2015 in Reveiw

Wishing you all a Happy New Year for 2016. Praying that you find God’s blessings on your life and dreams.

2015 has been full of a number of exciting developments, particularly with respect to writing.

I attended a number of workshops, festivals, conferences and retreats in 2015 – including giving my first workshop on Writing Description, Giving a Sense of Place at the Omega Christian Writers Conference in October.

In July I finished my final subject for the Masters of Arts (Writing) through Swinburne University of Technology. I flew down to Melbourne in December to attend the graduation ceremony – and to connect with family, friends and look at Art Galleries with my daughter.

Seven of my poems have been published this year.  I was particularly pleased to make the Judge’s Choice with Poetica Christi’s Inner Child anthology (with ‘Thunderstorm’) and runner-up in the FAWQ 2015 Toowoomba Poetry Prize (with ‘The Real Thing’).

A number of my short stories have also been published – starting with ‘The Herbalist’s Daughter’ (Tied in Pink anthology for Breast Cancer Research) in December 2014 – and then this year, ‘Broken Promises’ in Another Time, Another Place; ‘Sandy: Perfect Plans’ in Let the Sea Roar; ‘Ruhanna’s Flight’ in Glimpses of Light; and ‘Lakwi’s Lament’ in Like a Girl, Plan anthology.

Anthologies available on Amazon.com (and as e-books on Amazon.com.au). Check out my Amazon Central Author’s Page.

Let the Sea Roar

My association with this Let the Sea Roar began a few years ago, when the editor Madeleine accepted my story ‘Sandy: Perfect Plans’ and then asked to include the poem ‘Lighthouse’ as well. An earlier version of ‘Lighthouse’ was published on Jenny’s Thread in 2013.

There are nine authors with twenty-eight stories about women of different ages, in different circumstances and walks of life, who find themselves in difficult, even overwhelming situations. Despite the pressure to give up hope, each of the women find a way forward – with faith, determination, new understandings and new possibilities. The stories are written with differences in style, reflect different life experiences and insights.

I also had fun designing the cover (with Lynne Bickhoff’s beautiful painting – used with permission) and the book design of Let the Sea Roar.

I hope that many others will also enjoy the stories in this inspirational anthology.

Glimpses of Light

Glimpses of Light celebrates 2015 as International Year of Light. It started as an idea in late 2014 and wouldn’t have come to fruition without hours of work from my co-editor, Nola Passmore as well as our team of supporting editors, proof-readers and contributors.

The anthology has an engaging and inspiration collection of short stories, poems and creative non-fiction centred around the theme of light – especially, of finding light in dark place.

It’s been wonderful having multi-published and award winning authors contributing as well as fresh new talent. I particularly enjoyed the number of spec fic, though there is also contemporary suspense, family drama, personal reflections and allegory.

We are currently holding a Goodreads Giveaway for Glimpses of Light (running until the 10 January).

I’m looking forward to more exciting developments in 2016. More on that later.

Jenny

Tags: 2015 in review, Another Time Another Place anthology, Glimpses of Light anthology, Goodreads Giveaway Glimpses of Light, graduation MA(Writing) from Swinburne University of Technology, happy new year 2016, Jeanette O'Hagan, Let the Sea Roar anthology, Lighthouse by Jeanette O'Hagan, Like a Girl anthology, Madeleine Calcutt, Nola Passmore, Poetica Christi Inner Child anthology, runner up of 2015 FAWQ poetry prize, Tied in Pink anthology