Theresa Smith's Blog, page 150

Quick Shots Book Review: Evergreen Falls by Kimberley Freeman

Evergreen Falls…
About:

A long-forgotten secret, a scandalous attraction and a place where two women’s lives are changed forever – Evergreen Falls is the captivating new novel from Kimberley Freeman.

1926: Violet Armstrong is one of the few remaining members of staff working at the grand Evergreen Spa Hotel as it closes down over winter. Only a handful of guests are left, including the heir to a rich grazing family, his sister and her suave suitor. When a snowstorm moves in, the hotel is cut off and they are all trapped. No one could have predicted what would unfold. When the storm clears they must all keep the devastating secrets hidden.

2014: After years of putting her sick brother’s needs before her own, Lauren Beck leaves her home and takes a job at a Blue Mountains cafe, the first stage of the Evergreen Spa Hotel’s renovations. There she meets Tomas, the Danish architect who is overseeing the project, and an attraction begins to grow. In a wing of the old hotel, Lauren finds a series of passionate love letters dated back to 1926, alluding to an affair – and a shocking secret.

If she can unravel this long-ago mystery, will it make Lauren brave enough to take a risk and change everything in her own life?

Inspired by elements of her grandmother’s life, a rich and satisfying tale of intrigue, heartbreak and love from the author of the bestselling Lighthouse Bay and Wildflower Hill.

 

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My Thoughts:

Romance, mystery, family drama, mad passionate love…all of these elements converge into an atmospheric and engaging story set in the Blue Mountains.

 

The beautiful cover initially drew my eye but Kimberley’s excellent writing captivated my attention. With a dual timeline swinging back and forth from 2014 to 1926, both stories progressed with equal engagement and a strong link between the two eras. There are plenty of characters to love and loathe, the intricacies of their lives keeping me up late into the night, eagerly turning the pages in a bid to solve the mysteries Kimberley had hidden within the narrative so well.  I’ve always loved a story that involves a mystery in an old house, but an old hotel – even better! There’s a free novella that you can download that goes with this novel, The Engagement Party, which is also a good read, although very short, only about a chapter’s worth.

 

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Evergreen Falls is a must read for fans of Australian historical fiction and Kimberley Freeman is an author I’ve added to my favourites.

 

The Author:

[image error]Kimberley was born in London and her family moved back to Australia when she was three years old. She grew up in Queensland where she currently lives.

Kimberley has written for as long as she can remember and she is proud to write in many genres. She is an award-winning writer in children’s, historical and speculative fiction under her birth name Kim Wilkins. She adopted the pen name Kimberley Freeman for her commercial women’s fiction novels Duet and Gold Dust to honour her maternal grandmother and to try and capture the spirit of the page-turning novels she has always loved to read. Kim has an Honours degree, a Masters degree and a PhD from The University of Queensland where she is also a lecturer. She lives in Brisbane with her young family

My Reading Life: The Spoils of Time Series by Penny Vincenzi

In case you hadn’t yet guessed, I have a literary love of the saga series, the ones where each book is around the 500 to 700 page mark with the content spanning decades and generations through the entwined lives of one family. A little bit like Downton Abbey but in book form, which is probably why I liked that TV series so much. It reminded me of the very best of saga series’ that I have read and enjoyed over the years. One series that still stands out for me is Penny Vincenzi’s The Spoils of Time, three epic books spanning generations through the one family. It’s superb, absolutely enthralling in a glamourous and dramatic way that is entirely addictive. I was new to Penny’s work when I bought the first book in this series as a new release. I have since read many of her novels and none of them have been a disappointment.

 

In brief, The Spoils of Time series follows the Lytton family from WWI through to the end of the WWII and beyond. It moves between London and New York and can best be described as a sweeping saga of ‘power, family politics, and passion; a riveting drama and a fervent love story’. In other words, it has a bit of everything to keep it going and then some.

 

Some more detail for you on each book in the series:

No Angel (2000): Celia Lytton is the beautiful and strong-willed daughter of wealthy aristocrats and she is used to getting her way. She moves through life making difficult and often dangerous decisions that affect herself and others-her husband, Oliver, and their children; the destitute Sylvia Miller, whose life is transformed by Celia’s intrusion; as well as Oliver’s daunting elder sister, who is not all she appears to be; and Sebastian Brooke, for whom Celia makes the most dangerous decision of all.

 

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Something Dangerous (2001): The dazzling Lytton twins, Adele and Venetia, are born into the great Lytton publishing empire. In 1928, on their eighteenth birthday, they are rich and admired, with a confidence verging on arrogance. But the spectre of Nazi Germany is growing. Gradually their privileged world darkens in unimaginable ways – but it is not just the twins whose lives have been irrevocably changed. Barty Miller, rescued from the London slums in babyhood by Celia Lytton, is clever, ambitious, and a complete contrast to the twins – and she faces temptation of the most unexpected kind.

 

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Into Temptation (2002): The Second World War is over, peace has been declared but the ravages remain and the Lytton family must confront the future and themselves. Kit Lytton, blinded in his early twenties in service for the RAF, is coming to terms with the fact that his father is not Oliver Lytton, as he thought, but the famous children’s author Sebastian Brooke. His sense of betrayal is immense, but worse is the discovery that the woman he loves is his sister. Barty Miller is now in the curious position of owning a majority share of Lyttons, the publishing house belonging to the family that brought her up. Now rich and powerful, though alone, Barty is far from the cowed slum child rescued by Celia Lytton years before. But how will she act now towards the family who always made her feel she did not belong? And what secrets in the Lytton past remain to be discovered?

 

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As you can see, just from reading the brief blurbs, this series contains a spider-web of family drama, just what every saga loving reader craves when they crack open the cover on a 700 page installment. The covers for this series have been re-done and the new ones are what I’ve pictured here. Aren’t they glorious? The old world glamour and charm is captured to perfection. I just love them. It’s a wonder really that this series has never been picked up for adaptation into a television series. It certainly has all the necessary hallmarks but I guess this is a new tendency and this particular series is not all that new itself. Time will tell, you never know what a savvy producer will unearth in the hopes of it being the next big thing.

 

The setting and era of this series makes it a truly timeless one and if you love sprawling historical fiction on an epic scale then I highly recommend this to you. Great for holiday reading!

 

 

Release Day Book Review: The Good Sister by Maggie Christensen

The Good Sister…
About:

Two Isobels. A lifetime of regret. A love that spans the years

In 1938, as the world hurtled towards war, twenty-year-old Isobel MacDonald fell madly in love. But fate and her own actions conspired to deny her the happiness she yearned for. Many years later, plagued with regrets and with a shrill voice from the past ringing in her ears, she documents the events that shaped her life.

In 2015, sixty-five-year-old Bel Davison returns from Australia to her native Scotland to visit her terminally ill aunt. Reading Isobel’s memoir, she is beset with memories of her own childhood and overcome with guilt. When she meets her aunt’s solicitor, events seem to spiral out of control and, almost against her will, she finds herself drawn to this enigmatic Scotsman.

What is it that links these two women across the generations? Can the past influence the future?

 

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My Thoughts:

I’ve long enjoyed a Scottish novel, be it in setting, written by a Scottish author, or both. The Good Sister sits well within my Scottish reading repertoire and Australian author Maggie Christensen, hailing originally from Scotland herself, has done a fine job of authenticity. Told with a dual timeline narrative, this story about a niece and her aunt was engaging from the first page through to the last. I barely put it down and read it over three sittings. Indeed, I got to the end and was somewhat at a loss as to what I was going to read next, I had been enjoying The Good Sister so much that I was reluctant to let it go.

Maggie has a strong sense of time and place, her descriptions vivid and true to whatever era her characters are inhabiting at the time. This was as much a heartwarming story as it was a poignant one. Regret and misunderstanding colour much of the older Isobel’s experiences while past hurts and repressed guilt taint the younger Isobel. Yet both of these women are very likeable and highly relatable and I would be hard pressed to pick a favourite between them, having enjoyed both of their stories equally. I finished the novel with a couple of unanswered questions, but on the whole, both stories wrapped up very nicely.

Maggie’s focus on mature women is quite refreshing to approach. I am new to Maggie’s work but I certainly look forward to reading more of her novels. I believe this is her first foray into historical fiction. If so, she has a done a sterling job of it and I encourage her to continue – for my sake, if not her own!

 

[image error]Thanks is extended to the author for gifting me with a copy of The Good Sister for review.

The Good Sister is book 70 in my 2017 Australian Women Writers Challenge.

Behind the Pen with Monique Mulligan

Today on Behind the Pen, I am delighted to welcome multi-genre author, Monique Mulligan.

 

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When did you start writing and what was the catalyst?

I have always been a writer – journalist, editor, book reviewer, blogger, curricula writer, training package writer … the list goes on. It’s always been part of who I am. It’s part of my need to live creatively, a need that comes from deep within. And I’ve always written, in one way or another.

 

But it was in 2015 that I decided it was time to stop waiting for One Day and to tell Self Doubt and Perfectionism to get lost (they didn’t listen – still working on that). Being a writer means accepting that self-doubt will be a constant companion, even when it’s silent.

 

I started by writing a short story, which was Highly Commended in a competition, and then found myself writing short romances, and a novel. It took a while to convince my husband that this was not going to be “just a hobby” – oh, the “discussions” we had about that! Now that I’ve had two picture books and a few short romances published and I’m working on a second novel (I’m looking for a home for number one), he’s accepted it and has turned out to be a terrific person to run ideas past.

 

Now I know that I write because I’m meant to. Because I have things to say, things to share, and words are my tools. And while I can’t imagine not writing now, here’s the thing: it has taken years to become the writer I want to be. To stop letting self-doubt and perfectionism drown my dreams. For, even when I finally seized the gift of words and gave them full rein, I still had doubts. But I’m getting stronger.

 

 

What is your favourite character from one of your novels and why?

This is actually harder to answer than I thought it would be. At the moment, it’s Jane, the narrator of my WIP, Wildflower. She’s 10 years old and her insights into life sometimes make me laugh. Jane’s a curious young girl who finally has a best friend, but is realising that her friend’s life may not be all that wonderful. It’s essentially a coming-of-age story, set in the late 1970s, with a focus on exploring the “boys will be boys” phrase and the older societal belief that you mind your own business – even if you know something’s happening that is not right.

 

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Wildflower Excerpt 

 

 

What is your favourite scene from one of your novels and why?

I have lots! But the one I like at the moment comes from Wildflower, when Jane and her best friend Acacia are being teased by boys, and Acacia’s summing up their behaviour at the end. I can’t tell you what it is yet!

There’s also a funny scene in my first novel, Wherever You Go, involving a lemon tree, a goose and a chase.

And I can’t go past the nuclear-style climax in my picture book Fergus the Farting Dragon.

 

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Are you balancing a different career with your writing? How do go about making time for your writing within limited hours?

I have a part-time “bread-and-butter” job at an arts centre (part of my role there is to run a Stories on Stage programme, which I founded in 2012, so it puts me in contact with lots of terrific writers). I am also co-owner of Serenity Press, so I fit that in two days a week. Which doesn’t leave a lot of time for my own writing! I have to wake at 6am to write before work, and often Sunday afternoons are my writing time, but this takes commitment, especially when I don’t feel like waking up.

 

I’d love more time for my own writing, but the reality is, I still need to work and bring in an income and my books aren’t doing that yet.

 

 

What inspired your most recent novel?

My work-in-progress, Wildflower, started as a short story. At the time, I was compelled to explore the ideas of domestic violence and how people often turn a blind eye – especially in the past. A manuscript assessor told me it would make a terrific novel or novella, so I’ve taken that on board, and a deeper story is now emerging, one that draws from my childhood, in terms of era, and one that is distinctively Australian.

 

Here’s my one-sentence summary: A young girl learns how far families will go to protect each other over an endless, simmering summer.

 

 

How much planning do you do? Do you plan/plot the entire story from beginning to end, or let it evolve naturally as the writing progresses? In terms of characters, are they already a firm picture in your mind before you start writing or do they develop a personality of their own as the story progresses?

Here’s what I’ve learnt about myself as a writer: I don’t like to plot or plan too much. Sometimes I write notes and ideas and then craft them into sentences, paragraphs of scenes later; sometimes I write part of a scene and save that for later. I don’t write, write, write as fast as I can just to meet a word count.

 

I write to-do lists but not plot outlines or character studies – I’ve tried. It doesn’t work for me. I like to plan my life ahead (mostly) but my stories and characters develop organically. I don’t like writing dirty drafts … but in the morning, I get more done if that’s exactly what I do.

 

In Serenity Press’s Writing The Dream anthology, I described the way I write as such:

Creative writing is like cooking a meal for loved ones: choosing the best possible produce, mixing ingredients, adding seasoning to taste and a dash of love, and plating it up with flair.

 

Strangely enough, I can churn out newspaper articles and non-fiction at a fast rate, but not fiction. Essays for uni also took me a while because I was aiming for High Distinctions. I can write blog posts quickly. Is it because I set myself a higher bar for creative writing or writing for examination? Probably.

 

 

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What is your favourite childhood book? Did reading as a child have any bearing on your decision to become a writer?

It’s hard to pick one – Anne of Green Gables, Enid Blyton books, The Secret Garden, the Chronicles of Narnia – I loved all of these and still do. As a child, reading was my escape and I’ve never lost that love. I have to read every night before I go to sleep.

 

In Writing the Dream, I wrote about how being a reader was my training ground for writing and still is. I read books now partly for enjoyment but also to learn more about how writers do things – I work out what I like, what I don’t.

 

 

What book is currently on your bedside table?

I’m currently reading a lot of fairy tale and folklore books, both fiction and non-fiction. This is for my own interest, as much as for research as a publisher/editor (we are publishing a number of fairy tale collections, beginning with one from Kate Forsyth called Vasilisa the Wise and Other Tales of Brave Young Women).

 

So, on my bedside table I have: From Beast to the Blonde and Once Upon a Time, both by Marina Warner; The Blue Fairy Book by Andrew Lang; and The Wild Girl by Kate Forsyth (I’m reading it again).

 

 

If you could write a letter to your teenage self, what would be your main piece of advice?

I did this for Jenn J McLeod a while back. Here’s a snippet:

“You were born to be a writer, just as your English teacher said. Trust yourself. Believe in yourself and tell Self Doubt to take a walk in someone else’s park. Make friends with other writers. Don’t waste precious time hiding your stories in drawers or waiting for the right time. Make that time.”

You can read the whole letter here: http://www.jennjmcleod.com/author-monique-mulligan-writes-a-letter-to-her-younger-self/

 

 

How has being Australian AND a woman impacted on your writing and/or writing career?

As an Australian, it influences my writing in terms of description and landscape – setting is important to me and I hope that in my words, people get that sense of place. As a woman, it’s affected me in terms of my belief that I had to put everyone and everything first, aka One Day, before I could focus on writing. You know, raise my kids, get them through childhood and then focus on what I wanted to do. I couldn’t conceive of how I could do both – it’s like I valued creativity less. I studied – I completed my degree while raising my sons, but to focus on something non-essential (to me), I didn’t let it happen. But I didn’t resent it. It was my choice. Just as it is my choice to write now, when it was right for me.

 

 

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You can follow Monique and find out more about her books at the following places:

T: @moniquemulligan

I: @moniquemulligan

F: https://www.facebook.com/MoniqueMulliganAuthor/

W: moniquemulligan.com

 

If you sign up to Monique’s newsletter, you can get a free copy of Balancing Act, and if you sign up to the Serenity Press newsletter, you can get a free copy of The Point of Love.

 

Under Her Spell 

 

Writer Oliver Pendall has enough on his plate working on the set of Multiples, a clone movie based on his bestselling book. All he wants is time to write his next novel, but when he meets the bubbly but disconcerting Kaylie, life as he wants it is turned upside down and inside out. Kaylie’s on-off behaviour has him all hot and bothered, and the more he tries not to think about her, the more he falls under her spell.

But Kaylie’s not his usual type and Oliver’s words are as tangled as his emotions, setting the scene for near-miss that could break more than one heart. Will Oliver see what’s right in front of him? Or will he leave it too late?

Light-hearted and funny, Oliver and Kaylie will make you laugh, smile and tingle all over.

 

Available in print from Serenity Press or eBook from Amazon, iBook, Nook and Kobo. 

 

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Release Day Book Review: Fortunate Friends by Louise Guy

 Fortunate Friends…

About:

Three women in their thirties. Different backgrounds, different beliefs, different aspirations; same good fortune.

For Shauna, celebrations surrounding an unexpected windfall are short-lived. Facing a lawsuit, her mother’s unpredictable behaviour, and the sudden appearance of a long-lost relative, the shine of good fortune is quick to fade.

Frankie loves her life. Even living with difficult circumstances her glass is always half-full — she wouldn’t change a thing. When good fortune falls at Frankie’s feet, she is loath to embrace it, terrified of the potential disaster it could bring.

Bec’s good fortune pales into insignificance when compared to her husband’s indiscretion. The lawyer in her is quick to see the situation in black and white. He’s at fault; the marriage needs to end. Bec’s haste to move on, coupled with her decision to hide her recent luck, has devastating consequences.

Good fortune helps form unlikely friendships when the lives of these three women are brought together. Will their combined strength be enough to help solve the problems of their already complicated lives? Or will it further fuel them?

 

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My Thoughts:

Fortunate Friends is the second commercial women’s fiction offering by Louise Guy and I have to say, Louise is completely at home within this genre. Her characters are authentic and likeable; her stories engaging and relatable.

I thoroughly enjoyed the entire premise of Fortunate Friends. All of us have sat and daydreamed at some point in time about a change in fortune. Would we quit our job? Move? Travel? Live a life of luxury or change nothing at all? Through the lives of three very different women, Louise examines the effects a change of fortune can have on someone’s life, both the positive and the negative, leaving no scenario unobserved. One of the things I particularly liked with this novel was how Louise brought the nasty side of people out of the woodwork; the gold diggers and social climbers all ready to latch on to another person’s good fortune. This was very well done and highly believable, as well as infuriating at times to behold.

I admired all three women at the heart of this novel and could relate to some aspect of each. There wasn’t one that I liked more than the other, and each had their flaws as well as finer points. I thoroughly enjoyed the friendship circle that evolved out of their mutual good fortune and really appreciated the supportive nature of these relationships. It was also really lovely to see such generosity of spirit woven through the story, each woman displaying an eagerness to share their good fortune with others they loved, appreciated, or simply wanted to help. Does money equate to happiness? Louise does a stellar job of presenting all possibilities for consideration, but in the end, perhaps it’s down to the individual to be the creator of their own good fortune.

All in all, Fortunate Friends is a most enjoyable novel and would make an ideal gift this Christmas.

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Fortunate Friends is book 67 in my 2017 Australian Women Writers Challenge. I’d like to extend my thanks to the author, Louise Guy, for gifting me a review copy.

 

About the Author:

[image error]Louise Guy writes for children aged 6-12 and commercial women’s fiction for adults. Having published twelve books to date, Louise is now enjoying international success with the sale of her best-selling Crafters’ Club series to Scholastic for the US, Canadian and Philippine markets.

Origin of the Writer: Annie J Ryan

Origin of the Writer is a series of essays giving emerging writers the opportunity to share their writing journey so far. 

 

In at the deep end with Ripple

 

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One weekend, when my children were away camping, I toyed around with the idea of writing a book. It didn’t happen overnight, I’d been considering this for a very long time and had written a few chapters of a book, which I shared with my best friend. We’d go to a café and laugh our heads off. She was the other character in this narrative; clearly this smacked of autobiographical writing, even though the men were definitely a work of fiction. I’d written holiday journals (which I insisted on reading to family and friends- they had no choice far out at sea), stories for my children (we all have our own punishment), poems for various celebrations, and inflicted long-winded emails on my friends. Anyway, I thought I’d write a book.

 

I opened up a fairly empty spiral bound book; one I’d already used for budgeting (that’s how much budgeting I did), and outlined a rough plot. I had no idea what I was doing, but I was a consummate reader and reasonably well educated. How hard could a simple work of fiction be? If only I’d known! I could be a successful marine biologist with a PhD saving the reef by now, with the time I put in. Anyway, I wrote and wrote and then I thought, scrawling lazily in the lounge room, that I didn’t have a system. I examined the slim completed book, bought several bigger spiral bound books, and kept writing. Then I noticed- as you do when you’re focusing on something- that there were courses for writers at UWA, and at the local writing association, FAWWA, and so I joined in. At the same time, I read widely on the net, watched podcasts, listened to YouTube speakers and decided that I needed to schedule my writing in before work.

 

Something had to go and it was cycling. I sacrificed cycling for writing and my cycling buddies heaved a collective sigh, weary were they of pushing me up hills and watching me spin out of control on the descent. I can’t think what they talk about now though.

 

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Every book I read said the same thing: build a schedule and turn up. I hadn’t completely stopped cycling, just the serious stuff. When I cycled, I found the rush of endorphins pushed ideas into my head and I would scurry home and scribble out the next scene. I settled into a couple of years of this: re-writing it from handwriting to typing while simultaneously editing (I can only write first drafts with a pen). It was daunting. I employed all the strategies I’d learned, consulted books on writing, and embraced the key points. After a couple of years of re-writing and editing (and raising teenagers and working full time), I submitted it to a structural editor. While it was away being doctored, I was in the swing. I knocked out, in the following eighteen months, three other first drafts. I was in the flow.

 

I was so grateful to receive the twelve pages of fine printed structural advice because it transformed my story into a novel. In the same eighteen months where I knocked out the other drafts, I spent hours on weekends, after work, and on holidays, implementing the changes: leaving my morning for new writing- I still do this. After structural editing, manuscript assessment, copy-editing, and line editing, it was ready. I submitted it to a few publishers but I didn’t have an agent. I knew I’d probably have to self-publish. I read everything on that and used an Australian company to support that process. It was there that I learned about cover design, fonts, book sizes, ISBN numbers and the whole gamut of back-door information on establishing myself as a business. I use a pen name because it’s easier and it’s close to my own: Annie J Ryan.

 

I had a great launch party and was well supported by my family, friends and community. Ripple slots into the genre of commercial women’s fiction, where relationships, intrigue, disasters and people are tossed around in the soup of life. It’s been very well received.

 

Putting a book out there in the cyber-sphere is pretty much like fishing. A lot like fishing. Wrong hooks, wrong bait, wrong time of day, wrong place, wrong gear and well, it can happen that you don’t catch that many. Back to the drawing board, or the storyboard. Find out what you need to do, and do it.

 

Turns out, I have to market more and I’m not that flash at selling myself. I went to courses on it, had a lot of fun, met great people, and I did learn so much. It will take at least several months of café-contemplation to simply digest it all. You can see why I struggle. I’ve taken a sabbatical from my normal job to focus. Unfortunately, I’ve suffered from waste-time-at-a-café inclinations, and the attention-span-of-a-goldfish tendencies, but I have improved my social media skills, even though I achieved more when I had hardly any time!

 

The second draft of my second novel (crime, intrigue, relationships) is waiting for a final revision before I submit it to publishers. I intend to publish each of the three other novels in the following five years, and then see where that leads. I’m excited by the prospect of unleashing new characters and stories into the world and watching what happens to them. It’s been a fascinating journey so far.

 

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Quick Shots Book Review: Bodies of Light and Signs for Lost Children by Sarah Moss

Bodies of Light and Signs for Lost Children…
About:

Bodies of Light 

Bodies of Light is a deeply poignant tale of a psychologically tumultuous nineteenth century upbringing set in the atmospheric world of Pre-Raphaelitism and the early suffrage movement. Ally is intelligent, studious and engaged in an eternal – and losing – battle to gain her mother’s approval and affection. Her mother, Elizabeth, is a religious zealot, keener on feeding the poor and saving prostitutes than on embracing the challenges of motherhood. Even when Ally wins a scholarship and is accepted as one of the first female students to read medicine in London, it still doesn’t seem good enough. The first in a two-book sequence, Bodies of Light will propel Sarah Moss into the upper echelons of British novelists. It is a triumphant piece of historical fiction and a profoundly moving master class in characterisation.

 

 

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Signs for Lost Children 

Only weeks into their marriage, a young couple embark on a six-month period of separation. Tom Cavendish goes to Japan to build lighthouses and his wife Ally, Doctor Moberley-Cavendish, stays and works at the Truro asylum. As Ally plunges into the institutional politics of mental health, Tom navigates the social and professional nuances of late 19th century Japan. With her unique blend of emotional insight and intellectual profundity, Sarah Moss builds a novel in two parts from Falmouth to Tokyo, two maps of absence; from Manchester to Kyoto, two distinct but conjoined portraits of loneliness and determination.

An exquisite continuation of the story of Bodies of Light, Signs for Lost Children will amaze Sarah Moss’s many fans.

 

 

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My Thoughts:
Bodies of Light

I enjoyed Bodies of Light from the first page through to the last. There is a poignant honesty to this story that at times left me bereft and deeply contemplative about the ideas explored and the themes raised by Sarah Moss.

I was so pleased upon finishing this novel to discover there was a sequel. Nearing the end, I felt I needed to slow down in order to savour the rest, as I was not yet ready to leave Ally. To be so intelligent yet born at the wrong time into the wrong family. It’s a devastating shame that so many women historically must have experienced. Despite these disadvantages, Ally persists, and her determination earned her my enduring admiration.

Religious fanaticism collides with child neglect and abuse in the most unsettling ways within Bodies of Light. While we are enlightened on Elizabeth’s history, we are not expected to excuse her ongoing behaviours. Elizabeth is a complex character, a woman who wants to save souls and pull prostitutes up out of their indignities, yet she is a terrible mother, blind to her own misdeeds within her own home, yet self-congratulated about her social welfare and community work.

This is historical fiction of the finest quality and I feel enlightened by having read this in a way I rarely do after reading a novel. Sarah Moss writes with such finesse and tackles the most difficult subjects with a subtlety that is truly full of impact. I look forward to reading her other novels.

 

Signs for Lost Children

Equally as stunning as it’s predecessor, Bodies of Light. I am so grateful for Signs for Lost Children; it completed Ally’s story to perfection.

The inclusion of Tom’s perspective worked so well, not only in terms of understanding his personal journey, but for gaining a greater appreciation for Ally and their mutual respect for each other. Ally’s perseverance to be a psychiatrist tending to those incarcerated in mental asylums was inspiring, however patient conditions and the circumstances under which she cared for them was heart breaking and dismaying. History is paved with human atrocity and Signs for Lost Children showcases one such example with determination as well as historical accuracy.

This entire novel was beautifully balanced between the two characters, creating a most perfect whole. I loved that internal push and pull Ally and Tom had; towards each other in genuine affection yet against the tide of their marriage as they each struggled to balance their relationship with their individual careers, two people a little out of step with the era and each other.

Bodies of Light and Signs for Lost Children are a must read for any lovers of quality historical fiction with a social conscience.

 

 

The Author:

 

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Sarah Moss is the award-winning author of three previous novels: Night Waking, selected for the Fiction Uncovered Award in 2011, Names for the Sea: Strangers in Iceland, shortlisted for the Royal Society of Literature Prize in 2013, and Bodies of Light, shortlisted for the prestigious Wellcome Prize. Signs for Lost Children was shortlisted for the Wellcome Prize and longlisted for the Walter Scott Prize for Historical Fiction. Moss teaches Creative Writing at the University of Warwick in England.

 

My Reading Life: Monica McInerney

 

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Monica McInerney 

I clearly remember my first Monica McInerney: Those Faraday Girls, a birthday gift from my best friend. Little did my friend know at the time that she was gifting me so much more than an excellent novel. She had given me a new author to love, whose work was reminiscent of Maeve Binchy but with a distinctly Australian style. Needless to say, I devoured Those Faraday Girls and set about acquiring all of Monica’s novels from that point on.

 

 

 

 

There’s something you need to know about Monica’s novels and it’s really quite important to remember: you can’t read them in public.

 

I can give you a solid example that will demonstrate why. My daughter is a dancer. Back when she was still young, less than 10 years old, I used to stay at the dance hall for her long rehearsals, dispensing drinks and snacks and bandaids between practises. This was before smart phones and ipads, so entertainment included talking to fellow parents (yes, shocking I know, having an actual conversation face to face as opposed to over social media parked side by side in our cars), reading books and magazines, and staring at your fingernails and wishing you’d brought a nail file. One Saturday, I brought in my new Monica, At Home With The Templetons. I should have known better, this was not my first Monica, but still, I just had to bring it along.

 

It’s very hard to laugh and cry at the same time without other people noticing. There were tears and snorts of laughter that got caught up with sobs and the worst part about it: I HAD FORGOTTEN TO BRING TISSUES!!

 

As beloved as they are, from that day on, I vowed to only read them at home. The following Saturday, I took a magazine, only to sit down and see three other women engrossed in Monica’s novels, all with a sensible packet of tissues discreetly tucked in beside them. It was nice to see that my public display of erratic emotion had not entirely gone to waste.

 

 

So this is the other thing you need to know about Monica’s novels: they are untouchable in terms of emotional resonance. Her words never fail to reach out and take a hold of me. I have laughed until tears are running down my face, cried until I can no longer see the words on the page in front of me, and as previously mentioned, done both at the same time. I’ll never forget Lola in The Alphabet Sisters with her haberdashery stapler, hemming her curtains with staples! Each novel has been truly memorable and I am so grateful to my friend for that long ago birthday gift she selected. Imagine the hole in my reading life if I’d never discovered Monica McInerney.

 

I was so lucky, and thrilled to bits, to have received last year a very special copy of The Alphabet Sisters from Monica herself, sent all the way from Ireland. Not only signed, but with a personalised message. It’s a gift I will treasure forever. While I absolutely adore each and every one of Monica’s novels, The Alphabet Sisters is my favourite. The rest are all 10/10 for me, but The Alphabet Sisters nudges over to 11/10.

 

 

If you have never read a Monica, I urge you to run down to the shops immediately and buy the first one that you see. If you have read her novels, then you probably know exactly what I’m talking about here and you’re no doubt already walking over to your bookshelf to pull out your favourite for a quick revisit. Lucky for me, I have set aside Monica’s newest novel, The Trip of a Lifetime, for my Christmas holidays. It’s sitting there waiting for me, ready to be devoured in tears and laughter.

 

I can’t wait.

 

 

 

 

 

New Release Book Review: The Last Hours by Minette Walters

The Last Hours…
About:

For most, the Black Death is the end. For a brave few, it heralds a new beginning.

When the Black Death enters England through the port of Melcombe in Dorseteshire in June 1348, no one knows what manner of sickness it is or how it spreads and kills so quickly. The Church cites God as the cause, and religious fear grips the people as they come to believe that the plague is a punishment for wickedness.

But Lady Anne of Develish has her own ideas. Educated by nuns, Anne is a rarity among women, being both literate and knowledgeable. With her brutal husband absent from Develish when news of this pestilence reaches her, she takes the decision to look for more sensible ways to protect her people than daily confessions of sin. Well-versed in the importance of isolating the sick from the well, she withdraws her people inside the moat that surrounds her manor house and refuses entry even to her husband.

She makes an enemy of her daughter and her husband’s steward by doing so, but her resolve is strengthened by the support of her leading serfs … until food stocks run low and the nerves of all are tested by continued confinement and ignorance of what is happening in the world outside. The people of Develish are alive. But for how long? And what will they discover when the time comes for them to cross the moat?

Compelling and suspenseful, The Last Hours is a riveting tale of human ingenuity and endurance against the worst pandemic known to history. In Lady Anne of Develish – leader, saviour, heretic – Walters has created her most memorable heroine to date.

 

 

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My Thoughts:

My reading tastes for historical fiction don’t usually extend as far back into history as 1348. I tend to stick with the more modern historical events and I will freely admit that I was quite hesitant about diving into this novel, fully expecting a whole lot of ‘ye olde’ speak and complicated titles.

How wrong can one person be?!

The Last Hours is a truly extraordinary novel. There is no ‘ye olde’ speak, yet the story still rings true with historical authenticity. It’s a true testament to Minette’s skill as a writer, to be able to suffuse a story with such a richly authentic atmosphere yet still maintain an accessibility that would rival a contemporary novel. The characterisation is superb, the drama intense, and the plot twists just keep on coming. I am quite excited about a follow up novel and hope it’s as thick as this one, because seriously, I could have just kept on reading for another 550 pages.

My previous knowledge on serfdom was sketchy at best, so I found exploring this societal system entirely fascinating. What a dreadfully suppressed and often depraved existence this was, not only for serfs. The ‘ruling’ class were not all that much better, unless you were the Lord of the Manor. Chattel wives were regarded no higher than serfs and slaves, women of all classes were subjected to all manner of indignities and had no rights whatsoever, frequently regarded with insignificance and disdain. The church was the be all and end all, distorting the truth about anything and everything and holding the lives (and souls) of its parishioners in the palm of its corrupt and indecent hand. Goodness, what a terrible place and era to have been alive in. It truly beggars belief. And the poor sanitation; no wonder they were all dropping like flies, it was truly disgusting.

Minette has done a stellar job at taking this world, crafting some excellent characters, and shaping it into a compelling drama that literally keeps you up late turning the pages long into the midnight hour. I loved this novel, from the first page through to the last, and will recommend it to all as well as gifting it to a few of my favourites this Christmas. Don’t be put off by the sheer size and number of pages; instead, rejoice there are so many because you will not want this story to end.

Thanks is extended to Allen & Unwin for providing me with a copy of The Last Hours for review.

 

The Author:

[image error]Minette Walters is one of the world’s best-selling crime writers. She is the author of twelve novels, winning the CWA John Creasey Award for The Ice House, the Edgar Allan Poe Award in America for The Sculptress and two CWA Gold Daggers for The Scold’s Bridle and Fox Evil. The Last Hours marks an exciting new direction for Minette. She lives in Dorsett.

Behind the Pen with Juanita Kees

This week on Behind the Pen I am delighted to welcome Juanita Kees. Over to you Juanita!

 

Hi, Theresa, and hello and welcome, readers. Thank you for sharing my writing adventures with me today.

 

How many novels have you written and published?

To date, I have seven published novels and three short stories. I write small town romance with a touch of suspense, but I have tried my hand at a paranormal/fantasy recently where I brought Greek gods back to life in Melbourne.

 

How long on average does it take you to write a novel?

It takes me about six months to write a novel, mostly because I can’t switch off my internal editor. I’m a pantser, so I need to make sure I know what happens next before I can progress with the story. The pace depends entirely on the story the characters want to share with me.

 

What is your favourite character from one of your novels and why?

Choosing a favourite character is like having to choose a favourite child – almost impossible! In Secrets at Wongan Creek, I’d have to choose Loki, the Catahoula Leopard Dog. Loki claims his own hero status in the book when he comes to Tameka’s rescue. He’s full of mischief and energy, just like his owner, Harley Baker.

 

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Loki

 

What is your favourite scene from one of your novels and why?

I wouldn’t call it a ‘favourite’ scene, but this first kiss after eight years apart was one I had to get the balance just right on. I didn’t want Tameka to come across snarky or bad-tempered, instead I wanted to show that her internal battle and the need to protect herself and Harley from the dangers ahead are the catalysts for her reactions.

She didn’t want Harley poking around in her thoughts and discovering the fear that lived inside her. Not him. Nobody. Ever. Because the truth would shake this town so hard, the aftershocks would be felt all the way to Tasmania.

‘And what do you know about me anyway? What does it matter to you?’ The snipe in her tone made her shudder. Harley was the last person in the world who deserved it even if they weren’t friends anymore.

‘You matter. You always have.’

The quiet conviction in his words was almost her undoing. The effort to hold back her emotions burnt at the back of her throat. He drew her closer, a gentle tug that her body accepted but her mind rejected. She didn’t want to be plastered up against the man she’d been forbidden to keep yet wanted with every pixel of her obliterated soul because he was the only one who could put her back together again.

And there was all this heat still between them and the warmth of his denims against hers where their bodies still fit perfectly even after all this time apart.

‘Damn you, Baker.’

The bastard grinned. A cheeky, confident, knowing grin that took the edge off the irritation that swirled in her belly. He tipped up her chin, searching her face, his eyes seeing right through her tough exterior. She stared at the cleft in his because meeting his eyes would have her unravelling like a ball of wool in the paws of a kitten.

Then his head dipped and his lips were on hers, a sweet memory of the last time they’d been in that exact same spot. God, he tasted good—like forbidden fruit, wickedly smooth chocolate or a really good home brew, and just as heady.

But his mouth didn’t stay closed long enough to enjoy the drunken effects of his kiss. Or to forget why he’d kissed her in the first place. A trick he’d used before when times were different, and it had been all about discovery not distraction.

‘Now we’ve got that out of the way, what’s got ants in your pants, Tikki?’

 

Are you balancing a different career with your writing? How do go about making time for your writing within limited hours?

I work three days a week in the motor industry, currently running the front office in a family Auto Electrical business. I have a diploma in Proofreading, Editing and Publishing, and occasionally take on editing work for regular clients. Add to that family time, and it leaves me with few hours to dedicate to writing. I carry a notebook everywhere so that when ideas strike, I can jot them down so I don’t forget. I’m up early in the mornings and late at night, and use my two days off a week to write as much as I can. Weekends are family time, but I do slip in some writing time if we don’t have anything going on. A lot depends on my muse. Some days, she takes off to Fiji without me and sips cocktails on the beach while I search my office for her.

 

What inspired your most recent novel?

Secrets at Wongan Creek was originally inspired by a discussion held with the wonderful group of ladies who created the Bindarra Creek Romance series. I’m blessed to have them to bounce ideas off, and to brainstorm plots and storylines. Some of the ladies in the group double as critique partners for me. Without their input, support and encouragement, I’d be lost.

 

How would you best describe this novel to a new reader?

I think Helen Sibbritt said it better than I could:

“Kees really knows how to pull a reader into a story with her words that bring to life characters who have been to hell and back, and this one is emotional, moving and suspenseful one that should not be missed. I was looking forward to revisiting Wongan Creek and I am glad I went.” — NetGalley

 

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How much research do you do? How do you balance the demands of getting the facts right and telling a good story?

I do a lot of research. I like to get the facts right, but at the same time I don’t want to bore the reader with technicalities. Finding the right balance is the challenge. I try to work out how much technical information is necessary for the reader to have while keeping the attention on the emotional plot, which is where I’d like to keep the reader focused. It’s the romance and the suspense that I’d like to keep them hooked on.

 

Do you read your book reviews? Do you appreciate reader feedback and take it on board, even if it is negative? How do you deal with negative feedback after spending so much time writing your book?

Yes. I really appreciate reader feedback, good or bad. I won’t lie to you, some reviews hurt, especially if the comments are particularly nasty. Sometimes readers forget that writers are people with feelings too. When we write, we put our heart and soul into that story. I had one where the review was excellent in that the reviewer gave me plenty of constructive criticism I could use, but the shelf-tags she chose to bookmark it with were very hurtful. I believe constructive reviews help us grow as writers. We should never stop learning, it keeps our writing fresh.

If the reviewer doesn’t give reasons for the 1-star review or doesn’t say what they did or didn’t like about it, I can’t work on fixing it, so please tell me what didn’t work for you in the story. I take those reviews, dissect them, and look at how I can maybe make a similar scene work better next time.

What we have to learn to accept as writers is that not everyone is going to love your work. Reading is a personal choice, an almost subjective thing. Readers read to enjoy. They don’t want to read a book that doesn’t appeal to them, and that’s okay. That reader may not be your target audience, and that’s okay too.

As to dealing with a review (good or bad) – Wine, chocolate, tissues, a bit of a private sulk if needed (no social media involved) then pull up those big girl undies and get on with the job of fixing what you can, and writing the next book.

 

How much planning do you do? Do you plan/plot the entire story from beginning to end, or let it evolve naturally as the writing progresses? In terms of characters, are they already a firm picture in your mind before you start writing or do they develop a personality of their own as the story progresses?

I’m a pantser trying to be a plotter. Using Scrivener helps keep me on track. I work on a basic plot, write a synopsis, then write a story which has absolutely nothing to do with the synopsis because the characters have looked at it and gone, “Nah, I’m not doing that.”

I hope you enjoy Secrets at Wongan Creek! Happy reading.

 

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Blurb:

Secrets at Wongan Creek

Still waters run deep in Wongan Creek…

When spray drift ruins his crop and throws his ability to hold on to the family farm in question, Harley Baker wants to confront his neighbour and shout his rage and worry to the sky. But arguments are tricky when the woman whose herbicides killed his crop is also the woman he’s loved his whole life.

Tameka Chalmers knows that her father’s farming methods are outdated, inefficient, and even dangerous, so when Harley charges her with the loss of his livelihood, she can only accept the blame. There’s so much she would like to do differently, but her father’s rule is absolute and if she wants to keep working the farm she loves, she must do as she’s told.

But the simple action of speaking with Harley, the man she wants but can never have, starts an unexpected chain reaction of events that throw everything she’s ever known into question: her past, her family, her life. Dark secrets come to light and when Tameka is injured in a house fire, she and Harley have one small chance to seize a lifetime of happiness, if only they are able to rise from the ashes and claim it.

Find it at your favourite etailer here. This title is also available in large print paperback from Read How You Want.