Creative living journal #18
TUBOWGULE in stores now!!
With so many things happening this year (Tubowgule book release meaning lots of events coming up, plenty of editing projects scheduled, and just trying to be a parent with general life stuff), I know I can’t rely on free moments falling into my lap when I want them. What even is free time??
I’ve been craving time to paint and have been desperate to get back to work on my middle grade novel for weeks now but haven’t made it to either. Life gets in the way sometimes, and that’s okay. I’m used to finding ways to create through the chaos. And one of the ways I do that is by prioritising my creativity when I can.
I’ll be doing that this year in May that I’m calling Creativity Month, and July where I’ll run the Write a Picture Book With Me program. These two programs are for participants, but they’re also for me too! I can’t wait to dive in with my paid members and see what we can achieve. During Creativity Month I’ll be working on either illustrations for my fiction picture book that will be out next year or my middle grade novel that I’d love to send to my agent before the end of the year – or maybe a bit of both! Let me know what project you’re planning to work on with me during Creativity Month.
If you’re not yet a paid member, now is a great time to upgrade while I’m running a super special Debut PB Month offer. (Works out to just $1 a month and $10 for a whole year!) Offer only available until April 1.
Monday
Easing into the day by eating breakfast, having a cuppa, listening to a live with
while sitting at my desk. Saw a bowerbird out my window and managed to get a video! Usually I’m too late to capture a pic or video of these beauties, so today feels like a good day already.Finishing off non-fiction book 2 edits – we’ll likely need another round to tweak some things but I’m feeling good about it.
Saw National Indigenous Times interview I did last week! I didn’t realise it would be published so soon, but was so cool to see. I was nervous chatting with Joey but he was easy to talk to and genuinely interested in Tubowgule. I think he perfectly captured my hopes and intentions for this book. Read the interview in full here.
Listening to Evelyn Skye talking to Eowyn Ivey while I have lunch at my desk. It’s funny how I do things differently when my husband isn’t working at home alongside me.
Tuesday
Spoke to Mister 5’s preschool about my book and coming in to talk to the kids about it. Felt more nervous than I thought I would just chatting to the centre director. Maybe because no one there knows I write books – I hadn’t mentioned it before so it was very out of the blue I imagine. But the director is lovely and she was excited about the book and is excited for me to come in and do a session in a few weeks.
Had a cuppa and breakfast and enjoyed watching the rest of
in conversation with Eowyn Ivey. Loved loved loved the part where they talked about how fiction can get us closer to the Truth than non-fiction.Tuned in to the CBCA shortlist announcement (see via the video below). Huge congrats to all the shortlisted creators. I’m sorry to those who missed out, but your work still matters. Though we love to look to the CBCA awards as a guide for books to read, in my household we read plenty that don’t make it to those lists as well.
Wednesday
TUBOWGULE is in stores today!!!
Life coach meeting this morning. SO many different emotions today. It’s such an exciting day and I can’t wait to pop into bookstores and hopefully find my book on shelves, but also other parts of life don’t stop.
Talked about overwhelm and figuring out when to say no and unpacking that more before next session.
Saw Tubowgule in 2 bookstores today!!! See the pics below – just look at my weird, awkwardness as I try to pose normally with my book in stores but just can’t stop the great big smile on my face. Today was SUCH a good day!
Ended the day with a local CBCA meeting, which was such a wonderful event to happen on the day of my book release. The members are all so lovely and shared in my Tubowgule book release excitement.
We also discussed some of the CBCA shortlisted titles for this year, and we’re very lucky at our local branch to have Fran, one of the judges of the Eve Pownall award, as one of our members. So we get some extra insight as Fran shares the Eve Pownall shortlisted titles and what each book is about. See the pic below from the night!
Wrap up
It was a HUGE week for me. Obviously because of my book release, but also because I had three editing projects (my projects don’t usually overlap like this, but it just worked out that way after some project delays) needing my attention. I spent every night up until 1am, and I am exhausted.
But one good thing to come from it all is that I know if I have to I can dig deep and push through. I also know that I can’t function like this long-term.
My weekend will be about prioritising some rest before another busy week (but hopefully not quite as busy as the last!)
If you’ve purchased a copy of Tubowgule, THANK YOU so very much. Your support means the world to me, and hopefully I can celebrate with some of you at my launch event on 16 April.
Your turn
How’s your week been? Join us in the weekly creative chat and tell me all about what you’ve been working on. I didn’t send out an email for the creative chat this week, but it’s there and ready for you to jump in when you’re ready. Just click below.
If you’re getting overwhelmed by WAY TOO MANY EMAILS, you can go to your settings, scroll to ‘notifications’ and under ‘newsletter delivery’ select ‘prefer app delivery’. This means you’ll no longer receive emails to your personal email address, but you can still read my newsletters through your Substack inbox either via the app or website.
I made this change myself last year and though it’s likely contributed to reducing my Substack reading time, it’s also reduced some stress I have around emails and feeling overwhelmed by a silly amount coming through each day.
I’m not 100% sure, but you may need to have the app to enable this setting.
I acknowledge the Darkinjung people as the Traditional Custodians of the land on which I am writing from today. I walk, talk, write, and create with respect on this land, and I acknowledge the enduring connection the Darkinjung people have with this Country; I thank them for their care of this Country, and I pay respects to the Elders past and present, and extend that respect to any Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people here reading or listening.
Congrats on the book release! I got to get my hands on it :)