Book Review no 12: Last Summer by Kylie Ladd

Rory is a great Aussie bloke - a father, husband, brother, son and good mate to many. He's also the captain of the local cricket team and the nucleus of a group of friends in suburban Melbourne. Then suddenly (and shockingly) one day he dies....and everybody around him is left floundering as they try to pick up the pieces of their lives without Rory in it.

I really liked the way the premise of this book and how it explored what happens when a tragic, unexpected event occurs. It illustrated wonderfully just how different people cope (or don't cope) and how people attempt to move on. This is especially true when losing a person like Rory, who they all relied upon in one way or another.

Amazing Community Libraries

Having always had access to a well-stocked Council library, I was blissfully unaware of the amazing work done by community libraries all over the country. It was not until I was invited to speak as an author (quite a thrill I must say) that I had the pleasure of visiting my first community library and learning all about what a huge role they play in small towns. 

After doing a little research I learned that community libraries are generally run by volunteers and they rely mainly on donations to stock their shelves. So, to be honest I was expecting a small building with lots of second hand books (and there would have been absolutely nothing wrong with that). Imagine my surprise when I arrived to find a good sized, modern building with a huge range of books, all lovingly cared for. There was even free internet. To know that this is all made possible by the work of a great band of dedicated volunteers is what made it truly remarkable. Books are either donated (mostly new) or purchased with funds raised (by the same group of volunteers). All the work involved in the running of a library (which basically has the same borrowing system as a regular library) is carried out by volunteers. Although the hours are not as long as a normal library, they certainly offer enough time for anybody to squeeze in a visit and borrow some books.

As a writer, all you want is for people to read your work. Sure it is nice to make lots of sales, but it is equally nice to know that strangers go into a library, browse the shelves, pick up your book and take it home to read. In a time when some are questioning the validity of libraries in our modern world, the community library is a shining example of why we DO and will always need a place we can go and find books. 

So I say hats off to all the community libraries out there! Keep doing what you're doing and we authors will always have a reason to keep doing what we do.

Book Review No 11: The Sinkings by Amanda Curtin

Although the beginning chapters of The Sinkings are a little confusing and seemingly disjointed, I soon settled into the rhythm of this compelling novel and by the end I really enjoyed the way the two threads of the story (past and present) inched together and gradually met.

Willa lives in Western Australia and is just starting to function again after dealing with the loss of her daughter. Drawn into the horrific homicide of a convict turned free settler over a century before at a place known as The Sinkings, Willa is determined to unravel just what happened to the man known as Little Jock. Not much notice was taken of the brutal manner of the murder at the time, but knowing that Jock suffered the same rare medical condition as her daughter Imogen, Willa believes that she owes it to him to find an answer.

The Kindness of Kids

Today's blog post has nothing to do with writing or book reviews - although it is kind of related to a book I'm reading (My James by Ralph Bulger). Most of us remember the absolutely horrific murder of an angelic looking two year old boy James Bulger back in 1993. Almost as shocking as the brutality of the crime was the fact it was carried out by two ten-year-old boys. Reading this book you cannot help but be absolutely horrified at what this young boy suffered and feel despair that kids could be capable of such evil. Unfortunately we usually only hear the horrible things kids do and rarely the good, so I would like to write a little about that today.

Book Review No 10: Bay Of Fires by Poppy Gee

Bay of Fires in Tasmania is a place where people come every summer to enjoy a simple beach holiday either in their own shack or at the campground. Quiet, idyllic and isolated it seems like a very unlikely place for a murder. Yet in the space of just over a year two young women (of remarkably similar appearance) have met with foul play. Young surfer Chloe simply disappeared without a trace after telling her family she was going surfing and Swiss backpacker Anja's body was discovered washed up on the beach on Boxing Day. Suddenly the close knit community is on edge - people are locking doors and watching their backs, something they've never had to do before.

Sarah Avery has just arrived back in her home state after a stint living and working in Queensland. It is obvious she is seeking solace in her family's beach shack, yet she is unwilling to talk about what caused her to leave her boyfriend and the job she loved at a Barramundi farm. Choosing to spend a lot of time fishing alone or swimming in the freezing waters of the nearby beach and lagoon, Sarah is working hard to bury her recent troubled past. It is only when she strikes up a friendship with journalist Hall Flynn (who is covering the murder mystery) that she begins to let her guard down.

Book Review No 9: Paper Chains by Nicola Moriarty

Hannah is not your usual twenty-something Australian living in London. Unlike the thousands of other travellers and working holidayers that make the city home for a time while they party their way around Europe, Hannah spends her nights alone in her flat and her days off jogging all over the city to the point of exhaustion. By a stroke of fate she meets fellow Aussie India, who is as outgoing and fun loving as Hannah is serious and reclusive. Although an unlikely friendship it flourishes and enriches the lives of both the young women in amazing ways.

It doesn't take long for India to work out that Hannah is hiding a secret and she makes it her mission to discover and get it sorted out - after all in her own words "everything is fixable". In the meantime India is dealing with her own matters of the heart. Although she has adopted a "here for a good time not a long time" attitude to travel and the people she meets along the way, India can't stop thinking about Simon who she met in Greece and continues to correspond with via an unorthodox method that sees her letters hand transported via other travellers. Yet a secret of her own keeps her from following her heart and committing to a relationship with him.

Book Review No 8: Web Of Deceit by Katherine Howell

Initially it seems like just another routine call out for busy Sydney paramedics Jane and Alex - a single vehicle car accident with only minor injuries. Although sympathetic towards the victim (who claims to have been chased by a stalker), it appears he has some kind of psychological problem and the pair can only deliver him to hospital before continuing onto their next call. It is not until several hours later when they are called to a fatal train accident that they realise it is the same victim and this time he is dead. Although they have many issues of their own to deal with, Jane and Alex can't help but be drawn into the web of intrigue the accident leaves behind.

Getting That Second Book Finished

It is always a great compliment when a reader finishes your book and asks, 'So when is your next book coming out?'

What is not so great is when you don't have a firm date to give them. Even though authors generally hate marketing their product, you can't help but realise you have lost a marketing opportunity by not having another product to offer an interested customer.

I was interviewed recently for a newspaper article and the journalist was very interested to know when my next book would be published. Thinking on my feet I answered, 'Hopefully by the end of the year.'

Seeing the interview in print I decided that December 2013 is officially my deadline for my next book. No more vague, 'I'm not really sure....' answers - December it is! 

It's not like I'm starting from scratch - I am working on it. I've just let it be pushed aside by the demands of my day job(s) and the constant push trying to promote my first book The Beach House. But that is no longer an excuse - I'm on a mission. My fifteen year old niece has recently taken to asking me (increasingly bluntly) how much work I've done on my new book. I'm onto it Charlotte, I promise!

Unlike The Beach House, I have not yet decided on a title.....I'm hoping it will come to me soon as I get more involved in this new book and let TBH take a back seat for a while (in my mind at least - for readers I very much hope it stays front seat!). 

I'm looking forward to having a new book on my bookshelf page on my website very soon.

Watch this space - I'll keep you posted.

Book Review No 7: The Distant Hours by Kate Morton

Edie Burchill is an only child, who shares a civil but emotionally distant relationship with her parents. At their home on a duty visit one day, she witnesses her mother's unusual reaction to a letter delivered in the post. Lost for fifty years, it has finally found it's way to it's rightful owner and in doing so introduces Edie to a mystery that turns her life upside down.

During the war Edie's mother Meredith was evacuated to Milderhurst Castle in Kent. Taken under the wing of the youngest of the three Blythe sisters, Juniper, Meredith flourishes in the literary environment. Juniper herself is a writer, as is her sister Seraphina - although the true literary star is their father Raymond, who penned the classic story The True History Of The Mud Man (which in turn is Edie's favourite childhood book). While at Milderhurst Meredith dares to dream she might finish he education and perhaps even attend university. Yet, instead she returns to her London home and finishes school early to take an office job. Edie is shocked to discover this side to her mother and through both circumstance and choice sets out to uncover the true mystery of Milderhurst and the Blythe sisters (who still live there in their senior years).

Book Review No 6: The House Of Memories by Monica McInerney

From her early childhood Ella has shared a close bond with her eccentric Uncle Lucas (and his house in London). So it is only natural that she finds herself there following a personal tragedy that has ripped her life apart. 

Ella and husband Aiden were loving their life in Canberra until a spur of the moment decision one day results in a terrible accident. Unwilling to see the point of view of Aiden and her spoilt half sister Jess, Ella takes off, believing that being constantly on the move will prevent her from drowning in grief.