Holidays

I’ve always daydreamed on long car drives, but I tend to do it much more often now I write more or less full time. And as many of my holidays include discovering new places off the beaten track (or going back to places I’ve been to before and loved) there is always a lot to daydream about.

I was lucky enough to get back to the Snowy Mountains region of NSW recently, where my family has spent many holidays over the years. We only ever went skiing with the children once (it is very expensive!) but we had such a wonderful time with so much laughter - all being out of our comfort zones at one time or another. Now the kids are all grown up, it would be lovely to go back together one day. With travel being restricted as it is at the moment, that might happen sooner rather than later!

The snow was great this year, as was the skiing, but I stopped on our road trip to capture other images as well—from donkeys to happily situated churches and homesteads, to trees and other scenes of natural beauty.

And as a bonus, I finally worked out where to set my book after the next book after Starting From Scratch (that would be 2023 which sounds like a long time away but it made me feel better to have a few ideas to kick around in the meantime!). The character I needed to locate is Hugo, the biologist from Starting From Scratch and I could very much see him in the mountains looking for endangered frogs and other wildlife.

Sometimes you have to leave the keyboard at home in order to find inspiration. So I’ll write a few notes and then get back to my 2022 project!

Starting From Scratch

Finally a release date! I’m doing the final proof read for Starting From Scratch now, and it will be on the shelves in Australia and New Zealand, and available as an eBook world wide on 6 January 2021.

Hooray!

Farmer Wants a Wife - or does he?

The Farmer Wants a Wife is a Channel 7 TV show* in which… farmers look for a wife! With a bunch of other authors, I wrote a recap of one of the five shows for the magazine Romance.com.au. If you follow this link, it will take you to pieces written by fellow authors Rachael Johns, Eva Scott and Nicola Marsh. I looked at week two!

The episode opened with a perfect setting for a country dance – a roomy rustic shed, gardens, drinks, food, music, hay bales and fire pits – for the farmers and the women they’d chosen to spend more time with. The farmers also shared one-on-one time with some of the women, so secrets were shared and a few hearts were, if not shattered, perhaps a little bruised.

The Highs

Neil, the man who can’t bear to let anyone go, certainly had his share of drama this week. While Justine was understandably upset that Neil had told Karissa and Megan that he’d kissed her on their date, she behaved like a cranky teenager for most of the evening. And even though Karissa (who, like Justine, should arguably have been dressed in green) spent half the night saying it was over with Neil and she’d had enough, she was back in the thick of things the next day.

Neil took the three women to meet his (also blonde) ex-wife. And guess what? I think he should choose her! Though…that’s right, they’ve broken up.

We haven’t been given much background on Nick – for example, he’s been in the US for twenty-seven years but not quite sure what he was doing there…Tonight we met his mother and she was lovely! Even more importantly, when Nick didn’t want to send anyone home, she posited a sensible solution – he should identify who was most special to him and hang on to her. Go the mums of this world! Which brings me to ask…where is Sam’s mum, because this week finished with him in quite a pickle!

Sam and Riley went horse riding at a beautiful beach location. The surroundings and horses were gorgeous, but Sam was riding in thin cotton shorts (with a saddle – not bareback). This immediately suggested to me that he wasn’t planning too much action below the waist in the next few days. After the ride, he told Riley that there was no spark, and he preferred Sophie and Emily. Poor Riley!

Emily told Sam she wanted to go home because she can’t see a romance developing, which was kind and honest of her. And we also know that Sam is in the friend-zone, along with Riley. But if both these women go home, that leaves only Sophie. I guess we’ll have to work out what happens on that next week, but I hope Sam’s mum and nonna are around to pick up the pieces.

The Lows

Sarah told Alex she doesn’t believe in sex before marriage, and he seemed okay with her ‘old fashioned’ values, which was good. Because surely if he liked her enough it wouldn’t be too much of a burden to wait around? After all, he says he wants a forever relationship, and he’ll move hell and high water if he finds the right girl. Weddings can be organised very quickly! And Sarah is only twenty-two to Alex’s twenty-nine, so I think that is something else he could take into account when deciding who might be right for him. Sex before marriage doesn’t mean there can’t be intimacy in many other ways!

I am a supporter of nice-guy Harry, but I wasn’t too keen on his notion that Karlana had ‘betrayed’ him. Having a chat to a film crew guy on set does not a betrayal make, and would (should!) not have been a threat in any way. If Harry had liked Karlana enough, he could have tried to convince her he was the better bloke and he wanted the chance to prove that. If he didn’t think a long-term relationship with Karlana was going to happen, he could have wished her all the best with finding love elsewhere. I suspect this was a reality television twist, but it didn’t show Harry in a very good light.

Harry went on a date with mechanical fitter Ash, but it was clear their parts weren’t really meant for each other at all. And the pub for a date was pretty lame. I didn’t get any chemistry there and wasn’t surprised – and I don’t think Ash was either – when she was sent home. She said she’d miss the show a lot, but I wasn’t convinced she’d miss Harry. This leaves Madison and Stacey. We hardly saw any of Stacey this week, but Harry did say that he wanted to kiss Stacey ‘every second of the day’ so this looks promising for Stacey!

According to Alex this week, ‘It never rains, it pours – and tonight it’s flooding!’ Alex opens up and tells the women that his parents split up when he was nine, and all his relationships have failed, and he doesn’t want that. Does he have abandonment issues and that’s why he has trouble letting anyone go? Finally he does make a decision though (garnering respect in his household) and sends Brittany home.

Huh? moments

After telling Karissa that ‘110% there is a connection’, Neil says ‘You’re far from last’. What does this mean?

Brittany works so hard cleaning the house for Alex – pretty much the only air time she gets – but she’s the one who has to go home!

Karlana, who eats fish but not meat or poultry, not only has to cook Harry a hearty carnivore breakfast, she is traumatised when herding the lambs because they get upset. Was she ever going to adapt to life on a working farm? Thank goodness there was no dehorning or castrating going on this week.

Nick didn’t kiss Naomi because he had a sniffle (which has a whole new meaning nowadays…). But he did say there was ‘More chemistry than a test tube factory’. Are we in a high school lab here?

Predictions

Sam and Sophie might be the only two left standing on his farm, so they might make a match.
Harry and Stacey. I hope Harry has the opportunity to let his kindness and decency shine through again next week.
Nick and…no idea. I wasn’t sure about Nick at first but now I know he’s surrounded himself with strong women, I suspect he can do little harm in terms of breaking their hearts.
Alex and Jess. These two seem to get along together well.
Neil and Justine are a good match in some ways because neither of them can make up their minds about how they feel, but I’m not sure there is enough in this relationship to make it last long term. Megan is still a possibility, and I hope we see more of her next week.

* Photo credit Channel 7

Pretty Woman - Thirty years on...

Pretty Woman

This is a piece I wrote for the magazine romance.com. To read the full article, with Giffs, click on this LINK.

Pretty Woman, starring Julia Roberts as the irrepressible and beautiful Vivian, and Richard Gere as the charming and handsome Edward, was first released in 1990. This romantic comedy, thirty years on, with a dynamic reminiscent of Pygmalion and My Fair Lady, is a romantic comedy that is not only still popular, but in many ways has stood the test of time. Though maybe not the shoulder pads…

First and foremost, Pretty Woman is remarkable because of Julia Roberts, who dominates every scene she appears in as Vivian not only because of the character’s beauty, but her humour, intelligence and spirit. She might be a call girl but she is fundamentally a working girl, striving to support herself on her own terms, and to eventually go to college. As in many romantic comedies, her professional life becomes entangled with her personal life as she falls in love with her client, Edward. Richard Gere plays his role to great effect—keeping the spotlight very firmly on Vivian where it belongs.

In her rejection of Edward because she wants ‘the fairy tale,’ her ultimate goal is something that money won’t buy— she will only achieve true happiness with a man who values her as she is. 

While the movie has elements that are problematic today (and were also controversial when the movie was released), Robert’s characterisation allows me to enjoy the good bits—while hoping that some elements would be treated differently if the movie were to be remade.

There are quite a few memorable moments, including these!

When Vivian is refused service at a Rodeo Drive boutique, she ends up shopping elsewhere. She returns to the shop at the end of the day, holds out her shopping bags and delivers the memorable line: ‘Big mistake. Big. Huge.’

Beneath Vivian’s wig is her wild untamed hair. It does get tamed in the makeover but… fundamentally it is very much a product of her true self.

Vivian not only walks out on Edward and his money, she teaches him that money alone can’t make him happy, so by the end of the movie, it is Edward who will be seen as the loser if he doesn’t get his act together. Vivian is effervescent. And Edward’s understated transition from unsettled to absolutely smitten has many heartwarming moments.

Cover reveal for Starting From Scratch

With a cover, a book comes to life in many ways. I’ve received lots of positive comments on the cover for Starting From Scratch, but I must admit that, while it was important that the cover model had blue eyes and dark hair (and I always like a horse if possible…) I leave the design up to the creative people at HarperCollins, my publisher. The cover also has input from sales and marketing and the clever people who deal with bookshops and on line retailers. I like being traditionally published because it lets me hand over a lot of important things to the publisher (like cover design and marketing) so I have more time to do what I like doing best - which is writing!

Legal Beagle: Lost and Found

I recently asked one of my sons if he had any ideas for the column I write for the Romance Writers of Australia magazine, HeartsTalk. He said he’d be no help because he didn’t read romance. ‘I’m reading Tolkien’s Lord of the Rings,’ he said.  Instead of telling Max that Viggo Mortensen (who played Aragorn in the movie) was an excellent romantic lead, I asked him a question. ‘Whom did the ring really belong to?’

It’s not uncommon, in literature or in life, to have a situation where someone ‘finds’ something—a diamond tiara under your floorboards, a bundle of notes in a garden shed, a valuable vase at a fete, treasure at the bottom of the sea. Who is the rightful owner? Is possession nine tenths of the law? Are finders always keepers?

It is straightforward to work out whether title (or ownership) has passed from one person to another in a contractual situation because consideration (a price) will usually be paid. Things are much less certain when there’s no contract. A court has to decide whether the original owner intended to part with possession of a good and renounce ownership of it, or abandon it. A court also has to decide whether the person who took possession of the good intended to own it. Only if these elements can be satisfied will there be a transfer of title from the original owner to another person. If goods are found years after they have been ‘lost’ intention is particularly difficult to ascertain.

If a good is small and valuable, the courts are less likely to think it’s been abandoned. If it is a large item (like a armchair left on a nature strip), the intention is likely abandonment (but this won’t apply to cufflinks found under a cushion). Intention can also be indicated by the place of abandonment—a rubbish tip as opposed to a bus stop. But if a diamond ring is found at a tip, will there be abandonment? Probably not.

The courts often rely on common law principles (based on cases decided earlier in time), but sometimes statute law applies. In South Australia the Police Act 1998 and regulations cover ‘found property,’ or ‘personal property that has been lost and whose owner is unknown at the time at which it is found (See regulation 75). A finder must take found property to the police, but may have rights over that property in the absence of a claim by the true owner.

Under many real estate (land) contracts, goods left behind will be deemed abandoned, so the purchaser becomes the owner. Treasure is different—the Crown (government) will often have title to antiquities and historically important items, and finders must surrender these. Minerals and fossils are the property of the Crown and their extraction and sale is regulated. Marilyn Forsyth’s novel Falling in Love Again (published by Escape) resolves the character’s dispute over fossilised opals beautifully!

How did my son answer my question? Sauron creates the ring. He’s killed by the King of Gondor, who takes the ring, then loses it. Déagol finds the ring and Sméagol kills him for it. Sméagol loses it. Bilbo finds it, and gives it to Frodo who destroys it. ‘Dunno, Mum.’

How about Cinderella? Did she abandon her glass slipper? If the Prince had chosen to keep it for himself, would he have had better title to it than anyone else? Let me know in the comments!

Romance Reader event Sunday 8 March

On Sunday 8 March, I’ll be one of the authors at the Australian Romance Readers Association’s multi city author and reader event. I’ll only be in Sydney, but there are so many wonderful authors (including international guests) at all the events.

The Sydney event is at the Castlereagh Boutique Hotel, 169 Castlereagh Street, Sydney (just down the road from Hyde Park) from 1 to 5pm.

I’d love to see you there if you could make it. Tickets for the day are only $20.00 (or $45 for a VIP ticket that includes a souvenir booklet and other items). Most importantly, all the authors would love to see you at the event so we can talk books and reading.

There will be books for sale, but if you already have copies, I’d love to sign them for you!

Click here for a link to tickets!

Legal Beagle: How Much is that Doggie in the Window?

I write a column for the writing group Romance Writers of Australia (about laws that might be of interest in our writing). A recent topic was about custody of pets. And here it is!

Daphne Dane (not for sale, by the way!)

How much is that doggie in the window, the one with the waggly tail,

How much is that doggie in the window, I do hope that doggie’s for sale …

In a recent divorce case, a husband offered his wife $20,000 in consideration for her agreeing that their dog would live with him. Her response? That no amount of money could induce her to hand over the dog, because it would be like selling a member of her family. In the case of a much loved animal, horse or dog or cat or goat or guinea pig, I think many of us can relate to this sentiment.

So … what happens to a pet that both parties want to keep when a couple separate? Who gets custody? There are marked differences between the law in Australia in this area, and some States in the US, so if you’re setting your story in another jurisdiction, take care to check the law there. This month’s Legal Beagle will look at Australian law first, and then the law in the US, because there’s a chance that Australian law might eventually head in this direction.

Case scenario: Jacquie and Jonathon have been married for thirty years, but have recently separated, and have applied to the Family Court for a divorce. Their adult children left home years ago, but they still have a family dog, JimBob, a five year old Staffie. Jacquie bought JimBob for her and Jonathan’s twenty-fiftieth wedding anniversary, but the dog is registered with the local council in her name. She takes him for walks occasionally, buys his flea and tick treatments, feeds him, cleans up after him, and takes him to the vet when necessary. JimBob is a lazy dog, and his favourite activity is to sit on Jonathan’s knee while he watches West Coast Eagles AFL games, and the cricket (particularly five day test matches). JimBob sleeps on Jonathan’s side of the bed.

Both Jacquie and Jonathan want JimBob to live with them, and each thinks this arrangement will be in JimBob’s interests. As this matter relates to divorce, it will be regulated by the Commonwealth Family Law Act 1975 (this Act applies to all states and territories): Click here for the legislation!

The law in Australia wouldn’t decide this case as a custody matter, because pets under the law are considered items of personal property (a chose in possession, to use the old fashioned term). This means JimBob’s ownership, and who he lives with, will be treated in the same way as furniture, tools, a computer or any other property asset. The concept of who owns the ‘property,’ and the economic value of the ‘property,’ will be taken into account by the courts in assessing who gets what when other property is divided up. Unlike children, there is no legal framework for dealing with custody or living arrangements for a pet, so if this matter goes to court, JimBob will be just another item on a list of property assets.

But before a matter gets to court for a property division, what if Jonathan takes JimBob to live with him in WA (Jacquie stays in SA)? To have JimBob returned to her care, she would have to apply to court for his ‘recovery’ (in the same way she’d petition the court if Jonathan took her late grandmother’s Lladró collection). If JimBob is still living with Jacquie, but she is concerned that Jonathan might take him out of her garden while she is at work, she could apply to the court for a ‘Declaration,’ a court order setting out a decision regarding the correct law on a matter.

Is there a way to avoid court and the associated expense and emotional turmoil? Ideally the parties come to an informal agreement. And if that isn’t achievable, mediation may be possible. The only trouble with agreements and mediations however, is that they aren’t legally enforceable, so the only way to have certainty is by going to court and applying for a Consent Order (where the court approves an agreement between the parties, so it has the force of a court decision). Alternatively, one or both parties apply to the court for a Property Order, which deals with all the property. The facts set out above (who feeds JimBob, who has the greatest attachment to JimBob etc.) would help a court to decide who is most attached to the ‘asset,’ and who has the best claim over it.

What would happen if Jonathan and Jacquie had dependent children? Children will be relevant in deciding the living arrangements of a dog, because the ‘best interests of the child’ will always be foremost in a judge’s mind. There have been cases where a judge has decided that the pet should remain with the children, and this means the pet goes wherever the children go. The dog is still seen as ‘property,’ but property that is important to the emotional wellbeing of the child. This is an approach that Jonathan and Jacquie might favour anyway, because they’re likely to love their children and their pet.

Now for a quick look at US law: An act was recently passed in California, which differentiates companion animals from other types of property, and allows people to apply for sole or joint custody of a pet. The judge will decide the case based on the ‘best interests of the animal’ (in the way the court decides a case in the best interests of a child. See: https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billTextClient.xhtml?bill_id=201720180AB2274

In Alaska, the law states that a court has to take an animal’s welfare into consideration if parties separate (so the consideration is what is best for the animal, not the owners). A judge may also assign joint custody. If one party refuses to hand over possession in the case of joint custody, the court can order them to do so. There are many thought provoking cases in this area, and plenty of scope for conflict as well!

South Coast Bush Fires

The aftermath

My friend, novelist Pamela Cook, recently wrote a post about the impact of bushfires on her family and many other families in the south coast of NSW. Thanks so much Pamela for sharing your story (there’s a link to Pamela’s website below, so you can find out more about Pamela and her writing).

Out of the Ashes

By Pamela Cook

The Christmas-New Year Fires have been a devastating experience for so many people in NSW and Victoria. It’s been a time of reckoning as we come face to face with the effects of the long-running drought and the impact of climate change. Having had a life-long association with the south coast, I wanted to share my family’s experiences during this time and express our gratitude to the amazing women and men of the RFS (Rural Fire Service) for their tireless efforts over this horrible period. 

 It’s a dull Tuesday afternoon and I’m driving the familiar route south on the Princes Highway for the first time this year. The fall of rain on the windscreen is annoying enough to need the wipers but barely there. I’m heading down to visit my daughter, her partner and my grandson, to do my bit to boost the local economy with a spot of retail therapy and to witness the havoc that’s been wreaked on my favourite part of the world by the new year fires. Adele sings something mournful on the radio. The dreary weather matches my mood and the landscape, and as I leave the industrial fringe of Nowra behind me, the tension in my neck and shoulders travels to my grip on the steering wheel.

My destination is the family holiday house at Little Forest we’ve owned for 20 years – we spent our first Christmas holiday there when I was pregnant with my youngest daughter. Many of my happiest memories spring from lazy days and summer weekends, blissfully endless school breaks spent in our timber house tucked beneath the escarpment, overlooking the Morton National Park. Our eldest has lived there permanently for almost five years. She runs a horse training business on the property with her partner and is raising her son in the place she now calls home. It’s the place where we all began horse-riding, where the desire to write first itched at my fingertips, where my first published novel Blackwattle Lake was set, where we’ve spent enough time to feel like locals. My connection to the area goes way back to my childhood when my family rented a house every year for three weeks at Burrill Lake. I’d spend hours and days beach-combing, floating on my airbed in the blistering summer sun, eating Jaffas at the open air picture theatre where we took blankets and pillows to watch movies under the stars. Every trip down here is a home-coming, a long slow exhale as the busy-ness of life in Sydney gives way to the soothing calm of the bush and the mesmerising whispers of the ocean.

But this drive, this visit, is different. Dread anchors itself in the shallows of my stomach. A month ago my husband and I were planning a relaxing week here with the family. Instead he dealt with the chaos of the fires while two hours to the north I tended to evacuated horses, dogs and people. I minded the little man while his parents packed as many belongings as they could into their cars, watched houses at the eastern end of the road burn while their helpless – and now homeless – owners looked on, sobbing. We spent New Year’s Day in a state of no-so-mild panic, unable to contact them after they’d been stranded in town, the roads blocked as the fires spread. Cobargo had already burnt, Mogo too. As hard as it was to contemplate, it wasn’t out of the question that Milton could come under attack. Communications were out, there was no petrol, no power. People queued outside supermarkets waiting to be led into the store by a shop assistant with a torch to choose a maximum of six items. Low lying clouds of smoke suffocated the town. Thousands of hectares of bushland burned, closing roads and businesses. Flames spread through the valley below our house, almost but not quite reaching our property. As soon as they could travel north my daughter’s little family did, returning days later with my husband to man hoses and put out the many spot fires snaking through the undergrowth.

Then came that Saturday. Our neighbour, a fireman, advised my daughter and her partner not to stay given the aged timbers of the house so they got out while they could. Despite the dire situation all I could feel was relief to have them all home under my roof. Together, we sweltered indoors as we sat glued to the TV or listened in to the RFS radio, trying to glean any information we could about what was happening, not just to our house, but to the homes of friends in the area. We kept watch on the Fires Near Ae app as the burn zone closed in around the house. Then, the news we’d dreaded: the fire was back at Little Forest and this time it had reached our end of the road. Hours passed until finally neighbours who had made the decision to stay sent through photos. By some absolute miracle – and with the combined efforts of neighbours and fire-fighters – our house had been saved. Most of the paddocks were scorched, the trees and gardens and fencing all burnt but somehow the house remained standing. The fire had been and gone leaving a trail of devastated bushland in its wake. Powerlines were down and the tank was full of ash so any return to the house had to wait. Their horse-training business had now been on hold for a month and the bank balance was dwindling so as soon as it was possible my daughter headed back to resume her part-time job in town. For days she lived with no electricity and no running water but at least there was a roof over her head and four solid walls keeping her safe. She spent the hours before work clearing the debris – melted buckets and the charred remains of a bower bird,

I keep driving but switch the music off, silence a more appropriate soundtrack. The white trunks of the towering gums flanking the highway soon give way to long stretches of sepia toned forest, the undergrowth stripped bare, the earth beneath them charred and barren.  By the time I reach the Sussex Inlet turn off I’m driving through a wasteland. News images of a policeman screaming at motorists to turn back as the flames around him fly skyward flicker in my head. I stare at the remains of trees in exactly the same location. Here, everything is black. Leafless branches claw the sky. Houses ordinarily out of sight from the road, now sit exposed, naked. I pass the turn off to the well-loved Yattah Yattah nursery, reduced to rubble, where the 80-year-old owners lost their beloved dog, their home and a business they will probably never rebuild. Impossible patches of green snatch my breath, and as I inch closer to Milton wider sections of paddocks and the familiar sight of grazing cows are salves for my wounded spirit. The dragon’s hot breath spewed out at random, devoured everything in one pocket, leaving the next patch unscathed.

As afternoon evaporates into evening I turn onto Little Forest Road. I’ve seen photos of the street, our house, but nothing has prepared me for this reality. My daughter calls. Where are you, she says. I don’t know, I say. On another planet, I add. In a warzone. Well, don’t stop along the road to take any photos, she replies. Trees are still falling. My throat is as dry as the scene before me. Houses I’d driven past and admired for years are now nothing but piles of brick and twisted mounds of corrugated tin. Others homes are in tact but surrounded by blackened trees, a testament to the bravery of their owners and the fire-fighters. I hit the stretch of national park that reaches all the way up to the escarpment. A tree-army of charcoaled skeletons stand soldier-straight on both sides of the road. It’s a landscape of death and destruction. This is crazy, I whisper to the world as I wind up the hill towards our house. I look for the lyrebird who so often scurries across the road on the bend, see nothing but ash and broken branches littering the asphalt. Dead leaves line the verge – if this was autumn and they weren’t gum leaves the sight would be quite beautiful. At the top of our driveway I stop to look out across the valley. When we’d first seen this house the stunning views of state forest melting into farmlands and the distant stretch of sea drew us under its spell. I look out now across a foreign landscape, scorched hectares of bush that surely cannot sustain life and the tears finally fall. How much wildlife has been lost? How will the bush ever recover?

With rain brings hope

Miraculously at least half of our paddocks are lush and intact, but the fences and gardens are gone. Rebuilding will take time, but it will happen. We’ve been luckier than so many others who have lost homes, and in some cases their lives or loved ones. Down the road a few kangaroos munch on the grass in a neighbour’s paddock. My daughter makes strings of corn cob and sweet potato for the possum who now visits each night.  My grandson stands at the window looking out at the scarred bushland. Smokey, he says, then Fire. It’s not, and there isn’t one, but his budding vocabulary has two new words I’d rather it didn’t contain. After a couple of solid downpours of rain new grass is sprouting. Rosellas perch in the branches of the still-green apple tree and feed on the blossoms, a stark contrast to the blackened fig, grevilleas and camellias standing alongside. Cows graze on the hills across the way. The surrounding houses are occupied again with neighbours we’ve come to know much better over the last few weeks. Life is returning to normal, or at least a new normal with tank water that tastes and smells like ash. Do Not Feed the Wildlife signs deter tourists from encouraging animals to the roadside where they can be killed, and a drab patchwork of bush leaves an ache rather than a song in my heart.

I wrote Blackwattle Lake in 2009, drawing on my own experience of being stuck in Milton when fire erupted north of the house, and the Black Saturday bushfires of the previous year were still fresh in my mind. What if the fires did come close?I wondered. What if the road was blocked when you were at home, and not in town? What if you were stuck there and had to try and save your property? This year my family and friends lived the reality of those hypothetical questions and thankfully all stayed safe. In time, the bush will regenerate and despite the enormous losses, the wildlife will return.The scars on the landscape and in all of our memories will long remain.

Pamela’s website: Click here

Up on Horseshoe Hill: Sneak Peek!

The week before the release of a new book is, for me, a unique mix of excitement, anticipation and trepidation! Reviews so far have been overwhelmingly positive, which is wonderful. And my publisher is happy with pre-order sales, which is also a positive sign. Most importantly, my children keep saying, ‘Not long now, Mum!’

For a sneak peek of the opening chapter of Up on Horseshoe Hill, click HERE. The other fifty odd chapters of the book will be in bookshops, and on line, and in your ears as an audio book, very very soon!

Top Ten First Kisses

I recently wrote a post on first kisses for Romance.com.au, and thought I’d share it here. What are your top ten first kisses from movies and books? Ever since I wrote the post, I’ve thought about the kisses I missed out, but I think these ten are certainly among my score or two of favourites!

Click HERE for a link to the post!

Book Launch for Up on Horseshoe Hill: 24 November

Anna’s Shop Around the Corner in Cronulla is a gorgeous place to send Up on Horseshoe Hill out into the world. This event will take place at 2.45pm on Sunday 24 November. Bagpipes, champagne, book talk and more. Copies of Up on Horseshoe Hill will be available for purchase and signing, and Anna and I would love to see you there!

Our Inspirational Environment

Many thanks to novelist Jennifer Schoullar for having me on her blog recently. The environment plays an important role in all of Jennifer’s books, and she invited me to write something about that too. Wild animal conservation, wattle, Antarctica and a ghost gum dilemma gave me plenty to write about!

I grew up in the northern beaches peninsular district of Sydney. It was well after horse and cart days—but was a time when, if there was a vacant block of land down the road, it was perfectly acceptable to keep your horse there. I sometimes rode my pony to school, tethered him next to the oval and rode him home again. When I was fourteen, my family moved to Victoria and we lived in a semi-rural district with a goat, a cat, two dogs and a number of horses. My teenage friend Rina (and our horses), were inseparable for many years and we showed and competed together. Rina still competes in dressage, and has had a great deal of success with thoroughbred ex-racehorses. I always look forward to visiting her property and spending time in her stables!

The natural environment has played an important part in all of my novels. It was when I was working as a legal academic and teaching in a course, ‘The International Legal Regulation of Climate Change,’ that an idea formed for In at the Deep End. Antarctica had always been of interest, and I wanted to portray how important this unique and pristine environment is, and how rising water temperatures threaten not only Antarctica, but the rest of the world. My challenge as a writer was tackling these concepts in an accessible way. What would happen if a climate scientist and an environmentalist, with a similar agenda but very different ways of seeing things, fell in love? In at the Deep End not only explored climate change and relationships, but also charted the challenges faced by the 1900s explorers Robert Falcon Scott and Roald Amundsen’s ‘race to the South Pole.’ Amundsen was successful, but Scott and his team died in their attempt. Scott’s diaries provide a fascinating account of his journey.

In On the Right Track the lead character is named Golden by her grandfather—an amateur botanist—after acacia pycnantha (golden wattle). I researched and learned a great deal about native flora while writing this novel, and exchanged many emails with a CSIRO scientist who was a specialist in eucalypt propagation. I’d written a ghost gum into my story, set in a rural district in the South West of NSW, and while I knew ghost gums were uncommon in my home state, I didn’t realise exactly how uncommon! The planting of a ghost gum, and its early care, has to be carefully considered for it to have any real chance of survival, but, once my scientist worked out that I had my heart set on this species of gum, he did all that he could to tell me what I had to do to ensure the fictional version survived!

A plant I learnt a lot about while researching my Christmas novella, The Six Rules of Christmas (part of the HarperCollins Our Country Christmas anthology), is mistletoe. Unlike England, which has only one variety of this mistletoe, Australia has many varieties, many of which mimic the look of the host tree through leaf size and shape. As a parasitic plant, mistletoe is often thought to be harmful to the host plant, but it rarely harms a healthy tree, attracts bird life and can be an important source of nutrients.

My November release, Up on Horseshoe Hill is set in the Central West of NSW, and tells the story of a farrier, and a geneticist vet who specialises in wild animal conservation. I learnt a great deal about the hoof treatment of wild animals while researching this novel. Many animals kept in zoos as part of conservation programs have to be anaesthetised when they require treatment, but keepers and handlers increasingly use cooperative reinforcement (not involving force or compulsion, but incentives in the form of reward) in order to avoid anaesthetic. In this way, for example, a giraffe or elephant will place their feet into positions that allow farriers and vets to work on them safely.

My next title will focus on the Macquarie Marshes, a wetlands region in the north of NSW. I’m doing a lot of reading on the environmental importance of wetlands, and planning a road trip (my favourite part of research), in the next couple of months!

Penelope's Pen: Winter Newsletter 2019

Here is a link to my latest newsletter, with lots of news - including a RuBY win for On the Right Track!

Penelope’s Pen Winter Newsletter 2019

Ruby win for On the Right Track!

On the Right Track won the Romantic Book of the Year (the RuBY) in the contemporary romance category of the Romance Writers of Australia awards on 10 August, 2019. To say I was delighted is an understatement - but that will do for starters!

I was honoured to have been a finalist with fabulous writers Kelly Hunter, Madeleine Ash, Jacquie Underdown and Elisabeth Rose, so the fact that On the Right Track was the winner was very much the icing on the cake! What was also wonderful were the kind words and hearty congratulations from so many other writers on the night, and at the RWA conference. I’m celebrating with fellow authors Pamela Cook and Rae Cairns in one of these photos (I’ll spare you the ones of me on the dance floor later in the evening!)

On the Right Track was a lot of fun to write, and gave me the opportunity to reflect on so many happy childhood memories when I spent all my spare time with my horses. I even used one of my pony’s names in this On the Right Track - Fudge (Mr Fudge was my pony’s show name, and he was a palomino like the horse in the popular television program, Mr Ed).

I arrived home to a big task - the proofread for Up on Horseshoe Hill which will took quite a few days. And now? I can’t wait to get stuck into my next book (which has only been on the back burner for a couple of weeks, but it feels like much longer so I’m missing my characters terribly!).

My lovely RuBY trophy is on my bookcase, I have some lovely memories of celebrations with friends, and I’m so happy that winning this award will let other readers find out about Golden and Tor, my much loved characters from On the Right Track.

Writing friends ...

On Thursday morning at 8.30am, I will be flying to Melbourne. Why?

Because that’s where the annual Romance Writers of Australia Conference is on this year. My first conference was in Sydney’s Darling Harbour a number of years ago. I was very much a wallflower. I didn’t know anyone, I wasn’t on Facebook (or anywhere else on-line) and hadn’t ‘connected’ to any other members beforehand. I barely spoke to a soul through Friday. And Saturday. But on Sunday afternoon (at the final workshop) I met another ‘newbie’ (a first time conference attendee). And she introduced me to another newbie. So in the next session, the closing address, there were three of us. Brigitte Underwood-Legeron. Sandra Edgar. And me.

The 2018 Cocktail party theme was Glitz and Glamour. Brigitte wore her bridal gown. And we thought I made a pretty good bridesmaid!

Sandra lives in Queensland and writes contemporary and historical romance. Brigitte lives in Perth and writes literary fiction and contemporary romance. We’ve been friends for five years now. And our friendship is attributable to RWA.

Since meeting my very first friends, I’ve been so fortunate to have found many other wonderful writing friends too. Many friends are writers I’ve admired as authors for years. Because as anyone will tell you, romance writers as a group—what is the collective noun? A heart? An embrace?—are smart, funny, generous and an all round lovely group of people.

The craft we learn and the books we write are important, but it is the friendships we make that are what we tend to treasure in life. Writing can be a very lonely business, so personal connections are particularly important. And in RWA I’ve been so fortunate to have shared my writing journey (all the highs and lows) with a wonderful group of people.

But … I really was a wallflower. Would I have continued going to the RWA conference if not for my dear friends Brigitte and Sandra? I really can’t say. But knowing they would be there at my second conference might well have got me over the line.

I pitched In At The Deep End to my publisher at that second conference—the start of my published writing career. And I’ll always be thankful to my newbie friends for their encouragement and support.

Ruby finalist: On The Right Track

So this happened … I was delighted to have been announced as a finalist in the Romance Writers of Australia RuBY (Romantic Book of the Year) award in 2019 (in the Contemporary Romance category) for my Harlequin Mira/ HarperCollins novel, On The Right Track. This award is the premier award for a romance published in 2018, and is judged by reader judges. It is SUCH an honour to have made the finals, and I look forward to attending a dinner on 10 August 2019 with the other four wonderful finalists, when the winner will be announced.

Can’t wait!

November release: Up On Horseshoe Hill

Up On Horseshoe Hill, which will be on the shelves - and available as an ebook and audiobook (more on this in another post!) - will be out on 18 November. It’s so exciting when a book has a cover! If you would like to pre-order the book to ensure it jumps into your kindle on 18 November, or arrives on your doorstep around this date, please CLICK HERE for links. You can also order at your local bookstore, or ask your library to order the book. As many readers know by now, I get just as much pleasure from seeing my book on a library shelf, as I do on seeing it on the shelves in a bookstore.

I find the thought of launching a new book a strange combination of relief, joy and trepidation.

Relief in that I don’t have to read the manuscript yet again (100,000 words takes a few days out of my week …), and I can look forward to working on my next book.

Joy because a book release coming up means readers have the chance to get up close and personal with my characters (like I have been for a year or two …).

Trepidation because … it’s judgment time! Much as Up on Horseshoe Hill has been praised by the readers that have taken a peek between the covers so far, and my editor and my publisher are really excited about it, I find book reviews a little confronting. Much as I love writing, I don’t particularly like telling people what a fabulous book I have written (it’s just not me!) so I hope that others will do that for me.

And finally on the release … I love this cover! Firstly because Victoria Purman, whose novels I have read and enjoyed for years, was kind enough to give the book a wonderful endorsement. I first knew Victoria as a writer of novels set in a coastal town in South Australia. These contemporary novels feature a wonderful bunch of characters (look up the Boys of Summer series!). More recently, Victoria has written page turning stories of Australian historical fiction, including the novels, The Last of the Bonegilla Girls, and The Land Girls, both published by HQ (HarperCollins). And the other reason I love the cover? Because there is a horse on the cover, and (even though it is up to readers to imagine what the characters actually look like) I think the model has a really nice natural look, which reflects the main character, Jemima (Jet) Kincaid really well.

Author Talk: Thursday 15 August

I can’t wait to join the delightful duo Cassie Hamer and Joanna Nell for an author event on Thursday 15 August from 6.00 - 8pm at Manly Art Gallery and Museum. It’s a brilliant venue right opposite the beach, and we’d love to see you there.

Cassie’s debut novel, After The Party, was published by HQ (HarperCollins) earlier this year to critical acclaim. Joanna’s first novel, the bestselling The Single Ladies of Jacaranda Retirement Village, was published by Hachette last year, and her newest release, The Last Voyage of Mrs Henry Parker, will be released in September. Cassie is a journalist, Joanna a medical doctor, and my background is in law, and we’re planning a lighthearted chat about change - the chaos, camaraderie and challenges of embarking on a career in creativity. Click on the link below if you’d like to come along. We hope to see you in Manly!

Here is the link: Manly Author event.

Up on Horseshoe Hill cover reveal coming soon!

Photo credit Paolo Nicolello

A new cover is always an exciting time. And much as I love the pony hiding behind the forelock, I can’t wait to launch Up On Horseshoe Hill into the world. Especially because early links for the book are coming out on bookseller sites and in other places in cyberspace, and the blank page with ‘cover coming soon’ is starting to annoy me!

Creating a cover is a complex business in publishing, and I pretty much rely on my lovely publisher to come up with their concept. Yes I always have a few ideas - my novel’s covers have all portrayed a woman facing the camera, so I like the age and colouring to be right, much as readers will put their own spins on those things - but the rest I am very happy to leave to the creative minds at HarperCollins! I know this cover will be ‘rural’ in terms of the backdrop, and I am very happy with that. Will Jet be wearing a hat or not? I’ll have to wait and see.

All will be revealed very soon, in anticipation of the late November release of Up On Horseshoe Hill!