Aughra wakes

We seek, we seek, we seek

our bodies caught in time while our minds thrust out, snap.

Around us our house gives in to rot,

our family withers

while we do anything but see them.

Yet when we suddenly wake,

ceiling crumbled over our clothes, cobwebs sewing our third eye shut,

we wonder why we cannot hear the song anymore.

Why it withholds itself from us.

What have we done

to cause this distance?

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Heated

The fire warms us,

melting each wound

until the recall dies away

Backup data

I hear it gurgling into the drain,

ink spilling from paper. Blood.

The paper so wetted it disintegrates.

But the idea is caught

in the pigment staining your hands.

 

Flap happy

My hands are manic, I think I might fly.

This elation in my chest can’t help but come out

like how it’s near impossible to hold in the face you pull

after tasting something sour.

If I flap any faster, I’ll end up in the sky.

 

Unofficial Detective’s 2nd book birthday!

If you follow me on Facebook or Twitter, then you probably already know this, but Unofficial Detective, the first book in my Half-Wizard Thordric trilogy, has been out for two years today. And looking back, things have been a little crazy since then.

These past two years have been full of personal struggles, but one thing that’s been a constant throughout, despite lack of time, depression and overall burnout, has been my writing.

[Side note: I’ve written at least one book every year since 2011, and though I had so many manuscripts, I only found my first publisher in 2017.]

Since Unofficial Detective has been out, nearly every book I wrote before then has either been released or is currently under contract for release next year. And the books I’ve written since its release (3 novels, 3 picture book manuscripts, 3 poetry collections – including A Book For Pandora, which came out in February this year) are either awaiting editing/being edited or on submission. Add that to the fact I blog every day at the moment, and even I have to admit it’s a lot of work.

Now, I often forget the sheer amount of effort I’ve put into a project as soon as I move onto the next, and as my focus is usually on what I’m currently working on, it’s been a long time since I’ve looked back and appreciated how far I’ve come. But today I stopped to think about it, and it left me both overwhelmed and immensely proud.

Being a writer has been my dream since I was a little girl, and while it’s true I earn very little from it – for me, earning money from writing has never been the point – I can genuinely say I’ve achieved my dream and will continue living it.

So, I think the note I want to end with is that for any aspiring writers out there wondering if getting published really is attainable, just stick with it. Yes, it probably will be hard and you will feel like quitting completely at some points, but if it’s what you really want, then no one can stop you. And that remains true regardless of whether you’re looking into traditional publishing or self publishing.

Lastly, a list of all my published works to date:

Half-Wizard Thordric trilogy

Unofficial Detective

Accidental Archaeologist

Unseasoned Adventurer

 

Stand alone books

The Door Between Worlds

The Origin Stone

 

Poetry

A Book For Pandora

Reviews for an unusual holiday let

“It’s a neat little place, cosy I’d say.”

“Smart outer appearance, spacious open plan room.”

“A bit drafty sometimes, but the decor is nice.”

“Springy underfoot. Good stitching, too.”

“I like the colour. Very cheerful, and perfect for autumn weather.”

“Still has that newly bought smell. Oh, and I adored the ladder laces.”

 

“Um. It’s a boot. What more can I say?”

A likely story

Ursula stole my voice, though

I made no contract and wasn’t singing.

She latched onto my legs with her tentacles,

tripped me into the deep

where I drowned

despite breathing.

The last bubble of air popped into a scream

that people mistook for a siren’s call

and left its echo to die in my chest.

Attached

Enter: a shadow, the basement

of a person, painted solid by their ledger.

Hushing for silence

that doesn’t exist.

The audience sees it clearly under the bright stage lights,

but its owner is blind.

They feel so transparent, they’re not even sure they have a shadow anymore.

It sneaks up behind

and photographs them, panoramic view,

and leaves the print at their feet.

Evidence. Opaque as can be.

Weather warning

The cloud got off the bus, black and heavy

with rumbles already rippling across it.

It had started out light, peaceful cotton,

but was soon forced to drift into a haze of vapour.

Words began to weigh it down

and the darkness spread as lightning grew in its belly.

When finally it stepped through the threshold to home,

the crackles broke out and kicked down the flood gates,

roaring all the while.

 

After, free of all it’d carried,

it settled into a cosy nook of sky

next to the sun’s evening rays,

not a touch of storm in its makeup.

Blackout poetry 3…in which my pens ran out.