tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-107600042011-04-22T14:26:34.320+10:00On writing romantic fictionBronwyn Parryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02987772491981857089noreply@blogger.comBlogger1401100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10760004.post-4499396499403253442008-02-09T16:23:00.000+11:002008-02-09T16:39:04.193+11:00

My blog has now moved over to a WordPress installation on my website. Please change your bookmarks and any links to:http://bronwynparry.com/blog/And pop on over and have a look! It's still somewhat under construction, and the visual design will probably change to complement my book cover when I get it, but the basic structure is in place.

Bronwyn Parryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02987772491981857089noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10760004.post-4718532420674143552008-01-26T11:51:00.000+11:002008-01-26T12:31:44.463+11:00

After discussion and consideration between the team at Hachette, my agent, and moi, we have decided on the title:As Darkness FallsAs Darkness Falls will be released in September, here in Australia. I'm very pleased with the title, and excited that it's all starting to happen; the revised first two chapters are in, ready for production to start on samplers; the graphic designer is working on the

Bronwyn Parryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02987772491981857089noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10760004.post-22368446285143750712008-01-15T16:12:00.000+11:002008-01-15T16:28:44.882+11:00

What's been happening since I last posted?We had a pleasant dinner on Christmas night at the home or friends of ours, and a quiet New Year's Eve at home.I had a lovely few days in Sydney, with my mother and my sister. Highlights included meeting my agent, the wonderful Clare Forster, and lunching with her at the Customs House restaurant with views of Sydney Harbour. On the Friday evening, Mum and

Bronwyn Parryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02987772491981857089noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10760004.post-85963709291492333982007-12-24T19:42:00.000+11:002007-12-24T19:57:32.959+11:00

Best wishes to all for a joyful Christmas, and a wonderful 2008. Our Christmas tree is only a simple. small one, but I think it's pretty:And to continue in the seasonal traditions, I baked another batch of fruit mince tarts today - I wonder how long they'll last??

Bronwyn Parryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02987772491981857089noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10760004.post-34146782029816420692007-12-23T16:25:00.000+11:002007-12-23T16:38:26.206+11:00

My DH isn't much into Christmas, so I usually give him a gift, or a special dinner, for the Summer Solstice. This year I couldn't find exactly what I was looking for, but I did come across some shelving on special at the hardware shop. Since we don't have a shed or garage, most of our shed-type stuff is stored in the carport, and it's been getting steadily untidier as we've acquired more

Bronwyn Parryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02987772491981857089noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10760004.post-2964775913439007232007-12-15T11:11:00.000+11:002007-12-15T11:25:39.634+11:00

No, this photo wasn't 'staged'. Ted lives in and around the basket; he's a favourite toy of our other dog, Tansy, who loves to play 'fetch Ted' (not to mention have a chew of Ted.) Jaffa, The Princess Dog, isn't much into games, but she does like to snuggle into things, and on this occasion Ted served the purpose.This was taken not long after both dogs had been clipped, hence the

Bronwyn Parryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02987772491981857089noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10760004.post-32782084416202283842007-11-29T21:20:00.001+11:002007-11-29T21:43:38.306+11:00

Oops. It's been a while since I posted in here. It really doesn't seem like two months, but that's what the dates say!So, what's been happening? I had a great meeting in Sydney last week with my publisher, and met quite a few of the fantastic team who will be working on and marketing my book. I went up to Sydney from Canberra, where I went to give a paper at the conference of The Australian

Bronwyn Parryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02987772491981857089noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10760004.post-50760627916269596092007-09-29T07:55:00.001+10:002007-09-29T08:52:50.145+10:00

There have been requests for my Call Story. On one of my email lists, Anna Campbell said I had to make sure to include every squeal. Does that mean I have to include every cough, sneeze and wheeze, too?Yes, I was sick, suffering from a really bad cold or flu. On Thursday a week ago, agent Clare Forster from Curtis Brown Australia, who'd been considering the manuscript, offered representation, and

Bronwyn Parryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02987772491981857089noreply@blogger.com12tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10760004.post-35300805973688610752007-09-28T18:23:00.000+10:002007-09-28T18:46:08.582+10:00

It's been an amazing week or so for me. Last Thursday, I had an offer of representation from a agent with a great depth of industry experience, Clare Forster from Curtis Brown Australia. The following day, I received an offer for my books. Now that all the discussions are finalised, I'm thrilled and over the moon to be able to say that I've today accepted the offer from Hachette Livre Australia (

Bronwyn Parryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02987772491981857089noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10760004.post-8447373787196922972007-09-26T08:25:00.000+10:002007-09-26T08:52:27.573+10:00

There's a short article in The Australian today about my research and my writing. It wasn't the best interview I've ever given, but it's come out okay. The journalist interviewed me on a busy day a few weeks ago, not long after I'd done a radio interview, and it didn't really click in my head while we were talking that he was doing the article for the Higher Education section, so I didn't gear my

Bronwyn Parryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02987772491981857089noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10760004.post-18362692954097621192007-09-21T17:14:00.000+10:002007-09-21T20:06:43.967+10:00

I've been juggling too many things lately; although my job went back to part-time, I've added some casual work and some consultancy work this month, plus I had almost a week in Canberra a week or two back, visiting my folks. It was great to have some time with them; I saw my sister and mother in August in Sydney, but I hadn't seen my Dad, or my sister's family, for months.My niece and nephew are

Bronwyn Parryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02987772491981857089noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10760004.post-56744912046616052062007-08-27T22:00:00.000+10:002007-08-27T22:12:09.540+10:00

It's been a rough few weeks, with too much work and not enough good stuff. However, rather than complaining (again) about that, I'll just mention in passing that the winter is coming to an end, we've had two gorgeous spring-weather days after a week of desperately-needed rain, the wattles are coming out in flower, blossoms in town are blooming, the willows down by Burying Ground Creek have a

Bronwyn Parryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02987772491981857089noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10760004.post-7768659751058140382007-08-15T07:55:00.000+10:002007-08-15T08:11:18.464+10:00

I had great time at the RWAustralia conference in Sydney at the weekend - it was wonderful to catch up with people, and there was the extra bonus of having my mother and sister each spend some time in Sydney with me. (Mum would have been there longer, but unfortunately had to go home after one night as Dad was ill.)Highlights were the awards dinner, and some quiet time catching up with my friend

Bronwyn Parryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02987772491981857089noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10760004.post-67727720501363413152007-08-07T13:45:00.000+10:002007-08-07T14:37:51.704+10:00

I'm supposed to be sending out my book to the two agents and two editors who have requested it. One wanted a long synopsis - but did I have a long synopsis? Nope. I can write a decent short synopsis, but the long synopsis has proved a challenge.However, it's almost done now - only the last couple of paragraphs to do, the ones which summarise the resolution of the book and the final scene.Yep, the

Bronwyn Parryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02987772491981857089noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10760004.post-61902853271818926172007-07-23T19:28:00.001+10:002007-07-23T19:37:29.139+10:00

I finally found the lead to download photos from my camera...A batty gathering on the Sunday morning - L to R, Michele, Pam, moi, Tiana and Theresa.The awards night - Theresa, me, and the gorgeous Melanie Scott, double GH finalist.Me with Michele, Tiana and Theresa.

Bronwyn Parryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02987772491981857089noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10760004.post-15422803265661839572007-07-20T07:32:00.000+10:002007-07-22T14:19:17.585+10:00

I started writing this post a couple of days ago, but then Blogger seemed to be having a few conniptions and wouldn't save it.My week in Dallas was a wonderful, amazing time, and I was already glad I went long before I won the Golden Heart. Spending days immersed in the romance genre with people who respect it, love it, read it and write it was inspiring.Highlights and great memories:Monday -

Bronwyn Parryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02987772491981857089noreply@blogger.com14tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10760004.post-14573754355866167562007-07-17T17:54:00.000+10:002007-07-17T20:03:54.321+10:00

I'm finally home again, after all the excitement of the RWA Conference in Dallas and the absolute, amazing thrill of winning the Golden Heart award for best romantic suspense manuscript.I'm very, very tired though, and am having trouble locating a functioning braincell, so please excuse this short post! I'll write more later, but in the meantime, my friend Theresa was with me at the awards, and

Bronwyn Parryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02987772491981857089noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10760004.post-20040233392566469982007-07-06T14:42:00.001+10:002007-07-06T14:44:11.354+10:00

My interview for ABC Radio National's Bush Telegraph went well this morning - although I was nervous about it because I knew many of my online friends were listening in!If anyone wants to listen to it, the audio file of the program is now available. It's in the program for Friday 6th July. Click on the audio links to the right to either listen via streaming or download the file. I'm about 26

Bronwyn Parryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02987772491981857089noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10760004.post-81100506483279961572007-07-05T22:18:00.000+10:002007-07-05T22:24:23.235+10:00

I leave on Saturday just before midday, and by the time I get to Dallas, about 48 hours will have elapsed. Not all of that will be on planes; I have almost 24 hours in Sydney, and 4 hours at San Francisco.However, there's plenty of reading time ahead. I don't want to take too many books, for luggage space and weight reasons, so I've selected from the TBR pile:Nora Roberts - Northern LightsRita

Bronwyn Parryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02987772491981857089noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10760004.post-43156248848988046452007-07-05T12:09:00.001+10:002007-07-05T12:18:25.257+10:00

...before I leave home to head to Dallas. I'm even vaguely organised; I haven't actually started packing the suitcase yet, but it's out from under the spare bed, dusted, and I've been stacking clothes that I'm going to take on the bed, ready to be packed.The DH solved a couple of technical problems for me last night, so now I can charge my iPod without the laptop, and I have an additional, large

Bronwyn Parryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02987772491981857089noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10760004.post-55917977766621435562007-06-28T22:17:00.000+10:002007-06-28T22:25:33.070+10:00

The media interest continues - yesterday TV station NBN filmed a segment for the regional evening news, and ABC Online contacted me and later posted an item on their news website. Today, I had an interview with ABC Radio Canberra, and tomorrow morning I have one scheduled with ABC Radio in Central Australian. I suspect that will be the last one, other than the Radio National one we have scheduled

Bronwyn Parryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02987772491981857089noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10760004.post-46584597905885188122007-06-26T22:28:00.000+10:002007-06-27T19:24:57.842+10:00

It’s been an amazing couple of days. My university sent out a media release yesterday morning, about my being a finalist in the RWA Golden Heart Award. I expected the local paper to pick it up, and perhaps the regional radio station, but the response has been overwhelming - I’ve done two radio interviews today, for the local regional radio station and the regional station for the north coast, a

Bronwyn Parryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02987772491981857089noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10760004.post-476059487840449232007-06-17T07:57:00.000+10:002007-07-04T10:01:11.949+10:00

I found out earlier in the week, but couldn't say anything until it was officially announced:My two entries in the RWAustralia Single (Title) and Loving It contest placed second and third. The manuscripts are Dark Legacy, the loosely-linked sequel to my Golden Heart finalling book; and Shadows and Light.Both manuscripts have been challenging to write, for various reasons, and each has had a

Bronwyn Parryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02987772491981857089noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10760004.post-3246783747417042232007-05-04T08:53:00.000+10:002007-05-04T08:55:10.743+10:00

I'm GuestBlogging about my research over on Romance By the Blog today. Hop on over and visit!!

Bronwyn Parryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02987772491981857089noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10760004.post-70346479729767262232007-04-17T10:21:00.000+10:002007-04-17T10:37:24.923+10:00

It's decided - I AM going to the RWA National Conference in Dallas in July. It will be a quick trip, just a week away, with a day or so in Dallas to get over the jet lag before the conference starts, and heading home on the Sunday afternoon.I'm not looking forward to the whole flying half-way across the world thing, but it's good incentive to lose some weight, so I'll fit into those tiny airplane

Bronwyn Parryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02987772491981857089noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10760004.post-15282420421671071932007-04-06T20:50:00.000+10:002007-04-06T20:56:17.412+10:00

I wasn't particularly happy with the website design I've had for a year or more, so in this last week it's undergone a major renovation. If I had the money, I'd get a professional to do it, as my visual design imagination and skills aren't at the professional level, however, I've had to do it myself - at least for now.So, please check it out at http://bronwynparry.comI welcome feedback on it!(

Bronwyn Parryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02987772491981857089noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10760004.post-46963181889565609882007-04-01T15:58:00.000+10:002007-04-01T16:16:03.337+10:00

The RWA needs an author photo from each of the Golden Heart finalists, and, as I'm no gorgeous model with a portfolio of glamour shots, I need help in deciding what to send!I'm still not used to the new hairstyle and colour (I had my long hair chopped off last Thursday), which adds to my indecision about what looks best.So, 1, 2, or 3 - or option 4 - drag long-suffering DH out for another

Bronwyn Parryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02987772491981857089noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10760004.post-72913265194348724772007-03-27T09:32:00.000+10:002007-03-27T09:38:13.054+10:00

Well, I said I'd blog again if there was exciting news, and there is!I was overjoyed and honoured to find out yesterday that my ms, Falling into Darkness, is a finalist in the RWA's Golden Heart Award, in the romantic suspense category. I still can't quite believe it!Congratulations to all the other finalists, and commiserations to those who didn't final.Finances are fairly tight, and getting to

Bronwyn Parryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02987772491981857089noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10760004.post-32621481196482156232007-01-20T19:23:00.000+11:002007-01-20T20:03:52.829+11:00

After a lot of thought, I've decided to take a break from this blog for a while. I've found it a bit difficult to blog well here, for a range of reasons, but mostly because I've been conscious that with my PhD research on online romance readers and writers communities gearing up for major action this year, I've needed to keep my public image relatively neutral - which has meant not commenting on

Bronwyn Parryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02987772491981857089noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10760004.post-21825470656676494902006-12-25T15:19:00.000+11:002006-12-25T17:38:48.560+11:00

The second turkey I've ever cooked.Our simple, delicious Christmas lunch.

Bronwyn Parryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02987772491981857089noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10760004.post-13915937405608723852006-11-22T09:04:00.000+11:002006-11-22T13:08:57.709+11:00

My most recent order from amazon arrived yesterday, including two copies of this book, written by my friend Joanna Sandsmark.It's gorgeous! Beautiful illustrations, with the text a warm, gentle 'philosophy' that is delightful and meaningful.I bought one copy for me and another to give as a gift, but I think I'm going to have to order a couple more. It's too beautiful not to share with others.

Bronwyn Parryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02987772491981857089noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10760004.post-52187029875112619402006-11-17T14:07:00.000+11:002006-11-17T15:15:21.757+11:00

1. The first actor I had a crush on was the guy who played Thierry la fronde in the (very early) 1960s French series, which was shown here as The King's Outlaw.Yes, he's the one in the left front in the short jerkin and the tight tights - as all good heroes should be :-) Thierry was played by actor Jean-Claude Drouot, who apparently went on to become a significant actor in French theatre.2. Much

Bronwyn Parryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02987772491981857089noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10760004.post-62615252753604272952006-11-17T13:38:00.000+11:002006-11-17T13:42:58.509+11:00

Jennie Adams has tagged me. She wants me to reveal 5 things that no-one (or hardly anyone) knows about me. Hmmmm... might have to think about this. What secrets shall I reveal?? Is there anything interesting about me that not many people know??Stay tuned...(And in the meantime, go and visit Jennie's blog.

Bronwyn Parryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02987772491981857089noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10760004.post-51026900916516179102006-11-11T13:13:00.000+11:002006-11-11T13:45:55.411+11:00

Many of the big name, American, historical romance authors are hard to find here. Borders only has stores in the capital cities, and they're the only place I've come across that actually has a 'Romance' section. Sadly, I don't get to the city very often. Our local bookstores have some romances sprinkled in with 'Fiction', but not a large range. However, I've managed to hunt a few historical BNA

Bronwyn Parryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02987772491981857089noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10760004.post-1161326046507501282006-10-20T16:19:00.000+10:002006-10-22T08:42:20.881+10:00

My friend Kelly Hunter's first book Wife for a Week burst onto Australian shelves this week. (Okay, it was a bit slow getting to our town, but made it eventually!)I had lunch with Kelly and fellow writer Michelle today to celebrate - a thoroughly pleasant lunch, with two wonderful writing women to chat with and a gorgeous, happy baby to cuddle. Can't think of a better way to spend a Friday

Bronwyn Parryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02987772491981857089noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10760004.post-1158657711897111182006-09-19T19:06:00.000+10:002006-10-22T08:42:20.817+10:00

When I went to my first romance writers' conference, I didn't know anybody. I'd never even met another romance writer. One of the people I met was Jennie Adams, who was wonderful and introduced me to others and made me feel welcome and included. Jennie and I also met up again at the RWAus conference in Melbourne last year, and have maintained a great online friendship.Jennie's first books for

Bronwyn Parryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02987772491981857089noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10760004.post-1157978635691585482006-09-11T22:39:00.000+10:002006-10-22T08:42:20.753+10:00

I've just updated the look of the blog - I was getting a little bored with the old theme, and at least this one has some colour similarity to my web page. I was trying to edit the stylesheet to include some of the photos from my web page, and make the designs more similar, but it was too hard after a long day at work, especially given that CSS and I have only a nodding acquaintance!I may do some

Bronwyn Parryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02987772491981857089noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10760004.post-1157280359610074042006-09-03T20:38:00.000+10:002006-10-22T08:42:20.686+10:00

My parents celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary on Friday night. It was a wonderful night, with 50 or so friends and family including cousins I haven't seen for many years who travelled from Melbourne for the event. The photo above is my parents with my sisters and I. (I'm the one who looks just like my Mum!)My folks are two very special, amazing, and inspirational people and it was a great

Bronwyn Parryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02987772491981857089noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10760004.post-1156674498259649762006-08-27T20:05:00.000+10:002006-10-22T08:42:20.618+10:00

We returned home this afternoon after just over two weeks away in the eastern Outback. It was a great trip - great company, fantastic weather almost the whole way, and amazing landscape - but I'm a bit too tired tonight to try and write anything intelligent about it!Keep an eye on the photoblog - I'll put some pictures up over the next few days.

Bronwyn Parryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02987772491981857089noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10760004.post-1154835122262547732006-08-06T13:07:00.000+10:002006-10-22T08:42:20.546+10:00

There you go. I've obviously hit the big time of some strange cult following, since 18% of the last 100 searches that brought people to my blog are for some variant of 'kookaburra sits in the old gum tree.' I've been noticing this for a while, actually - ever since I made a post with that title. People from all over the world - the US, UK, Europe, Japan, are searching for kookaburras and old

Bronwyn Parryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02987772491981857089noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10760004.post-1154520377298684962006-08-02T21:47:00.000+10:002006-10-22T08:42:20.470+10:00

Okay, so it's been quiet here lately. What have I been up to these past few weeks? Apart from the normal work/life stuff, I've been:dealing with a bad shoulder, which meant limiting my computer workspending limited computer time writingplanning our Outback tripmaking lists for our tripshopping for our trip (food, emergency supplies, first aid gear, equipment etc)trying to work out how to organise

Bronwyn Parryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02987772491981857089noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10760004.post-1152431773975540382006-07-09T17:45:00.000+10:002006-10-22T08:42:20.391+10:00

I suggested that our Spinners and Weavers Guild have a 'Something New' Challenge for the rest of the year - participants to try out a technique new to them, write a report for the newsletter, and everyone who participates goes into the draw at the end of the year for a voucher for a fibre or yarn supplier.So, to provide a first example to the guild, I decided to try out painting a warp, something

Bronwyn Parryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02987772491981857089noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10760004.post-1152410556357683112006-07-09T11:59:00.000+10:002006-10-22T08:42:20.322+10:00

(Procrastination hit this morning, and I was inspired to write this for my batty writers' group after some discussion about the terrors of parking.)The Ancient Art of Par-King.The origins of this art-form are lost in the sands of time. Earliest recordings are found in Asian poetry scrolls dating to 1000BCE, where Par-King appears to have been practised by court poets near lakeside views. It is

Bronwyn Parryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02987772491981857089noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10760004.post-1151923407340284502006-07-03T19:09:00.000+10:002006-10-22T08:42:20.259+10:00

We had a great trip with friends on Saturday down to part of the Oxley Wild Rivers National Park. A wilderness area, gorgeous scenery, good company - what more can anyone ask for?*After enjoying the view from the lookout at Budds Mare, we then drove along a 4WD only access track down the escarpment to the Riverside camping area on the Apsley River, nestled in the narrow valley. There we boiled

Bronwyn Parryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02987772491981857089noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10760004.post-1151566043879285092006-06-29T17:20:00.000+10:002006-10-22T08:42:20.192+10:00

I finally remembered to put a link in the sidebar to the Historical Resources for Romance Writers wiki that I set up a while ago. I haven't done a lot with it yet, but I updated a few things today and realised that despite me not spreading the word about it much, there's been 300+ visitors to it in the past few months. Nobody's added anything yet, but I hope I made the invitation to do so a

Bronwyn Parryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02987772491981857089noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10760004.post-1151411727863154822006-06-27T22:21:00.000+10:002006-10-22T08:42:20.120+10:00

In my day job, I work with academics, assisting them in developing online teaching materials. So, I need to make sure I know how to do things, in order to assist them. I've been experimenting with making short, teaching podcasts, so I recorded a podcast on using adverbs in writing. If you'd like to, you can listen to it here (2.47MB, 5:24minutes).It's mostly aimed at early career writers. I may

Bronwyn Parryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02987772491981857089noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10760004.post-1150843208395102292006-06-21T08:28:00.000+10:002006-10-22T08:42:20.054+10:00

I've been sick lately, so there hasn't been much to blog about. But this morning my mood lifted when I looked out the kitchen window to the tangle that is called 'the herb garden' and saw that our little Eastern Spinebill Honeyeaters are back. There were about six of them, flitting in and out of the tree and into the 'garden', feeding on the rosemary flowers.We don't have them all year; it seems

Bronwyn Parryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02987772491981857089noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10760004.post-1149506628602784852006-06-05T21:07:00.000+10:002006-10-22T08:42:19.983+10:00

I'm looking for a word for 'envoy' that isn't French in origin. Envoy, ambassador, emissary - they're all Frenchy. I'm fiddling with an idea for a Viking/Saxon historical, and seeing if I could do it without any of those new-fangled French words that the Normans brought later.I suppose I could write it all in Old English (I did study it for a while at university), but, well, there might be a

Bronwyn Parryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02987772491981857089noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10760004.post-1149402491050209572006-06-04T16:20:00.000+10:002006-10-22T08:42:19.921+10:00

Wow. I'm famous. Or maybe that's infamous.We had a bit of fun today on one of my writer's loops, and the Bat Dame herself (aka the amazing Ann Wesley Hardin) thought my contribution was amusing and copied it to her blog.That's me - the occasional rare moment of brilliance, interspersed with interminably long periods of boring inanity. sigh I'd copy it here, but the Dame's blog is much more

Bronwyn Parryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02987772491981857089noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10760004.post-1149337711495838922006-06-03T22:17:00.000+10:002006-10-22T08:42:19.852+10:00

I've just watched part 1 of the excellent 2-part mini-series 'Answered by Fire', which is about the UN Mission to oversee the Independence vote in East Timor in 1999. David Wenham (he played Faramir in LOTR) plays an Australian police officer, part of an *unarmed* international force there to protect the voter registration process and the vote itself, amid violence from Indonesion-sponsored

Bronwyn Parryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02987772491981857089noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10760004.post-1148033068399414682006-05-19T19:17:00.000+10:002006-10-22T08:42:19.697+10:00

Yesterday's post reminded me that I've read a few books recently while on sick leave. The following comments are not by any stretch of the imagination intended as proper reviews - I didn't read them to review, and my mind was pretty distracted by other things, anyway, so they didn't get 100% attention!Poison Study by Maria Snyder. I enjoyed this fantasy; it's well-written with a well-created

Bronwyn Parryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02987772491981857089noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10760004.post-1147836969469011842006-05-17T13:27:00.000+10:002006-10-22T08:42:19.639+10:00

Yes, it's been ages since I posted - life happens, including being away for over a week dealing with family things, and being in hospital (I'm fine now) and general life stuff.Kate Rothwell's been talking about great books, I think arising out of general blogosphere discussion about the best books of the past 25 years.Nope, I'm not going to come up with my list, because that would take more brain

Bronwyn Parryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02987772491981857089noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10760004.post-1145696918710874832006-04-22T19:01:00.000+10:002006-10-22T08:42:19.578+10:00

This is the reason I haven't posted for a while: A couple of months ago, I agreed to set up and take a warp-weighted loom to the biennial Easter gathering hosted by the New England Medieval Arts Society (NEMAS), which is held in a wonderful pine forest setting about 10kms from Armidale. Several huundred reenactors come from all over Australia (and some from New Zealand) and camp out in an

Bronwyn Parryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02987772491981857089noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10760004.post-1143684090750091972006-03-30T12:58:00.000+11:002006-10-22T08:42:19.518+10:00

I love the blogosphere. There are so many interesting, imaginative, talented people out there.And now, Geoffrey Chaucer Hath a Blog. Yes, it's in Middle English (of sorts!) but it is well worth it - an absolute hoot!Fyghten togeder we dide, this valet and ich, in Rethel-toune whanne the Frensshe layde waste to yt to letten the Prince Noir from crossinge, and in the melee we were scatterede from

Bronwyn Parryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02987772491981857089noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10760004.post-1143407241806544652006-03-27T07:20:00.000+11:002006-10-22T08:42:19.385+10:00

I spent a couple of hours yesterday dallying at the website Mariners and Ships in Australian Waters. This site includes transcripts of crew and passenger lists of ships arriving in Sydney in the latter half of the 19th century. With more than 700 ships a year arriving - from all over the world, including other Australian colonies - it was a busy, bustling port.The historian in me loves these old

Bronwyn Parryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02987772491981857089noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10760004.post-1142887267516347382006-03-21T07:23:00.000+11:002006-10-22T08:42:19.320+10:00

Yes, yes, it's been deathly quiet in here. Work and general life have been way too busy, and the brain cell fused way back a week or two ago.This meme's been going around, so I figured I'd be lazy and use it as a blog entry.Four jobs you have had in your life:1. Pay clerk in a hospital2. Youth refuge coordinator3. YMCA manager4. Organisational development managerFour movies you would watch

Bronwyn Parryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02987772491981857089noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10760004.post-1142031987509178412006-03-11T09:49:00.000+11:002006-10-22T08:42:19.254+10:00

Living in the bush, we have a fair few kookaburras around our place. If you've never heard a kookaburra's laugh, there's a recording of a pair here.There are days when hearing one, or two or more kookaburras bursting into their chortle is a wonderful, life-is-good kind of sound. Then there are days when hearing a group of birds bursting into their cackling right outside the window reminds me more

Bronwyn Parryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02987772491981857089noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10760004.post-1141640203245567262006-03-06T20:51:00.000+11:002006-10-22T08:42:19.193+10:00

People often ask me why, with an Honours degree in history, I'm not writing historicals. Well, I probably will, one day, but in the meantime, I'm not because there's waaayyy to much research to do. My problem is that I'm interested in everyday history, in the practicalities of life for ordinary people in earlier times. I don't want to write about lords and ladies, and I don't want to just go

Bronwyn Parryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02987772491981857089noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10760004.post-1141593246852756972006-03-06T08:11:00.000+11:002006-10-22T08:42:19.130+10:00

I blogged over at The Belfry today.I also put some photos up on my photoblog last night.At some stage, I may even post something here...

Bronwyn Parryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02987772491981857089noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10760004.post-1140826685317157472006-02-25T10:58:00.000+11:002006-10-22T08:42:19.068+10:00

Ann Wesley Hardin posted about writing space, and the struggle to find the right space. Yep, I can relate to that struggle. When we designed our not-very-large house, I wasn't a writer. We also had to cut back on our plans, due to the high cost of building. The sunroom became my space - for my work materials, weaving, spinning and sewing equipment and stashes, and writing. It's a nice room, but

Bronwyn Parryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02987772491981857089noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10760004.post-1140641668424028102006-02-23T07:15:00.000+11:002006-10-22T08:42:18.999+10:00

I don't think I'm going to be one of those writers where readers say all the characters are the same. They're certainly very diverse in my imagining. Occasionally I almost wish that I could write more stereotypical ones - or maybe I should say 'archetypal' - but each one of mine lands in my imagination with a strong and very individual emotional core, and I have to then build on that, keep the

Bronwyn Parryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02987772491981857089noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10760004.post-1139103568558892702006-02-05T12:01:00.000+11:002006-10-22T08:42:18.939+10:00

A week or so ago, I bought Bronwyn Jameson's book, The Rugged Loner. The Harlequin and Silhouette books aren't published here until several months after the US, and so I'd been eagerly awaiting Bron's book - I don't read many books of that line, but Bron is not only a good writer, she's a wonderfully warm and supportive member of the Romance Writers of Australia and great company at conferences.

Bronwyn Parryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02987772491981857089noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10760004.post-1138168131992346102006-01-25T16:47:00.000+11:002006-10-22T08:42:18.819+10:00

It's my day to post over on the Belfry Collective Blog today.

Bronwyn Parryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02987772491981857089noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10760004.post-1137800897191269302006-01-21T09:42:00.000+11:002006-10-22T08:42:18.760+10:00

Are you ready for this train of thought?? Follow closely and hold on tight, because we're going round some bends mighty fast....Over on the Smart Bitches the other day, there was discussion about pennames and someone also mentioned porn star names - the name of your first pet, plus the name of the street you grew up.Sugar Tulip. That's my name according to this formula. Yep, it has a certain ring

Bronwyn Parryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02987772491981857089noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10760004.post-1137665725363888102006-01-19T20:52:00.000+11:002006-10-22T08:42:18.700+10:00

I know, I haven't posted for a while. But I have put some photos up on the other blog - evidence that I've actually been exercising. And I've been to the gym a few times. I'm never going to become a gym freak, but I'm trying to be serious about losing the weight I need to lose. Not manic - I'm sooo not into pain or deprivation - but by upping my exercise and reducing my intake a little, I'm

Bronwyn Parryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02987772491981857089noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10760004.post-1136771441399935752006-01-09T12:39:00.000+11:002006-10-22T08:42:18.638+10:00

One of my challenges as a writer is that I'm a kinesthetic person, rather than a visual one. So, while I have a strong sense of my characters, I find it hard to actually get a clear visual picture. But I need an image, so that I can study it and work out how I might describe the person in visual terms if required. And to pin up on my notice board as inspiration (or perspiration, in some cases ;-)

Bronwyn Parryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02987772491981857089noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10760004.post-1136702002156897052006-01-08T17:25:00.000+11:002006-10-22T08:42:18.578+10:00

Here's a free, fun and useful tool for romance readers:LibraryThingYou can quickly build an online catalogue of your books, tag them, rate them, share your list with others, and see what people who have the same books as you are also reading - a great way to find out about new books to read! The service draws on worldwide amazon and library databases, so cataloging books is not a laborious

Bronwyn Parryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02987772491981857089noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10760004.post-1136606811857651512006-01-07T14:59:00.000+11:002006-10-22T08:42:18.518+10:00

It was my day to post at The Belfry Collective yesterday - so I did.And this morning I made a walk into a photo exercise (because I hate any other sort of exercise) and the results are in my photoblog - and also up at Flickr, because I'm exploring it at the moment (as part of research for my day job - I'm supposed to know about these social software sites).

Bronwyn Parryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02987772491981857089noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10760004.post-1136337945863108432006-01-04T12:24:00.000+11:002006-10-22T08:42:18.458+10:00

Today I came across a free site for file storage that allows up to 1GB of space, and enables you to directly upload files and apply tags to them for easy finding. You can also, if you wish, share files from the site, (and there is support for developing and/or running assorted applications to automatically doing things with the files - not that I'm planning on using that, since I don't actually

Bronwyn Parryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02987772491981857089noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10760004.post-1136258907035965982006-01-03T14:06:00.000+11:002006-10-22T08:42:18.392+10:00

Like many writers, I often use background music to inspire the Muse. For me, it can't be just anything, and I've put together playlists to evoke the emotional ambience for the various characters and novels. For some, it's easy - Calli and Elliot in Falling into Darkness have a mix of haunting instrumental and folk pieces, and the raw earthiness of The Waterboys is perfect for Gil and Kris in Dark

Bronwyn Parryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02987772491981857089noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10760004.post-1136239964944157432006-01-03T08:38:00.000+11:002006-10-22T08:42:18.331+10:00

We made it back from our wanderings, and had a good time down south. The last few days the weather has been stinking hot, but we're looking forward to a cooler change today. or tomorrow. Or sometime soon....So, the New Year has come, and 2006 is happening. Looking back, 2005 wasn't the best year of my life, but we made it through. Around September, I realised how burnt out I really was; in the

Bronwyn Parryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02987772491981857089noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10760004.post-1135287892323141082005-12-23T08:34:00.000+11:002006-10-22T08:42:18.265+10:00

In a couple of hours, the DH and I will head off on our Christmas trip. We're taking the travelling fairly easy - we'll stay overnight in Mudgee tonight - about 5 hours drive away - and then go the rest of the way to Canberra (another 5 hours) on Saturday.Christmas will be with my family. We're staying with my sister and her family, who live on 20 acres or so to the north of Canberra. My parents

Bronwyn Parryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02987772491981857089noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10760004.post-1134469658304442312005-12-13T21:23:00.000+11:002006-10-22T08:42:18.205+10:00

I had today off work because of a bad headache, and since my brain was dead, in between naps I redesigned my web pages. I've been thinking about doing it for a while, and now I have, although it needs some fine-tuning yet.Please have a look if you have a moment, and let me know whether you like it, and whether it works on your computer. Any and all feedback gratefully received!http://

Bronwyn Parryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02987772491981857089noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10760004.post-1134341721830386632005-12-12T09:48:00.000+11:002006-10-22T08:42:18.140+10:00

Playwright Harold Pinter has just been awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature. His Nobel lecture - titled Art, Truth and Politics - is available online, as both video and text. It's an interesting and powerful speech. Most reports of it have focused on the political aspect - he is highly critical of the Iraq war and US and British actions - and I agree with most (but not necessarily all) that he

Bronwyn Parryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02987772491981857089noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10760004.post-1134334632551830102005-12-12T07:47:00.000+11:002006-10-22T08:42:18.070+10:00

Look over on my photoblog for our surprise visitor - a koala.

Bronwyn Parryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02987772491981857089noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10760004.post-1133827987437746862005-12-06T11:11:00.000+11:002006-10-22T08:42:18.005+10:00

Today's my day to post over in the Belfry Collective's blog.So fwap on over and read about my purple cape.

Bronwyn Parryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02987772491981857089noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10760004.post-1133780074091220082005-12-05T21:47:00.000+11:002006-10-22T08:42:17.942+10:00

Today I set up a wiki - Historical Resources for Romance Writers. You can find it at:http://historicalresources.wikispaces.com/Wikis are web tools for collaboration and resource building etc. Wikipedia is the biggest example, but there are lots of smaller ones out there. With a wiki, any one can easily and simply add and edit pages. You don't need to know fancy html or anything like that. And

Bronwyn Parryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02987772491981857089noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10760004.post-1132645518091587752005-11-22T18:12:00.000+11:002006-10-22T08:42:17.824+10:00

I haven't blogged much lately - I'm sorry about that. Life's just been a bit full. I've done a few entries on the photoblog, though, so whenever it's quiet here there may be something happening there.I had a stomach bug today so didn't go into work - and with thunderstorms and rain off and on all day, it's been a good afternoon to curl up with a book. The book I chose today was a cloth-bound

Bronwyn Parryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02987772491981857089noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10760004.post-1131141032762476312005-11-05T08:39:00.000+11:002006-10-22T08:42:17.765+10:00

I got tagged by Kate, who thinks I haven't been posting enough lately. She's right - I haven't. But I'm in Canberra, looking after elderly parents and trying to set things up so they can cope.Three screen names I've used: God, I'm so boring. I just use my own name.Three things you like about yourself: mostly optimistic, reasonable human being, even temperamentThree things you don't like about

Bronwyn Parryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02987772491981857089noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10760004.post-1129955884259640802005-10-22T14:30:00.000+10:002006-10-22T08:42:17.706+10:00

It's been a busy week, with one thing and another. Work is busy and I've worked a few late evenings; I got off my butt and went to the gym one night; we've been having very frustrating modem problems at home with consequent limited, slow, internet access, and to top it all off, on Wednesday my mother had a minor stroke.She's 500 miles away, and at times like these I really feel that distance.

Bronwyn Parryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02987772491981857089noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10760004.post-1129372014515721652005-10-15T20:14:00.000+10:002006-10-22T08:42:17.646+10:00

I'm enjoying playing with my new digital camera. I think it's meeting a need for me at the moment to be able to do something creative that has quick results. My other creative activites - writing, weaving, knitting - take so long to produce results that they're not as recharging for the soul as I need just now. However, with the camera, I can take it to work, photograph things during the day or

Bronwyn Parryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02987772491981857089noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10760004.post-1129112192686612982005-10-12T20:11:00.000+10:002006-10-22T08:42:17.587+10:00

Thank you to everyone who called in to our Author Day - and my humble apologies for the technical hassles during my hour! When yahoo stopped us reading messages from the website it created problems for me, as my email was coming in slowly, out of order, and/or not at all - and our modem kept dropping out (would you believe, messages were still coming into my gmail account 11 hours later??? No

Bronwyn Parryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02987772491981857089noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10760004.post-1129013963818328192005-10-11T16:53:00.000+10:002006-10-22T08:42:17.527+10:00

Below is the schedule for the Belfry Collective's Author Day, which starts in just a few hours. My hosting shift is from 4pm-5pm NY time, which is 6am-7am my time - but I'll try and pop in to say hello at other times, too. (I'll also do my best to be vaguely intelligent during my shift - but I warn you, 6am is not my best time!)Pleasse do come and join the fun! You'll find the Author Day yahoo

Bronwyn Parryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02987772491981857089noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10760004.post-1128859219367176592005-10-09T21:58:00.000+10:002006-10-22T08:42:17.465+10:00

I've succumbed!I've got a new journal for photos:http://thewolery.blogspot.comI'll fix up links from this journal etc tomorrow.Don't expect photos everyday, but since the camera is small and fits into my purse, I'll carry it around with me.

Bronwyn Parryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02987772491981857089noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10760004.post-1128844931110873142005-10-09T17:51:00.000+10:002006-10-22T08:42:17.392+10:00

As well as being the Belfry Author day, it's my birthday on Tuesday. (I'll be 23. Again*.) DH gave me my present early - a brand new digital camera, all for my very own** - so I'd have time to enjoy it over the weekend.I'm still learning how to use it, because it has a gazillion settings, but above is a photo of my writing corner - the one I set up a week or so ago after totally rearranging the

Bronwyn Parryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02987772491981857089noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10760004.post-1128730412025732562005-10-08T10:00:00.000+10:002006-10-22T08:42:17.332+10:00

Don't forget - October 11th, 6am to 8pm US EST - more info here.(That's 8pm 11th to 10am 12th Aus EST)What will there be?? Authors from the Belfry Collective to talk with Excerpts of our books Fun contests PRIZES Did I mention the prizes??? As well as free books and a heap of other fantastic prizes, my contribution to the prize pool is two sets of four beautiful 10" x 8" photo

Bronwyn Parryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02987772491981857089noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10760004.post-1128594740878873762005-10-06T20:14:00.000+10:002006-10-22T08:42:17.211+10:00

My critique group, The Belfry Collective, is holding it's first Author Day on October 11th, 6am to 8pm US EST (October11-12 for Australians).There'll be authors hosting, excerpts posted, contests and prizes - a heap of fun!There's information about the day here. I'll be hosting for an hour or so from 4-5pm US EST time (6-7am Wednesday 12th, Australian eastern time), but I'll also be popping in

Bronwyn Parryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02987772491981857089noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10760004.post-1128462682871594262005-10-05T07:42:00.000+10:002006-10-22T08:42:17.150+10:00

There's a contest over at my friend Shara Jones' blog, and you could win book 'undies' - beautifully beaded thong bookmarks that Shara has made. Plus you get to talk to an author or aspiring author.All you have to do is go to Shara's blog, pick one of the authors she's linked to, ask them one of three listed questions, and then post their answer back in Shara's blog, and you might be the lucky

Bronwyn Parryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02987772491981857089noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10760004.post-1128343152260904082005-10-03T22:05:00.000+10:002006-10-22T08:42:17.092+10:00

There's a reason I don't write historical romance - as a historian, I know how much hard research is needed to get it right. I don't often read them, either, because it's rare to find one without the sort of errors that make my teeth grate.I read one this afternoon. And, not only was it an historical romance, it was set in colonial Australia - and written by an American. It's to her credit that I

Bronwyn Parryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02987772491981857089noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10760004.post-1128319315133981542005-10-03T15:58:00.000+10:002006-10-22T08:42:17.028+10:00

This afternoon, I finally finished an article I'd drafted a while back on tips for writers' web pages.It's posted on The Belfry Collective web site now:http://thebelfrycollective.com/webpages.htmlI hope that it's useful!

Bronwyn Parryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02987772491981857089noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10760004.post-1127944495220823882005-09-29T07:52:00.000+10:002006-10-22T08:42:16.959+10:00

Over on Romancing the Blog today, Sandy Oakes asks:Do authors back away from making their romances too realistic? I suspect that part of the problem comes from the publishers wanting to back commercially viable fiction, and not being prepared to take 'risks', and consequent pressures withing the writing community to keep romance 'romancey'. Which is crazy, because there is a *huge* audience out

Bronwyn Parryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02987772491981857089noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10760004.post-1127689866926508462005-09-26T09:09:00.000+10:002006-10-22T08:42:16.901+10:00

Today's my day to blog over at The Belfry Collective.

Bronwyn Parryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02987772491981857089noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10760004.post-1127629149177343162005-09-25T16:01:00.000+10:002006-10-22T08:42:16.842+10:00

A friend called on Friday night to ask if he and his 3 kids could come and stay on Monday night, on their way up to the Gold Coast.No problems, of course - I'm looking forward to seeing them. However, given that life has been busy and I've only been doing the absolute bare essentials of housework, I was glad we had a few days' notice!Since last time we had guests, I'd moved my desk into the guest

Bronwyn Parryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02987772491981857089noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10760004.post-1127536286985423712005-09-24T14:26:00.000+10:002006-10-22T08:42:16.782+10:00

I found this one on Claire's journal and am posting it here just for Kate, even though I'm a few days late for Talk Like a Pirate Day. (And she might already know about it, anyway.)Go to:http://adactio.com/extras/talklikeapirate/and put in a web address, and it will translate the page into pirate talk.Arrr, me hearties!

Bronwyn Parryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02987772491981857089noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10760004.post-1127388763526973052005-09-22T21:13:00.000+10:002006-10-22T08:42:16.718+10:00

I arrived home from Cairns around 8.30 last night. The trip was reasonably good, although unfortunately the conference wasn't the most rivetting! (Maybe because it wasn't a writing conference ;-) )I did catch up with a cousin I haven't seen for many years, and met her husband and children, which was great. They met me at the airport and took me to their home - a beautiful Queenslander styler

Bronwyn Parryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02987772491981857089noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10760004.post-1126568458973643012005-09-13T09:28:00.000+10:002006-10-22T08:42:16.648+10:00

Life's a bit mad right now. I've got major projects happening at work, consuming time and brain space, there's a lot to do at home (I haven't done housework for way too long), there's writing to be done, and I go away again on Saturday.But the following pleasant things have occurred:1. The DH and I went out for afternoon tea at the local art museum on Sunday, and after we came home we went for a

Bronwyn Parryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02987772491981857089noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10760004.post-1126095858009307012005-09-07T21:50:00.000+10:002006-10-22T08:42:16.585+10:00

One of the most enjoyable parts of writing, for me, is developing characters. I love the process of thinking about, mulling over, characters, and developing them over time.My stories are often born as the result of a dream. I dream a lot, and most of it is just crazy, jumbled up stuff (if anyone tried to analyse my dreams, I'd probably be locked up). But every now and then, I have a clear, short

Bronwyn Parryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02987772491981857089noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10760004.post-1125574658726046322005-09-01T21:36:00.000+10:002006-10-22T08:42:16.523+10:00

Me? Shy, staid, respectable?Obviously not.(For the non-Bats reading this, I'm part of an online writer's group called the Bat Cave. Valerie Parv - aka known as Valkyrie, Bard from the Cave - gave me these Bat ears/antennae last year. So, of course I had to wear them to the breakfast gathering of Australian Bats at the Melbourne conference.)(And thanks to Bronwyn Jameson for the photo!)

Bronwyn Parryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02987772491981857089noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10760004.post-1125451957588334612005-08-31T11:25:00.000+10:002006-10-22T08:42:16.463+10:00

I arrived home from Melbourne last night. Had a fantastic week away, and really enjoyed the conference. It was also great to have the time with my mother. I'll do a bit of a conference summary later, but in the meantime here's a pic:L to R, Alexis Fleming, Jennie Adams, me, and Valerie Parv - at the conference dinner on Saturday night, which was good fun.On Monday, Mum and I went out to visit my

Bronwyn Parryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02987772491981857089noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10760004.post-1124792970996343172005-08-23T20:09:00.000+10:002006-10-22T08:42:16.381+10:00

I heard this morning that a guy I know slightly hung himself on Sunday night. He was only 32 years old, a nice guy and a highly-regarded academic; what a tragic waste. I saw him just a few days ago - we smiled and exchanged a greeting in passing, as we normally did. We were only acquaintances, but it still hits hard. I keep picturing his face in my mind, and knowing that I'll never see it again

Bronwyn Parryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02987772491981857089noreply@blogger.com2