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 …

Book Review | Within These Walls of Sorrow by Amanda Barratt

Within These Walls of Sorrow is about the Apteka Pod Orlem – a pharmacy operated by Poles who wouldn’t abandon their premises in the heart of the Krakow ghetto in WWII, choosing instead to risk their lives to serve those within the ghetto walls. Based on a true story, the characters are fictional amalgamations of …

Discovering New Books to Read

Back in the good old days, last century, the library was my go-to place to discover new books. I knew the floor plan layout and had memorised the shelving systems via genre and book category. I’d gravitate to the shelves that held hidden treasures waiting to be explored. I’d talk about books and pick up …

Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion in Our Writing

Recently, I did a workshop with Annie Gicchuru from Uplifting Studios on how to write a diversity, equity, and inclusion statement. Annie encouraged us to write our statements, even if we don’t get it all right at once. Even if we make mistakes. She encouraged us to write, review, keep learning, keep adapting. It’s important …

Friday Fiction | Writing A Series

I’ll forever be grateful to Narelle Atkins for talking at an Omega conference in 2015 about the value of writing in a series. When I heard this, I’d just finished writing my third historical (Winning Miss Winthrop), and was primed to write a sequel to this as a NaNoWriMo project in November that year. Little …

Fiction Friday | Romance in Christian Fiction

I recently posted in a Facebook group a question that I’ve been pondering for a while now. Does it bother you as (presumably) a Christian reader to read about Christian characters pursuing relationships when they don’t know if the other person is a Christian or not? I recently read a contemporary novel by a hugely …

Fiction Friday | The Great Escape by Carolyn Miller

Have you ever felt crushed by circumstances, work or expectations? Recently my husband and I returned from ten nights in Fiji. This was a very necessary mid-year escape ostensibly to celebrate our 25th wedding anniversary, but it also proved a majestic motivator to complete a huge range of tasks before limited internet and email capacity …

Winter Olympics Dream Comes to Life

Wow. It’s hard to believe this day is nearly here – the release of the very first book I ever wrote! Years before any of my historicals were published, I was watching the closing ceremony of the 2010 Vancouver Winter Olympics, when I noticed an Aussie female athlete holding hands with a North American male …

Write Like You Mean It

I’ve been learning a lot about myself lately and what I’ve found is that when I write in alignment with my true self, I get scared. If this doesn’t sound familiar you may want to stop reading and go on with your day. If this does sound familiar, then maybe we can try and work …

Scattered: an impressive debut novel

Scattered, by Nola Lorraine is a fabulous debut inspirational historical fiction novel. Set in Victorian-era Nova Scotia, the novel employs quite a few genre elements such as historical, mystery, and romance–something for every reader. Maggie is on a quest. Her siblings have been sent from England to Canada as part of the Home Children Migrant …