REVIEW: THE WOMAN NEXT DOOR BY LIZ BYRSKI

Another book I must add to my list… anything by Liz is worth your special time.

Write Note Reviews

Reviews on this site will now comprise a book blurb and a short response.

One thing I’ve always admired about Liz Byrski is the way she tackles themes like friendship and ageing in a realistic, but warm, manner. After hearing good things about The Woman Next Door, I welcomed the chance to read a friend’s copy.

Over the years, the residents of Emerald Street have become more than just neighbours, they have built lasting friendships over a drink and chat on their back verandahs.

Now a new chapter begins with the children having left home. Helen and Dennis have moved from their high maintenance family property to an apartment by the river with all the mod cons. For Joyce and Mac, the empty nest has Joyce craving a new challenge, while Mac fancies retirement on the south coast.

Meanwhile, Polly embarks on a surprising long-distance relationship. But she worries…

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Before You Forget

Year Twelve is not off to a good start for Amelia. Art is her world, but her art teacher hates everything she does; her best friend has stopped talking to her; her mother and father may as well be …

Source: Before You Forget

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AUTHOR INSIGHT: MEET NORMAN JORGENSEN

I wish there was a ‘LOVE’ button! Norm is the nicest man, an exciting storyteller and a clever conveyor of information to young minds. He does it so well it seems like a delicious secret only the reader has discovered and can savoir… Nice to meet you again, Norm.

Write Note Reviews

Norman Jorgensen was born in Broome, the eldest of four brothers, and has lived in several country towns since. At a young age he developed a love of books, especially historical novels like Treasure Island, and old movies. At age thirteen Norman learned to sail. These days he loves travelling and researching exotic places for his books. His latest book is The Smuggler’s Curse.

His books also include The Last Viking and The Last Viking Returns. The Last Viking won the 2012 Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators’ Crystal Kite Award, the 2012 WA Young Readers’ Hoffman Award and a 2012 Children’s Book Council of Australia Junior Judges Award. Jorgensen won CBCA picture book of the year for In Flanders Fields.

Monique: Your latest novel for children is The Smuggler’s Curse. Tell me a bit about it.  

Norman: The story is set in 1896 and tells of…

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Warnock Awards…

Congratulations Miley and Aaron – two screenwriters I have been quietly watching for the last couple of years.

Screenwest has selected Western Australian emerging writers Miley Tunnecliffe and Aaron Moss as the successful candidates of the 2017 Bill Warnock Writers Initiative following a highly competitive two-round assessment process.   Read the full article from SCREENWEST.

 

#WarnockAwards  #Screenwriting  #MileyTunnercliffe  #AaronMoss    #Writing  #AWG

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Mary Tyler Moore (1936-2017)

R.I.P. Mary Tyler Moore.

Screenwriting from Iowa

“Today Mary Richards and her DNA can be found in nearly every major female character in primetime.”
Tina Fey on the character Mary Tyler Moore played in the TV show that lead to Moore winning four of her seven Primetime Emmy Awards

The day after I won a Regional Emmy for this blog in 2008 I drove the the Starbucks in Crystal, Minnesota where Diablo Cody wrote much of Juno, and I then drove to downtown Minneapolis and took this photo of the Mary Tyler Moore statue on the Nicollet Mall.

I’ve read the because of construction in that area the statue is temporarily “housed inside the Minneapolis Visitor Information Center at 505 Nicollet Mall, Suite 100.” And because of her death today flowers are being placed on the statue.  Here’s the opening of The Mary Tyler Moore Showthat ended with the famous hat toss of a happy Mary Richards.

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WA Writers Festival

Catching up on my connections at WriteOutLoud, I was introduced to ‘The High Window’ and renewed another connection from University days; a favourite poet who visited OZ from the UK:  Esther Morgan.  I am so happy.

That’s the beauty of retirement – you have the time to catch up with fleeting moments…

  My WA Writers blog shout-out on WOL.

Some favourite writers on WOL:  Winston Plowes   David Cooke   Steve Pottinger

Some of my poems on WOL:  Boxes  7 poems   Front Page Impact   All Washed Up

#WAWritersFest  #WriteOutLoud  #Poetry  #Writing  #FrancesMacaulayForde

 

 

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Write Out Loud!

This poem from the ‘Write Out Loud!’ website, was written a long time ago as a love song to my favourite car after it ‘gave up the ghost’ leaving behind 17 happy years of memories. “My Car” 1st appeared in my book ‘Hidden Capacity ~ a poet’s journey’.

   2008                     2016

Since I’ve recently ’embraced the grey’, the poem has new appeal for me ~ I find I am the metaphor!

#EmbraceTheGrey  #ReadingMyPoem   #CarLover  #poetry  #writing   #FrancesMacaulayForde

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Kindle no more…

Just noting the illegal download site is now blocked.
Well done and thank you to whoever removed it.

Perth Words... exploring possibilities.

Just to let everyone know, I’m busy taking my e-books off Kindle but leaving a couple of print versions of poetry books available on Amazon.

Soon after they were published on Amazon/Kindle, I found the mss available for free download (elsewhere) on the net.    I reported it to Amazon who said they had been copied illegally…  (?)  Not happy, Jan!

I want to try another publishing vehicle to see what their service is like and will let you know as soon as I have set it up.

#FrancesMForde  #E-BOOK:E-males  #E-BOOK:MeetingMrX  #E-BOOK:LoveYouMum  #E-BOOK:Overtime

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Paddington Bear – CBE

This is an old article from June 2016 but I’m posting it because I thoroughly enjoyed the film. Not what I expected, however great fun.  Nicole Kidman was surprisingly sinister but Paddington Bear was very well done and the story held up.  Highly recommended for 6 and overs. 

Congratulations to the writer for a well-deserved CBE as well!

Paddington Bear writer awarded CBE for services to children’s literature following character’s big screen success

• Michael Bond, 89, said he may take much-loved character to the ceremony
• The author was also given an OBE in 1997 for his creation Paddington Bear
• Big screen success introduced the bear to a new generation of children

Read more:  Daily Mail Article

#DailyMail   #PaddingtonBear  #MichaelBond  #OBE  #WritingForChildren #BestLovedBooks

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Meet the Author: Mark Greenwood

Congratulations, Mark.

In Their Own Write

Mark’s top tip for authors: To write well is an ongoing process. Strive to learn and improve. Don’t be easily discouraged. Read with a writer’s eye. If you write about history, learn to balance reading for pleasure with research.

Mark Greenwood’s award-winning books examining history, myths and legends have been published and honoured internationally.

Simpson and His Donkey was a CBCA Honour Book and a USBBY Outstanding International Book. Jandamarra, illustrated by Terry Denton, was shortlisted for the CBCA Eve Pownall Award, the NSW Premier’s Literary Awards Patricia Wrightson Prize for Children’s Literature and the West Australian Young Readers’ Book Awards.

Mark often teams with his wife, illustrator Frané Lessac, to produce books that promote an understanding of multicultural issues, such as Drummer Boy of John John, Magic Boomerang, Outback Adventure, and Our Big Island. Their recent titles include The Mayflower and Midnight –…

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