‘My Car’ video

 

Do you ego-search on the net?  You should.  It’s amazing what you find.

Just put your name like this: “Sarah Smith” into Google search and check where your name appears on the World Wide Web.

I’ve just discovered this reading of ‘My Car’ from ‘Hidden Capacity ~ a poet’s journey’ done some time ago which I had completely forgotten about.

I also discovered that Poemhunter.com seems to be doing really well out of the 52 poems I uploaded there years ago.

My poems seem to get a reasonable number of visitors and the site haven’t missed a trick in using them without formal permission.

Although perhaps their Terms & Conditions when I uploaded them originally, covered that – and who reads them properly?

Without my consent, there’s an e-book of the poems available for free.

Now that I’m selling my own e-books, it sort of clashes and makes me wonder if I should leave the poems on there for the publicity or take them down.

I decided to add the link to my KINDLE books on each page instead and hope it brings some sales.

Also each has been converted to a (questionable) ‘video’ some with automated voices reading the poems.  Here’s their version of my ‘All Stops’.

Amazing what you find…

 

#francesmacaulayforde  #VideoPoems   #VideoReadings

 

P.S. I’ve just realized I started the month with this poem…

 

 

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Short stories, socialising and spreadsheets: the Jan to June 2014 round up

Short stories rule as evidenced in this excellent post. Thanks Marisa.

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“E-Males”

Book 2 in my Short Stories series is “E-Males”   Meet ‘Anna Karenina’ of the Australian suburbs:

After seven years of marriage, Michelle began to question her love ~ not her husband Barry’s ~ his adoration was as solid and steady as a rock.  No, she questioned her state. 

Was this all she could expect?  She yearned for more  ~ or perhaps a different ethereal mist of feeling which engulfs like a warm blanket of bright colours, flapping every now and then in the breeze of life. 

“Damn those blasted fairy tales! Where’s my prince?  Why doesn’t Barry come home in the middle of the day and whisk me off to Paris for coffee?” 

She day-dreams he’s sitting in his high rise office, gazing out across the Swan River, thinking of her in a flowing white peignoir, hair carefully styled, just risen from their marriage bed to meet her love. 

Full lips ready to receive his kiss, his embrace strong but gentle he smiles down at her, with one arm to support her swooning, body trembling with unspoken ardor. 

Frances Macaulay Forde © 2014

If you’d care to read the rest, you’re welcome to buy or lend a KINDLE copy of  “E-Males”  or Book 1:  “Meeting Mr X”  directly from Amazon.

(Hope you do…)

 

#FrancesMacaulayForde  #McAlpineBellPublishing  #MeetingMrX  #KINDLEbooks  #E-Males”

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“Meeting Mr X.”

Book 1 in my Short Stories series is “Meeting Mr X”  ‘Middlemarch’ re-imagined as an Australian Suburban story…

Ms Brown certainly lived up to her name in an unremarkable brown brick, unappealing brown-roofed house, amongst similar unprepossessing dwellings, surrounded by shrubbery rooted in brown mulch, found in a commonly named street that looked like many suburban others, indistinguishable from her neighbors. 

Consequently, she lived a quiet life not wishing to stand out like the man she observed from her back patio whom she had named Mr. X.

Because her land sloped down the hill from the back, she often watched those in other similarly quiet, ordered avenues nearby.  Mr X lived across the street behind her block, down the hill – the front of his house facing her backyard. 

Music blared, lights blazed and many people visited making Ms Brown wonder if he was one of those drug dealers or even a manufacturer, referred to in the local papers.  

She repeatedly heard doors banging, the screech of tyres on tarmac or horns blasted in farewell.   These inconsiderate ruffians frequently left the house which Mr. X occupied at all hours of the day and night, disturbing those who may be sleeping or, like herself, wishing for quietude.  

Frances Macaulay Forde © 2014

If you’d care to read the rest, you’re welcome to lend or buy a KINDLE copy of  “Meeting Mr X.”  directly from Amazon.

(Hope you do…)

 

#FrancesMacaulayForde  #McAlpineBellPublishing  #MeetingMrX  #KINDLEbooks

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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The Return of Rainbows.

Still on the KINDLE kick, my latest upload (probably not available yet as still being processed) is another Poetry Chapbook ~ the third.

(I’ve just added two examples of poems from my ‘Love’  KINDLE uploaded over the weekend,  just like I did for my ‘Rail Tales’ blog post.)

‘The Return of Rainbows’ was also conceived at University as a mature-age student bloodied by life’s battles and as always, finding succor in words.

My seemingly audacious presence provided lots of  fodder to explore the constant challenges and effects of that experience on my life.

 

The Return of Rainbows

Driving down Alexander,

(early morning rush hour)

lecture on documentary film.

Eager for knowledge, I noted

low, broad bands of colour

spanning the sky above Uni.

Ignoring the grey clouds,

I welcomed the return

of rainbows to my life.

 

Instinct

There’s no place for love

at this time in my life.

I envy those who achieve

the balance of need.

 

Opportunities ignored

in the interest of safe-ness,

flying toward my ability’s

determined focus.

 

Children gone in their own

living-dreams direction,

lessons learnt and heeded.

My job’s complete.

 

Is this my way of avoiding

the ‘empty nest’  syndrome?

Gath’ring materials for comfort

as I settle into old age?

…

 

Frances Macaulay Forde © 2003

(I’m about to upload some short stories next.)

#ReturnOfRainbows #FrancesMacaulayForde #McAlpineBellPublishing

 

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Obsession

I’ll admit it – I’m hooked on KINDLE at the moment.  It is so easy to put writing you’ve wanted to share for years, up in a KINDLE book and let the world judge it.

I’ve signed up for the Lending Library as well, so people can just borrow the book for a short time, read it and hopefully purchase their own copy – or not.

I still get a fee… so if you feel like reading some short poems about falling in love at my age, I’ve just uploaded another chapbook called appropriately ‘Love’.

I’m also working on “The Return of Rainbows” poems written while a mature-age student at University and some short stories which I hope someone will enjoy.

When I’ve put those two new books up on KINDLE, I am going to attempt converting my children’s book “Santa’s Swim” on there too, so watch this space.

Meantime, buy or lend my latest KINDLE  “Love” or “Rail Tales” but remember I have a few printed copies left, which you can purchase directly from me.

Before you…

… I slept in a bed

without creases

only pulled up

the sheet to straighten

smooth – no effort at all

ready for the next dreamtime

now I love my wrinkles…

ReUnion

stepping softly

you trod the path

to my front door

never rang the bell

played favourite songs

over and over until

senses on overload

surrounded by romance

you kissed me quick

heart pumped electric

singing over barriers

erected years ago

against pain and hurt

welcomed as veins

formed highways

joined the chorus

zinging with heat

barely contained

thrumming melody

words all ready

rhymed with roses

thorns ignored

fresh and bloody

us young again

Frances Macaulay Forde © 2003

#francesmacaulayforde #mcalpinebellpublishing #RailTalesBOOK  #LoveBOOK

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A Bit Stuck for Inspiration

A Bit Stuck for Inspiration.

I love this ‘Thinking of you’ illustration, it has soon much emotion in it.

Years ago my daughter and I wrote lots of ideas for greeting cards down.  She is an artist and I wrote the words… haven’t thought about it since.  But I may now seek it out and think about offering them on my website.

Thanks for reading my blog, I shall now follow yours 🙂

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Duelling Alison

Last week I attended a masterclass with illustrator Alison Lester.  So inspiring I totally forgot to take photos to share the experience (sorry) but have a look at her website and the wonderful 25+ books Alison has been involved in either writing or illustrating.

I came home with two beautiful books signed by Alison to my grandies:  Kissed by the Moon  was recommended for my 19 month old by Alison and Imagine with a sparkly cover things to do while we read, for my 5 year old.  

Kissed by the Moon #AlisonLester © 2014

Imagine by Alison Lester #AlisonLester © 2014

When I read each of these for the first time, I got shivers of sheer enjoyment from the beautiful illustrations and simple but so evocative wording – hard to do.

I confess, I was not aware of Alison before the class but I’m now a HUGE fan and intend to build a library of as many of her books as possible  for my grandchildren.

I consider no other gift as valuable as the love of books and like my children, my grandchildren already have an excellent collection of (especially but not exclusively) Australian writers.

Now they have two more treasures.

Our very active and totally encouraging local Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators:  SCWBI WEST volunteers, organised the Masterclass to be held on the same day as Duelling Illustrators.

No less than 6 illustrators took part, with three writers offering their unpublished manuscripts as the stimulus for furious flaying of arms around large sheets of paper.

An exciting and great fun, FREE event with standing room only.    If you missed this one, don’t miss the next event which happens once a year at the State Library in the Perth Cultural Centre – one of my all time favorite places to be.

SCWBI West members stayed back “Behind Closed Doors – a view from the Publisher’s desk” with Cate Sutherland  from Fremantle Press and Jane Godwin from Penguin Books.

Many lucky members left the next morning for a writers retreat held over last weekend on Rottnest Island,  just 14 Km off the coast of Perth.

Can’t wait to read the wonderful books which result, as they do every year.

If you’re a West Australian writer or illustrator – or talented enough to do both, I highly recommend you join in the fun and nurturing at  SCWBI West.

 

#SCWBIWest  #AlisonLester  #FrancesMacaulayForde #DuellingIllustrators

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My first KINDLE!

KINDLE edition #francesmacaulayforde

 

Well, that’s it – I’ve just published my first KINDLE book on Amazon of a previously printed  “Rail Tales ~ notes from the Currumbine Line”  and naturally, had to buy the first copy.

“Poetry and stories written while travelling on the Currumbine Line between the City of Perth and the Northern Suburbs in Western Australia.”    

It’s live and available right now so I’m pretty pleased.  (It certainly wasn’t as easy as I thought it would be but I managed.)

Here’s another of my favorite short poems from the book:

 

Rail Trail

parallel bars ride the sand

silver bullet steered by hand

expressed in kilometre-d speed

human flotsam to concrete greed

 

 

…and a (very, very) short story I hope you’ll smile at, remembering I was riding the rails when I wrote it.

 

The Great Escape.

Head back, eyes closed. I savor the cool, quiet efficiency of train travel.

I’m alone on this journey.  It is obviously not a popular time to commute.

Silence.  Then a scuffle, a soft knock below me and to the left, makes me

open my eyes. There it is again.  Are there mice on this train?  

It sounds like old crackle-y paper. Rounded, moving haphazardly

in all directions.

I hope the security video can’t see me climb onto the seat. 

Where is it? More importantly – what is it?

Feeling foolish, I gingerly step down. Then cautiously kneel and bend over,

eyes level to the carpet, bum up. 

Oh, it’s O.K. Panic over. Breathe again.

It’s only an onion, enjoying the freedom of riding on the train. 

Do you think it’s got a ticket?

 

 Frances Macaulay Forde © 2003

#BOOKRailTales   #FrancesMacaulayForde

#McAlpineBellPublishing

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Wordless Wednesday: Sunset

Dingle Co. Kerry, Ireland #FrancesMacaulayForde © 2003

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