About this Blog

Two new releases

Wed, 28 Dec 2011 09:34:07 +1100

The December 30 re-release of Lady Farquhar’s Butterfly as an e-book is my first foray into the world of electronic publishing.

With only two days to go I’m still awaiting a link though I’m told it’s scheduled for the original date. Frustrating, I must say, as I’ve advertised the book at various sites, including theromancestudio.com. Without a link, though, it’s not much help.

One thing I can’t complain about is the lovely family Christmas I’ve just enjoyed. The house was full for three days and a great deal of good wine was drunk. I especially enjoyed the crisp Adelaide Hills’ Sauvignon Blancs. The reds were a toss-up between the Shiraz of our adopted cooler region Victoria and the South Australian Clare Valley reds, which I grew up with.

The post-Christmas sales solved the problem of my lovely husband’s early January birthday. Going out with the specific purpose of ‘shopping’ is not something I do very often but my cousin’s wife, who is an expert shopper, accompanied me, and without the children it was fun.

Right! Off to buy an art box for a very persistent six-year-old.

News and more news

Thu, 8 Dec 2011 15:16:53 +1100

What’s been happening? More than I can write in just a few sentences before I do the school pickup, so here are the basics.

My first foray into advertising sees my new novella, Rake’s Honour, being featured (or, at least, getting a small piece of window space) at The Romance Studio.

I’m still to receive ‘buy’ links for my two releases but maybe this happens later with e-books. This is all so new to me!

In the meantime, I’ve three finished novels and novellas which should be releases in 2013. It’s been a hard-working year so I really hope to reap what I’ve sown during the next twelve months.

New Horizons

Sat, 19 Nov 2011 14:11:30 +1100

This is the original cover of my soon-to-be released novella, Rake’s Honour. It certainly has a history!

On January 9th Total e-Bound will publish the viperish little tale of a debutante who must balance her mother’s ambition with her own desires. Rake’s Honour started life as the precursor to my first novel Lady Sarah’s Redemption.

I wrote it under the title The Courtesan’s Daughter and it was the first of my attempts to come second to last in a competition before winning the same comp the next year and being requested by Avon.

As was the case in those days, the second half of the plot was too convoluted so I put it aside and wrote Lady Sarah’s Redemption which was bought by Robert Hale.

I then wrote a number of other books but I always had a soft spot for the ambitious and cunning Fanny Brightwell of Rake’s Honour. I returned to it last year, shortened it into a novella, heated it up a bit, and sold it to Total e-Bound. It’s the first of my stories published under my pseudonym Beverley Oakley, in view of its racier content, and you can read about it and buy it here when it becomes available in a couple of weeks.
http://www.total-e-bound.com/authordetail.asp?A_ID=210

Reading Is A Soul Source

Fri, 21 Oct 2011 15:07:10 +1100

My ten-year-old daughter, Sophie, is an author, too.

Every day, before and after school, she goes straight to her computer to write her gripping horse-racing and bush-ranger stories. When she’s not writing stories, she’s reading.

Here’s what Sophie says about reading:

“Reading is an author’s best friend. The beginning and the end of your stories end up in one. I myself rely on the inspiration that is carried by them. It can be horribly dark to childishly bright. The characters are my favourite bit. I love looking at what the character does and I think about what she would probably act like and be like as a real person. I hold no example as they can only be pictured the same by one reader. Someone might see them as nice smart dark-haired and someone else will see them as over-emotional, flirty and hopelessly romantic.”

School holidays

Fri, 23 Sep 2011 09:50:15 +1000

How much writing do you get done during the school holidays?

It depends on the weather, really. I have two girls who love to work on their computers or do Reading Eggs (Miss Six) and other indoors activities when the weather is grey and miserable. We’re a productive little team, all three of us at the kitchen table, typing away. Now my nine-year-old is determined to be a writer and her horse racing stories are thumping, racing reads which will thrill her youthful audiences if she keeps up the momentum.

It really is all about keeping up the momentum. Writing is hard. When the words flow it’s easier but it’s not a sign the end product will be any better than the words we labour over.

You might have gathered that I’m labouring over my words right now. The words of my almost-polished The Reluctant Wife. The trouble is that ‘almost-polished’ means I still will probably have 50 hours of work in front of me with at least several more readings of the full draft.

...I don’t know if I can do it!