The Gods of Oakleigh – Small Town Fiction

And now for something completely different. It’s left of centre, out of the box and designed to be a whole lot of fun.

After writing and releasing Under Cover of Dark way back in 2014, my mind searched for something lighter, a challenge of a different kind, the opposite of the angst and trauma I’d submitted my characters to in that story. Not yet having established a brand back then, I decided to have a little fun with the gods and asked myself, “What if?” What if Greek myths revisited the modern world? What havoc would Zeus unleash on the 21st century. So began the journey of Arian and Jax in Finding Paradise.

Now their journey to publication and HEA wasn’t an easy one. The book got picked up by a US publisher and spent over 12 months caught up in a wasteland that can only be described as every author’s nightmare. Finally in early 2016, I received my rights back. By then I’d moved on from my gods, temporarily abandoning the idea of modern fantasy, continuing to write and develop my love for Australian small town stories and building a brand. But Zeus, Jax and Arian weren’t happy with being relegated to the bottom drawer and forgotten about.

I dragged them out, dusted them down and sent them off to my editor. Initially I’d planned to use the cover ordered by the US publisher, but I figured that if this story was going to have a second chance, it may as well have a fresh new cover to begin its journey. Thanks to the lovely Ida at Amygdala Designs for this beautiful cover.

I do have plans to write Odysseus and Penelope’s story one day, so I really hope you enjoy this mythical journey while I finish writing my next rural romance. I had a lot of fun writing this book and took some artistic liberties with the myth. It’s not every day you get to fly a harpy or drink ambrosia with Zeus while he embarks on a Twitter meltdown.

Readers, this story is different. It may not appeal to everyone. It may still travel a rocky road in publication, but life is short and I figured its better off out there for someone (hopefully) to enjoy rather than be delegated to darkness in a drawer somewhere. Publishing is a forever-changing business. Today’s trend is tomorrow’s yesteryear, so I like to keep my toes dipped in new waters while I continue to write the Australian rurals I love best. May this book take you on a different kind of adventure with the same message I have in all my stories – good always triumphs over evil, and true love conquers everything.

Finding Paradise

From the shores of Mykonos to Melbourne Australia, Arian and Ajax find that sometimes in life or death true love is worth fighting for.

Arian Kendrick has always felt she doesn’t quite fit in. On holiday in Mykonos she rescues a little girl from drowning and discovers powers she didn’t know she had. As her long-dormant mystical talents blossom, so does her heart when she meets Ajax, the handsome, mysterious Greek-Melbournian who swears he is destined to be in her life.

After falling on his sword after the Battle of Troy, Ajax the Great is banished to Van Diemen’s Land where he must search for a way to redeem his soul. Two thousand years later, he is given a second chance when Zeus orders him to Mykonos to search out and protect the future Queen of the Faeries, Arianrhod. The last thing he expects is to fall in love.

But every romantic island holiday must come to an end, and the mysteries and fairytales of Mykonos fade into the suburban reality of Melbourne where Arian begins to doubt Greek lore and the magic in her veins.

Can Arian embrace her mythical legacy in time to save her people as Hades threatens to destroy Paradise forever, and will Ajax rise to fight by her side, or is he destined to fall on his sword for eternity?

The quiet suburb of Oakleigh may never be the same again. Not as long as the gods are in town…

Pre-order your copy on Amazon today.

With Detective Mark Johnson and Lily Bennetti safely in the hands of my editor, I distracted myself from the nail-biting wait by starting another novella trilogy. The idea came to me out of the blue and pushed any other planned work right off my whiteboard. A hero called my name, except he’s no ordinary, every day hero and he wasn’t about to be wrapped up neatly and put into a box. This is a man with a mind of his own and he is on a mission.

Newly single Arian Kendrick and her friend Penny are taking a well-deserved break in Mykonos, enjoying the beauty of Paradise Beach. Arian has given up on finding the perfect man…until she meets the mysterious, sexy, kind and caring Jax. The problem is, he’s almost too perfect and Paradise Beach holds secrets she might find hard to believe.

I don’t want to spoil it too much for you right now, because like most works in progress, things can change from draft to draft, but I can tell you that this is a story that will hopefully have you smiling, perhaps even crying a little as Jax and Arian take you on a journey to find the true magic of love and soul mates.

Here’s a quick sneak peek for you:

“It’s not that there’s anything wrong with men, Penny,” Arian Kendrick told her best friend as they sipped cocktails under an umbrella on the snow-white stretch of sand. “I want more from a relationship than football and meat pies on a Saturday. I want to be wined and dined and romanced.”

Penny shrugged. “Now just because Simon and Alex turned out to be dickheads, doesn’t mean all guys are like that. You knew it wouldn’t last, be honest. So, what are you looking for in your ideal man?”

“I don’t know, someone who is kind, romantic and adventurous? A man who doesn’t mind cuddling after the main event instead of flipping over and turning the telly on? Here we are…” Arian waved a hand across her knees at the brilliant blue sea in front of their sun-loungers, “…in Mykonos. Greece is meant to be the land of the gods, right?”