Swift praise

Mel Ulm has reviewed another of my stories over at his blog The Reading Life, praising "The Bull Calf": "It would make Swift smile".Thank you, Mel - I love what you've written about my story!

Back trying

I have a story, "The Bull Calf", up at The Bactrian Room. I'm sincerely grateful to Editor Russell Streur for hosting my work - his support has been instrumental in getting my writing career off the ground - and The Bactrian Room's a great venue for longer works, and a compliment to The Camel Saloon. Thanks again, Russell.

"The Bull Calf" is a satire inspired by Leonard Cohen's song "The Story of Isaac", and takes its title from the Irvine Leighton poem of the same name. I wrote it almost a year before Gareth Morgan's suggestion to cull cats to save New Zealand's birdlife - predictive text, folks!

Surf training

I found a great way to avoid the sales.

The sand was full of weeny iron bits (iron filings? - a science lesson gone astray?). They stuck to the magnets on my son's train when he buried it. When I dug it up I thought it was a bizarrely similar yet much older abandoned train with anemones clinging to it (...always the most ludicrous explanation is the most obvious seeming one....).

We found the most beautiful dainty shells in bone white and indigo fading to lilac....

...before our attention was caught by a flash of electric blue (photo credit Mike, currently photographer in residence at Muriwai Surf School - my surf pics were tripe).

The beach seems the most appropriate place to end one year and bring in the next; something about

the tide draws me there at the close of the year. And what a year.

I've had a productive one which saw twenty odd publications, starting with Otoliths through Horizon Review, ending in December with The Bactrian Room. I wrote a screenplay, penned a couple hundred poems, got longlisted for the Kathleen Grattan Award and started Escape Behaviours (the poetry for which I wrote this time last year).

Thank you all who've supported me in myriad ways - I feel grateful, and optimistic for the New Year. Here's to a creative and fulfilling New Year for all of you!

Oh Christmas three

Three little baubles of happy news to hang on your tree this December:

Firstly - huge congratulations to Isobel J Hillman for getting her first poem published at Ink, Sweat & Tears - I'm particularly thrilled for her as she's my daughter, and she wrote Avalanches when she was nine (she's the grand old age of ten now!).

Secondly - I have a story up at The Bactrian Room. I'd love your thoughts on this one. My thanks go to Russell Streur who has virtually adopted me this year!

Thirdly - the names have gone into the hat - the person receiving a copy of The Juno Charm is:

Congratulations, Dan - drop me an email at teaforthetiller [at] hotmail [dot] com and The Juno Charm will work its magical way to you.

Thanks to all who've read and or followed the blog this year - your support means so much to me. However you choose to celebrate this holiday, I hope you have a relaxing and meaningful time - and a heap of fun ;) You really are the trimmings on the tree for me.