Ready for an escape to the country? Get your hands on a copy of Magpie's Bend, Bottlebrush Creek and Wildflower Ridge today.

By the skin of my teeth

Well, we certainly made the most of the tiny window of non-lockdown time in August. It was a delight to have Phil from HappyValley_BooksRead host my first local launch in Hamilton last month. Phil was a wonderful host, and it was a treat to see him and partner Craig again. I loved talking to local readers and writing friends at the wonderful Hamilton Library, and then backed it up with an in-person event in Portland the following day, with a quick reschedule so it finished half an hour before we were plunged into lockdown again. Big thanks to my superstar librarians at Glenelg Libraries who made it happen. What ever-changing times we are living in!

In your ears, on your screens

Twelve weeks on from Magpie’s Bend release, it’s been lovely to see the story still popping up in conversations and in print. I chatted with Claudine Tinellis from the Talking Aussie Books Podcast (you can listen here), spotted a stellar review in the current edition of the Australian Country Magazine (below), and joined in a live event with the Global Girls Online Book Club (recording here).

I also had the pleasure of being on the other side of the coin, hosting a trivia launch party for friend and fellow writer Sandie Docker last night. It was so much fun welcoming her book 'The Wattle Island Book Club' into the world with 70 friends and readers on Zoom! And if you like podcasts, you can catch my interview with bestselling author Sophie Green on the Words & Nerds podcast here. We spoke about her new novel 'Thursdays at Orange Blossom House', country music and her role as both publisher and author.

September author spotlight

I whipped up a whole range of fabulous meals in August, thanks to Every Night of the Week by Lucy Tweed. I generally fall back on the same-old, same-old recipes to feed the family, but the entire household was delighted with the mostly-easy but always tasty dishes from this fab cookbook. Fiction-wise, I loved being swept up in Natasha Lester’s captivating new historical novel, The Riviera House. Featuring famous artworks, vintage clothes, strong female leads and spies within the Nazi ranks, this story will certainly be another New York Times bestseller. Read the interviews for more info and your chance to win a copy.

Australia Reads 2021

Need an official excuse to curl up with a good book? Mark September 14 on your calendar to celebrate Australian Reading Hour. I’m honoured to be an ambassador for this fab event in 2021. Grab yourself a good book, some snacks and join thousands of others around Australia in celebrating the joy of reading. More details here. I’ve been saving Barbara Hannay’s latest story The Garden of Hopes and Dreams for this special event. It’s out now in all good bookstores with Penguin Random House.

Writing updates - 2022 & 2023 novels

For those wondering what comes after the McIntyre sisters, I’m pleased to say I’ve made a start on my 2023 novel. Having written 13,000 words of the first draft, I’m finding joy in the new settings, workplaces, characters, and plotlines. The Coonawarra setting, in South Australia’s famous wine region, is close to my heart, and I can’t wait to follow my new characters, April and Connor, through this new fictional world.

I’ll keep working on April’s story until I receive the first round of structural edits for next year’s novel, Rosella Hill. Now, remember in my last newsletter I asked which lovely reader had helped me come up with the title Rosella Hill. Thanks for getting back to me Leeann from NSW, I’m glad to have that mystery solved! Now to see if my publisher at Allen & Unwin loves the name as much as we do.

Fresh from the mailbag

Thanks to Cassie from NSW for sending a pic with her prize from the July newsletter (hope you loved it too, Cassie) and Cathryn from rural Victoria, with her prize pack from my Magpie's Bend Golden Ticket giveaway. I also loved the look of scones made by Monique in WA and the big batch bikkies Kaneana made with her little online learners in NSW (recipe below). It makes me smile to see these happy photos pop into my inbox, please keep them coming.

Hooray - spring is here!

I welcomed the new season with a sunrise swim in the mighty Southern Ocean, and then shivered my way back home to encourage the kids to do the same. Very invigorating! Here in southern Victoria, the rain, increased daylight and slightly warmer weather are coercing my spring garden to life. Little seeds are germinating inside my living room window, as well as in the garden where I’ve direct planted, and the first spring flowers are popping up.

Bees are buzzing around the freesias, hyacinth, early ranunculas and anenomes. Roses are budding up. Fruit trees are blossoming and I’ve been doling out generous amounts of fertiliser (both store bought stuff like Dynamic Lifter, Blood & Bone and wheelbarrows full of manure from our livestock).

If you’re hoping to grow dahlias this summer, now’s the time to think about starting your seeds. If you’re working with tubers, you can wait a few months to plant and divide, but seeds need a longer lead time.

Baking up a storm

Lockdown = cooking in our house. The ovens get an absolute hammering in these uncertain times, running most days as everyone in the family tries new recipes and old favourites. As I mentioned earlier, I made dozens of savory dishes from Lucy Tweed’s new book. I also enjoyed making these cinnamon scrolls again and my trusty microwave self-saucing chocolate pudding. We’ve also loved pretending to be professional cake decorators, thanks to these fab tutorials from Rosie’s Cakes Canberra.

Cover girls

It’s a real treat to be asked to provide a cover quote for another author’s novel, and this year I’ve had not one, but two books go into the world with my endorsement on the front. The first was ‘The Wattle Seed Inn’ by Leonie Kelsall, a fellow Allen & Unwin author, and the second was the mini-version of ‘Lonely in Longreach’ from Harlequin author Eva Scott. If you’re looking for two cosy rural romance reads, I can certainly recommend those two.

And in a lovely parallel, my youngest bookworm was thrilled to have her name in the new Anh Do book ‘Pow Pow Pig.’ She was absolutely delighted to read an advance copy, and took her review-writing very seriously, submitting a long list of comments to the team at Allen & Unwin. The finished version of the book, with her name inside, now takes pride of place in our bookcase. She's even framed the press release sent to all media, as her quote is directly underneath the photo of Anh.

And on a final note, I’m all booked in for my second AZ vaccination next weekend. There are so many reasons this is important, but for me, I’m doing it so I can see my family back in SA, especially my Dad who’s just been diagnosed with stage four cancer, my 93-year-old Nanna, and my darling three-month-old nephew Henry, who I’m yet to meet because he’s in Melbourne. We have so much to be grateful for here, but my heart will be a little lighter when I’ve hugged these very special people, and the rest of my extended family, again. For everyone else who is already vaccinated, or part-way there, thank you. Sending sunshine, lamb snuggles and spring flowers your way. Love, Maya

Until next month...