Excerpt from Chapter Forty-one of Where the Murray River Runs by Darry Fraser
 
 
My baby. A rush of love surged in her chest, swelled her heart. She would love this little boy fiercely until the day she died and then into the hereafter.
She sniffed and let her hand trail off the cot. Checking that her aunt’s door was closed, she moved silently to her own room, its spartan furniture still alien and unwelcoming. Soon that would change because James would bring back other pieces, or order some more furniture to be delivered.
Under the pillow, she withdrew Mary’s two letters and laid the opened one aside. With a deep breath, she sat on her bed and held the unopened one between her palms. Would Mary tell her how to bring up her child? What name to call him? How she was to be remembered to him?
Linley slid a fingernail against the seal of the envelope. It opened easily, as if ready for her. She withdrew the only page inside and took a deep breath.
My dear Miss Seymour …
 

​Renée Dahlia’s second novel, In Pursuit of a Bluestocking, (releases 12 October from Escape Publishing).
Hi Annie. Thanks for inviting me to sit in your chair and discuss my novel.
​
Welcome, Renée. You’ve recently been travelling, was that for research or fun?
Fun of course, although that is a great question to ask a workaholic writer who can’t resist historical research. For nearly a decade my husband and I discussed a grand overseas adventure, mulling over many different options. Children, work, and house renovations took precedence, but eventually last year we decided it was time. We decided on London as the base, and ended up doing an industrial revolution tour of England and Wales. Much of the trip revolved around my husband’s desire to visit the birth of civil engineering, therefore we saw many Thomas Telford designed bridges, as well as the Brunel Museum. For my writing research, I made sure we saw plenty of Victorian era houses, with highlights being Cardiff Castle and Erddig. Most of the Bluestocking series is set in London (although the first, To Charm a Bluestocking, is set entirely in Amsterdam), and museums such as the London Transport Museum provided a great overview on how the city looked and worked in the 1880s.
We came home with many reference books, and my creative well filled full of ideas. We had an utterly brilliant time, even a month in a motorhome with six of us hasn’t quelled our enthusiasm for each other. The children travelled well, dealing with the squashed truck, the rain, and being dragged around “too many castles, about seventy billion of them.” You can read about our many adventures on my blog at: http://www.reneedahlia.com/category/travel/
The second book in my Bluestockings series, In Pursuit of a Bluestocking is out now. It’s basically a train chase from Amsterdam, through Paris, and ending up in England. There are conmen, a murder, and plenty of romance!
You can keep in touch with me at my facebook page, or on my website.
Website
Facebook
 
Blurb and book links:
When he goes hunting a thief, he never expects to catch a bluestocking...
Marie had the perfect life plan: she would satisfy her father’s ambition by graduating as one of the first female doctors in Europe, and she would satisfy her mother’s ambition by marrying a very suitable fiancé in a grandiose society ceremony. Only weeks away from completing the former, Marie is mere days away from achieving the latter. But her whole life is thrown into chaos when her fiancé dies, mysteriously returns, and then is shot and killed, and Marie risks her own reputation to save the life of the man falsely accused of the murder.
Gordon, Lord Stanmore, finally tracks down the conman who stole from his estate, only to find himself embroiled in a murder plot. The woman he rescues offers to rescue him in return, by marrying him and providing an alibi. Gordon’s ready agreement to the scheme grows the more time he spends with his new wife. Her wit, her intelligence, her calm, her charm: Gordon finds himself more and more enchanted with this woman he met by mistake. But as the clues to the identity of the murderer start to align with the clues to the thief, they reveal a more elaborate scheme than he could have imagined, and though he might desire Marie, Gordon is unsure if he can trust her.
As their chase leads them out of Amsterdam and into the UK, both Gordon and Marie must adjust to the life that has been thrust upon them and decide if marriage came first, can love come after?
Links
Escape 
Amazon Aus 
Amazon USA
iBooks
Booktopia
Google Play

​As a mother of four school-aged children, education is a top priority for me. Being in the right catchment zone for the best school has a huge effect of where we live. I know this is an issue that faces many families in urban areas.
In rural and remote areas, however, this doesn’t happen. Often the schools are too far away to travel to each day. So thousands of families utilise distance education and School of the Air as a means of accessing primary and often secondary education.
Of course, this isn’t just a case of plonking a child in front of a computer for six hours a day. A parent, teacher or governess is required to plan and supervise the daily lessons.
For many mothers, juggling school work and station duties just has to be done. But for those who want to and can afford it, hiring a Governess is a great option.
This paid role is often taken by European girls on their Gap year as a way to experience the Outback.
Many Aussie girls take positions too. Especially the adventurous and those with an interest in education. Many go on to study teaching afterward.
My new novel The Outback Governess follows Paige a special needs teacher from Victoria who takes up a Governess position in Outback Queensland for three young children. She has no idea just how much and how quickly she would come to love the dusty, dry country, and the family who desperately need her.
Logan was heartbroken when his wife died, leaving him to raise their three children with the help of his aging parents on their remote cattle station. To avoid the constant reminder of the love he lost, he works on a mine in Mt Isa, meaning he only sees his family week on, week off.
But then tragedy strikes and Paige and Logan are forced to work together to look after the children, alone on the station. As well as being their teacher, Paige also becomes a substitute mother and teaches Logan how to be a parent again. A role he has avoided since losing his wife.
Can Paige bring the family back together or have the wounds of the past cut too deep?
It’s out 14 November but is available now to pre-order here: http://www.books2read.com/TheOutbackGoverness
Author Bio:
Sarah Williams spent her childhood chasing sheep, riding horses and picking Kiwi fruit on the family orchard in rural New Zealand. After a decade travelling, Sarah moved to tropical North Queensland to enjoy the heat and humidity and run around after crocodiles.
When she's not absorbed in her fictional writing world, Sarah is running after her family of four kids, one husband, two dogs and a cat. She helps to run the local writers centre and supports her peers achieve their publishing dreams.
Sarah is regularly checking social media when she really should be cleaning.
You can find her online at:
www.sarahwilliamsauthor.com
www.facebook.com/sarahwilliamswriter
www.twitter.com/SarahW_Writer

On 28th January this year I wrote the first chapter of Whitsundays, my first historical single title. The book wasn't contracted when I began my story, but by March, my wonderful agent, Haylee Nash of The Nash Agency had sold it to Harper Collins, for the Harlequin Mira imprint. Today, seven months later, I wrote the last words and I cried.
I cried because I was happy.
 And I cried with my characters in the final chapter.
I believe this is the best story I have written yet.

I've loved each character, and I've loved every word as I wrote the story. I loved researching the history, the landscape and the contemporary issues I've explored. I've shared some of my photographs of my research with you here. This is the longest it has ever taken me to write a book. The research was painstaking, and I enjoyed each minute of it, especially talking to the older fellows at Cannonvale who were there as children in World War 11. Taking photographs of the island landscapes that haven't changed since the 1940s, and climbing over a Catalina flying boat was as much fun as writing the story.

Now the long process of edits, and cover creation, and publicity planning begins in tandem with my publisher, Harlequin Mira.During the writing of this story, I have learned so much about the impact of World War 11 on families, and I have learned more about the dangers to our beautiful Australian environment in contemporary times. 
I hope, you, my reader will love it as much as I do and learn more about the beautiful country that is Australia, more about our history, and the events that shaped the people we have become.
And recognise the dangers that today, threaten our country under the guise of development.

Stay posted. At this point, release day is 20 August 2018. One year and two days away! It will be available for pre-order a few months before that. I'll keep you informed.Now to start the next one!
​
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A big welcome to my dear friend, Susanne Bellamy, today. Susanne and I met at a romance writers' conference six years ago and have been great buddies ever since. She supports me in my writing, and is a fabulous critique partner. We have a great collaborative system going and I am proud to say she has trusted met to design each of her covers. It's sad to think that Wild about Harry is the last book in the fabulous Hearts of the Outback Series! Do your self a favour and read the series!

Guest post: Wild About Harry
 
I used to be afraid of flying. I was one of ‘those’ passengers. You know the type; white-knuckled grip on the armrests, tense posture, shallow breathing, glazed eyes turned for one last look at Mother Earth before I left it ... forever! 
What changed it for me? My son.
Passionate about flying, it was a close-run thing whether he’d have his pilot’s licence before his car licence. Three days between them in the end. He got his open licence before the end of his senior year at school and his commercial licence the following year. And he got me into a small Cessna 170 and took me up, up, and away! 
It could have been the stuff of total meltdown, but he was so good; calm and practical and I trusted him. He’s my son. I know him. He opened up an amazing world of small planes and showed me my hometown and district from a whole new perspective. So how does this link into my new release? 
Harry Douglas, the hero of Wild About Harry, is a geologist with a passion for ... flying. He was hijacked in book 4 and I used my own experience of the first time my son made a steep (I mean STEEP) turn for that scene. Other than that one moment, I now love flying, at least with my son. My husband gave me a hot air balloon flight for my birthday last year once he recognised my hitherto unsuspected love for getting ‘high’, and I mean that literally! 
Wild About Harry is book 5 in my series, Hearts of the Outback. Set in and around Mt Isa, the books are linked by location, and characters from each book pop up in other books, although each story is complete in itself. I love meeting familiar characters again, especially when I’ve previously enjoyed their company, and this group of characters have ties that bind, family and friends. I hope you enjoy them too. 
 
Wild About Harry - Blurb:
Trying to be both father and mother to his young daughter, Harry Douglas has no interest in a new relationship. If he had known that helping Briony Middleton on a lonely Outback road would put his closely guarded secret at risk, he wouldn’t have played the white knight.
Bri has no time for relationships; her focus is on avenging her grandfather’s ill-treatment at the hands of a big mining company by gathering photographic evidence of wrongdoing and stopping a proposed super mine.
But as fate and Harry’s daughter keep throwing them together, what will Bri do when she discovers Harry’s secrets?
 
Buy link: http://amzn.to/2rt5Ekt  ​
 
​

A warm welcome to the awesome Robby Dennis whose new book, Love in Speranza is now live for your reading pleasure.
I must admit the video trailer has me hooked!

Click here for the fabulous video
 
 
When passion and culture collide, secrets from long ago are revealed, forever changing lives in the sleepy town of Speranza.
 
Australian author Gabby Craven, travels to Speranza, Sicily, immersing herself in its culture. Enchanted by its beauty and friendly people, she quickly becomes entangled in their colourful lives. Especially that of the town’s sexy doctor Nic Ravisi. He’s the complete package, sending her temperature soaring. If only he didn’t keep retreating from her…
 
Dr Nic Ravisi is driven by his duty to care for the people of his home town. Turning his back on a promising career as a surgeon in the city, he chooses to live a humble life, costing him his first love. Despite the underlying pressure to marry from the well-meaning community and his mother, it’s the last thing on his mind.
 
When his path intersects with Gabby’s, he finds it hard to concentrate on his priorities. She’s too hard to ignore. What good can come of a short-term fling?
 
After a chance meeting with a mysterious older woman, Gabby uncovers a tale of lost love and a secret that could turn lives upside down. Can Gabby help her to reveal the truth and set into motion the destiny that awaits, before she returns home?
 
Love in Speranza takes you on a journey of love in its many forms. Love, hope and second chances.  

Tell us a little bit about yourself, Robby...
I was born in Palermo, Sicily, and migrated to Australia when I was four. Most people around me had no idea I was Sicilian as I was very blonde and blue eyed as my mum is Austrian. I have always been drawn to my Sicilian roots, perhaps those first few years spent in Palermo got into my blood. I’ve had the pleasure of returning to my birthplace on several occasions and after all these years, it’s pretty much the same now as it was fifty years ago.
During these trips, I began a love affair with the culture and people and realised it was deeply ingrained in my DNA. Although I’m a typical Aussie, it thrills me to dip into my native roots and remember all the little things which were a part of my childhood. I yearn to visit “Home” more often.
As a young child, I began writing and illustrating my own “books” after seeing the movie, The Sound of Music. I was enthralled with the idea of HEA. I continued to write and illustrate throughout high school, and early adult life, until motherhood distracted me.
I enjoy interacting with people. A clown at heart, I like to impart my own brand of fun and humour. Three years ago, a shift in my health status and a new sense of joy compelled me to sit down at my computer and dabble in writing for the first time in over twenty-five years.  
It led me to write several stories based on my beloved family home in Sicily. Villa Nave is a pocket of heaven where my closest relatives live and where I draw my inspiration from. Although my characters are fictional, there is often something to be found inside each one that has been inspired by someone in my life. From there, a series of books have evolved, sharing some common characters.
Working as a corsetiere for many years, including fitting breast cancer patients with prosthetics, I draw inspiration from the lives of those battling or surviving cancer. Life is filled with adversities and heart ache, a theme I often address in my stories. Three of my novels are based in Australia and deal with overcoming grief, fear and hopelessness.
I am happily married to my childhood sweetheart Paul, who is my muse, computer "tech guy", proof reader and Publishing Department. We share two grown children, Krissy and Jake, a son in law Alex and two grandsons. A menagerie of pets over the years have brought laughter and fun into the equation. My favourite pet Sully, the Silky Terrier, features in one of my stories.
Writing has enabled me to escape to a world far removed from my daily life as a sales assistant. It is a world I want to share with others. My desire is that people will not only enjoy reading my stories, but find inspiration to believe in love, hope and second chances… and perhaps yearn to travel to Sicily and indulge in a ricotta cannoli or two.
.
 CLICK ON THE COVER or you can find them here:

Amazon 

​Amazon Australia
 
Print

Please give a big welcome to Sun Chara...who is telling us about the inspiration for her Italian Millionaire

The Inspiration behind Italian Millionaire, Runaway Principessa
 
I think the inspiration came from the many fairytales I’d read as a child…got my imagination whirring…and I thought why not a modern day fairytale? That’s the fairy dust part of it. But the ‘reality’ part of it came from having heard women speak on how they put their life on hold so their husbands finish their studies, and afterward, it would be the wives’ turn to do… but too often, the wife’s time to study or follow her dreams never materializes, and instead, she kinda loses her dream in place of his. I know that sometimes it happens the other way as well, and the husband puts his life on hold to take care of the wife, the family… but for this story, I focused on Peter’s grueling and demanding medical career to act as the catalyst that tore them apart.  But ironically, it was his profession that reunited them.  So, the fairytale & the reality mergedd in Italian Millionaire, Runaway Principessa for a HEA!


Infamous Italian neurosurgeon, Peter
Medeci, has a score to settle with his
estranged wife: her reckless bid for
independence has nearly destroyed his
medical career.
Ellie, desperate to reassert herself as
more than his bedroom playmate, flees
the ‘fairytale’ for a gig in a Hollywood club
until Peter comes looking for her. For her
freedom, Ellie must spend the next three
weeks being the ‘good doctor’s wife’ in
public…and his mistress in private!
 

http://amzn.to/2pFGz1X UK
http://amzn.to/2rbKnIU US
https://hyperurl.co/1nixom
Amazon worldwide & all e-retailers
*Available also in paperback

Please welcome, the talented Elizabeth Ellen Carter to my chair today, on the release day of Dark Heart. I predict  this is the book that is going to set Elizabeth on the path to success. A great story, and with a cover like that... isn't it glorious...it has gone onto the list of one of my favourite covers ever! Welcome Elizabeth!

 
Hello, I'm an Australian author who writes historical romantic suspense.
 
I've always been a romantic at heart -- and a huge classic movie buff. When I was young I'd prefer to stay home on a Friday night to watch Bill Collins present a classic from the Golden Years of Hollywood to going out.
 
Those films introduced me to classic literature - Pride and Prejudice with Greer Garson, Ivanhoe with Elizabeth Taylor, the Woman in White with Eleanor Parker, Gone with the Wind with Vivien Leigh, and many, many more.
 
These tales had strong heroines, dashing heroes and lashings of adventure. I would lose myself for hours in these stories and attempt to write some of my own.
 
Although I did well in English and history, I wasn't exactly the most diligent student - I was too much of a daydreamer.
 
But I was practical enough to realise that the only job that was going to pay me for writing was being a journalist.
 
As it so happened, I also had a teenage crush on our local newspaper's music, TV and film reviewer. But that's a love story for another time, suffice to say that my crush and I celebrated our 23rd wedding anniversary last month.
 
All of this television and film watching influenced the way I write. I see movies played out in front of my eyes, including camera angles, pans, cutaways, crossfades... it's all terrible cinematic in my head.
 
And it’s the reason I enjoy writing historical romantic suspense – the action provides added tension – sure the hero and heroine like each other and would make a great couple, but will they live long enough for it to happen? Of course, they do, but it’s so much fun to get from A-to-B viaTimbuktoo.

Please welcome the lovely Louise Guy to my chair today.

Happy Release day, Louise!
Hi Annie, thanks so much for having me today.I’m delighted to finally be releasing Everyday Lies, my first published book for adults. I’ve been writing fiction for a number of years and in the past two years have become well known for my children’s middle-grade fiction. I never set out to write for children, but raising an 8-year-old reluctant reader will do that to a mum/writer! It’s wonderful for me to see him, and other reluctant readers, enjoying my books and realising that the world of fiction is huge and so exciting to explore.
 Recently my adult stories have been pushing more and more into the forefront of my mind; characters demanding I write their stories and get them into the hands of readers. These characters can become quite annoying at times – one minute I’m off in a magical fantasy world for children and the next a crazy woman throws open the adult fiction door in my mind and demands I tell the story of how her life was stolen!  Her story is my current work in progress and whilst challenging, is also a lot of fun.My second book for adults, Fortunate Friends, will be released in November.
Everyday Lies – Blurb
For Emma and Lucie, the art of lying appears all too easy . . .
 Emma Wilson has it all. Beauty, wealth, a loving and successful husband. But appearances can be deceptive. Bored and restless, her need for more fuels a dangerous craving; one she intends to keep hidden. Against her husband’s wishes and trapped in a deep web of lies, Emma returns to the family and hometown she left seventeen years earlier. Here, her lies magnify, threatening to destroy her marriage and all she holds dear.
Widowed and struggling financially and emotionally, Lucie Andrews is pushed to her limits. Delayed grief combined with an obstinate five-year-old drive her to rash decisions and reckless behavior, the consequences of which she is determined to keep secret. For Lucie, the most damaging lies are not the ones she tells others, but those she tells herself.
Thrown together by circumstance, will friendship be strong enough for Emma and Lucie to survive the fallout from their lies, or will the fragile threads of their lives continue to unravel?
Buy Link:
https://www.books2read.com/u/b5On1w
 

Please welcome Tamar Sloan to my chair today...
Tamar, tell us a little bit about yourself and your writing journey.

Interestingly, I never considered I'd be a writer. As a child I loved to read (I devoured romance novels from the moment I discovered them), but it NEVER occurred to me that I could write one myself.
My first book came to me in a dream (so cliché, right?). But it was a beautiful dream. There were moving scenes of a boy who never came of age like every one of his kind has. It was a story about the girl who has wounds of her own (and totally underestimates her potential) and the power of their connection. A connection powerful enough to spark Noah's change, and to challenge Eden's beliefs. And it was an idea that wouldn't go away.
Many dedicated hours later punctuated by much cursing and face-palming because it was far more difficult than I realised, Prophecy Awakened was born, and it was a pretty big high when it won the Romance Writers of Australia 2015 First Kiss competition and finalised in the Heart of Denver 2015 Molly competition. The biggest high was an offer of publication from Clean Reads…although the positive reviews are up there too ; ) Now the second book in the Prime Prophecy Series, Prophecy Accepted, is set to be released later this year.
 
About the Author:
 
A school psychologist by day, Tamar channels her passion for books into creating young adult stories about discovering life and love beyond our comfort zones. She is the award-winning author of the Prime Prophecy Series. Her debut novel, Prophecy Awakened, is an epic story of a love that defies boundaries.
When not reading, writing or working with teens, Tamar can be found with her ever-patient husband and two beautiful sons enjoying country life on their small acreage in the Australian bush. 
Tamar finds it deeply rewarding to share her stories and she loves to hear from her readers and fellow lovers of all things book related. You can find her at:
Website | Twitter | Facebook | Instagram | Goodreads
 

About the Book:
 
Eden - shy, wounded...all she wants is to finish her senior year and escape to college.
Noah - the guy who’s spent two years drifting aimlessly, not knowing why he failed to come of age as every one of his ancestors has. 
When the two meet the connection is instantaneous and undeniable. A connection that has Eden running and Noah burning to know more.
A connection destined to be the catalyst for a prophecy that neither knew existed.
A prophecy others are willing to kill for.
As families rupture and struggle to realign, as their hearts connect and ignite, Eden learns to trust. But with their love and life on the line, Eden must find the power to believe.

Website | Goodreads | Amazon |B&N |  iBooks | Kobo |