Filed under: Covers, New releases, Uncategorized | Tags: His Mistress for a Million
If you happen to be in the UK at the moment, you might like to keep an eye out for His Mistress for a Million.
This is my Santorini book, inspired by a visit in 2008. Such a beautiful Island, I knew it was the right place to set my humble housekeeper to bride story! I hope you look out for it. I love the cover – although the angle is a little funny – but it does give a taste of the wonderful sights you’ll see on Santorini. It really is a special place. If you’ve been before, I hope His Mistress for a Million brings back a few wonderful memories. If you haven’t been, then I’m sure you’ll be planning your own trip soon! With an amazing history, fantastic sights and the most spectacular sunsets anywhere, it really is the most romantic spot.
And if you’re in the US or Downunder, look out for His Mistress for a Million at www.harlequin.com or www.eharlequin.com.au.
Enjoy!
Filed under: Uncategorized
Gosh, it seems like just yesterday I was wishing all and sundry a happy new year, and all of a sudden it’s February! How did that happen?
I have to say, January 2010 has been full on. The kids on summer holidays, New Year’s Eve at the Prairie Hotel, Parachilna, a trip to Melbourne to visit family and attending a Muse concert just last Friday – well, it’s been a month to remember. Now the kids are back at school (at least the high school girls are – uni starts early in March here) and the days are quieter and there’s a manuscript just waiting to be written…
But first – I want to share a few shots from our Melbourne trip. Melbourne is a fabulous city, loads of character and gardens that make someone from dusty old South Oz weep with joy. Melburnians know how to grow a garden.
We took the long way home – traveling along the Great Ocean Road. There’s a reason it’s called that – the scenery along the rugged coastline is just amazing.
Here’s a few pics from our travels – enjoy – and meanwhile, happy February!
- The Archway
- East of Apostles
- The remaining apostles – Port Campbell
- Art meets Nature – Melb Museum
- Night magic
- Captain Cook’s Cottage
- Melbourne Road
- Sunset – Exhibition building
- Diana with Hounds – Fitzroy Gardens
- Fitzroy Gardens
- Exhibition Building – Carlton Gardens
- Carlton Gardens
It’s Australia Day today and those clever people at google have it covered…
Gorgeous day here in the Adelaide Hills. Mid 30C predicted, blue skies, lovely summer day without the blast furnace heat we’ve had a bit too much of lately. Enjoy!
We’re back from a trip interstate to visit family and friends, but before I post photos of Melbourne and the Great Ocean Road, I did promise you some shots of Beltana, a near ghost town in the Flinders Ranges, just a few k’s short of Leigh Creek and a few k’s off the highway.
I have to admit it. I find ruins and ghost towns fascinating. What sparked their existence, what brought their downfall – I don’t think it’s just writers who feel that way, at least I hope not:-)
First populated in the 1870’s, Beltana boasted many sound reasons to exist. Copper mining, the construction of the Overland Telegraph Line and the original Ghan intercontinental railway line, all served to turn Beltana into a thriving outback community of up to 500 people. And maybe that’s what’s so fascinating to me – the idea that once upon a time people came to Beltana with hope in their hearts and a desire to build something, to be part of a growing and thriving pastoral and mining community, and yet now, it’s all come to nothing, with only a few hardy souls returning to tend the buildings that remain.
The old schoolhouse still stands, an old swing rusting away in the foreground.
This old pub looks in pretty good nick, all things considered. At one time the town boasted two pubs and also its own bakery, brewery, police station and courthouse. I guess if you have a brewery and 2 pubs, you’re going to need a police station and courthouse:-))
These buildings form the two sides of the old AIM nursing home. I love the ventilated roof on the building at left – clearly any and all attempts to create ventilation was encouraged in what must have been stinking hot conditions a lot of the time.
Most of the buildings are merely shells now, or a pile of rubble guarded by an ancient peppercorn tree, so it was fantastic to find a few mostly intact buildings still remaining and great to see that some people are actively now involved in preserving what is left of the town.
Apparently the heyday of Beltana came in the years between 1875 and 1920, though years of drought, depression and the failure of the mines hit hard. Slowly times changed, the town of Leigh Creek to the north was born and the fortunes of Beltana waned. The rail line moved away in 1956 and in 1983 the highway moved west and there was no reason to pass through, unless, like me, you had a fascination with old towns with no reason to exist.
The Flinders Ranges is a tough place to eke out an existence, even in our modern times of air conditioning and six cylinder engines. And it’s worth a visit, or three, not only for the spectacular landscapes, but to witness first hand the evidence of just how harsh and brutal this land can be, to see the ruins of homesteads and stations and entire towns, and to admire those people who came so long ago, full of hopes and dreams and expectations, and whose hopes were so frequently dashed by drought or depression or other circumstances beyond their control.
It’s one of those places that makes you realise how insignificant you really are. And that’s not always a bad thing.
Filed under: Travel, Uncategorized | Tags: Beltana, Brachina Gorge, Bunyaroo Gorge, Flinders Ranges, Leigh Creek, Parachilna, Prairie Hotel
I hope your New Year’s was fabulous, whether you partied all night or had a quiet one and cuddled up and watched the telly with the one(s) you love. I spent the night dancing away with a bunch of great friends at the Prairie Hotel, Parachilna, which is situated in the northern Flinders Ranges.
It was a fabulous way to see in the new year - great food, fantastic entertainment (The BC Boys) that had us on our feet all night, and the best company. We dropped by again the next day to sample emu and roo burgers, a real taste of the Aussie outback, or for the less adventurous among us, Angas beef burgers. Delish!
But the Flinders Ranges boasts more attractions than just the Prairie Hotel. We spent a couple of days exploring the many gorges that wend their way through the ranges, checking out the spectacular scenery from both creekbed…
(These are both taken in Brachina Gorge.)
… and from mountain top.
Isn’t the landscape just wonderful! And there’s more…
It’s no place for the faint hearted. The Ranges are littered with the bones of dead animals, long abandoned homesteads and even entire towns. For many, drought was the killer. Which is why coming upon this next attraction was a huge surprise.
Aroona Dam was built to service the new township of Leigh Creek. The old township was unfortunately located slap bang over a massive coal deposit so a new town was built to service the coal mine, and this dam built to supply water to the township. Now that Leigh Creek’s population has fallen to around the 600 mark, it is said that even if it didn’t rain again, Aroona Dam has enough water for ten years. It’s massive. Totally unepxected and totally amazing. 

And here’s one of the mine, the bit you can see from the visitor centre.
And here’s me with my “spare tyre”. I
just wish the real thing was as easy to lose:-))
I”m going to be away for a week or so, visiting family in far flung places, and when I return, I’ll post some of the pictures from the old “ghost” town of Beltana, abandoned when the original Ghan railway closed down. Meanwhile, have a wonderful January, wherever you are in the world. Stay warm if it’s cold where you are, or if it’s blistering hot like it is down here, then stay cool. And stay safe!
I love this time of year. Christmas and all its rush and panic and overeating (nb: the mango trifle was delish!) is behind us, and it’s a blessed few days before the excitement and partying of new year.
I always feel it’s like having a free week. Time to kick back and relax, chill out and watch the Melbourne Boxing Day test cricket or follow the adventures of those brave men and women who sail their yachts all the way down from Sydney to Hobart in the (not surprisingly titled) Sydney to Hobart Yacht Race.
In past years I’ve used this time to design my first website or give it a complete revamp. This year, after ignoring the mess that’s been piling up around me all year, it’s time to clean out the office. I’m planning a brand new (clean, uncluttered) start to 2010!
I started yesterday. Thought it would be a two day job. At the end of day two, I’m thinking it may well keep me busy till new year’s. There is still all my accumulated filing from, oh, about two years back, and then there’s the in/pending/out trays on my desk that are always full and have been since about a month after I put them in, though strangely nothing ever seems to move between them. Can’t wait to tackle those. And then there’s the four drawers on my desk – bursting full with goodness knows what? That should be a revelation.
I’m hoping this sudden clean out of all the rubbish in my office will free up some headspace as well. There are characters up there trying to talk to me. There is work to be done. When the office is clean and I can hear them properly again!
Meanwhile, I have a date with the filing cabinet, and then the vacuum cleaner. There is carpet in this office – who knew???
How are you spending this “bonus” week between Christmas and New Year?
I’m away for new year’s this year for a few days in what promises to be an excellent adventure with good friends up to the north Flinders Ranges and a little town called Parachilna. So let me say now -
…which is no surprise given it’s just days away now.
But seriously, just a few days ago I was worried it wasn’t going to happen. Emerging from a book is like emerging from a cave to find the grass has grown long, the weeds have seized control of the garden and your hair – omg – you hair kind of explodes in a very unaesthetically pleasing way. So it’s been mowing time all over. Along with preparing for our Christmas guests. We have family coming to join us for lunch, and it will be the traditional (or traditional for us) Aussie mix of hot and cold, that works well for a climate where it could be anything from 19-42C.
We’re having Christmas lunch under the pergola this year. Weather forecast says 25C and that is looking good – especially after Wednesday’s forecast 40C – so for once we’ve nailed the perfect day to be outside. So when the dh chopped down a feral pine yesterday, we thought it would be perfect to have it, not in the lounge/dining room as per usual, but outside, where we’ll be enjoying the celebration. Here’s how it looks now the girls have had their first go at it…
I know we’ll miss the scent of freshly cut pine inside the house but it will be fabulous to have the tree there with us on the day. There’s still a way to go with decking it out, there are coloured lights to be wound around the beams and more tinsel than you can throw a stick at, but I think it looks like Christmas is just around the corner and I love it.
Tomorrow’s tasks, before the weather really heats up, include making shortbread and our Christmas cake, along with some last minute shopping.
And then I think we’re ready! I can’t believe it’s Christmas already. I can’t believe 2009 is almost at a close. Looking back, it’s been a good year for my family. We’ve had our downs, but we’ve had our ups as well, and more important than anything, we’re still here all together as a family come year end. I am blessed.
I hope you’ve had a year that you can reflect on with some satisfaction and that your life has been blessed in some way. And I hope that 2010 offers you peace, joy and good health in abundance.
Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: Green is not your colour, Jennifer Crusie
…that people think they can act like two year olds?
Somehow the rules we live by day by day, the etiquette we use in our every day dealings with other people, the manners that ensure dealing with even strangers does not have to be an unpleasant, brash encounter, seem to be quite gleefully tossed asunder under the cloak of the internet.
On the internet, you can vent your spleen, splash your greenest colours, vomit vitriol from every aperture, and all from behind the safety of an alias.
No, it’s not sweet Jane Doe posting these remarks about how unfair is life, the universe and everything, it’s Ms Dejected and Despondent, or such similar disguise.
It must be wonderful when you know everyone else is wrong and you’re right and you have to tell the world. It must be wonderful to attack people, tell them they’re cheats and don’t deserve to be where the are, from your towers of moral superiority. It must be fabulous to have that level of self assurance. Mind you, not enough self assurance to sign your name to your posts…
So this weekend, I’m seriously disheartened by sad and angry people who post vicious things about others on the internet. I’m saddened. Disappointed in my fellow man. Or at least the ugly ones. And yes, I’m talking about the weekend brouhaha that erupted over the weekend at iheartpresents. The post was to celebrate the winners of the latest Presents writing contest. Unfortunately the celebration soon deteriorated. A published author winning a contest? How dare they?
I once read a fabulous article by Jenny Crusie in the Romance Writers Report (the RWAmerica journal) about professional jealousy. It stuck with me because of it’s brash honesty and its powerful message and it’s very appropriate now. It’s called “Green Is Not Your Color: Professional Jealousy and the Professional Writer” and you can find it here.
Here’s just a taste of what to expect…
“You wanted something, somebody else got it, and that’s not a good feeling. It’s normal to feel disappointed.
Then wallow in it. Quietly, to yourself, the bathroom is always good for this, but just let it rip. For five minutes. That’s all you get, five minutes to be seethingly, teeth-achingly bitter. It’s your five minutes, so make the most of it.”
It’s sad to see that some people prefer to use the internet as their bathroom.
Filed under: Just for fun, Travel, Writing life, family | Tags: Noosa, Sunshine Coast
I’m still waiting to hear on revisions for Prisoner in Paradise, and the longer the wait, the more you start to worry. Strange, how that sending off euphoria lasts only a wee short while before turning to paranoia…
Luckily I had four glorious days away to take my mind completely off life, the book and everything, and I spent them with some fabulous girlfriends up at Noosa, on the Sunshine Coast of Queensland.
Here are some shots from that weekend…
This is the shoreline around the National Park walkway. Fabulous to be where the forest literally meets the sea.
Aren’t they gorgeous? No wonder they inspired characters in early Aussie children’s books. They look like a gang of hairy no-gooders.
The walk along the beach turned inland and along a sandy path that joggers ran along while we all suffered in our thongs (the foot kind of thongs – not the other:-))
But then the path diverted through rain forest and we were in paradise. We saw brush turkeys (the pics too blurred to show) black cockatoos and trees that devoured others.
What a wondrous place. My last foray up to the Sunshine Coast ended up being immortalized in my novella, Back in The Spaniard’s Bed. This time too, there will be a book. The Noosa book, and already it’s simmering away in there.
Meanwhile, I’ll leave you with a message I read on a stony beach in Noosa. It was a long way down, must have taken an age to make, but the message was one that we could all do to remember…









































