I’m not at my usual writing desk, or even one of my local cafes. Instead, I’m taking the grand European tour that I never did in my twenties. The beginning of my journey began in Rome, and I have meandered around the country in the couple of weeks since. I am currently far from the bustling cities, and staying for a couple of days in the village of Santa Maria della Versa. It is an hour’s train ride south of Milan. I’m staying in an old farmhouse and taking some time out of my travels to just chill. This is the view at my current writing desk.
I haven’t neglected writing activities while I’ve been travelling. WiFi is available in most areas, and even on the trains, so I have kept up with some of my program, albeit at a much slower pace. Two new books have just hit the market, both part of existing series.
The first is “It’s Your Funeral”, part of the Rites of Passage series. It gives the reader information on how to plan their funeral in advance, giving them a degree of control over their swan song, and relieving their loved ones of some of the stress and pressure at a difficult time.
The second book is “Safe Harbour in Sandy Bay” and is part of the Sandy Bay series. The book focusses strongly on the central characters, and how they handle the pressures foisted upon them by life events. The relationship between them is a slow burn, highlighting character development and they way in which they handle stress and influences beyond their control. Characters from earlier books in the series also have cameo appearances.
Perhaps future books will be set among the vineyards for which my current surroundings are famous.
Thinking about the books I have written, although they are mostly classified as romance, my key focus is on human relationships.
There are conflicts, misunderstandings, love, and affection – not just between the primary couple but between friends, family members, people and their pets, and even with strangers.
Humans are complex creatures, and that gives rise to many story lines, and it’s those relationships that draw us in as readers.
Relationships were very important in Skywalkers. Clearly, there was a strong community between the people who comprised the skywalkers, and they supported each other when the need arose. It highlighted the need for human connection, as exhibited by Winston and his doomed relationship with Katrina. Riley shared mutual respect with Phoebe, even though there was a difference in age of several decades. That story was not a romance, but even so, by the end of the story, we are rooting for the development of the relationship between Riley and Sophie.
My current book, nearing completion, is Safe Harbour in Sandy Bay. Some of the characters in that book don’t feel the need to always be nice to those around them, or even to socialize if they don’t feel like it. That’s a reflection of how life is for many. Except for the genuine loner, each of us still reaches out to others in some way, seeking expression of connection and a relationship on our terms.
It came to me while I daydreamed in my job, staring out the window of my 16th floor workstation. Laid out before me, the city provided welcome distraction; aircraft on final descent into Adelaide Airport, a blimp during the Fringe Festival, Children’s balloons that escaped sticky fingers, and then the human activity. Maintenance men climbed over rooves, window washers swung past via gantries, and cranes were active most days. I began to picture the life that occurs above street level, and the people who live it.
Older high-rise commercial buildings often had a caretaker flat either on the roof, or located in the basement. That doesn’t happen as often anymore, as computerized technologies and facilities managers monitor city buildings remotely. My story evolved around those people who look after the older buildings, and have live-in positions. They regard the city as theirs after hours, when all the diurnals or flat-earthers have retreated to the suburbs.
The Skywalkers are part of a community with a restricted membership, and their own means of communication. Next time you see an unusual flog raised on top of a city building, you will wonder who is communicating what to whom. It won’t always represent a particular state, company, or nation.
The people who live and work above the city, have their own code of ethics, and look after their own. They have a strong sense of community. When one of them is under threat, the others rally to help, particularly when lives may be in peril.
Winding between the legs of those who stand still long enough is a large, opinionated, ginger cat. He is every bit a part of the story as the two-legged characters. When it seems that Ginger Puss is also at risk, it’s time for everyone to take action.
In another life, I desperately wanted to have a child. The problem I faced, as do many single women, is that I hadn’t found a suitable life-partner and so the years were passing and I remained childless.
It wasn’t a common approach at that time, but I approached an old lover who still hovered at the periphery of my life, and explained that I wanted a child and asked if he would assist. to my shock, he said yes. I never really expected that he would.
As we lived on different sides of the continent, getting together in the usual way was problematic (though we tried). In the end, it was easier that he flew to my home city (Sydney) and left sperm with the only IVF clinic that at that time, would treat single women.
It took three cycles, but I fell pregnant. This was a miracle, given my ageing eggs. That was decades ago, and my son is approaching twenty nine. It has been a wild journey at times as a single mother, but we have still maintained contact with his donor father.
My experiences as a solo mother by choice, and that of friends who have gone through similar situations, have prompted me to write Plan B: Secret Donor Baby. It’s not biographic, but aspects of the storyline were influenced by comments I received or things that happened along the way. I hope you enjoy it. This book is published under the name of Rowena Wylde.
Plan B: Secret Donor Baby
by Rowena Wylde
Published by Evernight Publishing 2022 Format: eBook
Available from Evernight and your favourite eBook retailer.
Who needs men anyway?
Pyper had long dreamed of the family she wanted to have. It takes two to tango, and when she hadn’t met the man of her dreams, she took matters into her own hands. South Coast Fertility Clinic came to her rescue and a last-minute fling with Charlie Jordan confirmed she’d made the right decision.
The Gods must have been laughing. She was barely 6 weeks pregnant, when her dream job came up. Of course, she applied. She could worry about logistics later. If she dressed carefully, she could hide her pregnancy for a while, until she had proven her worth at least.
Beecham Constructions was all that she hoped. Well almost. The Project Director was the last person she ever expected to work with. Not only did she have to hide her bump, she also had to conceal her secret liaison, not helped by his antagonistic attitude.
Pyper didn’t book the accommodation, so it wasn’t her that put them in the same room. She would hardly have done that, when she was hiding her growing bundle. Then she discovered she wasn’t the only one with a secret. There was a surprise of his own in Charlie’s past.
It’s a couple of years since we were first introduced to Miranda in Clear As A Bell, and with Christmas fast approaching, I thought it was time to catch up and see how she had coped with the challenging times we’ve all experienced recently.
You may recall that her IT business won a tender for the delivery of a hospital management system, and that was where she met Hugh Paterson. There were sparks between the two, but this was forbidden territory – attraction between contractor and client. Miranda had to back off fast.
We had a chat over a cooling spritz, and I caught up with the latest news in her life.
Miranda, How have you coped with the lockdowns that have frozen business activity over the last couple of years?
Miranda: It’s been a mixed bag. Given that IT Health Solutions develops software delivering management solutions to the health industry, the business has been under stress to deliver product around the country, like yesterday.
You must have been busy then.
Miranda: Tell me about it! We’re lucky in that the team can work remotely and that is what we had to do. We started the day with an online meeting, and scheduled others as necessary. I was worried that the isolation might be had for some to them to tolerate. It’s been a big change for some of the party animals amongst us.
But what about you? How did you cope?
Miranda: Well, I missed the office coffee machine; I didn’t realise how much I drank until it wasn’t on tap. Perhaps that was good as it meant that I had to go out and patronise the local cafes that were offering take-away options– fully masked and socially distancing, of course. Sometimes I went the long way round, just to add a few more steps to the daily exercise.
But aren’t you missing something? How did you manage your relationship with Hugh Paterson?
Miranda: Oh—I didn’t realise you knew about that. We haven’t been hiding it, but it’s still not general public information.
I didn’t mean to pry, but did you manage to see each other still during the lockdown?
Miranda: Umm – when we understood that we were likely to be living in enforced separation, we made a split-second decision to move in together. Hugh’s apartment is quite large, as you already know, and given its penthouse position, me moving there was a no-brainer.
Was it difficult both living together and working in the same space?
Miranda: (laughs). There were a few difficult moments, with competing space requirements, but fortunately I was able to use the spare room. My meetings are louder than his! He was also classified as an essential worker, given his role at the hospital, so he often went into his office there.
That must have been a concern with managing exposure to the virus.
Miranda: We set up a routine at the beginning, whereby when he returned from the hospital, he wouldn’t come near me until he had showered and deposited his clothes into the washing machine. I made him clean the surfaces in the lobby and all the areas he touched on entering the apartment.
Smart woman. I’d have done the same.
Miranda: We’re both vaccinated now, but we didn’t have to maintain social distancing with each other, if you know what I mean. (gives saucy wink)
That’s okay—I don’t need the finer details. I read the book and remember the heat rising from the pages a couple of times.
Miranda: (Laughs). That hasn’t changed. We still clash sometimes, but this time, I’ve found a keeper. Thank you for the chat. I’m glad to hear things have worked out so well for you
In the years I lived in Alice Springs, it never occurred to me to write a book based in that location. I lived there seven years, started a couple of businesses, built a house and learnt to fly. None of The Red Heart is autobiographical, but my experiences whilst in the Northern Territory certainly influenced the book.
Learning to fly was something that I’d always wanted to do, but it seemed an impossible dream. It wasn’t until I went to Alice that I met other people who flew, and realised it was feasible. I could do it too and so I did. It wasn’t that hard after all.
Being awarded with my ‘Wings’ on achieving Restricted Pilot status.
I have always wanted to write, and produced the occasional poem or short story, but didn’t know other people who wrote. Back living in South Australia, I joined the SA Writers’ Centre and after attending a romance writing workshop held by that organisation, the prospect of writing a novel seemed more achievable. Just as learning to fly was a case of taking the first step, so was developing my writing skills.
I wrote the first draft in 1988. The eagle-eyed will notice that Kathy and Sarah listen to music cassettes in the car, and those who know detail about aviation will be aware that some scenes pre-date changes in processes have followed satellite and internet technologies. The interaction between Kathy and Alex that occurred in the briefing office wouldn’t happen today.
I picked the story up again in 2013 and made the decision to leave the plot in the 1980s. That meant I didn’t have to do major re-writes, which would have significantly altered some of the plot scenes.
I thoroughly enjoyed writing the story. Part of that relates to getting to know the characters, and part relates to exploring some of the situations and environments that were very familiar. A common edict directed to new writers is to ‘write about what you know’ and this is what I did in this situation. It removed the requirement to research the background, while I learnt about the craft of writing.
What I didn’t expect was that the book would turn into a series. Initially, I thought it would be a stand-alone category romance for a publisher such as Harlequin, but it is too long to fit their requirements, and probably doesn’t fit neatly into any of their outlined categories. I had to explore other publishing options. As I got to know the minor characters, I realised that their stories were waiting to be told as well. Hence, the second book follows Sarah, and the third explores the challenging character of Melissa.
Attended my first RWA conference in Melbourne a couple of weeks ago. It was amazing. There were over 400 delegates in attendance. That’s an incredible number of people who are currently writing within the various romance genres.
I met some interesting writers, participated in great sessions on a range of technical aspects of writing and publishing, and listened to highly practical advice. I also had the opportunity to pitch my manuscript to four new publishers. There are no guarantees of course but at least it is a foot in the door.
On arriving back home, all enthused of course, I decided based on my observation of what is being published at the moment, that my book should probably be a bit longer and so added another chapter and nine thousand words. In doing so, I introduced a new plot thread and am now happier with the overall plot development.
Work is progressing on the next manuscript, and in fact I wrote the best part of a new chapter while I was in Melbourne. There are time challenges whilst I am in the process of establishing a new business (www.worklifejunction.com.au) but I will try to dedicate a day a week to writing.
I didn’t see a lot of Melbourne but enjoyed the hustle and bustle while I was out and about in the evening, looking for food. I did not stay at the conference venue, opting instead for more affordable Airbnb accommodation. I was a bit removed from everyone in the evenings, but at least that meant I could get some writing done.
Next year’s conference is in Adelaide, so I will definitely be attending that one. Should have another novel to pitch by then.
At 12:00 tomorrow, I am joining my friend Maggie Mundy at a release party for her new novel ‘Unknown Protector’. I will also be introducing The Red Heart, my novel set in Alice Springs, the red heart of Australia. What better place for a young woman to start her flying career?
Kathy encounters eccentric characters, bushfires, unusual race events, and then of course there are the people who live on the stations. Some are so welcoming, but Brandon Woodleigh has no time for this young woman from the city. As far as he is concerned, she is out of her depth in a harsh environment that has no time for novices. When disaster strikes mid-flight, it seems that Brandon was right all along. The subsequent silence on the radio is ominous. It is evident to those on the ground that Kathy and her passenger have come to grief but can they have survived in that rugged country?
Join me as we take part in the party. For one lucky participant there will be a free copy of my book and if you hang around other authors will be introducing their new releases as well. You might like to brush up on your knowledge of the book and of Alice Springs. Here is the link for tomorrow. I’d love to see you there.
Maggie writes dark speculative fiction. The first book in the Midworlder trilogy, Unknown Protector, has been contracted to Soul Mate Publishing and will be available October 1st.
Angels and demons are not what you think , and neither will be able to save Nicole from a painful death. She will have to rely on her own skills as an ex cop turned detective, and those of a handsome rogue called Ridge. He may have wings but he’s no angel. You can learn more about Maggie’s books at www. maggiemundy.com
Emily Hussey 