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…
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…
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 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…
I’m often asked what it takes to write a book. Having finished my 19th novel about twelve hours ago, I reflected on the question, whilst sitting on the patio with a wine, screaming: ‘thank god that’s done!’ So, I compiled a list. A workable laptop. Not one that dies with only copy of your…
I’m often asked what my office looks like. Usually it’s too messy for me to take a photo – I’ll have research and papers all over my desk so it’s all at my fingertips as I write. But when I started the new novel (tentatively called Swindler’s List!) I tidied the desk and took a…
Well, what a year, huh? Who would have though that the words ‘unprecedented’, ‘Covid normal’, Self-isolation’, ‘social distancing’, ‘Black Lives Matter’, and ‘Karen’ would have made their way into our everyday language? That the news would be full of Corona Virus information, forsaking all other news! That Zoom would have become part of our ‘norm’.…
I’ve always told my kids that “if we don’t share our stories, then how can we help people?” That’s why they don’t mind me talking about the challenges they live with; they embrace them and are what makes them who they are (that doesn’t take away, they’ve had extra challenges to deal with and hard…
I just love the love we all have for Detective Dave Burrows. The amount of emails and questions I get about him are amazing. The most asked question is: what order does he appear in the books. Well, let me put that to rest, with this post. Dave came into being when I wrote my…
I love the ‘new feels’ of starting a new book. It’s exciting, fun and the possibilities are endless. Trouble is, those feelings don’t always hang around. I find I get to about 20,000 words in and get a bit stuck. Those first 20,000 come with a rush of adrenalin and enthusiasm. The next 50,000…
