I've always been a creative person

I wrote my first mystery story in Mr Cuskelly’s class when I was ten. The goodies and baddies were all trying to get their hands on a mysterious package, and there were plenty of thrills and spills. I used the word ‘suddenly’ five times in those 580 words, and Mr Cuskelly circled every one of them. At least I had a killer ending. ‘What was in the package? I guess we’ll never know.’ It’s a wonder Enid Blyton’s Secret Seven didn’t enlist me  right there and then. 

Since that auspicious start, I’ve had more than 150 short pieces published including short stories, poetry, creative nonfiction, magazine articles, devotions, inspirational pieces and academic articles. I’ve also been writing songs since primary school. Most of my publications are under my married name of Nola Passmore. So why am I using Nola Lorraine for this website? Check out my first blog post What’s in a Name for all the juicy details.

Genre butterfly anyone?

My debut novel Scattered was published in 2020 by Breath of Fresh Air Press. It’s inspirational historical fiction, with mystery and romance elements. Do you like the way I managed to squeeze four genres in there? It’s been shortlisted for the 2021 CALEB Award for adult fiction.

I love variety. My published short pieces include stories set in the past, present, and future. Some are funny, some are sad. Some are fictitious, some are true. However, the thing most of them have in common is that they offer hope in a world of challenges. I chose the tagline ‘Weaving Words of Courage and Hope’ because that is what I want to offer my readers, regardless of the genre. For a free sampler of my work, please  subscribe to my newsletter.

Photo by DreamyArt on Pixabay.

Hi Ho Hi Ho. Did someone say work?

That love of different genres, also extends to my study and work life. I have  a PhD in psychology, a Graduate Diploma in Creative Writing and a Certificate IV in Christian Ministry.

 I taught social psychology at a regional university for about twenty-five years. There were some great moments, but it was time for a change.

Since 2013, my husband Tim and I have run our own freelance writing and editing business called The Write Flourish. Now we work from home, which allows lots of time for creative bursts in between clients. 

Our gorgeous dog Penny is very pleased with this arrangement. She’s a Welsh Cardigan Corgi mix that we adopted from the local RSPCA and it’s a match made in heaven.

But wait, there's more!

I have been married to my soulmate Tim since 1998. He’s also a former academic, and we met at the Christian staff group at Uni. Our faith is important to us, and we are involved in our local church. We live in southeast Queensland, Australia.

When I’m not writing, I like playing with my dog, walking my dog, swimming (not with my dog), getting out into nature, playing my guitar, catching up with my writing buddies, watching old movies, and dabbling in art.

I’d love to interact with you through social media. You can connect with me on my Facebook, Instagram, Goodreads and Pinterest sites. If you subscribe to my newsletter, you’ll be sure to get the latest news. (Please scroll to the bottom of this page for the newsletter link.)

2022 Walking Challenge

In an effort to get a bit fitter, I’ve taken on a walking challenge this year. I’m going to try to do one walk in a new location every week (in addition to my usual dog walking and neighbourhood strolls). If you’d like to find out a bit more about why I’m doing this challenge, you can read about it here. If you’d like to see the walks I’ve done so far, you can find out more here. (I’ll be adding new walks as I do them). And in case you’re amazed that I did 15 new walks in January, I was on holidays. Things will slow down now, but hopefully I’ll still keep those new walks ticking over.

Photo credit: Author photo by Wayne Logan from WRL Photography.