Book Review No 26: Kath's Miracle by Kathleen Evans and Sarah Minns

Kathleen Evans was just an ordinary woman in NSW until the day she was diagnosed with terminal lung cancer and given a matter of months to live. Advised not to undertake treatment as her illness was too advanced she got her affairs in order and prepared to die. But then something amazing happened - she got better. Less than a year later she was given the all clear with all medical tests confirming she had no signs of cancer within her once ravaged body.

A miracle by anybody's standards (religious or not), the only answer Kathleen had was the Mary McKillop relic she had worn under her clothing every day and the knowledge that a prayer group at her local church had been praying specifically to Mary McKillop on her behalf.

Book Review No 25: Feral Bells by Peta-Jo

I was immediately drawn to the Queensland setting of this book. With lots of local references around Brisbane and Townsville (as well as a mention of my native Sunshine Coast), I couldn't help but feel immediately at home and enjoyed being able to picture most of the places depicted within.

Fortunately the story was similarly warm and inviting. We all know a few 'ferals', but there aren't many books written that acknowledge and celebrate them.

Book Review No 24: If I Should Lose You by Natasha Lester

Camille is the daughter of one of Australia's first female transplant surgeons and has herself forged a career as a nurse, working with the families of potential organ donors. Besides that, she is the mother of two young girls, one who is in desperate need of a liver transplant.

Poignant and compelling, this book explores an uncomfortable reality of organ donation - when those waiting for an organ essentially have to hope for the death of another so they might live. Beautifully written with lyrical, flowing prose you cannot help but feel Camille's despair as she watches her daughter grow sicker while trying to nurture her other child and deal with a less than loving marriage.

Book Review No 23: Outback Spirit by Sue Williams

Isolated by the tyranny of distance, thousands of tiny outback communities continue to survive against all odds, due largely to the strenght and tenacity of the people who poopulate them. With most of the Australian population residing in the major cities, little attention is paid to those who make a home in the outback. So it was very interesting to read a book focused entirely on a handful of these remarkable Australians.

Book Review No 22: Nine Days by Toni Jordan

Set across decades and generations of the same family, Nine Days tells the story of nine different days, one for each character. Some of the stories overlap, others are quite separate - but each links the character to a common thread, the Westaway family home in the Melbourne suburb of Richmond.

Spot on in it's sense of time and place, Nine Days swtiches seamlessly between a wide range of different characters both male and female, aged from teenage to elderly. I found the different POV easy to follow and enjoyed getting to know each character and their moment in time. My only criticism would be that just as I was getting involved in some of the stories they finished, leaving me hungry for more.

Book Review No 21: What is Left Over, After by Natasha Lester

Gaelle is a 30 year old woman, married to a heart surgeon and mother of a baby girl Aurora. French by nationality she has made a life for herself in Sydney and has a fulfilling career as the beauty editor of a magazine. So what could possibly drive her to start sleeping with random men and more bizarrely board a flight for Western Australia with just the clothes on her back without bothering to tell her husband or friends?

Multi-layered and quite dark at times, What is Left Over, After explores many issues relating to marriage and motherhood. I found Gaelle quite unlikable to start with, but as her character is explored via her interractions with a teenager she meets on the beach, I found myself softening, as the reasons for her seeiming self-centred behaviour are gradually revealed.

Digital Book Sale

To celebrate spring the digital editions of The Beach House (epub and kindle) are available from my website only at the special price of $4.99. DRM free and with extra content not available in other editions, it is a great place to grab your copy. (http://www.thebeachhousenovel.com.au)

The Joys of Spring

Ah, September - spring is here again. As I child I loved September because it is my birthday month, but even as I've gotten older and birthdays aren't quite as exciting (mainly because the numbers increase way too rapidly!), it is still my favourite month of the year.

Here in Queensland, spring generally arrives right on cue. Usually in the last couple of weeks of August you can really notice the days getting longer and the warm breezes replacing the colder ones of June and July. It's easier to get up early in the morning and go for a walk or a swim and I just seem to have so much more energy and motivation.

It is no coincidence that all five stories in my book The Beach House take place in spring and early summer. Even though the beach can still be a beautiful place when the weather is cool, it is in the warm spring and summer months that it is truly magical.

To celebrate the beginning of spring, the digital editions of my book (ePub and Kindle) are available from my site only (http://www.thebeachhousenovel.com.au)  for the special price of $4.99! DRM free and with extra content not available in other editions, this is the best place to grab your digital copy.

Book Review No 20: QF32 by Richard de Crespigny

Having flown quite a lot, I wouldn't consider myself a nervous flyer. However I must also admit that I don't like to dwell too much on how a plane actually stays up in the air when I'm in one! This book is all about a plane passenger's worst nightmare - an ominous loud "bang" and looking out the window to see a large part of the aircraft missing as well as leaking fuel and shrapnel holes in the wing.

Flight QF32 from Singapore to Sydney - part of the Kangaroo Route many Australians have travelled on - had just taken off in November 2010 when the unthinkable happened - a loud explosion followed by numerous alarms and warnings in the cockpit. It shouldn't have happened, after all this was one of the newest, most technically advanced aircraft in the world, the Airbus A380. QF32 had the potential to be one of the worst air disasters in history. The fact that the plane did in fact make a safe landing without any injuries to passengers or crew can attributed to the amazing teamwork of an experienced crew, captained by veteran Qantas pilot Richard de Crespigny. QF32 is his story.

Words That Inspire

It's always gratifying when you hear from a reader how something in your novel has had an impact on them - be it funny, sad, thought-provoking etc. But the best kind of impact is to inspire someone in some way. A reader recently told me how four words in a sentence one of my characters (Kate) spoke helped her through the last semester of her university degree. Bogged down and discouraged, she was on the verge of giving up but when she read the words "sheer force of will", it gave her the focus and determination to just push through with her own studies and finish what she'd started.

This reader could already relate to Kate as they were both students and both struggling to complete their respective degrees (although my character Kate was just at the start of hers). I have often used the words "sheer force of will" to remind myself not to give up when the going gets tough. I used them many times myself throughout school and university and definitely when writing The Beach House. Yes, there were many times in all three situations when I wanted to just give up, pack it in and try something easier. But I also knew that the obstacle in front of my was temporary and if I just focused my energy hard enough I could conquer it and get the reward of what I wanted, rather than looking back in regret later because I'd given up too easily and too early.