Wednesday 2 November 2016

#IWSG post. Lynda Young tells us why she's moving to Brisbane (and it's not just to be nearer to me!)

Ha! Don't we all love an adventure! I do. I'm always looking for the next thing! But sometimes adventures come on us unexpectedly and we have to find a way to jump in. An unexpected adventure can make us a tad insecure. This is what Lynda Young is talking to us about today...Let's go on an adventure with Lynda.


The awesome co-hosts for Nov 2 IWSG are Joylene Novell Butler, Jen Chandler, Mary Aalgaard, Lisa Buie Collard, Tamara Narayan, Tyrean Martinson, and Christine Rains!


Now, back to my guest. As you may know, Lynda's on a hello-I've-published-a-book blog tour for her devotional, Cling to God. Today, Lynda is appearing at Crystal Collier's and mine. 

Brisbane: The Next Adventure
by Lynda R Young

For something completely different, Denise asked me about my interstate move from Sydney to Brisbane. From comfortable New South Wales to hot, sunny Queensland. (Hello, Lynda!! I'm waiting!!)



I’ve lived in Sydney all my life. Until my teens I lived in the Eastern suburbs which was built up, lots of concrete, but close to the CBD. Then I moved in with my Mum to a Southern suburb. With all the trees everywhere, it felt like I’d gone bush. I learned to love it there and, when Mum moved away for her ministerial work, I stayed in the house to look after it. Then I got married and we both loved the house still, so we bought it from my Mum. I’ve lived here for the majority of my life. Neither my husband nor I had any intentions of moving. Then life handed us an unexpected turn. A job opportunity opened up in Brisbane for my husband. We’d been up there visiting family and loved the lifestyle so, we who avoid change, decided to go for it. Bam!


Over the years we’d been slowly renovating the house in Sydney. We had one room left. The biggest. We did that, put the house on the market and sold it four weeks later. Yikes!

Am I insecure about the move? If you’d asked me when we first made the decision I would’ve said, “Heck, yes!” I love my beautiful house. I have friends in Sydney. I love the village atmosphere of the area I’m in. I finally found a hair dresser who could cut my hair without making me look like some freak out of the walking dead, or twenty years older than I am. I know hardly anyone in Brisbane. I know very little about Brisbane. I’ll need to find a new hairdresser! I’m crazy! But the funny thing about the selling and moving process is that it makes you ready. You don’t have time to wonder and fear and question. You just have to put your head down and get things done.

How do I know it’s right?
 As a Christian, I lean on my God an awful lot and He lets me know if I’m on the right path. With this move He has opened doors and cleared the way and made things possible. We pretty much found our new place to live in Brisbane within a week of looking. I’m pretty sure that’s not normal.

While this move remains terrifying and overwhelming in so many ways, there’s also a calm inside me. It’s our next adventure. Sure, it’s a lot hotter in Brisbane than Sydney, but I’ll find a way to cope. I’m looking forward to meeting new people, discovering the friendly laid-back city where people still smile at strangers and have a chat with you at the checkouts. And this will be my new view.



I think I’ll make it work!


Of course you will, Lynda! I can't wait to meet you and lead you to my hairdresser! And knowing you love your flowers, here's some poppies just for you!


Inline image 2Cling to God: A Daily Devotional. 
by Lynda R Young
Release date: October 18th, 2016
Published by Freedom Fox Press

Tagline: Cling to God in the chaos of life…

BlurbCling to God is a book of devotionals for every day of the year. The aim is to encourage Christians in their faith, to help them think about their beliefs and learn more about God. The devotions are short and inspirational so that people with busy lifestyles will still be able to spend time with the Lord each day. It will appeal to a wide Christian audience, to those new in their faith as well as those matured beyond milk and honey.



Author Bio: Lynda R Young, a Christian first, writes devotionals, articles, and speculative short stories. In her spare time she is also an editor, game developer, artist, and dabbles in photography and all things creative. She lives in Australia with her sweetheart of a husband. You can find her here: Blog,TwitterFacebookGoodreads

Links in full:
http://lyndaryoung.blogspot.com.au
https://twitter.com/LyndaRYoung
https://www.facebook.com/LyndaRYoungAuthor
https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/5832201.Lynda_R_Young




I know you're itching to hit the BUY button. You have choices! Here's the links!

Buy Lynda's Book for Kindle 

Buy Lynda's Book on Amazon


Lynda's Book on Nook


Over to you, readers. We'd love to  hear your stories...


  • Have you lived in the same house for most/all of your life, or have you regularly embraced the moving adventure?
  • If you've moved house, did things go well...or badly?
  • What was your first reaction to your new house/town/city?
  • If you're a believer, did you feel God was with you?

Now, the WEP October challenge was Halloween or Constellations. The winners are announced today over at the Write...Edit...Publish site. A young man we know more for his poetic prowess than his prose ran off with the prize after showing us that he can spin a great flash, from the point of view of a crazy old bat.

Now that we've slayed all those Halloween monsters and finished gazing at the stars, we're dreaming of December and holidays, but not just any old holiday...stay tuned. 

Thanks for coming by. I hope you'll enjoy your time reading other IWSG posts which can be found HERE.

And can you believe it's NaNo already? Are you in? Write every day in November--50,000 words. Easy yeah?





62 comments:

Alex J. Cavanaugh said...

Just trust in God, Lynda. He will guide you through the changes.

Roland D. Yeomans said...

Your times are in the Father's Hand: no more secure place to be. Best of sales with your new book!

As for NaNo, my ghostly friends and I talk about it as we play the strangest poker game you ever saw!!

L. Diane Wolfe said...

I've lived in four different times zones as an adult, and every move was exciting and scary. They were new adventures. And I wouldn't trade any of those moves for anything.

Lynda R Young as Elle Cardy said...

Thank you so much for having me, Denise. I'm not seeing any of the pics for some reason. It might be my end, though, because I'm literally on my knees with my laptop propped on a box because all my furniture is on its way to Brisbane. My post is scheduled to post shortly. Again, thank you so much for giving me the opportunity to share my next adventure and my debut devotional.

Lynda R Young as Elle Cardy said...

He's got me this far. He won't let me go now.

Lynda R Young as Elle Cardy said...

So, so true, Roland. And thanks for the best wishes for the devotional.

Lynda R Young as Elle Cardy said...

So encouraging to hear. Thanks, Diane.

Denise Covey said...

Hi Lyn. So pleased to have you. No one else has complained about the pics, but I've re-posted them in case. Must be fun rattling around with no furniture! Not!

Nilanjana Bose said...

Hello Lynda and Denise,

Best wishes for the book and the move! Finding a new hairdresser is key to settling down, once you get that sorted everything else is a breeze :) I've moved home multiple times and have enjoyed the adventure in each one.

Nicola said...

Good luck with the move. I'm sure you'll settle in perfectly. I did laugh about the hairdresser. It took me about seven years to find a good hairdresser in Germany. I often went back to the UK just to get my hair cut :) But now, I'm happy to have found one that I can trust - the amount of times I ran home to wash my hair after spending a fortune is quite astonishing :)Have a lovely November. Thanks for hosting Denise!!

Lynda R Young as Elle Cardy said...

I can see them now. Could've just been me.

Lynda R Young as Elle Cardy said...

I'm looking forward to that breeze

Lynda R Young as Elle Cardy said...

So glad to hear I'm not the only one who rushed home to wash my hair after spending a fortune getting it done.

Unknown said...

I've lived in at least 30 different houses/apartments in my life in about 15 different cities. I hate traveling and moving, so I was a pretty big bundle of unhappy until I moved into the apt I own in Egypt about 12 years ago. (And even once I moved in there, hubs and I stayed in another resort community for work for 5 years.) So finally, finally I retired about 7 years ago and it doesn't look like I'll be moving again -- though I have to admit I'd LOVE to move to a better neighborhood in this city, but that will only happen if a make a ton of money writing, so I'm not holding my breath! LOL

Natalie Aguirre said...

Good luck with the move. I moved around town a lot while in college but have only lived in 2 houses since my husband and I bought our first house. Good luck with the move. Looking at it as an adventure is a way to hopefully make it successful.

Hilary Melton-Butcher said...

Hi Denise and Lynda - fascinating to read about the why etc ... it sounds like it all came at the right time ... you weren't expecting it - yet ... hey-ho let's go. Good luck ... with Denise there ... you'll have that entree in and I'm sure it will be a good move.

I'm very downsized at the moment - makes it easier in someways ... cheers Hilary

Patsy said...

I'm doing a pretend Nano - 30 short story drafts in 30 days.

Mason Canyon said...

Best of luck on the move. I'm not good with change but your move sounds exciting and the view is amazing. Congrats on your new release.

Thoughts in Progress
and MC Book Tours

The Cynical Sailor said...

I loved reading this interview with Lynda! Such a fun post, especially the bit about finding just the right hairdresser. I'm still looking for that one special person that can do wonders with my hair :-) All the best on the move. Cheers - Ellen

Crystal Collier said...

Yes! Head down, moving forward. Lynda, you've got this! And a new hairdresser will appear--I'm certain. (Ahem, I'm still struggling with that too.)

Denise! Are you NaNo-ing? I avoid it when I can. Not the prettiest thing around here, but I hope other people are enjoying it.

Joylene Nowell Butler said...

You're one-step ahead of me. In that I mean we haven't sold our home yet, but when we do we'll be moving 3000 miles across Canada from BC to New Brunswick where our youngest son lives. It will be a huge change. My husband was born in BC and has only ever lived here. We've been in Prince George since 1979. Please keep posting updates about life in Brisbane, Lynda. It's very important to me to know how it's going. One of my oldest friends from school lives in Sydney and loves it. She's been there for 36 years.

Yolanda Renée said...

Love your new view! Finding a good hairdresser is important isn't it. When I moved from Washington State to Pennsylvania I wanted to fly back to Washington every time I needed my hair done, but I was lucky. We all have those horror stories, though. I think Denise can help you solve that problem! :)
Congratulations on your book! I've always loved devotionals, it's the best way to start a new day!
Doing NaNo will help keep me focused, I hope! :)

H. R. Sinclair said...

Thanks for sharing! Moving is stressful and exciting.

cleemckenzie said...

I think you made the right move based on your pictures. I moved so much as a child that I swore I'd settle in and never pull up stakes again when I grew up. That almost has happened.

Sheena-kay Graham said...

All the best with your move Lynda and congrats on your book. God is with us and I'm glad he's helping guide your path. The move that affected me most was moving from our rented room in Patrick City to a house in suburb-ish Greater Portmore back when I was in third grade. Jamaica is considered just a tropical island to some, but it was my giant world. Back in Patrick City there was one bedroom and two beds. Moving had us finally having a home of our own and three bedrooms. At the time however I didn't want to leave. I loved the friendly neighborhood we lived in and thought living close to the foot of a hill was cool. Still miss it but grew to love our new home.

Nick Wilford said...

Having spent brief periods in both cities on my travels, I'd happily take either! I'm sure you'll get used to that view quite quickly. Fun that you'll get to meet up with Denise, too.

Carol Kilgore said...

I've moved a lot. Double digits. It's a hassle, no matter how you do it. But the worst thing by far is finding a new hairdresser that works for you. I have hair from hell, so I fully understand that dilemma. You will however be fine. Even if it takes you a while to find the right hair person. I have lucked out before and found him or her on the first shot. I treasure those times! Yes, I do feel God. Sometimes he feels it's important to do other things for me instead of point me to the right hairdresser first thing.

Carol Kilgore said...

Oops. Forgot to say hi to Denise. Hope all is well with you!

Jemi Fraser said...

That's quite the move - good for you! Being up for new adventures is kind of what life is all about! I adore your view :)

Hi Denise!

Lynda R Young as Elle Cardy said...

oh my gosh. I can't even imagine moving that many times. You'd hardly have time to unpack!

Lynda R Young as Elle Cardy said...

I'm soooo looking forward to it.

Lynda R Young as Elle Cardy said...

Downsizing is a load off. And yes, the timing was perfect.

Lynda R Young as Elle Cardy said...

That's a challenge in itself

Lynda R Young as Elle Cardy said...

Normally I'm not good with change either, but this feels so right in so many ways.

Lynda R Young as Elle Cardy said...

It's so hard to find the right hairdresser!!!

Lynda R Young as Elle Cardy said...

I have a confession: My author pic needs updating. I've grown my hair which means finding that hairdresser is crucial!!! Back when my hair was short, anyone could cut it. Now it's long and unruly and hairdressers have no idea what to do with it. lol. Maybe I should just cut it short again.

Lynda R Young as Elle Cardy said...

That will be a big change. I'll add selling your house to my prayers. And I'll definitely keep you updated.

Lynda R Young as Elle Cardy said...

Think I might hold Denise to her promise to find me a good hairdresser ;)
And thanks for the congrats.

Lynda R Young as Elle Cardy said...

Exactly right

Lynda R Young as Elle Cardy said...

Hopefully I won't have to move again for a very long time.

Lynda R Young as Elle Cardy said...

I'm glad you grew to love your new home. I hope to do the same.

Lynda R Young as Elle Cardy said...

I'm so looking forward to meeting Denise at last!

Lynda R Young as Elle Cardy said...

hehehe I hope I'm as lucky as you've been. I'll leave it in God's hands.

Lynda R Young as Elle Cardy said...

Adventure is the spice of life (as they say in the classics)

Lynda R Young as Elle Cardy said...

Thanks so much for having me, Denise. It's been lots of fun. And I'm looking forward to meeting you at last!

Tyrean Martinson said...

Wow! That's a nice view! It's so cool that God has taken care of the house sale parts of the move! Best wishes on finding that hairdresser - the good ones are hard to find.

Lynda R Young as Elle Cardy said...

I know, right! I just came back from my last visit with my good hairdresser in Sydney. It makes me sad. But then I look at the view I'm going to--the perfect writing view! And that makes me happy again.

Denise Covey said...

Thanks Carol. Hi!! All goes well with me. Writing up a storm!

Denise Covey said...

Hi Jemi! Thanks for stopping by!

Denise Covey said...

It's been fun Lynda. It will be great to meet up! Safe trip up!

dolorah said...

Moving is both an awesome adventure and a stressful pain. Such a mixed box :)

Glad to see it is all working out for you Lynda. Best wishes.

Denise: all that possibility!! Must be why we all write. Good luck with NaNo.

Have a good month.

Michelle Wallace said...

Hello Ladies!
Lynda, that new view is FABULOUS! Is that from your apartment? Wow! That's reason enough to make it work! But I know what you mean about the hairdresser part. I have a lady who knows EXACTLY how to mange my hair. I don't know what I'd do if she has to disappear for some reason.
Denise, hello and sorry I've been so scarce. Lots of things happening. Will mail you soon...maybe after NaNoWriMo...you are doing it right?
How awesome that you two will get to meet!

Tamara Narayan said...

I have moved several times in my life. One was right before my senior year of high school. That was a little nerve-wracking, but turned out to be the best year ever. The most recent move was in 2003 to our current house. I hope we stay until the kids can graduate from the high school.

Chrys Fey said...

I've moved so many times that I can't keep track, but I've been lucky to stay within the same county. One day, I plan to move out of Florida. I'm thinking Tennessee. :)

farawayeyes said...

In the past 35 years I've moved over 20 times. Funny though, I'm always up for the next adventure. It's exciting to try new places and things and to meet new people. Some of my moves where big, like to another country, and some were smaller, like across town, but all in all each was great for it's own reasons.

I too trust God and more than once my moves have been inspired by His telling me it was time to go and where. Those was experiences that took on a surreal nature. So glad I have to faith to listen.

Michael Di Gesu said...

Hi, Denise, Hi, Lynda...

GORGEOUS VIEW!!!!! I am so excited for your adventure. I LOVE to move to new locations and create a NEW EXCITING SPACE! I hope to be moving soon.... That is if my loft appraises. this will be the third time in THREE years... Just not finding my right fit, I guess. Hopefully the next place will work. Life is always full of surprises, good and bad.

ALL the best, Lynda!

Denise.... hoping your renos are almost done... STILL waiting to see those pics!

Denise Covey said...

Ha Michael, putting it back together now. Pics soon!

Denise Covey said...

Thanks Donna! I'm doing my version of NaNo. Going well.

Denise Covey said...

Catch up after NaNo sounds good.

Nas said...

Congratulations to Lynda on the new release book and the move! Its an adventure for sure to move to a new place!

Hi Denise!

Denise Covey said...

Yes it is Nas. The bonus is I'll be able to hang out occasionally.

Romance Book Haven said...

Awesome for Lynda and you to get the chance to hang out together :)