​Thanks for having me in your chair, Annie—though I’d like to think of it as a sun lounger, with gentle Whitsunday waters tickling my toes …
My second novel, On the Right Track, has just been released, and I’m very happy to have it on the shelves and in e-readers. I think the novel was beautifully summed up in the front cover quote, written by Tricia Stringer: ‘Intriguing characters and colourful settings. If you like romance and a little mystery, get ready to enjoy this novel.’ I particularly enjoyed writing the setting for this book because it allowed me to re-explore regions that were special to me when I was growing up—the rural outskirts of large towns where some kids caught a bus to school and some kids (like me) rode their ponies. My character Golden Saunders is a speech pathologist who treats children, and I loved exploring this ‘communication’ aspect of the novel too.
Golden turns her back on the past following a number of challenges, emotional and physical. Tor Amundsen, very much a romantic hero, ultimately allows Golden to discover for herself what she really wants out of life. Golden and Tor follow an action packed, emotionally charged but ultimately fulfilling path to happiness—and I can’t wait to find out how readers respond to that journey! Feel free to get in touch via my website: www.penelopejanu.com
 
 
Buy links:
HarperCollins (links to all retailers): https://www.harpercollins.com.au/9781489255211/on-the-right-track/
 
Booktopia: https://www.booktopia.com.au/on-the-right-track-penelope-janu/prod9781489255211.html
 
Amazon (e-book): https://www.amazon.com.au/Right-Track-Penelope-Janu-ebook/dp/B07884NGNM
 
Itunes (e-book): https://itunes.apple.com/au/book/on-the-right-track/id1325070994?mt=11
 
Author bio:
Penelope lives on the coast in northern Sydney with her six children (rapidly growing up) and her distracting husband. A lawyer for many years, she has an interest in social justice issues and the natural environment. Whether coastal or rural, Penelope’s novels celebrate Australian characters and communities. Her first novel, In at the Deep End, was published by Harlequin Mira in 2017.
 
Blurb:
A traumatic past, a charismatic stranger and a family legacy … Golden's quiet country life is about to get messy …
When the diminutive but fiery Golden Saunders falls from her horse and smashes her leg irreparably, and her racing family is disgraced by a corruption scandal, she thinks she's hit rock bottom.
Then the enigmatic Tor Amundsen, United Nations diplomat (read: spy), arrives on the scene and proves her wrong. His investigation into her family pulls her back into a world she had escaped, and the branch of the family she has tried to avoid at all costs. Tor is infuriated and frustrated by the impossible mixture of fragility and fierceness that is Golden, true, but he is also strangely protective of her.
Golden wants no part of it. Men have pushed her around her whole life. The last thing she needs is an arrogant, irritatingly handsome man telling her what to do. But it turns out Tor has a way with animals, children and, well, Golden…
Before too long, she finds their overwhelming attraction is overriding her good sense, and as they are both pulled deeper into the murky world of dirty money, things are about to get messy, and Golden's small, quietly ordered life will change beyond recognition…
Can Golden overcome her fears and the shadows of the past and reach for a new kind of future? Will she ever be able to get her life back on the right track?

Hi Annie,
A big thank you for having me in the chair. It seems to be where I spend most of my time now that I’ve ventured down the gnarly path of being a writer. A place you would be well-acquainted with, Annie, having churned out a plethora of outstanding novels in your short career.
As writers, we spend hours tapping away at the keys. These hours blur into days, weeks, months and years, spurred on by the stories in our head, the voices in our mind, the feelings in our heart and the insatiable desire to share it all with our readers. Writers, write. That’s what we do. And along the way we hope to become better writers telling better stories. The widely touted theory of it taking 10,000 hours of practise to be an expert at anything is currently being debunked by science because other variables are essential to being an expert. For me, I think one of the key variables is grit. It takes grit to stay in the chair, to keep tapping at the keys when the rest of our lives are calling us to take a break. It takes grit to commit to the stories, the voices and the feelings, and to massage the manuscript into shape until we can set it free to bring life to our readers. Angela Duckworth talks about gritty people as those who believe “everything will be all right in the end, and if it’s not all right, then it’s not the end.” Writers are gritty people.
And it was grit which became the core characteristic of my heroine and hero in my debut romantic suspense, Retribution. Jessie Hilton is a soloist in the Australian Ballet company. She is disciplined, ambitious and driven to achieve her dreams, even against the worst odds. It will take all the grit she can muster to become principal dancer and escape her past. My hero had to be her match; a man with equal power, passion and fortitude. Since I’ve always had great respect and gratitude for the men, women and animals of our country’s armed forces, I knew my hero would be one of them. They’re a rare breed who place themselves in harm’s way to fight for our freedoms and way of life. A uniquely Australian character, my hero is a professional soldier with a damaged past and worthy of finding love again. Then there is BJ’s dog, Whiskey, who is also a main character. She is integral to the story and a true hero. And like Jessie and BJ, Whiskey possesses grit.
Retribution is gritty and demanded to be written. The story is my way of paying tribute to the people who have endured more than most. Those who have lived hellish childhoods, those who have fought for our freedom and those who have experienced unimaginable trauma. It explores how those with grit overcome their pasts while others never recover from their suffering. With the overarching theme of forgiveness and redemption, Retribution pays homage to the human condition in all its glory and misery.
 
A gripping, romantic suspense of betrayal, hope and love
by Diane Demetre
Jessie Hilton is tough. Since the age of fifteen, she has dreamed of being a principal dancer with the Australian Ballet Company. Now at twenty-four, she stands on the brink of fulfilling her dream unaware of a secret buried deep within her.
Ex-military officer, Brad Jordan is rebuilding his life with the help of his boisterous Border collie, Whiskey. After helping Jessie out of a tight spot, he discovers a kindred spirit in the ambitious ballerina.
But with the sudden attention of an unwanted admirer, Jessie’s life begins to spin out of control. Called back to her family home in country New South Wales due to her father’s unforeseen illness, she is torn between career and family. As her dream of being principal dancer fades, her stalker edges ever closer. But there is more to overcome than a lurking psychopath. Can Jessie and Brad confront their own demons and escape the past?
Award winning author, Diane Demetre writes genre-busting stories which delve deep into the human psyche, and Retribution is no exception. Winner of Romance Writers of Australia Emerald Pro Award for Best Unpublished Manuscript, Retribution is her first romantic suspense. If you love a cast of complex characters, a slow simmering romance and an intriguing plot, don’t miss this page-turning romantic suspense with a twist.
 
You can find out more about this book on Diane’ website www.dianedemetre.com or purchase it at any amazon store through these direct quick links…
Aust.  https://rebrand.ly/au-retribution
U.S.A  https://rebrand.ly/buy-retribution
U.K.  https://rebrand.ly/uk-retribution
 

The lovely Alli Sinclair has a new book out this week. 
I am reading it at the moment and loving it! Alli and I area t the Bellingen Readers and Writers' Festival in a couple of week with Fiona McArthur!
It will be great fun talking about romance together.

​
Alli Sinclair’s new book Burning Fields follows a North Queensland woman and her star crossed lover in an Australian take on Romeo & Juliet boasting themes of woman’s rights, racism and immigration during the 1940s.
 
BLURB:
 
1948. The world is struggling to regain a sense of balance after the devastation of World War II, and the sugar cane–growing community of Piri River in northern Queensland is no exception.  
As returned servicemen endeavour to adjust to their pre–war lives, women who had worked for the war effort are expected to embrace traditional roles once more.
Rosie Stanton finds it difficult to return to the family farm after years working for the Australian Women's Army Service. Reminders are everywhere of the brothers she lost in the war and she is unable to understand her father's contempt for Italians, especially the Conti family next door. When her father takes ill, Rosie challenges tradition by managing the farm, but outside influences are determined to see her fail.
Desperate to leave his turbulent history behind, Tomas Conti has left Italy to join his family in Piri River. Tomas struggles to adapt in Australia–until he meets Rosie. Her easygoing nature and positive outlook help him forget the life he's escaped. But as their relationship grows, so do tensions between the two families until the situation becomes explosive.
When a long–hidden family secret is discovered and Tomas's mysterious past is revealed, everything Rosie believes is shattered. Will she risk all to rebuild her family or will she lose the only man she's ever loved?
Advance praise for Burning Fields:
With an engaging, gutsy heroine and a lush North Queensland setting, I found so much to love about Burning Fields – Barbara Hannay, author
 
 
BUY LINKS:
PRINT:
Harlequin MIRA – https://www.harpercollins.com.au/9781489256607/
Booktopia – http://bit.ly/2GFqPVg
Bookworld – http://bit.ly/2FMh1vu
Dymocks – http://bit.ly/2HKqMH2
 
eBOOK:
iBooks – https://apple.co/2FUxKZD
Amazon – http://amzn.to/2GKmtwd
Google Play –http://bit.ly/2tWmeLD
Kobo - http://bit.ly/2pjhZoH