This past weekend I travelled down the South Coast of NSW to the trio of towns hosting the first annual StoryFest literary festival: Milton, Mollymook and Ulladulla.
It was my first visit to this truly beautiful area of the state and even a drop in temperature couldn’t detract from the stunning scenery, the dolphins surfing the 
coastal waves next to clumsy human counterparts and the humpback whales migrating along the coast.
My husband and I made a weekend out of it, taking our doggies with us; their sheer joy at the discovery of beach sand added a warmth the weather couldn’t cool.
The organising team of StoryFest volunteers put together a fabulous program making the most of local landmarks. All the events I attended were sold out. The program was supported by local independent bookseller Harbour Bookshop in Ulladulla, local libraries and many local businesses.
The first event I attended was a fascinating conversation, Historical Inspirations, that took place at the Tallwood Eatery on Mollymook beach. The food was delicious: fish cakes, gnocchi with lamb ragu and a wickedly delicious chocolate dessert. However, it was the authors who really lit up the room.
The chat, facilitated by author Pamela Cook (The Crossroads), featured historical fiction authors Natasha Lester (The Paris Seamstress, The French Photographer) and Lauren Chater (The Lace Weaver).
The authors were generous with their advice, inside stories and insight into their writing processes. History has often written women off the page, and it is a pleasure to see these authors, and others, bring previously hidden stories to light and restoring balance to the bias inherent to history written primarily by only one gender.
The other wonderful event I attend was Unforgettable Settings. Inga Simpson led a discussion amongst Karen Viggers (The Orchardist’s Daughter), Robert Hollingworth (A Blank Canvas: Set in the Jungle of Contemporary Art) and Candice Fox (Hush, Hush) about the importance and impact of setting in fiction. My takeaway was that authenticity is found in the detail. At one stage, Inga observed that all three included birds in their books – eagles, mallards and geese respectively – to which Karen replied simply, “birds are part of the landscape.”
Festivals such as StoryFest bring readers and writers together and provide inspiration all round. My congratulations to the team of volunteers, led by author and journalist Meredith Jaffe, who took on the mammoth task of starting an event from scratch. Long may they prosper.
been writing mostly big stories with lots of action lately, so I was thrilled to write something on a more low-key scale. While there are hot 3-flame sex scenes in Lyrical Embrace, the story is both sweet and exciting.
romantic comedy in the best way – as a recommendation from an author newsletter. It’s the first in a new-to-me seven book series set in the small Scottish town of Invertary. Englishman Lake Benson, ex-special forces, is forced to take control of the lingerie shop he helped his sister buy – or watch his life savings go down the drain. The problem is the competition directly across the street run by former model Kirsty Campbell. Lake campaigns for victory with military precision. Kirsty takes a more creative approach. Aided and abetted by a cast of quirky characters, they are each determined to win the right to be the town’s sole lingerie shop. When the sparks fly, all bets are off. The Lingerie Warsis great escapism; funny and silly but with depth in all the right places. I’m slowly reading my way through the entire series.
Stand and Deliver is the latest book in Rhenna Morgan’s Men of Haven series. I adore this family of self-proclaimed brothers, their two mums and the women they fall in love with. Stand and Deliveris Beckett and Gia’s story. Gia’s a kickass Southern belle who has built a reputation in Beckett’s male-dominated security industry. Beckett knows his brothers have his back. He wants Gia to know that he has hers; that she can let down her guard once in a while. Gia’s afraid of being overwhelmed by Beckett, but when it becomes clear someone is trying to sabotage her professional reputation, she needs to take a chance on letting Beckett guard her back – and her heart. As usual, there is an element of suspense to keep your heart racing. I love all the books in this series. They are dark and dirty but with heart and humour in all the right places. And the covers are drool-worthy.
That’s the bad news. The good news is that there is a Sarina Bowen shaped hole on my bookshelf which I am rapidly filling up. Don’t you love it when you find an author you haven’t read with a great backlist?! Speakeasy is new, book five in her True North series. It’s filled with the fabulous vistas and great organic food of the series’ rural Vermont setting, the backdrop for May and Alec’s story. May Shipley is an alcoholic. Alec Rossi owns and runs a bar. Their families are intertwined on one level, competitors on another. On the surface it’s not a great combination, especially given that May is on the rebound, but Alec makes her feel good and she’s not ready to give him up just yet. Sarina Bowen explores tough contemporary issues such as sexuality and addiction, but she wraps it all up in the warmth and love that is the Shipley family, giving us a vision of what modern life should look like. And the covers are great too.
On The Right Track is Penelope Janu’s follow up to In at the Deep End. The books can be read as stand-alone novels but are linked by Per and Tor Amundsen, twin Norwegian brothers destined to fall in love with complicated Australian girls. Tor is the hero of On The Right Track. He’s a diplomat (read spy) investigating murky dealings in the world of horse racing, which brings him into Golden Saunders orbit. Tor is casting aspersions on the reputation of her grandfather, and Golden doesn’t want anything to do with him – or the chaos his appearance creates in her small but manageable circle. However, Tor falls fast for the combination of fragility and fierceness that is Golden. Can Tor persuade her to extend her boundaries? Can Golden take another risk on the world? Penelope Janu’s books are funny, heartfelt, tender and beautifully descriptive. I love them.
Shadow Riders. The Ferraro family of Chicago dispenses justice when the law cannot. However, business and family cannot be separated, making it hard for the Ferraros to find love, especially when their life partner must also be a shadow rider, someone with the potential to both read and ride shadows. Giovanni is on the Ferraro equivalent of desk duty, forbidden to ride the shadows until his leg is healed. He’s sick of his role as a playboy, but then he meets Sasha, a warm-hearted, smart and sassy country girl with a shadow that reaches out and touches his. She thinks she’s tough. She thinks she can look after her brother and herself. But the predators in Chicago are not as easy to fight off as the ones on the family farm. Giovanni must overcome the initial bad impression he made and persuade Sasha to trust him – and love him. Gritty, edgy and magical romance.
Laura Boon Author 