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.