Welcome to my blog!

Why Jacaranda you ask? In case you are reading this the other side of the world and are not sure, Jacaranda is the name of a beautiful tree, which blooms around Oct/Nov, mostly in the Eastern states of Australia. Its flowers are the most exquisite shade of blue-purple, the nearest comparison probably being hyacinth blue, so who could not be inspired to write by such a spiritual colour? When the jacarandas start to blossom, you know it's exam time, but you also know that Christmas is just around the corner. It is said that if a jacaranda flower falls on your head as you walk underneath a tree, good fortune is sure to follow, so guess who did a lot of walking under jacaranda trees! Watch this space for changing images of this lovely tree!

Thursday, October 29, 2009

Can the blah on your blog lead to publication?

Have you seen the film 'Julie and Julia'? Yes, I know it's a bit of a chick flick, but it is based on a true story, which led me to pose the question, 'Can the blah on your blog lead to publication?'. In Julie Powell's case the answer is yes, but why was her blog so successful? I'd welcome your thoughts and views on this. For my part, I think it was because she was passionate about her subject matter - cooking. She also set herself a challenge - to cook all 524 recipes in Julia Child's Mastering the Art of French Cooking in 365 days (so you see the countdown gadget has a valid function). Her followers could empathise with the ups and downs of her day, her triumphs and disasters in the kitchen, as well as drool over the mouth watering recipes. Apparently some of the passages in her published book were taken verbatim from her blog as were some comments from her followers.

To find out more about the film, go to:
Julie and Julia
www.julieandjulia.com

To find out more about the book, go to:
Julie and Julia: 365 Days, 524 Recipes, 1 Tiny Apartment Kitchen
http://www.powells.com/biblio/62-031610969x-0