Kat over at BookThingo recently posted a thoughtful review of Dark Country, and she’s giving away a signed copy of the book in what I think is a lovely contest:

For a chance to win a SIGNED copy of Dark Country, in 25 words or less tell us who you consider the most romantic Aussie couple and why. It can be a book, film, real-life story, or you can make up your ultimate Aussie romance.

You need to enter over at BookThing, in the comments section of the review post, by midnight Friday Sydney time. I’m enjoying reading the entries, so do go and join in the discussion.

I’d find it hard to enter, though – there are too many Aussie romantic couples I love! From the classics – Meg and Alan from Ethel Turner’s Seven Little Australians, and other books; Norah and Wally from Mary Grant Bruce’s Billabong books; and of course there’s also CJ Dennis’ The Sentimental Bloke and his Doreen – a little different from the previous two, being written in colloquial language, for adults, by a male writer, about a rough, working-class larrikin from Melbourne’s back streets, but wonderful and touching as The Bloke falls head over heels for Doreen.

Then there’s also D’Arcy Niland’s Call Me When the Cross Turns Over – the Cross in the title referring to the Southern Cross constellation – with it’s story of Barbie Cazabon and Jack ‘Fascinatin’ Kippilaw. These are two great characters, neither of them perfect, but definitely a great match, despite the trials they endure before they finally work it all out. The book is out of print now, but if you like Australian literature from the 1950s, it’s worth checking second-hand book shops for it.

As for real-life romantic couples, since I was a small child, I was always inspired by my aunt and uncle, Eileen and Arthur:

This is a photo through glass of a scan of a photo – but aren’t those smiles just beautiful? In my memory, they were like that all the time – aware of each other, devoted to each other, and showing that love constantly in many ways. Much older than my parents, they had grandchildren around my age, and it was wonderful a few months ago when one of the grandchildren and his wife came and stayed with us – and they smiled at each other in just the same way

Well, it’s Sunday evening here, so time to draw the winner of the giveaway for newsletter subscribers.

So, I fired up the Random Number Generator, and asked it to pick a number:

And the sixth subscriber on the newsletter list has an email address that begins with ‘atkinsongra’. Congratulations to the winner! I’ll send you an email and you can choose which prize option you’d like – a signed copy of each of my books, or a combination of book and/or book voucher.

I’m ‘visiting’ Western Australia today, as a guest blogger on fellow author Fleur McDonald’s blog. I recently read Fleur’s first novel, Red Dust, and enjoyed it – set on a property in the north of South Australia, it has all the ingredients of a good story – a great setting, likeable characters, a crime to solve, and a touch of romance. So, please hop over, say hi to Fleur, and read my response to Fleur’s questions about why I write, how I write, and my what inspires me. Fleur will also be guest blogging here very soon.

I’m not quite sure where October went – whoosh! – but I did promise a giveaway draw for subscribers to my newsletter, as something of an apology for the newsletter software snafu in September. So, on Sunday, I’m going to draw one name from the list of subscribers, and that person will win their choice of a signed copy of BOTH my books, OR, if they already have both books, a gift certificate from a bookseller of their choice ($30US/$40Aus), OR a combination of a book plus a gift certificate ($15US/$20Aus). If you’d like to sign up for my newsletter, you can do so here (or click the link at the top of the page). I send out a maximum of one newsletter per month, and I respect your privacy and abhor spam, so I’ll never giveaway or sell your email address.

In general news, things have been quietly busy here. Most of my time is focused on writing book 3, which is moving along, although a little slower than I’d like. The hero, Mark, has been proving a little elusive; there’s a lot underneath his controlled public face, but he’s reluctant to let anyone see it. However, I’m now getting to know him much better, and finding out many interesting things about him – and so will the heroine, Kate

So, I’d better get back to it, and settle in for, I hope, a productive day of writing! I’ll leave you with a few images from my recent morning walks. Our driveway is almost a kilometre long, so down to the gate and back is a reasonable amount of exercise. This morning, though, I hitched a ride with Gordon when he left for work, and hopped out another kilometre down our road, to walk back home. The combination of recent rain and warm spring weather has given a burst of green growth – but I’m sure it will brown off very quickly.

Down the driveway

Old farm cottage

The neighbours cattle - who see few pedestrians!

One of the romance review blogs I read regularly is Wendy’s The Misadventures of SuperLibrarian. She loves the romance genre, but recognises that it’s not all perfect, and I enjoy her straight-forward review style, her honest comments on why books work, or don’t work, for her, and her wit and sense of humour. I also enjoy the insights into the librarian’s life and role, and the snippets Wendy shares about what’s popular with her patrons in California.

Wendy reviewed As Darkness Falls last year, and enjoyed it, so I suggested to my publisher that they send her Dark Country – which they did. Wendy has just posted her review of Dark Country – and it’s a great and positive review. Thanks, Wendy, for taking the time to read, and review, my books!

In an email discussion with Wendy before her review went live, we decided to offer a giveaway on her blog. Since most of her readers are from north America, and aren’t likely to find my books in the local bookshop, we’re giving away a copy of both As Darkness Falls AND Dark Country to one lucky commentor. So, if you’d like to be in with a chance to win, hop on over to Wendy’s blog and leave a comment there. The giveaway will be drawn next Wednesday, 21st October.

Just a quick post before I head off to bed. I fired up the random number generator, and asked it to pick winners for the celebration giveaway. It chose numbers  8 & 22. Entry number 8 is Issek, and entry number 22 is Laurie Kellog. Congratulations, Issek and Laurie! I’ll arrange to send a signed copy of Dark Country to you once I have your snail mail addresses.