So, That Was 2021

Just popping by on the last day of the year to leave my final update of 2021 (and also so I can tick off one of last year’s goals, to make a blog post every month!)

Allowing Time to Grow

Come closer, I want to tell you a secret … *whispers* Here’s something we, in adulthood, don’t often get told. Just because you thought or believed something in your youth and were vocal and passionate about it then, doesn’t mean you can’t change your mind, learn and grow, and be vocal and passionate about new […]

I Get By

The Beatles knew it was important. They sang a song all about it. And at least fifty other people (including Joe Cocker and Wet, Wet, Wet) covered that song too. The Beatles asked for Help and they would often Come Together, but mostly, they Get by with a Little Help from (their) Friends. For a […]

Black Dogs, Black Thoughts

I’ve been working for a while now on a project, selecting stories for an anthology to raise money and awareness for the Mental Health Foundation of New Zealand. I’ve been supported by a fantastic, international team of writers and editors to pull this together, and the end is finally in sight. But it feels strange […]

The Nudge

This might be a little different to my usual posts, as I want to talk about the Nudge. If you’ve ever experienced the Nudge you’ll know exactly what I mean, but if you’ve not, please allow me to explain. A university friend of mine almost got himself into a lot of trouble. The kind of […]

Dear Erica

My last original short fiction offering for 2019, a short story about love and letting go. This story is copyright. Except for the purpose of fair review, no part may be stored or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including recording or storage in any information retrieval system, without permission […]

Saying Goodbye and Looking Ahead

As the festive season really begins and 2019 draws to a close, I wanted to make my last post of the year about goals and challenges. I’m not always very good at seeing the “bigger picture”, I usually tend to focus on what’s immediately ahead of me and what I need to do to tick […]

Journey Tree

I had been plagued for weeks by a recurrent dream involving a tree, but of what species I could not tell. Its branches were long and its leaves were wide, and its trunk was smothered in patches of green moss and layers of loose bark. As I got closer to it, it reached out to […]

Knock, Knock! Imposter Syndrome Calling…

I woke up this morning to find I had been tagged in an awesome yet terrifying tweet — a friend of mine had included me and my anthology, “Dark Winds Over Wellington,” in a list of must-read female dark fiction writers. I’ve read all of the other books she listed and they are absolutely tremendous. […]

Long Distance

Flash fiction challenge: 500 word romance using the word “spring.” I’ve done it again. Just like I always do. My mouth was in gear but my brain was in neutral, saying words I didn’t really mean.  It’s hard for me. I’m not like you, I’m much more emotional. You twist me around like a coiled spring, wind me up […]