14th November 2003

I have to apologise for not up-dating this page for so long. Life, to put it mildly, has been hectic. Book four, Until Death, required a lot of research, and I only made my deadline with four days to spare.

In July I had a writing workshop to present in Mackay, and it was wonderful to take some time to explore Mackay’s beautiful coastline, as well as catch up with old friends.

Our eldest son, Shane, married Cherie Murphy in September. It was a medieval theme wedding, and, after a few mini-disasters (there’s a book to be written there), went off wonderfully well. Everyone said it was the most romantic wedding they’d been to. Have a look at my Photos page.

In early October I went down to the Brisbane Writers Festival, held at the Southbank Parklands on the banks of the Brisbane River. It’s a great opportunity to catch up with what’s happening in the writing world, as well as meet up with old friends and make new ones. The Queensland Writers Centre launched their newest publication The Australian Writers Marketplace, a veritable treasure trove of information for all writers, published or aspiring.

Along the way I’ve been gathering information for Dangerous Deception, and doing my edits on Until Death¸ which is scheduled for release in March 2004. I’m thrilled that my publisher, Pan Macmillan Australia, will be bringing Until Death out in trade paperback, and it has a fantastic cover. This was a very complex story to write as it has two plots which converge, and lots of twists and turns.

When my son sets up a special “competition” e-mail address for me, I will be offering a signed copy of Until Death for the first email selected at random during the first week of publication, so watch this Happenings page and make sure you email me your details when the address is displayed in the near future.