Happy First day of Spring...

This is how it looks at my place...

 

 

R*BY finalists collection...

First... aaarghh!!.. I have problems with blogger and need to use my husband's computer if I want to show photos. I think my aging laptop was too senile to cope with some fancy new technology I was coerced into trying at the conference -- or possibly I picked up a virus on Facebook.

Anyhoo... enough of the complaining... HM&B have released a lovely collection of R*BY finalists, including Molly Cooper's Dream Date. I was lucky enough to get a free copy at the conference and I'm so looking forward to reading the great stories inside this gorgeous cover.

The other stories included are:
How To Save A Marriage in a Million by Leonie Knight
The Fearless Maverick by Robyn Grady
Her Not-So-Secret Diary by Anne Oliver
The Best Laid Plans by Sarah Mayberry


So reward yourself with some top Aussie reading!

Go North Queensland!

Such a thrill that fellow North Queenslander, Helene Young won a Romantic Book of the Year Award for Shattered Sky (Novel with Romantic Elements) and I won one for Molly Cooper's Dream Date. 

What's that white stuff?

I woke up this morning and thought I was in Scotland. Frost in FNQ!

Someone we know...

Is now playing soccer...

Zoe's Muster launch...

A great night at Mary Who? bookshop for family and friends, old and new.

Guest blogging...

To coincide with the release of a certain rural romance book last week, I've been invited to fill guest spots on some lovely blogs. So my scant presence here may continue for a bit.

However, I thought I'd list those guest appearances here, for your interest.

July 25th Bernadette Rowley's Blog

July 27th Blog Bites with Romance Writer's of Australia

July 30th Fiona Palmer's blog

August 3rd Cathryn Hein's Friday Feast

TBC Fleur McDonald Voice of the Outback

Booktopia's Ten Terrifying Questions

Zoe gets around...

Here's another Penguin author's pic of Zoe. Rural romance author Fiona Palmer (The Family Farm, Heart of Gold, The Road Home)  took this shot at her favourite reading spot in Western Australia. How cool is that backdrop?

At last!

Release date for Zoe's Muster  is finally here... 

 Happy travels, Zoe!!!

And you can check a nice review here!

Favourite flashmob...

I think this is my favourite flashmob so far -- a musical treat from Barcelona.

A handsome couple...

Lovely Helene Young posted this gorgeous photo on my Facebook wall. As a Penguin insider, Helene has an early copy, and I think her Zeus and my Zoe make a gorgeous couple, don't you?

Speaking of Helene and Penguin and gorgeous photos... check out this amzing promotion for Helene's latest release Burning Lies...

That's Helene next to the poster and they're in airports all over the country. Way to go, girfriend, and so well deserved!
Unfortunately I'm head down, madly trying to finish a sequel to Zoe's story, so I haven't read Burning Lies yet, but I'm hearing all sorts of good things. I'm sure we have a star in our midst.

Countdown to Zoe's release...

Excitement is rising at our house as it's only eight days now till Zoe's Muster hits the shelves, although apparently, the book's already on library shelves. One of my friends (a man, no less)  borrowed it yesterday and has read it and given his thumbs up!!

I'll be having a launch for Zoe at Mary Who? Bookshop in Townsville on August 3rd, so if you live in the area and you'd like to join in the celebrations, please let me know via here or my website and I'll send you an invitation with times etc.

Woohoo!

An extract from Zoe's Muster...

You can take a sneak peek at an extract (Ch 4) from Zoe's Muster here...

Fond memories...

It's my first baby's birthday today. She was born on a Sunday on a lovely tropical winter's afternoon... Now she's all grown up with children of her own, but boy, she was a cutie.

Happy Birthday, Em Bem. xx

Look what arrived at out house...

Two new arrivals this week.
First... this lovely new chicken coop made locally in Malanda...

Isn't it ingenious? So easy to move around. And of course some chickens to go in it... four little future layers.

Yes, I know what they say about not counting your eggs before they're laid, but I'm dreaming of our own free range omelettes. I've been buying free range eggs for decades, but it will be lovely to have our own. Not sure why we didn't get round to this earlier.
An then, at the PO...my box of Zoe's books. We were too excited to worry about makeup or tidying the kitchen.

A perfect hero?

I think the cover gods may have stumbled upon the ultimate prototype for romance heroes...

What do you think?

In my absence...

I imagine that you've guessed I'm busy -- both with real life stuff and my deadline. Last week, one of Australia's favourite romance writers visited us -- the wonderfully talented and lovely Marion Lennox and her husband came to lunch -- and would you believe, I forgot to take a photo?
Marion was busy with her new camera, however, and she took these pics of us and our place, which I'm leaving as a substitute for a proper blog until I get my head above water (in another day or so, I hope).

And when they went to the Millaa Millaa falls, they were lucky enough to see this cassowary.

A book lover's weekend

I’ve spent the weekend at the Townsville Literary Festival which was fun, and a chance to catch up with all sorts of interesting people in the writing world, including the lively new Brisbane based YA author Christine Bongers.

I was on a panel with Christine (discussing the Miles Franklin winning novel The White Earth with Matthew Condon and James Maloney) and sat next to her at a book signing, so had a chance to chat, although she had a long tail of eager kids lining up to see her.

I liked her and the sound of her books so much, I’ve bought them for my granddaughter, Lucy (signed, of course), and on the short plane trip back to Cairns (less than an hour) I started reading Dust.
It’s set on a farm in Central Queensland back in the 1970s (so it’s based on Christine’s on childhood) and I can see already, that it contains the best elements of good kids’ fiction – fabulous characters, a strong voice, sympathy, warmth and humour.

I’m looking forward to reading Henry Hoey Hobson before I send them on to Lucy. :)
It was also great to catch up with Carla Hutchinson-Reid from the Townsville Writer’s and Publisher’s centre.

But my weekend away has pushed my other exciting news almost clear out of my sieve-like brain. I'll be back soon to tell you about my great research trip out west to Cobbold Gorge.

A cover for Zoe!!!

I hope you like it. I'll have an excerpt on my website soon.

Late autumn brings...

Late May means tree daisies flowering in my garden...
I've always been a daisy girl. I wanted to carry them for my wedding (all those years ago), but I didn't stick to my guns. I think they're perfect for a country cottage though, don't you?
I'd show you a picture of them growing outside, but it's been raining all week.