In today’s writing update: I got to be a little movie star when Eileen and @Willan.au came to record me for the Studio Resident Artist Video Profiles that Creative Brimbank are putting together to showcase the wonderful artist in residence studios. It was so much fun, although why is it so hard to walk naturally down a hallway when someone is filming you? LOL. Anyway, so excited to see these out into the world in the future. And here’s some pics of the staging of my studio and me with my face on. Some lovely year nine student at Ivanhoe Grammar School, read and selected my memoir piece, St Albans to talk about in their podcast and asked me to record answers to two questions. So, I recorded those and have emailed them through. It’s always an honour to have readers contact me, and even more special when it’s young people. I received the files for my romance audiobook Hollywood Dreams written as Mae Archer. This book is dual narrated by male and female US actors and is produced by Twin Tales Publishing. This is my first romance novel that has been produced as a human narrated book (it’s available on Google Play AI narration and Apple AI narration) so I’m really excited about getting it out into the world. Now I also get to do my favourite part which is make reels and promotional material for the books. Since I’m on my romance updates, I am going to be promoting my upcoming anthology That One Summer in Facebook groups. My novella Raf’s Tide of Destiny, is a coastal Romeo and Juliet story and the first in my new series called Kings of the Bay set in a costal bay and featuring six siblings. I have an upcoming blog tour of my novella so that will be fun. Pre-order this anthology for .99 cents for my novella and 20 other romance books. I have a supervision meeting with my PhD supervisors. I have revised the book I’m submitting, which is the first in a new crime series, and am figuring out my thesis question. I wrote a draft of my exegesis but must tweak the question and focus to hit the right note. I have found someone in my circle who is going to be the developmental editor for my manuscript and am going to slowly be getting these books edited and ready for publication. I’m proofreading the prequel novella to my crime series that will be my freebie. And I’m preparing a giveaway to try and get my YouTube channel to 1000 subscribers so I can monetise. So keep your eyes peeled.
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Was going to try and dress up in my grandmother's dimije for the school's multicultural day tomorrow. It did not go well. At least I can show my students I tried. I really, really did!!!!
Was so honoured to be interviewed by Aisa Hadziahmetovic on SBS Bosnian Radio to share my experiences as an author in my mother's tongue. Hope to inspire Bosnians to share their stories and raise their voices.
Bila sam tako počašćena intervjuom Aisa Hadziahmetovic na SBS Bosanskom radiju da podijelim svoja autorska iskustva na maternjem jeziku. Nadam se da ću inspirisati Bosance da podijele svoje priče i dignu glas. https://www.sbs.com.au/language/bosnian/bs/podcast-episode/knjizevnica-amra-pajalic-pise-za-mlade-i-najvise-voli-da-radi-s-njima-oni-su-samo-iskreni/zh7iykiwg ✨ "Twelve authentic and powerful stories about growing up Muslim in Australia ✨🌏
Beauty queen 👑, kickboxer 🥊, lawyer ⚖️, Rugby League star 🏉, activist ✊, writer 📝, lesbian 🌈, atheist 🚫 – the contributors to this collection show the diversity of the Muslim experience and the influence of culture, family, and gender in shaping identity. 🤔🌏These stories by known and unknown Australian Muslims peel back the stereotypes to reveal funny and touching experiences that will connect with readers. They explore body image, gender, romance, career, faith, football, friendship, and family, and the challenges of growing up in multicultural Australia. 📖✨💖 ‘Growing up Muslim in Australia is the kind of book that will change how readers look at the world...Coloured with many shades of humor, warmth, sadness, anger, determination, and honesty, it will resonate with readers from all backgrounds and beliefs.’ Bookseller + Publisher 🌈📖 Shortlisted for the 2015 Children's Book Council of Australia Eve Pownall Award for Information Books and was selected by the Grattan Institute for the 2015 Summer Reading List for Prime Minister. 🏆📚 Teaching notes written by Amra Pajalic. Suitable to be used in the classroom to teach own voices texts and to support memoir writing. Amra Pajalić is an award-winning author, an editor and teacher who draws on her Bosnian cultural heritage and is available for talks and presentations about growing up Muslim, as well as memoir writing or writing workshops. 🗣️💬 🔗 https://www.amrapajalic.com/book-me.html 🛒 Order from your favourite bookstore and dive into these real life stories today! 📚🌟 Writing update: it's my day off and I'm in my writing studio being a proper author: Revised an article that was commissioned. Feeling a bit wobbly because I’ve had a big break between the first draft and revising because I was so sick, so hoping I’ve hit the notes from the editor. Finally read comments from my supervisors on my PhD thesis. Still a lot of work ahead of me. It feels a bit daunting and I just want to ditch and do something else, so just pushing through by picking at incorporating feedback. Sometimes it’s not about inspiration, it’s more about perspiration. Am waiting for my next article to be published by The Age. This is one of those beautiful articles that just comes out in a whoosh of inspiration because it’s been percolating in the subconscious for months, years, decades. So it will be delicious when it finally drops. Maybe this weekend!!! Had some lovely year 9 students contact me with some questions as they chose to read my story ‘St Albans,’ as a part of their English migration topic. St Albans was published in Meanjin in the Autumn issue, March 2023. Feel so delighted that a teacher included this piece and that they chose to read it. Am waiting to see if I have enough enrollments for a women’s only memoir writing workshop at my local community centre. Have found there is a need for female only workshops to process trauma and catharsis so am excited about creating a space. If you’re not in Victoria, I’m also running an online workshop with Writing NSW. That One Summer Anthology Raf’s Tide of Destiny by Mae Archer-In a coastal town where family feuds run deep, Josie and Raf risk it all for a secret love that defies fate's tide. Tropes: strangers to lovers, island romance, billionaire, mistaken identity 🌼🐝 Love is buzzing in the summer air! 🌺🍯 Don't miss out on these sweet and tender romances that will warm your heart. 🌞🌼 Blurb: Your summer just got a whole lot hotter... Dive into a scorching summer with this limited-edition collection that will transport you into the heart of the steamiest love affairs. Whether you crave the excitement of a big-city romance, the charm of a small-town affair, or the allure of an island getaway, these stories push the boundaries of passion. Embark on a journey where friends become lovers, enemies discover surprising attractions, and strangers find themselves entangled in a magnetic pull they never saw coming. From sultry beachfront rendezvous to nights of sinful pleasure, these tales promise to awaken your deepest desires and leave you breathless for more. Will sparks fly? Can a summer fling turn into a love that lasts all seasons? Order your copy now and let the summer of seduction begin! https://books2read.com/ThatOneSummerAnthology #ThatOneSummer #SummerSeduction #HotSummerReads #SummerRomance #SummerReads #IslandRomance #SummerHeat #SummerReading #LoveAffairs I said goodbye to my fur baby Mala today. She was the sweetest cat ever. She came into our lives when we bought our first house. She'd been abandoned by the owners and she stalked us from window to window. We wanted to find her a new home, but we fell in love instead, and couldn't let her out of our lives.
In Bosnian mala means little, and that's why we named her Mala. She was always tiny and we kept begging her to stay little and she did. She was under 3kg and looked like a tiny kitten. I know she had a good life, and she was very much loved. She has been declining over the past year, and became completely deaf, and has slowly been declining further with cat dementia. The past few weeks her behaviour changed, and within the past few days she became weak and frail, and couldn't climb the stairs anymore and wasn't eating. I'm so thankful we were able to get a vet to come to the house and euthanise her without causing her too much distress. It's still so hard saying goodbye to a member of the family, and she was. For 20 years, she was our daily companion who brightened our spirits and gave us unconditional love. She is already missed and I look around my house, feeling bereft as it's empty of her presence. Goodbye my beautiful little fur baby. I love you forever. One of the things that I am learning as I focus on developing my public speaking portfolio is asking people two questions: 1-where did they hear of me to book me, and 2-for reviews after the appearance is completed.
When I was contacted by a library representative to book me for a self publishing workshop at the 2024 Brimbank Writers Festival I found out that he found me by googling me. So my SEO optimisation and constant updates of my website are working. And then I was fortunate enough that attendees connected with me on social media and commented on my post and I was able to ask them if I could use their reviews. So I have updated my website with all my testimonials and photos, and created a little graphic capturing it all. I'm looking forward to more opportunities to deliver self publishing workshops and connect with more emerging writers and helping them get their writing out into the world. It has been an interesting term 1. I have clocked three viruses in three months: Corona, gastro and now laryngitis. There have been so many viruses and illnesses going around the school and staff have just been knocked around.
In the good news though I have been blessed with a beautiful year 7 class and a 9EAL class. I taught on Friday without a voice and had a double English lesson with my year 7 students and they were so amazing. I was typing instructions on the whiteboard and they were reading them. We went outside for them to practice their oral presentations and they were really amazing at keeping an eye out for me and taking on board my mimed instructions. I suspected I might not be in this week and wanted them to present their oral presentations so we did an abbreviated version outside where I did not have to worry about noise levels. They all pulled together and we completed all of the work for the term and I was able to share their grades with them on the day. I came home feeling exhausted and yet so uplifted too at how they came together and worked so hard. We gave ourselves a big round of applause and my heart was so full as I looked at their beautiful faces. My year 9EAL class are also so amazing and completed their AT on time so that I could grade them too and release their grades before the end of the term. So now I can stay home and be sick and lie in bed without worrying about my students missing out. I won't be able to attend parent teacher interviews this week, but at least all the information is available to the parents online so I'm happy about that. Last night I dreamt about my comfort food-Bonsnian rice chocolate so here is a photo of my favourite things today: my chocolate, my remote to watch Hart of Dixie on Stan, remote control as I cycle through fever and chills and Lemsip which takes my aches away. So I'm technically starting my school holidays early, in bed, alternating between binge-watching and sleeping. To all the teachers and students out there-happy last week of the term. May you survive and embark on a restful and healing school holidays. Today I had my self publishing workshop as part of the Brimbank Writers Festival and it was a great turnout. I created my first presentation using Canva and it was so pretty with all these hyperlinks to demonstrate aspects. I also created some pretty handouts for the audience and have helped prepare emerging authors to embark on their new careers. Looking forward to doing more workshops on self publishing in the future. Thank you Brimbank Writers Festival for the support. |
AuthorAmra Pajalić is an award-winning author, an editor and teacher who draws on her Bosnian cultural heritage to write own voices stories for young people, who like her, are searching to mediate their identity and take pride in their diverse culture. She writes memoir, young adult and romance under the pen name Mae Archer. Sign up and receive free books.
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