South Australia & Goyder’s Line

Imagine having settled in a new country over one hundred and fifty years ago. You’ve been there for scarcely 30 years trying to carve out a business and home for your family. As a farmer you would need a good understanding about climate and growing conditions and if things turned pear-shaped due to flood, drought [...]

Conjuring the bush.

As a fourth generation grazier and author living 600 km northwest of Sydney my childhood was spent roaming the bush. Along with my brothers and sister we concocted stories and games, our outdoor adventures complimented by home schooling taught around the dining-room table with lessons sent through the mail from The Correspondence School in Sydney. [...]

By | April 11th, 2019|A WRITERS LIFE, Inspiration, Writing advice|4 Comments

Stone Country – Book Extract.

Stone Country. Like a sneak peek? Head to my publisher's page for the opening chapter. Stone Country

The inspiration behind Stone Country

The duality of human nature lies at the heart of my new novel, Stone Country. What sets us apart from our friends and family? Why do we make certain choices during a lifetime? Ones that can just as easily mean our triumph or our downfall. Decisions that can affect not only oneself but also that [...]

Novel-in-progress update

It’s three years since I first started thinking about my new novel which I’m close to finishing.  There’s been quite a few potholes to navigate along the way. Instead of my usual female protagonist I chose a male lead of Scottish descent and named him Ross Grant. Then I decided to track his life for [...]

By | July 30th, 2018|A WRITERS LIFE, Writing advice|4 Comments

Writing update – Novel no. 9

You would imagine that with eight novels behind me I would slide into the writing of number nine with ease. Practice, an understanding of the fundamentals and an itching to get to know new characters should be enough to spur me on but this book has come slowly. Now nearly 80,000 words on and not [...]

By | May 8th, 2018|A WRITERS LIFE, Writing advice|4 Comments

Talking history & writing at Gleebooks

Recently I was invited to chat briefly about my work at Gleebooks in Sydney. The idea behind this video series is to showcase the Sydney Mechanics School of the Arts (SMSA). It's Australia's oldest lending library having started way back in 1833 when reading was high on the list when it came to entertainment, for [...]

‘The Banjo’ & Waltzing Matilda

‘There was movement at the station, for the word had passed around                                                                                 That the colt from [...]

Where stories come from and why they matter to you.

Where does a story come from? Each of us has own own personal story. A series of moments made up of triumph and tragedy. If we look back at our lives we can link each step together and sometimes we can understand how we got to where we are today. Sure some of it is [...]

By | January 20th, 2018|A WRITERS LIFE, Opinion, Writing advice|5 Comments

Writer’s Festivals

It's been a busy few months with the release of my eighth novel, An Uncommon Woman. A tour of the western Downs region of Queensland was a great week allowing me to see more of our wonderful countryside, catch up with relatives - there are a lot of Alexander's over the border from NSW, and [...]

By | November 30th, 2017|A WRITERS LIFE, Industry Info, Travel|0 Comments
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