One of my favourite romance reading pleasures is a linked continuity or series, so when I saw the call for submissions for Gumnut Press's Paw Prints of Love Anthology, I knew I would be submitting.
Back in 2007, when I first joined Romance Writers of Australia, I subbed two shorts to the Little Gems competition. The first, a futuristic, was published in the anthology. The second, a contemporary, just missed the cut. My new writing group all agreed - my futuristic voice was much stronger than my contemporary voice - so I started writing futuristic, with the occasional dabble into the world of contemporary. In 2019, my submissions to publishers are almost always contemporary - because futuristic is such a niche market that its difficult to sell. I'm still working on my space operas and alternate futures, but only to self-publish. One day... But back to the 2007 short that didn't make the cut. It has a move to a new town, there was a sexy stranger who had rescued a dog that had puppies, there was sweet romance. So when the anthology call came, I knew I had to dig it out. A month later, it was unrecognisable. There was still a move to a new town, still a sexy stranger, still a litter of puppies, but everything else had changed. I added 5000 words, a bad boy on a motorbike, macrame, a cruise ship and a heap of emotion. I sent it off, knowing that even if it didn't make the cut it was a much better story. The photo above is me signing the contract for Rescued Hearts to be included in the Anthology. Note the Romance Writers of Australia pen. Without RWA there would be no contract, so this is my official signing pen. And the moral of this story:
Rescued Hearts, in the Paw Prints of Love Anthology, will be published in print and e-book in 2020. In 2018, I had a few major life changes, most of which affected my writing in some way or another. Here's 2018 in a nutshell (or why I neglected my blog...)
So while I wasn't blogging, I was writing, running and trying to juggle my commitments to fit it all in. It took a year, but now the new routine is routine. Upper Mt Gravatt (aka up Mt Gravatt) - 10th December The run started at Upper Mt Gravatt the suburb, then in a fit of "what the heck" it morphed into a run up Mt Gravatt. Which wouldn't be so bad except I'd already done Toowong in the pre-dawn, it was summer, I was on a narrow winding road with oh so many cars and cycles, and it was a very big hill. However, the view from the top was awesome. Victoria Point - 18th December 2017 Another pre-dawn run, and my first ever experience of a koala on the road, which scuttled away too quickly for me to get a good look. I followed the foreshore where someone had decorated the trees with Christmas decorations. I'll remember Victoria Point for the sense of community, and the peace. Wynnum - 20th December 2017 Ah, Wynnum. Many years ago we walked at Wynnum most afternoons, and on Sundays I would run from home to Wynnum to see the sunrise. But a house move that saw us move closer to the shore also stopped our trips to Wynnum. I don't know why. Another early morning run, and I promised myself I'd be back. Expo 88 site to XXXX brewery - 23rd December 2017 X proved to be challenging but a little bit of creative thinking gifted me a run I had done before, but not for a long time. It started at Southbank, the former home of Expo 88, where I spent a fair amount of time in my last year at Uni, took me over the Go-Between Bridge for the first time and over to the XXXX brewery, where Paddy Fitzgerald still adorns the walls of the brewery. This run was a trip down memory lane - of Brisbane half marathons and walking home to Toowong from Expo. So much change, yet some things are still the same Yeronga to Yerongpilly - 24th December 2017 It was a beautiful calm day for my next to last run on the A-Z run of Brisbane and I spent another glorious day on the River. There were streets I'd never been on, a new tennis centre, the old power station was now redeveloped, and best of all, a riverside park full of teddy bears wearing reindeer ears, draped with tinsel. Really? Yes really. Zillmere - 24th December 2017
In 1965/66 my parents ran a petrol station called the Zillmere Star, and so for the final run in my year long odyssey, I set off armed with an old photo to see if it was still standing. And it was. The building is exactly the same, repainted and rebranded, but exactly the same. I wondered what my parents, both long gone, would think of that. On the way back I found the Zillman waterholes, and marvelled at the diversity and beauty that is all around us in this city I've always called home. I was sad to say goodbye to the A-Z run, and I think perhaps I haven't really said my final farewells. A good friend suggested I do a sequential one way run from A to B to C to D and see if I could continue through the whole alphabet. Let me get my map... The A-Z Run of Brisbane of 2017 was well and truly off track - it was November and I was up to O. Ormiston - 12th November 2017 Ormiston was one of the hidden gems of the A-Z run - wide open streets, huge trees and a historic wool scour on the side of a creek. I spent all my time looking up for koalas, but sadly I didn't see one. Petrie - 20th November 2017 A meandering run alongside the Pine River, with glimpses of both suburbia and acreage. There was a huge off lead dog area on the riverbank and if not for the thought of the muddy paws in the car, I would bring the dogs here in a heartbeat. Queensport - 25th November 2017 So, the letter Q had me stumped until a friend brought in an old street directory showing a suburb called Queensport. Once upon a time Queensport was the site of an aquarium/funfair and people from Brisbane caught a steamer down to see it. Unfortunately a flood put an end to that. Now an industrial area, I could see the pine trees shown in the photos of the aquarium, and the brick foundations of the pier. This pub was gorgeous, although I didn't drop in. I also visited the site of the Queensport Meatworks - the ruins are directly under the Gateway Bridge and easily visible, although fenced off for safety. Redcliffe to Scarborough - 26th November 2017 This run was familiar territory - I've run here many times - some of my earliest memories are of Redcliffe and the day did not disappoint - it was gorgeous. I ran from Suttons's Beach at Redcliffe to Scarborough Boat Harbour and back, then finished the morning at the Redcliffe markets, where I had an icy cold homemade lemonade. Favourite bit of the whole run: A beach Santa, doing Santa photos - so much nicer than the shopping centre experience. Toowong - 10th December 2017
Toowong Cemetery is one of my absolute favourite places in the world - I love the history, the hills, the trees, the silence. I ran at dawn, alone with my thoughts and thousands of souls. What an awesome start to the day. And so the A-Z run of Brisbane continued, after a brief pause to train for and run my first half marathon in 11 years: Jacob's Well - 22nd October 2017 An awesome seaside village about 45 minutes from home and a place I'd never been to. There were horses, jet skis, kayaks and fishermen. I traversed the old town, complete with 'Home and Away" style caravan park, then went over to the new canal development where the houses were huge and the gardens immaculate. I think I preferred the old town. Kangaroo Point - 24th October 2017 I've spent a bit of time running the river banks of Kangaroo point but not since all the development went in - I loved the jacarandas, and the sense of community that's developed since the last time I ran through. And, just to prove I could, I took the scary rock stairs to the top of the cliffs and back down again, hoping that I didn't break an ankle. (I didn't) Lota - 28th October 2017 When I think of Lota I think of cute seaside village that you don't want to visit at dusk in summer because of the midges and mosquitoes. Yet, at dawn, the creeks and waterfront are beautiful. My run took me on a mangrove boardwalk, and through a nature reserve and if I'd wanted to I could have gone for hours. Mt Cootha - 29th October 2017 Back in the late 1980's, when I lived over that side of town, I used to run Mt Cootha every Saturday morning, then head to Toowong pool for a swim. The hill, I remember well - 2km of straight uphill slog. The view on the day of my visit wasn't great, but the joy of reaching the summit remains. I visited the park at the summit where my Mr Right popped the question, all those years ago. New Farm - 5th November 2017
Brisbane has the City Cats (river ferries) and I decided to park on my side of town, catch a City Cat to New Farm, then run. My goal was simple - to beat the City Cat back - it was going to St Lucia, I was heading towards the city and would turn when I thought it would reach St Lucia and try to beat it back. I did beat it back, and the sprint at the end felt awesome. A-Z Run of Brisbane - Fairfield, Glasshouse Mountains, Hemmant to Hamilton and Indooropilly8/5/2017
The A-Z run of Brisbane continues....
And still I am amazed at how much enjoyment it is bringing. I've found myself in a conundrum - I set a goal of a half marathon in September - which I completed. But training for speed/distance is very different to a weekly run focusing on exploring, photgraphing and experiencing something new. So I parked my A-Z run temporarily. Now, I'm behind schedule. I have about 80 days to the end of the year, and 17 letters to complete. Eeeeekkkk. F = Fairfield - 18/6/17 First up, we have Fairfield at dawn, which was spectacular. I had never run in Fairfield before - had run through it to cross the green bridge, but never explored Fairfield. To finish my Fairfield day, I spent the day with fellow author Danielle Birch at South Brisbane Cemetery Open Day and it was great. Mental note - lots of subsided, unmarked graves in South Brisbane Cemetery - never run on the grass... G = Glasshouse Mountains - 2/7/17 Next, the Glasshouse Mountains - and the disused railway tunnel in the Dularcha National Park . I've lived in South East Queensland all my life and until I started doing this A-Z run I did not know about this rail trail. Now I want to hike the length of the Glasshouse Mountains. It was a great day. H = Hemmant to Hamilton - 23/7/17 Hemmant to Hamilton return was the run that set the half-marathon firmly in motion. With no training, and not much in the way of pre-thought I woke up one Sunday and decided to see if I could run from Hemmant (never been there before) to Hamilton (which I rediscovered thanks to regular catchups with my old work crew). Courtesy of a wrong turn (thanks Google maps) it became 21km, with two crossings of the Gateway Bridge and what started as a vague notion of a half marathon firmed up as the kilometres ticked over. If I could run 21km with no training, imagine what would happen if I trained. (Answer, ran it one hour faster...) I = Indooropilly - 21/10/17 Indooropilly - and the Walter Taylor Bridge - was the most recent installment. I lived in nearby Toowong for 4 years during Uni, and yet I never visited Indooropilly shopping centre or crossed the bridge. Until this run, I hadn't even driven on it. October means Jacarandas, so I was hoping to catch some jacaranda action as well. As all UQ graduates know, if you haven't started studying by the time the jacarandas come out, you are in huge trouble. I will never see a jacaranda without remembering the local legend. Indooropilly was a mix of urban development and untouched original houses and as I ran I wondered how many more units could be shoe-horned onto its narrow streets. I had trouble finding a park at 6am in the morning. Sadly, it was raining, so I didn't take my dripping self to the shopping centre. That will have to wait until another day. A friend and I decided our work staff room (servicing 100 people) would be a perfect place for a Tiny Free Library.
We started on 19/3/17 with 3 books and the first two weeks were a bit disappointing, in that nothing moved. Then, I swapped one book out, and another from home in. It was as if this one change had given people permission to use the library - we had a few donations and loans began in earnest. Six weeks after we opened, we now have books moving in and out every day, and I find myself fascinated with watching the library, and talking about books with the people I work with. I am loving the Tiny Free Library, and the only downside - I now have all these titles that friends have recommended and not much time to read them. So, its finally time to catch up on the A-Z run of Brisbane. I have been running, just having been posting. So here's a summary of the B,C,D and E runs B = Bribie Island - 22/1/17 As a child we lived near Bribie Island and my first trip to the beach was to Bribie's calm side with my kindy class. I was petrified. First bus trip. First beach trip. Spent the entire day clinging to the teacher. As an adult I haven't spent a lot of time on Bribie, and as I'm discovering during this sightseeing run of Brisbane, there's one common theme - Why don't I ever come here normally? Made a promise to myself as I stood on the beach, soaking up the atmosphere - I'm definitely coming back. C = Cleveland 5/2/17 So carrying on with the beach theme, my C run was at Cleveland. I parked at the point then explored the foreshore for the next hour and a bit. It was a glorious day, a bit hot, but everywhere I turned, it was beautiful. This is 20 mins from my house. Again, why do I never come here normally? While pondering this very thought, I ran past the terminal that runs the water taxi to Stradbroke Island. Hmmmmh... Do I really have to wait to get to S? Turns out, no. D = Dunwich, Stradbroke Island 12/3/17 Stradbroke Island is a 25 minute water taxi ride from Cleveland, and a million miles away. I had the best time. It was hot and humid and a bit later than I like to run (because of the ferry times) but I had a ball. Met a fabulously leathery skinned gent wearing very tiny shorts who lives on his boat off Straddie, who told me I was "very white" and asked if I was English. Nope, live over there, I tell him. Just not much into getting sunburnt. Biggest regrets of this run: 1. I couldn't stay all day, even though I wanted to 2. I didn't have time to get a pie from the pie shop before I got back on the water taxi. Clearly the pies are good, judging by the aroma coming from the pie shop, and the queues. I guess I'm going to have to go back... E = Eagle Junction 26/3/17
So I was spoilt for choice by the letter E - Eagle Farm, Eagle Junction, Eagleby. Turns out early Brisbane had a lot of Eagles. I was conflicted - I wanted to run Eagle Farm but its industrial and not somewhere I was sure I would be safe. So instead I chose the old stomping grounds of my sister - Eagle Junction. I was too young to drive when she lived there, so I tried to find the flat by starting at the train station, and I found it. Still can't believe it. This was an architecture run - spent a lot of time gazing at old houses made new again, old houses waiting for love, and discovering that streets I had driven down many times as an adult were so close to this area and I never realised before. Finished up with a loop into Clayfield to discover the old shops I remember are mostly gone, the hall our school used for its speech night is now a real estate office and potentially it isn't the area for me if the coffee shops were closed but the organic wheat grass smoothie shop was the only thing open. Run Date: 8/1/17 Suburb: Ascot When I was three, my parents had a snack bar in the little grey shop in the photos, which was right on a rail crossing. I spent hours counting carriages and watching for trains. I hadn't been through this way for a good twenty years. I remembered the shops and the rail line quite clearly, I forgot the hills (until I started running them), and three year old me didn't know it was right near the racecourse.
Mum did burgers and milkshakes and lollies, in the era before fries/chips and McDonalds. Their was a pool table and my sister was quite the wizard at pool, having practiced from a young age. To the left of the shop is a hedge - that used to be a chain link fence and during a fast paced game of tiggy I slipped on the wet grass and tore open my face. What most people think is a frown line is actually a scar. Looking at the building today, I can't believe a family of four lived in the back of that shop for a really long time. It does explain why when we moved to a semi-rural block with a standard house I couldn't believe how huge it was. Ascot (and Hendra) I enjoyed the visit. Must do it again some day. So, here it is, one of my new year's resolutions - the A-Z run of Brisbane. The goal:
To run for an hour in at least 26 different locations (one for each letter of the alphabet) across Brisbane and surrounds over the course of 2107, with destinations chosen by the first letter of their suburb name. The aim: To explore my city, to rediscover my history/heritage (My Brisbane), to experience different areas and to get out of the gym, where I do most of my running at 5am in the morning. The reward: I feel excited about this challenge, and that is the reward. Anything that keeps me awake at night, trying to remember suburb names to fit into my draft plan of where I'm going to run must be the right kind of challenge for me. Wish me luck - I'll check each run in here and if you follow me on Twitter I'm using the hashtag #Atozrunbrisbane 2017. No doubt I'll be posting photos as I journey around. |
Fiona Greene AuthorWhen you set out on a journey and night falls, that's when you will discover the stars." Archives
November 2022
Categories
All
|