Books (and a chocolate treat) for those lazy hazy summer days or winter by the fire.Whichever hemisphere you're in, here's a great selection of book specials by some wonderful writer friends and a special treat to bake and enjoy with your reading! 

First up: Sweet Kisses Limited Edition is an anthology of 21 new, sweet, heartwarming books for under $1.

Next: Annie Seaton's 'The Trouble with Paradise' is a limited time special in the Amazon Australia store.

If you haven't caught up with my 'Home from the Hill' book 4 in the Home to Lark Creek series, it's on a Kindle monthly deal for June.

Buy links:
Amazon US
Amazon Australia

Michelle Montebello's 'The Quarantine Station' is one of my favourite reads.
The rules were crystal clear. She broke them all…

1918 ... When Rose Porter arrives on the shores of Sydney with little money, she must take a job as a parlourmaid at the mysterious North Head Quarantine Station. It’s a place of turmoil for passengers and strict rules for employees.

But Rose discovers some rules were made to be broken.

2019 ... Over a century later, Emma Wilcott is struggling to help her dementia-suffering grandmother from wandering at night. Her long-term memories are leading her somewhere, and Emma realises she is searching for someone from her past.

Emma’s investigation takes her to the Quarantine Station where she meets Matt, the station carpenter, and together they unravel a mystery so compelling it has the power to change lives, to change everything Emma ever knew about herself.
 
Buy Links:
Amazon: 
Other platforms

Two very special preorders are:
Country Hearts 3 - five complete books by five bestselling Aussie authors
and
Singapore Trap: A High Stakes Novel and the sequel to my romantic suspense High Stakes set in Nepal.
Blurb: When Paul Rimmer follows a lead that takes him to Singapore, he joins forces with Lin, a local undercover officer, in the bid to track down John Chan, now head of a cartel. 
 
But the beautiful Lin is a distraction. Is she running interference for Chan, or chasing him down? Can Paul trust his new partner or will she trap him?

Now for that chocolate treat!
Coconut Rough
Ingredients
BASE
·       1 Cup Plain White (all purpose) Flour, 130 grams
·       1 teaspoon Baking Powder
·       1/2 Cup White Sugar, 120 grams
·       2 Tablespoons Cocoa Powder
·       1/2 Cup Coconut, 45 grams
·       1/2 cup or 135 grams Butter, Melted
ICING
·       1 Cup Coconut, 90 grams
·       2 Tablespoons Cocoa Powder
·       1 Cup Icing Sugar, 135 grams
·       2 tbsp or 25 grams Butter, Melted
·       1/2 Tin Condensed Milk, 195 mls
·       1/2 teaspoon Vanilla
·       1 Tablespoon Boiling Water
 
 
Instructions1.    Preheat the oven to 180 C Bake
2.    Prepare a slice tin (23 x 23 cm) with baking paper on base and sides and set aside
3.    In a medium bowl add the flour, baking powder, sugar, cocoa powder and coconut and mix well
4.    Melt the butter and pour it into the bowl and stir to combine
5.    Spoon this mixture into the prepared slice tin and press it into the tin evenly
6.    Bake for 15 minutes until slightly firm, remove from the oven and allow to cool down and firm up before icing
7.    !Icing
8.    In a medium bowl add the coconut, cocoa, icing sugar and mix well
9.    Add to this the melted butter, condensed milk, vanilla and boiling water and stir well.
10. Spread this evenly over the cooled slice using a hot knife
11. Allow to set in the refrigerator and slice with a sharp knife into squares. Store in an airtight container.
12. Enjoy!
 
Cheers, and I hope you enjoy reading these books. I'd love to hear if you make some coconut rough, and how it turned out! Would you add anything to make it pure indulgence?

Till next time, 

Susanne xx

Merry Christmas and welcome to my latest newsletter!

Lots of Christmas cheer and wonderful reading ideas today. I have a new release through my publisher, Harlequin Escape, plus a great deal - 99 cents for 11 Christmas novellas by 11 international authors. 

Plus a fabulous recipe for a mango daiquiri, mangoes being one of my favourite summer fruits.

Her Christmas Kisses came from a discussion about orphans' Christmas parties. Here's the blurb:
One gourmet party. Four potential couples. The taste of love?
Devastated by her parents' divorce and the impending sale of the family restaurant, Flick Ardmore is determined to find the money to buy the restaurant herself. She doesn't expect to find herself stranded in Rainbow Cove with no car, no work, and no prospect of success.
Xander McIntyre, owner of the luxury Rainbow Cove Resort, is a workaholic developer with a looming deadline hindered by the arrival of his young special needs sister, Jenny.
When Flick connects with Jenny, it seems like the perfect solution to both their problems - if only Flick and Xander can ignore the undeniable spark between them. Or will their building attraction cause more problems than it solves?
Just click on the image or the title for buy links. 

Now, I'm delighted to share the release day for my Christmas story with a writer whose books I truly love - Michelle Montebello. 

BEAUTIFUL, FRAGILE
 
Blurb:
We’d hurt each other, my soulmate and me…
Faith James is found on a remote beach in the south of Spain with a head injury and no recollection of how she got there. Recovering in hospital, she is desperate to return to her twenty-five-year-old, single life in Sydney.
But Faith has lost ten years of memories and her world becomes unrecognisable.
Her husband, Will, arrives to collect her, and she is told she has three young children waiting at home in London.
So begins the emotional journey to reclaim the life she's forgotten, learn how to be a wife and mother, and mend a broken marriage. She wants to remember everything…
But are all memories worth fighting for, even the ones that hurt?
 
Buy Links:
Amazon: https://amzn.to/2JgKU6G
iBooks, Kobo, Nook: https://books2read.com/u/4j1yok

Mango Daiquiri

An Aussie Christmas for us means summer at the beach, hot days and cold drinks. What better way to begin the celebrations than with a cocktail made from that most delicious, luscious summer fruit – the mango!
 
1 medium mango, chopped coarsely
1 tablespoon lime juice
2 teaspoons Cointreau
1 tablespoon mango liqueur
¼ cup (60 mls) white rum
½ cup crushed ice
lime slice for garnish
 
1.  Blend or process mango, juice, Cointreau, liqueur, rum and ice until ust combined. 
2.  Pour into cocktail glass, garnish with lime.

Celebrate Christmas with 11 heartwarming and sweet Christmas novellas by 11 international authors. A mixture of summer and winter settings to enjoy. 
Romancing the Holidays is on sale for a limited time for 99 cents.

5***** Amazon customer
"...if you are a lover of romance and Christmas then this is the book for you." 

"... I have now found new authors I would not have otherwise added to my reading list."  

‘Bindarra Creek Short and Sweet Anthology’

... is a series of nine related stories within the world of Bindarra Creek, a best-selling rural series by thirteen Australian authors. 
 
 






#1 Linda Charles 
What's in a Kiss? © 2018 Linda Charles 

Taylah McKenna is looking for someone with money.
It’s New Year’s Eve and anything’s possible. Taylah surprises herself when she makes a proposal to horseman and whip-cracker extraordinaire Billy Briggs.
Problem is Billy’s back in town to pack up his past, and plans to leave, to follow his dreams. 
 
#2 My Forever Valentine © 2018 Sandie James
 
When one of their own is injured playing rugby league Jolene Lawrence puts her hand up to organise a Valentine’s Ball fundraiser. 
Then Chat Newland returns home at the same time and the townsfolk of Bindarra Creek decide to play Cupid.
But Jolene has a secret - one that Chat may never forgive. 
 
Development of plot: 
I fell in love with Chat when I was writing CEO Mechanic. Jolene was just a mention in CEO but over time Chat and Jolene grew on me, they wouldn't shut up until I had their story written.
I liked the story behind Chat becoming a paramedic as sad as it was and Jolene having to give up her dream to run the family business. Plus the heartache she endured while Chat was away. I don't really write my stories, my characters tell me what's going to happen and I just follow them around.
Sometimes (well with me) I get caught up in the storyline that I can be in tears one day than laughing silly the next. 
 
http://sandiejames.com
 
 
#3 Susanne Bellamy 
Pearls & Green Beer © 2018 Susanne Bellamy


Wedding celebrant, Annie Joy, believes love has passed her by, but when Ty Devereaux helps her turn a disastrous wedding into a triumph, and later, steals a kiss, her dream beckons again. Will love and a little leprechaun magic help Ty change his workaholic habits and convince Annie he’s worth taking a chance on? 
 
How I developed/discovered the plot:
Annie Joy, the wedding celebrant in Second Chance Love, had piqued my interest when I created her and I wanted to know how she became this ‘beige’ character when I sensed hidden depths and a passionate nature. Writing this short story had to be about Annie and her pearls so I could throw a light on her past and give her a fitting HEA. Who better than a silver fox family lawyer for a woman who loves weddings!
 
http://www.susannebellamy.com
 
#4 Annie Seaton 
 
Full Circle © 2018 Annie Seaton


Five years ago, Cleo Ainslie, fled Bindarra Creek with a broken heart, and is now content with her life. 
Or she thinks she is, until two close, but meddlesome friends decide to interfere in her life, when she refuses to go back to Bindarra for the Easter school reunion.
Can Cleo deal with having Jonathon Kendall in her life again?
 
How I developed/discovered the plot: 
Many of my plot ideas come from conversations and things I have experienced in my life. A random conversation about a school reunion gave me the idea for Full Circle. And my heroine works in a library with rare books… as I did in one of my first careers.
 
http://www.annieseaton.net/
 
#5 Lee Christine 
A Letter From the Queen © 2018 Lee Christine
Romance is the furthest thing from Bianca Walsh’s mind as she busily prepares for a surprise 100th birthday party for one of Bindarra Creek’s much-loved residents. But when Matt Burberry, the attractive manager of the town’s aged care facility offers to help, the best laid plans begin to go awry. 
 
How I developed/discovered the plot:
When Lee took on the month of June in the anthology, she was inspired by the Queen’s Birthday Holiday to explore one of her minor characters. May is an avid Royal-watcher and collector of Royal memorabilia and her sister’s very special birthday party demands the cleaning and use of her collection of Royal-themed fine china. And if a great-niece can find the love of her life under the benevolent eyes of the queen for a day, then it’s a success in every sense. 
 
#6 Erin Moira O’Hara 
Date with Destiny© 2019 Erin Moira O’Hara
Bindarra Creek is a treasure-trove of buried secrets, challenges, and new beginnings. Antonia Sullivan is on a high, overjoyed to be celebrating her first Mother’s Day with the daughter she gave up at birth. Then as family and friends gather, a bombshell re-ignites an old feud. It’s a Mother’s Day Spectacular.
 
How I developed the story idea:
I drew all my characters and the plot from my previous Bindarra Creek Story. Tempting Fate introduced Samantha, a young woman searching for her biological mother. Riley Morgan is the town cop and first impressions are lasting impressions. 'A Date with Destiny' is Samantha's mother's story, which is an emotional roller coaster of fears, tears, love and laughter.
 
Website: www.erinmoiraohara.com
 
 
#7 SE Gilchrist
 
Love's Sweet Challenge © 2018 Suzanne Gilchrist


Opal Morse has turned her back on her dreams and is in Bindarra Creek for the inaugural Scavenger Challenge.
When another lonely soul, Grady Flannigan, comes to her aid, the kindness of this gentle farmer re-ignites her fantasies.
She realises she can choose a different life, if only she dares put the past behind her.
 
S E Gilchrist website: http://www.segilchrist.com/
 
How I developed the story idea:
My story month was September and I invented a town event that would work in with showing the Bindarra Creek community forging ahead in its efforts to continue to grow the town as a whole. I love arts and crafts and festivals that showcase local produce and wares, so I combined that idea with a competition that would sound both fun and challenging. I was therefore able to incorporate Maki and his new wife, Beatrix, and Tails the donkey with their new venture of home-made wine and a donkey refuge. It seemed a natural progression to have one of the main protagonists an out-of-towner with a thwarted love of animals and the other a reclusive farmer. All I had to do then was think of a way to bring them together and saving a donkey in distress seemed an obvious choice. 
 
 
#8 Lauren K. McKellar
The Widow Maker @ 2018 Lauren Clark 
 
The Widow Maker is the story of Eleanor, a young widow who’s experiencing the hardships of life on the land with the assistance of sexy farmhand Daniel. For me, this was a story that needed to be told to reflect the hardships of life on the land. Drought and depression are such big and real issues, and I wanted to tell a story that offered hope in the face of those while still providing some escapism for the reader. 
 
Lauren’s website: www.LaurenKMcKellar.com
 
 
#9 Noelle Clark 
Out of the Blue @ 2018 Noelle Clark
 
Charlie and Dave know exactly what they’re getting for Christmas, and they couldn’t be happier. The town is excited at the prospect of celebrating a wedding, but there doesn’t appear to be one on the agenda. And who could have predicted the effect that two newcomers would have on them?
 
How I developed the story idea:
Out of the Blueexplores the relationship between Charlie and Dave a year after they first met. Their lives are about to change forever and I wanted to see if Charlie could accept the challenges about to descend on her. In the past she’s overcome hardship and sadness through her own inner strength, but now she is apprehensive and feeling quite inadequate. Even Dave’s solid and capable influence doesn’t help. I enjoyed watching her mature in this story.
 
Website: www.noelleclark.net
 
 
 
 

My good friend, Elizabeth Ellen Carter, has a new book! Live and Let Spy is the first in a series of Regency spies a la James Bond. Actually I'd love to see Daniel Craig in Regency costume. I bet he'd rock the look! 

Here's the blurb:

Refused his rightful promotion, Adam Hardacre quits the Royal Navy in disgust and is quickly approached with an intriguing proposition to serve his country undercover.

His first assignment takes him home to Cornwall to expose traitors plotting a French invasion of England. There, he meets newly unemployed governess, Olivia Collins, who has stumbled upon a hidden secret from Adam’s past – his youthful summer love affair with the local squire’s daughter. It is a tragic history that brings Adam and Olivia closer than is wise.
However, with the attraction deepening to something more, neither realize that Olivia unwittingly holds the key to his mission.

As Adam infiltrates the plot, Olivia finds out the shocking truth behind his lost love’s death many years ago, and both their lives are in danger. But their growing relationship is clouded by suspicion. Who can and cannot be trusted – anyone or no one?

Or... even each other?

And here's an excerpt from this delicious story: 

He risked another kiss. This time on the lips. It was returned in equal measure. He’d seen men who had been thrall to the opiates used to dull the pain of their battle injuries. Long after the wounds had healed, they had to be weaned off the stuff. 
Lust, passion, desire – call it what you like – was just potent.
He placed the key in her shaking hand, closing her fingers around it, stroking their smooth skin.
“Lock yourself in here, Olivia. Lock yourself away from me tonight.”
He backed up a half step.
“You can’t go,” she said. “The storm...”
Adam groaned and bowed his head. The low lamplight illuminated the tattoo on his hand, reminding him of who he was. “I may not be considered much of a gentleman by some, so trust me when I say it is taking almost all the chivalry I possess to leave you here.”
“But–”
He put a finger to her lips. She would overcome his resolve with a single word – her eyes already articulated them, and his body wanted that promise fulfilled.
He backed toward the door. Olivia followed in silence.
“Is the study still furnished?”
She nodded.
“With a couch?”
Another nod.
“Then that will do me for tonight or until the storm passes.”
Her eyes shimmered with tears. Regret? Shame? Adam swallowed against a tightness in his throat. By God, what a cad he was. He would have made love to a woman who he knew was otherwise spoken for.
“Forgive me...” Her voice, husky and raw, was very nearly the undoing of him. He kissed her to silence, tasting the salt of her tears.
“There is nothing to beg pardon for – not from me. It’s just not our time, Olivia. Not yet.”


Here is the buy link:
US - https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07L23VCZT
CA - https://www.amazon.ca/dp/B07L23VCZT
AUS - https://www.amazon.com.au/dp/B07L23VCZT
UK - https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B07L23VCZT

Elizabeth Ellen Carter discusses what makes a 'kick ass historical heroine'
​
The topic of ‘kick ass’ heroines came up recently. I listened avidly to the discussion hoping to learn something on how to create memorable heroines.
The conversation turned to women engaging of martial arts.
That was interesting and all, but to it left the original question begging:
What makes a kick ass historical romance heroine?
I have a different view.
It’s not physical superiority.
A kickass heroine is one who knows her own mind, has considered her course of action and knows what she needs to do to get there.
She may not start out that way. Circumstances may seem overwhelming when we first meet her in the course of a novel. Our heroine may be a victim of circumstances but she never sees herself as a victim – how could she be?
If she sees herself as a victim, she can’t be empowered to change her circumstances. If she’s a victim, she can’t be victorious.
A kickass heroine uses what she has to change her circumstances – her wit, her charm, her determination, the support of family and friends. Her fight is not a physical fight – it is, to coin a phrase, not against flesh and blood but against spiritual wickedness in high places.Her fight is for principles, for justice, for her and her family.
That was where I started with Morwena Gambino, the heroine of Shadow of the Corsairs. In Captive of the Corsairs and particularly in Revenge of the Corsairs, we see her as a successful business woman. Shadow of the Corsairs is set earlier four years before Captive and Morwena’s struggle to forge her own way.
The obstacles she has to overcome are many.
Her mother has passed away, leaving the running of the household to her. Morwena’s father has become estranged from his sons, leaving her the burden of helping him run the business while trying to maintain a relationship with her younger brother without her father’s knowledge.
Adding to her burden is her suspicion that her father is mentally unwell. Today we would recognise the symptoms of dementia. And that her elder brother is now running with criminals.
Like many real life kick ass heroines, Morwena does what she has to do each day to succeed – even if it means hiding a certain sideline enterprise from her father, working with her younger brother to make the family business successful – and taking a risk that the handsome sailor from Ethiopia who ran to her rescue one day is a man she can trust with her life and her heart.
I didn’t model Morwena Gambino on any historical character, but I do hope I captured the ‘every woman’ the kick ass heroine we can be when we recognise that we are the heroine of our own story.

Blurb
The Past Casts a Shadow Over a Second Chance For Love….

Palermo, 1810

Morwena Gambino is struggling to keep her family’s business going against mounting troubles. Her widowed father, once shrewd, is now increasingly forgetful, letting debts mount and disavowing his sons. Morwena runs the shop behind his back, forced to hide her enterprise not only from her father but also her bitter older brother.

In Tunisia, Tewodros “Jonathan” Afua is struggling to stay alive. Once an Ethiopian prince, he is a captive of the corsairs who slaughtered his wife and children. When a US naval bombardment provides an opening for escape, Jonathan falls in with a seemingly deranged English pirate. Aboard Kit Hardacre’s rundown ship with its ragtag crew, Jonathan learns the real reason he was taken by slavers.

Reluctantly joining Hardacre’s crew, he meets Morwena in Palermo. The fiery young Sicilian woman is the opposite of his quiet reserve, but he is attracted to her despite mourning for his late wife. As he and Morwena grow closer, it emerges that they have something in common – secret betrayal by those close to them – and they must count what they’re willing to risk for a future together.
Buy Links
Available from  Amazon. Also on Kindle Unlimited
US - https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07DM9VJ5Z
Aus - https://www.amazon.com.au/dp/B07DM9VJ5Z

​Bio
Elizabeth Ellen Carter writes richly detailed historical romantic adventures. Her full length 3 book Regency era series Heart Of The Corsairs is released in 2017 and 2018 - Captive Of The Corsairs, Revenge Of The Corsairs and Shadow Of The Corsairs. She is starting work on a new 4 book historical romantic suspense series, The King's Rogues for release during late 2018 and into 2019.

Her other full length titles include the Roman era thriller Dark Heart, the medieval romantic adventure Warrior's Surrender, and the Regency titles Moonstone Obsession and Moonstone Conspiracy. Also available are the novellas Nocturne and The Thief of Hearts.

A former newspaper journalist, Elizabeth ran an award-winning PR agency for 12 years. She lives in Queensland, Australia with her amazing husband and two adorable and mischievous cats. In addition writing books, Elizabeth produces a online reader magazine called Love's Great Adventure.

Follow Elizabeth on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and her web site - www.eecarter.com
 
​

This book was both difficult and joyous for me to write. 

I'd barely begun the first draft and had a relatively short time to complete the story when my wonderful mother-in-law passed away. Writing about a daughter who feared she was going to lose her mother was tough, and I suspect I skirted around the topic in that first draft. 
I was fortunate that our editor at Harlequin Escape loved the overall concept of our #MindalbyOutback series and requested changes to all of the stories to bring out the overarching story of the cotton mill closing. 
Back to the keyboard and after some major rewriting, in which my characters come up with the idea that sets the town on the road to recovery, I resubmitted my book and waited for several anxious months until that wonderful email arrived accepting all our books for a special series and print bind up. 
Originally this was titled 'Stitched Up' because Paul Carey is the saddler and leather artist, and Serena Quinlan is a clothes designer. That working title changed with the new focus on the town of Mindalby coming back from the edge of despair and taking charge of their own future. 


A teaser: (because I love first meetings, don't you!) 

‘Blast and damn him.’ 
‘Who, me?’ 
At the sound of a deep, male voice, she turned and took several quick steps around the car. ‘I’m Serena Quinlan, the—’ 
She came to an abrupt halt. 
Water dripped from shoulder-length black hair and a stubbled jaw onto a well-muscled pair of shoulders and chest. The rest of his body was lost to view behind the corrugated iron half-wall. 
Serena followed the line of the man’s arm to a tanned hand gripping the edge of the wall. A strong hand, a workman’s hand. Soap bubbles ran down his forearm and dripped from his elbow into a muddy pool beneath wooden slats. A sliver of bare thigh flashed into view. 
‘Pass me that towel, will you?’ 
Serena met his dark-eyed gaze before she registered what he’d said. ‘Towel?’ She blinked and looked around. A towel with the Manly Sea Eagles emblem lay on the ground near her feet. Looking from the towel to the man her inner turmoil fled, replaced by amusement. She’d caught the saddler bare-arsed in his outdoor shower. 
A gust of wind rolled the towel further out of his reach. 
‘Any time soon would be good, unless you’re comfortable talking to a bloke in the buff. Doesn’t worry me, but—’ 
Laughter threatening, Serena scooped up his towel and held it out. ‘Maybe not at our first meeting.’ 
‘Sounds promising.’ 
​
Buy links: 
E-book - Harper Collins
Heart of the Town (print bind up - four stories)
 
For specific retailers, use the links below:
 
Amazon Australia
Apple iTunes
Google play
Booktopia

The print bind up contains all four stories in the mill closure drama and is available in book stores from 23 July. 
If you spy it 'in the wild', please take a photo (with you holding it if you are game!) and tag me in a FB post with where you spotted it. Thanks! 

'Heart of the Town' is a series of four stories that explores the tensions and drama of a town on the edge of the Outback. The cotton mill at the 'heart' of the town's economy closes without warning and the effects draw simmering undercurrents to the surface and expose the strengths and vulnerabilities of the community when it's left to pick up the pieces. 

SE Gilchrist's 'Cotton Field Dreams' introduces the series in suspenseful fashion. Congratulations on your release!
The story:
Sasha comes to the small town of Mindalby to recover from a traumatic event, plan her next move, and seek out information to avenge her beloved uncle – the last thing she wants is a relationship. But when she meets local single dad, Cole, she can't help but be drawn to his warmth and his humour, and his two engaging children. Cole says and does all the right things, and Sasha finds herself falling, but will all of her secrets destroy the relationship before it has a chance to begin?
Mindalby, a small town, a community, a home. But when the mill that supports the local cotton farmers and employs many of the town's residents closes unexpectedly, old tensions are exposed and new rifts develop. Everyone is affected and some react better than others, but one thing is certain: living on the edge of the outback means they have to survive together, or let their town die.

​Three of the four authors from 'Heart of the Town' will be doing a book signing at Charlestown in late July. Find out more here. 

Buy links: 
Harper Collins
Amazon Australia

Ever wondered where writers get their ideas from? 
Or how they keep creating or producing new work every few months? 

There's no shortage of ideas in my writing den, only a shortage of time and, occasionally, energy when all the regular events of daily life need attention. Over the coming weeks I'll be looking at how and where some of these ideas come from. 

So far this year I've released three new books. "The Cattleman's Promise" (Hearts of the Outback bk 6) was fascinating to research. I interviewed three experts in the areas of cattle stations, drone technology, and occupational therapy in order to write the story of Jeff Alistair and Samantha (Sam) on Esmeralda Downs. What is a cattleman to do when he can't ride and his whole future depends on that ability?

I love series because I love returning to a particular 'world' and  revisiting characters whose stories continue to unfold in the background of each new couple. 

But I also love the excitement of dipping into a new 'world' and discovering what makes a new group of people tick. "Home to Lark Creek" begins part 2 of Hearts of the Outback with the 'world' shifting to the district around Lark Creek. Travis and Katy are the first couple to find the home of their hearts. He is a singer composer who fears an accident has robbed him of the ability to make music, and she is his muse from over the back fence. Together they rediscover the magic of Christmas and begin to set Lark Creek back on the tourist trail. 

This July will see the release of the first four books in a group series about a down and almost-out cotton town on the edge of the outback. When the cotton mill closes its gates, the ripples touch everyone and the fallout might be the death knell of Mindalby. The series will begin with the mill closure in 'Cotton Field Dreams' by SE Gilchrist on 2 July, followed by 'Starting Over' in which the idea for the recovery of the town begins to take shape. The four books that make up 'Heart of the Town' will be released in a print bind up around 23 July and should be available where all good books are sold. 

I'll be bringing each book in the Mindalby Outback Romance series to you through July. 

Stay tuned! 

  For the past few Christmases, we have been up the coast on our summer holiday. This has meant no space in the car boot for a tree or decorations after stuffing in all the pool and swimming/fishing gear. But we love to have a ‘tree’ of some sort under which our presents can sit and our Christmas tree has been a mini substitute with token tinsel and no decorations.
 
But I love my Christmas tree, and I love the lights and the special decorations collected or given to me over the years. Most of them hold special memories; of my children growing up, of my mother, and of good friends from whom we received the gift of a decoration each year. I love the rag doll angels made by my daughter when she was young, the doll my mother dressed as an angel, the golden rocking horse and special decorations given to me by my husband one year, the wooden decorations my children chose when they were young and glass ornaments were too fragile for little fingers to manage.
 
The decorations on our tree are a history of my family; of wonderful times together and of love and joy.
 
To me, Christmas is all about family, and the joy and wonder of the youngest member (she’ll be twenty months at Christmas!) as we begin to weave the magic of Christmas for her. And yes, in time I hope Layla will add to my special Christmas decorations, and I hope she will carry on some of our Christmas traditions one day. 
 
What’s your favourite Christmas decoration and what makes it special to you? Leave a comment on my post to be in the running to win a copy of my Christmas story below. The hero, Marco, is family-focused--when he's not fantasising about Verity's lips--and sets out to make her lonely Christmas a special one in this novella. 

Monique McConnell's post from yesterday is here andBronwen Evans' post follows mine. Click here to view. 


​One Night in Tuscany
 
One Christmas Eve Verity Peters will never forget begins badly when, after working late, she is trapped in a lift with her boss as they head to the staff Christmas party. Here’s a taster:
Chapter One
Verity Peters sat back from her computer and stretched the kinks out of her neck. Why did people who wanted their documents finished before Christmas leave their requests till the last minute? People like her stern boss who appeared to have not one happy bone in his body. Why wasn’t he at the Christmas party downstairs with the rest of the staff?

Where I would like to be right now.
 
Verity looked around the empty office. If she was lucky, she might make a late arrival at the office party in the ristorante two doors along from their office block. Gritting her teeth she resumed typing. Ingratitude for her job must not cloud Christmas Eve. Peace on Earth, goodwill to men and all that. Including her boss? Grudgingly, she included him in her list.

If Marco Philippi is a man and not a machine like his cars.  

Good-looking, too, if you liked the stern, granite-jaw, steely-eyed type.
Verity didn’t. Blue eyes were her downfall. Jackson’s blue eyes were the reason she’d run all the way across the world. Blue, lying eyes. Why hadn’t she changed her preference to brown or green by now? Even Marco Philippi’s silver-grey eyes would be preferable.

She checked the last sentence she’d typed and groaned. Silver-grey eyes like stars in the sky.
Really?
Now her subconscious was sending her inappropriate messages.

Yes, her boss was handsome and yes, in the car when she accompanied him to his factory, she’d experienced more than a flutter in parts of her that had been untouched for far too long. Not that he’d made any move on her, then or later.
I don’t want any man making moves on me ever again.
She tapped her nails on her desk. And yet, when Marco had politely requested she finish this particular document before the office closed for ten days, she’d been sure he’d been about to ask a different question.

Signorina, per favore, I would like to ask you--
What do you need, signore?
His gaze had touched her mouth.

The bustle of departing co-workers flowed around the island of her desk and he’d paused. Had he just realized everyone else was heading to the ristorante party, or had he been going to ask her something else? Fleetingly she’d wondered if maybe, just maybe, he’d been going to ask her out for a drink.

But he’d wished the party-goers a Buon Natale then requested this favour. “An urgent document, you understand. I regret asking so late but—”
 Of course she’d agreed, relieved that she was wrong, relieved he hadn’t complicated a work relationship by bringing the personal into it.

So why was she feeling disappointed and frustrated now? Telling herself to get a grip, she forced her attention back to the document on the screen and checked a technical term before adding it to the current paragraph.
Working as an English translator for the Italian car manufacturer was oceans removed from her cheating work ex—and came with the bonus of improving her Italian conversation skills.
She added the final sentence to her work and checked the time on her screen.

“Signorina, have you finished that document yet?” Carpet had muffled the approach of her boss and she startled in her chair.  His timing was uncanny.

“About to email it now, Signor Philippi. Do you wish to check it first?” She glanced up when he leaned over her shoulder and looked at her screen. Cocooned together within an island of light beyond which the rest of the office lay in darkness, the sharp, fresh scent of his cologne added an intimacy to the moment that caught Verity unaware.
Whoa. Not appropriate. There would not be another work place relationship like Jackson’s under any circumstances.
Grey eyes scanned her translation before he nodded. “Bene. Very good. Your work is impeccable, Signorina Peters. I appreciate that you stayed to finish it when your colleagues are already enjoying their celebrations. I realize it is an imposition.”

“Not at all. Happy to help.” Now she had finished, her smile was more sincere than it would have been five minutes ago. In five minutes more she’d have her hand around a glass of red wine. “Are you coming down to the party, signore?”

He frowned. Surely he hadn’t forgotten the staff function? “I—have another call on my time. Perhaps later, if it is still underway.”

What a Scrooge. At least she was going to enjoy herself. Her mouth watered, imagining the slide of that first mouthful of vino and the smoked olives for which Angelo’s was famous. If she wasn’t careful, the memory of his antipasti would make her drool over Signor Philippi’s Armani-clad sleeve.

“If you’re happy with the document, I’ll email it now.”

“Grazie. I’d be grateful also if you would assist me to carry several bags into the elevator before you leave. I am running a little late already.”

You’re not the only one.
“Certainly.” She hit the keyboard a little too hard and missed the onscreen send button. Damn the man, did he not understand this was Christmas Eve?  Everyone—every normal person—was celebrating or preparing to attend Midnight Mass at one of the gazillion churches in Florence. Even she intended to see how the Florentines heralded in Christmas Day at the pink and green marble Duomo. Verity drew in a deep breath and carefully pressed the return key. Her document whooshed off through the darkness to the computer of some lucky clerk who probably wouldn’t be back at work to read it for a couple of days anyway. “All done. Now, where are these bags?”

Briskly, she gathered her handbag, coat and a parcel of Christmas goodies she’d purchased for her lovely landlady. It would be her contribution to the feast in the courtyard of her accommodation tomorrow.

“In my office.” He strode down the hallway and pushed open one half of the carved wooden pair of doors that led into his minimalist office.

Verity thrust her arms into her coat sleeves and cinched the belt around her waist as she walked into her boss’s office. All she had to do was help him carry a few parcels into the elevator and she’d be free for the night.
She stopped beside his desk, eying the clear expanse and wondered how he got through the masses of work generated by managing his company alone. Late nights, early mornings were the norm from what she’d seen. It was no way to live. A single, framed photograph graced one corner. It was a close-up of a brunette cuddling a baby to her cheek. Beside them, hand on her shoulder, a man stood in profile. A younger, more gentle Marco?

“If you please, signorina, can you carry this?”

Verity turned, took two steps and then stopped. Her boss held out a large, stuffed giraffe that towered over his six-foot frame. She blinked. Was she really seeing that? “Good grief. I mean—”

“Is it too much, do you think?” Signor Philippi frowned. Was that doubt in his eyes?

“No. Um, is it for the baby in your photo?”

“Baby? Ah, si. But she is no longer a bambina but a four-year-old with a mind of her own and a love of animals.”

Verity picked up the stuffed toy. Heavier than it looked, she wondered what a four-year-old child would do with it.
Her boss picked up several bags and parcels. “Can you turn out the lights, per favore? I seem to have my hands full.”

Was that a joke? Her boss never made jokes. He was an unemotional workaholic who wouldn’t know humour if it jumped up and bit him. But just for a moment, a flash of humour seemed to spark in his eyes before he headed out the door.

Bemused by the rare insight into her boss’s private world, Verity trailed behind him, the giant giraffe filling her arms and obstructing her view. “So, your daughter, is she—oof!” She and the giraffe bounced off Signor Philippi’s chest. Why had he stopped just then?

“Are you okay, signorina?”

She nodded, embarrassed and cross at her clumsiness. God, she needed that glass of wine.

“Chiara is my niece. Her mother is my sister. What made you think I was married?”

“The photo on your desk. My apologies, signore.” Heat rose in her cheeks and she manoeuvred the giraffe’s neck between her and her boss’s amused gaze. Definitely amused. She peeped around the toy. He pressed the call button with his elbow and adjusted his grip on his parcels. Where had this human version of her boss appeared from?
Unexpectedly, she found herself wondering about the man who had been little more than a dispatcher of orders to her since her arrival. No social interactions, just her boss stopping by her desk with requests for this or that. Every day, she spoke to him yet not once before had they touched on anything personal.

Odd, she’d never thought about that until now. Why didn’t he send her emails like the department heads all did?

“My brother-in-law, Carlo, flies in tomorrow morning but I promised to make up for his absence tonight to Chiara and her mother, Lucia. We will dine and then go to Midnight Mass together.”

Mirrored elevator doors opened and they stepped inside. Like many elevators in older buildings, the carriage was small. They wrestled the giraffe into the back corner, stowed the various parcels opposite the toy and occupied the front half, standing shoulder to shoulder.

Tantalising hints of citrus cologne wafted from his warm skin as the doors closed and the car began its descent.

 What happens next on this special Christmas Eve will change their lives. 
 
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