Natasha Lester's Blog

Name a Book From Childhood That Left its Mark on You

When I was ten years old, I borrowed Jane Eyre from the library. The book had one of those old-fashioned illustrated covers where Rochester looms large on his white horse and Jane is relegated to a small corner. I was a serious and bookish child and I thought it was important to read classic literature if I ever wanted to be a grown-up. And the deeper I got into this novel, the more grown-up I felt. A madwoman! An excitingly steely man! A gothic mansion! Passion, a concept I hadn’t understood un...

We Stopped For a Moment and We Raised a Glass (Or Two!)

Five authors gathered at my beach house for four days of bookish fun last week and we quickly realized that everyone’s outlook on writing, no matter that we all write in slightly different genres, could be summed up by what said one night: We don’t want to stuff it up by writing it.

Luckily it’s impossible to stuff up a writing retreat by actually having one. In fact, it’s the opposite. There was so much camaraderie and laughter, so many problems solved and wines drunk, so much support given an...

Hollywood News! New Book News! Book Cover News! So Much News!!

If you’re thinking I’ve been very quiet on social media over the past few weeks, you’d be right. It’s probably going to be that way for at least the rest of the month. I’m writing a new book, and I’ve said before that I find first drafts to be the hardest part of the writing process, which means it’s almost impossible to find any space in my brain for social media. But I’ll still be here on Substack posting 3 newsletters a month, I promise! I enjoy writing these much more than I enjoy feeding th...

Hot Jackets: Fashions in Book Covers

Book covers are one of the more mysterious aspects of the publishing business. In the mind of every author is an ideal cover for their story, and probably no author in the whole history of the world has ever had that cover delivered to them by their publisher. And that's probably a good thing!

Because often what we imagine, as authors, as a visual representation of our story is more about its heart and soul and less about the tangible cues that might lure in a reader when they see your book on a...

What I Tell Myself Every Time I Start Writing a New Book

A couple of weeks ago I sat down to start writing another book. Yes, that's right — I've only recently submitted the edited manuscript for THE CHATEAU ON SUNSET to my publisher, but I'm already starting to write something new. In an ideal world, I'd like a bit more of a break between finishing the edit of one book and starting another. But it's been a b…

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A Happy, Exhausted, and Grateful Author

As always it's been a busy couple of weeks since I last wrote to you. My book tour finished on a high with event at the gorgeous Gertrude and Alice Bookshop in Bondi. This was followed by a lunch at Bannisters by the Sea in Mollymook on the NSW south coast. And then they gave me a room to stay on for the weekend at Bannisters and to eat at the Rick Stein restaurant all weekend!! I know I'm a writer and words are my tools but I cannot honestly think of a word exuberantly appreciative enough to de...

The Future of Books; the Future of Writing

If you’re reading this newsletter, it’s safe to say that you love (or at least like) books. Which means you want writers to keep writing great books, unforgettable books—books that will stay with you for years to come. You might also be here because you’re a writer, which means that you want to keep writing the sort of books that people just want to hug because they love them so much.

Last newsletter I said that I’d just come back from the Historical Novel Society Conference in Las Vegas. At the...

Writers + Roman Baths = Blissful Writing Retreat!

My life since 23 June has been somewhat chaotic! I flew to the US on that day to do some book research in LA and to speak at the Historical Novel Society Conference in Las Vegas. I arrived back home on July 4, ready to start packing everything we own into boxes so we could move house on July 10. Since then, I feel like all I’ve been doing is unpacking boxes and assembling IKEA flatpacks!

But we’re in the new apartment now and most boxes are unpacked, so I’m ready to get back to a more normal sche...

A Sneak Peek At the Legendary Setting For My Next Book!

This post was meant to come out a week ago but most of you know I’ve been in the US speaking at the Historical Novel Society Conference in Vegas, which was crazy and amazing in equal measure. Before I went to Vegas though, I spent a little time in Los Angeles and was lucky enough to stay a couple of nights at the storied hotel that forms the backdrop for The Chateau On Sunset, my 2026 book. And it was amazing!

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A Chateau Marmont Vacation (Really!), and a Book Giveaway!

I don’t know where the last month went! Well, I do actually. It vanished in a series of final events for THE MADEMOISELLE ALLIANCE here in Perth, then I caught a virus and laid low for a couple of weeks. As well as that, I finished my structural edit for the 2026 book, THE CHATEAU ON SUNSET, found a rental for us to move to while we build our new house in beautiful Cottesloe, and started packing everything into boxes. We’ve also been hosting a 14 year old French exchange student since mid-May; r...