Hello, and welcome. Thanks for stopping by. I hope you enjoy the earthy ochre colours of my Aussie web pages, including the glorious golden wattle, Acacia pycnantha, which is Australia's national floral emblem. It bursts through the bush with masses of yellow in late winter and early spring, August and September here in the southern hemisphere.
I've been scribbling all my life. Couldn't stop myself if I tried. I love writing contemporary women's fiction with romantic elements, sweet romances, and Australian and medieval historical fiction.
My fifth sweet romance novel, NANNY WANTED, was published by My Weekly early this year in the UK and ...
BREAKING NEWS
I've sold the large print rights to NANNY WANTED to F.A. Thorpe. It will be published as a Linford large print romance in November 2008.
NEXT FICTION PROJECTS
LAURA'S SECRET ADMIRER was rejected by a Canadian publisher so, after rewriting, I plan to submit to other possible publishers for this novel. Rejection is all part of this business...
In non fiction, I have just completed working on a local history book, Memories of Riverside, for Horsham Historical Society, a former orchard area on the outskirts of the city.
I am on track to complete an historical romance by the end of the year, working title AN UPCOUNTRY ESTATE. To my great relief, I have finally concluded about a year of research on sheep squatters for my first Australian historical novel in a series of six I have planned covering the early pioneering days in the 1830s in my home State of Victoria up to World War 2. I will continue researching the other five backgrounds and developing the plots for these in the future.
GENEALOGY
Occasionally, I'm dabbling into genealogy research; my son-in-law's BATTY family tree, originally from the east coast fishing village of Peterhead, Scotland; and also my UHE ancestors originally from the village of Lauthenthal in the Harz mountains of Germany.
WHAT'S HAPPENING IN MY NECK OF THE WOODS RIGHT NOW
Winter has arrived. Officially began on 1 June and July is always our coldest month. Temperatures are sinking by the day - around 10-12oC at the moment - and the winds feel like they're coming directly off the antarctic. We had another inch of rain in recent days, promising for district cereal farmers and gardens all enduring over a decade of drought in this region. Have given our native garden it's annual prune and planted out 200 daffodil and belladonna lily bulbs. Some wattles are already flowering and baileyana's are heavy with weeping blooms. They splash gorgeous gold along roads and through the bush.
I am back to crocheting afghan rugs again in the evenings. Almost finished one in tones of beige and cream, and recently found a wonderful book of prayer shawls. I have finished a lovely soft triangular knitted shawl in garter stitch with a slip stitch 'lace' border in muted tones of blue. While in Melbourne visiting family recently and going through Ballarat en route, I haunted Lincraft and bought more wool - yummy soft cream and plum colours in 12 ply for shawls, and a selection of other colours in earthy autumn tones and blues for rugs.
Shopping in bigger cities also gave me the chance to trawl through the shelves in Book City and Borders spending my birthday gift vouchers. Heaven! Indulged in historical romances, Warrior's Bride by Gerri Russell, By Fire And By Sword by Elaine Coffmann, Hers To Command by Margaret Moore, Simply Love by Mary Balogh, and Hidden Honour by Anne Stuart; two Barbara Delinsky's (have read most of hers) - An Accidental Woman and More Than Friends; and a wider selection that includes Secrets and Shadows by Mary Nickson (read and enjoyed The Venetian House), The Winter Rose by Jennifer Donnelly, Gail Tsukiyama's Women of the Silk, and Frank Delaney's Ireland (because last year I published my husband's Jenkinson family history whose ancestors came from the Emerald Isle).
Stay for a cuppa and a look around. I always love hearing from you about writing novels, reading books, Australian and medieval history, genealogy ...
