Welcome to Confelicity
Were you a winner in my Mother's Day competition?
My first newsletter on Substack!
I’m celebrating the release of my new non-fiction book today – Emboldened: On Finding the Fire to Keep Going When All Seems Lost – with a change of direction!
I’ve titled my blog Confelicity. It is a beautiful word with a beautiful meaning: To take delight in the happiness – or good fortune – of others. It’s that moment of pleasure a hostess feels when she watches her guests enjoy the meal she has lovingly prepared and take part in stimulating dinner conversation coaxed to life by the stunning table centrepiece she made and the welcoming way she arranged the place settings. Or it’s that time when a dedicated wildlife carer takes the koala he saved as a tiny orphan to its release site, and watches it climb skilfully up the tallest gum tree and upwards towards its new life in the wild. For the hostess and the carer alike, all the effort and preparation have been worth it to produce joy in another.
I’ve heard many writers say that they only write for themselves. But I am an author who is always acutely aware of my readers when I work. I love to entertain them and give them something of value. I hope that’s what you’ll find in this newsletter.
The title of this newsletter ‘Glamour comes from the word grammar’ requires some explanation. In the Middle Ages, ‘grammar’ described all learning including the magic arts. Centuries later, the offshoot ‘glamour’ took on the idea of magic and allure – being captured by a spell, if you like. For those of you who have enjoyed my books and follow me on my Facebook page you will know that I have a passion for beauty, nature and magic – so the title is perfect!
And with the release of Emboldened today, I am encouraging everyone to fire up the passion in their lives and to also consider that our ancestors may have entrusted each of us with a special quest. Read on!
Emboldened: On Finding the Fire to Keep Going When All Seems Lost
April 26th - PUBLICATION DAY!
❦ Australian and New Zealand (Print and ebook, with audiobook to follow in May)
❦ USA (ebook)
Wow! My new non-fiction book is out and in bookstores from today! I thought I’d tell you a little bit about why I wrote it.
While out on publicity tours for my bestselling fiction books, I could see how excited my readers were to learn about the real historical stories and personalities that inspired my novels. But as life is often stranger than fiction, I wasn’t sure how I could tell those true stories.
Then several years ago, I had a harrowing event happen to me that left me traumatised. I was lost about how to put my life back together again. Then I remembered I had a very rich resource to draw on – I had been telling the stories of people overcoming incredible odds for years.
In Emboldened, I share the stories of four real-life women who inspired both my fiction and my healing journey. The book is divided into four sections, each representing a particular quality of that woman:
❦ Resilience: My own mother, Tatiana Morosoff, a White Russian who had fled a home more than once due to wars and revolutions.
❦ Purpose: Virginia Hall: An American who lost her leg in an accident but went on to become one of the most revered Allied agents in World War II France.
❦ Passion: Carmen Amaya: A Romany woman born into abject poverty in Barcelona, but who went on to become the world’s greatest flamenco dancer.
❦ Connection: Edna Walling, who lost her own dream home in a freak fire but created garden designs that made her one of Australia’s most celebrated landscape designers and earliest conservationists.
In between these stories, I weave my own memoir of recovery. Emboldened is invigorating, inspiring and a true call to action. It’s not just an uplifting book for anybody going through difficulties: It’s a tale of inspiring women that is sure to please anyone who enjoys epic true stories. It’s a great book for personal pleasure, but also to give as a Mother’s Day gift because I share the stories of how influential each of the women’s mothers were in developing their particular personalities.
I think this is the book many of my readers have been waiting for. I hope you enjoy it!
For more buying options please see my website
Becoming Emboldened:
How to put more passion in your life – or rediscover it if you’ve lost it!
Passion is one of those magical words that lifts our spirits just to hear it. The idea of living passionately, fully and with boldness stirs something in our soul. Indeed, passion is a state of mind that fills us with an inner fire and makes us feel alive.
Perfect Gifts for Mother’s Day
UPCOMING EVENTS
MELBOURNE
❦ TUESDAY, MAY 2nd
Dymocks Camberwell First Tuesday Book Club
❦ THURSDAY, May 4th
Brighton Library Talk
SYDNEY
❦ SATURDAY, May 6th
Belinda Alexandra in Conversation with Claudine Tinellis
❦ WEDNESDAY, May 10th
Berkelouw’s Mona Vale
❦ THURSDAY, June 22nd
Woollahra Library
❦ WEDNESDAY, July 26th
Sutherland Library In Conversation with Anna Loder
❦ THURSDAY, AUGUST 10th
Hornsby Library Belinda Alexandra in Conversation with Michaela Kalowski
BATHURST
❦ SATURDAY, JUNE 3
Bathurst Library
CONGRATULATIONS TO ...
Thank you to everyone who entered the competition and shared which books they simply haven’t been able to put down. It was very hard to choose winners from such a great selection.
Here is a list of books from our competition entries that came highly recommended (click to download above). Thank you to everyone for sharing. My TBR pile has just grown!
Congratulations to:
Helen Green
Lorraine Simpson
Veronica Little
You have each won a pack containing:
One Illumined Thread by Sally Colin-James
White Gardenia by me
Dying to Know by Rae Cairns
One of my wonderful publishers, HarperCollins Australia, will be emailing or calling you shortly.
I’ll be sending out a post about another theme in Emboldened about how intergenerational trauma can lead to intergenerational strength, and how perhaps each of us could consider that our ancestors have left us with a quest.
Until then be kind to yourself,
Love Belinda XX
Thank you! I look forward to seeing you too!
Confelicity is indeed a beautiful title! I look forward to seeing you at Berkelouw Mona Vale on May 10th and to buying my signed copy of Emboldened.