


I suppose a book review written by its author is apt to attract a very healthy degree of scepticism, yet who knows its contents more intimately?
If you haven’t already rejected my thoughts as useless, I promise to faithfully deliver the comments of others, as well as my own.
To begin, let me say that ’25 Stories…’ is my first book, started in September 2010 and published early this year. It’s been edited by my husband, Ronald Sharp, the creator of the Grand Organ in the Sydney Opera House, and his enthusiasm was instrumental in bringing this, and all my books, about.
One reader described it on its Amazon site as “hard to put down”; further, his wife and himself were both “enthralled by its content and style”.
By word of mouth, I’ve been told it’s “great” by one man, and that she “couldn’t put it down” by another reader. Several people who’ve finished this book have purchased subsequent volumes. It also seems to be finding favour at local libraries.
Like all my collections of Short Stories, this is dominated by tales of love and romance, although several human interest stories are interspersed. “Family Values”, about a child’s visit to see his grandparents who live in the country, and “New Digs”, relating a senior’s dilemma over moving home, have both been praised, but my feeling is that “The Virgin Dancer” is by far the most moving. This very succinctly tells the story of a middle-aged woman who has been held back in life, never able to live the “fuller, freer life” she wanted. Suddenly, circumstances contrive to find her at last on the dance floor, and able to be like everyone else, and dance.
“A Question of Trust”, which describes the scene where the rose-coloured glasses are abruptly removed from a rather naive young woman, and “Fresh Pickings”, the tale of young passion set against an ambitious family background, rank amongst the most striking love stories.
As in all my Short Story collections, the last story is in fact a continuation of the first, with the elapse of many years.
If my review has whetted your appetite, why not check out this book on the Amazon web-site, and use the ‘click here’ feature? If you like what you read, please, spread the word!
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Tags: 25 Stories of Life and Love in Australia, Amazon, coloured glasses, Ronald Sharp, story collection, Sydney Opera House
What I Love about Blogging
11 NovBacktrack two years, and I’d never even heard about blogging. At that point. I’d started writing my first book: a collection of Short Stories and vignettes, which ultimately became ’25 Stories of Life and Love in Australia’.


Writing a book was one thing: blogging, quite another. And I had no idea that authors were expected to share their life with the rest of the world, by way of writing a blog.
But, once I’d tasted it, I began to relish blogging. It has so much going for it.
Blogging allows for immediate publication. There’s no need to wait: and many posts are so much better for being relevant to current circumstances. Flowers, seasons, new literary releases, current affairs: the list is endless.
More: results can be almost immediate. Within minutes, I’ve had positive feedback: thoughtful comments, or even a simple ‘like’ bring their reward.
Linked to this is the associations: even friendships: that can be engendered between bloggers and their readers. Meaningful conversations can be had, and information transferred between blogger and commentator. What other medium allows for such easy and potentially valuable communication?
Sure, social networking sites also have this application, yet blogging seems to me to have greater potential. Don’t the other sites tend to have much scantier development of ideas?
Lastly, there’s the ever-present potential to be nominated out of the blue for Blogging Awards. I’ve been nominated twice: The Versatile Blogger and The Sunshine Award. Fun!
If you’re thinking about starting your own blog: well, think no more. Just do it!
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Tags: 25 Stories of Life and Love in Australia, awards, blogging, blogs, entertainment, meaningful conversations, social networking sites, Sunshine Award, thoughtful comments, what I love about blogging