Sara Foster is grateful for...

See that gorgeous woman above? That's my friend Sara Foster. We met at the Perth International Arts Festival last year, and aside from sharing a publisher, publicist and agent, we also share a love of books, writing and most importantly chocolate. I'm grateful having shared a stage with Sara to discuss the important role of womens writing - some people call the genre chick lit. Today, I'm grateful Sara has dropped by to MY blog to share her gratefuls.

And today is a VERY special day. Sara's new novel Beneath the Shadows - with the gorgeous cover below - is released nationally. So be sure and pop into your favourite bookstore and grab a copy and get your local library to order it in as well!!

Feel free to ask Sara a question here if you like also, she'll be dropping by later today. Please make her welcome.

Sara says: Five things I’m grateful for:
1. MY PHONE: I’m completely in love with it. At the end of last year I had a beaten-up pay-as-you go mobile with bite marks all over the surface from when my baby was teething. Now I have a swish-as-they-come iPhone with a fancy pink cover – and I can’t put it down! This multi-tasking super-efficient little device is keeping my life on track in all sorts of ways.
2. STICKERS: We go through hundreds of stickers in my house, as my little girl is obsessed with them at the moment. If you need to get through something, hand her a sheet of stickers and she’ll be busy for ages. Never mind that most of them end up affixed to her person (which means she’s having an early taste of all the painful waxing years to come), they are proving a godsend while it’s so hectic.
3. MAUREEN AND PAUL: They own a shop – within walking distance from my house – with lots of chocolate in it. The good stuff that is imported from the UK, without anti-melting agents (or is that an urban myth?). Anyway, it tastes great, and it’s imperative that I have regular infusions. I need to keep my strength up, after all.
4. OUR FRIEND'S TINY TV: Our big telly went bang a few weeks ago (after we spent our one and only evening playing tennis on the Wii). While at times it’s been a bit of a blessing, because I’ve needed to work in the evenings, we’re beginning to miss it. In our wisdom, being budget-conscious, we decided to order a part from the UK, which is taking a very long time to arrive. Luckily our friends have lent us a little portable so we can keep an eye on the tennis – although it has made me realise how much I need my glasses!
5. FRIENDS NEW AND OLD: I’m certainly not an island, and rely on heaps of generous support – from benevolent authors, readers, bloggers, tweeters, publishers, designers and booksellers, to friends offering welcome distractions and spots of babysitting, and putting their various skills at my disposal. For my latest book I’ve had an artist friend do a painting of Grace’s house, a photographer friend take my pictures, and two of my brothers-in-law took the time to design not one but two short films that showcase my story. Not to mention all those brains I pick for research! So I am very lucky, and I’m tremendously grateful for that.

The pic above is of Sara and I at the PIAF in 2010. It was five million degrees that day :)

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!

I’m grateful for other people’s gratefulness...

1. ASHLEE DONOHUE: I’m not sure how long I’ve known Ashlee, otherwise known as Miss Ashlee on Koori Radio 93.7FM, but of late we’ve been hanging out a bit, sharing stories about our own evolution as Aboriginal women. I’m inspired by Ashlee’s sense of motivation and her commitment to being positive. I also appreciate – as she points out in her own gratefulness video blog – that we share an interest in Oprah, Maroubra Beach and eating good food. What more does one need as a strong foundation for friendship? Not a lot I’d say.
The pic above is of Miss Ashlee and I at the 2009 Deadly Awards at the Sydney Opera House.

2. ILD FUNDRAISING: Well the final figures are in for our 2010 Indigenous Literacy Day fundraising efforts. Nationally, we raised $607,000 way above the $400,000 target we set ourselves. I am enormously grateful for ILD founder Suzie Wilson form Riverbend Books and all the team at the Indigenous Literacy Project for their ongoing work. A huge shout to all the ILD Ambassadors for their time and efforts and to all those who attended events and bought books on ILD back in September. I am excited about the future of our young people, many of whom live in communities where they don’t enjoy the regular benefits of libraries like the rest of us. Book Packs and other chosen titles will make their way into hundreds of communities thanks to the ILP and the Fred Hollows Foundation. So big clap everyone!

3. AUTHORS FOR QLD AUCTION: I’m grateful to the amazing people who coordinated the auction, because it meant those of us paralysed by the images and news reports of the flood devastation, could actually do something practical to assist those suffering. Some writers donated books, others donated manuscript assessments and editorial advice. And bidders were incredible generous because it was about more than the product they were bidding on. I would like to send a huge shout-out to Rochelle Stratford who bid $250 for my three novels Not Meeting Mr Right, Avoiding Mr Right and Manhattan Dreaming. You rock!

4. WRITERS ON RAFTS: Just as the auction above came to an end Writers on Rafts took flight, and I’m grateful to also be a part of this fantastic initiative. As mentioned in an earlier blog, Writers on Rafts is an initiative of Queensland Writers Centre and author Rebecca Sparrow to raise money for the Queensland Premier’s Flood Relief Appeal. More than 150 Australian authors have pledged prizes that YOU can win. All you need to do is go to Writers on Rafts and choose the category you want to win in: Author Visit, Book Pack, Character Name, and Writer Support
• Purchase as many $5 raffle tickets as you like in as many categories as you want! To enter, simply choose the categories you’d like to enter and follow the links to purchase a ticket.
• Every ticket is one chance to win for a lucky person in every state and territory. Purchase as many tickets as you like, in as many categories as you want! If your entry is drawn as a winner, you can then select the prize you want.
• Every dollar goes directly to the Queensland Premier’s Flood Relief Appeal to help victims of the Queensland floods.
• QWC’s goal is to raise $10,000 through Writers On Rafts.
• We will be conducting the draw on Friday, 25 February.
For more info click here. You can also email the coordinators at writersonrafts@gmail.com

5. AIR-CONDITIONING: Does this one need explaining? It’s steaming in Sydney!

I am grateful to photographer, Amanda James

I just want to say how grateful I am today to Amanda James - star photographer with a current exhibition at Customs House in Sydney. If you haven't had a chance to check out KNOCKOUT - grassroots Aboriginal Rugby League in NSW, then best you get moving as it ends on January 30.

Not only has Amanda been documenting some of our most important events, including the Deadly Awards down at the Sydney Opera House each year (indeed where we met), she also was incredibly patient with me recently as she tried to take a few pics for my new book.

Below are just a few of the hundreds she took, and I'm pleased Amanda captured different aspects of my personality.

If you're looking for a true professional be sure and give Amanda a holler...

This is the 'I'm-attempting-serious-look'...

Apparently, this the 'Women's Weekly pose'...

The 'I'm working-not-posing-shot'...

And the 'I can be demure-look'...almost...

I’m grateful for horizontal ‘research time’:

Below are just five of my favourite places for finding peace and thinking through story-lines in recent years. In terms of writing, the hardest thing for me is piecing the story together in my head, before I even sit at the keyboard. This process takes lots of ‘thinking time’ in peaceful settings.

1. MAROUBRA BEACH: this is where I spend most of my weekends in summer – and even in winter I’ll just sit on the headland and think. I have a favourite rock to sit on where I stare into the Pacific Ocean, feel at peace and reflect on life and the lives of my characters.

2. NEW CALEDONIA: I’m fortunate enough to have been to Noumea a couple of times to participate in book festivals and I relished the opportunity to enjoy the stunning waters and weather. Noumea is the perfect setting for considering character development.

3. TAHITI: I was a guest at a book fair in Tahiti in 2008, and while the days were long – and very hot – I made sure I had time out to get more literary inspiration while considering the crystal clear waters of a secluded lagoon.

4. PORT DOUGLAS: In 2010, the beautiful lagoon pools of the Sheraton Mirage Port Douglas provided me with motivation to get back to my desk... well not quite!

5. MAGENTA SHORES: Only last week I was on the Central Coast planning and strategising, and my head ached from thinking and being in meetings. Rather than spend the later afternoon my hotel room working on my current book, I decided the head would be better served lying by the pool and reading a fabulous – Vivian Rising – by Daniella Brodksy.

Authors For Queensland Auction - ON NOW!

The fabulous auction dedicated to raising funds for flood affected areas of QLD was kicked off today with some wonderful books, workshops, mentorships, pr opportunities and manuscript assessments up for grabs. You can search for your favourite author or search by genre. Click here and happy bidding!

I donated copies of NOT MEETING MR RIGHT, AVOIDING MR RIGHT and MANHATTAN DREAMING. If you are the highest bidder I will autograph them for you specifically or whomever you'd like to send them to. The current bid stands at $150 but of course we'd like to raise more money for those most in need.

If you'd like to bid on my set of three books just click here and go for your life!

Thanks everyone for supporting all these fundraising efforts.

Much peace,
Anita

I’m grateful to be part of the writing community...

Living in Sydney at this time I cannot be part of the ‘Army of Volunteers’ working tirelessly to clean up the city of Brisbane and flood-affected suburbs and towns. But like many others who have donated to the official flood relief fund I still feel helpless and want to participate in any way I can. So I am thankful to be part of a proactive writing community that has created the opportunities below that allow me as a writer to do my bit. They are all initiatives that YOU TOO can be part of!

1.WRITERS ON RAFTS:
I’m grateful to Rebecca Sparrow and the Queensland Writers Centre’s "Writers On Rafts" initiative which aims to raise funds for the flood victims in Queensland. 100% of the proceeds will go to the Premier's Flood Relief Program.
For a small entry fee, YOU, your book club or school can go in the draw to win one of the following fantastic prizes:
* A personal visit to their book club OR school by the writer of your choice (in your State) OR
* A one-on-one writing workshop or mentoring session OR
* A character named after YOU in someone's next novel OR
* A lunch for YOU and a friend with the writer/s of your choice (and a QWC rep) OR
* A whole stack of book packs, signed copies etc etc etc OR
* a manuscript assessment from a literary agent or publisher
So far over 60 authors and literary agents have volunteered their services, books or time including Curtis Brown, Inkwell, UQP, Melina Marchetta, Markus Zusak, Di Morrissey, Emily Maguire, Sara Foster, Jessica Adams, , Mia Freedman, Kate Morton, Kim Wilkins (pictured above), Richard Glover, Tara Moss, Jessica Rudd, Venero Armanno, John Birmingham, Nick Earls and many more. Oh, and yours truly!

I’ll post more details here later this week on how you can WIN some of the above, so stay tune!

2. Writers Auction 4 Queensland Flood Appeal:
Writers all over the world are donating a variety of items and services to be auctioned for the Queensland Flood Appeal. Already there have been hundreds of offers of autographed books, mentorships, tickets to writers’ events, burlesque performances, magazine subscriptions and much, much more. Kudos to Australian authors Fleur McDonald, Kate Gordon, Katrina Germein and Emily Gale for such a fantastic idea which allows us all to help just that little bit more
As soon as the list of donations has been finalised I will post all the goodies and auction details here, please stay tuned.

3. 100 STORIES FOR QUEENSLAND: Administrated by Trevor Belshaw, Maureen Vincent-Northam, David Robinson and the 100 Stories for Haiti founder, Greg McQueen, along with a team of volunteer editors, 100 Stories for QLD is a charity anthology to assist the survivors of the Queensland floods. Stories are donated by writers from across the globe and 100% of the sales profit will be donated to the Queensland Premier's Flood Relief appeal. I’m grateful for the invitation to be part of this anthology but the editors are still seeking more submissions of stories 500-1000 words in any genre and for any age group. For details click here.

100 Stories for Queensland will be available in digital and print form, and is expected to be ready for release late February/early March and if you can buy a copy for yourself and maybe one to give away, that would be too deadly!

I’ll be providing updates on these initiatives as they come to hand, and you can always follow me on Twitter and on Facebook for more immediate information.

Memories and Mammories, I am grateful...

1. MEMORIES: I’m currently working on my memoirs focussing on my Aboriginal identity, and this week I’ve been writing about my father. It’s a difficult thing to do because I’m still heartbroken from his early death back in 2005. But it’s also given me the opportunity to recall some of the fabulous memories of my childhood and being proud of my father, Joe-The-Carpenter. I’m grateful that I have such fond memories of the greatest man who ever walked the earth (yes, of course I am subjective... but he was!).
2. MAMMARIES: Ok, so the 16Ds get in the way on occasion, and oft times shopping can be a challenge, but it’s fair to say I’m grateful to have them, I mean, how would I keep the strapless dress up otherwise?
3. MOTHERS: Of course I’m grateful for mine, she’s the best (yes, you can contradict me, because your mum’s the best too, right?). But today I’m grateful for all the other wonderful mothers in my world, including Yoli, new mum to Conan. Seeing her in action with the little fella today was so inspiring it almost makes me want to squeeze one out myself. I said almost...

4. MICHAEL BUBLE: I’m grateful for the Michael Buble CDs /DVDs my brother gave me for Christmas. I am cruising Sydney now grooving in my car seat to the delicious sounds of this gorgeous Canadian pop crooner. Yummo!
5. MAHON POOL: My haven, temple, place I feel most at peace is this little piece of paradise at North Maroubra. I am grateful for ANY time I can spend there. Today I had an hour to swim, sit, relax, think and centre myself. Pic above taken today about 1pm.

Banoffee pie and boys... I am grateful...

1. BANOFFEE PIE: I had my first experience with the banana / toffee / cream extravaganza at Sauce Bar and Grill back in 2008. It’s something I eat on every visit there and I am always grateful for naughty things on a plate.
2. BEN: Today I’m grateful for the Banoffee Pie that Ben made for me. Apparently he didn’t cook the biscuit base long enough, so it was a little like Banoffee Crumble, but hey, I still managed to murder the piece(s) in front of me. Ben's effort is above.
3. BED: I’ve had a wonderful few days in the Hunter Valley, and while it’s lovely to lounge in a king size bed, I am always grateful to be home in my own slumber land. I will sleep well tonight... ready for a big writing day back in the office tomorrow.
4. BREAD: Detox and high protein diet starts tomorrow, so today I was grateful for the bread (and wine) I won’t be enjoying for the next few weeks. Bruschetta on the BBQ was a treat I’d not indulged in before.
5. BOYS: I’m grateful for the boys in my life; the young, the old, the cheeky, the funny, the thoughtful, the challenging. They make me feel all the emotions I need to as a woman, sister, friend, and companion. And I love this quote by Robert Frost: ‘A mother takes twenty years to make a man of her boy, and another woman makes a fool of him in twenty minutes.’ Not that that other woman is me of course :)

Happy New Year!

Hello and happy New Year! I’m hoping that 2011 is a stunning year for all my visitors here and for those in your own worlds. I woke up in the Hunter Valley this morning in the middle of a four-day break, and I sprung out of bed excited about what the next twelve months has in store for me, and indeed the world. I had considered changing the focus of my blog from one of gratefulness to something perhaps a little more ‘exciting’, but I went back and remembered why I began writing here in the first place.

This ‘Gratefulness Blog’ is something that allows, encourages and requires me, to stop and acknowledge every day (or every week if I am really busy) all the wonderful, significant and enriching people, moments and events in my day. Documenting such gratitude gives me something to go return to when I have ‘low moments’.

I’ve also received so many messages from people all around the world who are encouraged to be more ‘grateful’ just by reading my blog, that I am further motivated to keep this growing in 2011.

Thanks for being part of my ‘gratefulness journey’ and here’s cheers to a new year full of promise!

What I'm grateful for today:
1. MANTRAS: Like my character Alice Aigner in Not Meeting Mr Right, I am a fan of mantras and positive affirmations. Rather than setting myself another health related resolution I set myself a mantra for 2011. It is: ‘Be positive! Be passionate! Be at peace!’ And of course, most importantly, be grateful. What’s your mantra / resolution?
2. NATURE: I’m grateful for the beautiful countryside here in the Hunter Valley, no, not just because it’s full of vineyards, or as I like to call them, ‘grape farms’, but because I am such a city slicker it is a good reminder of the beauty of this country’s landscape to wake up amongst the trees. I must admit though, that as I watch the breeze through the branches of the grand gums I also curse the spiders, but mostly the five billion cicadas that never seem to give their voice-boxes (or what cicadas have) a rest. Even my heavy duty earplugs can block them out. All of sudden the sound of traffic is peaceful.
3. BIZARRE BEHAVIOUR: My apartment faces a golf course. Playing golf isn’t bizarre behaviour, unless of course you swing a club like I do. But as I sat on the balcony today I watched a golf cart pull up with a husband/wife team (guessing) in it. Only the wife didn’t get out, she just sat their holding a stuffed toy – a dragon to be exact. Was it the mascot? Was she the mascot? Either way I thought it a colourful, bizarre thing to watch, and momentarily it made me feel slightly normal. What is ‘normal’ anyway?
4. RANDOM CONVERSATIONS: I’m grateful for random chats with other holiday-makers by the pool. It’s not hard to find something in common with most other human beings.
5. AUSTRALIAN LITERATURE: I love Australian fiction, not because I’m not interested in world literature, but because there are just so many wonderful stories set within and about our own country. Many of these are underrated or lost in the bigger picture. And certainly, not enough of them are taught in our schools. I’m a slow reader, very slow; seriously I can almost write a book quicker than I can read one. So I know a good book when I can’t put it down. In my first twenty-four hours here I devoured Peter Goldsworthy’s collection of short stories GRAVEL. I want more!

Today I started reading Jon Doust’s BOY ON A WIRE. I’m already thinking about all the people I know who will love reading it also. Jon is a wise, funny storyteller in real life. He has captured all his talent in this fictionalised memoir of life in a boarding school in Western Australia. It's easy to see why it was longlisted for the 2010 Miles Franklin. I’m grateful I ended 2010 and started 2011 with some of Australia’s finest writers. Thanks fellas! [The pic above is me by the pool with Jon’s book this morning. Life isn’t half bad, eh?]