Posted on 8 Comments

#WriteRoundOz w/ Kayte Nunn (giveaway)

Rose's Vintage Kayte NunnAs I travel around this beautiful country in my caravan, I sometimes get to ‘go home’. I’m heading to my childhood to see…Kayte Nunn on Sydney’s breezy northern beaches.

Kayte NummThank you for letting my park my rig on your… 

Front lawn.

What’s that I see written on your ‘welcome mat’? 

Did you bring the wine?

(You never have to ask!)

Now…

 

 

Downsizing my life into a 24 ft caravan meant leaving lots of things behind in boxes. What (or who!!) would you have trouble leaving behind if you took off in a caravan?

My (admittedly dwindling) wine collection. My KitchenAid Stand Mixer (well, in my dreams I have one. The reality is a battered hand mixer, but it still turns out great cakes).

Whose home would you like to visit in your caravan and why?

I’d park it outside Eddie Redmayne’s house just for the pleasure of seeing his beautiful cheekbones every day. Alternatively, I’d park it outside John Denver’s ranch (yes, I know he’s dead but I bet he lives on a ranch in heaven), and ask him to sing Annie’s Song to me.

Do you REALLY have room at your house to park a fifth wheeler caravan and do you mind visitors? (Oh, sorry, you don’t have to answer that one!!) 

Country curiosities…

My latest novel, Season of Shadow and Light, has a strong horse theme. (I love what horses can teach us). If you were an animal what would you be?

A giraffe. They are so tall they can reach the highest branches, they have gorgeous long eyelashes and move with a lanky elegance (quite the opposite of me!).

You’re cooking and your food going up against the best cooks from the CWA (Country Women’s Association). What would be your winning dish?

Cake. Cake and more cake. I love to bake. I’ve just got a batch of caramel date cupcakes out of the oven, actually. Procrasti-baking is what I do best when I am supposed to be writing.

About you…

What is the hardest part of writing for you?

Sitting down at the computer – see procrasti-baking, above.

If someone was to write your biography, what do you think the title should be?

Because all the recent bestsellers have the word ‘the girl’ in them (The Girl on the Train, Gone Girl, the Girl in the Red Coat): The Girl Who Loved Cake (and wine).

Favourite four…

Favourite place in Australia: Whitehaven beach. I have been there twice and always come away wishing I had more time there.

Favourite holiday destination: Anywhere where the sun is shining and there’s blue water or plenty of powder snow.

Favourite movie: Before Sunrise.

Favourite quote: ‘Your playing small doesn’t serve the world. There is nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won’t feel insecure around you… And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same.’  ~  Marianne Williamson

If I said to you, “Just entertain me for five minutes, I’m not going to talk,” what would you do?

I’d read poetry to you – the First World War poets probably, Edward Thomas, Siegfried Sassoon, Rupert Brooke…

Time for… Fact or fiction. (Giveaway)

Kayte, you’re a fiction writer. How about you tell us a secret and we’ll guess if it’s true or not. Every comment goes into the draw.

Okay, folks, to go into the draw to win a print copy of Rose’s Vintage* take a stab – fact or fiction?

“The heroine, Rose, in Rose’s Vintage is really me.”

(* Aust postal addies only – sorry o/s folk.)

Connect with Kayte:

Website: www.kaytenunn.com

Posted on 4 Comments

Author, Sara Foster, writes a letter to her 30 y.o. self

A LETTER TO MYSELF BANNERDear Sara,

Happy 30th birthday from your 40-year-old self. Everything is so new at the moment: you are newly married, still fairly new to living in Perth, in a new house, with new freelance editing contracts for Australian publishers rather than UK publishers. I’m happy to tell you that all those decisions will be great ones, lucky you! Therefore, I wish I could spare you the anxiety of worrying about everything, but then that’s just part of who you are! It can never be said that you make a decision without thinking it through (sometimes tying your mind into knots)!

Life is looking good, but the next ten years will be beyond anything you can dream of right now. You haven’t even finished your first book yet, and you’re not convinced you can do it, but soon you’ll have finished not one but two books, and in the next decade you’ll finish – and publish – FOUR! Not only that but two little girls will come along and turn your life upside down and create merry chaos but will bring unimaginable riches and purpose into your life. In fact, it’s very hard to think back beyond their existence, because your mind is still slightly blurred by six years of uneven sleep and the many demands of a young family.

You are capable of so much more than you think you are right now. But I’m glad I can’t go back and tell you, because I can see that it’s been really important for you to discover this a little bit at a time. In the process you have taught yourself a lot about who you are, and what you can and can’t deal with. Which is much more valuable than someone else telling you – even an older version of yourself.

Finally, when you get on a boat with Germaine Greer, don’t try to talk to her about sea eagles – it’s just not worth it. 🙂

Love,

40-Year-Old You!

all_that_is_lost_COVER-2-page-001Sara Foster Image 1 (2016) ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Sara Foster is the bestselling author of four novels, All That is Lost Between Us, Shallow Breath, Beneath the Shadows and Come Back to Me. She lives in Perth, WA, with her husband and two young daughters. To find out more visit

www.sarafoster.com.au or

www.facebook.com/sarafosterauthor

BUY All That Is Between Us now by clicking on the links: Amazon eBook  OR  a PRINT copy from Booktopia

HAPPY FOURTH BOOK, Sara.

Now, did you know…?

My fourth novel opens with a character writing a letter, which is what prompted this blog series. And not just any letter. It’s a story –perhaps the most important he’ll ever tell.

The Other Side of the SeasonReady for a sea change

Everything has a reflection…

And there’s another side to every story.

Life is simple on top of the mountain for David, Matthew and Tilly until the winter of 1979 when tragedy strikes, starting a chain reaction that will ruin lives for years to come. Those who can, escape the Greenhill banana plantation on the outskirts of Coffs Harbour. One stays—trapped for the next thirty years on the mountain and haunted by memories and lost dreams. That is until the arrival of a curious young woman, named Sidney, whose love of family shows everyone the truth can heal, what’s wrong can be righted, the lost can be found, and…

. . . there’s another side to every story.

PRE-ORDER your copy now from Amazon, KoboiTunes, or

Booktopia

 

Posted on 11 Comments

#WriteRoundOZ w/ Susanne Bellamy

2011 - headshots HOTO_HH_rszAt home with… Susanne Bellamy 

Welcome to my home, Jenn!

Hi Susanne, thank you for letting me park my rig on your…ahh…

Home on the range?!  (Yes, I guess you are right up there. I remember the spectacular, although very misty, morning view. But I will NOT be parking in your driveway!)

 

What’s that I see written on your ‘welcome mat’?

Come in for wine and good conversation.

 

Downsizing my life into a 24 ft caravan meant leaving lots of things behind in boxes. What (or who!!) would you have trouble leaving behind if you took off in a caravan?

Hubby and a supply of books and notebooks (or laptop and charger!). And a stash of salt and vinegar chips.

Whose home would you like to visit in your caravan and why? 

Shirley Wine – she lives in a stunningly beautiful part of New Zealand that I want to explore. Of course, my caravan will be able to fly across the Pacific Ocean, carried beneath a hundred colourful hot air balloons.

(Of course. I, too, have done this! Have some more wine…)

 

Country curiosities…

My latest novel, Season of Shadow and Light, has a strong horse theme. (I love what horses can teach us). If you were an animal what would you be?

An eagle. I’d love to have that view of the world. My husband gave me a hot air balloon flight for my last birthday and I’m looking forward to taking it in a couple of weeks!

You’re cooking and your food going up against the best cooks from the CWA (Country Women’s Association). What would be your winning dish?

Main meal: Lasagne

Dessert: Pears poached in red wine

About you…

What is the hardest part of writing for you?

Planning! I start with a broad outline but as I get to know my characters, they shanghai my plans. Followed by the title. My husband came up with ‘Heartbreak Homestead’!

If someone was to write your biography, what do you think the title should be?

Give a Woman Half a Chance and a Single Malt and Stand Out of Her Way.

You’re a fiction writer. Tell us a secret (any secret – about you, your books, etc) and we’ll guess if it’s true or not.

I featured as a dancer in a television special when colour TV burst onto our screens in the 70s.

Favourite four…

Favourite place in Australia: Aside from home? Melbourne

Favourite holiday destination: Italy, especially if I can return to Amalfi and Sicily.

Favourite movie: Casablanca

Favourite quote: “We’ll always have Paris.” (Of course!)

If I said to you, “Just entertain me for five minutes, I’m not going to talk,” what would you do?

I know you love dogs so I’d bring Freya (our German Shepherd) in and show you her tricks. (Yay! Perfect.)

Time for… Fact or fiction?

You’re a fiction writer. Spin us a yarn and we’ll guess if it’s true or not.

Did Susanne feature as a dancer in a television special when colour TV burst onto our screens in the 70s?

True or fiction, folks? 

About Heartbreak Homestead – out 1 March 2016

After her brother’s death, the last thing Lizzy Wilmot wants to do is to return to her family’s property but Alex Carter, his former business partner, needs her help to locate some missing files. Alex doesn’t trust Lizzy and the feeling is mutual but when they find themselves back at the homestead in the midst of a bitter custody battle for Lizzy’s baby nephew, sparks begin to fly.

Who is trying to harm Lizzy?

Can they both learn that trust will overcome heartbreak?

Heartbreak Homestead (Hearts of the Outback Book 2) eBook

GIVEAWAY CLOSED: Laura wins an ebook copy of Just One Kiss (Hearts of the Outback Book 1) eBook Just tell us:

Want to know more or connect? You can find Susanne at the following:

  1. Facebook https://www.facebook.com/susanne.bellamy.7
  2. Twitter https://twitter.com/SusanneBellamy
  3. Website http://www.susannebellamy.com/
  4. Pinterest http://www.pinterest.com/susannebellamy/
  5. Goodreads https://www.goodreads.com/author/list/6869630.Susanne_Bellamy