I look back at my life and it's easy to see how my opinions and attitudes have changed over the years, mostly for the better. It would be easy to say I was a product of the time, but that's a cop-out and I know it. I can't go back and change what I said or thought, but there are some things I can do.

It has (finally) occurred to me that I shouldn't be using Morandoo as the name of my publishing imprint. Morandoo is an aboriginal word meaning 'by the sea'. I am not aboriginal and I have no automatic right to appropriate an interesting word from a minority language for my own use.

In the last few days I have been trying to find a new name for my imprint. I tried mixing the letters up in my name, but when I found a combination I liked I discovered it's the name of a small island in the Atlantic. Not appropriate as I don't live there. Other ideas for name I had were all taken - ALL of them. Finally my darling hubby suggested Lonely Forest. So, let me introduce (drum roll) Lonely Forest Press!

I will start the long process of switching everything over from Morandoo Press to Lonely Forest Press soon.

In other writing news, I am making slow progress with my next book. I have another thing that is taking up a lot of my free time at the moment, but more on that later. I hope to speed up the writing once I have a routine sorted.

That's all for this month. Thanks for dropping by.

​Alison

In case you haven't heard, Facebook and the Australian Government are being a bit nasty to each other and the Aussie people using Facebook have been dragged into their bickering.

Because of this I am again going to revert to my website as my main information hub and writing news source. I will be maintaining my Instagram account (yes, I know Facebook owns Instagram) as well.

My plan is to resurrect, in part, my monthly newsletter. Though, instead of a newsletter that will be emailed to you, I'll be posting a blog with any updates right here on my website.

There will be a couple of options for catching up with any writing news:
1. Subscribe to the blog and I'll send you a notification when I post the monthly updates blog.
2. Drop by each month to check out the blog. The monthly post will go up on the 1st day of each month.
3. Use the RSS feed to be notified of posts.
4. Follow me on Instagram. I'll post notifications there, and the link to my website is always in my profile.

I could of course keep using my Facebook page to share news, but I have issues with that.
Firstly, there are creators like me out there who's content has been used on social media over and over. I understand that they have most likely been paid for it from the original source, but Facebook encourages the sharing because it helps keep people on their platform. If the information was only available at the original source, then people would spend less time on social media which is not what the companies want. I believe there should be some recompense for the content owners. The government recompenses me each year for my books being borrowed from libraries, so why can't big money-making companies recompense too?
Secondly, and lets flip the argument, news corporations could put pay walls on their content. A lot do already. Does that mean the content owners are just being greedy, lazy, or both?

I can see both sides of the argument, but one thing settled my dilemma. Facebook, with it's usual lack of thought (or do I mean common decency?) have not only canned news sites, but COVID-19 resource pages and other emergency service pages. To me, this is an excessively broad definition of 'news', but there's more. Pages that spread disinformation and (brainless) conspiracy theories are allowed to remain.

That sealed the deal. Facebook can have it's tanty and throw its weight around, but it's going to do it without me.

So please hit the subscribe button, follow me on Instagram, or drop by each month to see what's happening. I won't be posting on Facebook for a while.

As always, take care of yourselves.

COVID 19. I've been avoiding talking about the virus that has a large number of people stocking loo rolls, pasta, and flour, but it needs to be done. I didn't want it to affect my writing. Indeed, I saw it as an escape, but it hasn't worked that way to date.

Progress with writing has stalled. The unfolding pandemic and the related stories, rumours, and inevitable chat, has left me drained, mentally and emotionally. I've switched off from most social media and mainstream news delivery, and that is helping my brain get back to normal. I hope to do more writing from now on.

On more positive news, I have finished editing my next book. It has been to my beta readers, and is now in the tender (read: blunt, honest, and helpful) hands of my professional editor. I did initially consider delaying the release until after the COVID 19 panic had subsided, but have now decided to push ahead. It will be released in EBook format at the very least. I am considering the best way to provide print copies to those who want them, but it's tricky. I want to ensure there can be no trace of virus on the books. I know I don't have the virus at the moment, but I'm not the one making the print editions. I'll let you know the options for getting print copies closer to the release date.

And what is the expected release date? I don't know at the moment. I can tell you the title - Defender. It is not a part of either series I have written so far. At the moment it is a stand-alone book, but there is the potential to make it the first of a series. Decision pending...

In the meantime, stay safe and look after yourself.

​A public library in Queens, New York, has bought a book from this little Tassie author for their collection. So cool! I may be a little excited....