Tag Archives: books

My Book Anniversary

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They say time flies but I had no idea how much until I began to look back to 10 March 2016 when I published my debut novel, Climbing the Coconut Tree.

My writing journey began two years earlier when I was inspired to write a fictionalised account of a double murder which occurred on a little-known place called Ocean Island. You can read more about how it started here.

What is Climbing the Coconut Tree about?

Set in 1948, eighteen-year-old Bluey Guthrie leaves his family in Australia to take the job of a lifetime on a remote island in the Central Pacific. Bill and Isobel, seasoned ex-pats help Bluey fit in to a privileged world of parties, dances and sport.

However, the underbelly of island life soon draws him in. Bluey struggles to understand the horrors left behind after the Japanese occupation, the rising fear of communism, and the appalling conditions of the Native and Chinese workers. All this is overseen by the white colonial power brutalising the land for Phosphate: the new gold.

Isobel has her own demons and watches as Bill battles to keep growing unrest at bay. Drinking and gambling are rife. As racial tensions spill over causing a trail of violence, bloodshed and murder, Bluey is forced to face the most difficult choices of his life.

I’m proud of my debut and in the years since, I’ve written and published three more books.

Out of Nowhere: A collection of short stories published in 2017

A quirky and delightful mix of short stories taking the reader into unexpected territory.

A Perfect Stone published in 2018

A sweeping tale of love and loss, an old man’s suppressed memories resurface after a stroke. He finally confronts what happened when, as a ten-year-old, he was forced at gunpoint to leave his family and trek barefoot through the mountains to escape the Greek Civil War in 1948.

The Good Child published in 2021

Rich in detail and epic in scope, The Good Child is a powerful novel of emotional and financial resilience, loss and unexpected friendship between two women.

So yeah, I guess I’ve been a little busy. No wonder time has flown.

The Month that was … February, 2022

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Wedding bouquet of Australian native flowers

An exciting month of celebration for my daughter’s wedding. There is nothing quite like a big celebration in the middle of a pandemic which only serves to make it all the more special. In the week before we bunkered down to make sure a covid 19 case wouldn’t ruin things. It didn’t and all went well for a fun-filled day and more than a few sore heads the next day

Reading

I managed to keep my reading on track with the following books. Watch out for reviews in the coming weeks.

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Writing

I’ve continued to work on my manuscript The Palace Hotel – refining characters. Like my earlier novels, The Good Child and A Perfect Stone, this latest one is also an historical fiction with dual time-lines and dual characters. The time lines are 1948 ( I can’t seem to get out of that year) and 2000 with the female characters, Ellen and Dana. It’s a mystery with murder and mayhem so stay tuned.

Watching

This will be a little controversial but I tried to watch Succession, I really did. I managed eight episodes and couldn’t take anymore. I’d heard it was well written, with great acting and was a black comedy. Maybe it’s me but I thought the dialogue was try-hard, repetitive and monotone. I hated each character and saw no development. Some of the business-practices seemed so far out of touch it was unbelievable. Yes, I know that it is satirical but I couldn’t buy into it at all. Take a look at Veep. Now there is best practice and I’m afraid Succession is just a poor cousin to that brilliance. Sorry to all Succession fans but it was not for me.

Until next time…

Book Review: Child of Fear and Fire by G.R.Thomas

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I don’t think I’ve ever really read a dark gothic fantasy novel before so I wasn’t sure what to expect. From the first page though I was taken on a ride and kept turning the pages of this short novel until I was done.

It’s about a young maid, Eliza who works for the Norlane family. Her life is miserable, taunted as she is by three sisters who are particularly horrible and nasty. The parents are little better and Eliza lives in constant fear and with nowhere else to go she must endure the harsh life of cruelty. Her only ally is the cook who dotes on Eliza treating her like a daughter. But even she can’t protect Eliza.

The story builds as we are drawn into the darkness entering Eliza’s mind as she senses something else is watching her. Her fear is palpable and the dark forces surrounding her and the house builds the tension right until the gruesome end.

I’ll admit it was a tough one to read not because it’s not well written, it is, but because of the subject matter. It’s disturbing and dark. But the author does a great job to immerse us into the dark world. The world building is exceptional and despite the hot summer day when I was reading, I felt the cold, dank and wet setting. The forest is particularly eerie and I wanted to stop Eliza from going into it.

“The wind whipped harder, its whistle more a song in her ear. She could have sworn upon the bible itself she heard a voice in it.”

Yes, I’m still recovering but then I am a bit of a scaredy cat. If you like dark fantasy then this one might appeal.

Book Review: The Swift and the Harrier by Minette Walters

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A civil war in England breaks out in 1642 tearing the countryside apart, forcing families and villages to decide whether they support Parliamentarians or the King.

This is a beautifully told tale of a female physician Jayne Swift who is caught up in the war. From a Royalist family, she declares herself neutral prepared to offer her medical knowledge to people who need her from either side. She meets William Harrier who has many mysterious hats raising her curiosity each time their paths cross.

You might think that this is a novel about war but it is much more than that. It’s a novel about a strong and independent woman forging a career while the war rages around her. She’s an unusual character for the era – straight talking, single minded, witty as she is charming and knowledgeable. I suspect that a real- life character such as Jayne might have had many more difficulties in the day. Walters however does a good job in throwing many challenges Jaynes way and we as the reader constantly cheer for her.

As for William Harrier, he is a mystery – a mercenary, a tough fighter, wearing coats of different colours, his true character slowly evolves as does his interest in Jayne.

The medical knowledge and practices were fascinating and no doubt thoroughly researched and the siege of Lyme well conveyed. I’d not read a book about the Civil war before and there was a large focus on the content of battles and the history of both sides.

What I did find interesting is that the relationship between Jayne and William takes a back seat, weaving in and out of the story until the end when the last two chapters provide a quick summary. This surprised me a little as it felt like an information dump.

Having said that, I did enjoy the book, the writing and appreciated the history. It’s easy to read and although long, is very quickly absorbing.

Book Review: The Lincoln Highway by Amor Towles

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This epic story is mostly about eighteen-year-old Emmett and his eight-year-old brother Billie who set off on a road trip. I  say mostly because these two are the main characters from whom the rest pivot.

Go back in time to June 1954 when Emmett comes home having done his time at a juvenile work farm. His father, dead and his home sold by the bank, all he wants is to pick up his eight-year-old brother Billie, leave town in his beloved Studebaker and head to Texas where he figures there’ll be plenty of opportunity to use his skills as a builder for a growing population.

Billie, however has other ideas as he want to go to California to find their mother who abandoned him as a baby. Finding long lost postcards sent by her, Billie works out that the Lincoln Highway will get them there. Emmett agrees after realising the greater opportunity to build his wealth. What they both don’t figure on is Duchess and Woolly railroading their plans. Having escaped the juvenile work farm, Duchess via trickery and manipulation detour the brothers in the opposite direction to New York where Woolly is to retrieve his $150k inheritance which he is prepared to split.

What ensues is a series of disasters as well as a struggle for survival as Duchess and his erratic behaviour plunge the four into a course that is both comical and tense.

It’s a long book but an easy one to read taking us on a journey not just to New York but also into the minds of the various characters who are at times given their own point of view by the author. Mostly we see Emmett, Billie and Duchess but there are a host of other side characters who I’m not sure added much to the narrative. This is because it was part repetitive, part backstory and part meandering thoughts. Sometimes I enjoyed these asides but for the most part I thought it slowed the story down too much. I wanted to race ahead impatient to know what was to happen next.

Each boy is fundamentally good in their own way but through circumstance or a misguided view of the world have lost their place in it. Billie is the glue holding them all together and  is remarkably insightful for his young years, almost to the point of being scarcely believable. But I took the leap. Billie anchors them with a common sense that belies his years and is at times very touching.

It certainly is a hero’s journey in more ways than you realise, yet the twist in the end is heartbreaking. This one is certainly a memorable one. Check it out.

The Month that was … January 2022

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Welcome to my monthly blog with a round up of what’s happened in my corner of Melbourne. I hope you enjoy it.

It was a shaky start to the year when my husband caught Covid-19 and I was forced to isolate in the same house. We, like many thousands, waited in long queues for testing and searched for non-existent rapid antigen tests. Fortunately, our house is big enough and he was accommodated in the back part of our home previously occupied by our children. And it wasn’t long before he was feeling better.

Isolating for seven days and caring for my husband did leave me time to concentrate on my next book, The Palace Hotel (a working title). I managed to finish the first draft and I can’t tell you how excited I am. Of course, as any writer knows that’s only the beginning not the end with relentless, editing and rewriting to come, but I’m happy the plot and characters are all worked out.

Isolating coincided with a long stretch of hot weather in Melbourne. Ruggs, our cat fell ill and we thought the end had come to her little 22-year-old life but she revived and is as energetic as ever.  Perhaps she caught covid?

I managed to read a few books and get a head start this year on my Goodreads challenge. I was disappointed that I didn’t reach my goal last year so have been conservative this year. Under plan and over deliver always makes me feel that little bit better. Reviews will come out in the next few weeks although you can check out my review for Lucky.

After coming out of isolation I was raring to go and headed out with my daughter to see Moulin Rouge. The vibrancy, energy and music was outstanding and well worth masking up to see it. If you haven’t had a chance, and live in Melbourne try and see it.

And in case you’re not aware, The Good Child has been out in the world since November 15, 2021 accompanying readers all over Australia. Here are two pics sent to me.

Photo sent to me by Alan Forsyth On a plane to Queensland
Pic by Andrew Richards A summer day in Mount Martha

Readers responses for The Good Child so far have been overwhelmingly positive. Check out reviews on Goodreads

Until next time…

Book Review: Lucky by Marissa Stapley

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Can a criminal who holds a winning lottery ticket cash it in without being caught?

This fast-paced dual timeline novel is very easy and quick to read and was exactly what I needed when my husband contracted Covid-19 and I was forced to isolate. I managed to fill in my time with a few good books and this is one of them.

This is the problem faced by Lucky Armstrong whose life as a grifter has led her down a path of crime. Brought up by her con-artist father, Lucky only knows a life of lies, fake id’s and running when the authorities are close. When she and her boyfriend are preparing to flee to Dominica to begin a new life and enjoy the millions they’ve appropriated from the gullible, she buys a lotto ticket. Things don’t go to plan and she finds herself alone and on the run.

The character Lucky reveals herself as guilt-ridden for her actions yet naïve and gullible which is understandable as a child under the control of her father but as an adult hard to swallow. Finding out who she really is slowly unwinds with some predictable twists.

Down and out, she finds out that she holds the winning numbers and there is a cat and mouse game interspersed with her own longing to find her mother. Somehow this was the bit I found hardest to swallow despite the motivation of getting her ‘mum’ – a complete stranger – to cash in her ticket.  Yet it added another story line to Lucky’s flawed character.  Of course, there is a predictable Hollywood happy ending which I expected although it did seem a tad rushed.

All in all a good holiday read and no doubt this one will be on our screens soon.