What’s new?

Not too much, to be honest. I mean, I updated the Upcoming Releases page here on the blog after a timely request from a reader about a month ago (which was not addressed in an equally timely fashion, as you’ve already probably guessed, since I’m only updating it now…) It does mean that you can check out what new books are upcoming, though!

The Facebook page is getting up to 1k likes, which is of course both new and exciting. The followers count has been over 1k for a while, but I wanted to wait to celebrate until the like count was there, too. I’m running a poll over on the page right now to pick the world in which to write the celebratory novellette I want to write. Make sure to have your say in that 😉

I’ve also started a group over on FB for people to discuss W.R. book worlds with more privacy: lately we’ve been discussing the City Between Psychos, but there’s been a fair bit of discussion about the ongoing Cinderella Must Die chapters, too… It’s the place to go if you want to ask a question about the book worlds, want to know if anyone shares your particular theory, or just want to find a good book buddy.

(If you want to join Denizens of the Weird Worlds of W.R. Gingell, make sure you answer the security questions and agree to the rules; you’ll be automatically okayed if you do).

Fortunately, the one thing I don’t want to see new (virus cases in Tasmania) has been the one new thing I haven’t seen. Here’s hoping that holds true.

And here’s looking forward to the new chapter of Cinderella Must Die that’s coming in the next edition of the WR(ite) Newsletter!

Decompressing and Recalibrating

I’m going to assume that most of you already follow me on my FB page, Instagram, or through the WR(ite) Newsletter, but just in case you’re new here–hi! I’ve just recently returned from a nearly 5 month exile in South Korea due to the sudden explosion of C. Virus around the world two weeks into my holiday. What was meant to be a four week holiday turned into a 5 month adventure, and I’ve just gone through two weeks of quarantine in Sydney, only to do another two weeks here at home.

as you can see, the dogs were flatteringly glad to see me…
(jk, they were insanely excited and then insanely tired)

So I’ve been doing a lot of decompression (letting go of Korean habits and societal mores and trying to get back into Aussie ones) and recalibration (mostly of my stomach, which does NOT like the fact that I’ve stopped eating Korean food and started eating Western food again).

On the bright side, now that my stomach is starting to recover, I’m back into my regular writing schedule (I had to bribe myself with stickers, but it WORKS so WHATEVER). It’s been weird to get used to living with people again, and by and large I’ve been walking around feeling like I’m in a bubble and the world isn’t quite right.

At the same time I feel that I’ve been gone no time and all, and gone for such a long time. I feel like I came home, but that I had to leave home to do so; I left quite a large piece of my heart in Korea when I came back.

Not to worry: I’ll collect it next time I go back, Lord willing…

it’s called DECOMPRESSION, not PROCRASTINATION

In the meantime, I’ve started a campaign of decompression that includes copious amounts of tea, finally putting Machinarium onto my new computer so I can play it again, and making (very short) TikTok videos to make sure I keep practising my spoken Korean through the week.

And best of all, most of this can be done in front of the fire, which is a relief since I came from summer and was dropped right into the depths of Tasmania winter…

Here’s hoping that everyone is staying sane in quarantine, lockdown, or whatever the heck is going on in your life. And here’s looking forward to the day when we can all go out travelling again safely!

Until then, wear a mask, drink lots of water, and “run mad as often as you chuse but never faint!

i mean can you REALLY drink too much tea…?

W.R. on Holiday!

Technically, I’m not yet on holiday. That’s next month. But I’ve finally finished the first draft of CLOCKWORK MAGICIAN (only 2 months late, whoohoo!) so it’s holiday time!

Which means that I’m up for some serious downtime this week! W.R. on holidays likes to read all the books that W.R. at work doesn’t have the time or mental space for; I’ve already got a pile of books and a few ebooks ready to go. And, like the good little student I am, I’ve already asked my Korean tutor for a webtoon rec so I can expand my fun to my studies as well.

W.R. on holidays also means W.R. having fun with short stories: I’m planning to finish up a short story this week to send out in the newsletter at the end of the week. Fans of the City Between series in general and Detective Tuatu in particular should expect to be made Very Happy. I’ll do a limited time release of the short on my blog here before it goes in a compilation of all the Short Things from the City Between universe thus far and goes up on Amazon for sale, so make sure to read it when you see it!

Are we having fun yet? Don’t know about you blokes, but I definitely am!

a nice mix…
current webtoon 😀

“Each Book Gets Easier”: Lies Writers Tell #1

I actually say this all the time. I say it to newbie writers, to readers curious about how I keep writing more and more books, to just plain interested people who ask if I’m exhausted with writing all the time.

“Each book gets easier,” I tell them.

And it’s not like I’m deliberately lying. It’s not even always necessarily a lie.

But the truth is that although certain things about writing get easier all the time (editing, the publishing process itself, getting early reviews, getting the first draft written and out) there are certain things that change, and thereby get more difficult.

As you write, you’re always going to get better at writing.

Your process becomes more streamlined, your prose becomes better and better, your thematic unity and even the presence of a thematic system in your writing becomes more sophisticated, and you get to know your weak points when it comes to editing, which means you can fix stuff as you go, or just not make those mistakes while you’re writing.

But as you write, because you’re getting better, some things paradoxically become more difficult.

Now that you know how to write themes into your books, suddenly you have the challenge of deepening those themes and making them more satisfying. In a word, it becomes harder. Now that you know how to write more complex relationships or characters, you can’t be satisfied with writing simpler or less nuanced ones. Again, you’ve made your job harder.

Now you have the tools to write better books; to write more complex, deep, and satisfying books.

But because you know how, you have to write them.

And because you’re still learning those new things, those new depths, it’s harder again. And with each book that you write better, and learn new ideas and nuances, you have to become adept at using those things.

It’s a never-ending process of writing (hopefully) better and better books.

So here’s to the never-ending complexity of the writer’s life, and here’s to better and more difficult books in 2020!

Waiting for something special

Don’t panic, I’m not talking about my love life (oi! I heard that sigh of relief!) It’s just that I tend to try and wait to post on this blog until I feel I have something special to say. The problem with that is that by the time I’ve got something special to say, I’ve probably already said it on my FB page or in the WR(ite) Newsletter. And then another month goes by and I’ve only written a single blog post…

So here I am anyway, with nothing very special to say, but a few things I want to say anyway.

Looking back on the year, if you will.

It’s been a good year: I’ve made some decent progress in getting back some tatters of mental health after leaving (or, more accurately, being kicked out of) an abusive marriage, I’ve travelled to South Korea and not only survived with my limited Korean, but thrived, and I’ve published four full length books.

I’ve found myself the best Korean tutor I could have asked for and really progressed in my studies, I’ve grown enough as a writer to be able to start on a few books I’ve been waiting to be able to write, and I’m really delighted with what I’ve managed to achieve in my City Between series, which closely mirrored my uncertain mental and emotional progress of the last few years as well as allowing me to process so many things in a way that feels productive and satisfying.

Most of all, I feel that I’ve grown closer to God, my family, and, funnily enough, myself.

And I’m grateful. I’m grateful to God for all the good things he’s given me this year; for all the strength I needed to get through the hard times; for my family, who still love me while I’m growing; for the friends I’ve made along the way. For you guys, who have been reading my books and loving them–who have been messaging me, encouraging me, and delighting me with your clever guesses and firm ships and theories. I’m so grateful for all I’ve been given.

Not to mention that this year, I finally bit the bullet and went full time as a writer. Of course, this means that next year is going to have to be pretty good to match up with this year, but it’s already off to a good start. I’ve already booked my flights to go back to Korea again, I’ve got five books scheduled for publication next year (preorder for CLOCKWORK MAGICIAN, Two Monarchies book 4 is already up and running), and I’m finally trying to get more into the business side of being a writer.

So here’s to next year: mine, and yours, with all the little things as well as the special things that make it up.

What are you guys planning?

Writer Seeks Adventures in Local Tasmania

One of the most joyful things about life as a full time writer is the fact that I can travel whenever I feel like it (sensible finance managing-contingent, of course). If I want to travel halfway across this little island to stay in a cabin on top of Cradle Mountain and then travel an hour further to ride a train from the 50s through the Tasmanian rainforest, I can.

So obviously, I’m going to. I don’t know when, but since it’s only about four hours’ drive from here, I don’t have to do too much planning.

I can also jaunt across to Melbourne in a month’s time (cheap flights? heck yes!) to have spinsterly adventures with Suzannah Rowntree, fellow spinster and amazon-esque word warrior. I CAN VISIT TEA HOUSES AND NARNIA CAFES, PEOPLE. I can write and eat delicious food at the same time.

Best of all, I can go back to South Korea early next year and explore all the places I didn’t get to explore this year. (So if you guys still have recs of where to go over there, lob them at me again!)

In the meantime, though, I want to explore more places around Tasmania. So if you guys have any places to suggest that you’d like to see pics of as I travel through, feel free to mention them. I’ll be making a few day trips around Tassie every now and then so that I can learn more about the place where I live, as well as other more exotic areas of the world.

Obviously a revisit of Port Arthur is on the cards, as is a trip to PennyRoyal World, but otherwise, I’m wide open! Travel vicariously through me!

Happy Emancipation to Meeee!

I’m back! If you guys have been following along on my Facebook Page, Twitter, or newsletter, you’ll already know the good news: I’m now officially a full time writer!

Honestly, I’d already cut down my hours to two 5 hr shifts per week since I got back from Korea, but it was a last safety-line, you know?

Well, thanks to all of you guys reading my books, I’m now officially resigned from the day job and writing full time!

So OBVIOUSLY I wanted to do something in celebration of that. Which means that over on my Facebook page I’m running a series of giveaways. The main one is a paperback giveaway of a set of 4 City Between books, but there will be smaller giveaways between now and the end of the month, too. You can check out the main giveaway and enter it HERE, and if you ‘like’ the page Facebook should keep you updated on the smaller giveaways, too.

Thanks for coming along for the ride, guys! I’ll be working hard to keep putting out books you love for the remainder of the year, and then on into the next!

It’s Okay

Today on the blog I’m writing something of a sequel to the previous blog about Finding Balance/Saying No. You may have noticed that this blog post, although published a couple of weeks after the previous one, is still published in a shorter time frame than the month I’ve had between blog posts lately.

I’m trying to take my own advice seriously–I’m even having a little success at it! Hooray! Soon I’ll probably catch up with all the little things (and some not-so-little things) that fell by the wayside while I was trying to learn how to find a new balance. There will definitely be a new chapter of Lady of Weeds in next week’s newsletter (and two proper newsletters per month again).

That said, on with this week’s blog! It’s again a more personal blog, so if you’re here for writing stuff or book stuff, you might want to skip it and wait for next week’s blog instead.

If there’s anything I’ve learned over the last year, it’s that our minds can play very weird tricks on us. My mind, in particular, can play tricks on me. Unfortunately, it tends to take a long time before I realise those tricks for what they are–much less how to deal with them.

The first time I understood that was the day I realised that no matter how hard I tried, no matter how many times I told myself that I just needed to forgive my husband and try to be a better wife, he would always be abusive again the next time. It was nothing to do with me. I couldn’t change it, I couldn’t stop it. It would happen again, and again, and again. I’d let myself get into the train of thought that if I could somehow be a good enough Christian, or a good enough wife, he would change.

It gave me the strength to stand up to the verbal abuse next time, and lay down ultimatums.

The next time I understood the treachery of my own mind was when I found myself feeling sorry for my ex-husband because he had to get a job now that we were separated and I was no longer financially supporting him. I actually felt sorry for him having to go to all that awful trouble–remorse leadening me as if I was the worst person in the world for causing him that trouble.

And that day, it struck me, suddenly and shockingly, that I was feeling sorry for him having to do a normal thing that every other human has to do. I’d been so tied up with his thoughts, his feelings, his anger and his demands, and for so long, that I’d gotten out of the habit of thinking of any other consideration other than what he would like, what wouldn’t make him angry–what would help me to survive another day or week before he blew up again.

It really shocked me to find myself thinking that. I’d already begun, through the process of separation from him, to find how he’d wormed his way into my head and thoughts, but that was the final straw that freed me from any guilt that I might still have felt about being kicked out–of being not a good enough wife to keep my husband’s love and care.

The latest occasion was much more recently. I’ve struggled with rosacea for roughly the last two years, from a combination of stress, diet, and allergic reactions, and lately I’ve had not just the time but the money to go to a doctor about it. That led to me getting medications that have slowly begun to help control the problem. I was two weeks into the medication when I began to see a change; a lessening of the red bumps on my face, and a more even skin tone.

It was also two weeks in when I began to find myself getting anxious. I couldn’t understand why I was struggling with anxiety again. I’d begun to heal slowly over the past six or seven months separated from my husband, after the first horrible weeks, and in general I’d been much less anxious and stressed.

I didn’t understand the resurgence of anxiety until I found myself wondering one day, if it was okay for me to be getting better. My brain was actually wondering if it was okay to use medication to get better from a sickness I had struggled with for years. Through a combination of my husband’s manipulation and selfishness, and the way that behaviour had eventually helped warped my mind, I had come to a place where I somehow believed it wasn’t okay for me to be healthy, or happy, or even safe.

My own mind had turned on itself.

I know I’m not the only one out there who struggles with this frame of mind, so I wanted to broadcast it to all you guys out there as a reminder: It’s okay to be happy. It’s okay to be healthy. It’s okay to want to be safe. You don’t have to live your life sick, or in pain, or in a dangerous situation. You can’t change the world, or another person, or sickness in your body. That’s up to God, and medical science. Things like medicine are there for you to live the best life you can live. It’s okay for you to look after yourself. It’s okay for you to want to do that, no matter what anyone tries to tell you. No matter what your own mind tries to tell you.

Don’t do what I did. Don’t bring yourself to the point of a mental breakdown. Take care of yourself. It’s okay.

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