The Silver Shepherd - The Second Book in the Earth Legacy Duology OUT NOW!

IT'S FINALLY HERE!!!

Read the gripping conclusion to Cleo's story and her battle for the truth. I am so excited to share it with you! Here are all the details:

Release Date: 24 June 2023

Pages: 333

Cover Designer: James from GoOnWrite.com

Blurb:

Sheep attack shepherds when wolves tell lies

Cleo is a young Australian mother who lives an alternative lifestyle in one of the last remaining hippie communities. She is used to suffering for her choices; Walking around shoeless in a society that considers it dangerous and deplorable is either really brave, or really stupid... but that is the least of her concerns.

Cleo has inherited a secret from her family’s twisted past. A secret that some very powerful people are making sure stays kept, by any means necessary.

A secret that could change the world.

Before Cleo became a mother, she was a fighter and a rebel. But now she stays silent, reluctant to put her child at risk and carrying a heavy burden. However, when a suspicious tragedy strikes her family, Cleo realises that even if she keeps their secret, she is never going to be safe, and her child will never grow up free. No one will.

Something needs to be done, and it needs to be done by her.

Purchase Links: US Paperback - $14.99 USD

US Kindle eBook - $3.99 USD

AUS Paperback - $23.99 AUD

AUS Kindle eBook - $3.99 AUD

This book has been enrolled in expanded distribution (internationally) and will become available through other good online bookstores.

This book is also enrolled in KDP Select and is FREE to read for Kindle Unlimited subscribers.

It is the same size as The Silver Sheep, and they will look lovely on your bookshelf beside one another ;)

Enjoy!

Much love - Marley x

Mum Feelz - A Comic About Parenthood (Laughing Instead of Crying in the Midst of Hard Parenting)

Drawing comics and finding humour in the hard stuff has helped to remind me that I am not alone.

As I mentioned in this blog post, I have been feeling a little burnt out and the words stopped flowing easily for me. So, instead of doing nothing, I started drawing (badly) and ended up creating Mum Feelz - a comic about parenthood.

Mum Feelz (named by my BFF) lays bare the feelings of frustration about the things that make us want to scream/cry as a parent:

• Lack of privacy

• Lack of alone time

• Sensory overload (e.g. being over-touched/too much noise)

• Intimacy issues

• Mess

• Sibling arguments

These are just some of the things that I sometimes struggle with, and if you are a parent, then I am almost certain that you can relate to at least some of them yourself.

So, I gathered together all of the comics that I have drawn recently (all 28 of them, so far), and put them together to make a FREE 16-page comic book for your horror and amusement.

You can download this comic book (PDF) as my gift to you, HERE.

Or you can find it on the Freebies page on my website (www.marleybetts.com).

Please do feel welcome to share the Mum Feelz comic book with other parents who you think might enjoy it.

It might help them feel less alone in this crazy, messy, noisy, love-filled parenthood journey that we are on (or at least feel like a much better parent than I am haha).

Now, I just want to get a bit serious for a moment. Stick with me here.

Being a parent brings us the highest of highs and the lowest of lows.

Please reach out if you need help - to a friend, a loved one, a doctor or mental health practitioner, Beyond Blue (Ph. 1300 22 4636), Lifeline (Ph. 13 11 14), or anyone you trust.

You don't have to do it alone.

You are seen and understood.

Enjoy Mum Feelz.

Much love,

Marley x

Inspiration for Creatives in the Form of SARK

Let me tell you who SARK is and how she can help inspire you to live in your truth and create with free abandon.

Her name is Susan Ariel Rainbow Kennedy, but she is goes by her initials: SARK.

SARK is an artist, author (16 books and counting), and teacher, who inspires people to live their truth.

I first heard about her through Leonie Dawson, another creative who I admire. I put a hold on SARK's book 'Juicy Pens, Thirsty Paper' at the library and ordered secondhand copies of 'Succulent Wild Woman', and 'A Creative Companion' on eBay.

'Juicy Pens, Thirsty Paper: Gifting the World with Your Words and Stories, and Creating the Time and Energy to Actually Do It' ended up in my hands first, and I immediately fell in love. I was so clearly able to see the influence that SARK has had on Leonie and her work. Being able to see where one of my inspirations found her inspiration was like finding a well of creativity that was freely accessible to me.

So, I drank.

I am HUGELY inspired by people who NEED to create. Those for whom creating is not something they do, but is a part of who they are. They are unable to be separated from their creativity because they live and breathe creatively and do not fetter their creativity due to fear or self-doubt.

SARK and Leonie are two of these women. Amanda Palmer is another. I love them all.

These are strong women who appear to exist unapologetically. They don't take up space, they FILL it with love, light, fullness, and creativity. Their whole lives are pieces of art. These women inspire me. They claim their right to be creative because they are human, without comparison or judgment. They are builders and encouragers. They are lovers, and they are REAL.

Artwork inspired by SARK - 'Lessons From A Leaf' by Marley Betts

SARK's books are colourful, easy reads that aim to encourage and inspire. They are fun little self-help books for creatively minded people, urging them to not let their doubts stop them, not just in art or writing, but in life. She aims to encourage her readers to live freely, and to not be afraid to live differently. She encourages people to chase fun and experiences, and she tells us about her own experiences and life.

Now, SARK is pretty 'hippy-dippy'. I like that. Others won't. She also gives suggestions that won't suit everyone, and we need to bear that in mind. What one person feels is fun and freeing, another will not. But SARK's books are a reminder that:

• We don't need to fit in with everyone else, we can do things our own way

• It is not selfish to take what we need

• We should not let fear stop us

• Bad art/creating is better than no art/creation

• You can't pour from an empty cup

Nothing super profound, but she does it in such a bright and happy, nurturing, genuine, and encouraging way, it makes me want to live more creatively and less fearfully

www.marleybetts.com

and that is the point.

After reading SARK's books, I decided to share my own art and open an art shop. You can view and purchase my artwork HERE.

I have also ordered another 5 SARK books and can't wait to read them. You can check out her books and art HERE.

Much Love,

Marley x