April 2024

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The Procrastinator

It is so easy to put off the things we would like to do and think there is plenty of time left to do it another day. I think I spent much of my life procrastinating and assuring myself that I will do it next year when I am not so busy. The trouble with that train of thought is that the next year is often busier than the previous year and so on. One day you realise that you are not getting any younger and you still haven’t done something you really wanted to do.

That is the way I am with writing. It is something I have always wanted to do ever since secondary school. I attended English and English Literature in the year above my own year, and I remember the teacher telling my mother that I should be writing books. Somehow, life ran away with me and it wasn’t until 2015 that I crawled out from the thick fog and realised that time was running out. If I didn’t start writing soon then no doubt I would end up in a dementia ward with no books to my name.

I enrolled in an online Masterclass with James Patterson and this gave me the prompt I needed to make a start. I wrote White Lilies and it sat as a file on my computer for years, unsure what to do with it, or perhaps, not confident enough to do anything with it. One night I had a vivid dream which became Viktoria, and it was the first time that I felt I lived the book as I was writing and cried when it ended. I was determined to publish Viktoria as I felt it was unusual and special, and I still feel that way. I investigated various options and went with self-publishing through Amazon, so Viktoria became the first book I published. White Lilies followed though I admit it is my least favourite.

As of this time in 2024 I have written and published five books and I really hope that there will be many more to come. If only I had started much earlier in life, I could have had dozens by now. Better late than never.

 

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Why Amazon?

Why did I choose to self-publish through Amazon?

I chose to self-publish through Amazon for a number of reasons and I’ll outline the good and bad.

  • Immediacy – With Amazon, as soon as the book is complete, I can upload it online, along with all associated files and information and request publication. This enables me to then move on and concentrate on my next venture.
  • Control – Having control over many aspects of the book and publication. I can upload a separate book cover or use one of their templates. I am able to choose which countries I wish the book to be published in and price, although there are certain printing costs that must be covered. I can choose publication in paperback, hardback or through the Kindle store, or all three, and preview how the book will appear on phone, tablet and as a paperback. I can also update details or content from time to time.
    If I published through the traditional method, chances are that it would take years and I would be rejected by agent after agent. If the book was eventually accepted, the path to market is a long one with many steps.
  • Promotion – One of the downsides to publishing via Amazon is that the promotional aspects are limited. To date, I have never promoted any of my books in any way, other than given a few to friends to read. I have never wanted to participate in book signing events or speaking engagements, so I am happy to keep behind the scenes and enjoy writing.

It’s true there is no editorial review of the books published on Amazon, and there may be many with poor quality writing. I have found this even with well-known books or authors with traditional publishing houses behind them, so the enjoyment of a book is in the hands of the reader. I hope you enjoy mine.

Fear of the Night

Fear of the Night

When Bailey meets Mitchell Murphy, she is convinced he is the man of her dreams, except for one small problem. He has nyctophobia, a fear of the night and locks down his house like a fortress every evening before dark. Bailey accepts this new way of life along with the restrictions associated with only venturing out in the daylight.

Mitch begins counselling with the psychologist, Dr Elsie Craig in an attempt to lead a more normal life and Bailey discovers that there are a number of incidents in Mitch’s childhood where his family believe something dark and malevolent has tried to take Mitch’s life at night.

Dr Elsie Craig and Bailey work toward understanding what is phobia and what is real, and in the process, put their own lives at risk.

Fear of the Night

AVAILABLE VIA AMAZON

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Fear of the Night – the idea

he idea for Fear of the Night came about when I thought about the ingrained fear I have always had of the night or the dark. I like to have a night life on in the bathroom, and hate total darkness. I would never be caught outside in the dark without a light on, and even then, I will be glancing around with heart thumping, wondering if there is anything out there about to devour me.

Where does this fear come from?

I’m not aware of any childhood events that would cause me to be this way and I certainly haven’t grown out of it as an adult, though when my children were young, I pretended to be brave. It was only my arachnophobia that I wasn’t able to hide. Luckily, my fear of spiders didn’t rub off on them too much.

Are we all a little afraid of the night and the dark?

Perhaps it is the old films we sneakily watched when we were children, hiding behind the couch so the parents didn’t realise we were out of bed. I remember being terrified of old Dracula movies in particular, and one of my children was terrified of the movie, The Blob.

If there really was something out there, hiding in the dark and waiting for us to venture by, what would it look like? Would it have a tangible shape or be a mysterious ghost like spectre? What would it want from us?

Perhaps, we are born with this fear as it would be difficult for us to defend ourselves from predators when we can’t really see around any detail around us. Instinct tells us to be afraid, and I am all for, listening to what my instincts tell me.

These are the ideas behind the writing of Fear of the Night.

The Brays

The Brays

Layne was born with enhanced senses, keen athletic skills and the ability to heal fast. Her parents disappeared when she was three years old and she was raised on a farm by her grandparents. She spent her life suppressing her abilities to appear normal as her grandparents wished to protect her.

Then when she was nineteen years old, she left the farm to study at university in Melbourne and suddenly, everything changed. A guy at university seemed to have the same abilities as Layne and the disappearance of her parents takes on a very sinister tone. Layne finds out she is a hybrid and one that may face being eliminated.

Layne transforms from naïve country girl to a powerful woman in a race to protect her family, the man she loves and herself.


The Brays

 

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The Brays – Kindle Edition

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The Brays – Paperback

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The Brays – the idea

I worked in the Melbourne CBD for many years, catching a crowded train for over two hours per day, as well as moving through crowded Melbourne streets. On many trips I was very aware of the odours of other commuters around me, at times I found these odours over-powering and difficult to ignore. It made me think about other members of the public and I wondered if everyone could detect the same odours that I could. Did some people have more enhanced senses than others? If you had super sensitive senses, how would you manage to move about in a crowded public place?

Along with enhanced senses, there is so much diversity with people regarding their strength, speed, intelligence, and even the thickness of their hair and strength of toenails and fingernails. Is there a perfect standard, like we create a standard for showing dogs or horses? What would a human standard look like and what is considered the perfect person?

I pictured a whole race of people who did have enhanced senses and powers, and religiously protected their own people. The Brays began to take shape.

Babies Garden

Babies Garden

Jared and Elise can’t believe how fortunate they are to be living in an old house in Clifton Hill that has been in Elise’s family for over 150 years. Immediately Elise begins hearing a baby crying at night and Jared often finds her searching for the crying baby in the house or in the garden. She begins to exhibit some strange behaviour and Jared believes she has a physic connection with one of her ancestors. Digging in the vegetable garden, she unearths the skull of a baby, and police discover the remains of over a dozen more babies. Some have died of natural causes and some have been murdered. What happened in this house over 150 years ago? Will it impact upon Jared, Elise and their unborn child?

Babies Garden

AVAILABLE VIA AMAZON

 

First 4 chapters are available as a free sample. View on Amazon. Also available on kindleunlimited.

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Just finished reading Babies Garden author by @ljfoxau
With the characters based from Yeovil Somserset ( where one branch of my family hail from), it covers the endurance these early immigrants had to endure.
With a psychological twist I wasn’t expecting.
Fantastic read.

Instagram

This was my first read from this author and I read it in one sitting – I couldn’t put it down. Didn’t see the twist coming! I also really loved the references to real historical people / events, I learned something. – Amazon

Babies Garden – the idea

Early Melbourne, family ancestry, murder mystery and dead bodies, what could be more exciting to write about?

My father grew up in Clifton Hill just across from the Merri Creek, and the layout of this house is the same as his childhood home. If course, my father’s childhood was many years later than this story is, but old Clifton Hill and Collingwood have always fascinated me, as does the early years of Melbourne itself.

I conducted a lot of research to ensure that many of the facts fitted in, including when Clifton Hill was settled, where the old quarry was located, when the first tram car travelled out to Clifton Hill and the tough times the early settlers faced when they arrived in old Melbourne looking to head out to the gold fields.

The backyard is also the same as the one my father grew up in, with the wood shed and outside toilet in the same location. Having read about baby farming in early Melbourne and Sydney, I wondered … what if my father had been tending a vegetable patch in his backyard and found baby burials? What if … it turned out the murderer was one of his relatives? What if … ?

White Lilies

White Lilies

Ellen was a successful city girl with a banking career and a lonely life since the death of her beloved mother. Suddenly a solicitor contacts her with the news that she had a grandmother, now deceased, and was the beneficiary of a property in Warburton. Ellen is heartbroken that her mother kept her family a secret all her life.

After renovating the old house and moving to Warburton, Ellen discovers that her previously unknown family held many secrets including a missing grandfather, a nasty older neighbour who seems to have run away with her mother thirty-five years earlier and disappeared into thin air, and that this nasty older neighbour may be her father.

White Lilies is a mystery with a touch of murder, romance and family history. From a lonely city girl with no family or ties, Ellen transforms her life into a happy country girl with a sense of belonging, and seeks to solve the mystery of the missing men in her family.

White Lilies

AVAILABLE VIA AMAZON

First 2 chapters are available as a free sample. View on Amazon. Also available on kindleunlimited.

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Thought this was a really good book, loved the storyline. More interesting with location of the story, which gives some insights into the Aussie bush and history of the area.
Characters were well rounded and easy to like, the heroine’s journey from city girl to country was lovely, and I loved her dog!
Can’t wait for more from this author, and having also read “Viktoria” I would urge everyone to give that a try as well. Very different genre to “White Lilies” and an exciting read.

Goodreads

 

White Lilies – the idea

White Lilies was the first book that I wrote though the second one I published.

Many of us like to think that there may be a secret relative somewhere, unknown to us, that leaves a significant amount of money or estate to us when they pass on, not unlike when we are children, thinking that perhaps we are a kidnapped prince or princess growing up in normal society when there is a castle and country looking for us.

What if, there really was a secret relative who died and left a property to you, but there was a sad story attached to it? A relative that you wish you had known, who would have meant more to you than the bequeathed property?

Inheriting a country property would be life-changing in so many ways, and if it happened to a city career girl, what would the changes in her life entail? Then, I imagined a horrible family mystery that had kept the city girl separated from the relative that she should have known and loved.

Of course, it also had to happen in a town that I am familiar with, having worked my first job in Warburton after leaving school.

Viktoria

Viktoria

A female prehistoric creature is discovered on a remote island in South America and taken into captivity for research. She has killed an Australian backpacker and skeletal remains suggest she had killed humans before. Escaping from captivity, she journeys across the United States seeking her homeland and her own kind.

Viktoria tells the story of how the creature became stranded on the island, her fight to survive, the woman left widowed by Viktoria, and the scientist dedicated to looking for and protecting her. A flock of her kind is found in Australia and the scientist is torn between Viktoria and protecting an entire flock.

Viktoria

AVAILABLE VIA AMAZON

First 8 chapters are available as a free sample. View on Amazon. Also available on kindleunlimited.

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I was so enthralled with Viktoria that I read the entire novel in two sittings. Each chapter brought a new surprise and the entire story was full of mystery; keeping me guessing right up until the end. It’s hard to review without giving too much away, but I thoroughly enjoyed following along with the journey of each character and, in particular, unveiling the driving motivations behind the creature of which this novel is so aptly named.

Goodreads

 

Viktoria – the idea

I had an extremely vivid dream one night several years ago. In my dream, four Australian backpackers were on a remote island in South America and walked into a faded old green hut and confronted a winged, human-like creature.

This dream became an obsession with me and I saw Viktoria in my mind and thought about her constantly. Eventually, I decided to write the story down, even if it were only to help me sleep at night and lay her to rest.

Of course, the story took a mind of its own and somehow, I already knew that Viktoria had broken a wing and been abandoned on the island by her own kind. Instinctively, I knew that it was another jealous female who had done this to her. I also was aware that a South American family had looked after her for over one hundred years. All this was so easy to write, and as the story unfolded, I found myself eager to engage each day to find out what was going to happen next.

I cried writing the final chapter, as I had lived Viktoria for so long and dreamed so vividly of her, that she had become a real entity. I missed her.

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I would like to acknowledge the Traditional Custodians of the lands on which we operate throughout Australia and pay my respects to Elders past, present and emerging.

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