Welcome
Thanks for dropping by my little corner of the web. It’s good to have you here.
My father taught me to love books when I was just a child, a lifelong passion that includes writing them as well as reading them. I started scribbling short stories (mostly about ponies) at school, an those scribbles slowly led me to the best job a person could ever have – being a writer.
My new book – coming your way in January, is a story of guilt and forgiveness: a story of love and second chances. The Lawson Sisters is set in the beautiful Hunter Valley of New South Wales and yes – there are horses in it. And a very special love story. I’m very excited about it, and am very much in love with the beautiful cover my wonderful publishers have given me. There’s more about the book here.
I also write as Juliet Bell – in collaboration with my writer friend Alison May. Juliet Bell has a preoccupation with misunderstood classic fiction, and stories that explore the darker side of relationships. Juliet’s latest book is The Other Wife – our tribute to Jane Eyre. You can read more about it here.
I love writing books about the Australian outback, and have been touched by the amazing response from readers to my Coorah Creek books. It’s a series of novels set in a small town in outback Australia. The town is fictional, but it’s very real to me and to my readers. The series has won a number of awards, including the Epic Romantic Novel of the Year in the UK, Two Book Buyers best Awards and the Aspen Gold Readers’ Choice award in the USA.
There’s a lot more on my website – more books and some free short stories to read. While you’re here, please have a click around. There are musings on the blog, and details of my tutoring and manuscript appraisal services for writers.
Do come back soon.
Janet
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The Lawson Sisters
I’m absolutely thrilled to announce my new book – The Lawson Sisters.
This is my thirteenth book – but despite superstition – I don’t think it’s at all unlucky.
The whole idea for this story developed in my head while I was staying with a friend in the Scone region of New South Wales. I am so often inspired by locations and this was no exception.
I loved looking at the brood mares grazing, with their huge round bodies as they waited for their foals to come. As for the foals – how much time is it possible to waste just watching them play? The answer – a great deal.
The Upper Hunter is also a place of wonderful, historic properties, each with stories to tell about the families that built them.
While reaching The Lawson Sisters, I also spent a day in a wonderful historic homestead that has been turned into a wedding venue, in Queensland. The staff there were so helpful in telling me about the work it took to convert the property and sharing stories of some of the weddings held there. Continue reading
