Stories from Oceania
2026 is the 15 years anniversary of publishing my first novel TELESA. I can't quite believe its been fifteen years since?! Which has me reflecting on my writer road, how did it begin and where I am now. (And yes its making me feel super old too.) Born and raised in Samoa, I'm number three… Continue reading 15 years of fiapoto?!
As a writer who writes too many different things all the time – I am often asked: “Where do you find the time and the drive to write? How do you overcome writer’s ‘block’?” Such questions are a puzzle to me and so my answer is 105km and 14 hrs long… A few years ago,… Continue reading How to Become a Writer.
The thing about releasing a book is then people want to know - 'when's your next book coming out?' Never mind that you just gained twenty pounds sitting on your butt (eating and) writing this book and your children have forgotten what you look like...more importantly, they have forgotten the high standards you have for… Continue reading Hot Chiselled Bodies vs Babies that pop out like Blackheads
So Amazon opened a Japanese division a while back, selling ebooks and stuff. I was looking through my (sad) sales reports and saw, "Hey! I sold a book in Japan!" Sooooo cool. Then I noticed they bought it for $339.00. Double-take. Say what? Do they love me that much in Japan? I get a little excited. Okay,… Continue reading I am a Coconut.
1. We go to extreme lengths to delay writing. We want you to leave us alone so we can write but then you will find us: color coding the linen cupboard, cleaning out the fridge, baking three different kinds of cookies (For the children dammit!) Emailing that longlost friend from high school that we havent spoken to… Continue reading Things you should know before you date (or heaven forbid, marry) a writer
We needed something done to our cable connection. I called the SKY office and they sent round a very nice young man to do it. He was friendly, helpful and efficient - and quickly worked his magic on the cable connection. He was also white (think blonde n blue-eyed) and did I mention that he was… Continue reading The Cable Guy Got Me All Excited!
I'm in Samoa - staying with my parents but otherwise completely alone. No Hot Man. No Fabulous Five. I was invited to attend the 2012 SPACLAL Pacific Literature Conference held at the National University of Samoa and I had to give a presentation thingamajig about electronic books and self-publishing and social media etc. It was… Continue reading A Week in Samoa
So Im doing this NaNoWriMo thing where hundreds of thousands of people the world over sign up to write a 50,000 word novel in 30 days. It's so massively huge that probably even Martians are doing NaNo. It's my first time doing it. In theory, its a fabulous concept. You commit to sitting down and… Continue reading Skinny (NaNoWriMo) is for Fools
I always suspected I was a bad mother/wife/woman. And now I just had it confirmed. Some scientists ( with nothing better to do with their time than find ways to make me feel bad), did a study on "What a Woman's Perfect Day Would Consist Of." And the results? Went a little something like this - 106… Continue reading 106 Minutes of Sexual Intimacy
Where books are getting written & too many Doritos are getting consumed.The other day a massive truck delivered a (rather hideous) orange and green box to my yard. My very own, brand new, writing office. A portable rental unit. "Surprise!" said the Hot Man. I can neither confirm nor deny whether I jumped up and down, screamed,… Continue reading Why Writers Need a Cave