Special people I’m grateful for this week:

1. LINDA JAVIN: I will never forget the first time I heard Linda Jaivin reading from her work Rock’n’Roll Babes from Outer Space It was 1996, Brisbane, around 11am on a Friday, and Linda was part of the launch of the Queensland Writers Centre yearly program of events. If you know this deadly diva's work – i.e. Eat Me – then you’ll understand when I say that I felt a tad prudish listening to her reading. It’s fair to say Linda made an impression on me. It was two years later that we’d strike up a friendship at the Shorelines Festival at Bermagui where she attended a dawn reading I did at Camel Rock. From there our ‘Deadly Schmedly’ friendship was born. I’ll always remain grateful for Linda’s writing tips when I started writing fiction a couple of years later, but mostly I’m grateful for her generous spirit.

2. FIONA KATAUSKAS: I met the lovely Fiona Katauskas through Linda, although the mind is a little foggy as to when exactly that was. Either way I am a HUGE fan of Fiona’s. You’ve probably seen her work in the Sydney Morning Herald, The Australian, the Australian Financial Review and The Bulletin. She is one of only a handful of super deadly female cartoonists in the country and of course I think she’s #1 – regardless of gender! Fiona and I worked briefly on the show The Vulture on the ABC back in 2005. We actually spent more time eating tapas and drinking champagne last Friday night than we did taping the show! I was particularly grateful for the discussions Fiona, Linda and I had about author rights within the media industry. [Pic above of Linda and Fiona]

3. PAUL GALEA: I never walk away from Paul unhappy. He is my hair magician and I love visiting him at Lunio on Crown. He is the only hairdresser I have ever had that gets it right every single time. You girls all know that a good hair day can make you feel wonderful, so I’m grateful to Paul for making me feel that way. Pic above of Paul and I.

4. FBF: I have three friends in the inner-west and with everyone’s hectic lives we mostly catch up on Facebook, so today I was grateful be able to sit, yarn, talk about cats (them not me) and enjoy the view of Maroubra Beach. I’m grateful to Deborah, Jill and Carmel also for their unswerving support, not only of my own work as a writer, but also of the Indigenous Literacy Project in the past year. Pic above of Jill, Deborah, Carmel and I at the Pavilion Cafe this morning.

5. SUE: I don’t know Sue’s surname but she is my favourite waitress at the Pavilion Cafe at Maroubra Beach. I’m grateful for Sue because she is always friendly – I know that sounds weird, but I’ve experienced a few waitstaff that really shouldn’t be in the hospitality industry- and has a great sense of humour. If you’re drop in there, tell Sue you read about her here!