Published Authors

I found out today that my old flatmate Karen, has published her first novel. This is very cool. I used to live with her and so it's awesome that someone I know has published a book. It seems to be on most people's (including mine) lists of things to do with their life, but rarely do people achieve it so congratulations Karen (not that she'll probably read this anyway). Her book is a young adult novel and has had great reviews. I'm thinking of buying a copy for myself and perhaps one for Tiki's older daughter for Christmas (what do you think Tiki?).

Anyway, a bit of info about the book can be found here:

Guardian of the Dead



I actually also have another friend who has published a kid's book:

Wonkey Donkey.

Although I have never published a book, I have done some stuff with writing. When I was 8 years old, I wrote a story on bicycle safety and got into highly commended category in the Road Safety Magazine in the same section as the 12 year olds.

I won a (pink) skateboard for an essay writing competition when I was 13. The look on my face when I went up the front of the assembly to collect my "prize" was fairly priceless.

I won an Ipod (which I duly sold cos I hate Ipods) for a story that I wrote when I worked for www.hostelbookers.com and through that became for a short time a freelance writer of travel articles for their website. Nothing was credited but I did get paid so that was cool.

But to write a novel, now that would be cool. Also on my to do list is to write and record an album. That seems more likely than the former option, but since my vocal chords were damaged a few years back, my voice has never been quite the same since.

I imagine writing a novel in a little cottage overlooking the beach or a lake, but that's more of a lovely daydream than anything else.

I don't know what the book would be about. When I was a kid I wrote a lot of stories and I was for a short time, obssessed with things that were silver, as they held a certain magical quality to them. My favourite books at about 10 years were "The Silver Crown", "The Silver Sword" and "The girl with the Silver eyes" and so it only followed suit to write a story called "The Silver Horse" about a magical horse that Laura a bored twin sees wink at her in the museum one day. The same horse comes to visit her that night and asks her to save their silver world, and so the adventure begins.

I miss that creativity that you possess so much as kids. At the moment, I am self-publishing my travel journal with photos from my two year trip to Europe and I am loving the feeling of creating something. I think as adults we get so used to living in the "real world", we forget all about the pure enjoyment that creating gives us.