A big, warm hello from chilly Victoria! I'm sitting on the couch with my laptop, soaking up the warmth from the roaring fire as I write this month's newsletter. My son is reading quietly beside me, my daughters are rugged up outside with their lambs and my husband Jase is upstairs, having his first read-through of my 2022 manuscript. It's hard not to peer over his shoulder as he reads Diana's story, and quiz him each time he pauses! I hope this finds you well, folks, especially those in lockdown. If like me, you find the news hard to stomach at the moment, then pop the kettle on and have a little respite with some bookish news, event updates, good things to eat and win. Stay well and warm, Maya |
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Magpie's Bend making news |
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We did it! Your support took Magpie's Bend to great heights in July. I was so thrilled to see it make the Weekend Australian bestseller list AND the Australian fiction top 10 best-selling books for June! Thank you, folks. For a book that was released in lockdown, with limited opportunities to get out and spread the word in person, I'm grateful you helped it make a splash. |
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Our new woolly friends are bringing us great joy and judging from the many comments, they're lifting your spirits too. Thrice-daily bottle feeding these orphans, keeping an eye on their antics from my desk and watching the children play with them, is just priceless. This year we're trialling woolly vests for extra warmth. Jase, who grew up on a merino farm, thinks they're absurd but I feel better tucking them up on these cold, wintery nights knowing I've done the best I could to keep them warm and well. Anyone who's bottle reared lambs know that they are very fickle little things, fingers crossed they thrive with our love and many snuggles. |
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I'll never get sick of bringing you fantastic books, month in, month out. This August I was delighted to interview international bestseller Paige Toon, author of Someone I Used to Know, and Meredith Jaffe, whose new novel The Dressmakers of Yarrandarrah Prison made me want to pull out my sewing machine! Paige and Meredith are both experts at tugging on your heartstrings, with two very different stories that made me smile, laugh and shed a tear. Head across to my blog for the interviews and your chance to win a copy. |
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Grab your mask and come join us to launch Magpie's Bend in person. I'm very excited to have special hosts at these local events. Seats are very limited, so please book early. Greater Hamilton Library Wednesday, Aug 4 12noon, luncheon included In conversation with Phil from Happy Valley Books Portland Library Thursday, Aug 5 *This one is booked out already, but will be recorded and shared on Facebook Blarney Books & Art, Port Fairy Saturday, Aug 7 5.30-6.30pm In conversation with Karen Foster RSVP to these events on my website www.mayalinnell.com/events Keep an eye on my social media for future online and in person events, I'm really hoping to get across to SA as soon as the border opens. |
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Did you know my first two books are now available in post offices across the country? They're the full-sized versions (the official term is 'trade paperback C-Format'), same as the current size of Magpie's Bend. You can find them online at the AusPost store too. Thanks to Léonie Kelsall for this photo of it in-store in SA. |
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I love hearing from readers and seeing your pictures. Here's a photo of dahlias grown from my lucky dip dahlia seeds by Sandra and Maria in Stawell, Vic. Hopefully you get twice as many blooms next year, ladies. Great to see ACT winner, Annie with her newsletter prize (middle), and I loved this photo of Violet the furry canine book holder, helping her owner Natalie in WA, read Magpie's Bend. |
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It's also fantastic to see my scone recipe getting a workout in your kitchens. Thanks for sharing your pictures Rob in Melbourne, Katrina in Narrawong and Janine in Melbourne. You can find my favourite scone recipe here. |
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Goodness me, it's been chilly here in South West Victoria. My garden's been loving all the rain though, and I always enjoy pruning the roses back this time of year. I've also planted new bare-root roses and cleaned out the iris patches so they are all fresh and ready to bloom their socks off over spring. Our jonquils, lavender and wallflowers are providing oodles of winter colour. My lovely Cymbidium orchid, which lives outside for eleven months of the year, is inside so we can enjoy those beautiful flowers instead of letting the slugs and snails ravish them. Not much is happening in the veggie garden, but the rhubarb is going gang busters, and my new favourite way to serve it is stewed with a tiny bit of orange juice, sugar and frozen strawberries (from our summer crop). |
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In your ears & on your screens |
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Even though Covid is impacting live events, I'm still a busy beaver. I spoke about writing influences with fellow journalist and author Frances Whiting for Brisbane Libraries here and enjoyed a Fast 15 minute chat with Lockyer Valley Libraries in Queensland here. For all those interested in a behind-the-scenes look at publishing, you'll love this podcast interview with my publisher Annette from Allen & Unwin, which delves into our first meeting, the editing process and what happens at the mysterious acquisitions meetings. |
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I'm on the cusp of submitting my 2022 manuscript, Rosella Hill. The end of this second draft was quite elusive, not just because of the lockdowns, home schooling and the delightful distraction of Magpie's Bend promo. Given that it's my last novel with the McIntyre sisters, I'm determined to tie up all the loose ends and do the previous three stories justice. I've been on the phone to Cricket Victoria and the chairperson of Geelong Cricket Club to nail down Cameron's storyline, researching the ins and outs of locum pharmacy work for Ned (my leading man) and the addiction helplines for another subplot. There's also plenty of flower farm research to be done, and checking what's in season when, as this is the main thrust of Diana's story. Despite deleting thousands of words in the second draft, the story has crept up to108,000 words BUT now it has a cohesive plot and it's very close to submitting. After a few dedicated days in my 'paddock office', with no phone, no internet and minimal distractions (bar the livestock), I finished the story yesterday afternoon. I've printed the whole thing out and I'll read it through from top to bottom this week, pruning and doing a final sweep before I submit it to my publisher, Annette, ahead of the official structural edits. |
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AUGUST FAST FIVE... To watch: Yesterday, perfect for a lounge-room Beatles sing along To play: Monopoly Deal, a firm favourite for the whole family To drink: We've fallen in love with these Aussie-grown coffee beans To plant: I've just discovered RP Seeds in Mudgee, hello Zinnias! To do: Get your vaccine! I've had my first AZ jab, hope you get yours too! |
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Thanks for your company, friends. Stay well and stay safe this August and I'll pop back in your inbox again soon. xx Maya |
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Keep your eye out for the next newsletter on the first weekend of next month. Looking for more writing, baking, gardening, and country goodness in your life? Come find me on Instagram @maya.linnell.writes or you can connect on Facebook here. I also love hearing from readers, drop me a line below to let me know what you'd like to see in future newsletters or to chat books and writing. | | |
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