Home again

I feel as though I’ve been away for a month, but it’s really only just on two weeks – and I did get home for two nights in between Brisbane and Melbourne!

The IASPR and RWAustralia conferences in Brisbane were fantastic. The papers at the IASPR conference were many and varied, but all interesting. I may do a little summary of a few of them once I’ve had time to think back over them and jot down some thoughts.

As usual, the RWAustralia conference was a great chance to catch up with friends, make new ones, and discuss and celebrate writing, books, and the romance genre. Special congratulations to the winners of the RWAustralia omantic Book of the Year Awards:
Short and sexy: Trish Morey, The Italian Boss’s Mistress of Revenge
Short and Sweet: Marion Lennox, His Island Bride
Long Romance: Anne Gracie, The Stolen Princess
Romantic Elements: Suzanne Perazzini, Beneath the Surface

I think Suzanne deserves extra congrats – she finalled in the R*BYs with not one, but TWO books! I’ve bought both of them, and am looking forward to reading them.

After catching up with my sister and my honorary brother and his family on the Sunday night in Brisbane, I set off to drive home on the Monday. It’s normally about a 6-hour drive, but I was very tired and battling a cold, so I had to stop frequently – and by 4pm, about 90 minutes from home, I decided I was simply too tired and sick to drive any further. So I stayed overnight in Glen Innes, had a (very) early night, and got up early the next morning, arriving home about 8.30am, before G went off to work.

I had just two days at home before I was off again – this time flying to Melbourne. My mother came down from Canberra, so we had a long weekend, staying at an apartment in the city. I went to the Sisters in Crime Davitt Awards dinner on Friday night, and also to a couple of Melbourne Writers Festival events, and then a fun brunch on Sunday with some romance readers. The rest of the time Mum and I just relaxed, with a little shopping, a few café visits, and afternoon tea with my cousins and a family friend. So, all in all, a busy but good time.

What’s coming up? Dark Country is officially out on September 1. But before that – tomorrow I’ll be able to announce something that I’ve had to keep quiet about for ages, and we’ll have a give-away of Dark Country to celebrate. So, pop back in again tomorrow!

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