AWW Feature: Q & A with Annie Hauxwell, author of A Bitter Taste

Welcome Annie Hauxwell!

I am pleased to feature author Annie Hauxwell today at Book’d Out. Annie was born in the East End of London and emigrated with her family to Australia when she was a teenager. She abandoned the law to work as an investigator, and now combines this with writing. She lives in Castlemaine, a small country town in Victoria, and travels to London frequently.

Annie’s debut novel, In Her Blood, was published in 2012 introducing investigator Catherine Berlin. A Bitter Taste (Penguin) is the second in the gritty crime fiction series set in London released this month.

“Treachery becomes a habit.

London is in the grip of a stifling heatwave. The city has slowed to a claustrophobic shuffle. Heroin-addicted investigator Catherine Berlin suffers while working the lowest of investigations: matrimonial.

The city’s junkies are in the grip of a drought of a different kind. Sonja Kvist a strung-out ghost from Berlin’s past, turns up on her doorstep. Sonja daughter is missing. An unpaid debt leaves Berlin no choice but to take the case of the missing ten-year-old. 

Berlin is back. And soon the hunter becomes the hunted: corrupt detectives are on Berlin’s tail chasing drugs she doesn’t have, a young girl is murdered and the matrimonial case unravels.

And the temperature keeps rising”

My review of A Bitter Taste will appear later today. In the meantime, read on to learn more…

Q & A

Q: Can you tell us a little about ‘In Her Blood’, the prequel to ‘A Bitter Taste’ ?

Annie: In Her Blood introduces Catherine Berlin, a heroin-addicted investigator with the Financial Services Agency in London.  On a bone-chilling February morning Berlin finds the body of her informant in a shallow reach of the Thames. That the murder is linked to her investigation of a local loan shark comes as no surprise to Berlin, but when the GP who prescribes her heroin is murdered and she is incriminated, she realizes that more than her job is at stake. She has seven stolen days of clarity to solve the crime – and find a new supplier.

Q: What lessons did you learn with ‘In her Blood’ that changed the way you approached writing ‘A Bitter Taste’?

Annie: I learnt a lot about point of view writing In Her Blood, largely thanks to hard work by my editor at Penguin. I think I was able to be more consistent and, hopefully, more coherent, in managing the POVs of different characters, while still maintaining Berlin’s role as the primary driver of the action.

Q: What are the main themes in ‘A Bitter Taste’?

Annie: Betrayal, treachery and the unexpected ways the past comes back to bite you.

Q: What traits define your protagonist, investigator Catherine Berlin?

Annie: Melancholy, stubborn, brave, misanthropic. You wouldn’t want to have dinner with her, but at your back if you’re in trouble.

Q: Which scene or character in ‘A Bitter Taste’ did you find most difficult to write and why?

Annie: I found it very difficult to write the last page. Endings can get you into a world of trouble: have I said enough? too little? is it satisfying? will the reader feel cheated? sad they’ve reached the end? be glad it’s over?? It’s a challenge.

Q: Why did you choose London as the setting for your series, given you also spend much of your time in Australia?

Annie: The location and characters of In Her Blood grew out of my time working as an investigator in London with Operation Sharkbait, the Illegal Money Lending Team. I was going to write a trilogy, but then the publishers said ‘series’ and I said ‘fine’. A Bitter Taste is also set in London, but Berlin will be on the move soon, I promise!

Q:   Can you please share three of your favourite novels by Australian women writers?

The Man Who Loved Children by Christina Stead
The Spare Room by Helen Garner
The Idea of Perfection by Kate Grenville
Q: What is your preference?
•           Coffee/Tea or other?  Coffee
•           Beach/Pool or River? River
•           Slacks/Jeans or Leggings? Jeans
•           Butterfly/Tiger or Giraffe? Giraffe
•           Swing/Slide or Roundabout? Slide

You can learn more about Annie Hauxwell at www.anniehauxwell.com

A Bitter Taste is available to purchase

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Review & Giveaway: Half Moon Bay by Helene Young

Title: Half Moon Bay

Author: Helene Young

Published: Penguin May 2013

Read an Extract

Status: Read from May 22 to 23, 2013 { Courtesy Netgalley/the publisher}

My Thoughts:

With the wonderful balance of action, intrigue and romance which Helene Young always gets exactly right, Half Moon Bay is an exciting and engaging novel.

When the small community of Half Moon Bay is threatened by a corrupt Lord Mayor, international photojournalist Ellie Wilding returns to her home town determined to stop him. It doesn’t take long for Ellie to uncover evidence of kick backs and blackmail but she is shocked to discover that O’Sullivan may also be complicit in a drug ring involving Asian casino operators, Afghani warlords, Australian ex-soldiers and the death of her older sister Nina, a journalist, three years before and half a world away.
Nick Lawson is stunned to find Ellie in the midst of the protests against the land development in Half Moon Bay. Working undercover, the ICAC operation he is managing could be compromised if Ellie recognises him as the soldier who was present in Afghanistan when her older sister Nina, a journalist, was shot and killed.
As Ellie continues to investigate the links between her sister, an old friend and the corruption in her home town, she has no idea of the danger she is in and Nick, desperate to keep her safe from harm, will have to tell her everything, except the truth.

Moving between war torn Afghanistan, a small Australian coastal town and the ‘big smoke, Half Moon Bay is a fast paced, tension filled adventure. With consummate skill the author has developed a plot that is believable but not entirely predictable. I really enjoyed the way in which the story begins as if a fairly transparent case of greed but deepens into a complex web of crime involving corruption, drug running, kidnapping and murder.

Ellie is a capable, independent and strong protagonist. She is willing to fight for what she believes in and ignores attempts at threats and intimidation, but not to the point of fool hardiness. I love that Young’s heroines don’t take TSTL (too stupid to live) chances, and when the situation deteriorates, Ellie acts sensibly to minimise the risks to herself and others.

The romance between Ellie and Nick is complicated by a shared past that Ellie doesn’t even remember. Nick however has never been able to forget the bravery and resourcefulness Ellie showed while trying desperately to save her sister’s life. After failing to protect Nina in Afghanistan, Nick will do anything to ensure Ellie’s safety but given his status as the ‘enemy’ with regards to the land deal, her general suspicion of him and his inability to share the truth of his connection to the whole mess, earning her trust could be an impossible task.

Once I began Half Moon Bay I was reluctant to put it down, caught up in it’s exhilarating tale of romance and suspense. It was no less than I expected though from award winning author Helene Young. Half Moon Bay is a fantastic page turner and one I recommend you add to your must read shelf.

For details on how to win a signed copy of Half Moon Bay, view Helene’s guest post published at Book’d Out earlier today – CLICK HERE

Available to Purchase

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AWW Feature & Giveaway: Helene Young and Half Moon Bay

Welcome Helene Young!

I am thrilled to welcome back Helene Young to Book’d Out today, celebrating the release of her fourth book, Half Moon Bay. Helene has previously been a guest here at Book’d Out  andI  had the pleasure of meeting her last year.

Helene’s previous award winning novels, Shattered Sky, Wings of Fear and Burning Lies formed a loosely linked trilogy and earned her the title of most popular romantic suspense author by the Romance Readers of Australia (ARRA) in 2010 and 2011. My review of Half Moon Bay has been published HERE. In the meantime enjoy catching up with Helene and enter for your chance to win a signed copy of Half Moon Bay. Read on…

This Floating Writer’s Life.

The last twelve months has seen four significant milestones come and go. I had a change of job within the airline, which gave me more time at home with hubbie and hound.

Capt G took extended long service leave in November to coincide with his 55^th birthday, which also gave him a whole lot more time at home – a husband underfoot is a dangerous distraction…

We bought a 40 ft catamaran called Roo Bin Esque (named because she’s a voluptuous sexy French Boat with a couple of irreverent Australian sailors and dog aboard.)

Finally, we packed the contents of our house, along with several thousand books, into a shipping container and embarked on a sea change which we’ve been planning for fifteen years. (You can see the photos of our month’s journey north from Brisbane to Cairns on my blog.)

So now I’m a writer afloat with a new view from my window and a different rhythm to the day. It’s a little bit like camping as daylight hours dictate what you do. Sure we have a great big generator that makes lots of noise and produces beautiful 240 volts to run all the modern appliances, but who wants noise if you can have tranquility instead. I’ve always been a sparrow, up with first light, but now more than ever we wake with the sunrise and settle with the sunset.

It’s so much simpler than a house yet so much more labour intensive.  When we’re at sea there’s a dinghy to launch every time we want to go ashore. If the motors are on there’s a flurry of activity with water to make, batteries to charge, clothes to wash and decks to scrub. The fridge freezer demands to be defrosted every five days and the salt spray coats everything in a hazy layer.  Zeus, the long suffering Wonder Staffy, has to have a walk ashore twice a day since there’s not much play room on a boat, and besides those walks can be an adventure all of their own!

When we’re in a marina, there are people to chat to, chores to be done and a never-ending list of maintenance tasks.  Things we take fore granted like internet connection can prove to be fickle. We had several spots without internet or phone access on our sail north. They were the most peaceful days, but it took me a while to stop obsessively checking for service…

So how will all this affect my writing? I’m hoping for more down time to write. Half Moon Bay was released yesterday and my wonderful publishers would like the next completed manuscript in by mid-August. I’m working on it, but the view can be distracting and I find myself hurrying to find the camera and snap off another photo.

The upside is the inspiration in the scenery and people we meet.  For now I’ll soak up the ambience knowing there’s another significant milestone in a couple of weeks. Funny, but I don’t feel a day over twenty-five!

To go into the draw for a signed copy of Half Moon Bay tell us what you’d like to do if you could have a change from your current lifestyle in the comments. Would you be a tree changer or a backpacker, a sea change or jillaroo?

Competition closes Thursday 12 pm 30^th May and the winner will be announced on the 31^st May. Open worldwide

About Half Moon Bay

Ellie Wilding has been running from her past, but when the residents of Half Moon Bay call for help she knows it’s finally time to return home.  As an international photojournalist, she’s used to violence in war zones, but she’s shocked when it erupts in the sleepy hamlet on the north coast of New South Wales, threatening all she holds dear.

Battle-weary Nicholas Lawson walked away from his military career leaving unfinished business. In a coastal backwater, that decision returns to haunt him. He remembers all too vividly his last lethal assignment in Afghanistan when Ellie’s sister, Nina, was shot and killed. Ellie’s been in his dreams ever since, even if she doesn’t remember him…

As a storm rages and floodwaters rise, Ellie struggles to save her community. But who can she trust? Nick Lawson, the dangerously attractive stranger with secrets, or an old friend who’s never let her down?

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Review: Saved by the Bride by Fiona Lowe

Title: Saved by the Bride {Wedding Fever #1}

Author: Fiona Lowe

Published: Carina Press April 2013

Read an Excerpt

Status: Read from May 16 to 17, 2013 — I own a copy {Courtesy the publisher}

My Thoughts:

The residents of Whitetail, Wisconsin are struggling with the economic downturn after the small town’s main employer closed the doors and as acting mayor, Annika Jacobson is desperate to ensure her beloved home town survives. In a bid to secure new industry, Annika gate crashes the local summer home of Chicago businessman, Eric Callahan, during his daughter’s engagement party but her plans are thwarted by the billionaires son and second in command, Finn, who mistakes her for a devious journalist and has her arrested for break and enter. Annika’s not giving up that easily though and is determined to convince Finn, and his father, that Whitetail is a town worth saving.

Annika is an endearing heroine, though feisty, klutzy and determined she is also insecure and vulnerable after both her engagement and art career imploded in Chicago. Whitetail is not only her home town but also her sanctuary and she will make any sacrifice to ensure it’s future, including becoming Finn Callahan’s PA for the summer.

Living with his father, stepmother and young half brother while his sister plans her wedding and his mother convalesces in the guest house is not how Finn planned to spend his summer, but in order to manage the family business he has no choice. At least Annika provides a welcome distraction.

The attraction between Annika and Finn sizzles from their first disastrous meeting when they share a steamy kiss and heats up as they are forced to work together. They both quickly succumb to their desires but as Finn doesn’t believe in commitment and Annika isn’t willing to risk her heart after her last relationship ended badly, they agree to a ‘no strings attached’ summer fling. It’s an arrangement that suits them both until the line between lust and love begins to blur.

There is a lot going on in this novel apart from the development of the relationship between Annika and Finn. Finn’s family dynamics are complicated by a history of hurt and bitterness, and Finn resents playing at happy families. Meanwhile Finn’s sister, Bridie, is fretting over her lavish wedding plans and her fiance’s seeming disinterest.

Additionally, while Annika is pursuing business leads, an idea to market the town as a wedding destination that began as a temporary solution to their economic crisis is embraced by it’s residents much to Annika’s chagrin and she is hurt when her attempts to secure a manufacturing company’s interest are rejected by the townspeople.

Funny and heartfelt with appealing characters and a lovely small town setting, Saved By the Bride is a engaging contemporary romance by Australian born RITA award winning author Fiona Lowe. Fans who enjoyed Boomerang Bride will enjoy this start to Fiona Lowe’s new Wedding Fever series.

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Review: Heartland by Cathryn Hein

 

Title: Heartland

Author: Cathryn Hein

Published: Michael Joseph: Penguin May 2013

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Status: Read from May 04 to 05, 2013 — I own a copy {Courtesy the Publisher}

My Thoughts:

In Heartland, Callie Reynolds has spent eight years avoiding her family but her grandmother’s death necessitates her return to Glenmore, the property that was once Callie’s childhood refuge, and which now belongs to her. Intending to simply sell up and move on, Callie’s plans are quickly sabotaged by a warty horse, a mad goose, a frightened girl and her handsome neighbour, Matt Hawkins. But Callie is determined to do what she is sure is the right thing by her sister’s memory, even if it breaks her heart. A delightful novel, Heartland is Cathryn Hein’s third heart warming rural romance.

The tragic death of Callie’s sister, Hope, has been a burden Callie has carried for almost a decade. She has avoided anything that could give her more than a fleeting moment of contentment, punishing herself due to misplaced guilt. Focused on her goal of selling the property and donating the proceeds to the foundation established in her sister’s name as some kind of restitution, Callie is surprised to find herself reluctant to let go of Glenmore. I sympathised with Callie who was struggling under the weight of so much pain and self recrimination. Though fragile and vulnerable, Callie is not weak or helpless and I loved that Hein allowed Callie to find her way forward at a natural pace.

Callie’s journey towards forgiving herself is supported by the relationship she develops with Matt. The romance between the emotionally crippled Callie and physically scarred Matt is written beautifully. Matt is kind and patient with an emotional strength earned from overcoming a difficult childhood and his experiences in Afghanistan. He is just the type of hero that appeals to me and I was half in love with him myself. Though their relationship is sweet and tender, there is also a delicious simmering of desire, and more importantly they are what each other needs and there is a genuine sense of respect between them.

The animals featured in Heartland have their own personalities and play an vital role in the story. Honk, the recalcitrant goose, adds hilarity to temper the more sober themes. Phantom, aka ‘Warty-Morty’, helps Callie overcome her fear of attachment and is instrumental in curing Lyndall’s fear of horses. Patch, the puppy Callie begrudgingly accepts as a gift, assists Callie to process her guilt over the death of her sister.

With Heartland, Cathryn Hein has written a wonderful, moving story exploring the themes of grief, guilt, family and love. It will definitely be on my favourites list for 2013 and I am happy to recommend it.

Available to Purchase

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My Review

 

Review: The Rules of Conception by Angela Lawrence

 

Title: The Rules of Conception

Author: Angela Lawrence

Published: MIRA: Harlequin Australia May 2013

Read an chapter sampler

Status: Read on May 03, 2013 — I own a copy {Courtesy the Publisher}

My Thoughts:

Debut author Angela Lawrence explores a woman’s desire for motherhood in The Rules of Conception. Rachel Richards is in her mid thirties, single (again), financially secure and wanting to be a mother. Worried time is running out, she makes the choice to go it alone. Rachel begins to investigate her options, eventually choosing a ‘known donor’ but the conception of her plan turns out to be much easier than it’s execution.

I was intrigued by the premise of The Rules of Conception, primarily because I have a friend currently considering her options. Like Rachel, none of her relationships have worked out and as she approaches forty her biological clock is ticking ever louder. There are so many factors for her to consider and I hoped that Lawrence would provide some insight into the journey.

I found the viability of the varied options Rachel explores really interesting, from co parenting arrangements to the purchase of anonymous donor sperm from abroad. They each have their pro’s and con’s, raising issues I hadn’t given much thought to.
Eventually Rachel determines that a ‘known donor’ is the right choice for her and her search leads her to Digby, a man who wants to father a child but not raise one. Armed with a list of questions and a legal contract Rachel is sensible about the process in an attempt to control the situation, but her narrow focus doesn’t allow much room for variations of her circumstances.

What I do think the story lacked was emotion, Rachel is focused on her plans but there is no real sense of excitement or apprehension from her about the pregnancy, birth or her general circumstances until very near the end. She never seems to daydream about her baby’s future, muse about what he/she will look like or debate baby names neither does she seem concerned about the baby’s health or worry much about Digby’s honesty, even when he disappears. Most everyone is supportive of her decision and I think the story could have benefited by having a character to really challenge Rachel.

Most of the angst in the story involves Rachel’s relationship with her horrific boss, a situation that definitely evokes sympathy and which her pregnancy threatens to exacerbate, yet even that fizzles out to a bland truce.

The Rules of Conception is interesting, entertaining and I thought Lawrence wrote sensitively about the practical issues involved in the process of choosing single parenthood. It is a thought provoking story and as such I will be passing it on to my friend.

Available to Purchase

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Review & Giveaway: The Yearning by Kate Belle

 

Title: The Yearning

Author: Kate Belle

Published: Simon and Schuster May 2013

Status: Read from May 05 to 06, 2013 — I own a copy{Courtesy the author}

My Thoughts:

” I need your eyes to see, your hands to touch, your spirit to acknowledge that which I hold most deeply and secretly in my heart. My yearning for you.”

A shy teenage girl writes scented letters of longing to her new high school English teacher and neighbour, the handsome and charming, Solomon Andrews. From her bedroom window she watches and hopes for him to notice her.
Solomon is flattered by his young student’s attention, and though wary of another scandal, he finds himself unable to resist her passionate adoration.
While Solomon justifies their affair as his “ultimate and ecstatic gift” to her, the girl believes he is her soul mate, her one and only true love.
When they are discovered and separated she clings to the to the idea that she and Solomon are destined to be together. It is a belief that she cannot relinquish, and well into adulthood the yearning for him remains.

The plot of The Yearning extends beyond the scandalous affair between a teacher and a student, even beyond the a sensual coming of age story of an unnamed teenage girl in love with with a twenty something year old man. It is a compelling exploration of the nature of love, of lust, of longing and desire and how our early experiences with these emotions affect the way in which we resolve them as adults.

For the girl – now a woman, the affair leaves her endlessly searching for a lover able to stir the same feelings within her. It’s an obsession that sabotages her relationships with other men, and even when she submits to Solomon’s absence and marries Max, she is not free of their decades old connection. If she can’t find some way to relinquish her teenage fantasy happiness will always elude her.
For Solomon, whose introduction to sex was divorced from love or even affection, the craving for attention, physical satisfaction and control of his emotions has him at the mercy of his libido. The value of an emotional connection, love if you will, escapes him not only in his relationship with the girl but in all his relationships to follow.

Belle’s lyrical prose ensures The Yearning avoids becoming a tawdry, sensationalist tale of sexual exploitation. Both Eve and Solomon are able to give voice to the motivation behind their feelings and desires. The author captures the excitement and confusion of lust and love with raw honesty. Eve’s letters and diary entries are the romantic, sensual ravings of a young girl in the throes of intense infatuation. Solomon’s musings, though indisputably self serving, are thoughtfully revealing. It is important to know that the descriptions of various sexual unions are at times explicit but not without purpose.

Beautifully crafted, The Yearning is an evocative, sensual novel exploring the connection between love and desire.

Learn  more about Kate Belle, The Yearning and enter a giveaway for a signed print edition by clicking HERE

The Yearning is available to purchase

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AWW Feature & Giveaway: Q&A with Kate Belle, author of The Yearning

Welcome Kate Belle!

I am so pleased to welcome Kate Belle to Book’d Out today. Kate Belle lives, writes and loves in Melbourne, but is a country girl at heart, being born and bred in northern Victoria.  Kate describes herself as a passionate author, adequate wife and devoted mum/step-mum. She holds a tertiary qualification in applied chemistry, half a diploma in naturpathy and a diploma in psychological astrology. Her employment history includes a video library, a travel agent, cleaning campervans for hire, the Victorian public service, a disability organisation and a university sports centre. She has ridden a camel through the Australian desert, fraternised with hippies in Nimbin, had a near birth experience and lived on nothing but porridge and a carrot for 3 days.

Kate has had some publishing success with nonfiction articles and four short stories highly commended in Australian competitions. She recently won the Southern Cross short story competition for Cool Change and has had two erotic romance novella’s, Breaking The Rules and Bloom, published by Random Romance.

Kate’s debut full length novel,  The Yearning, was published in May by Simon and Schuster Australia. This evocative, sensual novel explores the yearning for love, sex, and connection. You can read my y review of this remarkable novel  HERE

“It’s 1978 in a country town and a dreamy fifteen year old girl’s world is turned upside down by the arrival of the substitute English teacher. Solomon Andrews is beautiful, inspiring and she wants him like nothing else she’s wanted in her short life.
Charismatic and unconventional, Solomon easily wins the hearts and minds of his third form English class. He notices the attention of one girl, his new neighbour, who has taken to watching him from her upstairs window. He assumes it a harmless teenage crush, until erotic love notes begin to arrive in his letterbox.
Solomon knows he must resist, but her sensual words stir him. He has longings of his own, although they have nothing to do with love, or so he believes. One afternoon, as he stands reading her latest offering in his driveway, she turns up unannounced. Each must make a choice, the consequences of which will haunt them until they meet again twenty years later.”

I had the opportunity to ask Kate some questions and I am thrilled to share our conversation with you today. Read on…

Q & A with Kate Belle

Q: What are the main themes of The Yearning?

Kate: Love, desire, obsession, intimacy, lust and sexual power. To name a few. The Yearning is an intense story of unrequited and unconditional love. It explores how deep longing for connection with someone we believe we love can push us across social and moral boundaries. Sometimes we just want what we want, no matter what, but in love (and lust) there are always consequences and The Yearning doesn’t shy away from those.

It examines the sexual power balance in what appears at first to be an unequal relationship. But there is always more to these relationships than meets the eye. In a way it’s a cautionary tale for young women growing into their sexuality about the damage that mature sexual relationships can cause if we enter into them too early. The main protagonist is anonymous throughout the novel as a way of expressing her sense of invisibility.

Q: Where did the inspiration for The Yearning come from?

Kate: That’s a tricky one because the story sort of evolved out of a deep place within, as many of my stories do. I can’t pin it to one specific thing. The bones of it began as a collection of unsent love letters I’d written to various unattainable lovers throughout my own life, and a couple of short stories that were going nowhere. When I put them together I saw some common themes and the story took root. It rolled out of me as I wrote. I remember finishing a chapter, taking a deep breath and wondering where the story would take me next.

Q: What about a small Australian town in the late 1970′s made it the ideal setting for The Yearning?

Kate: I grew up in a small country town in 1970’s, so that setting holds a lot of ambience for me. The 1970’s was a time when Australia was coming to terms with the massive social changes sweeping across the Western world. Women’s liberation, the sexual revolution, the civil and equal rights movements. Big changes that challenged people’s moral boundaries and social norms.

Combine this sense of boundaries crumbling with a lack of public scrutiny and the relentless boredom that comes with being a teenager in a small town that offers nothing – no bookstore, no cinema, no culture – and you have fertile ground for a relationship like the one in The Yearning to evolve.

Q: The relationship in the novel  defies social and moral conventions, what can readers learn from this?

Kate: When we are young, it’s so easy to give ourselves away in the name of love. Yet entering a mature sexual relationship too early can be damaging in so many ways, ways we can’t comprehend until we hit full adulthood. I hope people will understand how a relationship like this can evolve, and that Solomon isn’t a monster. He struggles with his attraction, but is a bit helpless in the face of his own psyche and a young girl’s powerful desire for him.

There is a lot of hysteria and blame around student-teacher relationships. Certainly there is a power imbalance, but too often the teenagers are painted as hapless victims without any power at all. The truth is young people hold enormous sexual power and this is part of the reason these relationships happen in the first place. Through popular culture our young people learn early the value of sexual allure and how to ruffle their sexual feathers. If they are to protect themselves from potential exploitation it’s important they also understand the emotional ramifications that come with being involved with an older person.

Q: What scene in the novel was the most challenging to write?

Kate: The challenging bit wasn’t so much a scene as a character. Solomon. True confession: I went through so many redrafts trying to get behind his eyes to get his point of view. In the end my gorgeous critique partner, Margareta Osborn, very gently pointed out that perhaps I was so in love with Solomon that maybe I couldn’t see straight and if I wanted to write him properly I had to stop being so sympathetic toward him. It was a bit of a shock, but she was right. I had a very complicated relationship with Solomon throughout the novel, and it wasn’t until I talked it through with Margareta that I realised it was compromising my ability to write him. Weird, I know, but there it is.

Q: The Yearning is promoted by your publisher as erotic fiction – what does that term mean within the context of this novel?

Whenever a novel like this hits the bookshelves it needs to be categorised in some way so that people understand its genre. While The Yearning contains strong erotic themes and explicit sexual scenes, all of which are absolutely necessary to the story, I hope it’s not defined by that content alone. It’s a love story (as opposed to a romance). The ending isn’t a traditional HEA, but it is perfect for the story. I think the common themes of expectations and disappointments in love and negotiating challenging relationships give it a much broader appeal than erotic fiction.

Q: I understand you need music to write – what was on your playlist during the writing of The Yearning?

Kate: The majority of The Yearning was written to a gorgeous CD of sensual classical music. My hubby received Seduction by Luminesca, an Australian cello/guitar duo, for his birthday. I fell in love with the music and it perfectly captured the intense emotional journey the characters undertake in The Yearning. It inspired me while writing the intense love scenes and scenes of longing in the book. If I could embed the music into the book for readers to enjoy I would.

Q: What’s next for you?

Kate: I’ve just signed a contract with Simon & Schuster for my second novel, working title Saint. It’s another intense and challenging story about a marriage between Jade, a wild artist who flouts social conventions, and her ever patient husband, Banjo. For the first time in twenty years Banjo walks out  after a fight with Jade and is killed in a hit and run accident. Banjo is left with an unanswered question: did his wife, Jade, love him above all the others? He can’t be at peace until he discovers the answer. Only when their daughter, Lissy, discovers Jade’s book of lovers, an artistic journal chronicling her extra-marital affairs, does he discover the truth.

Q.    Can you please share three of your favourite novels by Australian women writers?

My One Hundred Lovers by Susan Johnson – I just fell in love with the prose in this book. It’s a wonderful exploration of eroticism in all its forms.

Tremble by Tobsha Learner – The way she weaves myth and mysticism into this collection of erotic short stories is awe-inspiring.

Anything by Margareta Osborn – Not just because she’s my critique partner. She is a master at character. I can hear them breathing when I read her work.

Q. What is your preference?

·           Coffee/Tea or other? I’m a brewed coffee addict.

·           Beach/Pool or River? River or beach. Pools are fake.

·           Slacks/Jeans or Leggings? Jeans. Even when I’m too old to get away with them. (Do people still wear slacks?)

·           Butterfly/Tiger or Giraffe? Some days are tigers, some days are butterflys, but they’re rarely giraffes.

·           Swing/Slide or Roundabout? Since I did my knee on the trampoline I don’t do play equipment.

The Yearning is available to purchase

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ENTER TO WIN

 Kate Belle is offering you the chance to win

 1  signed print edition of

The Yearning

 Open to Australia Residents only

 To Enter

CLICK HERE

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Review: Taking a Chance by Deborah Burrows

 

Title: Taking A Chance

Author: Deborah Burrows

Published: Pan Macmillan May 2013

Status: Read from May 02 to 03, 2013 — I own a copy {Courtesy the Publisher}

My Thoughts:

For some reason I had expected that the characters from A Stranger in My Street, Deborah Burrows debut novel, would reappear in Taking a Chance, instead, the author introduces two new protagonists at the center of another mystery in wartime Perth, Australia.

In Taking a Chance, twenty four year old journalist, Eleanor “Nell” Fitzgerald, reluctantly becomes involved with a convalescing American war time correspondent’s crusade to prove a woman, tried and convicted for her lover’s murder, innocent. Captain Johnny Horvath is charming, handsome and persuasive and Nell, with ambitions of using her degree in English Literature for more than penning an admittedly popular fashion advice column, agrees to assist him with his investigation.

Proving Lena Mitrovic innocent forms the bulk of the mystery plot as Nell and Johnny investigate the victims life, looking for evidence that could exonerate the woman. As they follow a trail of heartbreak, jealousy and greed in the artist’s commune where Lena and her lover lived, they encounter small town bullies, a woman crazed by grief and uncover a story of four missing young girls.

For me, the most fascinating part of the story is Burrows expose of the less desirable result of US servicemen flooding into Perth. Young, naive women, thrilled by the attentions of the exotic, cashed up visitors and swept away by the idea of wartime romance were vulnerable to exploitation. The lucky ones found themselves married to someone they barely knew, the unlucky found themselves left behind, humiliated, with their reputation in tatters, the very unlucky became ‘Lost Girls’, tricked or forced into prostitution.
The plight of these young girls becomes part of Johnny and Nell’s investigation when clues point to two of the missing girls from Lena’s community being involved in the murder and becomes of personal interest to Nell when she and Johnny rescue fourteen year old orphan Eve from a couple of drunk and belligerent sailors.

I really liked the way in which Burrows developed the relationship between Nell and Johnny, she allows it to evolve quite naturally despite the intensity of their situation and Johnny’s imminent return to active service. Nell is determined to ignore her growing attraction to Johnny, who has a reputation as a bit of a ‘cad’. She expects to marry her long time boyfriend, a lawyer, when he returns from his wartime secondment but finds it increasingly difficult to resist Johnny’s charm. Nell is worried that taking a chance on Johnny’s affections being true will leave her another heartbroken and humiliated statistic.

Just as in A Stranger in My Street, I really enjoyed the blend of mystery and romance in Taking A Chance. I loved revisiting wartime Perth (my hometown) and was once again impressed by the author’s ability to seamlessly integrate the historical detail of time and place. With all of that, combined with strong characterisation and a well crafted plot, I can only recommend you ‘take a chance’ on this entertaining and engaging novel.

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Review: Into My Arms by Kylie Ladd

Title: Into My Arms

Author: Kylie Ladd

Published: Allen & Unwin May 2013

Status: Read from May 01 to 02, 2013 — I own a copy {Courtesy the publisher}

My Thoughts:

In her previous novels, Kylie Ladd has written with compelling insight into uncomfortable issues including adultery in After the Fall and death and grief in Last Summer. Into My Arms, her third novel, is similarly confronting while examining the complexities of family, love and desire.

It’s incredibly difficult to articulate my thoughts about Into My Arms while avoiding spoilers. The back cover hints at love at first sight followed by a passionate relationship which is then shattered by a shocking revelation but it is much more than that. Skye and Ben are nearly destroyed by a phenomena that challenges moral and societal conventions and Into My Arms explores it’s devastating effects on both the couple and their families.

What could have been a tawdry, sensationalistic subject, is dealt with carefully, shedding a compassionate light on a little known issue that is particularly relevant in modern society. There is no getting away from the fact that most readers will find it confronting but I think Ladd does a terrific job in humanising the issue by placing ordinary people at the center of the maelstrom.

While the controversial main plot will garner the most attention, there is a prominent subplot in the book not alluded to in the blurb. Zia is a pupil of Ben and Skye, a young boy from an immigrant Iranian family who is struggling to adjust to his new life. While Zia’s story is linked by the themes of family and estrangement, and he develops connections with the main characters, I thought it out of place somehow. Don’t get me wrong, it is interesting in and of itself, but I didn’t find it necessary and I wondered if it’s purpose was to blunt the confronting nature of Ben and Skye’s circumstance.

Regardless, I found Into My Arms to be a fascinating and thought provoking novel. I devoured it in hours and I suspect it will stimulate discussion amongst all who read it.

Available To Purchase

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