Book Review No 33: Matilda Is Missing by Caroline Overington

Softie and Garry are from two different worlds. She is an accomplished career woman from a middle class background and he grew up in foster care after a horrific childhood incident and takes life very much as he finds it. They were never really suited for one another, but Softie went against her better judgement and settled. Why? Because she was approaching 40 and desperately wanted a child. In hindsight she knows it was the wrong decision, yet at the time Garry was there and available. And like many women Softie believed that she just might be able to "fix" him.

This novel is told in quite an unusual way and as you start reading you wonder when you are actually going to come across what is described in the main blurb of the story. Told through the eyes of outsiders, it shows the whole situation from different angles and perspectives - which I thought actually worked really well. The main voice is that of a man in his sixties, who as a character I thought was absolutely spot on. You could imagine this man easily, right down to his old man wardrobe and what he has for dinner each night.

Book Review No 31: Stronger Now by Nicole MacLean

Back in 2002 Nicole MacLean was just an average twenty three year old. From a close knit family in suburban Melbourne, she had a job she loved, a wide circle of friends and enjoyed a busy social life. Having previously been to Bali, she was happy to go back for a relaxing break with some friends. Touching down on the afternoon of October 12th 2002, she hadn’t even finished unpacking when she made the fateful decision to go out to the Sari Club. Enjoying the music on the dance floor one minute, her life as she knows it is altered forever when the bomb goes off.

Book Review No 30: Shallow Breath By Sara Foster

Growing up on the beautiful West Australian coast, all Desi ever wanted to do was work with dolphins. As a teenager that dream comes true when she gets a job at the Atlantis marine park near her home town. Devastated when the park is closed, she is thrilled to meet Connor, a young American who is just as passionate about dolphins as she is. Their relationship is passionate but brief when he is tragically killed, leaving her pregnant and alone. She works hard to provide a living for her daughter Maya, but is forced to leave her own passions behind for the sake of practicality. Then one impulsive action on Desi’s behalf results in her spending time in prison, leaving behind a splintered family and a community that ostracises her.

Book Review No 29: Dancing Backwards In High Heels by Christine Darcas

Maddy is 42 years old and in a rut. A newcomer to Australia, she is struggling to find her feet while her two kids and husband seem to have settled in well at work and school. Desperate for a new outlet but just not sure what she wants, Maddy finds her answer one night as she searches for a doctors surgery for her ill son. A dancing studio catches her eye and on a whim, Maddy signs up for lessons - having no clue just what an impact it will have on her life.

Many women would be able to relate to Maddy's feelings - she is a giver to everybody except herself. While she has carefully buried her past as a dancer, that spark still exists within her and it doesn't take much to bloom back to full strength. Her family aren't entirely happy with her new hobby - after all it means she will be less available for them. Yet Maddy knows if she doesn't take a stand now, she never will.

Well written and easy to read, Dancing Backwards in High Heels explores many themes common to women worldwide. It is ultimately an uplifting story that celebrates the different passions each one of us has and why it is so important for us to embrace them - no matter what other people think.

Kindle Sale!

The Kindle version of The Beach House is just $2.99 for the weekend. Check it out at Amazon or Amazon UK

Thanks Fellow Authors

I really am very glad that I have become an author in the Internet age! In fact in all honesty, I might not even be here if it wasn't for the sweeping changes that the Internet has brought into the publishing industry. Not only is it much easier to get your work out on the world stage, but there is a huge community of fellow authors out there who are ready and willing to help you make it in the writing world. Over the past couple of months I have managed to conquer two of the biggest challenges facing (non U.S.) authors publishing on Amazon Kindle - tax and payment.

While Amazon might get your book out onto the global stage - unless you have your tax sorted out, the I.R.S. will take a huge 30% chunk of your earnings. Ouch! While you can apply to get this money back, it is such a long winded process it's really not worth the bother. Applying for an International Tax Number was similarly daunting - which was why I kept putting it off. Then I was lucky enough to stumble across a blog post about the much simpler to get Employee Identification Number and after a ten minute phone call I was sorted!

Dear Amazon, Please Explain......

I've said it before - Amazon has changed the way books are bought and read and given all authors a massive worldwide platform to share their work with the world. They are the King of books and I humbly acknowledge that. However, they can also be sneaky and as a huge player that knows they pretty much control the world book selling and e-book publishing industry, sometimes they do things that are just plain unfair.

Recently an indie author John Locke admitted he had paid for hundreds of glowing reviews of his own book. While it is without doubt an unethical thing to do, it was also without doubt a dumb thing to admit to. So like the whole class who gets kept in at lunch time because one kid won't admit to doing something wrong, thousands (or millions) of other authors have to suffer the fallout from this.

Book Review No 28: The Hypnotist's Love Story by Liane Moriarty

I've always enjoyed Liane Moriarty's books, but I think this one is my new favourite. I don't think it was so much the subject matter of the book, but just the entertainment value of a well told story that I liked so much.

Ellen is a 35 year old hypnotherapist with her own practice. Successful in her chosen field and living in her grandparents old house on Avalon Beach in Sydney, the only thing missing from her life is a relationship. Turning to the internet, she thinks she has hit the jackpot when she meets Patrick. A handsome, seemingly stable man with a decent job, he is also a widower with a young son. It is only a few dates in that he reveals his secret - he has a stalker named Saskia. In a relationship with her for three years, Patrick has moved on but she refuses to let go.

Book Review No 27 - Lola's Secret by Monica McInerney

Having just picked this book up at the library, it took me a while to realise that the main character Lola was the grandmother from Monica's previous book The Alphabet Sister's. It was a nice surprise as I always enjoy follow on books.

Lola is still enjoying life in the Clare Valley, helping her son and his wife run their motel. But it's Christmas and instead of going away with her family, Lola decides to stay home and run a special event and see who will turn up for a quiet, bush Christmas. A midst all this Lola is still very involved in the lives of her granddaughters Bette and Carrie (who have their own dramas to contend with) as well as her great-granddaughter Ellen, who is living far away in Hong Kong.

AWW Challenge Progress Report

I've been a little bit slack with my reviews over the past month, but thanks to a return flight to Melbourne and back, plus airport time and being away for a week I've managed to get back on track. I must admit I wondered at the beginning of the year if I would find a continuous source of  Australian Women Writers to read, as I had struggled in the past to find any kind of list or website that gave information about female writers here. Wow! I am so pleased to have been proved wrong. There ARE lots of Australian women writers out there, producing high quality fiction and non-fiction books and as long as we as readers keep supporting them, there will continue to be more books to fill our bookshelves (or Kindles).

My target for the year is still 50 and I think I'm a pretty good chance of making it. I can't thank the AWW challenge enough for inspiring me to seek out and read female writers and for providing the information about what books are out there and of course the reviews (more than 1000) that help you choose which books you would like to read.