(Dis)Ability Action Week QLD

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Del signingSaturday I received copies of my new novel Activate hot off the press and had the pleasure of sharing it with attendees at the Omega Writers Book Fair 2016. Technically its release date is Nov 1, 2016, but with next week (Sept 11-17) being Disability Action Week 2016 in Queensland, I can’t think of more perfect timing.

You see, Blaine Colton, the hero of the Integrate trilogy, is a young man acutely aware of the stigma and challenges disability can represent. Having survived mitochondrial disease and received a gene-modifying cure, he has been given a second chance. But things aren’t perfect for the teenager, and he’s never forgotten where he’s come from – nor where he could very well end up. (But you’ll have to read the books to find out more … 😉 )

The motto of Disability Action Week celebrations is: ‘Inclusion: It’s a game changer’. And I love it. In fact, I’d love to apply it in every circumstance. I’ve seen how easily we (and I include myself in this) can disregard others because they don’t fit. Whether this be determined by a ‘click’ group, trends, or someone who simply doesn’t meet some predetermined criteria for abilities on the sports field or whatever activity is on the table, people get left out. Add what can be perceived as limitations, and it can be all too easy to discard people from our plans.

No one likes being excluded.

ActivatemedAs a parent I often find myself saying, ‘Ensure you’re being inclusive.’ In reality this has to be a purposeful decision and is largely influenced by the type of disability present. For example, if someone is mobility impaired, accessibility to venues, terrain and physical requirements of an event or activity need to be well considered. Some disabilities are not obvious, and might involve environmental or emotional triggers. Often a lot of little things are overlooked by well meaning people for sheer lack of awareness. (As I have done myself, at times.)

Many people I know living with a disability are fiercely independent and very capable. When it comes to solutions, they are brilliant for nutting things out. By communicating and working with people, instead of assuming the limitations of their capacity, inclusion becomes a way of thinking and truly can ‘change the game’.

 

Culture and Controversy

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Cindy 14Today we have a Cindy Williams joining us, author of novel The Pounamu Prophecy, which was released October last year by Rhiza Press. (Which also happens to be my publisher, too. 🙂 ) She’s going to share some insights about her novel, so let’s welcome her. Thanks, Cindy.

 

‘So tell me about this controversial book you have written,’ the announcer asked me during a recent radio interview. I would have stuttered in shock if I had not spent the morning at a cafe with the lovely Iola Goulton discussing this very issue!

I don’t do controversy. I am exhausted by my son’s love of ‘debating’ which I see as arguing; I wither in the face of disputes about politics and religion; I almost always stay silent in the face of dogmatic opinions about nutriton that, as a dietitian, I know are misinformed.

The first hint that The Pounamu Prophecy might be controversial pounamuprophecymedwas when a member of my mother’s book group commented that I was ‘brave’ to write such a book. What was brave about telling a story about a piece of New Zealand’s history that few people knew, I wondered. It wasn’t until I recently travelled to New Zealand to do a few author talks that I saw the discomfort of some people as I spoke of the injustices that the Ngati Whatua tribe suffered over the past 100 years.

‘Don’t talk too much about that stuff, Cindy,’ advised my mother. ‘The book says it well. Let it speak, not you.’ It was wise advice. I adjusted my talk and encouraged the audience that New Zealand, despite its past failings, is an example to the world of how two cultures can live well together and celebrate the best of both.

History is subjective, seen through the eyes and felt through the heart of whoever was there. For this story I had the privilege of interviewing an elder of the Ngati Whatua tribe. He was eight years old when the government burnt down his village to ‘tidy it up’ for Queen Elizabeth’s visit the following year. There were tears in his eyes as he recounted what had happened. It was a perspective few people, including myself, had heard. It was a story worth telling.

‘If one of our people had written this, many would dismiss it as just another sob story, ‘ he said. ‘But when a Pakeha (non-Maori) writes it, it has credibility.’

IMG_2035So here was the reason God had arranged for me, a Pakeha girl married into a Maori family, to write it. A purely Maori perspective might stir up resentment and anger, slashing open old wounds with no remedy or hope of reconciliation. A purely Pakeha perspective might defend itself with stories of less than honorable actions of some Maori. (I remember hiding every lunchtime for a year in the school toilets terrified of the big Maori girls who bullied me. A few years later when we moved to the mostly Maori part of town behind the pub, they would offer me cigarettes on the school bus and I knew I was ‘okay’!)

I believe, as followers of Jesus and if we are open to his leading, God uses our background, our experiences, our strengths and our weaknesses to write the stories he knows will bless others. I have realised that the novel I am currently writing will be even more controversial than the last and it is driving me to my knees in prayer every time I write. Isn’t that what He wants? For when I am weak, then I am strong. (2 Cor 12:10)

Cindy Williams lives in Sydney with her husband and teenage son. As a child growing up in a culturally rich part of New Zealand she enjoyed writing, not copious screeds, but short intense pieces that brought tears to her eyes and made people think. She marvelled at the power of words to inspire far beyond the intentions of the author. Then she became a dietitian – all science and seriously researched facts. She completed a Master of Public Health and a Graduate Diploma in Communication and spent many years encouraging and inspiring people to live a healthy life. She writes a nutrition blog and is working on her second novel, set in first century Israel. She teaches scripture in schools, and swim and cycles. She is also studying for a Diploma of Theology and trying to improve her abysmal French!

You can contact Cindy via her website or cindy[at]nutritionchic.com

 

A Bit of Perspective

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PerspectiveI stared at the screen of our main PC and watched the hard drive icon disappear. It couldn’t be good by anyone’s description – and even worse as an author in the last stages of editing a manuscript.

I’d actually been trying to do the right thing by backing up the files, but apparently it was beyond the poor PC’s capacity. So I called in our local IT guru. His diagnosis, ‘So … how important were those files?’

Interestingly, when a hard drive health check was run, the computer rated itself fantastically, even though it was stuttering its way through each assessment. This got me thinking. How often do we get caught in unhealthy cycles in life, but don’t have the perspective to identify it?

You’ve probably heard mention of us knowing ourselves best. But at times, I think we can really miss it. Sometimes life just sneaks up on us and gradually we find ourselves in less than positive circumstances, not living to our potential. Other times a crisis might rock our world and, over time, we slip down a darkened road that leads to nowhere. Even if we identify non-beneficial habits, often we can’t work out quite how to change things – or even what needs changing.

As a writer I see this frequently in manuscript development. You write your heart out, read it back and revise your work, until it seems of a quality standard. Then someone, either a reader or editor, revises it and points out a minor ‘bad habit’ or plot inconsistency, and you wonder how on earth you ever missed it. Worse, you start seeing the same trait in all your work!

Just like the computer, we’re not always so great at self-diagnosis – in any area. It can be all too easy to ignore personal (or writing!) challenges, toxic habits and less than positive life choices. (Or is that just me? 🙂 ) But where does that lead us long term?

Whether it be in writing or life, we really need to built a network of trusted people in our world who have healthy insight and enough ‘care factor’ to help us stop doing wasteful loops based on a faulty self-diagnosis. These might be friends, family or wise professionals, but if we can’t think of at least two people who fit this role in our world, maybe it’s a prompt to reach out and start building new, healthy, connections.

Reaching out calls us to be brave, vulnerable, and willing to invest time and energy into that relationship. Over time, we can also become that person for someone else, building a positive way forward together.

Twice Stolen – Susanne Timpani Blog Hop

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SusanneTToday I have the pleasure of introducing debut author, Susanne Timpani. Susanne is married, has four beautiful children and works as a community nurse with families. (So, she’s a busy lady!) Themes of her work and her faith appear in her writing. She’s also the author of the blog, 10 Minute Daily Retreat, twice weekly reflections on scripture. And she’s kindly agreed to chat about her new novel, Twice Stolen:

‘After the death of his grandmother, Dimitri finds he’s been lied to most of his life. His journey into the Outback to unravel the mystery of his identity leads to an encounter with Leah, a nurse with a tragic secret.’

Twice Stolen broaches issues of identity, loss, love and betrayal, and is woven around the theme of Australia’s Indigenous Stolen Generation. You can find out more on this aspect of the novel in Susanne’s interview yesterday on the CWD blog.Twice Stolen cover high resolution

Whilst prompting deeper reflection on the generational impact of the policy effecting widespread removal of Indigenous children from their families, this novel also emulates the traditional storytelling of Indigenous Australians, entwining the Biblical Song of Songs (Song of Solomon) through this element. In Q&A format, Susanne’s going to tell us a little more about this aspect of her story.

Q. What sparked the idea of incorporating the Biblical Song of Songs as a framework for your novel?
A. The Song is considered by some as one of the greatest love songs in history. Its fame in the ancient world parallels our Romeo and Juliet or Pride and Prejudice. Given that Twice stolen is written in the genre of Inspirational Fiction, I decided its themes provided a strong foundation on which to build the plot.

Q. Twice Stolen draws on the emotional awakenings depicted in Song of Songs. How is this significant in the novel?
A. The Song of Songs is like any love story. The characters experience an ebb and flow of emotion in their relationship. They face obstacles and resolutions appear almost impossible. The reader wonders if the characters’ love is strong enough to endure.

Q. The young adult protagonists both carry vulnerabilities because of their situations. Do you feel there are similarities between your characters and the lovers in Song of Songs?
A. My characters, Dimitri and Leah, like to think so.

Q. Okay, I think Dimitri and Leah might be a little biased. 🙂 What do you think?
A. Absolutely. The Song of Songs describes the love between King Solomon, named the ‘Lover’, and a local girl, the ‘Beloved’. The Beloved finds it difficult to comprehend how a king could possibly love her, a mere keeper of a vineyard. Despite returning his feelings, she spends a great proportion of the Song denying them and rejecting his love. The Lover never wavers in his feelings, believing that in the end she’ll come around.

Q. This makes it sound like Dimitri’s love is not reciprocated as ardently by Leah. Is it really so one sided?
A. Not at all. The Song of Songs is thought to appear in the Bible because it reflects the relationship of love which exists between God and ourselves. God is our steadfast Lover, and we, His recalcitrant Beloved. It doesn’t take Leah and Dimitri too long to realize that they are both similar to the Beloved, and in the end, God alone is the true Lover.

Q. Lastly, is there a verse from Song of Songs you feel best captures the heart of this story?
A. Definitely.

for love is as strong as death,
its jealousy[a] unyielding as the grave.
It burns like blazing fire,
like a mighty flame.[b]
7 Many waters cannot quench love;
rivers cannot sweep it away. Song of Songs 8:6-7

Throughout the hurdles Dimitri and Leah must face in Twice Stolen, they constantly question the strength of their love. They each face a major life challenge and something innate must change within or their romance doesn’t stand a chance. They question whether it is even possible to have love as strong as this verse describes.

Thanks so much for sharing with us today, Susanne. I enjoyed reading Twice Stolen and found myself drawn by Dimitri’s and Leah’s stories – as I’m sure your future readers will, too. Twice Stolen won the 2012 CALEB prize for an unpublished manuscript and is due for release on Valentine’s Day weekend (Feb 12-14) in South Australia, and will be launched in the company of Susanne’s publisher, Anne Hamilton, founder and director of Armour Books. For more about Susanne visit her website and 10 Minute Daily Retreat. To connect you can also find her on Facebook and Goodreads.

 

Glimpses of Light Tour

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GOLCoverCan you believe it’s already blog nine for the Glimpses of Light Anthology (GOL) tour? From the first post by Nola, we’ve been treated to unique insights by participating contributors, celebrating this project inspired by the ‘International Year of Light’.

Today I’m taking the baton from author, blogger and lover of life, Mimi Emmanuel. (Don’t you love a good relay? 🙂 ) And I’m going to be reflecting on kaleidoscopes.

For many of us, the word ‘kaleidoscope’ evokes childhood memories of peering into a cylindrical tube to watch patterns of changing colours from light reflected via mirrors, through coloured pieces of glass. The patterns were often exquisite and unique. Turn and look from a slightly different angle, and there would be a completely different combination of colours.

Coincidently (or not 🙂 ), my contribution to GOL was a story titled Kaleidoscope. But you see, this is not at all what I was going to write about today. I had a fun blog about pushing through the 7K barrier all ready to upload (more on that another day), but as I sat down to finalise that post, my thoughts turned to the collective whole that is GOL. And it occurred to me what perfect a description ‘kaleidoscope’ is.

Kaleidoscope (my story that is, not the tube) is different to what I usually write. For a long time it also struggled to find a home. Yet there it is finally in print, nestled between the works of Jo Wanmer and Ellen Carr, enhanced by beautiful gems, being the words of all the other contributors, polished and displayed in such a way they catch and reflect the light in an exquisite combination of colours.

Now, Kaleidoscope’s probably not a story that will knock someone over by its brilliance, but it was fun to create and an entertaining read. Yet, set amongst such a fabulous collation (and many of the works truly are fabulous – you must read them), it brings so much more than it could as a standalone piece. Kaleidoscope has become something far more inspiring. It’s become part of a literary … kaleidoscope. 🙂

But don’t just take my word for it, as Xanthe says in Kaleidoscope, it’s like, ‘Patterns of light revealing the soul. And you, mere mortal, can catch a glimpse of it.’

So mortals, don’t miss your opportunity to purchase your own GOL copy (print or e-book), and more for your friends. All profits go to CBM, bringing sight to the blind.

And if you leave a comment on this blog post (sorry, excludes GOL contributors 🙁 ), you will have a chance to win a paperback copy of my recently released YA novel Replicate, second book in the Integrate trilogy. I’m giving one copy away to a randomly selected ‘commenter’ in celebration of this tour.

But don’t stop reading yet. On the 29th January, you can continue the GOL blog tour trail, with fellow contributor Josephine-Anne Griffiths. 50-something young, Jo’Anne, has relished writing and reading from her childhood. She has a fascinating family history, shares her world with her dream-come-true HoneyBun, and is currently working on fictional memoir Charlie Dreams. Can’t wait to read her post.