January 2026 Newsletter

““I think of a day’s resolutions, not the years’.” Henry Moore”

This is likely how I continue to plug away at my writing projects despite times when a story stalls. Every day, I wake up and recommit to sitting for an hour in front of my lap top to see what I can create. Difficult at first, something eventually comes. Sometimes it’s an image, or a word and when I’m lucky, a whole scene. And then it builds on itself. Commitment and perseverance, essential and not only necessary for writing, but all difficult things we take on. As another year begins, this is a good reminder for me.

Happy New Year! Wishing you the very best for 2026.

Writing:

In December, I continued to work on Book 2 of Bouboulina, but it continues to be a slow process. Here’s hoping I can get back to the story starting today.

Awesome Achievements:

You are all awesome! Thank you for supporting me, my writing, my newsletter, and my creative outputs. For all the writers out there, former students and colleagues, thank you for being there for each other. As I said, you are all awesome.

Upcoming Events:

Author and workshop leader Bronwyn Preece, is putting on another women’s writing group session starting in January. The information is below. If you are interested, please contact Bronwyn directly. This is a great way to start 2026.

Book Recommendations:

Here are the books I read in December.

A daughter disappears and leaves her children with a neighbour. A note is also left with instructions to take the children to their estranged grandfather, a former journalist and now a recluse who lives in the forest. And so, the story begins. This novel was recommended to me by a friend as it deals with the impact of extreme right-wing politics and religion, a situation the world has faced before and is currently facing. The story is told through the perspective of a number of characters. I liked the different voices but at times the repetition slowed the movement of the novel. Despite this there is lots of action. Overall, I was drawn to the story because it reflects the dangers of extreme views, particularly by those in positions of influence. Here is a review from the Chicago Review of Books.

This novel is the fictionalized story of St. Francis of Assisi, a man who came from a wealthy family and gave up his riches to help the poor. Brother Leo, St. Francis’ friend, narrates the story which depicts the growing relationship between St. Francis and Brother Leo and the work St. Francis undertook as he travelled throughout Italy. Published originally in 1954 in Greek and later translated into English, the long, sometimes weighted narratives did not make this an easy read, but still for me a very worthwhile one that at times reminded me of the importance of remaining in the story, no matter how slowly it flows. This novel, like many of Kazantaskis’ work is still in print. Here is a review from 2013.

I love Joe Sacco . The man brings so many contemporary issues to light through his thoughtful, well researched graphic journalistic projects. And,The Once and Future Riots , his latest is no exception. Here he explores partition in India through investigating what happened during the 2013 Muzaffarnagar riots. He provides the history of the region and documents the various interviews he completed in his search for what led to the riots of 2013 and what could potentially lead to future riots in the area. His graphic depictions bring the people and situation to life. A powerful read. Here is a review from The Guardian.

Thank you for reading my newsletter. Again, HAPPY NEW YEAR.

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Talk to you soon. Take care. Stella