It has been a long dark winter spent in lockdown here in Sydney! Luckily for me I live near the ocean in Manly, and so I have been able to walk along the beach front or by the harbour most days, and work in my garden, and read in the early spring sunshine. My vegetable garden is bursting with fresh green goodness, and so I’ve been cooking up some feasts too.
I’ve begun work on my next novel, which is a retelling of ‘Psyche’, one of my favourite myths. It’s very early days yet, so I’m mainly reading and researching and daydreaming – though I have already written the first 101 words! The beginning of a new story is always the hardest part to write, and so I’m hoping the fact my opening lines came to me in a flash means the rest of the novel will come as easily and swiftly (though I promise you this is wishful thinking – writing a novel is never easy!) If you’d like to know more about the inspirations of ‘Psyche’ check out my Writing Journal HERE.
I’m also working on The Maiden Made of Blossoms & Other Tales of Transformation, the fifth book in the ‘Long Lost Fairy Tales’ series. There are seven stories in each book, and so far I have rewritten the ancient Japanese fable of ‘The Fox Witch’, an old Romanian fairy tale about a girl who wishes to be a boy, ‘The Frog King’ which was probably told to Wilhem Grimm by Dortchen Wild, the heroine of my novel The Wild Girl, and ‘Tattercoats’, an English version of ‘Cinderella’ which has a delightful gooseherd in it as the heroine’s magical helper. Next, I plan to retell the Welsh myth of Bloduewedd, the maiden made of blossoms who was transformed into an owl.
I’ve also been busy developing an inspiring new creative writing course called Dare to Dream: Find your Voice and Tell your Story. It’s an online course, running every Monday night for 4 weeks in November, and is designed for writers at any stage of their careers who wish to unlock the door to their subconscious and find joy, inspiration, vitality and empowerment in telling their story. It’s already booking out fast, so be quick if you want to join us! You can book here through the Australian Writers Centre
For other writing courses, keep an eye on my Upcoming Talks & Workshops page – and I’m very hopeful that my Cotswolds retreat will go ahead next year, hopefully in mid-May.
FOR MORE INFORMATION, CONTACT:
Jenny Gordon
Better Read Literary Tours
[email protected]
And, finally, you can read my reviews of the best books I’ve read recently at What Katie Read - including books by Maggie O’Farrell, Kathryn Heyman, Gabrielle Carey and Sheila Kohler.
Bright blessings upon you all!
Kate
