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As an author, trying to choose which of my books is my favourite is like choosing my favourite child. When my kids pressed me to pick one of them as my fav, I always told them Maximus was my favourite first child and Brutus was my favourite second child. Similarly, each of the Jade Riley mysteries holds a special place in my heart for varying reasons. Continue reading Writing a Mystery Series: My Favourite Jade Riley Mystery
Ever wondered what it takes to write a gritty thriller? As the title suggests, Sister Butcher Sister features sisters and gruesome crime. In this discussion with author K.D. Aldyn, we delve into her inspiration, her unique nomadic lifestyle and the impact of writing violence. Continue reading K.D. Aldyn on writing gritty thrillers
In the first part of this blog series, Writing a Mystery: Introducing Jade Riley, I introduced the protagonist for The Godfather of Dance. A journalist by trade, Jade hails from Melbourne and has a past tinged with the tragedy of her best friend’s death. Today, I share how I am developing the Jade Riley Mystery Series, and how I envision future books. Of course, this will almost certainly change along the way due to factors beyond my control or my evolving creative preferences. Continue reading Writing a Mystery: Crafting a Series
Jade is an everyday hero. In the first book, she’s a rookie journalist with more ambition than experience, more passion than finesse. She’s Australian, from my hometown, Melbourne, but she’s living in The Woodlands, Texas, a satellite suburb of Houston, where she works for a local newspaper. By no coincidence, this is where I lived with my family for five years. She’s also passionate about ballroom and Latin dance. Continue reading Writing a Mystery: Introducing Jade Riley
While in Texas, I decided to do some research for my next novel, in which (spoiler alert) my protagonist may have to fire a gun. I needed to know how shooting feels, sounds, looks, and smells. Continue reading Five Learnings from Firing a Shotgun
This year’s Christmas list features 17 incredible books from the authors I’ve interviewed throughout the year representing a wide range of genres. From historical romance to science fiction, from an IT thriller to true crime, there’s something here for everyone! Continue reading Christmas Book List 2023
Karien has lived a nomadic life. Despite that – or maybe because of it – she is intrigued by houses. This is apparent in the titles of her standalone novels: her debut The Yellow House, and her recently released The Black and White House. Join us as we chat about how location influences her writing and more. Continue reading Karien Van Ditzhuijzen, the Nomad who Loves Houses
Mariam was born into expat life and has since lived in ten countries and four continents. She married a man of German/Italian heritage, and they have three multicultural and multilingual kids. An economist by training and an expert on expat life through experience, she penned This Messy Mobile Life to help fellow expats. Has this eternal expat ever thought of settling down? Read on to find out. Continue reading Mariam Ottimofiore on being an eternal expat
Long-term expat, Elizabeth Shick, has just released a novel inspired by her six years living in Myanmar. In The Golden Land, which won the 2021 AWP Prize for the Novel, Liz explores how we define our identity in relation to culture and country. Continue reading Elizabeth Shick on The Golden Land and writing about expat life
In a world of war, pandemic, floods, fire and earthquake, it’s hard to stay positive. Anything else feels trite, but we have to keep putting one step in front of the other. So as the Winding Narrative reached its fourth anniversary last month, it’s time to review progress. Continue reading The Winding Narrative Turns Four
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