Madeleine D'Este's Blog, page 18

Why I struggle with Halloween

I love the dark stuff. I love ghost and witches, vampires and werewolves, folk horror, the supernatural and everything spooky in between. I was a goth for gawd’s sake, brought up on a healthy diet of the Cure, Twin Peaks and black eyeliner in a place known for it’s own brand of gothic literature.

And yet, I have real troubles with Halloween as a celebration.

Maybe it’s cos I’m Australian.

As a child, Halloween was always this American thing, really Sesame Street. No one did trick or treating...

Free iBooks giveaway – Evangeline and the Alchemist

Who likes free stuff? Who likes iBooks?

I’ve been getting into the convenience of reading ebooks through my phone with iBooks and guess what – I’ve got 25 coupons for free copies of Evangeline and the Alchemist to give away.

Check outthe reviews on Goodreads if you’re undecided.

Just fill out the form below and meet Evangeline for free Free iBook coupon for Evangeline & the Alchemist

Enter your email address to receive one of 25 free iBook coupons for Evangeline and the Alchemist

Email A...

Evangeline is available everywhere

The Antics of Evangeline episodes one and two are now available on Nook, iBooks, Kobo and more. As well as Amazon, of course.

You can now read Evangeline on your favourite devices through your favourite e-book retailer. For more information, see the links below.

Evangeline and the Alchemist Evangeline and the Bunyip

I hope you enjoy Evangeline, like these people here.

What book are you most grateful for?

I think I’ve established here, I’m a bit of a new age-y personal development type (in amongst the love of horror movies and heartless disdain for anything romantic).

As part of my routine, I keep a gratitude journal beside my bed and at the end of each day, I write down five things I’m grateful for. Sometimes the five things are puerile and short (coffee seems to feature often), other days they are fundamental and deep (being safe and empowered to make my own decisions in life).

I stumbled a...

My novel writing process is like making a fancy layer cake

I’m in the process of writing my umpteenth novel (I’ve no idea how many exist on dead computers or in notebooks probably recycled into toilet paper) but I’m still learning what my process is. I’ve decided my process is like making a real fancy layer cake.

Warning – this blog post is going get a bit hippy-dippy. You have been warned.

I can be a force of nature when I put my mind to something. Get out of my way, people. I can make anything happen through sheer will power and hard work. Until I...

Evangeline and the Alchemist on Kindle Unlimited until 14th September

If you’re a Kindle Unlimited subscriber, you have until the 14th September to read Evangeline and the Alchemist for free.

Due to restrictions with the Amazon program, I’ve decided to distribute The Antics of Evangeline series to a wider group of platforms e.g. iBooks, Kobo, Barnes and Noble. This means I can’t enrol Evangeline in Kindle Unlimited.

Get Evangeline while she’s free.

Last chance. Going… Going…

Great sci-fi holiday reads – High Castle and Temp Job of Doom

I’ve been spending some quality time by a pool with books attached to my face. I started many, finished a few and really enjoyed two.

Here are my highlight holiday reads. Quite different but both sci-fi.

Let’s start with a classic.

The Man in the High Castle – Philip K Dick

Some hotels have libraries. Generally, there are a few beaten-up paperbacks, mainly in the languages I don’t speak (in this instance German and Dutch) and there’s usually the Da Vinci Code there. But in this instance, hidi...

Evangeline and the Bunyip – out now

I’m thrilled to announce the launch of Evangeline and the Bunyip – available now on Amazon as an ebook.

Evangeline is back with another adventure with Balls, Bunyips and blancmange.

In 1882, Melbourne is under threat from a fearsome Bunyip and The Argus announces a reward for the capture of the beast. But Evangeline is not afraid, this is a perfect chance for Evangeline to test out her new monster catching device and save the day. With help from her best friend, Mei, and plenty of raspberry t...

Evangeline and the Bunyip – cover reveal

Now, here’s the cover for the next novella episode of The Antics of Evangeline, Evangeline and the Bunyip.

Evangeline is back with another adventure with Balls, Bunyips and blancmange.

In 1882, Melbourne is under threat from a fearsome Bunyip and The Argus announces a reward for the capture of the beast. But Evangeline is not afraid, this is a perfect chance for Evangeline to test out her new monster catching device and save the day. With help from her best friend, Mei, and plenty of raspberr...

Evangeline and the Bunyip – sneak peek at page 1

Evangeline and the Bunyip is due out any day now and I can’t wait to show you the cover.

But in the meantime, here’s a sneak peek at page 1.

Enjoy.

Evangeline and the Bunyip

Chapter 1

“And another thing, Evangeline. You mustn’t eat too much. There’ll be ample food and I know you have a… healthy… appetite,” Uncle Augie said.

Evangeline glanced at the buttery shortbread in her hand. What could Uncle Augie possibly mean? It was only her third.

“It’s rather unseemly for a lady to eat heartily in...