PHOTO BY ZOE LAKE One Thing Leads to Another
by
T.D. McKinnon
First published on Indies Unlimited 5th August 2012
Photo by Zoë Lake
You should never get annoyed at red lights; just go with the flow!
When I lived in Sydney; in my busy existence one day, whilst driving across town through heavy traffic, I seemed to be collecting an over abundance of red lights. I was running later and later for an important appointment and finally, frustrated beyond belief, and at the tail end of a block of traffic – had I not spotted the police car out of the corner of my eye – I fully intended to take my chances and run the red light. A few seconds later there was an almighty crash up ahead as a seven car pile-up ensued. Wow! If it wasn’t for that police car I would have… Wait a minute… Where did that police car go? There never was a police car!
It’s funny how one thing leads to another, which in turn leads to another and in turn leads to… Well, without labouring the point too much, you get the picture: you just never know where a particular incident is going to take you. The smallest, innocuous occurrence can change your life; so relax, have the right intent, and accept what the universe presents to you.
Fast forward ten years… Earlier this year, I was in my local library, doing some research for a manuscript I was working on, and while using one of the library computers I attempted to bring up my own website. It was then I discovered that their security screening was blocking my website: I was on the banned website listing. The chief librarian could give me no logical explanation as to why this should be, ‘Unless,’ he said, ‘you have some restricted material or unbefitting language on your site!’
After explaining that nothing had changed on my site, in regard to content, and it had not been banned previously, on my last library visit – also, that as an independent ePublishing author, my website was my shop front, my display window and my counter sales – he promised to have the matter looked into immediately. It was then that he asked if I would be interested in giving a talk on ePublishing at the library, for the ‘National Year of Reading’, where of course I would also be free to tout my own ePublishing works. I naturally agreed to do the talk.
Because of this talk, I was contacted by the ABC (Australian Broadcasting Company) radio network and asked if I would do an interview for their ABC morning radio programme, The Breakfast Show, in regard to the ePublishing talk I was delivering for ‘The National Year of Reading’. After the live interview I received a telephone call from David Laing, a children’s book author, formerly from Scotland and now living thirty minutes away, who wanted to congratulate me on an excellent interview.
A couple of weeks later I was contacted by a representative from the National Trust; asking if I would like to take part in a National Trust initiative: as a contributing author in a children’s story book venture. David Laing and four other children’s authors had already contributed a chapter each; David had recommended me for a final chapter. I actually wrote two concluding chapters and the children’s story book, ‘A Tumble in Time’, was finished ahead of schedule. It has now been accepted for the ‘2012 Sydney Writer’s Festival’. I was asked to give another interview, in regards to the story book, this time for a state-wide ABC radio show.
Meanwhile, when I delivered the ePublishing presentation for ‘The National Year of Reading’, I was invited to launch a Tasmanian writer’s group’s annual anthology, and to talk about my writing. Also, I was approached by the SWWT (Society of Women Writers of Tasmania) to deliver the ePublishing presentation to its members. And, as a result of all this exposure a publisher is currently looking at my historical fiction, ‘Terra Nullius’, with a view to publishing.
My point being that the above litany of events all hinged on the incident with the City Library computers and just goes to show you that ‘you should never get annoyed at red lights; just go with the flow!’
by
T.D. McKinnon
First published on Indies Unlimited 5th August 2012
Photo by Zoë Lake
You should never get annoyed at red lights; just go with the flow!
When I lived in Sydney; in my busy existence one day, whilst driving across town through heavy traffic, I seemed to be collecting an over abundance of red lights. I was running later and later for an important appointment and finally, frustrated beyond belief, and at the tail end of a block of traffic – had I not spotted the police car out of the corner of my eye – I fully intended to take my chances and run the red light. A few seconds later there was an almighty crash up ahead as a seven car pile-up ensued. Wow! If it wasn’t for that police car I would have… Wait a minute… Where did that police car go? There never was a police car!
It’s funny how one thing leads to another, which in turn leads to another and in turn leads to… Well, without labouring the point too much, you get the picture: you just never know where a particular incident is going to take you. The smallest, innocuous occurrence can change your life; so relax, have the right intent, and accept what the universe presents to you.
Fast forward ten years… Earlier this year, I was in my local library, doing some research for a manuscript I was working on, and while using one of the library computers I attempted to bring up my own website. It was then I discovered that their security screening was blocking my website: I was on the banned website listing. The chief librarian could give me no logical explanation as to why this should be, ‘Unless,’ he said, ‘you have some restricted material or unbefitting language on your site!’
After explaining that nothing had changed on my site, in regard to content, and it had not been banned previously, on my last library visit – also, that as an independent ePublishing author, my website was my shop front, my display window and my counter sales – he promised to have the matter looked into immediately. It was then that he asked if I would be interested in giving a talk on ePublishing at the library, for the ‘National Year of Reading’, where of course I would also be free to tout my own ePublishing works. I naturally agreed to do the talk.
Because of this talk, I was contacted by the ABC (Australian Broadcasting Company) radio network and asked if I would do an interview for their ABC morning radio programme, The Breakfast Show, in regard to the ePublishing talk I was delivering for ‘The National Year of Reading’. After the live interview I received a telephone call from David Laing, a children’s book author, formerly from Scotland and now living thirty minutes away, who wanted to congratulate me on an excellent interview.
A couple of weeks later I was contacted by a representative from the National Trust; asking if I would like to take part in a National Trust initiative: as a contributing author in a children’s story book venture. David Laing and four other children’s authors had already contributed a chapter each; David had recommended me for a final chapter. I actually wrote two concluding chapters and the children’s story book, ‘A Tumble in Time’, was finished ahead of schedule. It has now been accepted for the ‘2012 Sydney Writer’s Festival’. I was asked to give another interview, in regards to the story book, this time for a state-wide ABC radio show.
Meanwhile, when I delivered the ePublishing presentation for ‘The National Year of Reading’, I was invited to launch a Tasmanian writer’s group’s annual anthology, and to talk about my writing. Also, I was approached by the SWWT (Society of Women Writers of Tasmania) to deliver the ePublishing presentation to its members. And, as a result of all this exposure a publisher is currently looking at my historical fiction, ‘Terra Nullius’, with a view to publishing.
My point being that the above litany of events all hinged on the incident with the City Library computers and just goes to show you that ‘you should never get annoyed at red lights; just go with the flow!’
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