’ and now it has been reprinted several times as social issues and perceptions have changed. Larrikin Puppets have created a musical puppetry show for 2020 Book Week and were oversubscribed when they used crowdfunding to help with puppet development. Society now wants works to explore tolerance, not hate, especially after the NZ Christchurch terrorist bombing.

The concept of coping successfully with being different has always intrigued and this had meant some risky cultural research in gender areas. And physical research in places like Antarctica where I was an expeditioner with the Australian Antarctic Division in 2001.

As a teenager I worked in my family country general store before and after school and at weekends. Although I wasn’t keen at the time, it gave me exposure to gossip (research for a writer), ability to say ‘No’, handling maths via money and a work ethic of the self employed. I knew a 9-5 occupation was not for me. Neither was a routine job. 

Often when things have gone wrong, that provides drama for writing. The best stories come from things going wrong like our leaking roof which lead to the children classic picture book series ‘There’s a Hippopotamus on Our Roof Eating Cake’. Everybody has ‘failures’, it’s what you do about them afterwards that matters.  A writer can utilize the feelings in their characters to create more realistic drama.

Are there any quotes you live your life by?

Persist.  Read widely.  Choose others with a similar work ethic. Have fun.  Do participant-observation research where you ‘go and do’ in order to write realistically afterwards. I’ve been hot air ballooning, trekked in Nepal, visited a funeral parlour behind the scenes and experienced ‘a working day in the life of a ‘fireworks expert’ (pyrotechnician), oil rig engineer and even a chopper pilot.

I tend to decide in the general direction in which I want to go, such as children’s theatre or learning to audio record and then look for opportunities to acquire the skills by collaborating with others, or taking on small projects. Or I might get interested in subjects such as celebrants (prior to my adult mystery ‘Celebrant Sleuth I do or Die’ ) and immerse myself in their workstyle. I collect anecdotes which are mini stories.

Now I’m officially ‘old’ (you can tell the age of authors by checking their year of birth on the publisher’s page at the front of the book) I’m continuing to work on creative projects as writers never retire. That’s a bonus.

Child-like enthusiasm is the answer for a longterm career as a writer, so you continually to be enthused and write fresh material for your readers. Not the same book ten times. Be wary of the thinly disguised memoir of a writer not being able to write and blaming on writers’ block.

What is one of the best investment in a writing resource you’ve ever made? 

The Iphone has enabled me to take photos at literary events and use them immediately on social media. I’m not visual nor a good photographer, but have learnt to crop and get one generic photo of me holding the relevant book against a relevant background, which can be used many times. e.g. Our co-creators photo of Hijabi Girl launch.

As an author speaker, the IPad is the most useful device. Fewer props to carry as I can have dot points in the size font I can read on a speakers’ platform. Instead of actual books I can carry covers only. And I now use the ‘notes’ via the Cloud, to transfer between my devices. That saves repetition.

For exercise I listen to audio books as I walk and these run from my IPad now that airlines permit you to use this device inflight. So I can work on existing files which I have preloaded. I’m answering these interview questions while at the hairdresser prior to a photo shoot as an author

I also have my generic talks on a usb which can go into my hosts’ computer and show via data projector. Also carry a backup on a brightly colored cord in case usb gets lost or forgotten. My usb talks are mainly quirky and versatile visuals which can be used with different aged and types of audiences. The aim is generic props.

I’m not a digital native but I aim to learn one tiny digital skill per day, it might be as small as how to attach a hashtag to a Tweet. My marketing manager daughter overhauled me digitally with an updated author website about ten years ago. She also taught me to think and write for a visual generation via Twitter etc and learn to use photos whereas I think in abstract.

So writers need to continue to learn. Currently I’ve enrolled for a forensic DNA weekend course, to improve my knowledge of police procedures and to ensure I don’t make factual mistakes in plots.

What is an unusual habit or an absurd thing that you love? 

I’ve been doing Belly Dancing 101 on Monday nights 6.30-7.30 for 13 years. It’s my therapy. I meet women who lead very different lives from me and we all listen to each other.

In the last five years, what new belief, behaviour, or habit has most improved your life? 

It’s impossible to fit in everything and life can become stuffed with ‘should do’ things. So just do part of one tiny task towards the ‘big project’. Start with jotted notes. Or just answer ONE question in a blog interview like this, even if you have to leave in 10 minutes. Instead of keeping a ‘To Do’ list, I write DONE.  DETOUR or USELESS. Detour, means to have another go later. Aware that I need to de-clutter my literary files. So I try one small area late in the day when I tend to be braindead.

What advice would you give to a smart, driven aspiring author? What advice should they ignore? 

Teach your family to cook. I object to the use of ‘writers’ block’ as an excuse for not producing.  A disciplined writer can produce to a deadline, but not all the experience may be euphoric.  In my memoir ‘Not Just a Piece of Cake: Being a Writer’ (Brolga) I explore the ‘Plateau of Boredom’.  Collaborating with digitally skilled, younger co-creators helps you learn new formats for stories, and there’s a purpose in the learning by doing.

Recently our ‘f2m;the boy within’ inspired the development of a graphic comic novel ‘The Boy Within’. This concept is still in progress with the two transguys who are familiar with the constantly changing gender language and issues. So acknowledge when you need to delegate or seek expert help. Getting the language right for your audience is vital. Extract: The Plateau of Boredom 

The Process of Creativity: or the Writer’s Block You’re Not Having! Creativity is a map.  I have to reach a plateau of boredom, a feeling that everything is flat and monotonous. To avoid the ‘nothing- ness’, I put two things together that have never been in that combination before, which become a new idea for a story. 

To avoid being stuck on that plateau forever, I write an alternative mental world which provides the terrain of variety. Rivers of thoughts. Occasional peaks. Rocky stretches of plotting when I have to find alternative routes. And glimpses of characters. (Now I could have added ‘in the fog’ but that would have been stretching the analogy).

This morning I woke up with that map image.  I hadn’t thought of creativity quite in that way before. Early mornings are when I have my best ideas, before the minutia of domesticity takes over. That’s why when my children were younger; I did my best snatched writing before they woke or when I was away alone in motels on author tours. 

On reflection, perhaps weekly family orienteering on Sundays provided the map image. Trying to find an elusive control on a bush map when you’re tired, knowing it’s there somewhere, but you have to stop, and rest for a moment. And then I’d go back and try to find the route, like plotting a novel. Using an existing map is one challenge. Creating the map is another.

What marketing tactics should authors avoid?

Ego.  There’s a difference between marketing the subject of a book, and trying to play ‘celebrity’.  Always consider what your audience wants to know. And craft it for them.

What new realizations helped you achieve your goals? 

Co-write if you intend to be a long term author, so you will continue to learn in new areas. Be willing to constantly learn new skills as the means and format of conveying ideas and stories changes.

And if you are writing of another culture, having a co-author from that culture ensures your work is authentic.  You also feel morally obliged to finish your share before your next meeting, so it’s a great way to overcome procrastination.

Recently my 20 year old YA novel ‘Fake I.D.’ was translated into Tamil and launched in Chennai, India.  It was a thrill to realise a story had not dated and was moving into a new culture.

The developments in multi-media have meant that ‘old’ stories can be adapted into new mediums. ‘Hippo Hippo the Musical’ the Garry Ginivin production has toured nationally and was inspired by the cake eating series of hippo picture books. Sitting in the audience, watching the actors AND the audience gave me great creative satisfaction.

Any other tips?

Stop reading ‘How To Write’ articles and actually start producing.

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