Well, what a topsy turvy month this has been! A month of the highest of highs and the lowest of lows. Feeling a tinsy bit manic actually, there seems little solid ground between the two just now. Would howling like this guy above help do you think?

After just over one day at home I was off to the RWA Conference in Melbourne. It was an excellent writers conference over Friday, Saturday and Sunday. I’ve been a member for 9 years and try not to miss a conference. It’s great meeting up with long time friends and new ones too. Our organisation is stuffed full of generous, wonderful writers. Everywhere I went they were especially lovely, plenty of hugs and sympathy along with so much to learn and to keep my mind off myself and on learning what I need to know to be a better writer and get this new career on the road.

My pitching went well too. (That’s a 5 minute opportunity to try to get a publishing professional interested in my book).  I got three requests from three pitches (translates to they wanted to read some of my writing) which was very encouraging and had me on a high. Torn is the book of my heart. It’s been a long time in the writing and I’m hoping the agents and editor like it too. The ultimate goal being that it gets published and everyone gets a chance to read it too!

The downer came again at the end of the conference when I learned that one of my close writer friends passed away on Saturday. Damned cancer. Two lines is not enough to communicate what I’m feeling but I think it will have to wait a little longer. She was a very special person and I’m only one of the myriad who will miss her very much.

So, I’m back at work, busy getting my submissions ready to send and tired. Emotionally and physically exhausted. How do you go on? Yes, I’ve lost four of the most important people in my life over the last four months. But I know there are others out there who have lost more.

This is why I started writing Torn. I wanted to understand how you could not only survive but thrive after going through the heaviest of losses. Maybe my lesson is “be careful what you wish for”!

And to finish off with a new high – How do you like my new banner? Isn’t it great! “New Horizons”. I don’t remember naming this series but I’m assured that I did! Sometimes I surprise myself. So, what New Horizon are you looking forward to? What kind of stormy sea do you have to navigate to get there and how will you ensure you thrive when you get there?