Money. | Read. Eat. and Dream.

Reminders, Emails and Doilies.

Posted on February 6, 2018 by mjlarter2

I really must go through my emails and clean out all the junk mail. garbage

Do you do that? How often have you thought that a particular site looked interesting, only to end up getting content that no longer interests you?

I have loved some blogs, but they are all in the northern hemisphere, and the reminders to plant seedlings, cook lovely warming stews and patterns for thick sweaters that come in your winter while I am sweltering in our summer here in Australia, can be somewhat of a nuisance. When I want those articles, then winter is with us here, and you are all enjoying the lazy days of summer. Grrrr!!!!

In fact, how often do you read all your emails? Do you get annoyed as well?

What about the people who sell products – from expensive courses on how to make money (that’s a clever little idea if ever there was one!) to people selling every thing imaginable – from doilies to dogs, flowers to fairy gardens, toys to tanning lotion and more. ‘I find ‘how to do’ articles often helpful. What about you?

But there remains a conundrum. How do you let people know what you have to sell? Can you let me know the secret? In order to let people know what I do, I’m advised to get an extensive email list! I can’t figure out how to win.

So this is my product -: the books I have written. And this is only a sample!

Alphacovers Kathykoalafrontcover Broken_wing_Cover amazon

Exif_JPEG_PICTURE Haha – did you know I was leading to this?

I love writing! I continue to churn out books, whether they be picture books for children, chapter books for middle school kids, garden guides for my semi-tropical area or adult novels (under a pen-name so the children don’t decide to read it!).

I write because I want to keep my brain active.

I write because I love to educate.

I write because I just love it, and I love the challenge of publishing my own work. If it sells – Yay! But if it doesn’t, that’s not a problem either.

Giving away books is a trap I don’t want to fall into – that only demeans me and all the work I do writing, designing and publishing my books. If you want to read a great article on that very topic, I suggest going to Paul Whites blog :- https://wp.me/p5nj7r-1fn

As a reader, though, I love the idea of getting free books – but surely that is what libraries are for? In my opinion, an library-book-shelf y-one offering free books should first buy the book. But, it doesn’t seem to work that way. We, as authors, always dream of making a living from our writing, but it doesn’t happen often. Giving away books will not help in that regard. Even though others don’t realize it, authors (as well as artists, and any creative person) put in a lot of work, sweat and their heart to create a book. To pay yourself for the time and effort is just not possible.I guess we have to be in the right place at the right time – more luck than management!

Anyway, while you are sitting at your computer, conjuring up the next ‘Harry Potter’ type franchise, divert yourself with a nice healthy snack. No – I’m not talking lettuce sandwiches on cucumber slices but these delicious little bites of bliss!

(with thanks to Coles Free magazine, January 2018) – these are mouth-watering!) img225a

And while you sit and dream of greatness, remember – the joy of writing has its own rewards – and tomorrow maybe the day you are ‘discovered’!

With kindness.

P.S. Even frogs dream!

‘Frank Frog Feels Foolish’ is one of the picture books for children in my ‘Alphabet Animals of Australia’ series. Feel free to email me ( maureenlarter@gmail.com ) for your copy.

Frankfrogfrontcover

R.ules, E.arn, D.igging.

Posted on January 6, 2016 by mjlarter2

It doesn’t quite seem possible that it was ten years ago this month that I was looking forward, with some trepidation I might add, to a trip to China. This wasn’t just any trip. I had secured a job teaching English in a far north city called Qiqihar. I was oscillating between sheer excitement, huge worry and definite doubt.

Why?

CHINA! What an adventure!

Well, my excitement was due to the real possibility that this was an adventure I’d been talking about since first visiting China in 1989 (and that has a story all of its own that I must recount one day – it was the year of the Tienanmen Square incident – and I was there). The worry was concerning the propaganda of the media – I worried that the people would be unhappy, there would be starving hordes and that the government had an iron fist. I imagined being hounded by police – I was worried that I would break rules and regulations of a communist country and then be punished forthwith.

The doubt? Well, until the moment I set foot on Chinese land, I was seriously considering that it was all a scam.

Of course, I was wrong on all counts. In fact I now think that our western society is much more regulated than Asia. Here, there are so many rules that it is far easier to be on the wrong side of the law!

My time in China, where I taught for long hours to large classes, wasn’t all fun, but I earned good money (by Chinese standards) and I loved every moment of my time there. I learned so much from living in another culture that it was worth every hour I worked, and even though I enjoyed coming home, I would go back in a second if I was able.

Only the students at the front paid attention – the rest slept!!

Now that I am home, the property I live on has a hold on me that is difficult to break. I try to emulate some of the practices I saw in China. I milk a cow, I have chickens for eggs and I grow my own vegetables.

I watched the Chinese gardeners, and they work extremely hard, with many hands (the one child policy was relaxed for rural farmers so they had more children to help) and they use human fertilizer that has been composted in shallow squat toilets. (don’t feel too sick! – that’s just a way to use their wastes).

Now, in Australia, this is considered a health hazard, and as I was by myself, I had to find an easier way than all the digging I thought had to do to make a viable vegetable garden. I obviously wanted another viable fertilizer, too.

The gardens are in a constant state of change (this is a good day – not too many weeds!)

A no-dig garden was the answer!

Now I use fertilizer from my cow and hens. I compost their straw bedding. All of this is added to my garden patch, after first laying down a thick pad of newspapers which I collect from our local rural newspaper office.

My garden takes inspiration from the China I lived in, worked at and loved.

One of these days I will add a new book to my author’s page (viewAuthor.at/MaureenLarter) about my experiences in China. I have my title already – it will be called ‘Board Beds and Sawdust Pillows’.