Review: And the Mountains Echoed by Khaled Hosseini

Title: And the Mountains Echoed

Author: Khaled Hosseini

Published: Bloomsbury May 2013

Status: Read from May 17 to 18, 2013 — I own a copy {Courtesy ReadingRoom/Publisher}

My Thoughts:

I am almost embarrassed to admit I have yet to read Khaled Hosseini’s first acclaimed works, The Kite Runner and A Thousand Splendid Suns so I couldn’t pass up on the chance to read And the Mountains Echoed, the author’s third novel.

This novel begins in 1952 as a father recites a bed time story to his young son and daughter during an overnight trek across the Afghanistan desert on their way to Kabul. The tale, we soon learn, tells the truth of the father’s journey for desperate to provide for his new wife and growing family, the father has agreed to sell his daughter to a wealthy couple unable to bear their own in a deal brokered by their valet, his brother. The separation of the brother and sister, Abdullah and Pari, provides the catalyst for Hosseini to share several stories, within a larger arc, that explore the bonds of family and love, and the devastation of separation and loss.

Abdullah returns to their village with his father but feels the loss of his sister keenly;
“She was like the dust that clung to his shirt. She was in the silences that had become so frequent in the house, silence that welled up between their words, sometimes cold and hollow, sometimes pregnant with things that went unsaid, like a cloud filled with rain that never fell.”

but never relinquishes the dream of being reunited with Pari.

At just four, Pari quickly settles into her new life but it is the story of her adoptive parents – the wild, provocative Nila and her introverted and much older husband Mr. Suleiman Wahdati, that unravels next as witnessed by Pari’s uncle, Nabi. A marriage of convenience it soon disintegrates when Wahditi suffers a stroke and Nila flees to France, her mother’s birthplace, with Pari. Nabi is left to nurse his invalid employer, remaining with him even as the war begins to rage around them.

Moving then to Paris, America while never straying far from war torn Afghanistan, the fates of Abdullah, Pari, and those connected to them are slowly revealed. It is an emotional, poignant journey that weaves it’s way in and out of character, time and place.

I do have to admit And The Mountains Echoed was not without its flaws for me. At times I felt the narrative was disjointed and while eventually Hosseini merges the threads of the splintered journey is not always an easy path to follow. Characters come and go and their importance, or their relationship to Abdullah and Pari, are not always clear.

Still, I was captivated by the powerful prose and the heartfelt emotion infused in this tale. And The Mountains Echoed is an epic tale of heartbreak and hope that exposes humanity at it’s worst and best. A fine novel that I am pleased to recommend.

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Review: Austenland by Shannon Hale

 

Title: Austenland {Austenland #1)

Author: Shannon Hale

Published: Bloomsbury April 2013

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Status: Read on May 09, 2013 — I own a copy {Courtesy the publisher}

My Thoughts:

Austenland is a delightful novel with a unique twist on the continuing homage to classics author, Jane Austen. Though it was released several years ago it has been republished by Bloomsbury ahead of its debut as a motion picture starring Keri Russell, due for release in September 2013.

In Austenland, New Yorker Jane Hayes is thirty two, single and nurses a secret obsession with Pride and Prejudice, particularly the BBC film adaption, and her romantic ideal Mr Darcy/Colin Firth. When Jane’s aunt dies and bequeaths her an all expenses vacation to Pembroke Park, a UK resort that immerses their guests in a Regency England ‘experience’, Jane hopes that living the fantasy will finally allow her to put her obsession behind her, before she winds up a spinster.

Though I do appreciate Jane Austen’s contribution to the literary world I wouldn’t say I am a huge fan and of her works, Emma is my favourite rather than the more popular Pride and Prejudice. As such, I wasn’t at all sure what to expect from Austenland but given it’s brevity (at just under 200 pages) I was willing to give it a chance and I was pleasantly surprised to find that I was quickly caught up in this delightful romantic comedy.

I have no doubt Pembroke Park, should it ever actually exist, would have a steady stream of clientele enamoured by the romance of the Regency period (while still enjoying some of today’s mod cons). In Austenland, the resort is populated by paying guests and actors required to conduct themselves in a manner befitting Jane Austen’s time. I thought Hale created a unique and fun setting, and though it takes a while for Jane Hayes to succumb to the experience, which requires her give up her mobile phone and wear a bonnet whenever she steps outside, eventually she submits to its charms, encouraged by the attention of the Park’s gardener and the gruff Mr Nobley.

This lighthearted novel is a quick, entertaining read sure to delight Jane Austen and romance fans alike. I’m looking forward to reading the next Austenland book, Midnight in Austenland, from Hale soon.

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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

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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: Wedding Night by Sophie Kinsella

Title: Wedding Night

Author: Sophie Kinsella

Published: Bantam Press May 2013

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Status: Read from May 08 to 09, 2013 — I own a copy {Courtesy the Publisher}

My Thoughts:

Wedding Night, the latest novel from popular chick lit author Sophie Kinsella, exhibits her trademark charm and penchant for absurd humour.
Her heroine is thirty year old Lottie Graveney who is devastated when the marriage proposal she is expecting from her long time beau Richard isn’t forthcoming. In fact he tells her he is not interested in marriage in the forseeable future and for Lottie that means the end of their relationship. She is still reeling from the break up when her ex boyfriend, Ben, gets in touch after more than a decade’s silence. As the pair reminisce about the summer they spent together on the idyllic Greek island where they met, Ben reminds Lottie of their pact to get married if they were both still single at thirty, confesses he never stopped loving her and proposes almost all in one breath. Lottie says yes and the pair decide not to wait arranging a no fuss registry wedding for just a few days hence. Lottie has only one condition – no sex until their wedding night. Despite the strenuous objections of Lottie’s sister, Fliss, and Ben’s best friend, Lorcan, the marriage goes ahead and the newlyweds jet off to Ikonos for their honeymoon, but Fliss isn’t about to let her sister make the biggest mistake of her life and she will do anything to stop them consummating the marriage.

Wedding Night is pretty much exactly what I expected from Kinsella, the plot is predictable, the characters largely OTT and yet it doesn’t seem to matter much because it’s all good fun, even if utterly unbelievable.
Where Wedding Night does differ from other novels I have read by Kinsella is the narrative told from two point of views. Lottie is the flaky, starry eyed heroine familiar to the author’s readers while her older sister, Fliss is a little more sensible and cynical. I liked Fliss a little more than Lottie though neither behave particularly well, Fliss is overzealous in her attempt to help her sister while Lottie makes a cascade of impulsive decisions.
As long as you don’t overthink it, there are some real laugh out loud moments as Lottie’s and Ben’s attempts to consummate their marriage are deftly thwarted by the hotel manager at the behest of Fliss including broken volume controls, intrusive butlers and a couples massage that causes Lottie to have a painful allergic reaction.

A lighthearted rom-com, Wedding Night is a amusing way to spend an hour or two when you don’t have the energy for anything more taxing. I didn’t think it’s Kinsella’s best but fans should still enjoy the familiar silliness.

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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.

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My Review

 

Review: Dead Man’s Deal by Jocelynn Drake

 

Title: Dead Man’s Deal {The Asylum Tales #2}

Author: Jocelynn Drake

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Published: Harper Voyager May 2013

Status: Read from May 07 to 08, 2013 -I own a copy {Courtesy the publisher}

My Thoughts:

I had hoped to get my hands on a copy of Angel’s Ink before reading this, the next book in Drake’s Asylum Tales series but I didn’t quite manage it. Thankfully Dead Man’s Deal worked surprisingly well as a stand alone and I gratefully escaped into a world of magic, monsters and mayhem.

Dead Man’s Deal features Gage Powell, a wizard who turned his back on his training in order to escape the horrifying politics of his fellow magic wielders in the Ivory Towers. He makes his living as a tattoo artist in Low Town whilst forced to submit to strict conditions laid down by the Towers upon the threat of execution. Gage works hard to keep his head down but when the ruling class hears rumours of a rebellion amongst the general population that even leveling an entire city doesn’t quell, they are eager to blame Gage and now he, and everyone he cares about, is under threat unless he can survive long enough to strike a deal.

In Drake’s world, wizards and witches rule with sadistic impunity while humanity and other races suffer their whims. Children who exhibit magic skills, like Gage did, are forcibly removed from their parents with all further contact denied and are brought up amongst their own kind, apprenticed to mature wizards and witches. It’s a competitive, cut throat environment which breeds arrogance, entitlement and casual viciousness and in Dead Man’s Deal, Drake shares snippets of Gage’s past to reveal the horror of his childhood.

Gage’s determination to overthrow his destiny is his prime motivator but not at the cost of another’s life if he can avoid it. While Gage would like nothing more than to dismantle the Ivory Towers, in Dead Man’s Deal he is forced to stop the rebellion led by the Dark Elf, knowing that his brethren will destroy everything to suppress the dissemination of the coordinates of their towers. As Gage tries to capture the Elf he also has to deal with Tower assassins, jealous fae and the surprise arrival of his long lost brother. It’s a fast paced, action packed plot mired in magic and violence relieved by Drake’s wicked sense of humour and his passionate romance with his girlfriend, Trixie, an elf.

I really enjoyed Dead Man’s Deal and Drake’s creation of her gritty, unique world. Gage is a great hero with many admirable traits and he is supported by a cast of interesting characters and the story has may eager to know what happens next. This series is a must for fans of urban fantasy.

 

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Review: The Glass Wives by Amy Sue Nathan

 

Title: The Glass Wives

Author: Amy Sue Nathan

Published: St Martins Griffin May 2013

Status: Read from May 12 to 13, 2013 — I own a copy {Courtesy publisher/Netgalley}

My Thoughts:

I’ve been following Any Sue Nathan’s blog, Women’s Fiction Writers for a while, appreciating it’s focus on an often maligned genre that I enjoy. When I discovered her debut novel, The Glass Wives, available for review on Netgalley I jumped at the chance to read it.

In the Glass Wives, the unexpected demise of Richard Glass threatens to shatter Evie’s hard won, post-divorce equilibrium. While supporting her eleven year old twins, Sophie and Sam, as they mourn the loss of their father, Evie is forced to confront not only her changing circumstance but also Richard’s legacy, his widow (once mistress), Nicole, and her infant son, Luca.
Prompted by financial complications, her children’s affection for their half sibling and the young widow’s neediness, Eve reluctantly invites Nicole and Luca to live with her in a temporary but mutually beneficial arrangement.

Within the framework of this unusual set up, Nathan explores the idea of family and it’s changing definition in modern day society. While Evie initially thinks Richard’s death frees her from ongoing contact with Nicole, she hadn’t considered the bond between her children and their half sibling. It creates an interesting connection between the widow and the ex wife which Nathan dissects with compassion and keen insight into the situation’s unique challenges.
Friendship, trust, forgiveness and moving on are other themes explored in The Glass Wives. Evie is forced to reconcile her relationships and her hopes for the future with the baggage of her personal experience.

The characters of The Glass Wives are well drawn and easy to relate to. I greatly admired Evie and her decision to deal with a difficult situation as gracefully as possible. I doubt I could be so generous to my ex husband’s mistress, even under such desperate circumstances. I found it hard to develop much sympathy for Nicole, even when her tragic history was revealed. I do think her motivations were a little confusing at times and I never really developed a sense of who she was. Laney and Beth, Evie’s best friends, provided much needed levity and warmth through out the book whilst still playing devil’s advocate Evie’s decisions and opinions.

Well written, The Glass Wives is a thought provoking, enjoyable debut novel exploring the challenges of defining family and love in a time of social change.

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Review: The Rules of Conception by Angela Lawrence

 

Title: The Rules of Conception

Author: Angela Lawrence

Published: MIRA: Harlequin Australia May 2013

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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.

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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

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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

@ Simon & Schuster AU I @Boomerang Books I @Booktopia I @Amazon Kindle I @iTunes

Via Booko I @ your local independent bookshop

You can find Kate Belle @

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The Yearning

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Entries close May 19th. Drawn via Random.org