Autumn Joy
Theoretically time to cool down
I’m starting the month feeling pretty damned optimistic. Just over a week ago, I had major surgery (which you can read about here) and my recovery has been far better than I expected. I’ve had very little pain, my drains were out by day 4, and while I was worried I was going to give Dolly Parton a run for her money with boob size, the swelling has reduced and I can now fit in the bras I bought for post-surgery. All in all, there’s a lot to be thankful for.
Summer is giving its last hurrah with some hot days, and our air-con decided it had had enough and was retiring, but even that isn’t enough to sour my mood.
Protecting Zoe is with my editor as I write, and when I get the feedback, I’ll pop it up for pre-order. I had so much fun writing it, and now I need to figure out how to market it to everyone. Seriously I knew Heath was going to be a wonderful hero when he first appeared in Escape to Retribution Bay and he did not disappoint. I didn’t have a blurb to share with you last month, but it’s written now.
She was meant to evacuate. Instead she stayed to save children no one else would fight for.
With unrest exploding across Qatar, embassy officer Zoe Yelton has one job: reach the evacuation point at midday.
But when a desperate friend tips her off about children being smuggled out of the country, Zoe can’t walk away — even if it means missing the last flight home.
Special operations soldier Heath Ghanooni is there to extract civilians, not chase danger. His orders are clear: get Zoe to the plane.
Then riots shut the city down and a dust storm grounds every aircraft.
Leaving by other means should be easy.
Except Heath knows what it’s like to be a child at the mercy of others.
So he makes a choice that could end his career.
What follows is a desperate race across borders with enemies closing in – and a connection neither of them expected.
Because protecting Zoe isn’t just the mission anymore.
It’s personal.
High-stakes. Slow burn. A cause worth fighting for. Protecting Zoe is book 2 in the Squadron 6 series.
Let me know what you think in the comments!
Then there was my flying visit to Karratha for Library Lovers Day. It was so much fun. There were about 30 people for the Friday night talk where I discussed the efforts I go to for research. Leave a comment if you want to hear about the time Mr B locked me in the boot of the car…
On Saturday I had 18 writers attend to learn how to self-edit their work. I love talking to other writers, particularly those who have just started their journey. I remember how confusing it was and how much I had to learn about the craft and the industry, and so I like to help when I can. Obviously not every library has the budget to fly authors in to present, but I might have to gauge interest in doing online live sessions for those with a smaller budget. If you have a book club or writing group and would like me to come and chat, get in touch.
I’ve done no crafting this month, but I am continuing to work on my website. It’s getting a whole structural revamp, with some design changes as well, though I’m not as good with design as I’d like to be. I’m aiming to roll it out by the end of the month, but I’m also itching to dive into Restoring Trust, which is Kylie and Noah’s story in the Lilydale Cottage series - oh, and publish Protecting Zoe. We’ll see how well I go.
Anyway, that’s all from me this month.
I hope you have an enjoyable turn of the season, and happy reading!
Claire B
