PRE- ORDER Fleur's newest novel 'Voices in the Dark'
Writing Do you start with an idea and develop it from there or do you start with the characters? I start with a combination of idea and characters. I love to take a character and her family out of their normal lives and plunge her (and them) into an unexpected situation, and the plot follows…
When you have a young family, evening is usually a crazy time of day! Trying to get them fed, bathed, homework done, the list goes on. I’ve had a friend staying with me, for the past two weeks – if you’ve read the acknowledgements in either of my books, you’ll know the name ‘Mrs. Mackay’…
There have been interesting happenings at the McDonald farm recently… it seems flying ‘things’ are falling out of the sky, over us. When Skylab came down over Esperance, parts of it were found by Anthony, as a child and we often watch jets zoom across the top of us (we also know that we can…
I have always been fascinated by radio, especially the voices that have kept me company on the long hours of driving tractors at night or lengthy car trips between the farm and the ‘civilised’ world! I don’t get to hear Kate on the radio, very often – she used be down in my ‘neck of…
I can’t believe we’ve hit March already – I’m not sure where the year has disappeared to! Our weather has been slightly murky for the last few weeks, with a real autumn feel about it. I sometimes can’t believe that Perth can be around the 40 degree mark and we haven’t hit 25 degrees! It…
A quick reminder that the book club with Monica McInerney is on tomorrow at 3pm WA time, 6pm Vic, NSW, Tassy time, 5pm QLD time and 4.30pm for the NT. There are some instructions in the chat room – all you have to do to get there, is click on the link that says ‘chat…
Last night as I took these photos, my kids were happily eating their tea. The boss had gone for ‘a quick fish’ at Thomas River and my dogs were happily running around my feet. No one had any idea what we would be seeing on the TV, twelve hours later. I almost feel like it…
There are times you just need to drop out of life for a few hours. Relax. Talk to each other and the kids and get away from the hum drum of normal life. Well that’s what we did on Saturday night. Getting to Kennedy’s beach involves some serious four-wheel driving, so you know that once…
Very rarely do I wade into the waters that could potentially be a mine field, however… News of the REDgroup going into voluntary administration, although not unexpected, has placed the publishing world in limbo. Whether or not the reports in the media are a true reflection of the industry remains to be seen, but as…
Next Friday, the 25th of Feb, at 3pm Western Australian time, will be a very special time for me! I’ll be welcoming Monica McInerney to our book club. What makes this so very special, it that I’ve loved and admired Monica’s work from the moment I opened The Alphabet Sisters. Since then I’ve read every…
Just confirming that the book club, with Monica McInerney will be held next FRIDAY 25TH of Feb. We’re discussing At home with the Templeton’s. Just working out a time since Dublin is 8 hours behind WA! Can I have expressions of interest, please? If you have and questions for her, now is the time to…
After a few hiccups, we’ve finally got the prologue and the first two chapters of Purple Roads ready for you to read! Click HERE to read.
As my daughter gets older, she seems to have an insatiable appetite for novels. To be very honest, I had heard of Nim’s Island, knew that Rochelle had adored, not only the book, but the Audio Book as well, but didn’t know who the author was. It takes quite a bit, for an active ten…
It’s a long, muddy, foggy road… the writing of a novel! While I’ve been writing Purple Road, I’ve been trying to ‘better’ myself at the writing game. I’m not sure if you know my history, but I wrote Red Dust on a whim. I had an idea and I wrote it down. I didn’t and…
The rain has brought the frogs out, which in turn usually brings the snakes. Thankfully I haven’t seen any, in the last week, but I’m sure they are gliding, slithering and sliding all around the house at night – ugh, it doesn’t bear thinking about! These little fellas, in my opinion, aren’t cute and I…
The weather that Australia, in particular Queensland, has been having, is incredible. I’ve cringed at, not only the destruction that Mother Nature has brought, but the grief and pain caused to humans and animals alike. The TV news seems to be full of detailed reports, shocking images, crying, homless people and animals moved from their…
I’m thrilled to announce that Monica McInerney will be joing us for the Book Club, this month! She’ll be sitting in Dublin, freezing and maybe watching snow fall, as we’re sweltering and cursing (or enjoying) the hot weather summer weather! At this stage, we haven’t set a date for the Book Club, but it will…
So, I know you’ve all seen the cover for Blue Skies and you’re all probably bored with it, but this book is different! ‘Yeah, yeah,’ I can hear you saying, but it’s true! This is the B-format, a smaller version, from when it came out twelve months ago. It’s also a cheaper version. The thing…
Katrina Germein, Emily Gale, Kate Gordon and I have got together to raise money for the QLD Flood victims. I don’t know about you, but I’ve stood in front of the TV crying at the images and feeling so completely helpless. I couldn’t volunteer with the clean up, from down at the bottom of WA!…
It’s with a heavy heart that I’ve been watching the news coverage of the Queensland floods. I’m sure that NSW will be feeling the effects soon, as their water profile will be full from floods before Christmas and once the water and soil profile is full, there is nowhere for the water to go. It…
I’m continually amazed at what I see in the sea, on the beaches or in National Parks, around Esperance. I guess coming from the mid-north of South Australia, I was pretty used to seeing Kangaroos, Emus and the odd King Brown snake, but we never saw anything different or exciting! Yesterday, at one of the…