Barbwired... a writer's life in the city and the country

Guess who started school today?

2012-01-22T23:18:00.000-08:00

Molly Cooper's Dream Date

2012-01-15T15:47:00.000-08:00

Molly Cooper has found her way onto another shortlist. This time she's a finalist in the Australian Romance Readers Association's awards for best short category romance of 2011.

I feel hugely proud of her. I had a feeling that girl was ambitious when she first jumped into my head.

Wendy the Super Librarian...

2012-01-09T14:47:00.000-08:00

Wendy the Super Librarian... has a popular review site, and has just posted a list of her top ten favourite category romances for 2011.

Five of the ten books come from the Harlequin Romance line. Woohoo!!!!

Molly Cooper's Dream Date was included on the list which is kinda nice.

Out this month in Australia...

2012-01-05T15:44:00.000-08:00

The sequel to Bridesmaid Says: 'I do!' ...

In Runaway Bride, Bella comes to terms with her past, and understands at last why her bad boy high school sweetheart Damon Cavello left town. And (of course) she finds her own happy ending...

You can buy it here ...

Happy New Year!

2011-12-31T22:44:00.000-08:00

It's a beautiful first day of 2012 where I am. Last night we celebrated our fortieth wedding anniversary with a few special friends, old and new, and one of them quoted from this poem by Robert Browning:

GROW old along with me!

The best is yet to be,
The last of life, for which the first was made:
Our times are in his hand
Who saith, ``A whole I planned,
Youth shows but half; trust God: see all, nor be afraid!''

I hope 2012 brings you peace, health and happiness and the chance to bravely and trustingly reach for your dreams.

And here's a pic I love of my grandson Tom and his dad in Paris for New Year, and appropriately overawed.

The best is yet to be...

How was your Christmas?? ...

2011-12-25T18:06:00.001-08:00

I'm so sorry that I didn't get to actually write this post the other day. Now, I can't even remember what happened to call me away from the laptop. So, as you can guess, it was a busy but fun Christmas for fifteen of us on beautiful Magnetic Island, where the usual feasting and gift giving was interspersed with lots of swimming in both the sea and the pool, as well as attending church (partly outdoors) on Christmas Eve.
Our son Richard baked the most scrumptious ham, which was served with barbequed eggs for Christmas breakfast. (That's Bob in the background on egg patrol.)

Mangoes and lychees were a must -- so sweet and juicy and tropical.

And here's what our tropical Christmas plateful looked like. Turkey roasted with proscuitto. Beef capaccio, Roast lamb and vegies. Tomato and basil and bococini salad . Beans tossed in butter, garlic and champagne. Roasted cherry tomato relish on the side. It was all delicious and we were truly blessed.

Amidst all the fabulous presents, simple little glow toys (from a special friend in Melbourne) were a big hit! At night I went up to say goodnight to the girls who were lying in the dark gleefully squishing their glowing chickens and rubber balls.

But it was hot my friends -- very hot -- and the neighbour's dog found the coolest spot. However, this lawn was cool and shady in the afternoon and we had a great game of Italian bocce.

And now we're back in our cool misty mountains and I have a book to finish writing, but I feel refreshed and am keen to find out what happens next. :)

3 Outback baby stories...

2011-12-18T22:24:00.000-08:00

Already available at the Mills and Boon website -- three Australian stories about my favourite combination -- outback cattlemen and babies.

Gorgeous cover, isn't it? The books included are my story, Adopted: Outback Baby, plus One Small Miracle by Melissa James and Their Newborn Gift by Nikki Logan. And today Mills and Boon are offering a special 10% discount if apply the code xmas09p for paperbacks or xmas09e for ebooks.

T'was the week before Christmas...

2011-12-16T14:58:00.000-08:00

December in North Queensland ... mangoes and lychees and a dinner of fish and chips on the beach with a balmy breeze blowing in from the Coral Sea... the glowing red of poincianas and the fragrant whiteness of frangipani blooms among glossy green leaves (PNG frangipani).

We're in Townsville now and later in the week we'll head over to the island (that's Magnetic Island, of course, otherwise known up here as Maggie, to spend Christmas with half of our family.

Took E for a lovely walk along the beach at Rowes Bay this morning... now back into the airconditioning to plod on with the WIP.

Hope your lead-in to Christmas is hassle free and happy.

This is where we ate our fish'n chip dinner last night. Nice one.

Two of my favourite people...

2011-12-13T23:39:00.000-08:00

Your chance to win...

2011-12-12T03:50:00.000-08:00

Today, my Christmas dessert recipe (with the yummy caramel sauce) is the featured recipe at the Harlequin Romance author's blog, with a chance to win a signed copy of Bridesmaid Says: 'I do!'

Don't forget, there are featured autjors with favourite recipes and giveaways every day from now until Christmas.

Christmas shopping...

2011-12-06T14:31:00.001-08:00

We're heading off to Cairns today to do our Christmas shopping. We're going via Mareeba where we'll call in at Coffeeworks, which has the most gorgeous gift shop. I said to E this morning that setting off for Christmas shopping is quite an adventure when you live in the country.

Of course, I could have done a lot of it online, but I like being in stores and touching and feeling potential gifts.
Mind you, I didn't mind Christmas shopping in the city either, when I could head downstairs from our apartment into Flinders Mall and do all my shopping within one or two blocks.
What I never enjoyed was trudging out to suburban shopping malls. Don't know why they were ever inented. They've destroyed so many city hearts.
I've also written a mountain of Christmas cards, as I missed sending them last year while we were packing up and moving.
We'll be spending Christmas with family on Magnetic Island. It's all getting close now, isn't it? Hope your preapartions are going smoothly.
Writing wise, I'm about to tackle a sex scene, so I'm quite happy to take a day off to take a deep breath before diving between the sheets. So to speak.

Tom and Lucy see London...

2011-12-03T14:48:00.001-08:00

My grandchildren, Tom and Lucy, are on holidays in London. I just love this pic of them in their brand new jackets. What fun it must be to be there with them, sharing their excitement. Their parents are musicians, so they have a host of wonderful concerts and other exciting experiences lined up.
Go kids!!!

Harlequin Romance website...

2011-12-01T13:52:00.001-08:00

Harlequin Romance authors (that's Sweet Romance authors in Australia, or Cherish/Riva authors in the UK) have a fabulous new website (thanks to the hard work of the energetic and amazing Donna Alward).

All the news about our books will be there in one place, with author bios and fun pages and giveaways.

Right now, there's a Chrismas giveway with masses of books from the fab authors in our line -- plus lots of mouthwatering Christmas recipes. So check it out!!!

Posthumous support for Sandra Hyatt

2011-11-29T16:41:00.001-08:00

The romance community is great at helping one of its own. Sandra Hyatt's posthumous book Lessons In Seduction, is out tomorrow and her writing friends are spreading the word in the hope of increasing royalties for her family.

Lessons In Seduction
4.5 stars from Romantic Times Magazine.

A prince on a quest to find the perfect wife doesn't have time to
trifle with a commoner. But Adam Marconi's longtime friend and
sometime driver, Danielle St. Claire, has him contemplating a change
in plans. Why can't the royal have a little fun before finally
settling down? Then their supposedly quick affair suddenly turns
serious.

And Prince Adam finds himself in a quandary. Say goodbye to the one
woman who sets his heart and body on fire, or defy all the rules and
cause the scandal of the century.

And here are some buying links:

Barbara's Books (NZ) -http://www.barbarasbooks.co.nz/
Amazon Print -
Kindle -
e-Harlequin Ebook:
eHarlequin Print:
Book Depository

Who would have thought...

2011-11-28T15:52:00.001-08:00

Cleaning windows could be a game?

That's what it was for 3 little visitors this past weekend.

Rock a bye baby....

2011-11-24T17:33:00.001-08:00

A pair of sunbirds built this nest just outside our bathroom window. Isn't it gorgeous? Only problem is they've suspended it from a tree fern branch, and these have a bad habit of dropping off (like palm fronds) . So we'll have to hope that the babies hatch before the bough breaks.
Elliot wanted to rush out and somehow strap the branch, but I'm afraid that will dsiturb the parents. One other summer, when one of our guinea fowl hens was sitting on a nest on the ground out in a paddock in relentless rain, E erected a tin roof over her. She upped and abandoned the eggs. Doesn't pay to interfere with Nature. Hard as it is for guys to accept, they don't always know best. :)

A bottler weekend...

2011-11-21T15:32:00.001-08:00

Something that has awed me about living in the country, or about living in this part of the country at least, is the fantastic way Nature gets on with her job with very little help from us. So many gorgeous flowers and fruits just appear in season. Aren't they clever?
We decided on the weekend that we had to do something about our abundance of peaches and tomatoes, so we tried bottling for the first time.
We made brandied peaches, which we haven't tasted yet, but we gave a bottle away on Sunday and have had reports that they're beautiful. Here's a pic of some of them... oh, and those are the first of our plum crop, too, and I have to say they are the sweetest juiciest plums. Yes, we did plant all the fruit trees, but this is the first year we've been around at harvest time. Yum!

Then we made spiced roasted cherry tomato relish.

First we roasted the tomatoes with a little oil, cracked pepper and fresh thyme.

Have to say, they smelled gorgeous and I could immediately think of all sorts of uses for them.

We also cooked onion in cider vinegar.
Then added the tomatoes, more vinegar, salt, sugar, whole cumin seeds, whole coriander seeds, a chopped chilli and some tomato puree. The result had a bit too much liquid, so we strained some off before bottling. Should go rather nicely with our home cured ham.

Meanwhile, our orchids this year have been spectacular!! There are some growing naturally down in the rainforest as well. Lovely Nature. So clever...

And yes, I'm writing too. Getting back to it now. I'm on 53 thousand words which is the longest I've ever written, but I have 37k to go, so head down.

Barb on Blog Bites...

2011-11-17T11:51:00.001-08:00

I'm being interviewed at Romance Writers of Australia's Blog Bites today.

Come on over. There's a chance to win free books.

Produce (the noun)

2011-11-12T15:46:00.001-08:00

One small, country woman boast. Have made pasta sauce with home-grown tomatoes, garlic, basil and oregano -- and desserts of peaches, stewed, fresh, or baked. With own peaches. Our tree is so laden, branches are dragging on the ground. And the fruit has so much more flavour than the tinned stuff.

Can you tell this is all new and exciting for me? We also have a pair of rails mating in our garden. Would love a little rail family.

A handy writing course...

2011-11-08T13:45:00.000-08:00

Are you looking for that little extra help to make your writing stand out in the slush pile? Canadian Harlequin Romance author Donna Alward is running a course at Savvy Authors.

Check it out. It sounds great.

Girls' weekend

2011-11-06T15:36:00.000-08:00

Have just had the loveliest weekend in Brisbane with my daughters, Emma and Victoria (aka Em and Vicki).

We rented an apartment in the city with glimpses of the river...

We sat on our balcony and talked and talked (and enjoyed some bubbles) .. there's always so much to catch up on, isn't there, especially when there's a wedding in the air? (Vicki's, next April)

We dined (of course) by the river...

And we enjoyed Saturday on the Southbank, joined by Vicki's future mum-in-law -- lovely coffees, hearing Em's young Conservatorium orchestra (in which granddaughter Lucy plays cello), lunching and then cruising the Southbank markets, enjoying the river and the lovely bougainvillea walks.

On Saturday night, we went to the Brisbane International Film Festival and saw 'Like Crazy' which I can highly recommend. We all gave it a 4 stars. Dinner afterwards, more chatting and then we still managed to stay up talking till 1 am. Lazy morning and then brunch yesterday, once again beside the river...

All in all, a memorable weekend...

Oh, and I've read One Day by David Nicholls... a truly memorable book, one I almost need to read all over again. Straight away. That doesn't happen often.

Now, back to writing.

Cata Romance review...

2011-11-02T16:50:00.000-07:00

Bridesmaid Says 'I do!' is on sale in Australian bookstores this month and here are a few snippets from a review. You can read the whole review at Cataromance.

"Funny, feel-good and deeply emotional, Bridesmaid Says "I Do" is the flirty new novel from reader favourite Barbara Hannay!"

Barbara Hannay is one of category romance’s most reliable and most consistent authors. Her dialogue sparkles, her characters leap off the pages, her plots move at a zesty pace and her vivid descriptions of Australia make me want to hop on the next plane down under! In her latest Harlequin Romance, Bridesmaid Says “I Do”, this multi-award winning author has penned a fresh, compelling and wonderfully entertaining tale of family, friendships and forbidden desire that will charm and entertain her legion of fans.

Temporarily... Angelic teens...

2011-10-31T03:57:00.000-07:00

Here's my musical daughter Emma conducting some of her boys. Count me as one proud mum.

India all lit up...

2011-10-26T16:16:00.000-07:00

Saw this on Facebook....
It's an aerial photo of India taken during the Festival of Lights. Isn't it stunning? I've never been to India, but I think it's a fascinating country. I need to read more books set there. Any recommendations?

The questions of covers...

2011-10-26T00:00:00.000-07:00

Once again, two very different covers for the same story.

I wonder if you can guess which one is closest to my vision of Bella and Damon.

A favourite recipe

2011-10-23T03:17:00.000-07:00

I've been handing out this recipe all over the place lately. Nearly everyone who tries it, wants the recipe and it's so easy. I decided it's about time I shared it with you.

Greek Lemon Cake

125 g butter
1 cup caster sugar (I use raw caster sugar)
4 eggs
1 cup coconut
1 cup SR flour

Syrup
1 lemon (juice and grated rind)
1 cup sugar (again, I like raw)
½ cup water

Preheat oven 160 º-180º C. Greaseproof a round 20 cm cake time. Cream the butter and sugar. Beat in eggs one at a time with a wooden spoon. Stir in coconut and flour. Bake in oven 45 mins to 1 hour.

Make the syrup after the cake is cooked. Combine the sugar, water, lemon juice and rind on stovetop and bring to boil. Let cake stand for 15 mins and then gently spoon syrup over cake while syrup is still hot. Spoon syrup little by little to prevent cake from collapsing.

You might think you have too much syrup, but keep going. The cake can take it and will be all the better. Serve with cream, or icecream, or both. And enjoy!!!!

New Voices... second stage...

2011-10-21T14:17:00.000-07:00

OK! The race is on to find our top 4 finalists in this year's New Voices competition. The readers who drop by this blog are very savvy in my humble opinion :) so YOU are needed to vote for your favourite entry and become the 4th Judge. The POWER is in your hands!

Why not make a cup of tea, and have a read of the top 21 and cast your vote!

Voting ends 26th October 5pm GMT.

Inspiration...

2011-10-17T21:53:00.000-07:00

Do you like classical music?
My WIP is a single title novel I'm writing for Penguin Australia and one of my three main female characters plays the cello. There's a scene that involves this piece, which my musician daughter Emma told me about and which I now totally love...

An entrepreneur in the family...

2011-10-16T15:00:00.000-07:00

Do you know any little people who need sun savvy clothing?

My daughter-in-law Lauren has just launched SML clothing.
Fair skinned, blue eyed, Lauren has lived in the tropics all her life and now has three little fair skinned, blue eyed daughters.
Lauren knows how careful they need to be, living in our savage sunshine... and because they love to live an active lifestyle, she began searching for sunsafe clothing that was cool and comfortable and affordable.
This was so very difficult to find that she's started her own clothing company. SML (Small, medium, large. Something Mothers Love.:)

There are tops, dresses, swim shirts, hoodies and full length swimsuits... hats and more to come soon...

Check out her website.

Things that go bump in the night...

2011-10-09T15:14:00.000-07:00

I forgot to shut the French doors in our bedroom last night (curtains were drawn across and didn't notice). Woke to thump in middle of night -- E couldn't find anything. I went to bathroom, am sitting on loo and see a snake on bathroom floor. Called quite calmly to E.
'It's a tree snake,' he calls calmly back.
Snake is blocking my exit. I stand on loo seat while he throws a quilt over it, then I dash past it to safety and we bravely close bathroom door.

Have cups of tea and eventually get back to sleep. This morning snake is gone (through bathroom window), but I found photos in my office (next to bedroom) knocked off the top of the filing cabinet.

The amazing thing is I'm not spooked. But I will definitely check windows and doors in future -- and think about flyscreens for our bedroom. :)

This photo is of a similar snake that turned up in a Cairns airconditioner recently.

Diane Cilento...

2011-10-07T15:54:00.000-07:00

I'm very sorry to hear that the actress Diane Cilento has died. For Queenslanders in the 50s and 60s, the Cilento family were a very big deal. Diane's parents were Sir Raphael and Lady Cilento, both very famous doctors, and Lady Cilento wrote a column called Medical Mother in the Courier Mail, which my mother read religiously. I remember, she examined me when I was in teacher's college, to make sure I was fit to be a teacher. :) She told me to have my ear syringed.

Diane's most famous role was as Molly in Tom Jones, for which she received an Oscar nomination. The scene where she and Tom seduce each other at the dinner table is unforgettable.

Diane also married Sean Connery (and thus earned the envy of about ninety percent of women in the western world:)

Later, she returned to Australia and opened the Karnak Playhouse at Mossman, here in FNQ. It's a big regret of mine that I still haven't been there to see a performance.

However I did hear Diane read a winning short story at a Tableland Writer's dinner in the Malanda hotel a few years ago. Her voice was amazing, deep, lush, earthy, sensitive. It was a memorable night that proved to me that people become famous because of enormous talent.

Vale Diane Cilento... 1933 -2011

This spring in my country garden...

2011-10-06T02:56:00.000-07:00

My favourite spring flowers in my garden this year are these gorgeous deep red hippeastrums. They just look so vibrant and eye-catching against the green.

The ones in the vase below, were too heavy for their stem and broke off, so they've been cheering us up in the dining room.

Life's always better with flowers.

And books... :)

Cover chats...

2011-10-01T03:59:00.000-07:00

Over at RT Booklovers, they're talking about the new trends in Harlequin's titles, including Bridesmaid Says: 'I do!' You might like to check it out.

In other news, some of my writing mates are currently at the Women's Fiction Festival in Matera, Italy. I was lucky enough to attend the first of these fabulous events in 2004, and I'm thrilled my friends are there now. They kindly sent me a pic of one of my books, translated into Italian and currently on sale.

The beautiful model holding the book (in a plastic wrap) is medical author, Alison Roberts. Can't you just feel that Italian sunshine?

Two year old power struggle...

2011-09-29T14:12:00.000-07:00

One twin has the watering can, and one twin has the hose. A power struggle becomes a lesson in co-operation. Fascinating.

Calling all aspiring romance writers...

2011-09-21T21:16:00.000-07:00

A message straight from Mills and Boon...

If you think you would loved to be a published romance author, then make sure you check out the New Voices competition. M&B are looking for a new author to join the glittering talent at Mills and Boon and it could be you!

During the competition you have the chance to work with a range of author mentors, including moi, so come along and join in the fun at http://www.romanceisnotdead.com/

I heart this Aussie cover...

2011-09-16T23:28:00.000-07:00

This collection includes one of my personal favourites... In the Heart of the Outback.

Dido's song White Flag was the inspiration for my heroine Fiona McLaren.

Heavenly splendour...

2011-09-13T17:00:00.001-07:00

Our day at the Yungaburra Book Fair

2011-09-12T15:07:00.000-07:00

It was great fun, talking on a panel with Helene Young and Elizabeth Martin.

Mandy Magro was also there, signing her exciting new Penguin release, Rosalee Station, and it was great to meet another NQ romance writer.

The theme of this year's Book Fair was Books and Cooks, so on our panel, we made lots of cooking/writing comparisons. The best meals, so chefs tell us, are those made from great quality fresh ingredients. We decided that creating books is similar, and we talked about the distinctive ingredients of our books, as well as the important ingredients of any good story.

We also talked about TV shows like Masterchef and made comparisons between cooking and writing again, in that some people can produce a stunning meal for a dinner party, but would rather crawl away and lie in the foetal position than try to feed 200 people on a regular basis.

I know lots of writers who can write beautifully, but can't take the grind of writing all day, every day.
Of course, that term of "churning them out" arose in the middle of this discussion. I don't know how many times I'm asked, 'Are you still churning those books out?' I have to say I'd love it to be that easy. For me each new book is a new challenge, and sometimes it feels like climbing Mt Everest.

Anyhow.. we also talked about favourite cook books -- mine is Tessa Kiros's Falling Cloudberries. I love it not only for the delicious recipes and beautiful photographs, but because Tessa is also a wonderful writer.
This book is about the influence of her various family members (Greek Cypriot, Finnish, Italian...)
Just as a tiny example, I love what she writes about her grandfather.

'Pappou was quiet; he had integrity and no flashness about him. He always wore a perfectly ironed shirt, gilet in winter, polished shoes, had his hair slicked back with the special cream he ordered from Italy. He never demanded acknowledgement, but dashed around quietly with the energy of milk just at that rolling boil.'

On the panel, we also shared favourite recipes. This is mine, passed on from daughter Vicki. (friends and family will vouch for its yumminess)

Greek Lemon Cake

125 g butter
1 cup caster sugar
4 eggs
1 cup coconut
1 cup SR flour

Syrup
1 lemon (juice and grated rind)
1 cup sugar
½ cup water
Preheat oven 160 º-180º C. Greaseproof a round 20 cm cake time. Cream the butter and sugar. Beat in eggs one at a time with a wooden spoon. Stir in coconut and flour. Bake in oven 45 mins to 1 hour.
Make the syrup after the cake is cooked. Combine the sugar, water, lemon juice and rind on stovetop and bring to boil. Let cake stand for 15 mins and then gently spoon syrup over cake while syrup is still hot. Spoon syrup little by little to prevent cake from collapsing. Don’t be afraid to keep going even when you think the cake can’t absorb any more syrup. It can – and that’s what makes it so yummy. Delicious with cream or icecream or both. 

After the panel discussion, our little group of FNQ writers gathered at the Whistle Stop Cafe for lunch. Great food, fab coffee.

The girls who worked there, also were involved in the Book Fair and dressed up to add to the fun -- and one was a bride-to-be. V appropriate. :)

All in all, a great day!!

Yungaburra Book Fair

2011-09-08T20:44:00.000-07:00

If you're a North Queenslander, I'll be appearing with fellow local writers Helene Young and Elizabeth Martin at the Yungaburra Book Fair on September 10th. Do please come and say, 'Hi!'

The theme for this year's fair is Cooks and Book, so we'll have plenty to talk about, seeing these combine our two favourite things -- eating and reading.

I'll have books to give away, and we'll also be handing out our favourite recipes. And of course, there'll be a host of new authors and happenings for Tablelands writers and readers to discover.

Rabbit food??

2011-09-08T16:05:00.000-07:00

Here I am with acres in which to grow things and I've discovered the joy of having vegies in pots. These lettuce are so fresh and crunchy and handy, for a quick lunch accessory. I have started a herb garden next to the pot (right outside the dining room) and there's another pot with baby spinach, as well as a punnet of seedlings to fill in the spaces after I've pulled something out. So easy and so much fun... and yikes, it's even healthy.

The road to Mt Garnet

2011-09-06T03:57:00.000-07:00

Yesterday afternoon, we took a short drive west to Mt Garnet, as I wanted to head into cattle country to drink in the light and the landscape to get into the mood for my next book.

It's amazing how quickly the country changes once you head west. In no time we were seeing scenes like this.

And road signs like this. It's a list of all the cattle properties that can be reached down this road. (You can click on the pic to make it larger, if you'd like to read the names.)

Here's a typical front gate (for Wild River Station), and below is the row of letter boxes that belong to this property. (It's not far enough outback here for the mail to be delivered by plane.)

We had afternoon tea at Innot Hot Springs where the creek water really is a warm as a nice hot bath, and we checked out the famous Mt Garnet rodeo and race track. I find it quite exciting that I can slip half an hour away and be in such very different country.

Just to show you the contrast, this was the road back from Mt Garnet (complete with warning sign just in case you didn't believe this was cattle country.)

And twenty minutes later, we were back on the Tablelands with totally different trees and clouds rolling in.

All in all... a fabulous and inspiring afternoon.

Harry's boots?

2011-09-02T01:28:00.000-07:00

I'm racing to write this in a big hurry after a very busy week, but if you're Australian, are you watching Silent Witness tonight? I'm so worried about Harry Cunningham, and was so shocked when he was shot last week.

Harry (or rather actor Tom Ward who plays him) has been the inspiration for several of my heroes. And the big surprise last week was that not only was he shot (and apparently killed) but he was shot wearing RM Willimas boots.

At one stage there was a close up of him putting the boots on and the label was clearly visible. (product placement??)
These boots are hugely popular here (and these days, are hugely expensive). E has a pair which he loves -- swears they're the most comfortable shoes he's ever worn. The Outback magazine has readers sending in photos of their favourite RM shots. Babies or puppies are frequently filmed with them. I'm afraid my pic of E's boots is rather boring...

He wanted me to polish them first, but there wasn't time...

OK, it's Friday night... wine is being opened, steak is on the barbie... and I have to go, but wanted to let you know I haven't fallen off the planet.
But I AM worried about Harry.

A good sign?

2011-08-24T14:20:00.000-07:00

I'm nearing the end of revisions on my latest which I have to hand in this evening. In this story a white heron plays a small but significant role. Woke up this morning to see this guy on the front lawn.

Can't see him? Sorry... I didn't have time to get closer... but here he is cropped and blurry.

It might just be a cattle egret, but I've never seen one here before. I'm not fussy. I'm taking it as a good omen... I need help. Set myself quite a challenge with this storyline.

A review for Bridesmaid Says: 'I do!'

2011-08-22T14:57:00.000-07:00

From Romantic Times...

BRIDESMAID SAYS, "I DO" (4) by Barbara Hannay:

Zoe Weston is surprised by the sudden engagement of her friend Bella Shaw to Kent Rigby, a man whom Bella has always described as just a friend. Zoe is even more surprised when she meets a man who sparks a love-at-first-sight reaction -- and then discovers that man is Kent.

The first book in Hannay’s Changing Grooms Duet is a fast-paced, funny, twist-of-fate read, and will leave readers clamoring for the second book, due out in December.

Conference workshop...

2011-08-20T18:23:00.000-07:00

I've decided that I won't post my notes from New York Times bestselling author Susan Wiggs' workshop. It was called Plotting from the Inside Out and it was fabulous, but I don't want to poach on Susan's intellectual property.

However, I will say that her talk was all about the value of pre-writing time. She suggests using this time to really get to know your characters and their world very well, and that the better you know them, the fewer plotting decisions you'll have to make. What happens will feel inevitable.

And this was my favourite takeaway quote.

Writing a novel is like driving at night. You can only see as far ahead as the headlights show you, but you can make a whole trip that way.

Other Melbourne memories...

2011-08-17T16:17:00.000-07:00

As well as enjoying the conference and friends, I also took a little time to explore Melbourne. I particularly love visiting the art galleries and reacquainting myself with old friends, like all those beautiful early Australians -- Charles Conder and Tom Roberts, Arthur Streeton and Frederick McCubbin.

I could stand for hours in awe of 'The Pioneer'. It tells such a story. And then there are the more modern artists like Dobell and Blackman and Whitely...
For me, these wonderful, familiar paintings help me to feel centred and they refill the well.
This time, we also wanted to see the collection of Art from Vienna, but this involved crossing St Kilda Road -- which proved to be impossible, because Cadel Evans was about to make his victory procession into Federation Square. So instead we were caught up in the huge crowds waiting to see him, which was an unexpected and exciting bonus. I was more than happy to yell for Cadell.

As were these construction workers, who scored a birds' eye view.

And being a romance author, I always have an eye for a noteworthy hero type in the crowds. -:)

When we were finally able to get across to the second gallery, we were wonderfully rewarded. Gustav Klimt was the star of course, but it was fascinating to learn about the flowering of art, fashion, interior design and music (Mahler, for example) that occurred in Vienna in the first part of the twentieth century (until WW2).

And even at the art gallery, there was an eye-catching male...

Or two... I'll take my inspiration any way it comes...

Tomorrow, I'll share my notes from Susan Wigg's workshop -- Plotting From the Inside Out.

P.S...

2011-08-16T22:56:00.000-07:00

Trish Morey just sent me this photo, which is another view of Robyn A (mentioned in the last post) taking a photo of moi. :)

So cool... such dedication...

And of course there was the cocktail party...

2011-08-16T15:44:00.000-07:00

Working backwards...
After a full day for published authors, and another full day workshop (this year conducted by Bob Mayer on Warrior Writing), the conference properly kicked off with the Friday night cocktail party, hosted by the Harlequin Mills and Boon Sydney office.
For some years now, we've made this party a fancy dress do. Rather than having everyone standing around and feeling self conscious in little black dresses, fancy dress costumes magically break through the barriers and create laughter, fun and lots of chatter -- in other words, dressing up seems to be the perfect ice breaker.

This year the theme was the Roaring Twenties and was embraced with great enthusiasm. Here are Marion Lennox and Fiona MacArthur making wonderful flappers.

Ain't they sweet?
And here's the lovely English Mills and Boon editor, Lucy Gilmour, looking absolutely gorgeous in a genuine 20s dress that was her grandmother's.

The winning costume was this South Australian writer dressed as Charlie Chaplin. She was fabulous, keeping in character and only miming throughout the party. She's being held at gunpoint here by gangster, Jennifer Kloester, author of a new biography of Georgette Heyer to be published by Random House in October.

We also had Popeye and Olive Oil...

And the Sydney Harlequin team made very impressive flappers...

Anne Gracie looked wonderful, as always...

And Elliot enjoyed donning his New York scarf and playing the boss gangster with an eye on his molls... he even had a scar which worried quite a few people :)

And my favourite photo of the night is this shot I took of Robyn Aldridge, who has been coming to RWA conferences since the very first one 20 years ago -- and who has become our, self-appointed, official conference photographer. Here, she's on her knees, desperate to get exactly the right shot. I love it.

T'was a fabulous night and a great start to a memorable conference.

2011 Romance Writers of Australia Conference...

2011-08-15T17:41:00.000-07:00

What a fabulous conference we had. Melbourne was at its wintry best, which was exactly what we North Queenslanders hoped for, because we love the chance to don our coats and scarves and boots, and to see bare trees that haven't been ravaged by cyclones.

I really wish I could be one of those energetic people who can blog while a conference is in progress, but I'm afraid I'm too busy lapping up every second of the fun and inspiration.
As it is, I'm going to give my conference report backwards... beginning with our Awards Night, and the exciting news that our very own wonderful North Queenslander, Helene Young, won Romantic Book of the Year award (category: novel with strong romantic elements) for Wings of Fear (formerly Border Watch.) You should have heard the crowd roar!!!

Here is Helene above (right) with her editor from Hachette, Bernadette Rowley.

And this is fellow NQer, Shannean Moncrieff, giving Helene a well deserved, congratulatory hug, as did we all.

And we managed to help Helene celebrate in fine style afterwards. :)
Another massive roar went up when Anne Gracie was honoured with Life Membership of Romance Writers of Australia for all the hard work and visionary guidance she's given the organization. T'was wonderful!!!!

Melanie Milburne won the sweet short category of the R*BY, and you can see her above, giving her acceptance speech. And Sophia James won the Regency romance category. I'm afraid I'm hazy about other details, but for all the details of the many wonderful awards, check out Romance Writers of Australia's website.

And here am I about to present the ROMA award for the best media coverage of romance during the past year to the ABC in South Australia for an interview with Emily Forbes entitled the Changing Face of Romance..

More to come, including cocktail party fun ... a glamorous UK M&B editor, yell for Cadel, and much more...

Deadlines and dedication...

2011-08-07T14:15:00.000-07:00

I've been writing really hard to make my deadline before going to Melbourne for the annual RWA conference. Last week, however, I had a babysitting date with my grandies inTownsville. I worked on my manuscript during the five hour car trip and forgot to wriggle my legs -- so now I have a painful clot -- only a surface one, thank heavens. So it's elastic stockings and aspirin for me. Who would have thought writing could be a health hazard?

Anyway... the little girls were as gorgeous as ever, and the book must go today... and I think I'm almost there:)

Why not grab a bargain...

2011-07-28T13:22:00.000-07:00

If you live in the UK and you own a Kindle, the e-version of Rancher's Twins is currently selling for 99p. Actually, I think all of Mills & Boon's May releases are selling at that price. There are some great titles there.

To have or not to have a grand writing space…

2011-07-26T16:11:00.000-07:00

A little over a year ago, a friend who just happens to be both a writer and a builder, offered to build me a writing room. He came up with a fabulous design for a gorgeous room and for about two days I was really excited.

And then I began to worry… what would happen to my writing while I sat in this beautiful room? Would I feel that I needed to suddenly write The Great Australian novel? Would I feel dreadfully inadequate and freeze with fear? After all, I’m not a candidate for the Man Booker prize.

And somehow, out of this original plan, came our decision to build and extra bedroom and bathroom instead, with a tiny cubby hole at the back for my writing space. See this post for details…

And I’m quite happy in my little nook, honestly. If I want to get up very early while E’s still asleep, which I often do, I simply take my laptop through to the dining room. There, I have a lovely view of the dawn light creeping over the hills and the mist rising from the valleys, but after breakfast, I’m happy to return to my viewless den.

I thought, perhaps, that I was especially weird and insecure in shying away from the idea of a grand office (although nearly every writer I know is a little bit weird and insecure). Then I came across this passage in Writing Down the Bones by Natalie Goldberg.

‘I have watched friends who’ve made perfect spaces and then couldn’t bear to go into them. They felt more comfortable writing at the kitchen table. It’s hard to sit in an exquisite space and rub up against our imperfections which writing brings up.’

Well, thank you, Natalie Goldberg. I don’t feel quite so weird, after all.

But what about you? What’s your idea of a perfect writing space?

For writers... 1 kph

2011-07-24T19:06:00.000-07:00

A few of my writing friends and I are on deadlines, which can sometimes be rather stressful, so we're egging each other on with a new (to us) technique. 1 kph...

In other words, we're aiming for a thousand words in an hour. (Not every hour!!!)
To be honest we rarely manage this, but the system still works well. We set a time, turn email off (and in my case I plug in headphones and turn classical music on) and then we try to write without stopping for an hour.

In short bursts it's doable. I often get 500 or 600 words down which is much faster than my normal snail's pace. Of course, we still need to go back over our work to edit, reifne, polish and, sadly, sometimes delete... but for people who have to write day after day, these short bursts can be like a shot in the arm.

Do you gave a writing buddy? Why not try it? I'll be sprinting again this afternoon -- 3.30 till 4.30. Want to join me?

My life with pigs...

2011-07-18T16:43:00.000-07:00

It’s funny, isn’t it, how you hear phrases all your life and you accept them without having really experienced their true significance. I can now say, after several weeks of pig ownership, that I understand all the popular sayings about pigs on a personal level and they now have a much deeper meaning for me. They are SO apt and true.

 as greedy as a pig
 snouts in the trough
 as happy as a pig in mud – (oh, boy, do our pigs LOVE mud)
 pig out
 casting pearls before swine (they show absolutely no interest in their beautiful view of hills and sunsets)

But I do love them, just because they are so piggy. And I’m inclined to agree with the final conclusion of the pigs in George Orwell’s Animal Farm. All Animals Are Equal But Some Are More Equal Than Others.

Love this quote form Winston Churchill, too... “Always remember, a cat looks down on man, a dog looks up to man, but a pig will look man right in the eye and see his equal.”

And I spend a good deal of time digging up dandelions. I’ve concluded that dandelions are to pigs as Grange Hermitage is to humans.

The Appeal of the Outback Hero...

2011-07-16T15:14:00.000-07:00

This is an article I wrote years and years ago, that I decided to post here to give it another airing, so to speak. :)

The Appeal of the Outback Hero - More than a Cowboy Down Under
Most Australians like to think that they have a strong connection with the outback. We’re proud of our country’s amazing red centre and its reputation for unusual rugged beauty combined with danger. However, the truth is that while our country has a land mass as big as the USA, our population is smaller than some of the world's cities, and over 90% of us live on the coastal strip. And yet we feel very nostalgic about the outback.

In reality, other brave souls are living the life for us.

I think this must be why I love outback heroes. They are larger than our lives. They are living the life... living the legend... for us.

While we in the city couldn’t cope without our convenience stores and our coffee shops just around the corner, people in the outback cope year after year with not only isolation, but droughts, floods and bushfires... They embody the image of man against the elements. And we city slickers manage to hoodwink ourselves into believing that we are somehow sharing that harsh, dangerous existence. We read about the resilience and toughness of our rural countrymen and we feel stronger... uplifted by their fortitude.

In romance novels, the outback hero has become a recognisable archetype, a character who evokes certain expectations in the reader’s mind. Readers know the outback is rugged and harsh and first and foremost they know that its men are tough and skilful - like Tom Burlinson, who thrilled us when he took that magnificent horse down the shockingly steep mountainside in the movie “A Man From Snowy River”.

I believe that an important part of the allure and the mystery for female readers is that the outback has a reputation for breeding men’s men. We don’t really belong... and therein lies the challenge.

Outback men stick by their mates. Remember Mel Gibson and his friends in the movie “Gallipoli”? The mateship they displayed in World War 1 had been forged while they were growing up on outback properties. Mateship is an Australian tradition that has grown out of the continuously dangerous lives outback guys lead as they do battle with a vast, primal landscape. Whether they are cattlemen or mining engineers, Flying Doctors or crocodile hunters, they’re physically tough and mentally strong and this is usually counterbalanced by an appealing irreverence for authority and a wicked sense of fun. In “Gallipoli” Mel and his mates made fun of the stuffy English officers.

Apart from the obvious allure of a sexy, naughty-boy grin allied with a toned, fit and athletic body, the special appeal of the outback heroes is that they hide powerful emotions behind all their brashness and toughness.

Deep down, these heroes are usually conservative, salt of the earth, true blue types whose feelings run deep. We suspect that behind their Alpha exteriors beat Beta hearts of pure gold and we love to see these loners - often remote, strong and silent types - brought to their knees as they admit they can’t deny their feelings any longer. And we know that the heroine, who manages to penetrate the outer shield to expose such a man’s tender feelings, wins a rare prize indeed.

Of course outback romances invite the obvious opportunity to explore the vast contrasts between city and country lifestyles and values and in this situation, they set up immediate conflict. In my novella CHARLOTTE’S CHOICE, Lady Charlotte Bellamy, a young English aristocrat, calls herself Charlie Bell and lands a job as a jillaroo on a remote North Queensland mustering team. In A BRIDE AT BIRRALEE, a Sydney based scientist ventures into the outback to seek out the father of her unborn baby. These situations open up the whole opposites-attract scenario and they have built-in, ready-made tension.

And I believe that just as the right woman can discover the hidden depths of a man’s emotions, outback heroes bring out the best in city women. A woman who is weak or helpless just won’t cut it in the bush. In this isolated, often harsh, hot and dusty environment, heroines must be strong and self reliant as well as having initiative and a sense of humour. By the time an outback hero has expressed his love or proposed marriage, the heroine will have demonstrated that she has the strength of character to face up to the demands of his lifestyle. The fact that a woman can give up the comfort and convenience of city life for the hardship and isolation of the outback is testimony to the strong appeal of the outback man.

Mind you, because I am also a bit of a feminist, there is usually a point in my books where the hero realises that his love for this woman is so great, he would be prepared to give up his bush life to keep her. This startling realisation is what sends Fletcher Hardy back to Melbourne to find Ally in my very first book, OUTBACK WIFE AND MOTHER and it’s what sends Jonno Rivers all the way to Paris in a A PARISIAN PROPOSITION, a book coming out later in 2003.

But I don’t want to give the impression that when a heroine marries an outback hero, she faces a grim life of endless hardship. In OUTBACK BABY, Gemma Brown longed to return to the bush where she grew up and in A WEDDING AT WINDAROO, Piper O’Malley, a heroine born and raised in the outback, loves the life and is fighting to keep her family’s property.

Any woman who marries an outback hero, whether she’s city or country bred, is marrying a man who is more much than a simple cowboy. An outback hero is a true man for all seasons, who can keep house and cook, who has university degrees and likes to travel the world and can provide for his family. He looks as comfortable in an Armani tuxedo, hosting a ball on the sweeping lawns that surround his homestead or escorting a beautiful woman to a concert in the Sydney Opera House, as he does in blue jeans and riding boots while he risks his neck on horseback leaping down gullies searching for wild, cleanskin cattle.

Like his real life counterparts, he’s living the legend. For us.

© Barbara Hannay October 2002

One big advantage of our new lifestyle...

2011-07-14T01:31:00.000-07:00

Salad greens from our own garden... so crisp and delicious

Half a year gone already...

2011-07-11T21:56:00.000-07:00

It’s been an ongoing surprise to me that living in the country can be really quite busy. We haven’t found time for nearly as many of the quiet, relaxing activities we anticipated – like rowing on the lake, or taking walks around the lake, or simply exploring the countryside in our car.

Perhaps, because this is out first year here, fulltime, we’ve had more visitors than we will in future years, and that’s one thing that’s been lovely, but certainly kept us busy. It doesn’t help that I’m a slow writer and that I still have deadlines to meet, and that even if I sit at my computer all day (which I do on many, many days) I can only produce 1500 words max.

If I write faster than that I write rubbish and only have to delete it a few days later. For me, speed just doesn’t work.

So these are also my excuses for the slow progress of our renovations/extensions. However, I do think it’s about time I showed you what’s been happening to Cloud Cottage.

To begin with, here is my study which looks very much like my old one because I brought my desk etc with me. It's tucked behind the bedroom and has a very high ceiling and a cut-out opening in the wall through to said bedroom (for airflow). Behind me are bookshelves and a window. Some people are surprised that I don't have a view, but I don't need a view when I'm writing. It's all in my head. And a good view of my collage is more important.

(I can't get rid of this space here)

This is our lovely new bedroom. The high ceilings (not very well shown here) help to make it feel very spacious and we just love it.
(You can click on the pics to make then bigger.)

Next to it is our bathroom, which is possibly my favourite room in the house -- it's certainly my favourite bathroom out of the many that we've had. I was standing in the shower area to take this pic. You can see we've continued to recycle old windows and furniture to keep the feeling of a country cottage.

I also love the connecting corridor between the new section and the old.

And going back to front, we now arrive at the front door. We've been busy painting the exterior walls ourselves, but a wonderful young single mum has been doing the crazy paving, which is beautiful, isn't it?

We're getting there slowly...

Busy days...

2011-07-05T15:21:00.000-07:00

Sorry for my silence, but I've been kinda busy. Have to say I have a pretty cool family and that our experiment with Christmas in July actually worked. We managed to squeeze 14 into our little place over a long weekend (show holiday in T'ville). Nan and Pappy (that's E and me) slept on a mattress in front of the fire -- rather nice, really.

Two long tables on the veranda worked well for main meals and everyone pitched in with all the jobs. Everyone in the family loves food and cooking so we ate well and partied well, and there was always someone to take an interest in the littlies. At night there were glow sticks and sparklers and during the day, lots of storytelling and imaginative games (some inspired by the book Pookie Puts the World Right which was one of my childhood favourites that I bought on ebay -- my first ebay purchase -- yay!!), so we survived having to stay inside.

Here is accommodating Tom minding his little cousins' dolls while continuing to play on his computer. And below are the twins reading a bedtime story to a sick doll. (A Julia Quinn book, I believe -:)

I say we managed well because it rained non-stop for 8 days except for about four hours of sunshine on Sunday afternoon. And boy, did we make the most of that sun. Sons made a makeshift go-cart out of things they found in the shed and lots of folk had fun riding it down the hill. Then we also constructed a slip and slide with black plastic and detergent and again it was a great hit. This was followed by baths and then a trip to Yungaburra to see a platypus. The tinies were amazing down by the creek, picking up from all the adults that they had to be super quiet -- and we had really good viewings of three platypuses -- so very satisfactory.

You can view more pics of our July gathering here https://picasaweb.google.com/BarbHannay/ChristmasInJuly2011#slideshow/5626367809755268482

It's school holidays...

2011-06-27T18:14:00.000-07:00

and I have all my grandchildren here... so will probably not be here very on blogger often...

This is a pic of Lilly hero-worshipping big boy cousin, Tom. Or perhaps she's just in love with his iphone.

Catch up...

2011-06-22T17:17:00.000-07:00

I was sequestered away in a rainforest cabin on the weekend while E had a boys' weekend at Tarzali, (this mostly involves complicated barbecuing of expensive meats). Of course, I was supposed to be writing madly -- and I made fairly good progress, but it was verra cold and dark in the rainforest. At least I had my dressing gown and slippers.

And I went for a lovely, revitalising walk around the beautiful Lake Eacham. I could not get internet and mobile reception, so I was a tiny bit lonely, but I had a companion in the form of a rifle bird. The brochure said I could put fruit on my veranda railing for the birds, so I shared my apples with them. Mostly with this guy.

This one particular bird -- a Victoria's rifle bird, was very daring and got quite bossy after a while. He'd come and tap on my window where he could see my fruit bowl, letting me know he wanted more, and he'd put his wings up and look quite ferocious when he wanted to frighten other birds away from the food.

As far as my writing's concerned I found when I sat down to write this story (telling myself that I had to hurry) I hit a brick wall. Why? Because I didn't really know my characters and I'd been busy and hadn't had the usual thinking, dreaming musing time leading into writing this book.

So I decided to take another tack with it -- I've been outlining. As soon as I gave myself permission not to write the story, but outline instead, I relaxed and started writing madly. (Which I found rather interesting) So I now have eleven scenes outlined with snippets of dilaogue and little details about my characters' pasts etc. What I think I've actually been doing is "dreaming" on paper. Visualising the unfolding of my story but recording it as well, so that I at least have words on the page.

It's true that no two books ever emerge by the same process (even though we think we have a set routine). We have to keep adjusting our processes to meet the circumstances and context in which we're writing. I'm really glad I have this outline down now and I'm underway with writing the actual story as next week I'll have all five grandchildren here (plus their mothers, thank heavens) and then the other family members will arrive for a Christmas in July style gathering. Should be crowded (14) and fun!

But I'll need my writing outline to get me back on track when it's all over. Wish me luck.

eBooks...

2011-06-14T15:35:00.000-07:00

As we're all aware, the publishing world is in the midst of huge change at the moment. I still don't have an ereader, but I'm sure I'll get one in the not too distant future and I can't get on a plane these days without seeing several people using them.

It's very sad to see favourite bookshops closing, but at the same time, I think the news is nearly all good for writers and readers. Books that were only available in rare secondhand stores before are now getting a new lease of life as ebooks.

This morning, I just discovered that my very first book, Outback Wife and Mother (back then, I was in the foetal position for days when they gave me that title -:) first published in 1999, is available as a NookBook.

It's actually rather exciting...

Can you tell an author's sex?

2011-06-12T16:44:00.000-07:00

In an interview at the Royal Geographic Society this week, VS Naipaul (winner of a Nobel Prize for literature) provoked fury by suggesting that women writers are 'sentimental' and 'unequal to me'. He also claimed that 'I read a piece of writing and within a paragraph or two I know whether it is by a woman or not.'

Can you? To prove a possible point this quiz was created. Why not try it?

I got 7 out of 10, so I'm not up to Naipaul's standard. The quiz includes a passage of writing by Naipaul as well as an excerpt from a Harlequin novel.

Meet Lucia and Sparkles...

2011-06-11T22:51:00.000-07:00

Our newest members of the family were christened by Lilly (long distance). I did try -- really -- to give them ham and bacon type names, but as soon as Lilly came up with Lucia and Sparkles, the new names stuck. No option.

This is Sparkles doing a Babe impersonation. On friend's advice we put the hose in their pen to give them mud, which they promptly wallowed in.

And this is Lucia (the fatter one) asleep in the hay.

I can't believe I'm in love with pigs.

Never cease to wonder...

2011-06-10T00:25:00.000-07:00

What's more beautiful than morning dew on a perfect spider's web?

One daughter's artistry...

2011-06-08T19:57:00.000-07:00

Newly engaged daughter, Vicki, (see how smoothly I slipped that exciting news in?) visited us overnight, as she's up this way for her work. It was especially lovely as she woke up here on her birthday morning, yet she'll be home in Brisbane with Matt tonight.

While she was here, she took a wander with her iphone and snapped a few pics. Above is a jug of tree daisies, a gorgeous plant from my mum's garden that I've managed to grow here.

Next is the newest addition to our "farm". Two gorgeous little pigs, which I know I must think of as future dinner, but at the moment I can't resist feeding them granny smith apples.

Our view -- always so peaceful.

And the last touch of autumn. It's been a lovely, family orientated week, as last weekend we were in Brisbane for my mum's 85th birthday. Grandkids, Tom and Lucy, played us a concert on piano and cello as they've just completed their music exams and still had their pieces up to scratch. So clever! Matt cooked us amazing meals.
But now I have a book to write by the end of July!!!
Head down, fingers on keyboard...ready, set, go!

NQ Roadshow...

2011-05-31T01:13:00.000-07:00

Phew... it's been a big week, but I'm pleased to report that our Roadshow was deemed a fabulous success by all involved. I couldn't begin to give a blow by blow account of the workshops, so instead let me show you pics. First -- the wonderful table of prizes organized by our group's fabulous members Shannean Moncrieff and Mervet Mcclintock. (the table is graced by a scarf I brought back from Italy. :)

And here's a shot of the room. On the floor you can see the goody bags, again stuffed with fab surprises by Shannean and Mervet.

Our speakers were the amazing Anne Gracie (left) and brilliant Kelly Hunter (right, in those boots!!!) as well as our local stalents, Helene Young and myself.

Here's a shot of Helene with Bernadette Rowley from Townsville, who was our illustrious MC.

This is Shannean and her crew, who ran lucky seat prizes and a raffle that raised over $500 for the Royal Flying doctors.

And these serious faces show how thought provoking the speakers were. Havva Murat, our hard-working registrar is in blue in the middle.

And then, of course, after all the hard work, there was a dinner at night where Anne Gracie flirted with Helene's husband, Graham.

And here's our lovely, fabulous group --
Back row: Helene Young, me, Havva Murat, Alice Honsa, Shannean Moncrieff, Noreen Allan
Front Row: Beeca Quinn, Mervet McClintock, Bernadette Rowley and Lilian Begelnole. My new dream is to see everyone of this wonderful writers published!!
Thank you, everyone!

Three little visitors...

2011-05-22T00:31:00.000-07:00

And their parents came to "Nan and Pappy's farm" for the weekend...

They helped Pappy dig worms to feed the baby guinea fowl.

And they toasted marshmallows in the fire.

They enjoyed splashing in the new bathroom, running around in the dark with glowsticks... eating huge helpings of bacon and macaroni casserole and drawing a beautiful portrait of Nan and Pappy.

An eHarlequin Discovery...

2011-05-19T16:31:00.000-07:00

A Google Alert aroused my curiosity and sent me to eHarlequin where I discovered that a book from my backlist, The Pregnancy Discovery, is being re-released in June 2011.

I wrote this book in 2000 while I was living on Magnetic Island. As it's not listed on amazon, I'm assuming that this is for the NA Reader Service -- a direct mail only release, and it won't be on the retail shelves, so I'm very pleased to see that it's available at eHarlequin.
I was always disappointed that this book had not been available in America as it has my one and only American hero, Sam Kirby, and it has sold very well everywhere else in the world. This is a message in a bottle story and I'm rather fond of it for lots of reasons, and I hope it finds some happy American readers. Check it out and read an excerpt here.

And Jupiter aligns with Mars...

2011-05-14T14:42:00.000-07:00

We've had such incredibly clear, crisp, beautiful weather recently that it's been a crime to stay indoors. On Friday morning we got up at five thirty (only 5 degrees C and that's incredibly cold for us in May) and saw the four planets -- Venus, Jupiter, Mercury and Mars aligned in the eastern sky for the first time since 1910. As an added bonus, we saw the sun rise over Mt Bartle Frere, Queensland's highest mountain. Just gorgeous.

In this photo you can only seen two of the planets - Venus and Jupiter, I believe. If you click on it to make it larger, you should also see Mercury, a smaller planet off to the right. Red Mars was there too, below these, but he didn't show up in the photo -- because of the sunrise, I guess.

After breakfast, we drove over to Mareeba to collect turf from Barron River lawns. We want to start lawn regrowing, now that the plumber has finished his earthworks, but I'm so mad that I didn't take my camera. It was the start of the Mareeba to Chillagoe wheelbarrow race and we drove through Mareeba just as the procession of Wheelbarrow Teams started. It was a fabulous atmosphere with teams from high schools and businesses and charities, as well as the police. They were dressed up too -- as the Flintstones, as bumblebees, as rock stars. great fun and a great money raising event. All of Mareeba were on the streets to wave them on, including all the school children.

The teams have had two cold nights camping out on the road and they won't reach Chillagoe till today, so it's been quite an adventure. Meanwhile, for me, it's time to get my head down again.

But the sky's clouding over, so that's OK. :))

Why they call this the Misty Mountains...

2011-05-10T16:45:00.000-07:00

Views from Cloud Cottage at 6.30 am

Nostalgia reigns...

2011-05-05T16:29:00.000-07:00

Last week, I mentioned my little sister's birth on the day the Queen came to Sydney. Here she is in my mother's arms. Shortly after this, we moved to Brisbane (as my bio, which I can never get M&B to change, states). This was a very pioneering step for my parents, as their entire Australian families were in Sydney. Dad went ahead to find accommodation etc. and this is the photo he took with him. It was taken at my grandmother's house in Penshurst, and we moved to Brisbane shortly after Mother's Day. Nine months later I started school. Yes, Grade One, while I was still only four!!! Which is how I ended up as a high school teacher, teaching Yr 11 before my ninteenth birthday.

Surely the way to a mother's heart....

2011-05-02T23:53:00.000-07:00

You know you're Australian...

2011-04-26T14:18:00.000-07:00

When this is your view from your bedroom window.

Royal Wedding...

2011-04-25T18:19:00.000-07:00

Are you getting into the Royal Wedding mood? I'm working myself into "royal mode" this week by reading Sophie Page's absolutely gorgeous book 'To Marry A Prince.'
You may remember Sophie as Sophie Weston. She used to write the most wonderful romances for Mills and Boon , and under her real name, Jenny Haddon, she's also written a book on punctuation called "Getting the Point" and has been president of the Romantic Novelists' Association in the UK.
'To Marry A Prince' is a perfect contemporary fantasy written in Sophie's bright, clever, - and dare I say sassy - yet very British style. You can read an interview with Sophie, including the interesting alternate England she created for this book, on the Words Wenches' Blog.

I'll certainly be watching the wedding on television. My childhood was dominated by images of the Queen's Coronation. I had the most beautiful picture book with full page colour plates of the entire spectacle -- with the golden coach, the ladies in waiting, the crowded cathedral and that heavy crown being placed on Elizabeth's head. For years, I turned frangipani flowers upside down to become ladies in waiting. And I had sets of blocks and jigsaw puzzles with pictures of Prince Charles and Princess Anne. And the Corgis, of course.
My younger sisters were named Elizabeth and Margaret, and on the day the Queen came to Sydney, my mother was in labour with Margaret, but she insisted on seeing the Queen first, before she went to hospital. So it's almost obligatory for me to be a royal watcher.

However, I do love some of the less reverent souvenirs that are out there at the moment, like these William and Kate tea bags. And this mock up of the Royal Wedding on youtube is a hoot.
One of my friends is going to a wedding party where everyone will wear hats and they'll eat roast beef and Yorkshire pudding followed by jam rolypoly. Another friend is considering hiring a wig of long brown hair. What are you planning for the big day?

Easter sunshine...

2011-04-24T22:27:00.000-07:00

I hope you've had a lovely Easter weekend. Our weather has been glorious and we've had a great time. For us, Easter began with the arrival of a new box of little guineas to add to our flock. They'll have to stay in the cage till they're big enough to fend for themselves, but even then, it's a mean old world with hawks and currawongs and dingoes out there. So we'll hope to keep a close eye on them.

Then our guests arrived on Good Friday, bringing with them a beautiful wrasse which we cooked whole in E's special asado barbecue, after the guys encased it in a special flour and salt mould, a little like the clay around beggar's chicken.

When we broke open this casing, the fish inside was delicious.

On Saturday -- an absolutely beautiful, crystal clear day without a cloud, we went to the Yungaburra markets. I loved this sign on an old " junk" stall which I had to share.

And I bought these cute pencil cases for my granddaughters (other people can give them Easter eggs :).

Also, our guests bought me these beautiful gloriosa lilies. Aren't they perfect?

Yesterday, after they left we got back into gardening and painting, making the most of the lovely sunshine.
Today, I started writing again, but I'm not really getting into this story, possibly because the outside is calling to me. Will try again tomorrow. :)
What was your weekend like?

Post revision haze...

2011-04-18T17:14:00.000-07:00

OK... revisions have been sent and I'm coming up for air. And I'm whinging, because last week while I was tied to my desk, we had absolutely glorious sunshine and today -- you guessed it -- it's raining again.
Clearly, I'm not meant to do the weeding, am I? But I'm not really in the mood for housework either.

But there's always cooking. I recently read Promises to Keep by Jane Green. Jane is my auto-buy at airport bookstores and I bought this book on my trip to Sydney. If I'd known it was about someone dying, I may have had second thoughts. I just grabbed and ran, but I have to say, Jane handled the subject very deftly and still manged to deliver an uplifting ending.

And... a bonus of the book was that each chapter ends with a thoroughly tempting recipe. I've already tried her Spinach and Chickpea Coconut Curry. As we have visitors coming for Easter, I want to try this Almost Flourless Orange Cake with Marmalade, which I've copied for you. Sounds yummy, doesn't it? To discover the other recipes you'll have to buy the book, or visit her blog.

Almost Flourless Orange Cake with Marmalade
1 orange
3 eggs
1/4 cup plain flour, sifted
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 cup ground almonds
1/2 cup marmalade
icing sugar for dusting

Preheat the oven to 180 degrees C (350 F) Grease an 8 inch springform pan and line it with greaseproof paper.

Put the orange in a pan, cover it with water, and simmer for an hour (or nuke in microwave for about 25 mins) until soft. Cut the orange in half, remove pips and puree in a food processor.

Beat the eggs and sugar until pale and thick. Fold in the flour, baking powder, almonds and orange puree. pour into the tin and bake for an hour.

Melt the marmalade in a small pan then pour through a fine sieve, pressing to get all the juice out. Spread the rind free juice over the cake.

When cool, sift icing sugar over the cake. Mix whipped cream with the orange rind and serve alongside.

Revisions...

2011-04-13T20:39:00.000-07:00

I have my head down trying to address my editor's revision suggestions, which I know will make my current ms much better. But sometimes hacking your work to pieces and rebuilding it again can be very hard. Not that I'm precious about my work -- it's more the mental gymnastics involved. Writing a first draft is fun -- mostly. I write instinctively a lot of the time and hope for the best. But afterwards, fixing up a book can feel like a very difficult maths problem. Don't ask me why -- it just does. And at these times I feel like Winnie the Pooh, a Bear of Very Little Brain.
But I haven't forgotten my lovely blog visitors. Some of you are probably wondering when I'm going to show pictures of the inside of our house, as you know we've been working on it for years, slowly changing a six by six shed into an unashamedly romantic country cottage. I promise I'll have pics very soon.

But here's a taste.This is a photo I showed last year when we busily painting. (We're still painting, actually. E's just finished the bathroom.)
Below you can see what this window looks like now with furniture in situ. I promise the photos in future will be more exciting than this. :)

Would you believe, we still don't have our ensuite bathroom plumbed? Everything's just sitting there, looking gorgeous, and waiting to be used. It's been so wet this year the plumber hasn't been able to dig up the ground to sink pipes and pits, or whatever. But we're booked in for the first week in May. Too late for our Easter and May weekend visitors. (sigh) But before my Roadshow visitors. Phew.

Update...

2011-04-09T00:26:00.000-07:00

I have at last updated my website. I'm sure you'll be very pleased to know that I've moved on from 'Happy New Year', and I now have details about my new release Rancher's Twins: Mum Needed.

If you're Australian, you're probably shaking your head over this title. As you know, we don't have ranchers in Oz. We have cattlemen. And we don't have moms. We have mums. My publishers have made a concession to this by changing one of these words in the title for the English and Australian releases, as you can see in the covers below...

Aren't the different approaches to marketing interesting?

The story is partly set in America and my heroine Holly is American, living in New York. By calling Gray, my Australian hero, a rancher... this story can be marketed in America under the Rugged Rancher's logo, which is rather cute. Who am I to argue with marketing?

I think Gray and Holly's story is actually a bit deeper than the title suggests. My idea for it was born in Coogee last year at our writer's retreat, and I had some wonderfully helpful conversations with Anne Gracie, who is very experienced in teaching adult literacy. I won't say too much more as I don't want to add spoilers. You can read an excerpt here.

Romantic Times had nice things to say... This heart-warming tale is filled with memorable characters grappling with an emotional situation. Hannay handles the transition from mourning to romance gracefully. Four stars.

Speaking of reviews, Molly Cooper's Dream Date also scored a wonderful, oh-my-goodness review from Cataromance

There's something about roses...

2011-04-04T22:26:00.000-07:00

You'll have to forgive me for being excited about growing roses.
I know these aren't spectacular or special, but after living in the dry tropics for so long, it's a novelty to be able to grow temperate plants.
We have so much rain here, however, that this climate is still not suitable for a lot of rose varieties.
I do love having flowers in the house.
When I was growing up, my mother had a lovely garden (actually, she still does) and we always had vases of flowers in our bedrooms, as well as the living areas.
Friends who came to play were v impressed.

Final night...

2011-03-31T16:51:00.000-07:00

What better way to celebrate our final night at Coogee than to toast waitress Jess whose first book will be published later this year? Watch this space in Melbourne Cup week!!!!!!!!!!!

Two happy RITA finalists...

2011-03-29T23:20:00.000-07:00

At Coogee this year, we're celebrating with Kelly Hunter and Marion Lennox -- two RITA finalists for best short contemporary romance. It's hard work, but someone's got to help drink the bubbly.

Meanwhile, seriously, we're sharing some great craft discussions, and yes, writing is getting done.

Don't miss this...

2011-03-27T16:40:00.000-07:00

Kelly Hunter, 2011 RITA finalist & NQ Roadshow presenter, shares her thoughts about writing dialogue with Anne Gracie, Helene Young and me in a fab Q&A blog at Romance Writers of Australia.

RITA excitement!

2011-03-25T12:22:00.000-07:00

Very exciting news. We have two Australians as RITA finalists -- Kelly Hunter and Marion Lennox. Woohoo! These gorgeous writers are two of my favourite people, too. And it's exciting that there are many finalists from the M&B office in London.

2011 RITA Finalists for Contemporary Series Romance

■Breaking the Sheikh's Rules in the Summer Sheikhs anthology by Abby Green (Mills & Boon; Meg Lewis, editor)

■Christmas Magic on the Mountain by Melissa McClone (Harlequin Romance; Joanne Grant, editor)

■Christmas with Her Boss by Marion Lennox (Harlequin Romance; Sheila Hodgson, editor)

■Dare She Date the Dreamy Doc? by Sarah Morgan (Mills & Boon Medical Romance; Kimberley Young, editor)

■Red-Hot Renegade by Kelly Hunter (Mills & Boon Modern Heat; Joanne Grant, editor)

■An Unexpected Father by Lisa Ruff (Harlequin American Romance; Johanna Raisanen, editor)

■Welcome Home, Cowboy by Karen Templeton (Silhouette Special Edition; Gail Chasan, editor)

■Zoe and the Tormented Tycoon by Kate Hewitt (Harlequin Presents; Meg Lewis, editor)

To see more results in other categories, check here.

Black moments...

2011-03-23T22:03:00.000-07:00

I'm closing in another deadline. Don't these things seem to come with alarming regularity?
Right now, I'm also getting excited, because I'll soon be leaving for Sydney for my annual writing retreat. Combining a deadline and a retreat is kinda smart and kinda not, but anyway, it's happening.
My main hitch has been that my characters' romance is starting to go too smoothly. What we want in real life is always the kiss of death in a story, where we want page turning emotional tension. I've been wondering what I need to do, and you'd think after writing nearly forty books, I'd have a clue...
Then yesterday, one of my friends' emails mentioned the black moment she was planning for her book.
Which is precisely when it hit me. Eek !!! I hadn't planned a black moment. How could I have forgotten a black moment?

In case you're wondering, this is that moment in all good romances where everything that seems to be working out OK suddenly falls apart. The lovers can't go forward. They can't commit. One of them (or both of them) has a problem that holds them back from winning the prize of true love.
In Michael Hague's terms, the character has been living in his "identity" which is a disguise or a suit of armour he dons, a facade he presents to the world to cover up. Usually he's covering up an old wound from the past and often he doesn't even realise that's what he's doing.
During the course of the story, however, he has glimpsed his "essence", and he has, for a time, lived in his essence -- That is, he's seen how his life could be if he was brave enough to step out from behind his identity.
I thought I knew what my character's wound was -- but I'd already dealt with it fairly early in the story. No wonder I had a problem.
Yesterday, getting near the end, but having no black moment, I suddenly realised what my guy's true wound was. Neither he nor I had understood this until then. But wow -- I could feel his pain and I could suddenly see how it would impact on him and the heroine.
Oh, I also worked out their happy ending.
Phew.
Now I just have to write it.

Little things...

2011-03-20T22:46:00.000-07:00

I have found this full moon stressful for a number of reasons, but little things can cheer me up...

...like this native orchid growing naturally in our little patch of rainforest. When it flowers it's not spectacular, but a pretty white and brown... two of my favourite wardrobe colours.

Have basil... will pesto...

2011-03-18T19:22:00.000-07:00

A friend brought me this beautiful bouquet of herbs and I can't wait to make homemade pesto. Today I could almost turn vegetarian.

Various...

2011-03-16T16:48:00.000-07:00

We've had birthdays recently and decided we'd better take photos of each other before we get too old. :)

OK, some people will be rolling on the floor with laughter at that. I know we're already - ahem - senior. But it's all relative, isn't it?

On another note... I don't know if it's thanks to the Big Wet, but all over North Queensland, the pendas are magnificent this year. This is a honeyeater feasting in our garden. In fact the birds are loving all the flowering trees aound here just now. The misty pic below shows cockatoos feeding down in the Ithaca valley at the bottom of our place.

Now back to finishing this book. Those of you who know my books will know I don't write very sexy sex scenes, but I spent twelve hours on one yetserday and only produced a little over a thousand words. They're tricky things to write. Am so looking forward to Kelly Hunter's workshop at the Roadshow.

Of course there's more than three good reasons...

2011-03-15T15:33:00.000-07:00

Check out the Romance Writers of Australia blog for my three top reasons to attend the NQ Romance Writers Roadshow.

Roadshow program...

2011-03-14T15:10:00.000-07:00

Here's the program for our fabulous North Queensland Roadshow. This is going to be one power packed day!!! Don't forget, early bird registrations close at the end of March! find out how to register here!

 9:00am - Greetings and introductions

 9.15 -10.15 The bones of your book – Anne Gracie

A good strong premise and a convincing source of conflict are the foundations for a strong plot. Without them, many people run out of steam about a third of the way into a book. Find the premise for your story, identify the central spine of conflict and learn how to structure scenes and build a strong plot.

 10:15 - Morning Tea

 10:30 – 11.45 World-building is crucial, no matter the genre — Kelly Hunter & Anne Gracie

Whether you're a writer of paranormals, fantasy, historicals, contemporaries, or crime, the world you create in your books can make or break you as a writer. The more convincing that world, the easier it is for readers to plunge right in. But world building is more than just evoking a time and place and characters interacting in that world: it's also about reader expectations. This interactive workshop aims to offer writers some of the tools to build realistic, unforgettable imaginary worlds.

 11.50 – 12.30 Emotional Punch and tension of every page – Barbara Hannay
Your primary objective as a romance novelist is to create an emotional experience for your readers. The lack of emotional punch is one of the main reasons editors reject manuscripts. Find out how to make your reader care deeply about your characters, and how to give your manuscript that all important page-turning tension.

 12.30 – 1.00 Lunch

 1. 10 – 1.45 -- Layering conflict –Helene Young
If you’ve watched the movie, Avatar, you may have been wowed by the special effects, the interesting cinematography techniques or even the storyline. When Helene watched it the multiple layers of conflict in the story blew her away.

Join her for a short sharp look at why those layers are so effective. Watch the movie before the Roadshow and see how many conflicts you can identify and be prepared to look even deeper and find some more.

 1. 45 – 3.15 Not Another Sex Scene – Kelly Hunter & Anne Gracie
Like any other scene, a sex scene must serve the story, contain elements of conflict and enhance our understanding of character. This workshop will offer a range of approaches to help make it easier to write fabulous sex scenes and expand your repertoire of writing skills.

 3.15 –3.30 afternoon tea

 -- 4.15 Dialogue and Subtext – Kelly Hunter
'He said what?'
If you can't write good dialogue, you can't write a good romance. Bring work pad and pens and be prepared to work through a series of exercises designed to help bring your dialogue to life.

 4.15 – 500 Panel and Finish

why not fly north?

2011-03-10T02:49:00.000-08:00

A quick word to anyone from the south who might be thinking about coming to our North Queensland Romance Writers Roadshow in Cairns on May 28th at the beautiful Cairns Colonial club (pictured above... )Jetstar have some amazing sales at the mo. Check them out here !

Isn't the venue gorgeous? And who could resist with speakers like Anne Gracie (truly one of the most talented teachers of the writing craft in the country) and Kelly Hunter (her fab analysis of a sex scene is incredibly clever) and Helene Young -- who has nutted out all the intricate layers of conflict in Avatar? Oh, and moi -- talking about my favourite topic -- emotional punch.

Early bird registrations are closing soon...

Just think... while honing your romance writing skills, you'll be having a fab holiday and helping to boost the cyclone ravaged tourist industry.

Buried Treasures of 2010 « All About Romance’s News & Commentary Blog

2011-03-08T02:37:00.000-08:00

Buried Treasures of 2010 « All About Romance’s News & Commentary Blog: "Reviewer LinnieGayl Kimmel chose two series romances as her Buried Treasures of 2010."

And as I was going through all the emails I missed while I was offline, I discovered that A Miracle For His Secret Son was one of these two books. How nice!

not your average arrival...

2011-03-06T23:44:00.000-08:00

Had rather special luncheon guests today who arrived in this!

I'm b-a-a-a-a-c-k!!!!

2011-03-04T13:50:00.000-08:00

I finally have internet again --
It's been so frustrating having to log on to E's computer and use mail2web which keeps timing out. Even more frustrating were my phone conversations with Telstra, but that's all a thing of the past now. Hope you've all been having fun while I was away. We've been very busy cleaning up after Yasi and of course, I still had to get on with my next book.

Since the cyclone, the guineas have not gone back in their pen, but they seem happy to roam around on our block and not to wander off to bother neighnours, so we love having them. (That funny looking thing in the foreground is E's special Argentian barbecue and smoker).

They've even had friends over to play...
And they roost in one of our trees.
Our monthly trip back to Townsville was sobering as we had to drive through all the country devastated by Yasi. I think it's no exaggeration to say that from Innisfail to Ingham (takes about three and a half hours to drive) there's not a tree untouched.

This is typical of beautiful country that used to be famously, lush and green. We know it will recover. It recovered after Larry -- but it took five years -- and then this happened again. Still, I think I prefer cyclones to floods and earthquakes. What a terrible start to 2011.
Hope things are better in your part of the world.

Still not on line...

2011-02-18T13:17:00.000-08:00

Apologies for my absence here. I still don't have internet on my computer. Have had several stressful phone calls with Telstra and hope this will be resolved shortly.
Meanwhile, can I direct you to a lovely report about Tasmania on Anne Gracie's blog.

Or this brilliant explanation of creating engaging characters on Jessica Hart's blog.

And also check out our own North Queensland author Helene Young's latest exciting release Shattered Sky. Her launch in Cairns last weekend was fab.

On Sunday we have to drive back to Townsville for meetings. I'm not looking forward to travelling through Tully and Cardwell.

A little bit of promo...

2011-02-15T14:29:00.000-08:00

Today our North Queensland face to face group and our coming Roadshow are being featured on Romance Writer's of Australia's blog. Please feel free to come on over and say hi.

North Queensland Romance Writers Roadshow...

2011-02-13T17:03:00.000-08:00

Happy Valentine's Day!!

Today's the day romance writers in North Queensland (or romance writers who've always wanted a good excuse to come to North Queensland) have been waiting for. Registration for the RWA North Queensland Roadshow is now open.

This one day seminar will be held at the Cairns Colonial Club on May 28th, and we're very excited that two fabulous speakers -- Anne Gracie and Kelly Hunter -- will be joining Cairns romantic suspense author Helene Young and me to give a day packed with the best writing workshops ever (in my humble opinion. -:)

I'm still on my husband's computer and blogger isn't cooperating very well, so I can't show you pictures.

The whole idea of the roadshow is to bring a conference-like experience to writers in the more remote regional areas, and as this year's annual conference is in Melbourne, RWA's president, Alison Ahearn, thoughtfully invited NQers to take up the chance to have their own event!!

Topics to be covered...

Not Another Sex Scene ... (or how to write really great sex scenes that deepen character, plot and conflict)
The bones of your story (or the vital importance of a good, strong premise)
World-building (no matter which sub-genre)
Ways to ensure a strong and layered conflict
Emotional punch and tension on every page
Dialogue and subtext
Panel discussions ... and much more ...

Find out more about the Roadshow and how to register on the Romance Writers of Australia Roadshow page. And don't procrastinate... places are already filling fast.

BTW-- anyone trying to email me right now should do so via my website email.

Cyclone Yasi...

2011-02-07T15:26:00.000-08:00

I’m borrowing my husband’s computer. We’ve been without power for five days and now it’s back on, but as soon as I reconnected, even though I have a surge protector, the battery in my Telstra wireless broadband USB blew up. I mean it literally swelled and popped! But I wanted to thank you all so much for the wonderful messages of sympathy and support. I caught quite a few of them before we lost power, and then… found the rest, waiting… and I felt very connected to a wonderful bunch of people.

As you probably know by now, Cyclone Yasi was a force to be reckoned with and our near neighbours in Cardwell, Tully, El Arish and environs have suffered terribly. The damage would have been so much worse, however, if Yasi hadn’t decided to duck to the south before crossing the coast, thus landing midway between Townsville and Cairns, North Queensland’s two largest population centres.

Also, Yasi slowed down as she approached the coast and arrived at low tide instead of the predicted high tide, so the terrible storm surges weren’t quite as devastating as they might have been. Even so, the damage has been horrendous.

For us, the final day of preparation was frantic as we scurried to clean up the yard. We had so much junk lying around –and yikes! I disturbed a venomous black snake while moving some timber!

We battened down windows and doors with Premier Anna Bligh’s warning of a “fearsome and deadly storm” ringing in our ears. I packed a bag with medical supplies, a change of clothes, our insurance documents, my USB stick with my work in progress… and we might have evacuated if we’d had more time, but it took us all day to secure the house and yard. Besides, we knew our house was newly constructed to cyclone standards, and we were in the mountains (although only 40 kms from the coast as the crow flies)… plus we knew the roads would be closed after the cyclone had passed and we wouldn’t be able to get back. With visions of a week’s worth of rain pouring in through possibly gaping windows, we opted to stay.

Our car was parked in the garage, backed right up to the door, with Elliot’s swag wedged in to take the pressure – as we’d heard that roller doors often blow in.

We let our guinea fowl go. That was a difficult decision but I had visions of the poor things being blown up against the wire of the cage and badly injured. Freed, they took off for the long grass in the paddock next door and hunkered down, and the next morning they emerged from the grass without any signs of trauma.

Did we have an escape plan?

If things got bad, we would hide under the bed – or in the bath with a mattress over us. In the very worst case scenario we would run to the garage and get into the car. Thank heavens none of these options was necessary.

We lost power at about 2.30 on Wednesday afternoon just as the winds and the rain started to pick up intensity. The storm lasted twenty-four hours – the worst of it happening between 6 pm and 6 am, with the very peak of its ferocity between 1 am and 2.30 am. But because our house didn’t budge or vibrate or show the slightest sign of weakness, I felt surprisingly safe. Not scared at all, which is amazing, because I’m not a brave person. We had a gas lamp glowing and the radio playing and we even tried to sleep in snatches.

The ABC radio was brilliant. I heard so many people sharing stories – the woman who put her phone number on her horses, then broke down while telling the radio announcer about it. A man alone in his house at Mission Beach pacing up and down the hallway, clearly terrified, gaining a little strength just by being able to talk to someone.

We were dreadfully worried about our neighbours who have two huge (I mean ginormously HUGE) pine trees towering over their house. We’d tried to get them to shelter with us, but they’re independent county folk and would only come if they had no choice – like a tree had already fallen on them and they needed to hack their way out through the floorboards with a chainsaw. I know… I know…

As it turned out, we had the very edge of the really bad winds (incredibly noisy – howling is too tame a word) but although smaller trees fell down, the big ones stayed firm. Blogger doesn't seem to be cooperating so I can't show you other pics.

Some people might wonder why we live in such a dangerous part of the world with wild cyclones, man-eating crocodiles, venomous snakes and deadly sea stingers.

I must admit, although we’ve lived here now for nearly forty years, I’ve spent the first half of that time, hoping to return to the south one day. In fact we did return south for a few years… and then came back.

And now I’m pretty sure I’d really miss the north if we left. I loved Heather Brown’s article Tough Breed in The Weekend Australian.

To quote her she says: I am a Queensland northerner, born and bred, and for better or worse I carry 100 years of history in the blood, 100 years of family crazy-drunk in love with a wild and unpredictable place.

She told how she sat up all night on Wednesday night following the progress of the cyclone on TV and the internet, while her husband slept beside her. As he was a southerner, she didn’t expect him to understand, but she also said: I just hoped my husband didn’t really know how much I wanted to go home that night, to feel the forces of my land again, the sweet dense wind, rain hard enough to bruise the flesh.

Crazy as it might sound to the rest of you, there’s a kind of pride in being a North Queenslander, an acceptance that life is a bit tougher up here, and that everything is more intense – the colours, the scents, the lush growth… and.. well, yes, the weather…

Call me weird, but it's possible that life elsewhere would seem less somehow…

Anyway… as far as our property and Cyclone Yasi are concerned, trees came down, and now we’re now mulching them with the mulcher we bought with Kevin 07’s handout. !

On a sadder note, do you remember this photo I posted of Cardwell last week? I’m afraid it’s a VERY different scene now.

The calm before the storm...

2011-02-01T00:18:00.000-08:00

If the forecasters and every media outlet hadn't told us there was a cyclone heading our way, it would have been hard to believe it today. This was the view from our veranda this afternoon.

This afternoon, after we'd done everything we could to secure our home, I took a walk around the property taking in all my favourite spots, trying not to think too much about how things may be in twenty-four hours time.

This is how our house looks now with the extension.

And this is the connecting corridor between the new and the old.

And this is how we've boarded up all the windows and doors, so now we feel we've done everything we can. And now, as my daughter says, it's like living inside Ned Kelly's armour.

Also, I've washed everything I could find and I've made fruitcake and casseroles and tomorrow we'll bake more bread before the power goes off.
After that, it's take a deep breath and have a glass of wine. And hope... Lots of love to everyone.

Cyclone Yasi...

2011-01-31T14:46:00.000-08:00

We're boarding up windows and doors, making fruitcake and casseroles for the days ahead without power... looking out at our beautiful trees and hoping...
but woke up this morning to find the forecast tracking map is bringing Yasi straight over us...

Stay safe, fellow North Queenslanders.

Nice surprise...

2011-01-27T14:53:00.000-08:00

In the post today, I discovered a dream (modest but real) come true. I'd always hoped, when I wrote my Southern Cross trilogy (The Cattleman's English Rose, The Blind Date Surprise and The Mirrabrook Marriage), that these stories would one day be repulished with all three books in one volume.
I guess, ideally for me, that volume would be in English, but I'm not complaining that my dream has come true in Germany.