The Magic Trick

As I polish and consider each paragraph of my second novel, I have the distinct feeling I am being watched. It’s not the commuter with whom I am sitting knee-to-knee... a tanned, silver-bearded dude in a yellow plaid shirt (at this hour!) with the Beach Boys playing so loudly on his ipod that I can hear the lyrics. It is a gaze that beams from the imperfectly closed door somewhere in the hippocampus. Behind this door a small group gathers... three so far, with a fourth gathering colour and depth. Soon this gang will become impatient. “Oi! What about us?” they will call to me.

The calls will get louder and more strident until I must begin their story...or I won’t be able to concentrate on anything else.

The state of my books is a lot like the state of my children. I have one close to launching, another still learning to put his sentences together (he’s pretty good at it, too) and taking afternoon naps. Do I feel another gathering depth and colour in some other room? Maybe...

Crisp Whites (my eldest book-child) follows New Entry Officer Course 25 through many adventures. Whether they are learning to handle weapons, fight fires, march straight or survive at sea, this tightly knit group are there for one another. Real dangers exist in the world of military training and, more than once, Nina finds herself in high risk situations.

The greatest risk, however, may be to her heart. Despite the fraternisation rules, inevitably there are crushes, chemistry and liaisons among the group – some of them wonderful and others disastrous. Despite her long marriage, Nina finds herself drawn into a completely inappropriate fascination with Adam, a nineteen year old trainee pilot. Adam is hiding a tragedy of his own and, despite his better judgement; he cannot stay away from Nina. Striving to hold him at arm’s length, she is forced to examine her own thoughts on love, marriage, obligation and joy.

Flooding

It has been an oddly wet, dank and dripping kind of Autumn here in south East Queensland... three quarters of the state flooded (and it’s a big state) and it has been a challenge to get to work. It seems to be drying out at last... the nappies are snapping on the line again and a generation of cane toads (shudder) have debuted in the puddle outside the fence.

Like an unblocked drain, pre-production of Crisp Whites has also picked up a bit at last. I think I am being passed to my eighth department... internal layout and cover design are next...

Crisp Whites tells the story of Nina Yusof’s initial training when she joins the Navy – the most life-changing six months imaginable. More than once, Nina feels doubt – what has she gotten herself into? All of her assumptions about herself; her life, her work and the nature of love, are turned upside down. She is challenged, exhausted and far from home, but she is tougher than she realises. Thrown together with a delightfully motley crew of men and women, Nina and the rest of New Entry Officer Course 25 must overcome enormous physical, mental and emotional hurdles... luckily there is plenty of pranking, flirting, and some ill-considered melon liqueur to lighten the load.

Crisp Whites Coming Soon!

I am a Brisbane (well… Burpengary) mum, currently working at Energex. I spent six years as an Officer in the RAN and I was a school teacher before that. On my huge work commute I write novels on a carefully balanced netbook...

Crisp Whites, tells the story of Nina Yusof.

Irish Nina and Greek Stavros are living an ordinary Australian love story. They have survived the fallout of their cross-cultural marriage, and have stuck together through highs and lows. Their lives now seem stable and secure.

Nina is a hard worker, a faithful wife and a joyful mother... but she is also restless. She craves something... and it turns out to be adventure.

Making a radical detour from the main road of her life, and in the face of her husband’s doubts, Nina joins the Navy at thirty-three...