2012 Awards: winners

Reblogged from Australian Romance Readers Association:

The winners of the 2012 Australian Romance Readers Awards were announced on Saturday 3 March in Brisbane. We started the announcements off with our new Members' Choice awards:

• Best First Meeting Between Couple: the runner-up was Taming the Tycoon by Amy Andrews, and the winner was Seven Nights in a Rogue's Bed by Anna Campbell.
• Best Love Scene: the runner-up was 

Read more… 339 more words

Here they are - the official list!

ARRA finalist! Wow!

One of the lovely things that happened in the past month or so that I haven’t gotten to share yet, is the brilliant and amazing news that Dead Actually finalled in the paranormal section of the ARRA  (Australian Romance Readers Association.)  I’m in truly awesome company – which makes it all the more exciting – and incredibly  humbling.

I can’t tell you what a great boost that gave me – nor what an amazingly, unbelievable surprise.  (Have I used enough adjectives and adverbs? No? I agree! Here comes more!)

Due to my workload here, I won’t make the awards dinner <sob>, but I do want to thank anybody who took the time to, first nominate  my book – and secondly for voting it a finalist.  Such a small gesture on your part – but such a wonderful gift for me.

It’s the only YA in a field of grown-up books, so it’s a bit of an uphill battle, but I’m proud, my agent is proud and my publishers are proud. We’re all  very, very excited to have made it this far.

And just quietly, it couldn’t have come at a better time.

Thank you, thank you to ARRA, especially the hard working executive committee, who have guided a fledgling organisation to one of the classiest and most successful orgs in Australia.

Good luck to everybody who has finalled and if you’re lucky enough to be trekking up (or down) to Brisbane – have a whale of a time. Hugs.

It’s been a long hard road, but I’m back…

 Hi everyone. So, it’s been a       while. It probably seems longer to me than it does to you – and that’s because the latter half of last year was possibly one of the  most difficult times of my life. In a wonderful twist, in a couple of ways, it was also one of the most joyous.

You know, I’ve known grief. I’ve lost people I was close to and traveled the rocky path that we call ‘family’ and endured the pain that inevitably comes with that particular joy. But, despite all that, nothing prepared me for the loss of my precious mum. It’s still a struggle every day, and I feel I’m only now beginning to find my feet again.

But life is wonderful in that even though they have thorns, the roses it offers are breathtaking.  Despite all the devastating pain, two wonderful things will always be associated with that time – and they make it impossible for the memories to be all bad. One was the birth of the most amazing little boy whom I believe was sent to remind us to smile – and he does so every day. As a family we are so grateful to have him.  The other was that I spent every day for eight weeks holding my mum’s hand. I’ll always be grateful for that.

On the work front, my next YA in the Dead series, with Allen & Unwin, has been pushed back to January 2014.   I’ve been working on the revisions, and trying to get back into the swing – something that’s been way harder than I expected.

I know I owe people prizes, which I will attend to as soon as I can.  I also hope to establish some regularity here again after I get back some of this back-load of work done. I have some nice little bits of news, so will probably post those soon.

To anyone I ignored in the past several months? Forgive me, and if it was important, give me another nudge.

Until then – enjoy every day; tell the people you love that you do. Don’t miss an opportunity. So, here I am – saying I love you. Hugs.

Me & Her: A Memoir of Madness

We’re having a complete change of pace today, and I’m totally stoked to play host to my friend Karen Tyrrell whose amazing book ‘Me & Her: A Memoir of Madness’ hit the streets this month.

I met Karen through the children’s writing community and I was immediately struck by her enthusiasm, dedication and how supportive she was of  fellow writers. Little did I know that underneath that warm, bubbly exterior lay a dark story that had sent her to the edge – and it was only through sheer determination that she managed to claw her way back to sanity.

Me & Her: A Memoir of Madness recounts that dark story. It is Karen’s  brave account of how, as a primary school teacher, she reached breaking point after parents at her school repeatedly harassed her. ME & HER reveals Karen’s gradual decline and disintegration, how her illness manifested and how she recovered. Karen shares what inspires and motivates her to write.

I came across this story when  I happened to read the opening chapter on her blog, and was so taken by it that I sent her a message. That message  now graces the cover of Me & Her and I was, and am, very humbled.

Let’s find out some more of Karen’s story…

1.      When did you start writing ME & HER: a Memoir of Madness?

 In 2005, I started writing ME & HER when I was psychotic and manic, scribbling what was happening to me in notebooks and dairies. I interviewed doctors, nurses and patients. In 2006, after I was released from hospital, I joined a writing group and enlisted in several writing courses to learn the craft of writing.

 2.      Why did you want to write such a personal story?

I always knew I had a unique story.  I was determined to discover why I became so ill and how I was to recover. Once I developed a wellness plan that worked, I wanted to share with everyone.

3. Your story strongly echoes Agatha Christie’s story.  Both manic due to unbearable stress, you ran away, registered in hotels under assumed names, and were listed  as missing for several days.  Does that seem as uncanny to you as it does to me?

Agatha recovered and went on to produce the best works of her career after that event. I would hope that I am on the same road.  Fingers crossed!

4.      Did you write anything before penning this memoir?

No. I was a full-time teacher, creating teaching plans and programs. Since my illness, I continually write what I feel passionate about… Mental health stories, children’s sci-fi, adult crime stories and articles for magazines.

5.      How has writing your memoir helped you recover?

I literally wrote my way to recovery. Each time I expressed my angst and emotions on the page, I grew emotionally more stable, able to resolve my issues.

To find out more about Karen Tyrrell and where to purchase ME & HER: A Memoir of Madness, please check out her website:  http://www.karentyrrell.com

or

Late breaking news: 

Announcing:

ME & HER eBook  (kindle) & Print Book

BOTH now available on 

http://www.amazon.com/

WIN a FREE eBook!!

But wait – there’s more! To help Karen celebrate, she’s offering TWO electronic copies of ‘Me & Her: A Memoir of Madness’ – and I’m offering a free hard copy! 

All you have to do to win, is leave a comment and you could be one of the lucky winners!

If you want more of Karen’s story and insights – you might want to check out other stop-off points along her blog tour.

ME & HER

Blog Tour 14th – 20th May

14^th May Kaz Delaney- Writing Inspiration http://kazdelaney.wordpress.com/

Prachi S.Vaish – Psychologist – Interview www.hopenetwork.in

15^th May Tuesday Writing Tips- Writing Memoirs http://deescribewriting.wordpress.com/

Dr Happy – Happiness after the Gloom http://www.thehappinessinstitute.com/blog/

16^th May Sally Odgers – Writing & Editing Process http://spinningpearls.blogspot.com.au/

17^th May Gabrielle Sheppard, UK – Bipolar Recovery www.bi-polargirl.com/blog

18^th May Natasha Tracy, Canada – Writing for Recovery http://natashatracy.com/

19^th May Jill Smith- Book Review & Interview http://authorjillsmith.wordpress.com

Kids Book Review- Mental Health Books 4 Kids http://www.kids-bookreview.com/

20^th May Ang Hall – ME & HER Book Review- http://bluedingonet.wordpress.com/

Failure to (photograph)Launch!

Display created by my husband Rob

Well wow – where did that month go? It seems like forever since I was here, and yet the days have flown. One of the reasons for my failure to appear was that my limited time and energy was taken up with planning  - and enjoying – the official launch of Dead Actually on the  26th. You know – the important one. The Party! And then afterward there was the cleanup and the returns of all the hired stuff – and the thank you notes. After all that, I settled to excitedly give you a full report here. And that’s when it hit… We had no photos. My camera had stayed safely in its little pouch, in my bag  ALL DAY!! Suffice to say it’s taken me this long to beg, bribe and blackmail guests into handing over the loot – aka their photos. Thank you especially to my beautiful son Paul. We had a great day despite mega stressful last minute venue changes.

Some of the 130+ people who came to party.

Were there things I’d change? Do differently?  Obviously not every event is perfect and this had one had its stresses – so yes, there were things I’d tweak for the next one. As a matter of fact, I now have a whole new perspective and will blog on the dos and not-to-dos of a successful book launch very soon. However, the two only questions that really needs answering for an event like this are: Was it fun? & Was it effective? And the answer to both is a resounding YES.

With gorgeous Molly

So what did we do to make it a fun day? I’ve always wanted my launches to be fun – to offer something in return to the people who turn up to support you.  So, yep, we had food;  boy did we have food. And I wish we had some photos of that. And naturally we  had drinks, but I wanted something more than just sustenance for this event — I wanted it to be

Heather Cleary for the VGs. Backgroud from L-R: Annie, Judy, Rob, Kaz, Mary, Lea and Michelle. venue: Charlestown Library.

memorable.

Coming up with a theme was both easy and frustrating. The theme of the book is ghosts right? Like, dead people.  So what do we associate with dead people? Funeral directors? Call me unadventurous, but I just wasn’t seeing the fun in that.

So back to thinking board and then I had the most ingenious idea. Well, I thought it was… No, it was. Truly… LOL.   I decided to have a psychic medium as a guest speaker.  After all, the character who almost shared the lead with Willow was JoJo – in fact there were times when JoJo almost stole the story!   But wait – it didn’t end there… Once I had that idea – I was on a roll.

Great idea number 2? Offer free psychic readings!

A trio of authors: Paula Roe shooting (hehe) Shannon Curtis & moi. Foreground: Jo Ramsey, one of our brilliant psychics at work. Jo was also our Psychic Medium guest speaker.

We had four. Four beautiful people who gave readings to the 125-130  assembled guests. What a hoot! Some people lined up for all four and then chose the best reading!  There was lots of laughter and lots of shared stories.

My youngest daughter, Ree, then had the great idea that we needed serving girls dressed as black angels. (If you’ve read the book you know the reference). Again, four gorgeous girls dressed in black and donned black wings, and served the food and helped my daughters Mel (who was also MC) and Ree run the games.

Signing, signing, signing! What a buzz! With Kerry Stove.

Yes! We had games.  Well probably more like competitions, really. Nothing too strenuous like pass the orange or pin the tail on the author. No, we had games like: share what you’d like your epitaph to be.  What would you like your gravestone to say? Sounds morbid? No! It was a hoot! My own isn’t original but it’s one I’ve always loved, so my offering was: ‘I told you I was sick!’  My husband’s was typical of his humour: ‘Get off!’       I’ll share some more in the next weeks.

Ree made small grey tombstone shaped cardboard pieces and we had boards to pin your entries on. In the spirit of sharing rather than comps, we drew the winners from a box.

We also had another that was  ’what is/was the best part of being a

Happy people.

teenager?’, and those responses were so interesting I’m going to do a whole blog on the responses. And a third comp that was to name the next book. All had to feature the word, ‘Dead’ to stay true to the series, and I have to tell you that some of those suggestions were darned good!

Specific Deets? The bookstore chain Unleash supplied the book stall – and yes we sold a lot of books.

With Madi and fam. Madi was the star of some of our promo and one of our gorgeous black angels!

The book was launched by my crit group – the Valley Girls. Why? Well, I wracked my brain for months to think of someone who knew me and knew the book well enough to do this justice.  It hit me one day that while I knew some high profile people, they didn’t know the book – and that to me was of the utmost importance. The second hit was harder and hurt more because I should have seen it immediately. Who knew the book as well as me? Those who had lived every word with me – the VGs: Heather Cleary, Leanne McMahon, Mary Brehe, Lisa Chaplin, Judy Griffiths, Tanya McGovern, Annie West and Michelle Douglas.

Suzanne Boyle - getting the finger, Lisa McKee & the beautiful Smith fam

It was a lovely day full of love and warmth. Lots of laughter and friendship and yes, my book and I felt special.

Thank you so much to my beautiful husband – who did everything and was everywhere. The amazing display was all his idea and he carved that 3D shoe! can you believe it!

And my gorgeous family – Paul, Lisa, Mel, Pete, Ree and Michael –  I so, so  couldn’t have pulled this off without you, especially given our last minute dramas (stay tuned for those in the next post).

Thank you so much to my beautiful extended family and huge hugs to my friends – old, new and brand new that I met on the day.  Kimmy – we missed you!

More Winners. Free Stuff!

Prize Time!

Today there is no chat, no diddling, dawdling or dallying. I’m just giving it to you straight.

Last night I got to finally cut up names and stick them into the trusty, orange bowl and get someone to draw names of winners of prizes for 3 of the 4 outstanding prizes!

On Thursday we had on offer the Gold Bouillon prize and I’m happy to announce that winner is the very sparkly:

Ms Paula Roe!

Couldn’t imagine a happier coupling!

The next prize was for Friday contributors and is was the gorgeous So Eternal perfume pack. And I’m equally excited to announce the winner is the gorgeous

Ms Beck!

Which brings us up to Monday and the mug/choccies prize. And I’m still jiggling with joy as I announce that winner …

Ms Chris Bell!

Congratulations everybody! In a day or so I’ll be announcing the winner of the Book Give-away!

Please make sure you contact me with your deets as soon as possible and I’ll get these prizes away.

And thank you so very much for helping me party all week!  Thanks you too to all those who contributed to my impressive stats, but who could stay to chat. I’m very appreciative of your time.

Amazing Shoes and “Dead, Actually” Book Give-away. It doesn’t get better. (Unless there’s ice cream???)

So, it’s no secret I love shoes. The sparklier, the less practical, the more they draw me. So, while I can’t say that it was a conscious decision to have a stiletto shoe as a continuing motif through ‘Dead, Actually’ – I feel quite strongly that it was probably prompted by that subconscious fascination with (often) totally inappropriate footwear. Though, maybe not quite as inappropriate as those on the left… 

So, in honour of that shoe motif and in honour of shoe freaks, like me, everywhere, today I’m going to share some of the craziest shoes I’ve ever seen. I first saw some of these on my friend Maree Anderson blog ages and ages ago, so I have to pay homage to her for prompting me to go searching for more. Big Mexican Waves, Maree! Tsunami sized!

Today also marks the final day of Release Week for me. We’ve got heaps coming up – like blog tours and more fabbo comps, and I’ll be giving you the skinny on those as there are some delish prizes to be won. Sterling silver/Swarovski crystal bracelets (Yes!!)  Books (Thank you A&U), BE make-up sets. Handbags – yes(!) gorgeous Juicy Couture handbags. If you’ve read the book you get the reference.

All things girly and fitting for the upmarket stars of Dead, Actually – Willow, JoJo, Macey et al. But for just a little while,  we end the daily prize grab. That said, there are always monthly prizes on this blog – so it’s kinda always party time.

Today’s give-away is a copy of Dead, Actually courtesy of Allen & Unwin PLUS a gorgeous sparkly stiletto that you can use as a bag tag, a Chrissie dec or just something to hang and drool over. I ah-dor it!!

BTW – the mugs arrived! So, I’ll be checking on that winner in a mo

.

We’re also doing something a bit different today – and I’m blatantly stealing this idea from my friend Peter Taylor! He totally conned me into signing up as a follower of his blog today – and I loved it!

Okay – so you don’t have to allow yourself to be conned or tricked or be persuaded by any of those or other semi-illegal methods – but if you DO decided to play along, I promise you’ll be mentioned in my will. Promise…Pinky swear…

Here’s the skinny: To be in the draw, you only ever need to come and say hi. Or you could tell me which pair of shoes here is the weirdest. That will get you into the draw. How could you get TWO chances in the draw? Sign up for my blog! And that’s whether you comment or not!

“Peter Taylor you’re either a genius or a Kamikaze Pilot!”

Why? ‘Cos you’ll all either join the fun in the spirit it’s intended; ignore me and drop in occasionally anyway – or you’ll go running off and never speak to me again. Eek! Sob!  Please don’t let it be the latter. I don’t handle rejection…

Okay, so I’ll stop blathering and deliver my promise of more crazy shoes. Enjoy! (Note: I tried to get designer names for these shoes but failed for most.  The cage shoes are by Polly Verity. The hoof-feet *could* be by Iris Schieferstein because I found some that were very similar. Many designs are by Kobi Levi (also at) who designed those double boots for Lady Gaga.

Get it? It's a shoe stuck in gum. The pink heel is the stretched gum.

Horse's hooves? Homage to cloven-animalia?

Me out last Saturday night? hehe

Lunch on the run?Sorry, couldn't resist...

Have to admit - these are totally weird but totally gorgeous...