I recently returned from a stint at a writers festival at a school and am still thinking of this one great question one of the kids asked. What was your most inspirational moment? For about five seconds after she asked this I just had a big blank. It was a really good, hard to answer question and mostly because it’s not something I usually think about. Do any of us? I do spend time thinking about what inspires me regarding certain stories I might write, where the ideas came from, how the characters evolved, but an actual moment of inspiration akin to a Eureka moment is another thing. I ended up answering her by saying I thought it was being read Lord of the Rings when I was a child, because it was an inspirational moment and one I still do remember, but the most?? I don’t know.I’m not even sure I really have one defining moment. Do you? 

Some people talk about people they’ve met – amazing people with incredible life stories – others it’s just a moment in time like man’s first steps on the moon, but the most inspirational is hard to pin point. I’m still wondering.

Yes, finally book 2 in the Twins has hit the shelves and I’m excited.  Check out the trailer link above to have a look at what it’s about. There’s always something magical about seeing your own work up there alongside all the others. I’ve also not long got back from a long weekend at the Perth Writers Festival. Fantastic time, meeting other authors, finally meeting in the flesh my publisher from Walker (the lovely Sarah) and hopping in and out of all the author panels and buying far too many books as usual. I have run out of bookshelf space now – books are in overflow mode now, but I can’t be stopped. 

I also handed in the first book in my new series, The Rosie Black Chronicles,to Walker and it will be out later in the year, probably in October now, but stay tuned here for the actual date, cover art and exciting stories from the dangerous world of editing. 

I am also (right now in fact) preparing for my appearance at the All Saints Festival in Perth on March 17 & 18 and in the middle of it yesterday a baby snake slithered into my office for a visit. I looked at it (from the safety of the top of my sofa) it looked at me and we were both as alarmed as each other. After rearing up and looking terrified it ducked under the bookcase. Spent hours taking out all the books from the bottom of the bookshelf only to find it asleep on the window sill. Had to call in the husband snake removal squad to get it out as I am a total chicken when it comes to long bitey things, I shall leave the heroics to my characters I think.

ok so there’s nothing remotely Zen about me. I drink (wine and coffee and even sometimes *gasp* diet coke), I got to bed late, I watch TV, I pretend I do yoga but only actually do it about once a month….ok maybe every six weeks, and I enjoy reading novels so pulpy they could bulk out juice, BUT I also juggle books.
Not the throw them in the air and catch them kind of juggling but the writing two books at once and editing another kind of juggling.
This, I am discovering is perhaps not the best plan in the universe. It leads to non- Zen type behaviour – hence the drinking and minus yoga points.

To juggle books it is essential you have deadlines breathing at you noisily from the corner like overweight dragons on meth and a slightly crazed stare – like you’ve been up all night watching the Twilight Zone and are now seeing gremlins on plane wings. It is also essential that you procrastinate. As we all know, procrastination is the writer’s friend.
Yes, I said friend.
Without procrastination how would we get that dreaded gurgling feeling of blind panic bubbling up from our colon in the middle of the night?  How would we know were were supposed to be doing something – anything – if we did not feel that pit of doom approaching? It motivates us, terrifies us and makes us pick up the keyboard/pen/caffeine drip and actually get to work.
then again there is always the other approach. the Zen approach which involves herbal tea, organisational calendars and yoga.
But where’s the fun in that?
See, here I have just procrastinated for some ten minutes and already I feel motivated to switch screens and get my Word count on.
Just as soon as I’ve checked Twitter just one more time…..

New year has come and gone, January is almost over and finally I am getting back to the keyboard after a protracted retreat involving two seasons of Pushing Daisies and finally watching season four of Battlestar Galactica. Love that Starbuck, she is so messed up. The last two months have been a mad whirlwind and I’m in the mood for a break from this  place called reality and am ready to hop the on the alternate existence express. AKA  – back to the business of books. Betrayal – book 2 in the Twins of Saranthium – is going to press so hopefully all the commas, semi colons and names are in the right place and order ‘cos it’s too late now to turn back It should hit bookshelves in March, along with a re released paperback of Awakening (with a beautiful new cover to go along with)

And I am finally getting on with my next project which is editing the first book in my new young adult series, The Rosie Black Chronicles……drum roll please as I put in another shameless publicity plug… yes the first book, The Genesis Project, is due out in September with Walker Books so I’m head down and elbows deep in space ships, mars and some futuristic action.Plus a little romance on the side. Always got to have a touch of that. So it’s the red pen for me for a few weeks and then I’ll be preparing for attending the All Saints College Festival in Perth on March 17 in Perth. No rest for the wicked.

The book trailer for Betrayal is on the web! Finally finished it and have uploaded it to Youtube – find it here: 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZX8hTS0Cj_I

Some say travel broadens the mind, others that it’s just another opportunity to buy more shoes. Either way, I’ve just got home from yet another trip south to the ‘big smoke’and as usual have come back with more books than I left with and a sock that I’m pretty sure does not belong to me. (Suspect I must have bypassed that black hole where all the odd socks go and one just slipped out when I wasn’t looking and landed in my bag). Anyway, NEWS…..Am almost finished the final edit of Betrayal, Book 2 in the Twins of Saranthium trilogy. It’s due out in March 2010 with Pan Macmillan in Australia and NZ and right now ( well almost right now as soon as I finish this) I am going over the final pages with the editors, crossing eyes and dotting t-shirts etc.

I’m also starting work on a book trailer for Betrayal – which will hopefully be good and not one of those dodgy ones which steals ninety seconds from your life that you can’t claim on tax. I’ll be posting it here on my site when it’s done so comments and criticisms can be lobbed at it. 

I’m also on Twitter now so you can follow me there, codename Alterin01 – but just look for Lara Morgan and you should find me. Ciao for now.