Kendall Talbot's Blog, page 2

Shipwrecked in Brazil. Writing inspiration.

My oldest son spent most of 2013 in Brazil as an exchange student. So of course I had to go over and visit.  It was a mammoth effort to get there from Brisbane, 5 flights and some 35 hours in transit. Jordan was living at Florianopolis on Santa Catarina Island which is about 700km’s south of Sao Paulo.
The island is 90km long and approximately 18km wide with more than 100km of coastline and 42 beaches. There are beaches to suit everyone. Joaquina, has perfect waves for surfers and a magnificent sand dune for anyone willing to get sand in their shorts while whizzing down at a cracking pace on a board.  We had a lovely seafood lunch while sitting with our toes in the sand and watching the boys hit the waves and play tennis on the beach.
One of my favourite beaches we went to in Florianopolis was Naufragados beach. How the beach got its name is self-explanatory. Naufragodo translates to ship wrecked in Portuguese. This beach is situated at the extreme southern end of Santa Catarina Island and is difficult to get to by any means. We followed a trail, approximately 3kms long that cuts across Atlantic rainforest. The hike was steep and slippery but after about an hour we stepped onto one of the most secluded and beautiful beaches in Brazil. The beach is part of a nature reserve and is famous for its rough seas and excellent surfing conditions.
It was cold when we finally stepped onto the sand. From the beach there is a wonderful view over to Aracatuba Island, where the fortress Nossa Senhora da Conceicao is located.

You can only visit this fortress when the sea is calm though.
What fascinated me most about this beach is its history. Many ships have been wrecked here with impressive records from as far back as 1516. One of the most notable accounts details the demise of 21 sailors under chief navy pilot and Spanish explorer of Buenos Aires, Juan Dias de Solis.
Map similar to that used by Juan Diaz de Solis in 1515. The men were left on the island after they shipwrecked one of the vessels and there wasn’t enough room on the other ships to carry them all. Imagine what they were thinking as they watched their only link to civilisation sail away. Apparently though, the men were reported to have lived on this very beach for a further 40 years. In fact we were told some of the occupants of the beach today, living high up in seclusion, in the dense vegetation overlooking the incredible blue South Atlantic Ocean, were direct descendants of the castaways. Of course, I believe them.

Another fascinating curiosity, is the record of the Azoreans who were brought to South Brazil to colonize Porto Alegre, but stayed on Santa Catarina Island for 3 years for adaptation reasons. But when they finally departed, the ship sank off the shores of Naufragados beach, killing all 241 people on board.
It’s stories like these that capture my imagination and reinforce my love of history. So much so that this very spot ignited the spark for a couple of plot themes in my upcoming series.

Treasured Secrets, the first ebook in my
action adventure series is available to pre-order now.

Some secrets should remain hidden forever.
Treasured Secrets - Click here to find out more. Register for my newsletter and receive a FREE eBook copy of Rosalina's Treasured Treats. A cookbook containing all the meals Rosalina makes in Treasured Secrets and book two in the series Treasured Lies.

Christmas Island where magic happens...

Christmas Island is barely a dot on a map North-West of Perth, Western Australia. 63% of the island is designated National Park and its nearly overflowing with complex flora and fauna unique to this island. The island has only been inhabited since 1888 so that makes Christmas Island one of the youngest communities in the world.
In 1957 the island was a guinea pig for nuclear testing. Operation Grapple X detonated atomic bombs over the island, approximately one kilometer above the ground. Several thousand servicemen stationed there were offered no protection from the blast and in fact were free to move around the island. The bomb dropped on this extraordinary island was over 1000 times more powerful than the ones dropped on Japan in 1945.  Christmas Island today shows little evidence of this sordid past.

In fact it’s the opposite. The entire island is a wildlife sanctuary excellent for bird watching, nature lovers, anglers and scuba divers.

There is so much to explore both above and beneath the water, but in 2010, I went there specifically for the scuba diving. Although I love my diving, I get sea sick. To combat this I go in search of diving that doesn’t require a big boat trip to get to the dive sites. Christmas Island was the perfect choice. The island is actually the tip of an ancient volcano that rises about 5 miles up from the ocean floor. So literally metres from the shoreline, divers can explore the drop-off that plunges dramatically into the abyss.

On our second day of diving, I experienced one of the most magical moments of my life.

With my husband as my dive buddy, we dropped into the water and gradually cruised down Perpendicular Wall, which is exactly what it is. This dive site is a fathomless vertical wall bustling with enormous coral fans, hundreds of colourful tropical fish of all shapes and sizes, eels that dart out and disappear just as quickly, and of course sharks, turtles and stingrays.
About 40 minutes into our dive, my hubby indicated he was nearly at his air limit. He’s what’s known as an air pig - in that he consumes his air way too quickly. I was a tad annoyed about this as I had at least another 20 minutes of air time remaining. But as every good dive buddy knows, you stick with your partner. So together we gradually floated toward the surface.

This is when the magic happened.
At our decompression stop, a four metre long whale shark came over to check us out. Whale sharks are the largest known fish species and can grow up to 12 metres long and weight as much as 21 tons. They have very large mouths but thankfully for us, they are filter feeders and mainly eat plankton.
I thought this 'baby' whale shark was going to eat me. Dean and I were so lucky, because not only did this friendly fish cruise around us for a good twenty minutes or so, but as the rest of our dive party were below us, nearly every picture they took of the whale shark had us in it. It was a special moment for everyone. At one point the whale shark came so close to me, with its mouth wide open, that I thought he was going to swallow me whole. Just the surge in the water as it passed was enough to feel it’s immense size.

I feel completely blessed to have experienced this rare, close encounter with a gentle giant of the sea.
Thank you for reading, I hope you enjoyed one of my travel experiences that influenced a scene in my upcoming book Treasured Secrets.

You can check out a few more of my travel blogs, HERE.
Some secrets should remain hidden forever.

Treasured Secrets the first book in an adrenaline fuelled new series with sexy sassy characters, exotic locations and action-packed adventure is available for pre-order now. You can learn more about it here. Register for my newsletter and receive a FREE eBook copy of Rosalina's Treasured Treats cookbook.

Our big family adventure

As we live in sunny Queensland Australia it was a wonderful diverse experience to spend a Christmas in the snow. In 2007 I took my family to Big White, a ski resort situated approximately 50km’s from Kelowna or 450km east of Vancouver Canada. We rented someone’s cute holiday ski chalet with a fireplace and hot tub.
It was delightful at the end of each day to sit in our hot tub and listen to the snow sizzle as it hit our bubbling hot water. Snow would land on our noses and in our hot chocolate or champagne as we allowed the therapeutic bubbles to relax our overworked ski legs. Big White Mountain is 2319 metres high and offers a vertical drop of 777m. With 16 lifts and an annual snow fall of 750cm, this mountain has some seriously good skiing. Exactly why I took my family there.
Big White has 118 designated trails and a number of unnamed trails. Thankfully for us nearly 20% of the trails are for beginners, although my kids progressed from that pretty quickly. More than 50% of the mountain is for intermediate skiers. One of our favourite ski runs was a green ski run that started with a 10 minute chairlift ride. By the time we reached the top we were freezing and couldn’t wait to get moving again. By day two we had to purchase balaclavas for the boys just to keep them warm on the ski lift. Anyway, once we jumped off this chair lift, and not always gracefully I’ll tell you, we started down one of the longest ski runs I’ve ever experienced. It was a winter wonderland with fabulous fluffy powdery snow. We skied through avenues of ‘snow ghosts’ which are giant snow blasted trees that become an intriguing canvas of shapes. The boys managed to find every jump possible on the way down some of them were through the trees. Near the end of the run, we’d ski right up to our chalet door for a quick hot chocolate and rest. Then we’d step out the door and ski down to the chair lift to do it all again. It was a fabulous way to spend Christmas.
(Click here for  a copy of my yummy Hot Chocolate Recipe). While we were there we also did a snow mobile tour. Acquired dozens of bruises while bob sledding. Had a family ice hockey tournament. Screamed our lungs out on the mega tubing rides and topped it all off with Christmas carols and fireworks.

Thank you for reading. I hope you enjoyed another one of my travel experiences. 
I write books that reflect my life experiences.

Treasured Secrets - Some secrets should remain hidden forever.

Available to pre-order now


Treasured Secrets is the beginning of an adrenalin fuelled new series with sexy sassy characters, exotic locations and breathless adventure.
Register for my newsletter and receive a FREE eBook: Rosalina's Treasured Treats Cookbook It's also the perfect way to keep up to date with my latest and upcoming releases. You will also recieve exclusive sneak peaks and opportunities to win books and other fabulous prizes.

I'd love to keep in touch with you, so what are you waiting for? This cookbook is a collection of all the tasty recipes prepared by Rosalina in Kendall Talbots Treasured Secrets and Treasured Lies

An ancient quest, an intriguing story...

Honors Debt
On a quest to make amends for a long ago indiscretion, Honor unexpectedly discovers the one thing she's been missing in her life.

Have you ever wanted to investigate your family origins? Noelle Clark has.
As an Australian author of contemporary romance and historical novels Noelle has travelled the world searching for great stories. In the process of exploring a situation where members of one family meet for the first time having been separated for several generations, she began to think about her own Irish roots.
Hi Noelle, can you tell me what started this journey?
When I was in Ireland a few years ago, I visited the village where the remnants of my Irish ancestors live. The emotions and questions that ran through my mind became the catalyst for writing my latest story.
I imagine it's can be both exciting and daunting meeting distant relatives. Where you looking for anything in particular?
I wanted to know if my cousins in Ireland were like me in any way? I was curious about how would they react if I knocked on their door? Then I wondered if they even knew I existed.
I believe what you discovered inspired your new Robinhill Farm Series. 
That's true. My fictional family have been separated by distance, and by an incident that happened long ago and split the two branches apart forever. Well, until now of course. That’s where Honor’s Debt starts.
Ireland is a perfect location for this type of story. I’ve explored much of the Emerald Isle, witnessed the amazing scenery, and enjoyed the craic. I love the Irish people and have tried very hard to imbue my characters with the warmth, humour, and passion that I see in the Irish.
Honor Quirk arrives in Ireland excited—and a bit anxious—about meeting up with the estranged family of her late great-grandmother. The welcome from the residents of Robinhill Farm, Dermot and Bryan, is confusing and far from comforting. One is warm, the other aggressive. The outwardly antagonistic Bryan makes it very clear he doesn't want her there, branding her a gold digger.

Dermot, on the other hand, is delighted to meet her. But Honor is no pushover and stands up to Bryan, letting him know that his bad attitude and trail of baggage have nothing to do with her. Despite their confrontational and hostile relationship, an undeniable attraction to each other creeps insidiously into the house on Robinhill Farm. They both desperately try to stifle the sparks, but living under the same roof makes it impossible. Unable to cope with the turmoil of living with Bryan, Honor runs away, straight into the arms of a charming newfound friend, Sean, who offers her a home—and love.

Shattered, Bryan finally takes control of his irrational belief that all women are evil, and fights to bring back the woman he loves. But is it too late?

Thank you so much for sharing your journey with me Noelle. Honor's Debt is available now at these etailers:

Secret Cravings Publishing
Amazon
Barnes & Noble
Kobo

Hearts Talk Interview

Romance Writers Australia hit me with a couple of questions for their Hearts Talk Magazine.

How did you feel about winning a Ruby with your DEBUT novel? Not a bad effort! 

Just being a finalist in this incredible award was amazing. I’d completely convinced myself that it wasn’t possible that I could also win, hence my out of control speech. To win with my debut novel is extraordinary, especially as my hero is very unconventional. But it goes to show how much romance is changing. I feel like the luckiest girl in the world. 
What do you think it was about that book, which resonated with readers? 
 With a survival theme, fabulous Australian setting, secrets, grief, adventure, and of course a happy ending, what more could a reader want? But this story isn’t just a wild ride with unconventional characters… I hope it also makes readers think about how we need to live our lives to the fullest and to be true to ourselves. I think readers love my action adventure style of writing, my hidden messages about accepting who we are, and if they love my characters as much as I do, then they too truly believe in love. Sometimes crashing down to earth is exactly what we need.

Some say ‘romantic suspense’ is a hard sell in Australia. What would you say to that? 
Romantic Suspense may be a hard sell, but to be truly passionate about their work an author should only write what they believe in and not be swayed by market trends. Besides, I’d say Romantic Suspense is only just hitting its straps. Romance always ends in a happy ever after, so why not make the journey there an exciting one. My publisher called my debut novel Lost in Kakadu - meaty, challenging, and risky. This is a perfect description of how I like to write. I don't censor when it comes to crunch time, so some of my characters go to hell and back. When I develop my characters, I need to understand what makes them who they are and rationalise the way they behave too. But most of all, I want my readers to be sorry to say goodbye to them at the end of the story. Romantic Suspense is a thrilling ride for both author and reader alike. 
Tell us about some of the crazy research you did for Lost in Kakadu! 

I did many crazy things while researching this book. I hiked in our sweltering Australian bush until my blisters almost needed their own postcode. I ate witchetty grubs that I dug from my garden, not only so I could describe their weird texture and nutty flavour but also so I could see what they did when I tossed them onto a hot pan. I made slingshots with my bras and actually hit the target a few times. I sat in the bush in the pouring rain and smelt the damp leaves, listened to the raindrops filtering through the foliage and tasted tree sap straight off the bark. Eating snails for research  I also experimented with baked beans, flour, coffee and sugar until my family complained I was torturing them. You’ll have to read the book to understand why. I did many other things that had my family assessing my sanity. But it was all worth it.

When and why did the travel bug bite? Ever had any nail-biting travel experiences you weren’t sure you’d get out of? 
Chamonix France 1989 - beautiful My father died in a car accident when I was only 4 years old, yet it’s had a profound effect on the way I live my life. I believe in experiencing life, not just living it. Travel and adventure are my drugs of choice. So far I’ve explored 36 countries and I always have a holiday on the horizon. I’m an adventure junkie. I love hiking, scuba diving, white water rafting, snow skiing, hang gliding and basically anything that makes me scream.    In 1989, while travelling with my husband and friends, we stayed in a postcard-perfect snow covered ski resort in France called Chamonix. We were young, naïve and invincible and barely spoke a word of French. Although we’d never seen snow before this trip, after just 4 days skiing we decided to try a black run. Like I said, naïve and yes, stupid. 

We scooted over the edge but it quickly became apparent we’d made a very bad decision. At this point we were laughing about how foolish we were. But with our skis, poles and enormous heavy boots, we found it impossible to climb back up the slope. We decided going down would be easier, after all how far could it be, right?
It was a very, very long way. And after what seemed like an eternity of literally sliding down the snow on our bottoms, we still couldn’t see the end. We couldn’t abandon our equipment because we needed them to haul us back up the slope. As quick as a gear change, a storm rolled in and we could tell by the aggressive hand signals and rapid fire words from other skiers we needed to get out of there ASAP. In a matter of minutes we couldn’t see a metre in front of us. We huddled close together. Kicking up the powder in NZ I was terrified, exhausted, on the verge of tears and stinging blisters made it excruciating to move my feet. By the time we made it to the turnstile the blizzard was firing bullets of snow and visibility was nil. We had one shot at this. The idea was to grab onto a plate sized round disc that’s whizzing around the turnstile at a million miles an hour, quickly put it between my legs and hang on as it dragged me back up the mountain on my skis. In the previous 4 days we’d all fallen off similar devices numerous times. This was it. If we didn’t hang on, we’d have to ride out the storm right there. I remember my fingers screaming at me as I strangled that braided metal rope all the way up. As soon as the four of us made it to the top, they shut down the lift and, with a barrage of enraged French words, they marched us to the resort. It was bloody scary, but I learnt my lesson. I only ski the green slopes now.

How is it that you can be both good at numbers and words, as a bookkeeper by day and author by night? It doesn’t seem fair!Math does come easy to me, English doesn’t. So when I scribbled ‘ on my bucket list, it was my idea for improving my spelling, grammar and vocabulary. I never imagined how much those three little words would change my life.

So to answer your question, yes math comes easy to me, but it’s just plain boring. Words are a challenge, one that I absolutely love. Finding the perfect word is like a puzzle, so maybe my mathematical brain helps after all.

What’s next for Kendall Talbot?   2015 is promising to be a huge year for me. I’ve sold my Action Adventure series to Escape Publishing. Treasured Secrets is due for release April 2015 and Treasured Destiny in October 2015. I have also sold my first Crime novel to Harlequin Mira and my print book Double Take will be released June 2015. This is also the first book in a planned series. Exciting, fun times ahead. You can read more about Double Take - the first book in my crime series - HERE
You can read more about Treasured Secrets - the first book in my romantic suspense series - HERE

Picture Perfect

I'm delighted to announce a new release from one of my very talented writing buddies: Nikki Dee Houston. As I've dabbled in art and drawing often, reading this story as it developed has been a wonderful journey for me as much as Nikki. I'm sure you'll enjoy this artistic romp. Chelsea is lonely, loveless, and horny as hell since her boyfriend dumped her.

Her good friend from the office, Troy, suggests she take up art classes in the hope of meeting a nice guy. He knows what she needs, and he doesn’t want to spoil their friendship by having to do it himself.

Stuart, the male nude model at life drawing classes has the perfect body. Chelsea can barely contain her desire as she studies his smooth, waxed, muscle-toned physique and then attempts to commit it to canvas. She acquaints herself with every gorgeous inch of his body, and although her skills as an artist fall a bit short, the vision of Stuart’s torso is wonderful fodder for her nocturnal fantasies. She feeds sumptuously, sating her ravishing hunger, quelling her desires. But it’s not enough. She needs more. She needs the real thing, not just her fantasies. I don't know about you, but I'm sure I couldn't draw a sexy naked man without blushing.  This book is fun. Hot sexy fun. Loved it. Contact Nikki

www.nikkideehouston.com

https://www.facebook.com/NikkiDeeHouston84

@NikkiDeeHouston Here' were you can buy Picture Perfect:
EtopiaPress
Amazon
Amazon.uk
Amazon.au
Amazon.ca
Amazon.de
Barnes and Noble Kobo

Here's a sneak peak The sound of charcoal rasping across paper in long flurries of aquiline strokes, brought her back to the head space where she should, by now, have at least drawn the rough outline of Peter’s body. Instead, she glanced down at her blank page. She gripped the charcoal and touched it to the paper. Snap! The crack of the broken stick echoed in the quiet studio. Now flustered, she took up another stick, drew a deep breath, and began to draw.

With effort, she calmed down, allowing the image on the page to emerge. Graceful, flowing lines merged with delicate curves. Using her finger, she smudged the shading until the muscles took on the appearance of flesh and blood. The elegant arch of his calves came to life as she skillfully guided the tip of the charcoal along the paper. Powerful shoulders materialized, the perfectly drawn muscles showing beauty and smoothness of form.

Bio

Nikki Dee Houston is a businesswoman by day, an erotic romance writer by night, and a lover all the time. She lives in an idyllic location in a modest beach shack near the sea.

Nikki loves to write Erotic Fiction - the ‘behind closed doors’ stuff, where the readers can really get involved with the characters in an intimate way. 

She believes that a good Erotic Romance story must have a strong romantic element, engaging characters, an interesting storyline, and some sizzling hot, steamy sex scenes. Nikki never underestimates the expectations of erotic romance readers and ensures she delivers on all counts.

Never in my wildest dreams

Write a Book.
That’s what I wrote on my bucket list. I never imagined how much those three words would change my life. My initial motivation was simple. Unlike the fabulous Cherry Adair, numbers are my friend. English was not. So I thought the best way to improve my spelling, grammar and vocabulary would be to write a story I'm really bad at guitar. Every birthday and Christmas my husband shakes out my bucket list for inspiration. One year he helped me tick off ‘Learn a musical instrument’. He gave me a beautiful guitar and paid for lessons. But to be honest I’m really crap at it.  

The following year, he scoured my list again and at number 69 - I kid you not - is ‘Write a Book’. So hubby purchased the Year of the Novel Course at the Queensland Writers Centre. During this course, I wrote Lost In Kakadu and it literally changed my life.
But writing it was the easy part. Editing that shitty manuscript took eight years of hard slog. I followed up that first course with several more. Then I hired an editor who also offered mentoring and boy did she have her work cut out for her. I learnt about POV’s and cliché’s, first person and third person perspectives. I learnt syntax, synonyms, sentence structure and just about everything else in between. I wrote short stories, drafted two more manuscripts and learnt the joys of character arcs. I worked hard, did my homework, read the prescribed reading, experimented and practiced. Then practiced some more. At the Romance Writers Conference, James Scott Bell said that you CAN learn to write - I know exactly what he means. My poor editor nearly gave up on me many times. But now, with my beautiful R*BY trophy glistening with inner glow on my kitchen windowsill she admits the tears were all worth it.
Without my bucket list, I may never have discovered my passion for writing. 
By the way I had also written ‘Publish My Book’ and ‘Win The RuBY  Award’ on my bucket list. But never in my wildest dreams did I believe it would happen with my debut novel.  My rather unconventional speech...
It's not every day someone uses a Muppet's reference in their winning speech. I have no idea where that came from, but at least the crowd laughed. Thank you Romance Writers Australia for creating this truly amazing competition. Romantic Book of the Year 2014 Winner trophy - stunning The winning slide at the Romance Writers Conference I couldn't wait to tell my hubby of my win. He's the one who made it happen. My debut novel  Lost in Kakadu  -
A story of survival, grief, adventure and undying love is out now.

I am woman hear me ROAR.

I’ve climbed mountains. I’ve jumped off them too. I’ve ridden white water in a rubber raft flimsy enough that I carried it on my head. I’ve stood in front of a crowd of 300 and delivered a speech so powerful I could hear them gasp even in the back row. I’ve picked up spiders with my bare hands. I’ve changed dirty nappies after my son ate pineapple and I’ve even  ventured into a Walmart.
I am invincible. I have no phobias.  Well I thought I didn’t. But I’m about to experience something that may change that high and mighty pedestal I’ve ventured onto. This terrifying feat can’t be avoided any longer. Even if I had the entire Targaryen army to support me, it wouldn’t help. This is something I must do alone. This requires planning and protective clothing. This requires a good dose of tequila and bleach. Not together of course. This requires the full backing of my bravery. This is unavoidable.

Operation ‘Clean Under Teenage Son’s Bed’ is about to begin. If I’m off social media for a while you know why. If my hair is completely grey and I dribble the next time you see me, know this: I went in bravely and no amount of moldy socks or Tupperware containers performing their own petri dish experiment will beat this woman down. I am woman hear me rooooaaaarrrrr.

I’m going in…..

Who, When, Where and Why of Lost in Kakadu

This story isn't just a survival story... Tea Cooper hits me with four big questions.

Escape Artists are rocking the Romantic Book of The Year (R*BY Awards) nominations.  The finalists in the Romantic Elements category are: Under The Hood by Juanita Kees and  Lost In Kakadu by Kendall Talbot,  and in the Short Sweet category A Father At Last by Julie Mac. I caught up with Kendall Talbot to find about the Who, When, Where and Why of Lost in Kakadu – which, in case you haven’t read it yet, is a fantastic Aussie suspense.

 Tea Cooper In your wildest dreams WHO would play your characters when it’s made into a movie?
My Story is Australian so I’d love Australian actors to play my characters. Abigail, my leading lady has an incredible character arc. She begins as a rich pretentious bitch who is completely useless in the harsh wilderness she’s literally crashed into. But not only does she learn to live she develops into a strong passionate resourceful woman who can wield an axe and eat all manner of grubs in order to survive. She discovers who she is and develops a wicked sense of humour along the way. This simply has to be the gorgeous,  talented, Cate  Blanchett. My hero, Mackenzie, is sexy, dark haired, with eyes the colour of molten honey and has an Adonis body. Even before the crash his life was a rollercoaster of tragedy and triumph. But he’s a man who truly believes in love and isn’t afraid to show it. Eric Bana is the hunky man for this role.

If you know either Cate or Eric, don't forget to mention my book. Tell me WHEN you came up with the idea for your RUBY nominated book.
I love hiking in our great Australian bush. There’s nothing like the solitude, the earthy smells, the melodious birds and our abundance of beautiful and sometimes not so beautiful flora and fauna. I wrote this story during the Year of the Novel course at the Qld Writer Centre. But it wasn’t until I was hiking for 4 days in New Zealand’s Milford Track that the story truly came alive. During the hike we carried our own food, water, clothes, bedding etc. We walked in the sun and the rain. We tramped through crystal clear streams and climbed a mountain so high I was on top of the world.  During these 4 days I imagined being lost in the wild without any luxuries. Abigail is a woman who was so horrified about being in the bush, her heart would race just at the thought of it. But when the sun went down and complete blackness consumed her and the bugs came out, just the sound of rustling in the bushes would send her over the edge. Then to give her even more misery, I trapped her with a complete stranger, a man she would never even associate with back at home. Abigail hits breaking point, and then, only then does she truly discover who she really is.  Climbing Milford Track in New Zealand. I'm on top of the world. Tell my WHERE your story is
set.
The title that says it all: Lost in Kakadu. My characters really do get lost in Australia’s fabulous heritage listed Kakadu National Park.  It’s 20,000 kilometers of virgin Australian bush and it offers some of the most amazing scenery including
cascading waterfalls, ancient caves complete with Aboriginal paintings, great stone plateaus, crocodile infested wetlands and even a deserted mining town. Perfect. Simply perfect for a survival story. Tell my WHY you think your story is a RUBY finalist?

My life motto is: I’m grateful that I’m mortal, it motivates me. This story isn’t just a survival story, it’s about living every day as if it were your last. I think Australian readers love my action adventure style of writing, my hidden messages about accepting who we are, and if they love my characters as much as I do, then they too truly believe in love. Sometimes crashing down to earth is exactly what we need. I personally want to thank each and every one of my readers for believing in my story as much as I do.

Tea Cooper writes timeless romance from the ocean to the outback. http://www.teacooperauthor.com . LILY’S LEAP is now available for pre-order on amazon ,  itunes  &  kobo  and for reviewers on NetGalley. Release date July 1st, 2014 Escape Publishing
 

I'm in heaven

48 hours in a writing retreat, 6 writing buddies, 14 bottles of wine and 1 manuscript = a perfect weekend. No I didn’t drink all the wine myself I shared it with my fabulous YonBeyond writing group. This weekend we shared our second bi-annual weekend together in the secluded Tambourine Mountain Aaronlee retreat. 

For me, this weekend was a great opportunity to polish my Treasured Love manuscript. I recently came to a halt with this story. I knew there were problems with it but couldn’t quite pinpoint exactly what they were. I was too close to see what was wrong. Treasured Love had been through three rounds of edits and it wasn’t quite right. I knew I had a riveting plot but my characters simply didn’t jump from the page with the passion and authenticity I was after and I didn’t know why. So with the weekend retreat approaching and my manuscript at a frustrating standstill, I sought out specialist expertise in the form of a manuscript assessment by Word Witchery. I’m so glad I did. Anna Cleary not only pointed out the deficiencies in my characters, she also made very valuable suggestions on how I could fix them. With her honesty and insightfulness and a weekend dedicated to this manuscript it now has a new lease of life. I can finally see  Treasured Love reaching its full potential. It was a wonderful, fulfilling, leisurely weekend. We all set our own personal writing retreat goals. Whether it was writing, plotting or editing, all six of us succeeded and some of us exceeded our weekend goals.

Not only was it special to share the weekend with likeminded people who understand my crazy writing brain, we also shared lots of yummy wine, ate delicious cheese and other fabulous foods and celebrated my RUBY nomination with Moet champagne. So here’s cheers to my writing buddies. YonBeyond you are all fabulous talented authors and great fun.

I couldn’t have asked for a more productive writing retreat. L - R. Anthea, Matt, Tania, Me, Isabella