Category Archives: Love and Relationships

Love and Relationships, Memoir

Kim Mahood and Sophie Green- Inspired by the Outback

Episode twenty-four: Kim Mahood ‘ Position Doubtful’ ; and Sophie Green – ‘ The Inaugural meeting of the Fairvale Ladies Bookclub’

                   

‘Position doubtful’ is an old surveyors map term used for areas where it is almost impossible to get a landmark for bearing.In her memoir , Kim Mahood  uses this term to apply to her memories of  the history of a homestead that used to belong to her family and her deep attachment to the land and its indigenous peoples that surround this place. Here she reads from her opening chapter and later in our interview explains what has drawn her to write of this geographical  place that is located in her heart  and of the personal charts she creates  to explain its history. ‘The Fairvale Ladies Book Club’ is also about living in the Australian outback, but Sophie Green’s central character, is  newly arrived as a bride from London  and  struggling to find friends and her feet in a radically different land.

Music tracks: ‘ Periphery’ by Belle Miners

Kim Mahood and Sophie Green were recorded at the Byron Writers Festival.

Love and Relationships

Jesse Blackadder and Ashley Hay

Episode eighteen :Jesse Blackadder – 60 seconds’ and Ashley Hay ‘100 small lessons’.

         

Our two authors today have set their work in tropical areas, and it is this ‘sense of place’ that imbues their characters trajectory.

In Jesse Blackadder’s ‘ 60 Seconds’ – a move from Tasmania to the Northern rivers of NSW  provides the backdrop to a family tragedy, while in Ashley Hay’s ‘ 100 small lessons’ the character of Lucy  has moved from Sydney to Brisbane. Both these novels are about coping with  loss and change.

Music tracks :‘Vulnerable –Angie Hudson; ‘When I get There’ – Lucie Thorne

Recorded at the Byron writers Festival 2017

Love and Relationships

A little romance and a lot of adventure for the holidays!

Episode fifteen:Lesley Truffle –‘The Fabulous  Hotel du Barry ‘ &’The Scandalous Life of  Sacher Torte’ and  Cassandra Dean –‘Silk and Scars’

      

  

Two authors and three novels in this edition. Romance but really adult fiction and wonderful escapist stuff for the holidays. Lesley Truffle’s novels are set in  olden Tasmania and in her interview she tells me why  while Cassandra Dean sets her heroine in that wonderful standby for creepy Georgian carryings on – the Moors of England !

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Featured music track: ‘Silvermines’ by Shane Howard from ‘Clan’.

Lesley Truffle and Cassandra Dean recorded in Melbourne 2017

Love and Relationships

Holiday Romance in the Australian outback ( and top end, and ocean!)

Edition twelve: Penelope Janu -‘ In at the Deep End’,  Kendall Talbot  – Lost in Kakadu’, and  Susan Lattwein – ‘Arafura- Blood, the Wet and Tears ‘

   

            

            

Well here is some holiday listening! Three Adult romance authors with a love of the outback and the top end and the deep sea!

Featured music track:’Nullabor Song’ by Kasey Chambers


Recorded at the A.R.R. A conference , Melbourne 2017.

Love and Relationships

Catherine Evans and Kelly Hunter – a bit of romance in the bush!

Edition  eleven :  Catherine Evans – ‘The Healing Season’ and Kelly Hunter –‘Wish’

      

Today we hear from two authors who are classed as Romance authors but this genre is now so expanded that under books published by romance imprints along with the usual  love stories you will find, crime, fantasy, science fiction, historical and in the case of Catherine Evans  and her book ‘ The Healing Season’ – scientist  romance! In Kelly Hunters novel ‘Wish’ we have a classic ‘ searching for a new life’ saga – but charmingly and satisfyingly told as a young mother struggles to start again.

Featured music track:‘The day that I lost You’ – Suzannah Espie;  “ Back to the Sun” -Ange Takats

Recorded at the A.R.R. A conference , Melbourne 2017.

Childrens lit, Love and Relationships

New to Narratives Library

I have been all over this month collecting more reads for the Narratives Library. First down to Melbourne for the Australian Romance Readers Convention where I recorded over 20 romance authors with their themes ranging from crime, to science fiction and paranormal to regency and steampunk!

First up in this series this week are:

Michelle Somers with crime romance’ Murder most unusual”

Michelle picks up tips on crime solving from  police contacts and weaves them into hot romances and thrillers.

I also recorded  Lesley Truffle reading from ‘The Scandalous life of Sacher Torte’. Her other ripping yarn ‘Hotel du Barry’ will be uploaded soon.

Amy Andrews is another romance/crime writer. Listen to her read ‘Limbo; ( It’s hard to know whether to list these under’crime’ or under ‘Romance and relationships’!

And finally one for little kids who feel ‘different’ for whatever reason from their peers.

Carole Lander writes happy but realistic stories to help these kids cope in ‘Wheels of fire’ and Basketball tree.

Last week I also attended the Somerset Celebration of Literature which is the largest invited gathering of Young Adult Writers held in Australia.

There will be some lovely reads posted soon from that event also.

Click on the book covers to take you to the reads.