I call these my apprenticeships - hope you enjoy them.
These older contemporary titles available for free from here - epub, pdf and mobi. (Mobi links to my contact page for email delivery)
Secret of Berry's Vineyard
Previously published as "Berry Flavours"
A gentle story of two Christmas grinches who find one another and do a good deed on Christmas Day. It's not without a backlash, and a mystery that remains unsolved, but the magic of Christmas is all around on an outback, Australis Island vineyard.
Clancy was to start her dream job as chef at Mac Thomas’s restaurant on Australis Island. Except there is no restaurant - just a rundown, disused and dirty old shearing shed.
When she meets Berry at the local hotel, the attraction is instant. But things go badly wrong for her with the Thomases. It goes downhill from there. She calls Berry for help but with lies and accusations undermining Clancy’s new found confidence, she is thrown in the deep end at Berry’s property.
It's a good thing she can cook.
Another of the single title novels with a family connection to beautiful Australis Island.
Island Proposal
Madelaine needs an injection of cash into her island gourmet cooking business. Troy needs a wife ... and fast. So they agree - reluctantly - to undertake something unorthodox...
Something old fashioned. A business partnership only, something which would satisfy the terms of grandfather's will. A marriage of convenience, if you like.
But nobody mentioned falling for each other.
Another of the single title novels with a family connection to beautiful Australis Island.
This Time Forever
Previously published as "This Forever Game"
Meg Donovan, life has passed you by.
Then Jarrad Scott bursts on to the scene with a fire in his belly and a big love in his heart, and he just won’t go away. He loves Meg, wants to be close to her and live the life he'd always planned. They have different ideas about how to go about things, and she's worried.
But she hasn't met anyone like Jarrad before. No big deal that she's older - that's not gonna stop him - but he’s got no kids, so what should she do if the clock’s ticking and it’s not her clock?
Another of the single title novels with a family connection to beautiful Australis Island.
Anything For Love
Tilla Cormack loves her job, and she’s the boss of her own company so what’s not to love? But lately she and her staff have been run ragged by one of her biggest clients who turns out to be the meanest, crankiest individual on the corporate planet.
And just who does he think he is? Enter Keith Taylor ... or is it Kent Taylor?
One magic, long awaited holiday; one case of a double booking; two cases of expensive wine and the sparks fly for Ms Cormack and Mr Taylor in the wilderness on isolated Australis Island. But when he has to leave their hideaway and doesn’t give her a backward glance, she realises she might just do anything for love.
Another of the single title novels with a family connection to beautiful Australis Island.
Click on titles to read on screen only
Moonlight and Wild Things
6 Short Stories - Some of these stories have been published in their own right, others have been in the wings forever. I hope you enjoy!
Just a few teasers...
Clara Wells Patience... if your man went off to war, would you wait forever?
A Winter's Warmth... sometimes there's messages in those dreams you have on a cold and lonely winter's night
Leroy Dobbins Learning... we've all got something to learn, but she was a surprise for a seasoned policeman.
Drury Comes Home... he took a long time coming home but when he did he found more than he expected.
The Princes ... when a little sip of magic is all you need.
Clarice's Baby ... It was meant to be
Cover art Little Birdy Web & Design
JUNE 2013
Money For Blood (not yet available)
Joseph McInerney returns to his place of birth. He's a self made business man who just happened to win a large amount of money to add to his woes.
There doesn't seem to be an awful lot more to do - he's a little aimless. His sibling's family are all he has left and they're not exactly... altogether.
Money can't seem to help that situation and so he feels there's nothing to strive for until he sees Cloudy Bannon in the local grocery store, someone from his distant past. She has built her life here, made it work for her.
Cloudy has her own demons to tackle and having anything to do with Joseph would only complicate things even more for her. It just isn't going to work.
Throw in a lively, determined cousin of Cloudy's, spectacular countryside, the need to grow and rise above the difficulties and the discomforts, unexplained deaths and lots of wine and... well, welcome to Australis Island and Money For Blood.