Author Event - Morning Tea with Fiona Palmer

ANNOUNCEMENT TIME:

We will be hosting Fiona Palmer for a morning tea!! As one of the Queens of Outback Fiction, Fiona tells life as it is living in country Australia. Fantastic characters, real life situations - there is something for everyone in her books. 

Bookings Essential!

One Book To Keep

There is that one book on your shelf that defines you. One book that, while you may not have read it for awhile, makes you gasp in horror if somebody mentions you might want to let it go. We all have one and it is mind blowing to make the choice of which one is your favourite.  I have asked a few people in the book industry, what is that special book is for them and the response has been quite interesting.

Abigail Nathan from Bothersome Words Editing Services.

“ You know this is just a fancy way of asking "if you could only have one book..." and those questions are IMPOSSIBLE! I shall go with sheer sentiment and say Diana Wynne Jones's 'Charmed Life'. That was my first DWJ novel and I think it's the most reread book I own. It's one of the books that got me properly into fantasy/speculative fiction and probably the book that made me realise I wanted to spend my life working with books and words and fictional worlds.”

Alan Baxter – author of the upcoming martial arts/fantasy book Bound

“Oh, man, that is almost impossible to answer! One book? The horror! Errr. first that comes to mind is Clive Barker's "Cabal". And his book "The Great and Secret Show". And Le Guin's "A Wizard of Earthsea". And and and... I can't just pick one!”

Michael Pryor, Author of the Law’s of Magic series and the new Machine Wars.

“The hardback copies of 'Lord of the Rings' I got when I was thirteen”

Kim Wilkins, author of Rosa and the Veil of Gold and winner of an AUREALIS Award.

“Beowulf”

Jason Fischer, author of the Tamsyn Web series and the short story collection Everything is a Graveyard.

” Definitely Mary Stewart's "Crystal Cave", beautiful piece of Arthurian storytelling.”

Karly Lane, author of Northstar

“Mine would be Cross stitch by Diana Gaboldon . I think it's called Outlander in the US. Best. Book. Ever!”

Pamela Freeman, author of the Princess Betony books

“So many... the poems of WB Yeats. Or Lord of the Rings. Tough to decide.”

Fiona Palmer, author of Outback Heart

“Vampire Academy series. It's my big escape “

Fiona McIntosh, author of the Quickening series and Tailor’s Girl

“Tigana by Guy Gavriel Kay”

Carla Caruso, author of Catch of the Day

“Mine would be 'Looking for Alibrandi' by Melina Marchetta - I read it when I was an Italian-Australian teenager, like the main character, finishing high school and wondering what the heck I was going to do with the rest of my life. It still resonates! 'The Undomestic Goddess' by Sophie Kinsella is also a feel-good, comfort read I love dipping into again. “

Jacqueline Harvey, Author of the Alice-Miranda and Clementine Rose series.

“The Book Thief with a beautiful inscription to me from Markus.”

What is even more interesting is the fact the genres that these author’s write does not always reflect what they love to read. A lot of people assume that just because you write in a particular genre then that is all you will read. This goes to show that is not the case at all.

For myself, I don’t have favourite books. I am like most people who, when they are asked this question recoil in horror at picking just one book. It is simply a hard question that can make your mind go blank when you are trying to pick a title. If I had to choose on the basis of a book that I read the most, then I would have to choose Tamora Pierce’s ‘Song of the Lioness #1 Alanna the First Adventure’. I re-read that book (which leads into 20 others in the series all following the same characters for about 30 years) at least once a year. I’m not sure why that series draws me to it, but I love the relationships of the characters and I think it is one of the books that really cemented it for me that I wanted write.  Also there is Patricia C Wrede’s Lyra books.  I loved the grittiness and emotion found in that series.

A big thank you to everyone that participated in my post and I hope you all go and check out these wonderful authors and their many books and you may find that one book you can never get rid of!

What is your One Book?
Tarran

Guest Blog - Fiona Palmer - Where Fiona finds her inspiritation

In celebration of Fiona Palmer's new release 'Heart of Gold' we have asked Fiona to write us a short post on where she finds her inspiration. Now this is a question most authors are asked many times but we felt that as Fiona is an Australian outback writer, she would have a wreath of information that not many people from overseas would know.

Where do I find my inspiration? From the land and the people around me. It could be the next sunset or thunderstorm, the hot wind swirling dust around the paddocks or it could simply be the wildlife going about life. It could be something as simple as hauling dead wood into a pile, setting it alight, sitting around the flames on old milk crates and drinking a cold one. The smell of smoke, which weaves its way into your clothes and hair, and the crackling warmth from the orange glow of embers all add to the experience. Something so simple can be so enjoyable and memorable.

Such simple things like these bring me great joy and with that comes energy and passion. Standing outside as the first rain comes down after a long hot summer can rejuvenate the senses and its these senses which help me to write. And in the next breath I could be sitting with the locals, chatting, sharing stories and someone will tell a ripper of a yarn that seems too good to be true. We'll all have tears in our eyes and our bellies hurt from a decent laugh which cleans out your soul. Its these little stories which can ignite another branch for my stories or help spur on a whole new one. Its these yarns that I like to fit into my books as much as possible, as sometimes you just can't think up stuff as perfect as them. 

So now i give you thought...read my books and see if you can tell which bits are real. Its also the characters of the bush. Not just one person but all of the people have parts that end up in my characters. She could be made up of ten people I have met or heard about. The courage of one, strength of another, humor of many...the list goes on. I think for a writer you need the ability to draw in your surroundings, experience them and then be able to share them.

Fiona is from Pingaring, in Western Australia, and she’s a real country girl, with a range of work experience including rouseabouting, tractor driving, and working on the grain silos – all great experiences shared by the heroine of her debut novel, The Family Farm. 

If you would like to know more of Fiona Palmer then you can go to her blog

March New Releases

 

Destiny awaits Bianca and Lucas . . .  

Through darkness, the heart will find a way

A mysterious artefact leads Jarrod back to Gaela′s lost south-ern continent where he discovers a sentient being like him-self. Ruthless and extremely dangerous, this other version has captured Janis Richter.Luka Paree and Janis′ daughter, Ruby, are playing a dangerous game with Earth′s dictatorship. They have laid their escape plans, but the hunters are closing in. If ASSIST discovers the portal to Gaela, all is lost ...

Midkemia's fifth and final Riftwar - the devastating Chaoswar - explodes in the opening volume of Raymond E. Feist's spectacular new epic fantasy trilogy of magic, conflict, and world-shattering peril. A Kingdom Besieged is a breathtaking adventure that brings back Pug - first introduced in Feist's classic debut novel, Magician, and now Midkemia's most powerful sorcerer - who faces a major magical cataclysm that forces him to question everything he's ever held as true and dear.including the loyalty of his beloved son Magnus. The Chaoswar promises to be the crowning achievement in the three decades-long career of a New York Times bestselling master fantasist who rules the sword and sorcery universe along with Terry Goodkind, George R. R. Martin, and Terry Brooks.

 CJ Wishart is a hardworking country girl with a heart of gold but a life that can be tough.  Her job as a wool classer is back-breaking, her family life is a disaster and, after a string of dating debacles, she's put men in the too-hard basket.

When strong, handsome Lindsay arrives on the scene as their new shearer, CJ can't help but take notice.  They have an undeniable spark, but can she handle the complications and potential heartbreak of falling in love?

With help from her friend and an endearing old farmer, CJ learns that when you stay true to yourself and open your heart, anything is possible.

Set in the colourful world of the shearing sheds, this is a lively and uniquely Australian story of love overcoming adversity.

The Clifton Chronicles is Jeffrey Archer's most ambitious work in four decades as an international bestselling author.

The epic tale of Harry Clifton's life begins in 1920, with the chilling words, 'I was told that my father was killed in the war'. But it will be another twenty years before Harry discovers how his father really died, which will only lead him to question: who was his father?

Is he the son of Arthur Clifton, a stevedore who worked in Bristol docks, or the first born son of a scion of West Country society, whose family owns a shipping line?

Only Time will Tell covers the years from 1920 to 1940, and includes a cast of memorable characters that The Times has compared to The Forsyte Saga. Volume one takes us from the ravages of the Great War to the outbreak of the Second World War, when Harry must decide whether to take up a place at Oxford, or join the navy and go to war with Hitler's Germany.

Winner of Fiona Palmer Giveaway - Juliet Madison

Congratulations Juliet Madison !!!!! You are the winner of a signed copy of 'Family Farm' by Fiona Palmer. Can you please email me your mailing address at arbooks@hotmail.co.uk

Guest Blog Post - Fiona Palmer + New Giveaway comp

Wow we are so lucky in Australia!! We have so many awesome writers and I am happy to present our next Guest Blog of the week! Fiona Palmer- author of 'The Family Farm' has written a post about life on the farm and how that interacts with her writing. To celebrate this our weekly giveaway is a signed copy of her book 'The Family Farm' So comment to your hearts content to be in it to win it!!! I will draw it on Thursday 4th Nov.

I was born and raised in the country, in a tiny five house town called Pingaring, 350km south east of Perth…so it’s not surprising that I’m a die hard country girl. (But that doesn’t mean I listen to country music and wear cowboy boots.  I like all music and love my Blundstone boots)

I had the whole world to choose from after school and I decided to come back to my roots.  There is something about living in a small community, where you know everyone and it feels safe. The way a community can rally together as they battle Mother Nature. She can be devastating in a flood or a drought and there is nothing you can do to stop her. 

I love that my kids can drive their buggy and play in the bush…yes they do run wild and free but they are happy.  I love being amongst the land, feeling and seeing each season as it changes. The smells: rain on dry dirt, soil freshly turned at seeding, wildflowers and eucalyptus in the air in spring…yes I could go on.  It is this passion I have for where I live which started my writing.  I was never a writer wanting to write words, I was a girl with a passion for the land who wanted to share it through stories. 

I have this active mind, which is always making up little stories and I can remember doing this at school.  Writing wonderful stories…well I thought they were good but my teacher thought otherwise.  You see I only scrapped through English as my spelling, grammar and punctuation was bad… and that’s putting it mildly.  I was never marked on my ability to create a story, so therefore I never thought I was any good.  But the urge to keep creating never died and when The Family Farm story started to form in my mind I took the plunge and typed it out. 

Izzy was based on my friend Rachael who works on her family’s farm.  She was much smarter than I was and could have gone on to uni but she came back to the land.  Her abilities on the farm inspired Izzy, there isn’t anything she can’t do.  And that appeals to me, women who can take care of themselves.  I was brought up that way and can change a tyre (even off the rim to fix a tube).   

There are so many funny quirky things that can happen out here and they’re the yarns I love to fit into my books.  I had to cut out quite a few shearing stories in my second book Heart of Gold.  Because I have city and international readers a lot of what I write about has to be explained really well.  My editors will have heaps of little comments on my manuscripts asking what this saying means or what is that?  

 Until then I thought everyone knew what a pair of moccasins were and what flyblown meant.  So it’s been quite a learning curve for me and my editors.  But I’m always ready for emails (via www.fionapalmer.com) if anyone has any questions about something they didn’t understand. 

I didn’t really think I’d ever get my first story published until a friend gave me one of Rachael Treasures books.  After reading Jillaroo I was like ‘yes, I can do this, there is a market for country books’ and that’s what spurred me on. So the first publisher I wrote an enquiry letter to was Penguin, who publishes Rachael. Low and behold, they must have been thinking the same thing and now I’m a published author. (I still can’t believe it)  Farm lit has really taken off, I know of three new authors with ‘rural’ books coming out next year and I’m totally excited.  I will be supporting them and putting details up on my website when I can.  It’s a great genre to be involved with.

So if you need an escape from the city then keep your eyes out for the farm lit books. 

Definatly check this lady out!! Her blog address is included in the post!