For the last nine years I've worked from home as an editor and proofreader with my own business. I've also been writing, publishing my first novel in 2022 and working on my second. What some of you may not know is that before this, I was a professional fundraiser and worked in the NFP sector…
The Importance of Connection
Connection isn't just a buzz word. I've realised lately that I need more of it, and not the online kind. So I've been thinking about how I can connect with people in a meaningful and enriching way - starting with my existing friendships. For me, this means actually being in the presence of a friend,…
Taking the Romance out of Love
Valentine's Day would lead us to believe that romantic love is the only love that's worth celebrating. And every day of the year, societal 'norms' dictate that we're only living a half-life until we've paired up - preferably in the heteronormative sense. I'm single, and queer. I have my own home, my own business, and…
Editor dilemmas: turning down a job
I turned down a job last week. A very well-paying one. I could have easily gone ahead and worked on this client's manuscript, ignoring the nagging feeling that being part of the publication process for this particular work did not align with my values. I certainly needed the money. But as I read through the…
It will be Spring Tomorrow
Here’s a poem I wrote on the eve of spring five years ago. I was heartbroken but hopeful, just out of a long relationship and in a new home. Five years on and I'm a bit bruised and battered after a dreadfully hard eight months. This year the beginning of spring brings only quiet hope…
Book Review: The Queen’s Wife
New Zealand author Joanne Drayton launches her new book The Queen's Wife TONIGHT as part of Auckland Pride Month's Samesame but Different LGBTQIA+ Writers and Readers Festival. Congratulations, Joanne! I reviewed the book for NZ Booklovers. Here is my review: ‘Life is a game of chess. You should try playing it with two queens.’ So…
Happy Pride
It’s the first day of Pride Month here in New Zealand. It’s a month when we celebrate our LGBTQ+ community; a month dedicated to the uplifting of LGBTQ+ voices, celebration of LGBTQ+ culture and the support of LGBTQ+ rights. In the past I have stood on the side lines of the festival: cheering at the…
Anniversary
This story was announced today as Highly Commended in the NZSA Northern Branch Short Story Competition. We had to write on the theme of Loss. The story actually constitutes just one part of a larger work (more to come on that), but was originally based on my experience of miscarriage. I press my hands deeper…
Mama
My mother died on Christmas Eve last year. I'm heading down to Nelson soon to be with my dad on the first anniversary of her death. I may not write about it. I'm not sure how I'll feel. But here's a piece I wrote while she was dying, in late November or early December 2021.…
Fully Alive
“Do not ask for what the world needs. Ask what makes you come alive, and do it. For what the world needs is people who are fully alive.”-Howard Thurman 'But you're not thinking like an entrepreneur!' This was a (well-intentioned) observation made to a friend of mine recently. He had shared with a group of…
Patricia Bell, Author 