News

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Is that really Napoleon?

My last book out, The Duke's Secret, was all about the Duke of Wellington's many…

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Artist’s Legacy

What a thrill to write about iconic Indigenous artist Emily Kame Kngwarreye for Good Weekend…

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Heroes v Villains

Who is the most interesting character in a book: the hero or the villain? I…

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Beaches bookfest

There's a fabulous festival later this month, the Northern Beaches Readers Festival, well worth a…

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Couldn’t Resist

Posting another pic of that amazing seaplane trip up to Newport where we had a…

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Flying High

I reckon this must be one of the very best things ever to do in…

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Ch..ch..ch..ch..changes

Fun to go along to the annual Australian Financial Review Property Summit to report on…

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The Last Summit

With kittens, you understand how they smash everything in paw distance. But the last refuge…

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Cat

How can two such sweet kittens be constantly SO destructive? Every box that enters the…

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Melting Moment

Finally got to see - and taste - what all the fuss is about over…

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Decadent Dessert

Had one of the best desserts of my life the other day at a new…

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The Other Side of Africa

Loved writing a cover story on the lesser-known and under-visited parts of Africa for Traveller…

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Rain, Rain Go Away

Of course, it rains hard and often in New Zealand but, on the plus side,…

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Tramping

We took a break at the Karangahake Gorge for a quick walk along the old…

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Across The Ditch

Always so lovely to drop into New Zealand for a long weekend, and you never…

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Priceless Protea

Astonishing to think that the Blue Mountains Botanic Garden at Mount Tomah was formerly land…

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Botanic Beauty

Stopped off on the way back from the Orange Writers' Festival at the Blue Mountains…

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Food, Glorious Food

Orange might be chilly outside, but in the city's restaurants, the eating scene is hot,…

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Brrrr ….

For the first time in how many years? Ice on the windscreen of our hired…

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The Tall White Duke

Such fun to spend the weekend in gorgeous Orange as a guest at their annual…

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Celebration!

I'm a firm believer in celebrating every win ... and trying to forget every loss.…

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A Night at the Theatre

Went to see the Olivier Award-winning comedy Pride & Prejudice (sort of) at the Opera House ...…

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Last chance!

With the 2 August, 5pm AEST deadline coming up, this could be your last chance…

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Orange Alert

If you haven't already, do yourself a favour and book a ticket for the Orange…

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The things you see!

On the train to Lithgow this week to visit my dad, I was taken aback…

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Best (Wellington) Boot Forward

Did you enjoy reading The Duke's Secret, my last historical novel about the Duke of…

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Red with Orange Envy

Tickets are apparently selling out fast for the Orange Readers & Writers Festival on August 1.…

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Be In It To Win It!

The Duke of Wellington might not have been everyone's idea of the perfect man, but…

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Wine, Dine and Read!

How about a visit to one of Australia's true gems: Orange for the annual Orange…

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Festival Fanfare

Such a treat to chat to fellow author Kate Forsyth about her stunning new book,…

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Favourite Books

It's time for that annual tradition ...Voting for Australia's top 100 favourite books. If you enjoyed…

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Happy Birthday

It was my dad's 96th birthday recently, so we surprised him with lunch in Lithgow…

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Word is out

The secret is out at last, about the next book I have coming out. An…

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Book Talk

There's a new book out on store shelves, The Changeling, a disturbing historical tale of…

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World Cup

Loving the World Cup! We even have a new giant TV to watch it on.…

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Love Was In The Air (again)

The marvellous Merry Makers, that fabulous dance troupe of young people with disabilities, had their…

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A Bag O’ Cat

Gosh, kittens can be adorable sometimes, just sometimes. This is Diego looking terribly sheepish in…

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Nearly There!

Just posted off the penultimate edit of my next book ... Can't wait to talk…

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Weaving Magic

I've always admired writer Kate Forsyth and her gripping novels on myriad different subjects. How…

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Top Cat

Sometimes it's a jostle for position when you have three cats; at other times, they…

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Stupendous Sydney

Sometimes you forget what a splendid city you live in, until you happen to catch…

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Fabulous Festival

Can't wait to appear at the Willoughby Literary Festival on Sunday July 19 at 11.15am…

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Thrilled and Chilled

Master storyteller Kate Forsyth's next book is an enthralling tale of love, magic and treachery…

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Redhead

Thinking of changing my hair back to what it once was. Should I? On the…

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Football Mad

Diego, the boy of our new kittens, has become absolutely obsessed with the World Cup.…

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Crazy Cats

They look so sweet and innocent, but looks really do deceive. All you can hear…

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Dark History

I'm excited to be chatting to one of my favourite novelists Kate Forsyth at the…

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Fit for Forbes

Such fun to be writing for Forbes Australia magazine and in the latest issue, my…

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Bathtime

You know how cats hate water, right? Sadly, we had to give our two little…

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Top Shelf Cat

How does she get up there? A favourite place for sitting viewing the world ...…

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Cat in a Box

What is it about cats and boxes? You buy the most expensive baskets, rugs and…

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Mercedes muses

Lovely to get a mention as Mercedes Maguire lays out the case for historical fiction…

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A head of steam

I've always wanted to go on the Zig Zag Railway at Lithgow, built between 1866…

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History mystery

Had a great night at the Parramatta Historical Society, talking about Australia's fourth governor, the…

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Football frenzy

Good to see our new kittens, Diego and Frida, are as mad about football as…

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A dream life

Our two little kittens, brother and sister Diego and Frida, went through their desexing, but…

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The Great Western

Loved visiting Wentworth Point this week to talk about my novel, The Duke's Secret, to…

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No complaints

The one housemate who NEVER complains about an untidy house/room/desk. River just loves making the…

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Yahoo!

Great to see The Duke's Secret is still selling! Spotted in a Surry Hills bookshop…

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Square Eyes

While one of our new kittens, Diego, is a reader, enjoying kicking all the books…

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Sofa so good

Endless fun with these two around, where even relaxing on a sofa brings the dangers…

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Klever Kitten

Diego's favourite pastime turns out to be reading - how great for a rescue kitten…

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Kahlo Kittens

Beware of a cascade of cuteness on the horizon: we've just adopted two rescue kittens.…

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Ambrosia anyone?

Is this the prettiest thing I've ever helped make, and eaten? Could be. Fig and…

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Endless Summer

Summer seems to be never-ending in Sydney this year ... Even nature can't work it…

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Going Global!

Delighted to report that my new book The Duke's Secret is now available to buy…

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5 Stars!

Thanks so much to book reviewer Cindy L Spear for her fabulous review of The…

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What a collection!

Such a buzz to see my four novels as a 'collector's set' on a bookstand…

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Talking Ancestry

It was fabulous to be invited to record a podcast with Canberra interviewer Barbie Robinson…

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That’s Life for sure

Thanks so much to That's Life magazine with a great story on me and my…

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RIP

Meet our beautiful little kitten Trotsky, a recent, and much-loved, addition to our family. He…

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Sunset on the Amazon

A final sunset on the Peruvian Amazon and a sad farewell to a splendid exploration.…

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Wary of the Wildlife

A timely reminder that not all the native critters are as cuddly as sloths look.…

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No Getting Away

Even though I'm 13,000km away from my regular life in Sydney in the Peruvian Amazon,…

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Nice Day For A Swim

Should I swim in the Amazon with all those piranhas in the water, and having…

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Hanging Around

Lovely to see so many sloths hanging around in the trees. They're such funny-looking creatures…

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Livestream with the Book Queens

Put the date in your diary - April 13 - for a fun chat about…

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Paddle Your Own Canoe

Yes, I know I should have done but it is only a dug-out that feels…

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Working on the Move

It's a tough job ... but someone's got to do it. So lovely sitting at…

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More food, glorious food

Just one meal and what a variety of dishes, and flavours, aboard the Aqua Nera…

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Village people

One day we visit a colourful village, Lisboa Town, on the banks of the Peruvian…

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Pesky Piranhas

Fishing in the Amazon with fishing rods made of simple sticks and string, and the…

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Sunday papers

Thanks so much to the Sunday Telegraph in Sydney and the Herald Sun in Melbourne…

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Up close and personal

The Amazon seems to change every kilometre, especially as you drift through some of the…

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Book Queens booking

Thrilled that I'll be appearing as a guest on that fab platform BOOKQUEENS for passionate…

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Food glorious food

Meet my three shipmates, and our chef, serving the most delicious local fare as…

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Jungle Book

So amazing to be travelling in a little capsule of absolute luxury through this wild,…

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Amazon Dreaming

Ah! The mighty Amazon! The world's largest river by volume of water with around 20…

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Deepest, darkest Peru

Off on assignment with Traveller to one of the most remote areas in the world…

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Airport best-seller shelves!

The Duke looks right at home there... I'm off though, on assignment to South America.…

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Unrecognisable!

Harper's Bazaar magazine has featured me in its March issue, profiling me and my latest…

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International Women’s Day

There could have been no place grander to start International Women's Day this week than…

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Woman’s Day

Absolutely thrilled to see The Duke's Secret featured in Woman's Day magazine, and especially at…

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Kiama

Oh, I do like to be beside the seaside Such a blast to be invited…

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Batemans Bay

Had a smashing day in Batemans Bay on the NSW south coast at the weekend…

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The Fear of Failure

Do you think you ever get over this? The room is set -- in this…

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Fish, Fabulous Fish

Two great Melbourne foodie friends came to Sydney this week and invited me to join…

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Cheers to cheese

I reckon this is one of my favourite places in the world ... the Hunter…

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Play Time

Great to be back in the ABC radio studios talking to the fabulous Suzanne Hill…

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Wonderful Women’s Weekly

Thanks to the great folks over at the Australian Women's Weekly who published a lovely…

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Bookstore boost

Thanks to all the lovely people at Dymocks in Hobart for displaying my novel so…

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Cessnock City Limits

Had a great time at Cessnock City Library talking about The Duke's Secret. Those lovely…

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DNA Disaster

Such fun to write the cover story for the Weekend pages of the Australian Financial…

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History Talks

Loved appearing on a podcast for the Historical Novel Society Australasia for the launch of…

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It’s a Sell-Out!

After all the nail-biting nerves of the anticipation of my first Dymocks Literary Lunch on…

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Who? Me!

Thanks so much to Who Weekly for featuring me and my new book on their…

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Maritime Moments

Come and hear the incredible story of a man who changed the course of world…

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Launch of The Duke’s Secret

Had a really fun launch of my new book, The Duke's Secret, about the Duke…

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ABC and me

Thrilled to talk reading and writing on ABC Radio New England breakfast with Tach Curnow.…

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Bookshop Blarney

Happily, my new book, The Duke's Secret, was also right at the front of Abbey's…

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Divine Dymocks

Couldn't resist visiting bookshops on the weekend to see if my new book, The Duke's…

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Time Out

Meet my dear old dad, the man who inspired my new novel, The Duke's Secret,…

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Last call for Lunch

Apparently, there are only a few tickets left for the Dymocks literary lunch with me…

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Prime Position

It's fabulous to see my book leading off the February releases from Allen & Unwin.…

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A Vote of Confidence

So fabulous to see the cover design of my book featured on the front page…

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The art of a beautiful cover

Greetings to Veronica from The Burgeoning Bookshelf who loves the cover of my next book,…

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Thanks, Emily!

What a beautiful image Emily from the books dragons den has posted of my upcoming…

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Fabulous Film Fiesta

It's been an incredible year for Australian film with so many brilliant releases ... Think…

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Another great Goodreads review of The Duke’s Secret, out February 3

Reviewer Ann-Maree says, 'The narrative features a captivating dual timeline that intricately weaves together two…

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And – yippee! – another 5-star review!

Angelynn says of my new novel The Duke's Secret, coming out on February 3 next…

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What’s in the Box?

Watch the video, all will be revealed! thedukessecret@allenandunwin

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And another Goodreads 5 stars

Woo hoo! Fabulous to read your review Allison of my February novel, The Duke's Secret! She…

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Goodreads 5 stars!

Thanks so much Karren Sandercock for your review of my upcoming book, The Duke's Secret.…

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Chasing Shadows?

So thrilling to see this book and its release all come together ... It was…

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Quoting Kyra

Thanks so much, Kyra Geddes, for reading my new book and then giving your verdict.…

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Rollercoaster review

Some early readers have been too, too generous in their praise of my new novel, The…

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One of 2025’s must-reads!

So thrilled to see my last book, The Governor, His Wife & His Mistress, as…

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Marrakech Marvels

Final stop in Morocco - marvellous Marrakech. A lovely final stop, looking around the Bahia…

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The Big Chill

Who knew Morocco could be so cold? Not me! I resorted to wearing all the…

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Home of 1,000 Movies

Along the historic caravan route between the Sahara and Marrakech, Aït Benhaddou is an ancient…

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Kasbah Kapers

The 17th Century Kasbah Amridil at the oasis of Skoura is a fascinating place to explore.…

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Literary Luncheon

So honoured that Dymocks has chosen my new book to be the subject of one…

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Gorge-ous

Away from the Sahara Desert, we head through Morocco's magnificent Todra Gorge - with time for…

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Love Deserts!

Jumping for joy on the sands of the Sahara. I was last here probably 30…

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Desert Camp

At last, we arrive by camel at the Sahara Desert Camp, great glamping tents with…

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Happy New Review

Happy New Year! And off to a great start. Thank you so much Karren for…

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Catwoman

Maybe I could choose to stay in Chefchaouen ... and here's an idea for something…

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And more Blue

Simply couldn't resist a few more pictures of Chefchaouen in Morocco ... so, so beautiful.…

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Feeling Blue

But only in a good way! On to Morocco's famed 'Blue City' of Chefchaouen, a…

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Rocking the Kasbah

In the Moroccan capital Rabat, visited the UNESCO World Heritage Site -- the Kasbah of…

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An Unfinished Landmark

In the Moroccan capital Rabat, this was intended to become the world' largest mosque when…

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Play It, Sam.

And yes, it's still there ... "Of all the gin joints in all the towns in…

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Mosque Magic

First stop on a tour of Morocco - Casablanca, and a visit to the world's…

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Coming Soon

I'm nervous and I'm excited, both at the same time, about my new book, The…

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Candlelight at the Moon

Finally got to see one of those wonderful candlelight concerts at St Stephens Church on…

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Backpacker Bonanza

Off to Morocco on a travel job for Traveller... And since writing a piece extolling…

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First Glimpse

Thrilled to announce the imminent release of my next historical novel ... and one very…

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Capital Breakfasts!

In the course of two days, staying in Canberra and then driving back to Sydney…

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Canberra Craft

Wowee! A new career highlight last week when I was asked, with fellow historical fiction…

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Where am I?

Yes, Australia's oldest homestead, Elizabeth Farm in Parramatta. It's a beautifully preserved building, with furniture…

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Trotsky Troubles

Our new kitten, Trotsky, looks as if butter wouldn't melt in his mouth, but it's…

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Buzzy Burwood

It's the Australian suburb named by Time Out magazine as the coolest in the country…

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Sight for Sore Eyes

Great to see my books being displayed on the National Trust NSW stall at Hambledon Cottage's Foundation…

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Handsome Hambledon

Visited the historic (built by John Macarthur in 1824 for his family, their governess and…

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Dastardly Deeds

Dropped in on gorgeous Kiama to watch my partner Jimmy - also known as the…

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Trails for change

I love supporting MedEarth charity's sponsored walk every year to raise funds to send unused…

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Comrade Cat

On the 120th anniversary of the first Russian Revolution, introducing our new family member: Trotsky…

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Springtime in Sydney

The jacaranda this year are so early, and so stunning. They're everywhere and so intense…

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Handsome Hambledon

Working on a new Australian historical novel and visited the Macarthurs' Hambledon Cottage in the grounds…

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Picture Imperfect

Thanks so much to the person who sent me the best publicity pic ever! I…

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Revisiting the Past

Fabulous to be invited to the inaugural mash-up of the Hornsby Library Meet the Author…

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Capital Fun

Thrilled to be appearing at the National Library of Australia alongside esteemed novelist Alison Goodman…

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Chilling Crime

Many congrats to my talented partner James Dunbar (otherwise known as Jimmy Dunbar Thomson) who has…

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Visiting History

Once a year, one of Australia's best known families, the Macarthurs, opens the gates to…

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Talking Books

Fun to do a presentation to the Crows Nest Probus Club on Australia's third governor,…

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Road Tripping

Love a good road trip! And did one this week to Goulburn to talk historical…

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More Magnificence

More views of Milos, the beautifully painted houses, lovely beaches and the clear, clear water.…

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Magic Milos

A more restful time on the Greek island of Milos, where Venus de Milo was…

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Kayaking Kaos

It felt like a good idea at the time … a four-hour kayak expedition along…

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A Greek Odyssey

And now docked at the Greek island of Nydri or Lefkada, considered by some to…

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Not so crazy for cliff diving

Just along the coast from Trulli sits the town of Polignano a Mare where adventurers…

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Next stop: Brindisi

I was so excited to be visiting the Trulli of Alberobello in Italy’s Puglia –…

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Dubrovnik by Night

As the sun sets and the moon rises, Dubrovnik’s mood changes as it becomes an…

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Cable Car or Stairs?

The cable car up the mountain is the easy bet, from where you can drink…

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Telling tales in Goulburn

Calling everyone in Goulburn and nearby towns! I'm travelling to the Southern Tablelands to do…

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The Drama of Dubrovnik

Encircled in massive 16th Century stone walls, Dubrovnik has drama around every corner, from the…

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The Joy of the Journey

On the way to our next stop, Dubrovnik, it’s lovely to watch the Croatian coast,…

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So much to see

In Ravenna. It’s hard to know where to go first to admire the artistry of…

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Ravishing Ravenna

Our first stop is at the Italian port city of Ravenna, well-known for its incredible…

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All aboard!

Finally time to board the Explora I, the MSC Group’s luxury yacht-like ship, holding fewer…

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The Final Day

Couldn’t resist a ride on a gondola and it was such fun, I can’t believe…

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Jumping for joy

In St Mark’s Square. So wonderful to be in Venice. The last few times I’ve…

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Venerable Venice

Venice has to be one of the most beautiful cities in the world … the…

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In The Picture

Talented SMH photographer Dion Georgopoulos took a pic to accompany a piece in a series I…

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Fond Farewell to a Dear Friend

An incredibly moving memorial service for my much-loved friend, the late Father Chris Riley, a…

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Hippo-esque

This is how i feel (and pretty much look) after two and a half weeks…

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Putin-esca

As one of the countries who've suffered the most at the hands of various totalitarian…

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Wroclaw Cathedral

The 13th Century Gothic cathedral in Poland's Wroclaw, reconstructed after the devastation of WWII, is…

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Student Spectacular

A cathedral? A church? No, a university in Wroclaw, Poland. While today there are still…

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Wonderful Wroclaw

Our last stop in Poland - the beautiful city of Wroclaw, dubbed 'the Venice of…

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Accommodation Art

How can you artfully brand a hotel? The Krakow hotel I stayed in during my…

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Pass the Matzos

Dinner in the old Jewish quarter in Krakow,Poland. It's a beautiful area of the city…

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Lenin’s Loves

This is the cafe in Krakow inside the Medieval Cloth Hall on the main square…

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Lip smackin’ good

Travelling through Poland is a wonderful chance to sample all the incredible food on offer.…

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Next Stop: Krakow

Krakow is another incredible city of churches, cathedrals, castles, historic landmarks ... and the horror…

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Sweet Tooth

No sugar is ever enough! For great doughnuts, cakes, desserts and lollies, Poland is the place…

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Willoughby Wandering

Great to appear at the inaugural Willoughby Literary Festival on Sydney's North Shore, and on…

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Gdansk Glory

A day trip to Gdansk from Warsaw, where the Polish-made melex -- fancy electric extended…

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Stalin’s Rocket

The Palace of Culture and Science in Warsaw, the tower that Stalin built during the…

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The Power and the Glory

as well as the silly. Warsaw has so many wonderful historic sights, vast market squares,…

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