She’s taken time out of her busy life to talk to me so here’s her interview. I hope you enjoy it.

Welcome Lily, I loved your adventure in THE BOOK OF LOVE and I’m looking forward to more in THE FRAGMENT OF DREAMS. Where did your love of antiquarian books begin? Was it something you shared with your mother?

Not really. Mum loved her garden and she preferred to dig out weeds than sit and look at old books. When I went to uni I studied English Literature and I used to go hunting for interesting editions of the books we were studying. I fell in love with antiquarian books during those years and often found myself browsing through some old book of maps or recipes when I should have been writing essays.

Sounds much more interesting!

It must have been a terrible struggle to deal with the grief of losing your mother. How did you find the strength to claw your way back from that dark place and to kick your morphine addiction?

What turned it around in the end was a counselor asking me what my mother would think if she was alive to see me addicted to her morphine. I’d thought of that a thousand times before and I knew Mum would have been devastated. But there was something in that counselor’s voice – I can’t pin-point it – but finally I felt that devastation, Mum’s and mine, and I knew it was time to get better.

Food, especially jam, seems to be a comfort in your life.  Can you share some of your favourite dishes or jam varieties? Are they linked to special occasions in your life or is it all about texture and taste?

Everything about jam is about comfort. Making it is so soothing, bottling it so satisfying and spreading it on toast and eating it is so simple but delicious. I like pastries and gelato, but jam is homely. Jam is the old IXL can my Papi had in his kitchen. Jam is a Victorian pudding in a nursery. Jam is scones and tea. And jam is sweet, let’s not forget that.

And delicious on a wintery day spread thick on a door-stop of bread!

What is it you love most about vintage clothing? Do you have a favourite vintage designer?

I like to imagine the woman who first bought the dress, what she wore with it and where she wore it. It’s like acting; I’m taking on someone else’s story. I like beaded vintage most of all, so any designer who used beads as trim is my favourite. There’s something elemental about shiny adornment and I can’t help but be drawn to it. It’s like the beads are crooning to me, hypnotizing me. Robbie never understood their allure; he was always cross about crunching a stray bead underfoot in the bedroom or somewhere. William just ignores the crunch, he’s probably thinking about something else. That’s the thing about beaded dresses; you have to be prepared for natural bead attrition.

Poetry is something that helped bring you and William together. What is it about poems that attract you? Who’s your favourite poet?

When I asked William for a poem I was very surprised he didn’t know any. He may well have known a poem but was trying to be all controlled and professional at the time, although he swears that he never paid any attention to poetry until I asked him. He writes it now. Agonising. Not the poetry but the process. He gets very intense and wanders about all distracted and feverish until it’s done. Likes to re-read it aloud in the bath before he reads it to me. He’s my favourite poet.

So romantic and so beautiful.

Your plans to move to Rome must be well underway. What are you looking forward to most about the move?

To William and I finally being together and having a quiet life.  If there is ever even a whisper about stolen art I’m locking William in the bathroom until it all blows over. I couldn’t bear him to get all heroic and dash off again. I’ll pass buttered toast to him under the bathroom door, he can drink tap water and I’ll be on the other side of the door reading aloud so he won’t get bored. Crime and Punishment by Dostoyevsky probably, although I haven’t sorted out the details yet.

Hmmm. I hope the toast has some jam on it as well… How do you think Otto will react to cobbled streets Italian cats? Have you learnt Italian yet?

Otto can’t tolerate cats. They know it too and the sneering looks from the cats of Paddington drive him into a rage. He’s like a school headmaster whose pupils snigger behind his back. So he’s going to have to work on his feline issues. I imagine Roman cats will be far more streetwise and contemptuous than the cats he’s used to, so if the old tabby, Dithers, from across the lane gives him grief goodness knows what a gang of Italian toughs will do to his dignity.

Perhaps you’ll need to find him a street-wise friend who speaks the lingo!

I’m looking forward to The Fragment of Dreams. Can you give a sneak preview of that story?

I can barely talk about it, and if William were here instead of in Rome, I wouldn’t talk about it.

My sister Poppy who lives far away on a cattle station, came here for a visit and she had a letter from a woman we’d never heard of which mentioned how our father died  -  and it was not the same story Mum told us. So Poppy, who gets a bee in her bonnet about these things, tried to track down the woman and found an uncle and a cousin, both of whom we’d never met before. William, Poppy and I went to visit them and while we were there William noticed a fragment from an ancient Roman tomb being used as a garden stone in our uncle’s garden.

Well, that was the start of it. He had to go back to Rome a few days later and our nutty cousin turned up at the airport accusing William of murder and theft – because the fragment had been stolen and our uncle poisoned. Everything just fell apart then, William had to go and get on the plane and I was left with Poppy and these people, these family members I’d never even heard of until a week before. The police had been called and it just went from bad to worse. Everyone suspected William.

Poppy had no idea what she unleashed when she waved that letter around. I don’t blame her, but we all suffered. Everyone who saw that wretched fragment suffered. There’s a lot I can’t talk about, but I ended up going to Naples on my own to find out the truth about Dad and Mum, about William and, I suppose, about what I’m capable of.

I’d do it again if I had to, but it won’t happen again because William will be behind a locked bathroom door counting tiles and writing haiku while someone else sorts it all out.

What a stirling idea, Lily. Now I know you need to rush off and attend to your launch details so thanks again for sparing me some time.  I look forward to curling up with your new story and a pile of toast and jam!

You’ll find THE FRAGMENT OF DREAMS in all good bookstores and on-line at iBook by iTunes (and yes you can read that on your favourite ereader – you don’t need an iPad!)

You’ll find Phillipa at www.phillipafioretti.com.au

She’s also chatting on the RWA Blog tomorrow.

If you’re in Sydney, Phillipa is presenting workshops at the Sydney Writers Festival on Monday 16 May and Tuesday 17 May.

Her book launch is 5pm – 7pm Wednesday May 18 at Berkelouw Books Stockland Shopping Centre, 197 Condamine Street, Balgowlah, Sydney.

Her next book signing is at Mindfield Books, Adelaide 7th May 10:30am -12:30pm.

You’ll find us at http://romanceaustralia.wordpress.com/

We do love a chat so please follow the link, or click on the photo, and come and join us!

Authors for Queensland is an auction initiative put together by four writers, Emily Gale, Katrina Germein, Kate Gordon and my good friend Fleur McDonald.  Everything on the site – books, mentorships, critiques, blog appearances, reviews – has been donated so all funds really will make their way to the people who need the help.

You’ll find me on the site with a twin pack of Shattered Sky and Wings of Fear. Fiona Palmer has her books listed. Lisa Heidke is offering a mentoring opportunity and the wonderful Robyn Grady is offering a whopping six (6) month mentorship!!  Katherine Howell, Lindy Cameron, Karen Tyrrel all have books up for grabs. Anna Jacobs is offering a critique of your work and since she’s one of Australia’s most prolific authors her advice is worth a great deal! The list is huge!!

It can be a little tricky to navigate through the site but the girls did a magnificent job getting it up and running very quickly so take your time and use the search function on the top left. Otherwise, if you click on a category you’ll need to use the ‘previous post’ selection on the bottom left to take you back to the earlier listings.

The auction will close on the 11pm Monday 24th January. This is the perfect opportunity to pick up a bargain for yourself or to stock pile some personalised goodies for very special birthday presents through out the year.

Of course, if you want to ‘double-dip’ so to speak, you could always bid on a book and then donate that to the RWA Flooded Communities Book Appeal. This wonderful initiative did a stirling job during the tragic fires in Victoria. This time they are aiming to help restock libraries, community groups and the general community with books. No, it’s not, as one friend rather disparagingly described it, an attempt to infiltrate the world with Mills and Boons (although that sounds like a fine plan to me!). RWA is looking for any books – new or almost new – in any genre. Children’s books and YA are just as important as books for older readers. So dig deep. Maybe you received a book for Christmas and it wasn’t your cup of tea. Now’s your chance to put it to good use. Maybe you’ve read a favourite author recently so buy another copy and share it. Angus & Robertson currently have a 20% off sale plus free postage until 20th January. Take advantage and share some joy.

RWA has drop off points available along the east coast of Australia otherwise their website offers advice on the cheapest way to post. I’m the drop off  in Cairns so if you contact me via this site I can give you details or organise to collect from you.

And congratulations to the amazing women who’ve made these initiatives happen

It’s easy to spot a new mum when Sunbirds start nesting. She’s the one building her nest on the bottom of a hanging basket and using a piece of scrappy plant to anchor it instead of the string provided by her house keeper…

Lucky for her there’s an interfering human

I think she may have even been grateful

]]> http://www.heleneyoung.com/2010/12/new-mum-on-the-block/feed/ 3 http://www.heleneyoung.com/2010/10/barbara-hannay-on-abc-local-radio-nq/ http://www.heleneyoung.com/2010/10/barbara-hannay-on-abc-local-radio-nq/#comments Tue, 19 Oct 2010 21:51:34 +0000 Helene http://www.heleneyoung.com/?p=2663 A quick reminder that Barb Hannay will be doing a radio interview on ABC radio Townsville this afternoon at 2.20 pm. All the details are on her website. She’s running a competition for the best opening line for a Romance novel so get your thinking caps on and, if you’re around and listening, phone in for a chat!

Barb was very articulate at putting the popularity of romance writing in perspective at the recent Tropical Writers Festival. This is another opportunity to spread the word

It was very close, and indeed two people had nominated the same hero by another name, so we resorted to the random draw option.

And the lucky winner is Louisa Cornell! Yay, Louisa!! Send me an email with your postal details and Christine will send FORBIDDEN your way

Thanks to everyone for their wonderful suggestions and a huge thank you for Christina for being a stellar guest

September. FORBIDDEN is an Ancient Historical Romance that’s hotter than hot. I’ve always been a bit of a history nut and the Romans just seem to encapsulate the essence of powerful warriors. Christina’s  hero, Maximus, leaps off the page, sword raised, just begging to be taken home He’s gorgeous! I can’t wait to read the whole book… sigh…

Christina, a quick google search reveals there aren’t many Ancient Historical Romances out on the shelves. (I did find a wonderful B&B in the heart of Rome called Ancient Romance as a bonus!) The term sums up your writing perfectly. Can you tell us about the era in which you’ve set Forbidden?

Hi Helene, thank you so much for having me on your blog today and for that absolutely fantastic introduction! I would be delighted to tell you a little about the era in which FORBIDDEN is set.

The year is AD 50. The Romans have occupied Britain for the last seven years, but have their eye on conquering the western peninsula and claiming the rich mineral deposits of Cymru (modern day Wales). The Roman Emperor, Claudius, was also obsessed with eliminating all trace of Druids throughout his Empire which as it happens fitted in with my plot perfectly!

(I love the sound of that B&B in Rome!! I wonder if I could visit and claim it as a tax deduction for research??)

I think you definitely should visit the B&B and there’s no way the taxman could prove it wasn’t research Was history your favourite subject at school? Where did the passion for ancient Rome come from?

I did love history at school, and along with English it was my favourite subject. Although having said that I never got very excited by the Agricultural or Industrial Revolutions! But give me the Tudors, the Plantagenets, Saxons, Vikings and Romans and I was enthralled. Given how much I loved reading historical novels while I was growing up, you’d think I would have gravitated towards writing them a lot sooner than I did (it took me nine years of writing with the aim of publication before I realized!!)

I was born in England, so was lucky enough to visit lots of fabulous historical sites as a child (not that I appreciated them at the time. I could kick myself now!) I’d always been fascinated by the Romans, and remember watching I, Claudius as a very young child and being completed captivated/scandalized by it all!!! But it wasn’t until very recently I decided to try and write a book set in that era and the reason I did was because Maximus and Carys (and the deliciously bad villain, Aeron) literally fell into my head one night and refused to go away!

Concentrating with a head full of gorgeous men must have been very difficult…How much real history drives the direction of your story?

The books in the Forbidden series do incorporate a thread of what I like to call “earth magic” – my Druids believe in thepower of their gods and goddesses and when those deities are crossed then watch out world.  However, when it comes to actual dates and events I tried very hard to stick to known facts.

For instance, the Romans first invaded Cymru in AD 50, so that’s the year I set my book. They faced fierce and ongoing resistance from the local tribes and happily for me this fit my purposes (this continues in Captive, book two in the series). Wales, and especially the Isle of Anglesey situated off the north-west coast, were known Druid strongholds which again was perfect for my plot.

I lived in North Wales for a few months and was captivated by the wild beauty – perfect setting for your stories. I love your Historical Bits and Pieces page on your website. You clearly did a lot of research for your story. How did you approach that? Was it organic or more systematic?

Thank you, Helene! With the research, a lot of it was organic but with things like the hierarchy of the Roman Legions I researched that before I started, just so I had it straight in my own mind, even if little of it made it onto the actual page. I researched the Celtic gods and goddesses and the little we know of the Druid culture. And there’s the thing – we don’t know that much about the Druids because all their knowledge was handed down through oral teachings. So I managed to have a lot of fun there!

Call stories are always inspirational. What was yours?

I’d been writing for nine years before I sold a couple of erotic novelettes to The Wild Rose Press. It was funny, because until then I had never written a short (or an erotic) story, but the combination of a darker premise combined with the erotic element seemed to hit the right note. After I sold my second novelette I decided to push myself by writing a full length erotic romance and just to make things nice and complicated I’d set it during the first century AD – my first historical!

It took nine months to finish Forbidden. I sent queries out to twelve agents, and a month to the day I queried my agent she offered representation. I didn’t sleep at all that night!!

Three months later we had a two book deal from Berkley Heat.

What a wonderful story, Christina!!  How have you found the publishing process since then?

Honestly, it’s everything and more than I dreamed about. And even on the bad days, when all I want to do is crawl under a rock and hide, I soon make myself snap out of it. Because really, this is what I’ve been working towards since April 1999 and I’m determined to enjoy every step of the journey as much as I can possibly can.

Where to next?

I’ve just finished a historical romance set in a different century that I’m very excited about.  I have everything crossed that might be the start of a new series. I’ve also written two outlines for two further books in the Forbidden series, and we’re waiting to hear back on them.

Good luck with those submissions, Christina!

And for one lucky visitor, Christina is giving away a copy of FORBIDDEN. Tell us who your favourite Ancient Hero is and go into the running!! Alexander the Great gets my vote:-)

We’ll announce the winner Friday night 3rd September.

Click on the trailer below for details of Christina’s Blog party for the launch of FORBIDDEN – It’s tomorrow on the 1st September so make sure to drop round and join in the fun.

Born in the UK, Christina met her very own hero when she was just fifteen, was married at twenty and went on to have three wonderful children. To get her through her driving test after baby #2 was born, she wrote a couple of romances to keep her mind off reversing round corners. It turned out to be a very good diversionary tactic but unfortunately all she received in the mail were form rejections from Harlequin Mills and Boon (she did pass her driving test though, so there was some method in her madness).

“After moving to Australia in December 1998 she decided to get serious about her writing and joined the eHarlequin community. It was there she hooked up with her fabulous CPs. These girls not only help keep her sane but share her love of gossiping on IM, drooling over hot heroes and wearing glittery tiaras at romance conferences.

Christina is a member of the Romance Writers of Australia, RWA Paranormal Group, RWA Historical Group and RWNZ. She is also a part of the editorial team for the RWA’s monthly newsletter, Hearts Talk.”

www.christinaphillips.com

Mum and Me!

My elderly mum (she’s 88!) is visiting from Brisbane. She was unwell at the start of the year and couldn’t be in Cairns for the launch of Border Watch. I missed having her there as she and Dad were so integral in developing my love of books and writing.

Today we had coffee at Glaskins Gallery. She met Garry Glaskin who, as always, was busy hanging artwork. Karen made us a lovely coffee and cake, and we soaked up the ambience.

Mum probably won’t make it north for the release of my next book either so it was special for me to be able share the afternoon with her.

Christopher's paintings

Garry and Christopher rearranging the latest arrivals

See you all in Coogee

Yesterday we had a visit from a friend whose son is currently doing his second tour of duty in Afghanistan. Harry mentioned that they can send a two kilo parcel over to the troops for free. His wife was making Anzac Biscuits to put in a care package that will contain all sorts of other treats as well.  Apparently Anzac Biscuits keep really well and the troops love them – still!

It got me thinking about the origins of the humble snack so I did some research on the web. They date back to World War 1 when wives, mothers, girlfriends and organisations like the Country Women’s Association baked food to send to the troops. Since the average sea voyage from Australia to Europe took upwards of two months, the food needed to last. It seems a basic Scottish recipe was adapted and the humble Anzac Biscuits was born.

Below is a recipe I’ve copied from the Australian War Memorial site. Hope you enjoy it.

And while you’re eating them, remember the men and women still serving our country who find a small slice of Australia in the ragged shape of an Anzac Biscuit!

Popular ANZAC biscuit recipe

The popular ANZAC biscuit is a traditional, eggless sweet biscuit.

The following is a original recipe provided by Bob Lawson, an ANZAC present at the Gallipoli landing.

Ingredients

• 1 cup each of plain flour, sugar, rolled oats, and coconut
• 4 oz butter
• 1 tbls treacle (golden syrup)
• 2 tbls boiling water
• 1 tsp bicarbonate soda (add a little more water if mixture is too dry)

Method

1. Grease biscuit tray and pre-heat oven to 180°C.
2. Combine dry ingredients.
3. Melt together butter and golden syrup. Combine water and bicarbonate soda, and add to butter mixture.
4. Mix butter mixture and dry ingredients.
5. Drop teaspoons of mixture onto tray, allowing room for spreading.
6. Bake for 10 to 15 minutes or until golden. Allow to cool on tray for a few minutes before transferring to cooling racks.

Source

Recipes taken from Robin McLachlan, Anthea Bundock, Marie Wood, Discovering Gallipoli: research guide (Bathurst, NSW: Times Past Productions for the Australian War Memorial, 1990)