Almost as if my garden knew what I needed, here it is, springing forth pretty blue flowers, perfect as a background to my new book. Aren’t they pretty?

As many of you know I’ve had some trouble with the prices of my paperbacks.
I have a new system which should be quicker and cheaper for people in the USA, the UK and Australia. The service is expected to extend to Canada and NZ some time next year.

Each of my self-published paperbacks will have a code (which will be on my website etc.)

Click on that code and a pic will pop up (like the one on the right).

You’ll be asked to put in your zip code or post code.

Then you buy the book in the usual way and put in your address.

The closest IngramSpark depot will then print off the book and post it to you.

 

It will be quicker because it’s being posted from a shorter distance.

It will be cheaper because the price won’t include the 55% extra that most bookshops add.

And at the moment I only have a code for A BRIDE FOR MARCUS.

I will get a code for CHRISTMAS CINDERELLA once it’s published (6th October) and the codes for all my self-published paperbacks will be on my website in the next few days.

 

Here’s the code for the paperback of A BRIDE FOR MARCUS — 

https://shop.ingramspark.com/b/084?params=3o3JcNF6RjOazKj98DQBdbRzoAV56lAGCTdb9J4wKRV

We’ve jumped into daylight saving here (springing forward) and for some reason I’ve spent an hour or two frivolling on the internet, browsing craft projects for Christmas ornaments. (And yes, I know I should be writing, but . . . )

I do this every year. I find craft projects irresistible and have since I was a kid. I made mobiles from reeds growing near the swamp, tiny baskets from pine needles sown together and dolls house things from cotton reels and matchboxes. Nobody taught me these things: I think I got the ideas from books.

When I was about ten, my beloved godmother, seeing my interest, showed me how to make felt animals. She had masses of patterns, and one I got the hang of how they worked, I made up my own. I always preferred to make small ones. I remember a tiny black lamb with fuzzy white wool, a crimson horse, and others. I guess they were thrown out when we moved.  :(

These days I  like to make Christmas ornaments from paper or using natural materials, like leaves and gum nuts (from eucalyptus trees). One year, when I had to have my silver princess eucalyptus tree trimmed, I kept a lot of the thin, whippy branches and wove them into wreaths. I sprayed one with silver, and gave another one (natural) to a friend. She still has it and put it onto a screen she’d made from an old bed. It looks brilliant I think.

The gumnuts of the silver princess are naturally silvery white (see pic below), and I often use them as ornaments. Friends of mine use them too — they’re so pretty.

And whenever I’ve had the tree trimmed, I take the branches with the gumnuts and put them out on the verge and they disappear very quickly.

But you don’t need to have access to a silver princess gum tree, any gum nuts will do.  You can leave them au naturel or spray them gold or silver, or paint them by hand. 

But Christmas always brings out in me the desire to make new things.
I’ve blogged about this before, I know.

But since my last blog was about the Ginkgo tree, I thought some of you might like to see these Christmas ornaments made from Ginkgo leaves. From autumn leaves, when they’re beautiful and  golden.

They range from simple hanging ornaments of a leaf fastened with cotton, perhaps with an added bead or two, to collages, leaf garlands, Christmas displays — and how about this mobile? I’m sure the leaves would catch every whisper of air and dance beautifully, like the paper ornaments I’m so fond of. Like little fairies, aren’t they?

And though it’s a bit early for Christmas, I thought you might enjoy this ginkgo Christmas Tree.