I enjoy writing contemporary Christian romance books set in small towns. The first two books in my Sydney Sweethearts series are primarily set in the city of Sydney, Australia. The third and final book in the series, Seaside Proposal, opens in a fictional small town on the south coast of NSW, Australia. I love creating fictional small town settings, located within a specific region, because my imagination isn’t limited by real life geography.
The town I created for Seaside Proposal, Sapphire Bay, is a small seaside town located south of Sydney on the Princes Highway. Named in 1920 after the Prince of Wales who later became King Edward VIII, the scenic coastal highway connects Sydney and Melbourne, Australia’s two largest cities. The NSW South Coast region is a bit of a hidden gem, and not necessarily on the radar for interstate and overseas visitors. A major inland highway, Hume Highway, is the most direct route between Sydney and Melbourne.
Zach and Billie, my hero and heroine in Seaside Proposal, are both from the pretty harbour and beachside suburb of Manly on Sydney’s northern beaches. They are temporarily living and working in Sapphire Bay, and the nearby larger fictional town of Riverwood, for very different reasons. Despite living near the water in Sydney, they discover the lifestyle in Sapphire Bay and Riverwood is quite different to their suburban home. The pace of life is more relaxed, there’s no rush hour traffic, and the beaches aren’t crowded during summer.
Here’s the book description for Seaside Proposal:
Billie Radcliffe has a secret.
And she isn’t sharing it with anyone, including Zach Montford. Even though she feels an instant connection with the good-looking banker and youth leader, she’s wary of rejection. Besides she’s only in the close-knit beach community until she meets the one man who can fill in the blanks about her history.
Zach hopes his temporary stint with the church will help him decide whether to go into full-time ministry. Though his career plans are uncertain, he’s sure about his growing feelings for Billie. When a shocking revelation throws everything into question, Zach and Billie have a chance to put the past to rest … and walk into the future together.
The second edition ebook for Seaside Proposal is on preorder at Amazon and will release on July 29, 2022.
I call Seaside Proposal my ’roundabout’ book because it was the sixth and last book in my contract with Harlequin Heartsong Presents, (first edition released in 2015) and I intentionally included characters and opportunities to spinoff future stories. His Perfect Catch is set in Sapphire Bay and will be the prequel novella for a future series. The novella is available for a limited time in Love, Faith & Tender Kisses box set.
Love, Faith & Tender Kisses ebook anthology box set is FREE for a limited time until the set disappears by the end of July, 2022.
Here’s the link to download the FREE ebook from the various retailers: https://books2read.com/u/mlAODA
Love, Faith & Tender Kisses anthology collection book description:
Boy meets girl. Man meets woman. Sparks fly. All good love stories start here and usually face a myriad of challenges before the young couple find that together they are better. This set of Contemporary Christian romance stories come from writers across both sides of the pond and Downunder, proving that romance is not only a sweet thing, it’s global. Here’s a set of stories to inspire, encourage faith, and meet all the warm-fuzzy expectations.
In this box set, you’ll receive a total of seven novellas from these popular Christian Romance authors:
Fake Engagement Mistake © 2021 by Lisa Renee
Last Flight Home © 2021 Milla Holt
Falling for Maddie Grace © 2021 Meredith Resce
The Billionaire’s Impromptu Bet © 2021 Lorana Hoopes
His Perfect Catch © 2021 Narelle Atkins
Originally Yours © 2021 Carolyn Miller
Imperfectly Proverbs 31 © 2021 Autumn Macarthur
I stayed in Bulli with a pen friend and had a great time. although getting hit by the body surfers was interesting. I get hit my friend chats up the life guards. We also went down as far as Port Kembla (not sure I spelt it right). Is this the area the book would be set in. I do remember Batemans Bay to Nowra. I was so bus sick and at Nowra we stopped for breakfast and I was able to move closer to the front of the bus. Took about 3 days to get over it.
Hi Jenny, My apologies for the delay in replying. The fictional setting for Seaside Proposal is a little bit further south than Batemans Bay. The whole south coast is pretty and worth visiting. The Wollongong beaches you visited are nice, too. It’s not fun getting sick when you’re travelling. Thanks for commenting. 😊