Surprise!

I don't usually enjoy having people surprise me, I like to know what's going to happen and plan around it but the last few days have been filled with some great surprise's. Firstly my parent's popping over for a totally surprise visit from New Zealand and my wonderful hubby managing to keep it quiet for two weeks worth of planning! It was amazing and so well timed as it felt such a long time until the holidays. I am so blessed to have such wonderful loved ones! The other surprise's over the weekend, the Silverfern's beating the Aussie netball team and the French being silly enough to think walking towards the All Blacks during the Haka wasn't going to make them fight harder to win! Now incase you're thinking you've hit the wrong blog, no I'm not a crazy sports nut infact usually I avoid it at all cost's but when it comes to New Zealand I have a soft spot and can be talked into watching. The great thing about surprising people is the unexpected results and reaction, life isn't always going to be predictable and if it was how boring would that be for all of us? I detest watching movies or reading books where I can pick the outcome from the start and our lives should hold some of that unexpected delight too not just repetition! Think how much better we are as people and in this context as writers because we can experience and enjoy the up's and downs of the unexpected in life, it makes for some fabulous writing fodder too you know! On that note, to my darling Mum. I know you are going to read this so .... surprise, you are awesome I am so blessed to have you and a wonderful family. Thank you for being the most awesome encouragement and foundation in my life, you are the best. Enjoy the day and ride people, do not accept a mediocre life! Isobial

You thought the hard part was done?

When ever I talk to people about what I do there's a lttle pause where you can almost hear them thinking "really" as in well sitting around writing's not that hard. Actually it is, no matter how much you enjoy doing it there is a lot of mind numbing hard work that goes into every finished page. Depending on the topic you can spend months researching and formulating just one chapter. Add the extra demands of life into the mix and what seemed like a fairly simple prospect now looks like the impossible, but if you hang in there the overwhelming sense of achievement you feel when you hold that completed manuscript in your hands makes it all worthwhile! At present we are experiencing the joy of gettting published; this is a real whirlwind of fast learning! The options are numerous and daunting but life is mean't to be an adventure isn't it? We will keep updating the blog on how that's going and of course providing as much info as possible to others; who knows what other amazing books are out there just waiting to be shared with us! Keep an eye out for blog updates as we will list some of the self publishing options, writing competitions and publishing houses shortly. To completely change topic for just a second before I go, congrat's to The Warriors and All Blacks fantastic job yesterday...very proud to be Kiwi over here! Have a great day...an yes it's still sunny here! Isobial :)