NZSA Manuscript assessment accepted!...

Pasifika Greens (6" x 6") Acrylics on boxed canvas 2017 collection

Having just finished painting my first series to sell (currently being sold at SAAB Sei Oriana store in Mangere) as so excited today to announce that I've just heard that my debuting novel manuscript has just been accepted to be assessed by experienced writers for reviewing towards publishing in the not too distant future.

Wow! thank you NZSA New Zealand Society of Authors of which I have been a member (on and off) since undergoing my Masters in Creative writing back in 2012 as they have recently started offering 12 of these 'scholarship' type awards annually with funding from Creative NZ to assist more NZ writers towards publishing their works and I am so privileged to have been shortlisted and now looking forward to sending it off for reviewing. Such a humbling privilege.

It's really funny because it was my eldest who brought my manuscript back to mind this year as when she asked about when I was going to have it published, having read it as a pre-teen many years ago, I realised that I had quite forgotten about it as have been so busy publishing my older written material that I had quite forgotten about some of my newer material that I would like to publish as a part of my publishing business plan.

So now I feel that it's getting closer to that time of 'birthing' i.e. in bringing my first novel to light which is a bit intimidating and daunting as in the expectancy of a new child as a lot of effort and time and love went into writing this first novel and now it's almost time for 'the big reveal' as they say but there are a few more tweeks and considerations that I need to make first before printing and that's the excitement that I'm starting to feel as we get closer to the anticipated day/year although I still have a couple of projects that I need to work on beforehand.

Suffice to say that's a YA or Young adult novel, something that I think I would have enjoyed reading when I was a lot younger in my teens as I was a prolific YA reader when I was a senior in high school and now I hope to bless some other young people with stories that will be challenging in some ways, disconcerting in others but always about giving hope that there is someone out there who cares.

More will be revealed as we get closer to the time... Chee-hoo!