How writing and gardening are the same

Gardening and writing are the same.

1. They are both hard work. You either have to put your bum in the chair or get out in the hot sun. An effort is required.
2. You are always learning. The basics are easy. You can throw something in the dirt or write a sentence, but if you want to get better, you will have to gain more skills and knowledge.
3. Writing and gardening require attention to detail. You need to notice the fern is not happy now the sun has moved, and you need exactly the right verb or adjective, or character tick. They are thoughtful pursuits.
4. Plants will fail. Stories will fail. You have to figure out why and try again.
5. Gardening requires some vision, the imagination to envisage how something will look in the future. Writing is exactly the same. You have to have a sense of imagination and a vision of something that does not exist yet.
6. Tenacity. In the face of constant change, you need the willpower to keep at it.
7. There are rules. The rules can be broken. Sometimes successfully and sometimes not.
8. They are both creative pursuits. You create a garden and you create a story.
9. You can share your garden produce with eaters, and you share your stories with readers.
10. There is an amazing sense of achievement and satisfaction looking over a blooming garden and writing The End. Even better, seeing a book in your hand!

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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