I’ve been immersed in editing Burning Lies for the last two weeks which means skipping the blogsphere to a large extent. I’m surfacing today because of a story my sister sent me. (She’s in France and knows more about what’s going on in Australian newspapers than I do…) The article is in the Sydney Morning Continue reading
Author: Helene
I live by a beach just north of Cairns – my own tiny slice of paradise in North Queensland. When I'm not writing, you'll find me flying Dash 8 aircraft for QantasLink around regional Australia.
I write romantic suspense with feisty, confident heroines who (not surprisingly) work in the aviation industry. My stories are set in the top end of Australia – a wild and wonderful, larger-than-life environment just begging to be showcased in anticipation-filled novels.
Sunday bike-ride
Locked in another hotel room for the last two nights I’ve been delving into my photos of home. It may sound crazy for a pilot, but I’m really a homebody who loves nothing more than family and friends around me, in a familiar environment. Consequently, my computer has hundreds, maybe thousands, of photos of special Continue reading
Writing Races?
They say writers need to exercise their writing muscles to keep them strong, so what better way than to sprint for an hour or two! Queensland Writers Centre has an online department called Australian Writer’s Marketplace Online – AWM Online. It’s a wonderful resource for writers covering everything from advice to on-line courses, to forums. Continue reading
Authors Compare
It was remiss of me not to post a link earlier… Steve from The Australian Literature Review has created a new site called Authors Compare. Ever wondered how other writers see their characters? Do they have favourites? Just how do they balance narrative and dialogue? Is setting allowed to take on a life of its Continue reading
Pan-pan, pan-pan, pan-pan
With the reliability of modern aircraft, advanced engineering systems, and components that are replaced long before they wear out most airline pilots will never experience an engine in-flight shut down in their careers. We spend a lot of time planning for that eventuality – completing emergency procedures training, and flying flight simulators where we deal Continue reading
Is your glass half full?
I love research which backs up my privately held beliefs and here’s one project that does just that. We are, it seems, hard-wired to be optimistic! The story is running on the ABC and BBC. It’s true I am eternally optimistic. I can find the silver lining in the darkest cloud. I can bury my Continue reading
Davitt Awards 2011
Congratulation to the winners of the 2011 Davitt Awards Children’s and YA – Penny Matthews Adult Crime – Cold Justice by Katherine Howell True Crime – Murderer No More by Colleen Egan Readers Choice – The Old School by P.M. Newton
Poems
Did you write poetry as a teenager? I did. Copious amounts of it. Most of it was thrown out during numerous house moves, but the one below was a little different. I wrote it for a girlfriend when we finished school. She, in turn, had it made into a scroll for my thirtieth birthday. I Continue reading
Sweet!
It’s nearing the end of the cane cutting season in Cairns and the ground is dusty as summer bears down on us. Yesterday morning, as I rode into Cairns on my pushbike, I could smell the cut cane long before I could see the harvesters at work. The sweet, green scent in the air is Continue reading
These shoes are made for clogging
Ever heard of clogging? Up until last Tuesday night I hadn’t either, but now not only is it in my vocabulary, but I’ve been clogging and loved it! Who knew I had any rhythm in my feet at all. I was always the one going left in aerobics when the class was going right – Continue reading