Not Blogging, Writing

A Very Overdue Post About My New Novel and Three Great New Characters ... It’s been quiet on the blogging front for me but I have been very busy doing something else – finishing my new novel, The Crossroads. Well, finishing it enough to send off to my editors (human not feline).  In my usual style I procrastinated big time which meant the final sprint to the finish line was more of a marathon – but still at sprint speed. Writing three interconnected storylines was a great way to stretch my writing wings but also made the revision process more complicated in terms of getting the voice right for each character, making sure the timelines work and building the tension in each separate plot line before they all come together near the end of the story. By the time I hit the send button it was sending me crazy so I’m crossing everything in the hope that my editor can actually make sense of it. Thankfully I have a few weeks break before I have to look at it – as much as I’ve come to love the characters we definitely need some time apart. So, let me introduce you to these people I’ve been spending all my time with:Rose Oshea – Rose is a no-nonsense soon to be fifty year old who runs The Crossroads Hotel in the outback Queensland town of Birralong. She’s been keeping the pub running as a promise to her late husband Mick but with repairs desperately needed and the bank account as dry as the local paddocks her options are running out. The appearance of her old ‘friend’ David Ryan isn’t helping her already frustrating situation. Stephanie Bailey – Stephanie and her husband Bryce are doing it tough. The four-year long drought has reduced their property to a dust bowl and their stock to a few hundred hungry head of cattle. But Steph isn’t one to sit back and let life kick her while she’s down. Turning Strathmore into a tourist destination might bring in some cash but it’s not going down too well with Bryce. His increasingly irritable moods are causing tension and they only get worse with the return of his estranged brother Cameron. Faith Montgomery – Things aren’t getting any better for Sydney girl, Faith. She lost her man a while back and, at 31, is almost resigned to single-dom. Now she’s been ‘let go’ from her job at a boutique events management business. When her holidaying parents send her to their home in search of some documents she makes a startling discovery. One that will change her life forever.Three very different women whose stories intersect as the narrative develops.I’ve loved getting to know these three characters and look forward to sharing details about The Crossroads with you over the coming months. Including the cover, which I love!In the meantime here are a few pics of the landscape that inspired the story.