TO ENTER, OR NOT? That is the question many Australian writers must be asking themselves about entering short story competitions at the moment. A recent magazine listed writing competitions for the July to December period. There were 300 listed, mostly for overseas competitions, and with less than a handful of Australian ones included. After eliminating those for poetry, those with restricted age limits, for unpublished writers only, or limited to those from specific countries and/or locations, 13 interesting ones were left to consider. Of those, only 6 had free entry… and, not surprisingly those with free entry generally offered much lower prize money. With the Australian dollar’s current exchange rate, and entry fees ranging from £GB3 to $US45, a writer would need to be committed to, and confident about, any story they were about to invest in. WHAT'S NEW Here at Eaglemount Books, Neive Denis is ploughing ahead with her second book in the Merivale Retirement Village series. With a bit of effort and a fair dollop of good luck, this book should be published before the end of the year. Kayla Danoli reports she has not yet started writing her next book. At the moment, she remains mired in researching the various aspects of her historical fiction story set in the mid-1800s. SOME LIGHT READING A recently advertised writing competition had as its theme ‘Neighbours’ (perhaps influenced by the recent final episode of the TV show of the same name). Sitting in splendid isolation on the deck of our beach place and surrounded by nothing but sea, sand and scrub, ‘neighbours’ was not a theme I could relate to at that time. But, feeling inclined to write something, and on giving it further thought, I realised we did have neighbours… just not the two-legged human kind. So, why not interview a senior member of our neighbours, the resident rock wallaby colony…? So I did, and here it is: Good evening. Being a bit shy and timid until I get to know people, I’m a little hesitant about all this interview business. While our small community doesn’t get to see a lot of humans and we generally try to avoid them, most of our group have, in our own way, befriended a couple of humans. It would be an exaggeration to say these couple of humans were pets. They are not kept in a cage, or tied up, or anything. We prefer to allow them to come and go as they please, and find they do visit pretty regularly, with each of their visits always lasting a few weeks. Over a period of decades, we have invested much time in training them to bring us gifts whenever they come. Most days when they are around, we dine and spend some time together in the evenings, and we show them our appreciation by enjoying their gifts of pieces of carrot, sweet potato, cucumber, apple, or lettuce leaves. Being strictly vegetarian, our lot are a fairly healthy mob. At least, that is usually the case. But, you know what young ones are like when junk food is available, and our youngsters are no different from anyone else's. From time to time, we see two or three other humans visit our patch. Thankfully, they only visit the area occasionally, as they are not well-behaved. They throw out junk food, such as stale bread and left over biscuits, around the place. And, of course some of our members can’t resist the temptation to snap up such rubbish. It doesn’t seem to matter how often we remind the community that eating such stuff will cause mange and it is likely to make them ill. What else can I tell you about myself? Let’s see. Well, I don’t really have a name, but I have heard the humans refer to me as Rocky – and sometimes Rockette, especially in winter when my male attributes are not so apparent. We spend quite a bit of time and energy looking after our appearance. This involves grooming ourselves regularly, and sometimes we need the assistance of a friend to make sure the hard to get at places are not overlooked. Our short, thick brown fur is wonderful for keeping us warm and keeping out the rain, but it does attract the occasional flea. Unfortunately, we tend to be a fairly argumentative bunch, particularly the males – too much testosterone around - and some of us are not adverse to the odd bit of domestic violence! It can become physical on occasions. It’s probably true to say we are fairly prolific breeders and, much like everywhere else these days, the young ones don’t seem too keen to leave home. They outgrow the available space and eventually have to be forcefully kicked out because the next one to take their place is about to arrive. We encourage the younger generation to leave and start their own commune (or extended family) as soon as they are mature enough. It does help ease some of the tension about the place when they go. Becoming a more frequent visitor, a Tawny Frogmouth sometimes makes a stealthy appearance in the evening. It flies in on silent wings to perch on the railing and observe the night’s activities. So far, he hasn’t felt inclined to join in, although he would be most welcome. But, that’s okay. Although he is not the prettiest bird around, he is not an intrusive spectator… unlike some of the other visitors we encounter. Cats! While dingoes and foxes are predators, feral cats are our worst nightmare when they roam our territory. Boaties on their way past this piece of paradise often see it as the perfect place to abandon their now unwanted pets. They dump the vessel’s cat which has outlived its welcome, and then sail off to somewhere else without a second thought about what they have done. It often is a mother and kittens they dump, and those now abandoned pets have to do their best to find food. We must guard our young when they are around. It occurs to me that, if you are not an Australian or have never visited, there is little chance we know each other. You might not even know anything about small communities of rock wallabies such as mine, or of our occasional visitor, the Tawny Frogmouth. Somehow, that seems a shame to me. Rocky and friend (with a joey) Until next time Keep reading keep writing stay safe
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