What a great start to winter! Paperbark Hill has made its way onto bookshelves across Australia and I’ve been tickled pink to hear how much you’re loving Diana and Ned’s story so far. I hope this finds you warm and well, read on for news, events, giveaways and more! |
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Huge hometown crowd for Paperbark Hill launch |
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It’s so lovely celebrating the release of a new book, and Paperbark Hill has received one heck of a warm welcome. The celebrations started early with a gorgeous surprise from my dear friend Karena (can you believe that cake tasted even better than it looked), a fancy lunch in town, book signings and then a great chat on ABC Statewide Drive NSW, plus a flood of beautiful messages and reviews from friends, family and readers throughout the day. Millicent Library pulled out all the stops on Friday night, with almost 100 people braving the wild weather for a great event hosted by ABC Wimmera Radio presenter, Rebekah Lowe. The champagne flowed, every copy of Paperbark Hill was sold and signed and we drove back home grinning from ear to ear about the beauty of a warm, wonderful, hometown crowd. |
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It’s a delight to hear books are selling out in plenty of locations, if you’re having trouble finding a copy of Diana’s story, you can buy it HERE or ask your local bookshop or library to order it especially for you. As well as interviews with several newspapers and bloggers this week, I also recorded a video for Better Reading about my writing process and inspiration. You can watch the video HERE plus there’s a few hot tips on making beautiful bouquets. Here’s a few lovely quotes: ‘If you enjoy a rural romance, punctuated with flowers, farm life and plenty of baking then you will feel right at home in the lives of the McIntyre family’ Michelle @books_bymybed ‘I was so utterly transported to farm and family life, I breathed in everything and totally lapped it all up. Simply, I loved it.’ Craig @happyvalley_booksread ‘I’m sad to be saying goodbye to the McIntyre sisters, but this really was a perfect final chapter in their story!’ @bookishbron |
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Online events Wednesday June 15 - If you like fast paced thrillers, then don’t miss this month’s session of Library Lovers on Zoom. International bestselling author, Adele Parks, will join us live from England on her Aussie release day of One Last Secret. I’ll also be interviewing Phil Dudman from the Gardening Australia Magazine and Emily from Redlands Libraries. Book your FREE tickets here. And if you missed last month’s Library Lovers with Sally Wise, Money Magazine and Riverina Regional Libraries, you can watch it back on YouTube HERE. Tuesday June 28 - I’ll also be a guest of the Mid Coast Libraries ‘About a Book’ program, which is also free and run via Zoom. Tune in to find out what books I’ve recently been reading and loving, along with author pals Kaneana May and Victoria Purman. Book your free tickets HERE. |
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Photo competition and giveaway |
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I love seeing your photos of Paperbark Hill in the wild and for this year’s ‘shelfie’ contest, I’ll be giving away a seed pack AND a batch of my homemade yo-yo biscuits. All you need to do is post a photo of Paperbark Hill on your social media account (with you, your cat/dog/rabbit, your garden or in a cosy reading spot). I’ll get my family to help me judge the winner and announce the results in the July newsletter. What to do -Take a great photo of Paperbark Hill -Upload it to social media by June 30 with these three hashtags: #paperbarkhillgiveaway #paperbarkhill #mayalinnell -Tag me @maya.linnell.writes -Cross your fingers and I’ll announce the winner in my next newsletter Here’s what you could win -A pack of hand collected seeds from my garden, including dahlias, zinnias, coriander, cosmos, poppies and sunflowers -A batch of my delicious yo-yo biscuits -A Paperbark Hill bookmark Aussie addresses only please! |
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News from around the property... |
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Farms within the district are on the cusp of lambing, so we have milk powder and warm woolly jumpers ready for orphans needing a home. Our heifers and ewes have also met with some handsome suitors these last two months, so there should be more newcomers later this year too. We've also been busy firewood cutting to fill the wood barrels for winter. Lots of spiders, enough leeches to give us the creeps but with this chilly weather, we need all the wood we can get.
My garden has packed up for winter and it’s looking mighty bare. Soon I’ll be pruning back my 100+ roses, mulching to suppress the winter weeds and sowing more poppies and sweet peas. In the kitchen, a recent highlight was this coconut custard and passionfruit bun from Sally Wise’s cookbook. Writing wise, I was delighted to type ‘THE END’ on the first draft of my 2023 manuscript. As you’ll know from previous newsletters, April and Connor’s story has continually challenged me and I’m glad to get to the pointy end. The manuscript will rest while I’m busy promoting Paperbark Hill and then I’ll tackle the second draft next month. |
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June author spotlight & giveaway |
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I’m giving away two fabulous books in this month’s newsletter. First up we have Family Matters, a really warm and entertaining read from Irish Australian author, Ellie O’Neill (read our interview HERE). I also have a copy of The German Wife, the new historical bestseller from Kelly Rimmer, to give away. Head to the WIN page to enter. |
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Winner, winner chicken dinner |
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I was blown away by the bucketload of entries in last month’s Paperbark Hill advance copy giveaway and was brought to tears reading your beautiful entries about your favourite flowers, and why they are special to you. The lucky winner was Rae, who lives not far from me in Western Victoria, whose favourite flower was the ‘Double Delight’ rose. I hand delivered Rae’s prize and she met me at the door with a posy containing the last ‘double delights’ from her garden. What a kind gesture. Rae finished the book within a week and said 'I loved it. Loved all the family relationships and special memories created by particular flowers in their gardens. Can’t wait for you to write another.' How lovely, thanks Rae! |
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That’s all from me this month. I hope you have fun reading Paperbark Hill, and I look forward to hearing what you think. Love, 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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