Purchase your copy of Paperbark Hill today. Need to catch up first? Magpie's Bend, Bottlebrush Creek and Wildflower Ridge are all reader-voted top reads! Find them in your favourite book shop or via the links above.

Another bestseller accolade

This news was a brilliant way to kick off July! Thanks to all your support, Paperbark Hill made the Australian fiction top 10 best-selling books for June. It ranked fifth in the Top 10 fiction titles first published in June 2022 by Australian authors and was the tenth overall fiction title published in June 2022 by Australian authors. I appreciate every word-of-mouth recommendation you’ve given and the books you’ve bought for yourselves, your friends and your family.

I'm heading your way, WA

Are you in Perth? If so, I'd love your company at two events this coming week. The first is Stories on Stage at the Koorliny Arts Centre with Fiona Lowe and Monique Mulligan on Wednesday (August 10). The second is with Sasha Wasley at the Duncraig Library (August 11). As it's my first trip to WA, I'm delighted to see the sights and meet readers out west. There will be books for sale and I’ll bring my signing pen. I’ll also be attending the Romance Writers Australia conference next weekend and I CAN’T WAIT! A full weekend of writing-related workshops and socialising with other authors is just what this little writer needs!

Closer to home, I’m excited for the Port Fairy Literary Weekend September 2-4. I’ll be on a panel with Ellie O’Neill and Alison Reynolds on Sunday, September 4, come along if you’re in SW Victoria.

This month on Library Lovers I'll be chatting with cookbook author, food blogger and novelist Tori Haschka on Wednesday August 16. I'll also be interviewing Casey Withoos, the narrator of hundreds of fabulous audiobooks including my latest releases, and a guest from Melton Libraries in Victoria. RSVP here. If you missed the last episode with Australian Country magazine, author Benjamin Stevenson and Yarra Libraries, you can find the replay here.

News from around the property...

Writing - July was an absolutely epic month, for both writing and Paperbark Hill promotions. On Friday I finished my second draft of next year's novel, which I've been listening to (the text-to-speech text function is brilliant!) this weekend. I’ve got two final bridging scenes to write this morning before sending the manuscript to my publisher Annette at Allen & Unwin this afternoon. The working title for next year’s novel is A Place In The Vines. If you'd like more details on what I’ve been writing, reading and my writing process, you can tune into my July interviews on various blogs and podcasts below.

Just Published with Jodi Gibson

Mel Reviews Her Books

Don’t Overdue It Podcast with the Mt Gambier Library

Sunday Sessions with Clare Griffin

Facebook Live with the Global Girls Online Book Club

Gardening - Now that I've completed the second draft of my manuscript, I look forward to spending a little more time in the garden and sowing seeds for spring and summer. We have jonquils, wallflowers, pansies and hellebores currently in bloom, including new white and pink hellebores I’ve grown from seedlings gifted by my friend, Fiona Lowe.

Baking - Winter and baking go hand in hand in our household, with lots of soups and casseroles being cooked on top of the wood fire. Coffee scrolls from Sally Wise’s The Comfort Bake cookbook and cinnamon scrolls from this fantastic recipe have also gone down a treat. I've also been giving Sally's focaccia recipe a hammering, much to the delight of everyone in the house. It really helps me sell the idea of pumpkin soup for dinner to my children!

Rural - The five orphan lambs we welcomed last month are all thriving on bottled milk. They have distinct little personalities and they’re an excellent excuse to go for a wintery walk down the paddock. It's also tadpole season, which means our dining table is now a hatchling nursery for baby frogs. The frogs will be returned to the swampy parts of the paddock once they transform. Tadpole hunting (and watching them develop into frogs) was a special part of my childhood and it brings me great joy to see my children fascinated by the process too.

It's also been a brilliant month for sunrises and another little accomplishment was completing Dry July, a great initiative for a fabulous cause.

August author spotlight & giveaway

This month, for the very first time I have an extraordinary prize on offer thanks to Dani Vee, the host of the Words & Nerds podcast. As well as being a lifelong advocate for writers, Dani has now published her first children's book My EXTRAordinary Mum. To celebrate she is offering a prize of a book (if you're a reader) or a guest interview spot on the podcast (if you're an author).

This is a very lucrative prize, as Dani is always booked up months in advance. We also have a copy of the Angry Women's Choir by Meg Bignell, thanks to Penguin Random House. Two fabulous books, two brilliant prizes. Don't miss out!

Well, I’m off to pack my bags for WA! I hope your August is brilliant, and this newsletter finds you well. Love, Maya

Until next month...