2022 survey of our published authors

Every year various survey results are published about ‘authors’.  Prompted by this one, I thought it would be great to start surveying our own Australasian Christian authors (Australia/New Zealand and the Pacific). I came up with the list of questions and then in consultation with other authors, we tweaked them to make them more useful. …

How to make your story’s setting feel real

Characters, setting, plot―these are the three main building blocks of a great story. In my last blog post here, I shared how I find the characters for my next story. Today, I’d like to share some things I do to create memorable settings for my historical novels. Some of these tips could work just as …

Introducing Her Cowboy Blind Date

Narelle here. I’m excited to introduce my upcoming release – Her Cowboy Blind Date – in the Easter in Gilead contemporary Christian romance (CCR) series. I’ve always wanted to write a romance story with a cowboy hero. The opportunity to join a group project with a few of my American author friends included a small …

#ThrowbackThursday | The Symbolism of the Colour Purple

One of my Facebook friends recently posted a video of Blackadder actor Tony Robinson in his series, The Worst Jobs in History. I somehow missed the TV series, but the videos are awesome. Anyway, the video I watched was about the makers of purple—the dye. Purple is often mentioned in the Bible. Exodus tells us …

The Value of Writing Retreats

Have you ever been on a writer’s retreat? I’ve been on eight, so there must be something that keeps bringing me back. Is it the time to write? The networking? The input and mentoring? The fun and fellowship? The pool? Well, it’s all of those and more. What is a Writer’s Retreat? A writer’s retreat …

New Releases | April New Releases and Giveaway Winners

Today we have 5 new release this month. Congratulations. Check at the end to see if you were one of our winners for March Across the Shores by Angella K Crouch, Kelly J. Goshorn, Carolyn Miller, Cara Putman Publisher: Barbour (Date Released: 1 April 2023) Blurb: Sometimes love finds you where you are, and other …

Writers Life | Just Keep Writing

Just keep swimming.  Just keep swimming, swimming, swimming. What do we do? We swim, swim.  Dory, from Finding Nemo Lately, I’ve found it hard to write. I think about the novels I have in progress and struggle to actually get to my desk and work on them. There’s been a lot going on in our family–a …

Writer’s Inspiration | Exploring the Past

A few weeks ago I was presented with the opportunity to take my daughter to the World Cross Country Championships in Bathurst, NSW. I might’ve grumbled at the time (my other daughter was returning from India that same day and I wanted to know All The Things!) but I went, because I realised this was …

The Writing Life: Inspiration from place

Settings have always been one of the most important aspects of a story to me. I frequently—almost always, even—choose the films I watch or the books I read based on where they are set. I regularly shape my plots around places I want to go for research. Past Travels Come to Life For my current …