Happy birthday Dad, we miss you x

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Today my Dad would have turned 79, but tragically his vehicle and a passenger train collided at the train crossing just two minutes from his home in 2023. We have so many questions about that day which we will never get answers to, and we need to accept that a tragic accident is simply that. There is no why or how, it just is.

I am mostly okay now, and am doing my best to live exactly how Dad would want – to the absolute fullest – but my grief catches up with me every now and then, making me wonder if I’ll ever really be okay.

Since our hearts were shattered on August 16, 2023, Dad has visited me twice in my dreams. The first was so vivid that when I woke up, for a moment I forgot he was gone.

He was full of life and vitality, standing in a crop somewhere on the NSW Liverpool Plains he loved so much. As usual he was wearing a squashed hat that he’d accidentally sat on. As usual he was grinning from ear to ear and talking non-stop – maybe something about the soil health, also likely something about the history of the farm and the people who’d walked this paddock in the generations before us.

I like to think Dad continues to walk over these rich, chocolate soils in his crooked hat telling stories that will never end.

John Waters Hosking, 23rd March 1946 – 16th August 2023

– In honour of our kind-hearted, country gentleman who was loved by many, I have published the story I wrote for him and gave at his memorial service at the Quirindi Sporting Clay Target Club on September 2, 2023 here.

– And here is one of my favourite photos of Dad with a twinkle in his eyes, living his life to the fullest, as he always did. Cheers to you Dad, we miss you x

 

 

 

Sunday Session: Contrasts of a writer’s life

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Last week I shared the afterglow of my guest speaking engagement of International Women’s Day about my writer’s life and Detective Rhiannon McVee, and it started off with me speaking about the woman of many hats, or it could also be said, the woman of many contrasts!

I left Merimbula after the event, did a super quick change and pack, and drove for three hours to spend the weekend in Canberra on the sidelines in a basketball stadium while also managing to fit in some incredible dining out and a stint of shopping, before getting in the car again to drive another nine hours that landed me in the outback.

For those of you from overseas, Australia is having an autumn heatwave and so I’ve spent the past week in a very hot, dry, dusty outback – a stark contrast to last week when I stood on stage in front of 130 people.

The reason I share this is because one thing I really wanted to get across in my speech is that yes, I have had an incredible life and done many amazing things, but it’s not all glamour and glitz.

Lately it’s getting more obvious that social media ‘influencers’ or ‘want to be influencers’, are trying to make everything look amazing, glamorous and beautiful. In the right light, with multiple takes, and the increasing number of filters and camera tricks – you can look glamorous in the garden, in the hot sweaty kitchen with your dirty apron after cooking for five hours, in the outback when it’s forty degrees Celsius or even going for a run (I don’t run but if I did, I know I would definitely not look glamorous!)

That is not how real life is, and so this week I celebrate the many contrasts of my life – from glam to not so glam!

Melissa x

Sunday Session, with love

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Welcome to my mp book news Sunday Session, a quick check in to see how you’re going and what you’ve got planned for your Sunday!

Sunday Session, with love

This weekend I have love on my mind. You’d need to be living under a rock not to know it’s Valentine’s Day season, and romance is here to stay. My husband and I laughed as we wished each other Happy Valentine’s Day. It’s not that we’re past it, it’s just that we’re past getting caught up in the flowers, chocolates and the romantic gestures from sunrise to sun-up!

In saying that, I’m a real romantic and always thought I’d write romance novels and not crime novels. My first true love, like many women my age, was Johnny Castle. Many of you will know exactly who I mean, but if not, the next clue is Dirty Dancing!

Although my novels sit fairly and squarely in the crime genre, I haven’t been able to resist exploring the love story of Rhiannon and Mac – MacVee. Their red dirt road to true love is not exactly smooth, but for the most part, it feels like they’re meant to be together forever.

Isn’t that where things ended up for Johnny and Baby? After the final scene where he lifts her high in the world’s most famous and most watched dance move, I am sure they headed off, hand in hand, to live happily ever after. Or did they?

As for Rhiannon and Mac, I get a lot of readers tell me how much they love the scenes that include the glamorous cowgirl Wynona who has a short fling with Mac  while he and Rhiannon were on a break.

In the spirit of Valentine’s, please read on for a few snippets from You’ll Never Find Me, book 3 in the Rhiannon Series.

Happy Sunday y’all!

Melissa x

You’ll Never Find Me

Wynona took another sip of her drink. Mary Chapin Carpenter was playing on the jukebox. She was new to the country scene but Wynona knew she’d hit big one day. She was singing a song for Wynona and Mac, What You Didn’t Say. The lyrics were written just for them, especially the line about not what you said, what you didn’t say. It was a sign. That’s it. She had to go back. She had to touch him, feel him, and show him that she was the one for him. She’d send him a letter first, just a casual Hello, how ya going? Wynona was going to Australia to get her cowboy. Then bring him back home, hand in hand and side by side, to ranch together and live happily ever after.

…

Mac was in turmoil. Rhiannon was coming home for the Bollon B&S, and so was Wynona. And it was only one day away. He’d managed to shield Rhiannon completely from his relationship with Wynona. He now regretted not being more honest after he and Rhiannon got back together. A few times he’d come close to telling her, because he hated hiding anything, but the words always got stuck.

He knew he had to tell her. Tonight was his last chance. Because when he had to introduce them at the B&S, he knew Rhiannon would know. She would sense it. She would see it.

Everyone north of the border knew Mac and Wynona had been a hot item. Their relationship had been hard and fast. It didn’t last long but it left a mark wherever they went. How could it not, when Wynona was one of the most beautiful women God put on this earth, and Mac her perfect accompaniment? They seemed to have an ideal relationship, working side by side on stations all around the southwest. They worked together and played together. Those who knew Rhiannon had broken Mac’s heart felt relieved for him. Happy he had found new love.

…

He was hip to hip with Rhiannon, beer in hand and deep in conversation with old friends from boarding school. The chattering crowd quietened. The change in noise level was what got Mac’s attention.

He looked up and his breath drew in, then stopped, his heart a giant flutter. He’d forgotten how stunning she was. It was like she was from another world. And she was. She should be on the cover of a magazine.

He squeezed Rhiannon’s hand tight. She winced as the blood stopped flowing to her fingers, and her eyes followed his. She felt ill. Sick to the stomach.

Wynona was dressed in a beige silk décolleté singlet that draped low to her small perfectly rounded breasts, but not so low that it was tacky. Her blemish free tanned skin was the perfect complement. Not a freckle in sight. She had teamed her top with fitted black silk pants. Perfectly pressed pleats fell neatly  at the front, following her slender legs forever.

She was one of the tallest women Rhiannon had ever seen. She knew without seeing that the fabric hugged Wynona’s perfectly toned arse cheeks at the back, and that from every angle she was perfect. Dammit.

But it wasn’t just her body. It was her perfectly proportioned facial features. Her glorious dark hair was piled high on her head, with escaping tendrils falling delicately around her face. It was like an artist had created her.

Her nose was tiny. Her teeth were pearly white, and amazingly straight. Her large dark brown eyes, so dark they were almost black, were stunning. Sparkling as well. And her mouth. Not big and wide and overly smiling like Rhiannon felt hers was. It was also in perfect proportion. Dazzling. She looked a bit like Elle Macpherson, but with darker hair and bigger eyes.

Rhiannon’s face flushed as Wynona strode purposefully towards Mac, her feelings for him written all over her face. Wynona didn’t even notice Rhiannon standing by his side, with her gaze so intent upon Mac.

Sunday Session – cowboys and crime

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Aha, I know I have your attention! I asked if this cowboy is what my readers imagine Mac to look like. They knocked the nail on the head when they said he looks very much like an American cowboy, whereas Mac is a true blue Australian cowboy. Another reader asked if this is an AI-generated image. I’d say it potentially is. If not AI, it is very much photoshopped! She also imagines Australian cowboy Mac to be a lot more rugged, maybe with a scar. This is how Mac is in my head – he’s not so smooth faced, he’s definitely more rugged and more real. However, the fictional cowboy that posed for this photo is still good inspiration!

My obsession with Australian cowboys, country music and western movies started before I can even remember. I grew up going to rodeos, country shows and country races. When I left home at 18 and spent a year in the outback, I loved the true outback country race meetings, polocross weekends, outback pubs and Bachelor and Spinster balls.

It’s fun to create new characters and place them in the settings I’m familiar with, although what happens in my books is far removed from my own experiences! That’s the joy of fiction – it’s an escape both for me as a writer and you as a reader.

I also had this message from Lisa in response to my question about whether Mac and Rhiannon belong together: I love Mac and Rhiannon together, but figuring out their next moves as they have different ideas going forward. Some compromises need to be made. I’ve read all the books in the series and love their dynamic. I like a good romance, as well as, a crime story.

I can’t tell you how much I love hearing from my readers – it’s such a great boost when I’m writing my next book and feeling stuck and uninspired – it’s YOU who encourage me to keep at it!

One more look at this dreamy fictional cowboy. Not Mac, but he does alright.

Sunday Session: Cowboys and Crime

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Introducing Sunday Session, a quick check in to see how you’re going and what you’ve got planned for your Sunday!

This morning I opened Life’s Little Instruction Book to see what the day had in store. 188. Be the most positive and enthusiastic person you know.

Okay, I’ll try! But Sundays can be a struggle. I am usually tired, I have a lot of household chores that need doing to ensure the following week goes smoothly. I should be doing this, and that, and the other.

How is my Sunday shaping up so far? It’s a wet, rainy day and these are my favourite Sundays as I feel like I have permission to slow down.

I got up early and wrote some of my new book and had my nature fix before the rain, I’ve drunk coffee and wrapped book orders to post out tomorrow. As soon as I finish this I’m back to my book. Then I may watch TV, or read a book. I have also decided that chores can be squeezed into the week.

I’ve learnt that I don’t have to be productive every single minute of every single day. It’s impossible for a start. And although I agree with 188 above, it’s also not possible to always be positive and enthusiastic. And that is okay. Just do what you can, at your own pace, on your Sunday. Because that’s what I’m doing today!!

Melissa x

Life’s Little Instruction Book

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When I was 18 and working as a governess in the remote Australian outback I started a book of quotes that helped inspire, guide and keep my life on track. Lines from songs, paragraphs from books, poetry, things people said to me all went into this little book. Back then, in 1991, we didn’t have social media, Google or the plethora of online spaces to tell us how to live a good, happy, prosperous life.

Life’s Little Instruction Book – 477 suggestions, observations, and reminders on how to live a happy and rewarding life came into my possession during my first year of university. Using a pencil (because I could never and still can’t bring myself to write in a book with a pen!) I have underlined, added asterisks and written exclamation marks on instructions that have resonated at one time or another since then.

I get it out on January 1 every year. January is one of those months where my brain decides it’s too full for the high productivity levels of the previous year, and the days blend into each other. I live at the beach and am surrounded by people on holidays, perhaps I could pretend I’m on holidays too?

Each day I turn to Life’s Little Instruction Book – something, anything, to jolt me into action for a new year! This morning the message on the left hand page was clear. 416. Don’t procrastinate! Do what needs doing when it needs to be done. (I have underlined this and put several exclamation marks in pencil!!) But then on the facing page there’s 420. Get your priorities straight. No one ever said on his death bed, “Gee, if I’d only spent more time at the office.”

And would you look at that, it’s another perfect beach day so if you’re looking for me, I’ll be at the beach!

Melissa x

Rhiannon’s Last Look: what’s the Australian outback really like?

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When I was 18, fresh out of high school and with a pocket full of dreams, I boarded a tiny yellow plane at Quirindi airport, waved my family goodbye, and disappeared into the vast open place known as the Australian outback.

I grew up in rural Australia but there’s a big difference between the rolling, green hills of the Great Dividing Range and the open skies, flat clay pans and never-ending red dirt roads.

I spent a year in this magical place, but as my life grabbed me and ran me through the years and away from the outback, something kept drawing me back.

In the past decade I’ve spent a big part of my time travelling through the outback, and it’s provided me with the ideal backdrop for mystery, people going missing and the frustrating search to find them.

Abandoned homesteads, falling down shearing sheds, far-flung paddocks so far from anywhere you could disappear and never be found.

Not to mention morning light, afternoon light, blazing sunsets that paint the sky orange, red, gold, pink and purple, lightning cracks followed by booming thunder and drenching rain, full moons in a starry sky, the endless chitter chatter of outback birds, paddocks moving in the shimmering haze as hundreds of kangaroos cross from one side to the other and sleek and deadly brown snakes that stop your heart from beating when they appear from nowhere. Also cowboys, don’t forget cowboys!

Right now the average temperature is around 38 degrees Celsius (100.4 degrees Fahrenheit) so for those of you who are rugged up and seeing your first flakes of snow, the outback is the complete opposite! This time of year outback Australia also gets drenched by the most impressive summer storms you’ll ever see where the sky opens and pours what feels like a year’s worth of rain onto the dusty, barren paddocks – filling creeks and rivers and giving those who live and make a living in this isolated place a much-needed reprieve.Each of my Rhiannon Series covers features one of the hundreds (if not thousands) of photos my husband and I take in our outback travels  – it is always hard to choose but each one ends up fitting perfectly with the words inside.

I love them all but I think the Rhiannon’s Last Look cover is my favourite.

When I came across this building and saw the chair facing out the door, it filled me with a sense of yearning and loss and how it feels when someone goes missing and doesn’t come home.

However, if they are fortunate enough to have a Detective Rhiannon McVee in their lives, hope that they will be found is never far away.

Melissa x

Down that red dirt road, Back of Bourke

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I have just been on another trip into the Australian outback, and this time I took a trip down ‘that red dirt road’ which Rhiannon drives on as she heads to work at the Back O’ Bourke. I haven’t spent a lot of time in this part of the world, and it’s a coincidence that after writing my 7th book, life seems to be landing me right in the middle of the places I have been writing about!

I’ve never been down this particular road, but the Brooks and Dunn song lyrics played out in my head:
We’d turn out the headlightsAnd drive by the moonlightTalk about what the future might holdDown that red dirt road
It’s where I drank my first beerIt’s where I found JesusWhere I wrecked my first carI tore it all to pieces

This is when we came across a roadside memorial. When you are on an isolated road and see large buckets of bright flowers and a rock with a plaque, you have to stop.

And what a tragic story it revealed. What could possibly have happened that all these people, aged from 11 to 22, died on such an isolated road in the vast Australian outback on the same date – August 26, 1979?

My writer’s mind went to so many different places. The real story is always worse than any fictional story I could create. I can’t even imagine the ripple effect of this accident on this red dirt road.

Road trauma is something I have experience with. The shock, followed by the long, tangled journey towards acceptance can be debilitating.

1979 seems like a lifetime ago. I was seven years old. I wondered, in such an isolated, lonely place, how would they have called for help? We drove for 100km and did not pass one single vehicle. There are farm properties out here, but they are few and far between. How long before someone discovered what happened? And what about the survivors, and the emergency services? How have they coped? What have their lives been like? Are they okay?

After some Googling, I discovered an Australian Story episode ‘Out of the Dust’, which I was unable to watch but could read the transcript. This gives an incredible insight into how road trauma changes the lives of those left behind forever – it doesn’t just affect families and friends, but whole communities.

In my last Book News, I wrote “At some point I believe we make a conscious choice not to let our trauma define us completely.” And as this Australian Story episode reveals, the sister of one of the young boys who died, Dani Haski, made a very brave and conscious choice to face her trauma. Twenty-five years on, she returned to the accident site and brought together many people who were there on that day, and the families they left behind, to create this memorial which I stood beside.

The way people, in the wake of such tragedy, can walk into the void and change the narrative they’ve lived with for so long is nothing short of miraculous.

We do this not only for ourselves, but to honour the memories of those we have lost and the joy they brought to our lives.

Melissa x

A break from Rhiannon McVee

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I have been off the air for a while, and a lot of you have been wondering about the long break between updates. I have been avoiding putting words down after a family tragedy which is taking me a long time to process.

From the day I published Write About Me in 2013 and embarked on a very public search for Ursula, I used writing as a coping mechanism for all the trauma happening behind the scenes. Escaping into the worlds of my fictional characters in the Rhiannon McVee crime series kept my real emotions on the surface and I could easily pretend that what was going on in the real world wasn’t real! But after losing my precious Dad, who was my biggest fan of my books and everything else I did, I have done everything I can to avoid dealing with my emotions. Initially when I was caught up in the love bubble of his beautiful memorial celebration I had a mad weekend of writing as I felt like I couldn’t waste another minute of my life, but then nothing. Every time I’ve sat down to write the Rhiannon McVee crime series or the new crime novel I’ve started, the words won’t come.

I’ve spent a lot of time in the remote outback, also reading, listening to podcasts, doing Sudoko puzzles, listening to music, walking, catching up with friends and being with my family. I’ve also taken a gazilliion photos of big skies. I can’t take the credit for this one though, my husband took it and it’s gone into the book cover contenders folder!

This week I seemed to turn a corner and some of the fog has lifted. Rhiannon McVee and Mac have returned into my head to hang out with me, and my new character who started off as Bunny, then changed to Bridie, has also returned. She has returned as Bunny so I’m going to go with it for now and who knows! I have two partly written books and after I finish this update, I’m going to open one and see what is in store for me, and ultimately for all of you!!

Senses on fire: what Helen Garner helped me understand about my writing

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One thing the outback does is clears my mind of all the clutter. I have time to think, I am not scrolling through social media or getting caught up in the craziness of everyday life. I listen to birds, watch the sun come up, watch the sun go down and notice tiny details. Most importantly, I am inspired to write…

In the air-conditioned tractor cab while my husband sweats through another forty-five degree day on the post driver, highly lauded Australian author Helen Garner reflects on decades of searching for perfect sentences in her 80th birthday podcast episode.

Oops! I forget to lift the driver before I move forward another seven metres and I lose track of Garner for a few seconds, distracted by the exuberant hand gestures in my rear vision mirror. Back on the line, I slide my finger back a minute or two so I don’t miss one single word of Helen’s.

She lights a flame and my senses are on fire. I can’t wait to swap the GPS and tractor wheel for my keyboard. I’ve always been an observer of small things but Garner makes me appreciate the power observation gives me as a writer.  It is left to me to capture moments, landscapes and places very few people are privileged enough to see.

…

Dragonflies dance millimetres from the surface, while life-sucking carp feast greedily to create bubbles that spread from beneath and muddy the waters.

A yellow belly vies for position, determined to survive amongst the river-invading carp who breed like rabbits in the flush of flood waters that have spent months snaking their way across what is usually a parched landscape.

Bright white spoonbill ibis circle overhead, cussing in a deep throaty tune at human intrusion on their sacred place.

Birdsong from hundreds of tiny robins and rare bush birds fill ancient eucalypts that line the banks. The closer we get to the long concrete weir that stretches from one side of the remote river to the other, they’re barely audible above the hypnotising roar of water.

It is easy to picture Aboriginals gathering in this sacred place, feasting from the rich food and water source that nourished them for thousands of years.

Yabbies the size of crayfish.

Rock skimming amusing us for hours.

…

Now all I need to do is insert a body floating over this isolated weir and I’m well on my way to my next plot twist. Watch this space!