Reunions

My 21st physio reunion was over the weekend.

I love events like these, seeing people you haven't seen in yonks (usually since the last reunion 10 years ago!) and catching up with friends you'd like to see more often but don't.

This one was particularly interesting for me.

At the 10 year reunion, I was still a physio. I hadn't written a word. Wasn't contemplating it either.

Fast forward 11 years and people were extremely curious as to how I'd turned author!

Had a ball, talked so much I lost my voice, and my best buddy from uni stayed the night, just like our slumber parties of old. Was so much fun.

Except the part where we used to be able to stay up all night and feel fresh the next day. 20 years on, I seem to have lost that rebounding ability...

At least we look the same :)

Weekend Book Club: Mockingjay

My RITA judging duties are done so I've resumed normal reading.

As you know, I've already raved about HUNGER GAMES & CATCHING FIRE, the first two books in the Hunger Games trilogy.

When Mockingjay was released I grabbed it, but in an extreme show of willpower planned on saving it to read over my Christmas holidays.

Then I went away and wanted something 'lighter' as a beach read.

All the while, the book was on top of my TBR pile, calling me...beckoning me...and this week I succumbed and read it in 2 days.

It lived up to my expectations, rounding out the trilogy nicely.

Yes, it's super violent.

Yes, loads of people get killed.

Yes, it's disturbing in that kind of 'I want to look away but can't' way.

Yes, after the 3 book build up of the triangle between Peeta, Katniss and Gale, I would've liked a little more rounding out when she finally chooses.

But wow, what a page turner!

I've loved every word of this series and am sad to say goodbye to Katniss Everdeen.

What are you reading this week?

Pizazz

I can't begin to describe the fabulous time I had last night.

I love Michael Buble's voice. I play his music constantly. I watch his DVDs.

I love his pizazz and charisma and cheekiness and showmanship.

Last night at the Rod Laver Arena in Melbourne he brought all that and more to the stage.

For an awesome few hours I tuned out to my everyday stressors and let the music fill me.

I sang and danced and clapped and woo-hoo'd. A lot.

Today I'm more relaxed than I've been in ages.

It really is so important to refill the well.

Sometimes in the rush of our lives we forget to; at least, I do.

Note to self: chill out with Michael more often :)

Harlequin Teen

Interesting article on Harlequin Teen in Publisher's Weekly.

Words of wisdom

The incredibly talented & knowledgeable Stephanie Laurens (who has been on the NYT Bestseller list with her last 25 books!) has started a blog.

She'll be posting weekly, on a Friday, discussing the nitty-gritties of publishing.

Well worth a look.

Free e-books

I'm guessing you all know about this but just in case you don't, you can download 16 free Harlequin books here.

Give me strength

Yesterday wasn't great.

When I lost a filling last week it reminded me to make an appointment for kidlet's dental check up.

News at the check up was horrific: I heard her mention kid's root canal and silver capping and 2 other fillings...then there was the braces he'll need later and I almost passed out.
Plus she made me feel like a bad mum, with a mini lecture on 'hidden' sugars. Hel-lo. I know all about that. My kids have a super healthy diet with minimal treats. Sweetest thing they would have all day is their cereal, which I'm changing!
When she mentioned saliva problems being a possible cause and seeing an ENT specialist, my eyes almost rolled back in my head.

Then I came home to continuing dramas with finding missing tax documents, only to be told if I can't find then it'll cost me hundreds of dollars.

On top of PC keyboard packing up and unable to connect new screen, I was ready to curl up in a ball last night.

Hopefully today is a better day!

Passionate Playboys

I have no idea which book of mine is being reprinted in this anthology in May yet.

But with a cover like that, at the moment, I don't really care.

Mm-mmm...

Doing the rounds

DESERTED ISLAND, DREAMY EX is doing the world rounds at the moment.

Now it's in Italy!

Release day in OZ

If you're in OZ & NZ, DESERTED ISLAND, DREAMY EX! is out now on shelves.

We've just finished the OZ Tennis Open here in Melbourne so hot tennis pro hero is very timely.

Go check out my version!

Killer story ideas

Love, love, love this post by Larry Brooks at StoryFix, ATTACK OF THE KILLER STORY IDEAS.

Every writer will relate.
And it'll make you smile.

Jazmin release

DESERTED ISLAND DREAMY EX out in Spain now!

Weekend Book Club: How to Bake a Perfect Life

I'm preloading this as I rush out the door for a weekend at the beach so am going to keep it brief.

Barbara O'Neal is my favourite women's fiction author.

Her books are lush, evocative and so beautifully written the pages turn themselves.
She has an incredible gift for tapping into human emotion, then bringing that alive between the pages of her books.

Her latest, HOW TO BAKE A PERFECT LIFE, is no exception.

Filled with food and recipes and real characters and romance, you absolutely must read it.

She's the only author who is guaranteed to make me cry and I never, ever cry when I read.

Do yourself a favour and read this book.
Then glom her backlist.

You'll thank me.

What are you reading this week?

Finding time to write

I've extolled the virtues of speed writing and ways to do it in another post so today, I'm focussing on something different.

How do you find the time to write?

For me, it's making the opportunity the write.

If preschooler is playing at my feet, I write.

If he's blowing bubbles out the back, I write.

If he's watching Playschool, I write.

Do I feel guilty at times? Sure do. Surely I should be interacting with him all the time?

Yet I spend every day with my kids for the bulk of the day, I'm very hands-on so I guess these few snatched half hours here and there aren't too bad.

And I need them.

I have deadlines, some that fluctuate, like my current one.

I need to write 35K in a week.

In school holidays.

So far, I've managed 20 pages the first day, 26 yesterday and the bulk of those were written while the kids played around me.

We do what we have to do to find the time to write.

Here's a great post on ways to find that time.

I'm back!

Arrived back from hols yesterday and really need to hit the ground running.

Must write about 35K words in the next week.

Plus school starts end of this week.

And I'm going away to the beach over the weekend.

Plus another million and one other things that must be done.

Promise to fill you in on all the holiday goss...when I get a minute to breathe!

Twitter buddies

Most of you know about my Twitter addiction.

I love the briefness of it.
I love the immediacy.
I love it so much I wrote a book featuring it.

But most of all I love how I've connected with so many people world-wide I would never have known otherwise.

Joan Swan is one of those people and I was thrilled when I received an email from her, including me in her mega New Year book giveaway.

For every day in January, she's giving away latest releases by writers who've enriched her writing life.

To find out the whole list and how to win a copy of my book today, visit here.

Weekend Book Club: Red-Hot Renegade

If you've never read category romance before, you should start with this book.

Kelly Hunter's RED-HOT RENEGADE bears her trademark rich, vibrant, emotionally complex characters that have you turning pages at a rapid rate.

Here's the blurb:

Can she keep her hands off her super-sexy ex? In desperate need of protection, Jianne Xang-Bennett reluctantly turns to her estranged husband, martial arts expert Jacob Bennett, for help. But there are problems: they’ve been separated for twelve years and cannot be in the same room together without arguing or ripping each other’s clothes off – sometimes at the same time! But Jacob will go to extremes for those he loves, and Jianne is the only woman who can bring this honourable warrior to his knees. Can they delve beneath their red-hot desire and blazing anger to find the love that has always been hiding?

I loved everything about this book: the Singapore setting, the dojo, the hint of suspense, the secondary characters who've all had their stories told in previous books, the Asian heroine but most of all, I loved the martial arts hero.

Jake is superb. And the sexual tension between him and Ji...phew! Pages burn!

I can't recommend this book highly enough.

What are you reading this week?

But somebody's gotta do it

I know, I know, it's a tough life but somebody's gotta do it!

The bulk of my book takes place at the Gold Coast's PALAZZO VERSACE, so it's only fair I do some first hand research for authenticity's sake.

Arguably Australia's most luxurious hotel, the place looks truly amazing on the Net but not enough details for my book so I made a reservation.

I'll let you know all the details when I get back.

And guess what? They have cabanas by the pool!

Wonder if they'll have cabana boys...

It's a hard life

This is where the first scene in my current WIP, The High Life, takes place.


I had to do first hand research to check it out, swimming late at night on the 27th floor, with the incredible view.

Staying a night at the Crown Metropol in Melbourne was not a hardship.

Come back tomorrow and see where I've been staying earlier this week, all in the name of research.

New cover alert

Here's the newest cover for DESERTED ISLAND, DREAMY EX, currently a launch title for the new M&B RIVA series in the UK.

This will hit Aussie & NZ shelves next week.
What do you think?
That island and ocean look mighty tempting...