Recently, I’ve been getting a few questions about the difference in the Dave books: ‘last book I read he was married to Kim and now he’s married to Melinda! Help, have I missed a book?’ The short answer is NO! You haven’t missed a book. All of my books which are published in November have…
April will see the release of the second Detective Dave Burrows book WITHOUT A DOUBT. To celebrate, in May, I’m hitting the road with my ute and maybe my dog and coming to a town near you. If you are in WA, and you’d like me to visit, then please contact Isabelle O’Brien at Allen…
Back in 2007, when I first started writing fiction, I created a character named Detective Dave Burrows. He was my lead male character in my first published novel, Red Dust. Dave worked hard, played hard, loved the bush and his job as lead detective in the WA Stock Squad. As my novels went on, he…
Are you looking for something a little different for that hard-to-buy-for person? I have gift packs available; a personalised signed book of your choice (written by me!), a calico bag, coffee or travel mug (your choice), pen, note pad, and again, a choice of water bottle or stubby holder all for $65.00 (including postage). If…
On White Ribbon day Breaking the Silence launched into Albany. If you haven’t heard about Breaking the Silence, then let me tell you; it’s a directory of services which are available in one area and tailored to each individual town; so far we have Esperance and Albany online. The plan is by 2021 that we…
Are you feeling a little tired? Don’t feel like reading a bedtime story to the kids? Well, I’ve got your problem solved! Pop them into bed and let Jack and I read them my latest children’s book, What Should a Horse Say? When I was little my mum used to be really tired at night…
I watched with annoyance, the ABC’s 4 Corners report on glyphosate and it’s ‘carcinogenic causing’ qualities, then with amusement when the 7.30 report started their series on Australia, how big is too big? According to the 7.30 Report, there is ‘national anxiety’ about the population of Australia; how we’re going to feed and water ourselves,…
I’m sure you all know that Where the River Runs is coming very soon! 1st of November in fact. About six weeks time. BUT… Here’s your chance to be first to read a sampler of Where the River Runs. YAY! I loved writing this story about Chelsea and her beautiful daughter Aria. If you like…
It’s been ages since I’ve been able to read. I’m not sure why, because it was my favourite of pastimes. I started to find it hard when I was under a lot of pressure; looking after a sick family member, then my marriage breakdown, so on and so forth! I found I had a distinct…
There is a Facebook photo with a picture of a strawberry saying: ‘cut ‘em up, don’t throw ‘em out. Please continue to support Aussie Farmers through berry tough times.’ What a great campaign created through horrible circumstances. I wonder what makes someone or some people want to bring an industry to its knees? What…
I often get asked what my office looks like – or where I work, which is pretty much the same question! The first thing I did when I got my new office is print off quotes that inspire me – that make me continue to want achieve and try and get better. Ones that…
I love music and I think this image is such a good reflection of how I feel when I listen to it – all emotions and thoughts and love and hate and fear all mixed up into one loud bar of stirring sound. It doesn’t matter what sort it is; country, piano, rap, popular. If…
A few months ago, we had another L-plater enter the house. The older daughter is already a P-plater, so I’d had my fair share of hanging out the passenger’s seat; knew what it was like, what directions to give, how to be calm and soothing when really all I wanted to do was scream. I…
Having been a farmer for twenty years, I can tell you what the reality of drought is: it’s dry dusty paddocks, with little or no grass. It’s dams that have nothing but mud in the bottom; sheep or cattle getting stuck as they search for water. Its people shutting their bank accounts down, none essential…
Being a woman, ‘you’ll need to lose weight’ is NOT a phrase you really want to hear. Still, I heard that last Monday when I went to see my specialist about my back. If you don’t know what happened to cause me to have spinal surgery in January, you can read about it here! Interestingly,…
I’ve always said I can write anywhere. With a deadline looming (as they always seem to!) and having to take our exchange student back to Perth to fly home to Italy, I’ve proved again, I can do just that. On Thursday we left to do a ‘last tour’ of the south west, so Gabri got…
Today, Where the River Runs, goes to print. This book feels like it’s been a mammoth effort – I was supposed to have it finished a long time before I actually handed the manuscript in… There was a reason! On the 29th of December I was leaning down to pull up a fence so…
Now here’s a funny story… I went to Sydney last week, for six days. Six days with lots of different meetings and activities, required at least seven different outfits, shoes to go with them and all the toiletries etc you need. Need I say that my suitcase was very heavy? Upon arriving at our little…
It’s time! I’ve been thinking about re-inventing my blog for some time and now that time is right here. I used to love writing blogs – they would get my fingers all warmed up for writing during the day and I LOVED sharing photos and little stories of my farming life with you all. Since…
Thinking ahead is a critical in life. Planning is important. You’d think at nearly 44, I would understand this. So, today, (Saturday morning) I fail to understand why I have woken up with a slight hangover and found there to be no cold pizza in the house for breakfast. My desire to ‘keep it healthy’…
It’s arrived… My long awaited brain bubble idea, I had about three years ago, is now in my hands! Who would have thought, ten years ago, when I first started writing about Detective Dave Burrows, in Red Dust, that he would have become everyone’s favourite character and now have his own series? Certainly not me!…
