My name is Morte Oakley.
Note, it's pronounced mort, NOT morty. I hate people who call me morty!
I am in my late 30s. I am witch, wife and mother. I live on the edge of Mount Dandenong in Melbourne's east, together with my husband (Craig), daughter (Willow) and two cats (Samson and Annabelle).
I am not wiccan; although my beginnings were there. My craft shares a few of the formal traditions of such schools, but is a path of my own making. Everything I read, everyone I speak to, everything I experience shapes and changes my path, enhancing what I am and what I will become.
My friends form an equally diverse group. Discovered in the fascinating and varied places of my past, they form part of the tapestry that is me, reflecting the many aspects of my personality.
Look around here a little more, and you'll discover that I write. Creatively, it is a large part of who I am. I also dabble in other arts, enjoying painting and sculpting, sewing my own clothes, and making jewellery of silver & gold. I have a few hobbies ... I roleplay, I have a growing collection of knives and other assorted blades. I enjoy socialising with friends, publishing newsletters, baying at the full moon or simply walking in the forest.
My education has been patchy, but far from incomplete. I attended four different primary schools (in two different states), and two distinct secondary schools (one state, one private). Upon leaving school I attended Monash University and partially completed a Bachelor of Science (majoring in Physics and Mathematics). I say 'partially completed' because I quit when the math became too complex. Recently, I completed a Diploma of Arts in Professional Writing and Editing at RMIT. This surprised even me, as I almost failed English in HSC. Over the years in between I completed many short courses at a variety of Adult Education centres in subjects ranging from languages (Arabic and Middle Egyptian Hieroglyphics), to jewellery making (goldsmithing, casting, beadweaving) and ancient history (in particular Egyptian).
Predominantly these days I'm a mother. Willow is five months old as I write this and takes up most of my time. Heck, I even sleep around her schedule, so there's little time for much else. Not that I'd give her up for all the money in the world! She's my angel.
In what little spare time I have I maintain membership of a variety of groups: The Camarilla, the Society for Creative Anachronism and the Undead Poets' Society to name just a few. I am also a member of the Australian Sporting Shooters Association, the Australasian Knife Collectors, and an associate member of the Australian Knifemakers Guild. I was an affiliate member of the Horror Writers Association for a few years, but their fees rose beyond the scope of my budget. Combine all these influences and you get a small picture of who I am.
Like me or loathe me, I'm not going to change soon.