Most of my blogging tends toward my travel experiences, and diversity in media, but I will also discuss my own creative pursuits, which are generally in the film, writing, and performance fields. I'm also an editor at Solarwyrm Press. Performance: improv, acting, stand-up comedy. Filmmaking: screenwriting, directing, video editing, short films, music videos. Writing: speculative fiction, memoir, short stories. Though I consider myself a citizen of the world, with how many places feel like home to me, I was born and raised in Australia, to American parents. I'm a dual-national of both countries, lived in Malaysia for five and a half years, and now live in the US.
If this is the first time you’re reading me, let me first share with you the basics of where my perspective comes from. I’m a white Australian woman who has lived in Malaysia since November 2008. I travel a lot, and I consume media. Film and TV have been my preferred mediums, but I also … More Why I Think (Lack of) Racial Diversity in Media is a Global Issue
This is the outfit that started me on my pursuit of a pirate character. My husband had surprised me with the beautiful burgundy velvet sleeves, laced with black ribbons, as a Valentine’s Day gift in 2011. I’m trying to be relatively modest in this photo because, rather than wearing a corset like I do now, … More Jaclyn Rousseau: Evolution of a Pirate Costume
The blurb It’s the 21st century, and Jaclyn Rousseau is not where she should be. 1661 disappeared before her eyes, and there’s no way home. That matters not to Jaclyn—she lost her lover, and everything else that meant anything to her, in the West Indies. In an adventure that crosses time and the Atlantic, a … More Cover Reveal for Adrift, crowdfunding on Indiegogo, and a Giveaway
Meet Jax Goss: South African born, New Zealand based writer. She’s the instigator behind Solarwyrm Press, which recently released its first book, Fae Fatales: A Fantasy Noir Anthology. Prior to starting up Solarwyrm, Jax won a highly commended award for her short story “Icarus” from Commonwealth Writers, and published a collection of shorts in The … More Highlighting Jax Goss
Title: Femmes du Chaos Author: Kristen Duvall Cover Designer: Cover It! Designs Released: August 2013 Synopsis: “They messed with the wrong girl this time…” From heroes to villains, Femmes du Chaos sets out to show the world what the “fairer sex” is really made of. You’ll meet women of all ages and from many different … More Cover Reveal for Femmes du Chaos by Kristen Duvall
For a while, I’ve been thinking about writing more about what it’s like to live in a foreign country, one in which you don’t hold a passport for. Then, a few weeks ago, whilst I was sitting in the playroom in the complex I live in as my youngest son played, I noticed something I … More Out of Place, An Expat’s Experience
As I’ve been getting closer to finishing Adrift and releasing it, I’ve been thinking more about how to summarise it for the blurb on the back of the book. I had a summary that I had written before I even finished the novel, but then as I was working on the book cover, I realised … More Why label LGBT/queer fiction?
When I finished writing Adrift in September last year, I had all these great expectations that I’d be able to knock out my editing in a month and be able to release it before Christmas. Then I started doubting myself. “What if it’s not as good as I think it is?” “What if people don’t … More Growing Past the Fear of Editing
This is a guest post by Rayne Hall. Thank you, Rayne, for sharing your thoughts with us today! You can find out more about her at the end of this post. I wish authors would write more about disabled characters. In three decades as an editor, almost every story submission I’ve received has been about … More An Editor’s Plea for More Character Diversity
A lot of author bios I come across on web sites or Facebook pages have similar content. Oftentimes they start with things like “I live in x location with y pets/kids and/or my partner, and I was raised in z.” I mean, that’s all nice, and maybe I’d like to know that if I was … More What should you include in your short author bio?
