It’s the launch week of my new release,The Love Deception, which I’m just a tad excited about. Part of the book is set in Barbados. Sadly, I’ve not been to the Caribbean, but my sister-in-law, Lisa, is part Jamaican so I was able to quiz her on all things Caribbean for the story. More...
It is my great pleasure to welcome my fabulous Destiny Romance editors Sarah Fairhall and Carol George to Lovecats today. It’s been nearly a year since Destiny Romance hit the international e-book scene and I caught up with Carol and Sarah to find out about the year that was and what we might expect in the future. More
I’m lucky enough to call Byron Bay home. It’s a wonderful place for a writer to live. Lots of great spots to sit and write that offer fabulous views, great coffee and an eclectic mix of people just to keep things interesting. But Byron offers writers (and readers) something else very special. We have our own writers’ festival. The Byron Bay Writers’ began in 1997 with just fifty writers. This year’s Festival will feature over 100 writers over three days. More... I’m thrilled to be a new LoveCat at romance blog LoveCats Downunder and am excited about doing my first LoveCat blog. Today is the deadline for my third Destiny Romance book. It’s meant lots of early morning starts and late night edits. But it’s done. The final spell check has been run. All the edits have been made. The End has been typed. And the story is now in the ether on its way to my editor. To say my mood is one of elation is a massive understatement. But I’m also feeling emotionally wrung dry. My characters have stolen all my creative energy. It’s time to nourish the muse, recondition the spirit, fill the well. So I’m going to give myself a few days off. Ah bliss. Whenever I have time off, I love to travel. I gave the muse a massive feast recently by hiking the Tasmanian Overland Track. It is a place of extraordinary beauty and a wonderful way to escape the everyday. More... Thanks to the lovely Lisa Walker for tagging me in The Next Big Thing. The Next Big Thing is a blog chain where writers answer ten questions about their writing, then tag other writers to do the same. If you haven’t already, check out Lisa’s new release Sex, Lies and Bonsai. The story’s heroine Edie, is dumped by text-message. She flees Sydney for the refuge of her childhood home taking only a wilting bonsai to remind her of her failure. For more info, head to Lisa’s website. So, as for me… What is the working title of your current/next book? My current release is Seducing the Secret Heiress published by Penguin’s digital imprint, Destiny Romance. Where did the idea come from? I was inspired to write about a reality TV Show as I took part in the Australian version of Dragon’s Den. Just the harsh spotlights alone are enough to raise your heart rate. Add judges, camera close-ups and a Director and the experience is really very intense, but exhilarating at the same time. I thought this pressure-cooker environment would make good fodder for a sexy romance. What genre does your book fall under? Seducing the Secret Heiress is a category romance. A short, emotional sexy ride. What actors would you choose to play the part of your characters in a movie rendition? I reckon Abbie Cornish could play Charlie. Henry Cavill is perfect for Gabe. What is the one-sentence synopsis of your book? An heiress hiding her true identity meets and falls for a famous TV producer who despises rich socialites. Will your book be self-published or represented by an agency? Seducing the Secret Heiress is published by Destiny Romance. I don’t have an agent. How long did it take you to write the first draft? About six months in all. What other books would you compare this story to within your genre? Oh, that’s a tough question!! Might have to think about that one. Who or what inspired you to write this book? See above. But adding to that, I’d just been on a trip to Italy, so the story begins there as I wanted to capture the joy of visiting that wonderful country. What else about the book might pique the reader's interest? Well, the story features food (complete with food fight), sex, travel and reality TV – what more do you need? I would now like to introduce you to three fabulous writers – Elise K Ackers, Louise Reynolds and Bernadette Rowley. Elise K Acker’s debut novel with Destiny Romance - Small Town Storm - is a compelling romantic suspense story which kept me reading late into the night. Also check out The Man Plan: A light-hearted, contemporary romance about a young woman who goes looking for love, only to find it right under her nose. To find out more, visit Elise's blog, website or follow her on twitter or Facebook. Louise’s debut novel Her Italian Aristocrat is now available at Destiny Romance. The story features career girl Gemma Parkinson. On a mission to buy a prestigious shoe company, Gemma arrives in Italy determined to succeed. But when she falls ill, effortlessly handsome local aristocrat, Luca Andretti, is on hand. Suspicious about Gemma's presence in his town, he offers to let her recuperate in his amazing palazzo. Surrounded by the lavish trappings of the rich - servants, designer clothes, fine food and wine - Gemma is completely out of her depth. Visit Louise at her website or blog. Bernadette’s debut novel Princess Avenger is available at Destiny Romance. The romance between an avenging princess and her shape-shifting army captain contains elements common to many of the author’s stories; a tortured hero, strong heroine, and sizzling chemistry between the two. Visit Bernadette at her website. Elise, Louise and Bernadette will post their answers to The Next Big Thing next week (or sooner after) so head on over to their blogs to check them out. So Christmas is nearly upon us. If you are anything like me, you’ll be rushing around like a mad thing trying to have everything organized before the relatives descend and the shops close for Christmas Day. There are so many things I love about the lead up to Christmas, even though it is such a busy time of year.
My husband comes from a large family so there are lots of nieces and nephews to buy for. I relish trying to find something for each of them that really suits each personality and passion. One of my nieces is mad on horses, so I’ve discovered this great horsey clothing label and have bought her a cute horseshoe shoulder bag and T-shirt. One nephew has been nuts about inserts and creepy-crawlies since he was a toddler (yes, he’s picked the right country these. So many nasty little things in Australia.). One year we found him hunting in the garden for the ‘Easter’ Brown (we’d spotted a deadly Eastern Brown Snake earlier that day!). He thought it delivered chocolate Christmas eggs. This child has every kind of bug catcher, relevant book and identification kit, so each year it is a challenge to find something new that feeds his buggy passion. Food is another great attraction for me. The difficulty is that I love eating but I’m definitely not passionate about the cooking part. We often host Christmas Day lunch, so I pore over cookbooks looking for easy recipes that will taste good and award me this year’s kitchen goddess. Although I’m super organized in most things, my house…well…let’s just say that being tidy isn’t top of my list of priorities. However, as so many people drop in during the Season, I make a special effort to ensure the house is looking at least respectable. I love fresh flowers, so I give myself a special pass to choose more exotic bunches rather than the cheapy ones I buy the rest of the year. Thrilled today to be featured in Sunday Life, The Sun-Herald Magazine. It's a First Person piece feature on page 19 titled, Doing it By The Book. Click here to read.
Was thrilled to win the prestigious Clendon Award at the Romance Writers of NZ conference. The conference was fabulous and I hope to make it to Wellington next year
Thrilled to learn that I have made the finals of the Romance Writers of New Zealand Clendon Award. Think I might now have to pop over to the NZ conference.
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September 2019
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