Okay, we have two winners for my February post. They are : Ellen Too and Jane, posts 7 and 13. Ladies, please contact me via the Contact page on my website (www.sarahmayberry.com) and I will grab your snail mail addresses and get the books to you ASAP.
Thanks for chatting, everyone, and see you next month!
Original Post:
I’m going to write about a subject close to my heart this month – personal space. The reason it’s close to my heart is because I’ve just moved countries (New Zealand to Australia) and am currently ensconced in my mother’s spare bedroom. Me and my man (my six foot plus man) are sharing a tiny double bed in this room, and our five suitcases worth of shoes, clothes and books are shoved into the wardrobe, under the bed, beside the bed, around the bed… You get the drift.
Compacting your life down to a small 3 metre by 2.5 metre room is not easy, believe me. And it’s made me realise how much I take for granted the joy of having my own home – my own kitchen, my own bathroom, my own boudoir, and most of all my own writing space.
Now, I have never considered myself a particularly demanding person when it comes to what I need to write – having worked for years as a journalist and a script writer I don’t need special music playing or to wait on my muse to come calling to get down to work. For years, it’s pretty much been about putting my bum on the seat and my fingers on the keyboard. In fact, I’ve kind of prided myself on my ability to just zone out and get down to it. But living in my mum’s house, staying in her spare room, I’ve been finding it…difficult to settle down to write. Apparently I need my own space to let my imagination off the leash – who knew?
Fortunately we’re about to move into a rental property while we continue our search to find a new home of our own. But’s all of this has got me thinking about what I want my new writing space and I can’t wait to make a little nest for myself.
I’d love to give away two copies of my latest Blaze Her Secret Fling this month, and I’d love to hear your own stories about your favourite space or place for reading, writing, thinking, or just daydreaming. Share with us, and I’ll draw two winners in the next few days.
Over to you!
Entries (RSS)
Hi Sarah,
I am not a writer. But, my favorite place to read is in bed with lots of pillows, so I am comfy and cozy. Good luck finding your new nest!
I love reading in bed, too, Tammy. In fact, bed is hands down one of my favorite places in all the world, for a number of reasons(!!!). Fingers crossed the nest will present itself shortly…
Hi Sarah, you don’t have to enter me in the contest, I already have your book. Wow…all that stuff and people in one small room. I would love to visit both New Zealand and Australia one day. If I was in that situation, I would be going crazy by now. I mean, I can’t seem to handle visiting my mom in NYC for more than a couple of days as it is. Good luck with the house hunting!
It is interesting how you can’t seem to settle down and write at your mom’s place. Must be some psychological block there. Who knows. I am sure that you will be able to do something soon. Have a great rest of the day. Happy writing!
Peace and love,
Paula R.
I don’t know that it’s so much to do with it being my mum’s place in terms of psychological block…or maybe I’m repressing something!!! But it’s definitely about not being able to find a space in the house where I feel free to zone out and write and muse and ponder. I’ve just spent the last few days writing a script in bed, and now my back is giving me hell…so that’s not gonna work. But it’s only one more week until we’re into our new rental house, so I’m just going to have to tie myself to a seat and get the words down this coming week, and then I will have my special writing chair and other things around me and hopefully feel more settled. Hopefully…
Most of my ‘writing’ involves reports, presentations, letters, forms…so it is all done at the computer. (No laptop!)
For now, my favorite place to read is…anywhere. LOL!! We are in a very small, 2 bedroom/1bath apartment until we can sell our 4 bed/3 bath house in another state. I can sooo relate to feeling cramped!! And not thinking it would be a problem, but then discovering little things about yourself.
I have a glider and footstool in the bedroom, but that window just looks onto the parking area and the back of the HS track scoreboard. We have a comfy couch in the living area, but it doesn’t quite face the right way to get a decent view. Although, I have been known to use pillows and sit sideways so I have a nice view. It’s all about making do with what you have, I suppose!
Good luck with the house hunting, Sarah!!!
Cathy
Cathy, it sounds as though you understand my pain. Reading your post, it made me realise that perhaps part of my feeling unsettled is about the fact that even when we move into the rental, it’s not permanent, since we will eventually buy and move yet again. So maybe I’m kind of anticipating that, as well. It’s kind of hard to make yourself at home when you know it’s not going to be home for long, and when the home you’re in doesn’t meet your criteria for a real home (views, space, etc) or when the home you’re in belongs to your mother(!!!) I hope your interstate house sells pronto for a great price and you guys can find your new home and settle in. Good luck with everything!
Thanks! We could use some luck right now. Alas, unless something miraculous happens, the house won’t sell soon, as it is not on the market. The sales market in that area of CO isn’t great right now. We do have renters in it, though, so that helps a bit! I think you’re on to something with the idea that it is hard to make yourself at home when you know it is a temporary space! The mind is an amazing thing.
So Sarah . . . you’re trying to write a Blaze at your mom’s place?
Hee hee!!! When you put it like that…. Actually, my next book will be a Superromance, so it’s not quite so bad. And my mum is pretty groovy – she’s single, takes belly dancing classes and is very into the local University of the Third Age. In fact, she’s almost a little too groovy – we had a rather disturbing discussion about tantric sex the other night. I won’t go into details, but there was lots of me sticking my fingers in my ears and singing “Mary was a little lamb” and telling my mum she was giving me waaaay too much information. So it’s not all home-baked cookies and glasses of milk, believe me…
I have different reading locales depending on the season. In winter, I wrap myself in my favorite down comforter and sit on the couch in front of the fireplace sipping cinnamon hot cocoa. In summer, I sit on the porch soaking up the sun.
Jody, how idyllic do your reading locations sound! The fireplace with the cinnamon cocoa and your comforter! The sunny porch! YUM. These both sound divine. Am just going to go add a few “must-haves” to my perfect house list…
Hi Sarah!! I love your post and I do know how it feels to be cramped up in a small space with too many people. Our old house was tiny and with the five of us it was crazy. Now we have lots of room in our new house and you would think having so much space would make it easy to find a place to read or write quietly, but with three kids ages 9, 5 and 3, I never have quiet, lol! But I will say that my favorite places to read or write are in bed, sitting in my sons video game rocker chair in front of the fire place or at the kitchen table under the heater vent. I really should live somewhere warmer, lol! Once we get our home office finished I will probably do most of my writing in there, but that is still a ways off.
I also have to say that your Mom sounds like a very cool lady and she would get along great with my Mom who also likes to make me plug my ears and sing out loud, lol! Hope you find a place soon! Have a great day!!
Hi Alina, lovely to “see” you! Your favourite places sound very cosy – one of the reasons I like living in places where they have a true four seasons is because getting cosy is one of my favourite things. We had an open fire in our house in New Zealand and I loved lounging in front of it, watching the flames, all snuggled with a throw rug and my man. And yes, if your mum makes you want to plug your ears on occasion, she sounds just like mine! You have a great day, too.
I have a nice comfortable recliner chair that I can curl up in and read. And I spend quite a few hours there not that I am retired.
That should read NOW that I am retired. Seems I have trouble spelling.
Hi Ellen. My brother and I were having the recliner chair discussion yesterday. Our father contends that they are the most comfortable chair ever invented and that if he had his way, every chair in the house would be a recliner. Probably just as well my step-mum holds the decorating reins, me thinks! We have Gold Class cinemas here in Australia where you can go to a special “private” screening of a movie and sit in twin recliner chairs and be waited on by staff during the movie – it costs a lot more than a regular movie, but it’s a great experience. Happy reading!
I can read anywhere the car, the couch, at the ballpark, in bed but my favorite place is in the summer on my front porch. No one interrupts me.
For got to say don’t put me in the drawing because I already won a copy of Her Secret Fling.
I must say I’m jealous of this front porch business. One of the houses we’ve been thinking about buying has an awesome front porch – big, covered, looks out over a slope covered with native trees. It’s really gorgeous. Maybe I should move it higher up our possibilities list. And like you, I can read anywhere, any time. If the book is good, I’d read it standing on my head if I had to…
Sarah: I currently write (working on my first future Blaze!) on the couch in our little sitting area in our room – we have also lived in TIGHT spaces and I am now blessed with a large beautiful home. You’d think that I would want to be in my own space but I love being with my family – they get my muse going! I read anywhere but when I need to really get my creative juices going, I have a little nook in our sunroom/kid’s playroom where I scrapbook and indulge my inner child with glue, paper and scissors.
It took us a while to get here – you’ll be there before you know it! Good Lucke
Thanks, Robin. I know a few writers who like to be in the thick of things as they write. I do tend to move around the house with my laptop – bedroom, work room, lounge, whatever, but that’s in my own home. At my mum’s, it’s a little more complicated. And harder to get stuck into something when she’s in and out, living her own life. Your sunroom nook sounds wonderful. I really admire scrapbookers – some of the pages I’ve seen blow my mind, they’re so textured and clever.
My favourite place to read or relax is my recliner in my computer room.
Gotta love that recliner action! Although I always have trouble making the chair un-recline. My man usually watches me struggling futilely for a few minutes before he reaches across and pressed the magic combination of levers etc to make it all transform back into a plain old chair again – clearly, I amuse him!
In terms of reading, I like to have a place that is nice and comfortable to sit or curl up in. Although in the summer I have to be careful, because I have a tendency to not notice the time going past if I’m reading (and then of course I get burned).
In terms of writing, which for me is primarily essays for uni, I currently get stuck in front of a desktop computer but have noticed that this is a situation that goes more smoothly when I’m comfortable and organised. For this reason, I’m working on getting myself a laptop.
As for moving from NZ to Aus, I haven’t done it myself, but have a serveral family members who have, so I can understand what you’re going through at the moment.
We’ve actually moved from Oz to Nz and back twice now, so you’d think I’d be a bit more used to it all. However, the first time we moved we came back to our own home. This time, we’ve sold up and are homeless, hence my mum’s spare room. Definitely makes a big difference! And makes me realise how lucky we were last time. I hardly go out in the sun at all any more because of the burn factor – I swear I am the lily-whitest person in Australia! But I used to love lying in the sun reading when I was a kid. And yes, laptops are awesome for portablity, but not so great for posture, I am discovering!
My fav reading location is my room… it is the most comfortable… I can read curled up or sprawled out, listen to soft music… create the best reading atmosphere!
The bed is hands down my fave place to read, for the same reasons you listed above. If I’m really sucked into a book, I will slowly work my way through all my favourite reading postures throughout the day – tummy, back, side, belly, back to my back again – with lots of pillows and the mandatory snack on hand. Sigh. I think I’m getting a contact high…
My favorite place to read is on the living room couch. I do occasionally read in bed, but not too often.
Jane, I am currently walking around like an old person after spending too long lounging on my mum’s couch reading. I think I need to invest in one of these recliner chairs everyone up above is talking about, as well as one of those sun porches, and then I will have the perfect reading spot.
I have a favorite chair that I like to curl up in to read. I used to read some in bed, but my eyes aren’t that great anymore so I gave that up. I usually need a little more light to read by. So I’m usually in my chair with a hot drink.
I keep forgetting that it’s winter there on the other side of the world – all this talk of being snuggly with hot drinks! It’s 30+ degrees here in Melbourne today, and we have the air conditioning on… Having said all that, your favorite chair sounds pretty awesome.
Hi, Sarah! I would love to invest in a reading chair! (But first we’d need to make room for one!) It’d be heavenly to have a comfy corner to curl up in with a good book (and maybe a snack :)) I also have always admired window seats, but can’t see where we’d fit one into our current house… Right now, I tend to spend my time either in our office (in front of the computer) or in the kitchen, which I’ve heard people say is the heart of the home; it does seem to be for us
Best wishes to you and Chris on your ongoing home hunt!
Fedora, hello! I LOVE window seats as well. When we move into our new house (whenever that may be!!!) I will be getting new cushions made for the monster chaise lounge I purchased over in NZ, which I think of as my alternative to a window seat. It’s chinoiserie in style, and four metres long, which is kind of ridiculous but fabulous at the same time. It’s an imposing piece, that’s for sure, and the fabric my sister-in-law equivalent designed for me to make cushions for it is sooo cool. I had it digitally printed just before we left NZ and can’t wait to have it made up. I will show off a piccy on my website when it’s all done, but I can already see myself lolling about on it reading line edits and what not… Thanks for the good house hunting vibes.
Ooooh! How awesome! I can’t wait for pics! And I meant to add that I spent part of my evening rereading Anything for You, and I still love Delaney and Sam’s story. I love that whole unrequited thing and the sheer deliciousness when they get together and the whole thing just ignites! Ah… bliss!
Definitely crossing my fingers for you finding an excellent home ASAP!
Fedora, my next book out is Her Best Friend, another one of those unrequited stories. I LOOOOOVED writing that book and I can’t wait to see what people think of it. Fingers crossed they like it!
Congrats Ellen and Jane!