How my books came about - part 1

A few new readers have ask about my books, how I got published and how I fit writing into my daily routine, so I thought  there may be others interested in that. I've written three books - Down to Earth, The Simple Life and The Simple Home, all were published by Penguin | Random House.

I used to earn a living as a technical writer/journalist and when we moved to where we live now, in 1997, I transferred my business to the Sunshine Coast. Hanno retired soon after we arrived and bought a shop in Montville. I continued writing technical manuals and travelled up to the mines to gather information and photos and then I'd write the manuals in an office I had close to home. I had a couple of people working for me at the time and life was hectic.  But when I settled in here at home, I started looking at my life with a more critical eye and realised I was far from happy. To make a long story short, I closed my business, started working in my home and that simple decision changed my life completely.

And things started to get better.

I tried to convince Hanno that he didn't have to work either, that if we both improved the productivity of our home and land, we'd be able to live well without working.  I was about 55 then and Hanno was almost 64. We were vegetarians so I had visions of fresh eggs, swapping eggs for honey, lush green growth in our vegetable patch and the aroma of homemade bread and preserves filling the house. When I explained my plan to Hanno, he thought I'd lost my marbles. He went back to work at his shop and I went back to dreaming of a better life, and planning.

 When the book was published, about 10 boxes of books arrived for me to sign and send out. 

 This was how Down to Earth looked when the first copy was mailed to me. 

Over the months that followed I made everything I could make that we used to buy at the shops and consequently reduced our grocery bill significantly.  We used less electricity, gas and water, we got rid of our second car, I stopped recreational shopping, pulled the plug on pay TV and magazines and we glided into a wonderful life of less. We produced a lot of fresh produce in the back yard, we saved money and soon Hanno realised he too could leave work when he became eligible for an age pension. We were on our way.

I have to point out here that this life is there for anyone, at any age. The priorities are slightly different as you go through the stages, but it's all achievable for anyone.

Being a writer, I wrote down what I was doing and started taking photos every day to record this wonderful lifestyle. I was happier than I'd ever been and my days were full of meaningful work. I was sure that others would be interested in this way of living but when I looked, I could find no Australian books on the subject. I wanted to share my experiences and write about this alternative lifestyle away from the consumerist merry-go-round so I wrote the beginnings of a book.  After sending it to three publishers, I got back three rejections.  Never one to be put off, I started this blog, called it Down to Earth, wrote about my days and what I was doing and learning. We'd paid off our house and were living well on much less than I thought possible so there was a lot to share. Readers starting pouring into the blog and a wonderful community of like-minded folk was created.  I started a forum that had over 40,000 members and ran that with the help of a great group of women for a number of years.  People were starting to see the possibilities of a new way of living that focused on sustainability, being debt-free and the life-long satisfaction of living with less.

I'd also started volunteering and was the coordinator of the Maleny Neighbourhood Centre for seven years. I loved being there, met hundreds of wonderful people and during my time there we moved from a little old house next to the pub to a purpose-built $2 million building funded by the state government. While I was there one day, I got a phone call from Penguin saying they loved my blog and would I be interested in writing a book. It was a dream come true.  Soon after, Hanno had a very bad accident with a chain saw. I left the Neighbourhood Centre to help him recover and poured my spare time into writing my book, Down to Earth.  It was published in February 2012 and became a best seller. It's still selling well in many book shops now.

These are some of the chapter pages in Down to Earth. I love the little blanket stitched notes.

Over the years, many people have asked me how I fit everything into my day. At first I wrote out a few routines to follow and now, modified as I age, I have them in my head. However, I have to let you know that I'm very relaxed about work in my home and never put pressure on myself to get all my planned work done. I write about this in Down to Earth under the title: Housework Never Ends. Usually I get everything done but if I don't, there's always tomorrow and I know the work will still be there when I get back to it. I try to live without stress now. I take time out to look after myself as well as my loved ones and I ask for help when I need it. The truth is that if I wasn't living this simple life, I wouldn't have the time or energy to write anything. My life opened up when I simplified, I was organised and had a different mindset as well as a backyard full of food, a stockpile and full freezer. Housework and writing happily combined quite comfortably for me.

Later in the week I'll write about our book tours, how books number two and three came about and meeting hundreds of people I didn't know out in the cities and towns of Australia.