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However, in the background you can see my latest read. It’s Zoe Fosters book ‘Playing the Field’. So far (page. 4) I’m in love. It’s really not uncommon for me to fall in love with anything Foster does though.

I’ve also read Zoe’s other book ‘Air Kisses’. It’s a fun insight into the Beauty and Magazine world. I highly recommend it.

Who’s your author crush?

Of course you do. You have been hanging out for some answers, haven’t you? Well pull up a chair because here they are…

1. (Tara) What is more fun? Designing the jewellery or wearing it? Hi Tara – Definatly designing the jewellery, But then seeing other people wear it!

2. (Katerilamhan) Where do you make all your beautiful pieces from? How do you get them made so beautifully handcrafted? Hi Kate – We have 3 production houses. One in china, one in India & one in Australia. It depends on the materials we use as to where we get it made, however we use artisans in each house to ensure the consistency of workmanship.

3. (Sophie) Lately I have noticed your designs are getting grander – more couture. Is this the future of SW? Hi Sophie – As the brand grows, so does the categories, SW Couture is going to be a large part of the brand, but it will not replace our Ready to Wear offer. Designing couture is definatly very fun as a designer!

4. (Living Silk) Give us some tips for summer accessorising? We sell a lot of kaftans (Camilla Franks) and customers are always looking for jewellery that is simple enough but not too over the top for a summer bbq  I think you cannot go wrong with a cocktail ring. I wear one day & night, because a cocktail ring is large enough to be a statement, but not so overbearing that it overtakes your look.

5. (Lauren) How does it feel having vanity fair feature your designs? You must be stoked. Hi Lauren, Having SW on the cover of Vanity Fair is definitely a milestone! It was such a surprise & the cover will take pride of place on my office wall.

6. (Sharron) Samantha have you ever thought of a line of childrens solid silver braclets I have been trying to find something different for my nieces without any luck? A children’s line certainly sounds like fun! But right now, other areas of the bran dare keeping us very busy! Maybe one day!

And my own…

7. (Georgia) What’s your average beauty routine? Favourite products? Because we all know good grooming is key…Sleep is the best beauty routine! Not that I get much of it, but it is something that can make the world of difference, St Tropez tanning products for a natural, healthy glow & a really good mascara, I like DIOR mascara as they really make the eye defined.

*If you buy 2 or more items at the Samantha Wills online shop before the 19th of December you receive FREE Shipping! So get onto it…

However my dream will never be reality unless I move interstate or to a bunny friendly zone. Damn you Queensland, official, bunny haters!

So to fill my void (for at least this afternoon) I want to share with you the most adorable photo’s in the world courtesy of The Selby.

For the record: I would call my bunny ‘nibbles’ or ‘pancakes’. And I would love him/or her (I’m certainly not fussy about gender…) with all my heart. I promise.

The night was held at the beautiful lounge bar Lauxes, complete with blood red cupcakes, gorgeous red roses, and goodie bags courtesy of Esteem Day Spa.

Book launches are usually held during daylight over lunch or some afternoon tea. However, Tara (like her launch) is certainly out of the ordinary. Tara owns a pet snake, holds a private investigators license, wrote gruesome ‘Stephen King-inspired’ stories for her classmates at age 10, and met the love of her life online.

I was lucky enough to chat with the talented beauty and pick her brain on all things writing, blogging, True Blood, and of course Pandora English – the latest fictional heroine on the scene.

Here’s an extract from our chat…

Georgia: You had your first book published at 23? I’m incredibly jealous! That would be a dream of mine… Would you mind sharing some of your writing habits? I find procrastination a big challenge to overcome.

Tara: Oh, I really relate to procrastination and I relate to the struggle to find a writing technique that’s the most effective and the most creative. I think every writer is always searching for that even if they are published and even if they have had success. It’s an ongoing struggle and it never becomes easy, but on the other hand it is incredibly fulfilling so its worth pursuing. I have a Blog actually. It’s usually quite writer related and has lots of tips.

G: Do you enjoy having the Blog? I personally enjoy the gratification of posting and publishing instantly…

T: I like it as a communication tool because theirs no umm…

G: Gatekeepers?

T: Yeah, gatekeepers and it’s a way to talk about the industry, what’s happening and where I’m at with my writing, and have a dialogue with other writers.

G: You can share more with your readers about your fictional characters too.

T: Of course! When you’re writing fiction novels, you have this little world you’ve created and it’s kind of a one way story where I don’t get to sit down and talk to the reader about the book. They just pick it up [the book] and read. They will interpret it how they want and the Blog is a way for me to make the process interactive.

G: I guess a lot of writers have to do that these days? I noticed you have an ad for your new book? That’s pretty cool.

T: Yeah it is. This is the first time I’ve actually had a commercial. It’s quite a new thing for me, not many books get the chance to advertise commercially and I’m in a position (after 11 years) where my publishers can do that for me. It’s wonderful! Book trailers in general are very popular at the moment with the internet making those mediums very accessible.

G: It’s capable of being a great viral marketing tool too…

T: It’s a great marketing tool. Having a trailer that gives the atmosphere of the book is great; especially considering my new book is a different genre. If you’re a fan of my crime novels you’ll probably really like this. But it’s not a crime novel.

G: Yes, I was going to ask you why you changed genre. You’ve gone from writing very heavy crime novels to a book that’s being described as ‘fashionable’.

T: Yes, well this is very light and very gothic. And there is couture in it – because I love couture! It’s essentially Adams Family, meets Gossip Girl, meets True Blood.

G: Oh, I love True Blood!

T: [Laughs] same! I love True Blood and I love the books True Blood is based on. There’s a similar sense of play in my new series. If you like Sooki Stakhouse you’ll probably like my character Pandora English. Their worlds apart but you get that sense of a strong, young, female character in a world where anything is possible.

G: I saw that Pandora English has her own Facebook page…

T: She does! I felt it was a great way to interact with the audience that is going to be reading the Pandora English novels. A couple of authors I know have been creating Facebook pages for characters.

G: I think it’s a fabulous idea.

T: It’s experimental but I also think it’s a great opportunity to create dialogue between fans and authors. It’s fun too. Most of the time I’m isolated whilst writing so it’s nice to have an outlet where I can openly communicate with my readers.

G: Well thanks Tara for having a chat, it was lovely meeting you but you better get back to this launch…

T: [Laughs] yeah, probably!

*Tara is actually 6 months pregnant at the moment, so I’m guessing she enjoyed sitting down on a comfy lounge to have a quick chat. She even managed to wear leopard print heels to the launch – my kind of woman.

Also, here’s a short video from the Gold Coast launch…

Firstly the event was held in Stephens Lane, which is squished right in the middle of the Treasury Casino and Hotel buildings in the City.  It was very cool! I guess a lane-way is perfect for a fashion parade – how come no one has thought of this sooner?

Secondly the parade didn’t feature just one single designer – they had many. However the main attraction of the night was Easton Pearson’s collection. Which by the way is the brightest, most cheerful and delicious collection ever. But naturally we should expect that from EP.

Finally, the parade featured some good old-fashioned testosterone. For once there were no emaciated young boys walking down the runway – they were big, toned and obviously enjoyed a good hamburger on the weekend.

However the best part of my night was the lady beside me who couldn’t help but nudge me at every possible moment to say “Can I buy him?” She was adorable (and totally uninterested in what the men were wearing).

So here is a video I did for the event. Enjoy.

On another note…Isn’t this picture gorgeous? It’s from Garance Doré… She is my absolute favourite of all bloggers. You should most definitely follow her.

This clip is different my friends. It features young adults with real problems. Yeah I know, crazy huh? REAL ISSUES AND REAL PEOPLE! It’s honestly the biggest breath of fresh air since I installed one of those pine o clean air fresheners in my car. Kidding – they smell rank.

But ‘Firework’ smells good! I bet Katy Perry doesn’t smell too bad either. Okay now I’m getting off track. Besides the fact that half way through this video Katy’s boobs strangely shoot fireworks, it’s fabulous! Just watch it okay?

Told you it’s awesome. Now share it with everyone you know.

The real problem though is that I will be finished – Finito! – done and dusted with study, text books, and writing essays at 2am when their due at 9am. We all do it, don’t pretend you don’t. The issue is that I am dreading the day I can no longer say brashly, ‘I’m a student and I do some freelance work on the side’. This sentence makes me sound smart, committed and even slightly trendy.

When that day comes and I’m kicked to the curb on the corner of, ‘Are you going to travel?’ and ‘Are you going to get a real job now?’ I want to go down the later path. I’ve always been the kind that wants to set myself up first and then travel. Mainly this is because I can’t stand backpacking and am allergic to contiki tours. When I see the world it will be in a lovely suite minus the copious amounts of cheap booze thank you very much. For now, I’ll stick to piggy backing off my parents travels.

Unfortunately I didn’t make things very easy for myself either. I chose a career path that is extremely competitive. I’m also a jack of all trades who can’t make her mind up whether she wants to be a writer or a public relations person. I come from the generation that says ‘Why can’t I be both?’ I’m still trying to work out if that’s an impediment or a positive.

So as I ponder my own career path I also wonder how someone will know I am the beez kneez and hire me instantly. How do I make myself attractive and completely indispensable? I think I’ve got it sorted – social networking and blatant self advocacy. Someone once told me I had to think of myself as a small business.

This is exactly how my Blog came about. All I needed was a resume that didn’t bore the pants off the human resources chick or make the company CEO cry, ‘NEXT!’ Besides, an online resume is harder to toss in the bin or throw across the boardroom. A Blog is perfect. Not only does it keep my articles in tidy, easy to navigate archives, but it also shows future employees that I’m technologically savvy.

At first I felt extremely apologetic. Eg. My Facebook status update: ‘Totally been using my Facebook lately as my own little ego booster through shameless self promotion haha…sorry’.

I received some lovely comments from friends, saying ‘don’t worry, we love hearing about all the cool stuff your doing’. Although, I also had someone use the quote against me a few days later in the comments section of an article I wrote for another online publication. I thought my Facebook status was rather modest. Turns out you can turn the humblest of comments into a spiteful remark if the perfect context presents itself. Lesson learnt! I was quickly aware that to have a thousand lovers you need at least 500 haters.

However, I trudged on – harassing the few social networking channels I had control over. As uncomfortable as I felt, I don’t regret self promoting myself for a second. I have had several gigs thrown at me through Twitter, some from Facebook, and even more from directing people to my Blog. This is how I became a freelance writer, blogger, and unbeknownst to even me a ‘social networking specialist’ – all while still studying at Uni. I don’t want to come across as some kind of self proclaimed expert, but I just want to let people know that this social media marketing does work.

In the 21^st Century you’re only going to get the job you want from promoting yourself. On another note, this could be the reason men thrive in the workplace, receive better pay and superior job titles. There arrogant. But before you bite my head off, men have the good sort of arrogance that says, ‘I know what I’m doing, hire me, or it’s your loss!’ – even if they are under qualified and incapable of the task. Once they have the job they’ll figure out how to do it.

So this is my conclusion; Blog’s and social media are good for getting a job, getting a better job or keeping a job. So because we surround ourselves with work, it’s probably a good idea to get on board before everyone thinks of it. Personally, I just want to land my dream job after Uni (whatever that is) and if this gets me a smidgen closer, why not be a little self loving?

At first it’s hard to find a voice online, but eventually you do. Over a short amount of time I have developed some kind of online presence and am in contact with people I would have never met otherwise. At the end of the day employees want to know that you can produce content. Content is key. But that doesn’t mean you should post about every Tom, Dick, Harry and his dog. Prioritize content of value and manage your self branding – whatever that might be. I’m still finding mine.

Wow, that was a rant and a half…

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