Need something new to read? Get your hands on a copy of Magpie's Bend, Bottlebrush Creek and Wildflower Ridge today.

Mother's Day is SORTED!

Stop searching for a Mother's Day present! I'm running a fantastic contest that will be a weight off your shoulders and a big help for me. Simply pre-order Magpie's Bend for yourself or your mum (from an online retailer or in an actual book store) and email me the address, so I can post the gift card below and enter your mum (or you) into the draw to win the below prize pack. I've collected and dried the best seeds from my garden (dahlias, cornflowers, sweet peas, coriander, holly-hocks, sunflowers and double-ruffled poppies). I have also added a beautiful magpie mug, floral notebooks and a pretty pen to the gift pack. I'll draw the contest Sunday April 11 and post the major prize so it arrives in plenty of time for Mother's Day.

Here's what  to do:

-Preorder Magpie's Bend (from your local bookstore or online)

-Email me your postal address so I can pop a gift card in the mail for you

-Everyone will receive their gift cards in April, and the main winner will receive their prize by Mother's Day

-Your book will arrive in early June

Why should I pre-order?

Pre-orders are hugely important to authors because they count towards opening week sales, which make retailers sit up and take notice! Last year your pre-orders rocketed Bottlebrush Creek into the bestseller charts, which meant book stores increased their orders, my publisher printed more copies and all the extra excitement set it up for an excellent start. 

and then...

Book events are locking into place

Are you heading to Clunes Book Festival? If so, I'll see you there! I'll be speaking on a panel Sunday, May 2.

I'm also starting to lock in dates for events, podcasts and media to celebrate Magpie's Bend!

Book launches are already booked in for Portland (Vic), Millicent (SA), Port Fairy (Vic) and Hamilton (Vic) in early June. Queensland friends, I'm heading your way for the Moreton Bay Readers and Writers Festival in July.

I also had fun with several functions during March, hosting a writing workshop at the Women on Farms Gathering in Port Fairy last weekend, hosting a launch event for the lovely Fiona Lowe in Hamilton (above), and two in-depth discussions of The Morbids, by Ewa Ramsey, in Lisa Ireland's Online Book Club.

Winners are grinners!

It delights me to see books I've enjoyed making their way into the hands of readers. Thanks to contest winners (L-R) Amanda from NZ who won a signed copy of Wildflower Ridge via the Global Girls Book Club contest, Sara Napier (Victoria) pictured with Fiona Lowe after winning A Home Like Ours in my last newsletter, and Jo Burke (South Australia) with the copy of Esther Campion's new novel she won in my March newsletter. Enjoy ladies!

April author spotlight

Author friends are one of the best things about the writing community. I'm so pleased to have fellow June 2019 debuts, Kaneana May and Tabitha Bird on the blog this month. Their beautiful books encompass grief, friendship and loss, and are guaranteed to have you reaching for your tissues.

Kaneana's new novel All We Have Is Now is set on the NSW coast, with three interwoven female perspectives. I was lucky enough to read an early draft of this tale and found myself immersed in the themes of friendship, love and healing.

Tabitha's second novel The Emporium of Imagination is another magical story that invites you to suspend belief. It features telephones that can call lost loved ones, a mysterious shop that trades in memories and flashbacks, and a quirky cast of characters to make you smile and laugh.

Read the full reviews below and enter the contest for your chance to win a copy!

Your baking and dahlia pictures

I love seeing my lucky-dip dahlias growing wild and free. The below shot is from Tina Marie Clark in Queensland, who has done an excellent job raising dahlias from my mixed seeds! Don't they look fab?

Fresh from my garden

The blooms in my garden delight me each and every season. Right now, the whimsical cosmos (left) is a riot of pink and white. The dahlias are still holding strong (fingers crossed the frosts stay away for a few more weeks) and my roses are enjoying their last hurrah before the cool weather sets in. The pink rose pictured on the right is called Mother's Love. Given to me after my third baby was born, this is one of my favourite roses and smells heavenly.

In the veggie patch, it's a pleasant challenge to keep up with the influx of fresh tomatoes, zucchini and apples. Visitors are sent away with armfuls of produce, and the veggies and fruit we can't eat fresh are made into cakes, muffins and slice or frozen for winter and springtime meals.

My bouquet-making has taken a back seat to seed collecting and gardening jobs, plus an important drainage project so I can start another new veggie patch and rose garden. No such thing as too many gardens, right?

What's cooking, good looking?

I love a good cookbook and I've been fortunate to receive not one, but two new books to roadtest this month - the CWA Victoria From Our Kitchen to Yours and Sophie Hansen's latest release In Good Company, both published by Murdoch Press. I'll give away a copy of Sophie's new release in my May newsletter, in the meantime, check out her 'Five Things to Be Cheerful About' newsletter, which arrives in your inbox every Monday morning, jam-packed with recipes and snippets to make you smile. And if you're inundated with quinces, try the poached quince recipe from Sophie's most recent newsletter too.

From my writing desk...

We've had a run of glorious weather recently in South West Victoria, with sunshine, low winds and a brilliant full moon illuminating my early morning beach walks. I love this time of year and drag my laptop outside for little cross-legged stints of writing by my dahlias (pictured above), or on the outdoor table overlooking my gardens and our paddocks. I always feel like Easter is the golden time before the wild weather closes in and we batten down the hatches against sideways rain and piercing winds straight from the south pole. 

Writing-wise, I had hoped to type 'THE END' on the first draft of Diana's story in March, but between kids sports days, unexpected student free days and a trip to A&E with my middle child, I didn't quite get there. On the upside, I got to watch the children collect a swag of blue ribbons (they are much more athletic than me!), the suspected broken wrist was thankfully just a fractured finger, and I should have the first draft done and dusted next week.

Thanks so much to everyone who sent me title suggestions for Diana's story. There were some absolute rippers and I have tentatively settled on one of the names you suggested. It will still need the stamp of approval from Allen & Unwin too, but I'm really pleased. 

Many thanks to those who took the time to pass on suggestions for future newsletters when entering the March book giveaway. One of the first requests, from Lisa, is the books on my bedside table 'to-be-read' pile. I'm very spoilt for choice, aren't I?! Keep your eyes peeled for reviews on these fab books from Rachael Johns, Josephine Moon, Emily Maguire, Mandy Magro, Jennifer Dupee and Sasha Wasley (my current read).

Thanks also to Emma and Barb for the suggestion to feature our animals in my newsletters too. Pictured below are two of our calves, Sadie and Rachel.

We bought these cross-bred girls from a local dairy farmer mid-winter as two-week-olds. We whisked up powdered milk in the chilly winter mornings and evenings, weaning them from the twice-daily feeds to once a day, and then onto pellets when they were eight weeks.

The pair below are super friendly, and always gallop across the paddock for a pat when we stroll down to the beach. Their sister, Tessa, is a little more stand-offish, but still permits a pat when calf pellets, windfall apples or dahlias are involved. We plan to breed from them via AI (artificial insemination).

They love reaching through fences to nibble on the tomato bushes and have six acres to roam with our small flock of sheep.

APRIL WRITING TIP: Join a writing group! They offer loads of contests, pitching opportunities and workshops. I'm a member of Romance Writers Australia, Writers Victoria and an online group called Scribblers Ink. Each of these groups offers me support on different levels. Every state has its own writing centre, you might just be surprised at how much help they will be.

Thanks for your company, friends. Much love from my Easter-egg dotted paddock to yours. Next month I'll have more book giveaways, including the mini-version of Bottlebrush Creek, author interviews and recipes.

xx Maya

Until next month...