What's been going on this week

I thought I'd share a little about me and why I decided to start writing. I finished creating my author website this week, basic design, but I did it myself and for that I am really quite chuffed. And there is page thingy called a Bio.

My Bio — This is the place for talking about oneself but I still find that quite hard — to write just about me. So readers, I hope it's not too dull.

Firstly my real name is Michelle Felstead, (M.R. Rogan is my pen name). I chose this name in honour of my late grandmother, my Dad’s mother. My Dad's family and ancestors hale from County Donegal, in the Republic of Ireland. I promised my Dad, as I watched him slip from this world, that I would fulfill my dream of becoming a writer. And my Nan, well she was the one who read stories to me when I was a child. Sadly I lost both my grandparents before reaching my teens. I have always loved words and writing. I won a middle school creative writing competition through WHSmith back in the 70’s, my only claim to any writing gongs so far.

An only child, I had a somewhat lonely and troubled upbringing, and the least said about that the better. Originally from the UK, born in London and raised in Bedford. I emigrated to New Zealand 20 years ago with my husband and two children. We settled in Auckland and now live on the stunning Hibiscus Coast. We have two beautiful granddaughters, and five furbabies between 3 households. And endless glorious beaches to chose from.

I’ve been in recovery with a head injury since April 2019 and unable to work. I had been an administrator working within the Emergency Department of our local hospital for a year, and before that a Team Leader running an administration booking team for the hospitals Orthopaedic surgeons.

Joke - What's the difference between God and an Orthopaedic Surgeon?

Answer - God doesn't think he's an Orthopaedic Surgeon.

In January 2020 I took the plunge and started writing my children’s story, a long awaited dream. Then covid-19 struck the world, and lockdown really helped me focus on it. There’s only so much homemade bread one can bake and consume. My manuscript for my debut novel was completed (well the first draft anyway), in November the same year and has been professionally edited by Anne Slight of www.wordworm.co.nz. Currently it is under revision and my deadline for it to be ready for submission is April 2022. That's a whole other part of the journey, for next weeks post.

It felt like a huge achievement and I enjoyed the first round of edits. The whole journey has been an incredible learning curve. But honestly there were times I wondered what the hell I was doing. One minute I would be like, "Oh! I think I might be able to do this, it's a pretty good story," to "What the f**k are you thinking, this is a pile of s**t!" This happens still, almost on a daily basis. My family and close friends have been a great encouragement and source of support. Often handing me some tough advice too. My stepmum, daughter and husband enjoyed the first draft manuscript, so that’s a good sign. And at the moment it is with a select number of trusted beta readers.

The main character and rough concept had been an idea in my head since 2006. It has been a delight to see it morph and come alive. The creativeness has certainly helped my recovery too. Firing up those neurons. There were times when I overdid it and set my recovery back but when you are on a roll it's hard to break that momentum. I would sometimes look up from my laptop to the clock on the wall and it would be 3am. To be honest I wake up in the middle of the night often and find it to be when I am at my most creative.

​Glad to finally be doing what I love.

Writing is my Happy Place...