‘My test of a good novel is dreading to begin the last chapter.’ - Thomas Helm
A New Year Blessing for you, from Aine Belton :)
Inspirations: Avril Henry
During my Tuscan Rose promotional tour, I was returning from an event in Melbourne one evening when I learned the plane was to be delayed by nearly two hours.
As I sat in the departure lounge, I noticed a stylish lady speaking on her mobile telephone. She had managed to make her business suit look feminine and French with a necklace of exotic beads and a cropped jacket.
When the boarding of the plane finally began and I found myself seated next to this lady, I couldn’t help but express my admiration for her dress sense. She smiled and told me that she had also noticed me and thought my maxi-dress was very glamorous. We struck up a conversation and became instant friends.
Little did I know then that I was speaking with the amazing Avril Henry: a successful businesswoman who has trail-blazed the way for better working environments for women in several major corporations.
Find out more about Avril here. www.avrilhenry.com
Avril’s energy, generosity and passion for life are evident in everything she undertakes. Not only has she risen to the top in several areas of business, including finance and human resources, but she works tirelessly for charities.
She has run along the Great Wall of China to raise funds for cancer research and she has even set up her own scholarship to help people who would otherwise not be able to receive a tertiary education.
Avril also loves animals. She has written a wonderful children’s book, Benny Boo’s Parade of Joy, that includes pictures of her gorgeous spoodle, Benny, and she is generously giving a portion of the proceeds to the World League for the Protection of Animals (www.wlpa.org.au).
The book will make a lovely Christmas gift for any child – or any adult who needs to remember that life is to be enjoyed. Find out more about Benny Boo’s Parade of Joy here.
Blog #11 – ‘Transporting’ Yourself
The other day I caught a train into the city to meet a friend for lunch. I prefer to use the train for daytime trips because it’s an easy ride, there are no parking hassles and I can read while being passively transported to my destination.
I’d forgotten how well I can concentrate on transport. The trip reminded me that most of White Gardenia was written on airplanes and in airports and hotel rooms.
It amuses me to think how much trouble I often have staying focused in my cosy writing room with its view of the garden, when on the train the other day I managed to read a chunk of a heavy-going book on Russian history despite the chatter of other passengers, the tinny sound of iPods played at full volume, station announcements and somebody loudly cracking gum (This is a habit so disgusting it makes me laugh! What are these people thinking? ‘I’ll just sit here and make loud noises with my mouth?’)
Jane Austen wrote in a corner of her family’s living/dining room. The much-revered French writer, Colette, wrote her novels in between her acts in the music hall dressing room she shared with the other performers.
Australian author, Grant Hyde, writes his novels during his breaks as a baggage handler with Qantas. He must win the award for the noisiest writing environment!
Stephen King in his book ‘On Writing’ noted: “…The creative flow is apt to be stopped at any moment by a message from my wife that the toilet is plugged up and would I try to fix it, or a call from the office that I’m in imminent danger of blowing yet another dental appointment.
At times like that I’m sure all writers feel pretty much the same, no matter what their skill and success level: God, if only I were in the right writing environment, with the right understanding people, I just KNOW I could be penning my masterpiece
…In truth, I’ve found that any day’s routine interruptions and distractions don’t hurt a work in progress and may actually help it in some ways.”
What King says is so true. Often the interruptions I suffer become interesting details in the work – so watch out for the gal cracking her gum in my next novel!!
Love, Belinda XX
Belinda Alexandra, December 7, 2011
I needed a bit of a lift this week so I picked up an inspirational book: ‘Having It All’ by John Assaraf.
Normally a book with a title like that would turn me off (too much pressure for a perfectionist), but the content is excellent and different to what I was expecting. I highly recommend it if you like spiritual/motivational material.
What are you reading?
Belinda XX
