Last weekend, I had the pleasure of celebrating my writing achievements with my favourite barista.
When I was writing Cassandra, I had a slightly OCD writing routine (only 2 days a week, sadly) that went like this:
- 7.40 am drop kids in town to meet the school bus
- Visit Denise at Cafe Kiks and get a coffee
- Go home (breakfast, feed dogs, feed chooks, etc)
- Put the radio on 844 (Chillout Lounge)
- Put the oil burner on with Gumleaf Essentials (Concentrate or Inspire)
- By 9 am, be seated in the sunroom or front veranda (depending on whether it’s winter or summer – I didn’t have a desk at the time)
- Write until midday.
I don’t have to do a school run anymore (the freedom!), so I don’t visit Denise as much as I would like.
Denise is a chatty and sociable (I suspect an extrovert), and her cafe is full of beautiful things. It is like walking into a friend’s house and having her make you a coffee. I miss it in my everyday life. I was so pleased when Denise said I could host a local launch on Saturday afternoon.
The Pocket Bookclub catered with their usual culinary prowess. I made jam drops – special jam drops that are my grandmother’s recipe. The same ones Cassandra takes to Athena’s house when she first walks up the hill to meet her.
The loveliest people came – Elise gave me flowers, and everyone was kind and congratulatory. I thank them all for coming along. I didn’t do any speeches. We just ate food and drank coffee, and had a nice chat.
Baristas are the fuel of many novels. Coupled with a writing routine, we will conquer the world.
Finalist Best Fantasy Novel 2017 Aurealis Awards
Is the future set like concrete or a piece of clay we can mould and change?
On a remote farm in Queensland, Cassie Shultz feels useless. Her perfect brother Alex has an uncanny ability to predict the weather, and the fortunes of the entire family hinge on his forecasts. However, her gift for prophecy remains frustratingly obscure. Attempts to help her family usually fail.
After meeting with her new genius neighbour Athena, Cassie thinks she has unlocked the secret of her powers. But as her visions grow more vivid, she learns that the cost of honing her gift may be her sanity.
With her family breaking apart, the future hurtles towards Cassie faster than she can comprehend it.
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so good to read a little about your launch Kathryn. did you have just one launch? i think it was a few months ago that you mentioned the launch of Cassandra on WP. were you happy with Odyssey publishers?
You’re right, I did have another launch at Avid Bookstore, but some it is an hour from my home and some people couldn’t make it. We decided to have a casual do.