I have been on a bit of a blitz of favourite authors and re-read a few all-time favs, but I also read the newest release by one of my fav Kiwi authors, Fiona Brand, and I highly recommend it. Keeping Secrets (Mills and Boon Desire) is the latest from Fiona. Here's the information on goodreads.  So why did I like it so much? I love Fiona's writing style, for a start, and always have, right from the first book she had published, Cullen's Bride. Her stories are very different from what I write, and they draw me in from page one. She's a wordsmith and writes with terrific detail yet it doesn't detract from the story. Her hero is alpha in Keeping Secrets, but a little less alpha than her earlier books (well, I felt) for the now defunct Silhouette Intimate Moments line, ie Cullen's Bride et al. Man, I loved those books with her SAS heros, but this is a littler gentler. Then, it is Desire which is a different line. Kiwi settings! The setting for most of the st

It's Sunday, and a long weekend, and I thought I'd share a post I enjoyed reading, by writer Dean Wesley Smith I like his blog and his thoughts on writing fiction, but was particularly struck with this particular post this past week. He talks about perfection in writing, and the danger in trying to be perfect. He watches the TV show, The Voice, and says... I know most of you reading this will just shake your head and go away and wonder why we are watching a reality show like The Voice. The reason is that we learn a ton from it every season. We learn about drive, about technique, and about how really dangerous perfection can be to an art. Interesting blog post if you've got a few minutes, especially if you're a fellow writer. Some great stuff in the comments, too. https://www.deanwesleysmith.com/the-threat-of-perfect/

Just an announcement that the second book in the Frazier Bay series, the The Heart of Matthew McLeod is still a wee way off being released. It was originally July when I scheduled it, then August then September then October... and, holy cow, it is now half way through October, and still no book. The story is actually finished but is in the editing/refining stage, so still a bit of a way off although I am aiming for mid-November. If I was smart (!), I'd chuck in a few Christmas references and make it a Christmas book but no, it will stay where it is. A Frazier Bay Christmas novel is another story altogether!! ~ Joanne