Welcome to The Wrap Up!
(deluxe edition)
New year, new newsletter!
Settle in and get comfy because I’ve got a lot to say and share this month.
Let’s start in my favourite place: Wattle Junction.
Wattle Junction just got even more special …
Isn’t it pretty?!
Special shout out to the supremely talented Emily from ATL who designed the cover and edges.
These editions are exclusive to A Thousand Lives and we’re planning on doing SE covers for the rest of the series as well (someone, not dropping any names, just needs to finish writing the books). Grab your copy in-store or via their website today!
(It’s me. I need to do that.)
(I’m working on it. Promise.)
Image credit: A Thousand Lives Book Haven
Very, very exciting things (like the cover!! and soon more edits) are happening with Project Pine Tree right now. It officially has a title (!!) and I can’t wait to tell you what it is. If you want a hint, there’s an Easter egg hidden on my Instagram ;) Once I get the all clear, I’ll be shouting it from every rooftop. Watch this space!
Haaaaaaaave you met Joanne Speirs?
(side bar: if you get this reference, let’s be friends!)
Joanne Speirs is a small town romance author and her stories are guaranteed to hit you in the feels! I’ve known Jo for awhile now (she’s also a magnificent proofreader who has worked her magic on my Wattle Junction series) and she’s the perfect person to kick off my new interview series.
Tell us about yourself and why you started writing.
I grew up on a farm in a small rural community on the Eyre Peninsula of South Australia before moving to Adelaide. Always a voracious reader, I didn’t start writing until 2016, a couple of years after my dear mum passed away. They were the darkest of days. My friend was very frank and said, ‘Jo, just write to get all the shit out of your head.’ So, I started a blog, writing and sharing my thoughts, feelings, stories, poetry, photos and recipes, hoping it might help at least one person take a positive step in healing and dealing with grief.
My writing centred around how I emerged from the challenging period before and the dark days after losing Mum. I wrote about community, connection, courage, vulnerability and hope. It was raw, honest and thoughtful. These themes and my personal experience with grief were the building blocks for my first contemporary romance story, set in the fictional rural and seaside township of Point Perry.
Now onto my fourth book, my personal experiences are still the driving force behind the themes I tackle which, like my debut, become a cathartic release for me too.
If you could share one line about each of your books, what would it be?
Second Chance Love in Point Perry — a heartwarming small-town romance and family saga that will take you on a rollercoaster of emotions, filling you with laughter, tears and the sweet ache of hope.
Light Up My Heart: A Point Perry Christmas – Scarlett loves Christmas; Ryan hates Christmas … Scarlett is the sunshine to Ryan’s grumpy. Never underestimate the power of a little Christmas magic.
Listen To Your Heart:A Not-So Point Perry Christmas – A movie star seeking redemption will find it with her never-been-kissed Santa Claus.
Coming soon is Let Me Love You– a deeply emotive and character-driven story that explores the journey of self-acceptance, rising above adversity, finding forgiveness and courageously opening oneself up to the possibility of love and new beginnings.
Which of your books is your favourite?
Second Chance Love in Point Perry will always have a special place in my heart because it's the silver lining of Mum's passing. If she didn't die it would never have been written, and I wouldn't be on this new journey and career.
Farm life doesn’t prepare you for city life, and the contrasts were so stark. Living in a rural community brings with it a village of people, families, and friends who all have something in common, who all look out for each other (mostly), and who rally around when things get tough, or something needs to get done. There’s a spirit that is so unique in these individuals and communities that isn’t present in the city. I still miss it today, and it is why I write small-town stories. To capture the essence, quirks, challenges and triumphs. Making this come alive, giving readers a chance to immerse themselves in this world and experience a rollercoaster of emotions, is the best part about being a writer.
What do you find the most fun to write? And the hardest?
Is writing fun?! I can unequivocally say that writing synopses and blurbs are NOT fun! I also struggle with the first 'shitty' draft as my head gets in the way and I battle with trying to get it 'right', imposter syndrome, procrastination and overwhelm. For me, the fun part is when I get to the editing. I work best when the words are done and I can add the layers of emotion, build on the setting (Point Perry) and round the characters out.
Best moment as an author so far?
There have been so many! From getting my contract with Harlequin, to celebrating my book launch, to indie publishing my first book and being in an anthology. The romance writing community is the BEST. I've made so many friends and met a lot of readers at events, conferences, markets and randomly in Big W. I still pinch myself every day that I'm an award-winning author with four published books and more on the way.
To find out more about Jo and her books visit her website or follow her on social media @jo.speirs_romance_author.
It’s giveaway time!
I've got one ticket to giveaway to a lucky newsletter subscriber for the Australian Romance Readers 'A Romantic Rendezvous' in March (Melbourne or Brisbane) this year! Enter to win here! I’ll be drawing the prize on the 7th of February!
What I’ve Been Reading … and Loving!
January was all about summer island vibes, steamy forbidden sports romances and shadow daddies! (Side bar: Mum, please don’t ask me to explain this. Google is your friend.)
If you need me, I’ll be on Pearl Island!
Our girl Andie has a LOT on her plate and even her relaxing week at Pearl Island has been planned to the nth degree. Enter Jack, a laidback Island local with secrets who can’t stop thinking about the lady with the poodle hair (it’s a compliment, trust me!)
That Island Feeling by Karina May is so utterly charming and swoony, I wouldn’t be surprised if it ends up on the podium for my fave reads of 2025.
This book has all my favourite tropes: it’s second chance AND friends to lovers AND brother’s best friend. What a combo!
Anya and Mason have a complicated history so when her uni accommodation falls through, she’s forced to crash at her brother’s (hello, forced proximity, I’m always SO happy to see you!) for a few days. Guess who his roommate is? That’s right. The guy who broke her heart when he left town abruptly a few years ago. But now Mason’s back and so is all their chemistry! If you’re a fan of sports romances, you won’t regret checking out Break the Rules.
The storm has hit! And it was a BIG ONE.
I have thoughts … and questions … and theories. And an overwhelming need to immediately reread Fourth Wing, Iron Flame and Onyx Storm.
If you’re like me and you’ve recently returned to Basgiath (and beyond), you doing okay? What did you think? Did you love it? I really, really enjoyed Onyx Storm and can’t wait for what’s next (but will wait patiently because Rebecca Yarros deserves a break).
Are you ready to meet the January members of #TheDebutCrew2025?
Families lie.
DNA doesn’t.
Isobel Ashworth breezes through life, blissfully accustomed to the privilege which comes with her family name. But that changes when she arrives in the exclusive town of Hartley. Sent there by her father to complete a controversial property development - and prove herself a serious player in the succession plan - her perfect life is unravelling. Isobel's fiancé is telling lies, the project is a disaster and the locals hate her; could her father be setting her up to fail?
Buzzing with the promise of a big story, journalist Meg Hunter arrives in Hartley to expose the Ashworth family dealings, and transform her faltering career. As she follows the trail of corruption, she uncovers clues about her mother's mysterious past.
When the next-gen Ashworths each receive an anonymous Christmas gift of a DNA testing kit, Isobel questions everything she knows about her family. Isobel is drawn to Meg and her pursuit of the truth ... but someone out there will stop at nothing to hide the secrets of both families.
They’re the only ones who can stop the murder … if they don’t kill each other first.
Solving a murder that hasn’t happened yet should be easy, right? But when Maxella Conrad barges her way onto the illustrious Barbarani Estate to warn them about a murder plot, her life becomes anything but easy.
For one thing, there’s Greyson Hawke, the Barbarani family’s ‘fixer’ who’s lived and worked with the wine dynasty his whole life. He refuses to believe Max, especially when he realises who she is: a disgraced ex-cop who’s just spent the last six months behind bars. But when it seems that Max might be telling the truth, Grey is forced to team up with her to save the Barbaranis.
But nothing is at it seems on the Barbarani Estate, and it soon becomes clear that they won’t be able to stop this murder unless they solve the secrets of the past – and learn to trust each other.
Can Max and Grey confront their own demons before the last shot fires and they both lose everything?
Perfect for fans of Lucy Score, Devney Perry and Catherine Cowles, Last Shot is a gripping enemies-to-lovers romantic suspense that is guaranteed to get your heart racing.
Red, White & Royal Blue meets A Darker Shade of Magic in this swoony debut young adult romantic fantasy following a magical young prince and a noble seer who fall in love in the midst of war and intrigue.
Shy Prince Edmund will be a great king one day—it has been Seen again and again. With rare magic giving him dominion over his country’s plants and weather, Edmund feels a great deal of pressure to live up to his nation’s many expectations, including making a perfect diplomatic alliance through marriage. That is, until he meets Lord Aubrey Ainsley.
Charming, romantic, and politically insignificant, Aubrey is a Seer, but not even he could have predicted catching the eye of Edmund, the Prince of Fortune—nor that the anxious prince who talks to plants more than people could feel so right for him. Aubrey’s visions have been full of battle, not love, but to say that Prince Edmund has captured his fancy would be a grand understatement.
As the two become more and more intertwined, the nation of Saben falls under attack. War and dark sorcery loom on the horizon. To save their homeland, Edmund and Aubrey must resist the outside forces seeking to drive them apart and find the power within themselves to create a future for Saben—and each other—they never could have imagined.
Keep up with Lisa on her website or Instagram.
When you live in a zoo - things can get wild!
Eleven-year-old Neeka Wilder has always loved animals.
She wants to be a vet one day, like her mum, who is the head vet at Wilder Zoo - where Neeka and her family live!
Neeka is a great help to the zoo staff in caring for the animals. And she also takes videos of exciting events at the zoo.
When the videos are nominated for a big award, Neeka wants to make one more video to help win it. But when Rebel, the cheeky red panda, won't co-operate, her zoo key goes missing and she's grounded for a month, it's a race against the clock to create the new video in time for the awards.
I’ll be back at the end of February with another author interview, more book recs and an exciting update about Project Pine Tree!
Chat soon,
Em x
