Writing Notes

"The Price of Salt” has to be one of my favourite books, so when I heard it was to be made into a film, I hoped it would do justice to Patricia Highsmith’s classic, fifties romance. When I first saw “Carol” I was impressed, and remain so, overall. But for some reason,...

It’s with considerable pride that I announce the publication of Closeness by Bella Books in sunny Tallahassee, Florida. They’ve done a particularly fabulous job with this one, sporting a gorgeous cover design by Kayla Mancuso. Bella Books have recently set up their...

It’s been a long time between missives! I won’t give 2019 more than passing mention because of a series of personal events that graduated from bad to the other side of awful. In between, I did get some writing done. In fact, it kept me occupied for a good deal of the...

It is spring Down Under, with longer days and warmer nights, the birds and bees and blooms doing what comes naturally. I prefer writing in spring and summer when I can close down the house, crank up the air-con and hibernate through the heat until it passes – lovely!...

‘Struth, there goes another year...nearly. Mid last year, I caught a jet plane to Europe and visited much loved relatives, a journey long overdue. Thereafter, it took an inordinate amount of time to conceive and gestate the gist of my next foray into writing. However,...

What’s your favourite film in the genre? It’s rare that a movie comes out in mainstream cinema, so we all keep a watch online in case something good is released. I don’t have an absolute favourite, although “When Night is Falling” is hard to beat for sheer...

An unexpected audience of straight friends, family and acquaintances has recently emerged – people who have read and enjoyed my books while initially knowing very little about what it’s like to be queer in this world. I’m excited to say it’s been an education on both...

A reader who enjoyed the paranormal element of my novels has asked if I would consider writing a series that more deeply explores that element while putting aside the queer romance theme. After considerable thought, I’m not of a mind to do that. The issue is one of...

My second novel, Miligrane: Embracing the Sapphire, was released by Bella Books in Tallahassee, Florida on the 16th of February. How well it will be received, I won’t know until October. Meanwhile, I’m contemplating a third novel, knowing that much as the second is...

Writing is a solitary occupation that carries the inherent danger associated with it occurring in a vacuum. That is, a first draft can be thin in some places and positively cyanosed in others. The cure is oxygen in the shape of critical readers, preferably sharp-eyed,...

In the planning stage of a novel, well before I start writing, I spend a helluva lot of time creating the main characters, usually two women. For each, I create a document that details everything about her, from the obvious, such as physical looks, to the obtuse like...

"The Price of Salt” has to be one of my favourite books, so when I heard it was to be made into a film, I hoped it would do justice to Patricia Highsmith’s classic, fifties romance. When I first saw “Carol” I was impressed, and remain so, overall. But for some reason,...

The stories I write are mainly set in Australia because it is a country with a culture and cities I know reasonably well. I’ve lived in various locations around the world, and draw on personal experience to create a sense of place for people and action. However, I’m...

I began studying astrology in my teens and it’s become a long-term interest with considerable benefits, especially for understanding my fellow travellers on spaceship Earth. While we are all pretty much the same under the skin, we show considerable differences as...

On my back patio rests a three-seater swing that faces a stand of lemon-scented and spotted gums. These very tall, straight eucalyptus trees emerge from the clay and granite that are typical of the hills above Perth in Western Australia. I’m fortunate enough to live...