As I watched many friends and people I know through social media and my work suffer from sadness, grief, and confusion as our world changed, I needed to reach out and offer some comfort. As a writer, it is through my words I am able to do so.
Simple Words for Troubled Times is a bit like a chat with a friend over coffee. Short chapters with practical ways to reduce worry, find happiness, deal with pressures such as many have never experienced.
Read in any order, anytime, anywhere. Available at Kindle, Kobo, Apple, Barnes & Noble, and GooglePlay. Paperbacks on Amazon and soon widely available. Audio coming soon.
How wonderful are books? No matter what is around us, opening those pages or scrolling our device casts us into another place.
We might discover a new love, or a new life. Solve a mystery or watch as long-parted people reunite.
Nothing is out of our reach in a book. Other planets, dimensions, and times. Different species. Unique situations.
Our times are troubled and finding a silver lining not always easy, but for me, diving into a book lets me escape for a while and when I return to reality, I feel a little bit stronger.
The Stationmaster’s Cottage: Brazilian edition A Matter of Time
When I sold Portuguese rights to Leabhar Books last year, little did I expect so much support! This gorgeous video, with a lovely English language soundtrack, cuts to the heart of the story. I hope you enjoy.
My editor challenged me to write a story in time for Valentine’s Day, so I did! And what better story than how Thomas Blake & Martha Ryan met in 1966. Such a romantic tale.
‘…a quick and beautiful read, with lots of emotions’ Helen, Bookbub
Only time itself will erase our love…
On the edge of the Great Southern Ocean, an old jetty offers a haven for those seeking solace. A place by the sea to think. Plan. And dream.
As the daughter of the region’s wealthiest family, Martha Ryan has everything a girl could ask for. Money means nothing because her soul longs for adventure, love and a family of her own.
Thomas Blake is an artist weighed down by duty. Expected to follow his father into employment by the Ryan family as stationmaster, he yearns for the freedom to paint.
A chance meeting at the jetty one dawn changes both their lives. But will the expectations and prejudices of their families destroy their future?
Fall in love with Thomas and Martha in Taming the Wind, prequel of The Stationmaster’s Cottage. Perfect as a standalone with its own happy ever after, or follow the lives and loves of the residents in River’s End across all six books.
I’m so excited to share news of a new series. When I wrote Jasmine Sea, a new character appeared and demanded to be introduced. Dr Charlotte Dean made quite an impression in that book and then in The Secrets of Palmerston House.
But Charlotte had other things to do, so moved to a beautiful small town named Kingfisher Falls.
The Christmas Tree Thief is the first of her own series, mysteries in a whodunit style with just a dash (or sometimes a deluge) of danger.
Do you recall Charlotte’s first appearance?
The next two books are underway. Deadly Secrets is due for an early 2020 release, and Deadly Secrets around mid 2020.
I hope you’ll love Charlotte’s new life and cannot wait to share the whole series.
For the sheer convenience, a phone or reader allows me to have a book almost anywhere, and lots of them.
There is something so wonderful though about the feel and smell of a paperback. And I love to hold the books I write in my hands. So special!
Did you know I also publish in large print paperback? My eyesight is not what it used to be, so a larger print is perfect. The whole River’s End series is available in large print as well as regular print at Amazon, from my website, and some other booksellers.
Where did she go for all those years? This short (11k) prequel tells all. It can be read first, or alongside any of the series.
With the arrival of Martha, I’ve moved all ebook versions of the series in Kindle Unlimited. Paperbacks are still available from selected booksellers and this website.
For the third time, Jasmine Sea has been awarded for its beautiful cover, this time by Top Shelf magazine, over fierce competition. My thanks, as always, to Steam Power Studios for the stunning design.
Many years ago a series of small events combined to create the early outline of what would become The Stationmaster’s Cottage. Two songs in particular, plus our proximity to a real life cottage made me wonder about secrets, lost love, windswept beaches, and a young woman who was at a crossroad.
After dabbling with writing it as a screenplay, I put it away for ages. A third song reminded me of it, helping connect some more scenes in my head. So, I dusted it off and wrote the novel. And that was that.
Readers had other ideas, and – rather reluctantly – I toyed with the idea of one sequel. But how to do this when Cottage was written as a one-off? I read and reread the book, and found small threads. I worried at them, pulling a little bit and seeing what happened. From little loose ends, I discovered Jasmine Sea.
As I wrote this book, it occurred to me I was invested in writing about the seaside town and its residents. Perhaps there should be a third? This time, I deliberately left a trail of breadcrumbs leading to book three.
Before I’d finished Jasmine Sea, I already knew The Secrets of Palmerston House would tell more of the story of the town, going a long way back and bringing a depth to River’s End not seen before. I’d also got a taste of having a bad guy in Jasmine Sea, so had to write one again.
Even as I drew close to finishing Secrets, I knew there was one story left untold. It was time to tie all those loose threads together and reveal the final secret. The day I sent Secrets to my editor, I began to write The Christmas Key.
I knew it would be a novella and set at Christmas, and what a joy it was to write! This was the fastest I’ve ever written and left me emotional more than once. Secrets came back to be finished, so The Christmas Key had to wait a while longer, but somehow I released them both just a week apart.
And is this now the end? I’ve told the story I needed to tell. Yet, a part of me longs to revisit Christie and Martin, Martha and Thomas, Angus, Elizabeth, and of course, Randall. There will be a spin-off series, but you need to read The Secrets of Palmerston House to discover who it will feature.
Perhaps I’ll write a new Christmas novella each year to catch up with my friends in River’s End. For now though, I will take a small break and then write something quite different. Thank you for being part of this journey.
