Yay, a day off, party time! Lamb, beers, prawns, sleep in. How are you spending it?

The funny thing is I know more people who’ll be working on Australia Day than people who’ll be having a day off.  So that got me thinking. What does it actually mean to us? Cheap lamb, as Woolworths and Coles battle it out for our hard earned dollars? Time to spend with family and friends? A day to contemplate the state of our wonderful diverse country?

Find us at www.mandymagro.com.

I hit the ground running after holidays and today is my first day off… I think I may be a little tired, but a few good moments today will keep me smiling.

Firstly the edits for Burning Lies are in! Penguin uses track changes so I need to get my head around that, then it’s on with the polishing and the tweaking. I really do enjoy seeing the book bloom under judicious pruning – kind of like my beautiful red gingers that respond to ruthless ravaging

Today the Australian Romance Readers Association published their short list of nominations for the 2011 awards. Shattered Sky is on the list for Favourite Romantic Suspense. I’ve also managed to sneak on to the Favourite Australian Romance Author list. It’s such a thrill to be alongside authors whose work I’ve read and collected for years. Thanks to ARRA and for all who nominated me. Congrats to all the other authors on the list as well. I’ll publish a link as soon as ARRA lists one on their site.

Book reviews can be fraught but today Book’t Out is reviewing Wings of Fear and I’m rapt with it. Shelleyrae is a prolific reviewer who is also moderating the Australian Women Writers Challenge on Goodreads.  Find her review here. It’s lovely to have a review which really appreciates the story. There’s also a copy of Wings of Fear to be won – I’ll happily sign it for you as well!

Another review I missed recently was by Jayne Fordham on the The Australian Bookshelf site. It’s another wonderful site doing it’s bit to promote Australian Women Writers.

Fellow North Queenslander and Penguin Author, Mandy Magro, is hosting me on Wednesday on her blog. She’s been running an Awesome Aussie Author special for the last few months and if you’re in need of good recommendations for new books then drop by and check her blog out!

Lastly, I’m home! That’s always a great way to start my day. Yes, I’ll be on dinner duty plus the cupboards and fridge are bare, but I woke up in my own bed, I walked Zeus the wonder Staffie on the beach, and now it’s on with the business of writing!

Research is one of the absolute delights of being a writer. I love having an excuse to ask questions – sometimes very random questions…

While GW and Jack were discussing the merits of using concentrated chicken stock in risotto, I was doing research with Hannah. I wish I’d had the same ‘take no prisoners’ attitude when I was eighteen! Our niece is fabulous – a very together, very smart but funny girl who’s in first year university in the south of England. She was happy to answer anything I asked!!

First there was shoe research.

Hannah proved she really can walk in things that I thought would give her nose bleeds. I tried them on expecting to fall flat on my face and voila, my legs grew three inches (that’s 7.62 centimetres for you Gen Xs and Ys!). Who knew it would be so painless to stop being vertically challenged They were so comfortable I was tempted to wear them out myself! But I could almost hear the ‘mutton dressed as lamb’ bleating GW would have been delivering…

Next were false eyelashes. They’ve never graced my make-up collection,(which consists of mascara, lipstick and sunscreen…), but I have to admit they made a dramatic difference to Hannah’s eyes when she oh so carefully secured them in place. I didn’t rush out and buy a pair as I had visions of me with eyelids stuck together trying to convince immigration officials to let me back into Australia…

But the most fascinating research was into young men (call me a cougar and I’ll growl back at you, ok?). I may not have been paying attention in Australia, but there seemed to be an inordinate number of young men walking around the streets of Manchester with waxed eyebrows, dyed and ironed hair, and wearing make-up. No offence intended, but I thought my gay friends were the only ones who took that much care with their appearances. Or road cyclist and swim stars! Apparently not…

Hannah assures me that the lads in the university college where she stays in Ipswich regularly come visiting so the girls can wax their chests and eyebrows for them. I couldn’t stop there… So Brazillians for men too? She looked a little grossed out – ‘Yes, but they do that themselves. We don’t!’

Ookaaay… So these buff young men work out in gyms, spend an hour and a half getting ready to go at night, borrow their girlfriends’ hair irons and products, have lovely smooth legs and chests, and look like they’ve stepped out of a GQ photo shoot.

So, this begs the question. Am I writing male characters who will only appeal to women over thirty-five? According to Hannah, a man with a hairy chest would be disgusting. Hmm, to me a dusting of crisp hair across a good pair of pecs followed by the obligatory sexy trail disappearing behind the press-stud of a worn pair of levis would make my pulse race. Not so Hannah, she’d be reaching for the wax strips to tidy him up!

Can I see my hero gazing thoughtfully at himself in the mirror while he’s straightening his hair? Normally he’d be sliding the razor through the shaving foam, taking away three days of dark growth on his square jaw and leaving his skin smooth and brown…

It was a huge reality check and I have to thank Hannah for all her wonderful advice!! I’ve since carried on my research with my First Officers. None of them are admitting to any of these habits, but they all have mates who do. In fact, one of them commented that on his last trip to Melbourne he’d noticed a lot of men with shaved legs and tiny shorts walking around the city. (It is the home of AFL, of course, so short shorts are obligatory there!) Changing times…

So, metrosexual heroes? Yay or nay?

I love airports with their crowded shopping malls full of energy and hype. I love watching airline crews, like flocks of colourful birds, gliding through the waiting mass of lesser mortals. They have a faint air of superiority as though they know a secret the rest of us are missing (but I can personally confirm they don’t – it’s just an illusion!!)

I love listening in on the conversations around me even when I can’t understand the words, only the tone of voice. I love arrivals halls and the emotions on the faces of my fellow travellers. There are tears, squeals of delight and hugs that say so much. Sometimes the greetings are quieter, more restrained but never the less heart-felt.

I’ve also seen the relief in faces when the burden of sorrow can now be shared or witnessed tears for dreams that failed to deliver on their promise. But that instant when a jet-lagged traveller recognizes a familiar face in the welcoming throng and their eyes light up is pure distilled emotion. The journey is forgotten in the delight, the relief, the destination brings.

I’ve always been someone for whom the journey is as important as the destination. I know for many people that’s not the case and they’re impatient to get where they’re going. 2012, with all its possibilities, is about to sweep us away.  How are you going to approach the year to come? Is it a journey that you’re going to embrace and savour? Or do you have goals you’ve set and the year to come is a vehicle which will take you to them with arms wide open?

Whatever your approach to life, enjoy the ride! I hope 2012 delivers for you.

Thanks for  being part of my journey.

I knew as soon as I turned down the line which one it would be. Goddess was going to make me smile whether I wanted to or not! Her chosen tool was a lime green ‘kermit car’ that would have done Miss Piggy proud (and I may in fact have looked like the muppet at that point…). Even the attendant who checked me out of the boom gate commented on my shy retiring car.

By the time I arrived at Mum’s the world was already a better place. I’d been singing along to Christmas carols in heavy traffic in a cartoon car in Brisbane. What’s not to love about that!

We decided we’d go out to lunch and Mum suggested the local nursery. My heart sank. I’d envisaged something a little more swish than the tiny nursery up the road and round the corner, but hey, this was her Christmas treat.  I bundled her into the car.

And drove round the corner. There were no parks to be found and couple of grumpy drivers didn’t make backing out onto the street any easier. You’d think they would have seen the humour in the car, if not my driving…

Finally we made it inside, my smile was starting to slip again. It was like walking into the tardis. From the outside it was tiny. Inside it opened up and out and the noise was wonderful. It seemed to be full of mothers and daughters, with the odd token male. All ages, all generations and all celebrating Christmas. It was light and airy and cheerful and that couldn’t have been more appropriate as Mum had received some sad news in the early morning.

Her sister, Aunty Nonie, had passed away. She’d reached the grand old age of ninety-five, but sadly had been locked in her memories with advanced Alzheimers for several years. She was Mum’s oldest sister in a family of seven children.

Mum is now the last one standing. Over lunch we talked about growing up in her large family where she was the middle child and obscurity was her lot. She told me again about the work she’d done in the Second World War in the WAAF. I wish I’d been recording it for my nieces to hear one day when they are old enough to appreciate what their Grandmother did as a young woman.

We ended up browsing through the plants before we left. Sat on her walker, clutching the gorgeous orchid, waiting for me to collect her Mum looked for all the world like a smiling garden gnome.

Despite the sad news it was a lovely way to celebrate Christmas and I hope we have many more with Mum yet to come. The only thing missing was my sister, but she phoned from France so she was part of the day too!

In three hours I’ll touch down in the velvety heat of North Queensland. The humidity will squeeze my lungs and raise a sheen on my arms and face. My fellow travelers will be discarding their layers of clothes and I’ll embrace the warmth. Places, faces, the integral traces of the tropics welcome me back. My shoulders will lower and I’ll truly relax. The anticipation of seeing GW and Zeus again keeps me sane through even the toughest week.

In two weeks we’re heading to the UK (but don’t tell anyone incase the weather gods or volcano goddesses find a way to disrupt our plans for a third time…). Right now there’s a spring in my husband’s step that isn’t always obvious at this time of year as the courts overflow with Christmas angst. His smile is a little wider, his laugh a little louder and his touch a little more tender.

It struck me that he’s no different to me. He’s going home. Maybe he says he’d never live in the UK again. Frequently he says the weather’s disgusting (in his inimitable Manchester accent) and yes he’s been known to complain it’s too cold there. But it was his home for thirty years and his family still live there. No wonder GW is excited. This Christmas he’ll have us all in the one place. (Except for Zeus who’ll be guarding the Christmas tree and amusing his house-sitter!)

So what does Christmas hold for you? Do you have several homes scattered across Australia or the globe? Is the joy in the journey or the destination?

You’ll find me over with contemporary women’s fiction author  Juliet Madison answering her Ten Awkward Questions.

If you’re in need of a Christmas gift then drop by and comment to go into the running for a signed copy of Shattered Sky. I promise to post it in time for Santa’s delivery

I’ve come home laden down with wonderful new stories and I’m only sorry I can’t read them all before I give them away… That would be wrong wouldn’t it… Still it would be nice… Ok, ok, I’ll behave…. promise…

So, here’s the list. Have you read any of them? What’s on your list for Christmas?

THE HAPPIEST REFUGEE by Anh Do (2 copies of that one!) Anh Do nearly didn’t make it to Australia. His entire family came close to losing their lives on the sea as they escaped from war-torn Vietnam in an overcrowded boat. But nothing – not murderous pirates, nor the imminent threat of death by hunger, disease or dehydration as they drifted for days – could quench their desire to make a better life in a country where freedom existed.
Life in Australia was hard, an endless succession of back-breaking work, crowded rooms, ruthless landlords and make-do everything. But there was a loving extended family, and always friends and play and something to laugh about for Anh, his brother Khoa and their sister Tram. Things got harder when their father left home when Anh was thirteen – they felt his loss very deeply and their mother struggled to support the family on her own. His mother’s sacrifice was an inspiration to Anh and he worked hard during his teenage years to help her make ends meet, also managing to graduate high school and then university.
Another inspiration was the comedian Anh met when he was about to sign on for a 60-hour a week corporate job. Anh asked how many hours he worked. ‘Four,’ the answer came back, and that was it. He was going to be a comedian!
The Happiest Refugee tells the incredible, uplifting and inspiring life story of one of our favourite personalities. Tragedy, humour, heartache and unswerving determination – a big life with big dreams. Anh’s story will move and amuse all who read it.

THE SECRET INGREDIENT by Dianne Blacklock In this beautiful new novel, Dianne Blacklock takes us on a sumptuous journey of the heart as Andie uncovers the secret ingredient for her new life, and shows that no matter how many false starts you may have, if you hold on to your passion and your dreams, anything is possible.

SHADOW OF THE TITANIC by Andrew Wilson In the early hours of 15 April 1912, after the majestic liner Titanic had split apart and the 1,500 men, women and children struggled to stay alive in the freezing Atlantic, the sea was alive with the sound of screaming. Then, as the ship sank to the ocean floor and the passengers slowly died from hypothermia, a deathly silence settled over the sea. Yet the echoes of that night reverberated through the lives of each of the 705 survivors. SURVIVING THE TITANIC tells the extraordinary stories of some of those who survived.

SUPPER AT THE VICTORIA ROOM by Jones-Evans and Gambacorta.

The Victoria Room’s owner Jill Jones-Evans and Head Chef Joe Gambacorta uncover the art of preparing supper with simple, quick meals for effortlessly cool entertaining at home.

A godsend for the modern time-poor host, Supper at The Victoria Room features over 50 of the award winning restaurant’s favourite supper recipes, together with ideas on how to dress up your table, fun cocktail ideas and a peek into a seasoned entertainer’s pantry.

FLASH AND BONES by Kathy Reichs Just as 200,000 fans are pouring into town for Race Week, a body is found in a barrel of asphalt next to the Charlotte Motor Speedway. The next day, a NASCAR crew member comes to Temperance Brennan’s office at the Mecklenburg County Medical Examiner to share a devastating story. Twelve years earlier, Wayne Gamble’s sister, Cindi, then a high school senior and aspiring racer, disappeared along with her boyfriend, Cale Lovette. Lovette kept company with a group of right-wing extremists known as the Patriot Posse. Could the body be Cindi’s? Or Cale’s?

THE SILVER BRUMBY by Elyne Mitchell

A silver brumby is special — he will be hunted by man and horse alike, and must be stronger than both…

Thowra, the magnificent silver stallion, is king of the brumbies. He will defend his herd from the mighty horse, The Brolga, in the most savage of struggles. But The Brolga is not the only danger – Thowra needs all his speed and cunning to save the herd from capture by man. In a desperate chase through the mountains, it seems there is no longer anywhere for him to run to…

Wild Echoes Ringing The characters of Socks, the black brumby with the four white legs, and Lightning, the cattledog – who first met in The Thousandth Brumby – are reunited in this previously unpublished story.

ALIEN INVADERS by Max Silver (three of those little rippers) Join Cosom, a boy from planet Earth, on a mission to save the galaxy from the outlaw Kaos and his deadly Alien Invaders! It’s series that has a manga feel to it.

VIOLENT EXPOSURE by Katherine Howell

When Suzanne Crawford is found stabbed to death and her husband Connor is discovered to be missing, it looks like just another tragic case of domestic violence to Detective Ella Marconi. But as the investigation progresses, it becomes clear that all is not as it seems. Why is there no record of Connor Crawford beyond a few years ago? Why has a teenager who worked for the pair gone missing too? Is trainee paramedic Aidan Simpson telling the truth about his involvement?And above all, what was the secret Suzanne knew Connor was keeping at all costs – even from her?

As Ella begins to build a picture of the Crawfords’ fractured lives, things around her are deteriorating. Her relationship with a fellow officer is hanging by a thread and her parents seem to be keeping secrets of their own. But Ella only has time for the job she loves, and she knows she has to see her way through the tangled web of deceit and lies to get at the truth – before it’s too late.

THE APOTHECARY by Maile Meloy It’s 1952 and the Scott family has just moved from Los Angeles to London. Here, fourteen-year-old Janie meets a mysterious apothecary and his son, Benjamin Burrows – a fascinating boy who’s not afraid to stand up to authority and dreams of becoming a spy. When Benjamin’s father is kidnapped, Janie and Benjamin must uncover the secrets of the apothecary’s sacred book, the Pharmacopoeia, in order to find him, all while keeping it out of the hands of their enemies – Russian spies in possession of nuclear weapons. Discovering and testing potions they never believed could exist, Janie and Benjamin embark on a dangerous race to save the apothecary and prevent impending disaster.

Australian Women Writers 2012 National Year of Reading Challenge

Keen on romance, fantasy, crime, YA, literary, mainstream women’s fiction? Contemporary or historical? Memoir, other nonfiction or poetry?

Whatever your preference, whether you’re a fan of one genre or a devoted eclectic, the 2012 Australian Women Writers Book Reading & Reviewing Challenge invites you to celebrate a year encountering the best of Australian women’s writing.

Objective: This challenge hopes to help counteract the gender bias in reviewing and social media newsfeeds that has continued throughout 2011 by actively promoting the reading and reviewing of a wide range of contemporary Australian women’s writing. (Recent discussions on gender bias.)

Readers should approach this challenge with a spirit of willingness. There are no failures, just personal goals. Reviews can be long or short, favourable or “this book is not for me”. Hopefully, along the way, we’ll all discover some future classics and perhaps a few surprises among genres we’re not familiar with. The main aim is to have fun.

Challenge period: 1 January 2012 -  31 December 2012

Goal: Read and review books written by Australian women writers – hard copies, ebooks and audiobooks, new, borrowed or stumbled upon by book-crossing.

My thanks to Elizabeth Lhuede for initiating this challenge. She’s been championing Australian women’s fiction across the blogsphere over the last month and this is another wonderful opportunity to support those writers.

I’m accepting the challenge for 2012 as I know I won’t have to work very hard to achieve ‘Franklin Fantastic’ Status. Some of my favourite Australian women writers have books coming out in 2012 so I’m aiming to read 10 or more. They’ll cross most genres from romance to crime to contemporary women’s fiction to literary work.

Here’s a starting list in rough order of their releases!

Tara Moss, Rachael Johns, Lisa Heidke, Bronwyn Parry, Fleur McDonald, Fiona Palmer, Cathryn Hein, Jaye Ford, Katherine Howell, Kathryn Fox, Barbara Hannay, Mandy Magro and Karly Lane. And there will be more!

So, are you in??

Check out the details at : 2012 Australian Women Writers Book Reading & Reviewing Challenge