Naomi Bulger: messages in bottles

There's a book-review website out there in the world wide webiverse called 'Reading is Sexy' and, following the fabulous review its author Diana gave Airmail last week, I am inclined to agree. 

Here's what Diana had to say: 

"Airmail is one of the most engaging, thought provoking novellas I’ve ever read. In short order, Naomi Bulger delves into the possibilities of story telling. This quirky, left of center story sucks the reader into a sometimes magical world that seems to balance between the possible and impossible. Those of you who, like me, have enjoyed work from Through the Looking Glass to Donnie Darko will immensely enjoy Airmail. In some ways it reminded me a bit of the movie Mary and Max."

Pretty sexy, huh? Now, imagine how chuffed I am. Uber-chuffed, that's what!

To read the whole review, click here (and leave a comment to let Diana know if you like it: one good turn deserves another, after all). 

You know what else is sexy? Swingin' jazz from the 60s. For your listening pleasure, I present Airmail Special:

Around 60,000 years ago, as wind swept the crags and low-lying bushes outside, a man was buried inside a limestone cave at modern-day Kebara, Israel. The careful burial of his body was a sign that those around him cared about him, and that they believed in his life after death. 

But the man was not human. At least not in the sense we use that label today.

He was Neanderthal, a branch of what the scientists call the 'homo genus' that walked the earth up until as recently as 30,000 years ago. Archaeologists now tell us that Neanderthals were not the club-dragging, dim-witted cavemen we see from Hollywood. Instead, "There is every reason to believe they were expert hunters and beings capable of considerable intellectual reasoning," says Brian Fagan in 'Ancient Lives' (2007).

In Neanderthals, we see the first signs of religious ideology, and a preoccupation with the hereafter, Fagan says. Some Neanderthal groups, like those in the cave at Kebara, buried their dead. Still other groups buried their loved ones with artefacts to carry into the afterlife. So, religious Neanderthals. Wow! What do you think they believed? And in whom or what?

We are not descendants of the Neanderthals, despite what I was taught to believe in primary school. In fact if you look at the rough chronology, Homo sapiens (that's us) were around first. It's believed that modern humans emerged on the scene between 180,000 to 150,000 years ago (so-called 'archaic humans' were around a long time before that, as early as 400,000 years back), while the Neanderthals appeared at around 150,000 years ago or thereabouts. We were two different 'homo' species, living side by side.

I wonder how we got along. Says Fagan, "We find in Neanderthals and their increasingly sophisticated culture the roots of our own complicated beliefs, societies, and religious sense." But DNA researchers have confirmed that we are only very distant relations. We didn't evolve from one another.

But did we talk? Trade? Swap customs?

Imagine two distinct species living in the same regions at the same time. We were the only two species in the whole world that walked upright. The only two that developed specialised tools. And the only two with language (yes, it's now believed the Neanderthals had language, not just grunts).

Did we learn one another's languages? Did we share our places in the afterlife?

Why did we remain so separate?

Meet the child-Naomi. At the time this photograph was taken, her career goal was "superhero". Subsequent career plans included ballet dancer, marine biologist and princess. 

She also wanted to be an author. Apparently she wanted it so badly that she hijacked my novel. 

I wrote about it in a guest post hosted by the wonderful Jenai over at Bookingly Yours. You can read it here. 

If a little boy at your local farmers' market suddenly sprouted a curly pig's tail, what would you do? Would you: 

a) Call an ambulance / call the media / call the police? [you are probably not in a genre novel] 
b) Wave your magic wand, call your dragon-steed, and fly to a place where little boys only ever sprouted lovely peacocks' tails and never pigs' tails? [you are in a fantasy novel]
c) Think, "that's odd," then ask a nearby stall-holder if limes are back in season? [you are in a magical realism novel]

I was invited by the lovely Laura at The Book Tree to write a guest post on her blog. So I did a little metaphorical head-scratching, then came up with a theme I wanted to share. To whit: life, my friends, is a magical realism novel. And you can read it here. 

I've just wrapped up Week 2 of my Merry Month of May blog tour, during which time I've tucked a virtual copy of Airmail under my virtual arm and toddled (virtually) around the world, via some wonderful literary blogs. It was a week that featured real magic, some lovely blog hosts and reviewers, a touch of creative inspiration, and bribery with baked goods. 

On Wednesday I perused The Australian Bookshelf, and shared my top tips for keeping that creative spark alive while writing for a living. I took inspiration from a fabulous artist I met a few years back, Irene Grishin Selzer, who maintains this same delicate balance of art and business for her hand-crafted jewellery line, Iggy & Lou Lou. 

Thursday was my day for relaxing in the shade of The Book Tree, where I shared the story of how I first discovered the literary genre 'magical realism', how it enchanted me, and how it helped me see the magic in my own (real) world. The link to this post keeps appearing and disappearing, and I am not tech-savvy enough to know what's going on. This is the link, but if it doesn't work and you really want to read the post, let me know and I'll see what I can do.

Also reclining under The Book Tree was my lovely hostess Laura, who shared her review of Airmail, and is running a competition to win a free copy this month.

On Friday, I headed back to 100 Stars or Less, the site of last week's guest post on pen pals, for Erika's review of Airmail. I recommend you pop on over too and give the review a read, not just because she enjoyed the book (which she did), but also because Erika is such a fun and entertaining writer that she takes you on her personal journey of reading this quirky story. Plus, she's also offering a free copy of Airmail. 

Finally on the weekend it was over to Alchemy of Scrawl, where writer and reviewer Coral Russell gave her opinion of Airmail in audio format. I may or may not have influenced Coral's opinion of Airmail by introducing her to the awesome deliciousness of hot cross buns over Easter. I am sure she is above such bribery. It is possible that I am not.

If all this ain't enough for you, you can take a look at the latest reviews on Airmail here, and get up to date on the full Merry Month of May blog tour here. 

And that's a wrap for Week 2! See you soon.

This is an excerpt from a guest post on The Australian Bookshelf. So really, you can just skip the rest and go straight to The Australian Bookshelf. What a good idea! Here's the link >>

Or, you can read on. And so: 

It’s a common enough problem. For years, you dream of making a living as a writer, an artist, a musician… whatever creative passion floats your boat. But when your hobby finally becomes your career, the endless deadlines, clients and financial constraints sap your creative inspiration and motivation until you wonder why you entered this industry in the first place.

As a writer that’s certainly happened to me. More than once.

Some years ago, while editing a business magazine, I interviewed Irene Grishin Selzer, a sculptor and the artistic director of jewellery outfit Iggy and Lou Lou. Irene had an amazing capacity to separate out the business and artistic aspects of her career, while maintaining both. 

So when Jayne Fordham of The Australian Bookshelf invited me to write a guest post on her website, I thought this would be the perfect opportunity to share some of what I learned from Irene for other artists of all shapes and sizes. 

So, fellow artists, without further ado: get thee to The Australian Bookshelf to discover the top five tips for remaining an uncompromising artist while still making a living! (And when you get there, leave a comment at the end and say hi and thanks to your host Jayne. She's lovely). 

Today my friend Ruby took me on a lightening tour of the Gold Coast, to show me where the arts, the buzz, the cafes, the restaurants and the views sat. I am grateful, enlightened, and a little more at peace with the idea of living here. 

Also, my friend Ruby gave me a bag of fruit picked from the trees at her home on the hinterland. Said trees are, apparently, FREAKY MUTANT STEROID trees. Behold, the mother of all limes:

I am going to make mojitos. You bet your BOOTY I am going to make mojitos. 

I've been a busy little blogger of late, touring all over town as part of my Merry Month of May virtual book tour.

• This is me when I was a kid, on the neighbours' trampoline. Around about this age (or a little bit older, maybe), I had a pen-pal in New Caledonia. I've blogged about this experience, and the lost art of letter writing, and the advent of technology, on the wonderful website 100 Stars or Less (dedicated to supporting indie and emerging writers, how great is that!), as a guest of the lovely and gracious Erika. You can read the whole thing here.
• Then I headed on over to another fantastic and bookish website, The Book Diva's Reads, where I put the case that the novella (in other words a short novel) is due for a comeback in today's time-poor world. You can read that blog here, and read a review of Airmail by the Book Diva herself, Vivian, here. 
• To start the month off, the online website that celebrates everything great about my local area (and-is-super-supportive-of-local-creatives-so-please-head-on-over-and-give-them-a-hoy-then-subscribe-or-follow-on-twitter-or-something-because-there's-always-something-interesting-going-on), *deep breath* Inner West Live, hosted an interview with me that you can read here.
• A couple of days later, the fantabulous Ashley (aka Ashton the Book Blogger) wrote a very kind (shall we say glowing?) review of Airmail, which you can read here, and which is still making me smile. 
  

That's it for this week, but there's plenty more to come on the Merry Month of May blog tour, and I've posted some sneak peeks in my Events. 

See you around the blog traps! 
Naomi

Monday morning. It's raining outside. I have so many deadlines this week I don't know where to start, although I suspect blogging may not be the best place. 

I still write at the kitchen table, sitting on a wooden kitchen chair, so my back is already aching although it's not even morning-tea time. I'm worried about the dog, he's not himself today. 

To meet my deadlines and appease my editors, I will need a miracle. Or two. I need some serious inspiration. Perhaps you do, too. 

So here is a little reminder that, on some days, the impossible may just become possible. 

Really, anything's possible. I can fly. I can breathe under water. I am loved. Deadlines don't scare me! Now back to work.