There is nothing like the word Haighs for giving a person away as a South Australian! ‘What is Haighs?’ as a friend asked the other day. What?! Only the best chocolate in the world! Better than Swiss, better than (sorry to all native Western Australians!) The Margs Chocolate Factory (only marginally though) and certainly better…
Yesterday, my son turned 21! Yes, 21! And I made a mistake. Every April book, usually comes out on his birthday and for some reason, I thought this year’s was the same. So I thought Hayden’s birthday was today, rather than yesterday. Good thing I worked out on Sunday that wasn’t the case! So it’s…
It was lockdown and lockout. The WA government had told me I couldn’t visit my parents in South Australia because the borders were remaining shut for the foreseeable future. I would normally head to their place in the Flinders Ranges for a break. (Mum at nearly 77 still cooks the best schnitzel and makes the…
Last year I made a decision I wanted to go camping a lot more than I had been. When I was a kid, our family used to camp a lot; we saw some amazing and wild parts of Australia, places I’ll never forget. So with all that in mind, I bought this little ripper (which…
One of these books is not like the other… Can you tell the difference? Yep, one is large and one is small. One has the first few chapters of Rising Dust in it, one doesn’t. Both have gorgeous butts on the cover. (That’s a Dave butt, for all of you who hadn’t realised…) So why…
I’m excited! I loved doing new things, promoting authors and talking about books. I also love wine and coffee. So this new thing? It’s not a book club, but we are talking about books. We’re talking about the back story of these ideas that become story lines and then become novels for you all to…
Did you spend much time in your library as a kid? Do you still now? I loved our little library at the Orroroo Area School when I was a kid; if I lived in Orroroo I’d still love it. I remember out library being full of fun things like beanbags so we could snuggle in…
Writing is a mysterious business. It’s a lot of smoke and mirrors; living with imaginary people, crazy google searches and staying in my head a lot. My imaginary friends talk loudly to me sometimes and too quietly for me to hear at others. Sometimes they fight me. I’ll want them react a certain way,…
Ah, how much love do we have for Detective Dave Burrows? Well, I for one, have a lot! And obviously you guys do too, because we’re here publishing the 5th in the Detective Dave Burrows series in nine weeks, this baby is going to be on the shelf. I have to say, I thought…
Merry Christmas. I hope it’s full of love and laughter for you all. I’m sure many of us have mixed feelings about this Christmas. Some of us haven’t finished harvest and the thought of having to stop for a few days, even to rest, is annoying. Many of us haven’t seen family for a…
I’m not one for maths. Which makes writing a really good profession for me! And, you would think there isn’t any maths at all tapping out words on a keyboard. But this is a myth! I’ve been told a few times, that the only way to make good decisions is to base it around…
Don’t be silent when you see violence. The headline of the State Government’s 16 Days in WA campaign to prevent domestic and family violence is a reminder that we all have a role to play in calling out violence in our community, including our regional communities. And on the International Day for the Elimination…
As you can see my white boards are beginning to fill up with ideas, character descriptions and a few other things. I don’t always use everything that goes up on these boards, and there’s nothing plotted here, only a place to throw ideas and thoughts at. I’ve been troubling over how to start Book…
You know that horrible sinking feeling when you go to a place in a carpark, thinking your car is going to be there and it’s not? It’s a damn horrible feeling huh? Actually, no you probably don’t because I’m sure you’re much more sensible than I am and have never lost a car. I…
Last week I wrote about a needing to write two books at at time to make my deadlines. I was getting involved with NaNoWriMo to help do this. Deciding to spend one week on each book, would mean I should get about 25k into each book by the end of November. Best laid plans…
I’ve never been one to conform. I always push the boundaries of whatever I do, whether it was rebelling against the constraints of society as I grew up, or rallying against being told what to do (yes, I was a HORRIBLE teenager!) or writing. And I guess it shows in the way I really wanted…
Who remembers these books? The Reader’s Digest Selections, with four books in one. A bookworm’s dream. Well, that’s how I saw them when they turned up in Mum and Dad’s mailbox. I can’t remember how often, maybe once a month. I’d grab it before they did and curl up in Dad’s chair and read.…
I wonder if you’ve ever heard of a little town called Orroroo? It’s at the base of the Flinders Ranges, a tiny blip of a gorgeous town, the main street an eclectic mix of old and new and on the main drag between Perth and Sydney.There’s about 550 people who live here, so you…
Well it’s November and November can be an important month in writer-world. November means NaNoWriMo. What does that mean, you might ask? Well, it means National Novel Writing Month. And today, I’ve just formatted my new file to start book 20, so I can join in. During NaNoWriMo, you’re supposed to write about 50,000…
