Need an escape to the country? Magpie's Bend, Bottlebrush Creek and Wildflower Ridge are available in all good book stores now, or you can order online by clicking the links. 

Library Lovers with Maya Linnell & Libby!

I’m super excited to be hosting a new online event for Libby OverDrive each month, starting March 16. Libby is one of the leading digital borrowing platforms, providing eBooks, audiobooks and magazines to libraries around the country. Each month on Library Lovers I’ll interview an author, a librarian and someone from the magazine or audiobook world in these fully interactive Zoom sessions. Library users will be able to ask questions of the guests, peek behind the scenes of these industries and receive tips on their garden, their cooking and their writing. If your library uses the Libby app, you’ll hear about it through their website and newsletter. I'll share the guest line up and event links in my next newsletter.

From my writing desk

Our school hols were filled with thrice-daily walks to the beach, a stint housesitting for a friend in Geelong, a break in SA with my extended family, and lots of reading. While I was away, I signed books at Dymocks Melbourne and Cook & Young in Geelong, so if you’re after a signed copy, head in quickly. It was a real treat to squeeze in quick catch ups with writing friends Kaneana May, Tania Farrelly, Chrissie Bellbrae, Fiona Lowe and Rob McDonald too, and take in the Biblio Art Exhibition at Blarney Books and Art Port Fairy. If you’re in south west Victoria, I highly recommend you check out the book-themed artwork (and grab a book or three while you’re there).

With school returning this week, I’m back drafting my 2023 manuscript, and awaiting the last portion of copy editing for Paperbark Hill. It’s a different process this year, as my editor is juggling multiple projects at the moment, so I’m editing 30,000 word chunks instead of the whole manuscript at once. It’s unusual going back and forth between stories, but I’ve loved the help from you all on my Instagram stories with the copy edit polls. The editor picks up amazing things, and I have a giggle at some of her comments and queries. Until she mentioned it, I didn’t realise there were so many variations for ‘brush and shovel’. A quick poll on my IG ‘stories’ showed the most common term was ‘dustpan and broom,’ so that’s what I’ve gone with.

In other exciting Paperbark Hill news, the acknowledgements page and dedication is written, the praise page is sorted, and now I’m eagerly anticipating the draft cover too. I can’t wait to share ‘my Diana’ with you.

Also, thanks again for your votes in the Dymocks Top 101 contest. I’ll be crossing fingers and toes that Magpie’s Bend gets a nod, although competition is notoriously fierce for these things.

February author spotlight

I've got two fabulous debut authors in the hotseat this month, and you’ve got the opportunity to win a copy of their books thanks to Harper Collins Australia. Victoria Brookman’s novel Burnt Out has loads of laugh out loud moments, with quirky characters, a cracking pace and a strong environmental message wrapped up in an entertaining story. I’m yet to read Kimberley Allsopp’s romantic comedy, Love and Other Puzzles yet but I have it on good authority from author friends that it’s a sweet and delightfully funny page-turner. Read their interviews HERE then head to the WIN page to enter the contest.

Events, events, events

I’m excited to be a guest speaker at a dairy farming conference, ‘Cream of the Crop’ in Port Campbell on February 22. Readers who enjoyed Bottlebrush Creek will know I have a soft spot for dairy farms and I’m looking forward to meeting the rural women at this two-day event.

There’s also an event with Katherine Collette in the pipeline, to be held in Port Fairy. Her new novel The Competition was a ripper of a read, and if you’ve been a newsletter reader for some time, you’ll know how much I adore The First Time Podcast, which Katherine co-hosts with Kate Mildenhall.  More details coming!

What's cooking, good looking?

It’s all about back-to-school cooking here this week (and oh what a joy it is to say those words!). The ovens have been humming with choc-chip bikkies, banana muffins, yo-yos, plus the usual scones for special visitors, and desserts to clear out the supplies of frozen apples before the 2022 harvest kicks off. For something fun, I let the kids add peppermint flavour to the green yo-yo icing above and rosewater essence to the pink ones.

Everyone in the household is dusting off the aprons and scanning the recipe books ready for our local show next weekend. Competition is fierce in the baking pavilion, and I usually dedicate an entire weekend for this annual event. However, this year I’ll rein it in a little and only enter a few categories, as my need for words on my 2023 manuscript is more pressing than show ribbons this month.

Cooking tip: If you want perfectly uniform biscuits for show baking, use a set of scales and weigh the balls of dough, so each of your biscuits are the same size. For my show yo-yos I aim for 12g or 14g per bikkie.

Around the property...

There’s so much to love about summer in the garden. Having stripped the coriander plants of seeds, I managed to save half a kilo to use throughout the year. I’m also saving seeds from my sweet pea, poppy, beetroot, broccoli, cosmos and Nigella Love-in-a-Mist. One of my favourite new blooms this summer is the little jelly-bean poppy (pictured below). Unlike my prolific red peony poppies, these are ankle height with gorgeous, candy-like colours. I’m definitely keeping those seeds for next season!

I’ll be giving away a gift-pack with an assortment of these home-grown, hand-collected seeds in a Mother’s Day pre-order giveaway in May, more info to come soon.

Currently flowering: Love in the mist, sunflowers, roses, zinnias, hydrangeas, dahlias, cosmos (and with this unusual season a few very confused irises)

Gardening tip: If you’d like a second flush of roses in late March, try giving them a summer haircut. I especially liked this video from local rose grower Brian at Wagner’s Roses (they have loads of great tutorials on their YouTube channel.)

At the top of my TBR pile

This novel by British author Lucy Diamond was on my TBR pile for months, and I’m so glad I’ve finally picked it up. I’m really loving the playful banter between the characters, the sliding doors moments that keep getting in the way of their happily-ever-after and the self-deprecating British humour. Anything Could Happen is out now with Hachette.

From the mailbag

Congratulations to Leah in regional Victoria for winning a copy of Fancy Meeting You Here in last month's newsletter giveaway. I hope it gives you all the warm-fuzzies too, Leah!

And that’s all for February. I hope you have a lovely month and I’ll be in touch with a cover reveal, giveaways and more great book news soon! Love, Maya

Until next month...