What do you write?
I write short stories, book reviews, and educational/marketing copy for the New Zealand Symphony Orchestra (NZSO). I'm also working on two novels; one in the advanced editing stage, one in the first draft stage.
How do you market your work?
I use social media, mostly. Which includes: Instagram, Twitter, Bluesky, Facebook, Substack!
Do you belong to any writing groups?
Yes, I'm part of a writing group here in Dunedin. There are four of us meeting once a month to critique each other's work (mostly short stories). I am also part of the Dunedin Writers Workshop, which meets monthly and includes guest speakers giving seminars on writing.
Have you been part of any festivals?
Not as a speaker or panelist. I am an eager participant,of course!
Have you done any formal writing courses?
I've mostly done professional development online courses, like the fantastic online courses-on-demand from the Australian magazine Kill Your Darlings.
I've also done a couple of courses from Curtis Brown Creative, the creative writing school run by the literary agency Curtis Brown.
Plus I've done some of the professional development modules provided by the New Zealand Society of Authors.
I have been selected to be a participant of the Paris Workshop run by WritingWorkshops.com, and next year I'll be attending their workshop in New Orleans.
Have you been short listed or won any awards?
Last year, I won the Queenstown Writers Festival 48 Hour Writing Competition, judged by Owen Marshall. I was shortlisted for the 2025 Graeme Lay Short Story Competition. Previous to that, I was runner up in the 2023 University of Otago Writer Competition, was shortlisted multiple times for the Page and Blackmore Short Story Awards (now the Te Tauihu Short Story Awards) and the Cambridge Autumn Festival Short Story Competition, and, way back in the day, I was shortlisted for the Novice Category of the Katherine Mansfield Awards, my first major shortlisting!
Where do you publish your writing?
My stories have been published in the Kiwi journals Takahe and Headland.
The international journals Luna Station Quarterly, Midnight Echo, Carmina Magazine, and, most recently, the Bangladeshi journal Small World City.
My book reviews are mostly for the Otago Daily Times, the main newspaper for Otago/Southland.
My marketing/educational copy is published on the New Zealand Symphony Orchestra website, as well as in brochures and programmes available at their concerts.
I also write a monthly blog on the Substack platform called Spokes on a Wheel.
What do you like about Writion?
I really like being able to set up a separate project for each assignment, with clear stages that I can easily tick off as I go through (and which I can customise for the demands of each project).
I am a big fan of the progress bar on each project, which gives me a nice visual cue as to how far through I am. When a project is finished I like being able to archive the project. It does give you a nice dopamine hit when you've put a project to bed!
The ability to link each project to other online docs (e.g. assignment briefs, research notes etc) is also really useful.
I am frequently using the Notes function to record my thoughts on the music I have to write about for NZSO. Note from Writion You can add notes either by typing them in or via using the voice recording feature. Great for getting your ideas down!
It is super helpful that you can have it on your laptop and on your phone! The interface is clean and stylish to look at as well. Note from Writion* Writion is a web-based app.
I really appreciate the integration with the financial records, and the ability to generate professional invoices and track payment due dates and invoice numbers for each of my project. This recognition of the business side of writing is crucial. I really appreciate Writion's articles, especially the ones on tax and business.
Do you have a website or does your writing live on other platforms as well?
My Substack
This is a link to my writing for NZSO. I do use Writion a lot for the completion of my copy for that: NZSO
My other writing can be found via my ChillSubs