Paperbacks and ebooks - which do you prefer?

As an author, I am interested in what format people favour for their reading. Is it ebook  on your e-reader? Is it paperback, for that physical experience? Do you like hardcover, as opposed to paperback?

As a voracious reader I don't really mind paperback or hardcover but I find ebooks rather tedious. So it's a last resort for me, if I can't get hold of the 'real thing.' But you may feel differently! I love the smell of a book, the feel of the pages, the weight of it in my hands. And I am always borrowing books form my local library to take with me when I have to sit in a waiting room. Each night I read in bed. It's wonderful to dive into other worlds just before you sleep.

Lots of people take an e-reader away with them on holiday, as they can carry many books on a small device. There are benefits there, definitely!

In the lead-up to Christmas I sold lots of my books at local events. It was great to get out and meet readers, as well as parents and grandparents who buy books for their families. As I currently have a broad range of genres - children's, teen and adult, fiction and non-fiction, it's wonderful to be able to offer people what they are looking for and sometimes I get to hear their thoughts on a particular book of mine they have read and enjoyed. click here for info about my books

My fantasy novel Rebel (book 1 of the FLIGHT trilogy) was released in August. I absolutely LOVE the cover! You can buy your own copy here:

REBEL - paperbook and ebook

'A young rebel is called to lead - with a broken wing and absolutely no idea what he is doing.'

Remote School Visits

During covid in 2020 I managed to get involved with a couple of schools for workshop and appearances. Through the magic of the internet I was able to speak to students at Brisbane Grammar and a lovely public school in NSW for the Books in Homes program. It's not the same as being there, of course. And I can't sign their copies of my books, but it's great to hear what they're interested in, the books they read and see their drawings.

New Books for 2021

I have signed contracts for two more novels and I am hoping they come out this year! 

Elkwood  is Urban Science Fiction for teens, (kinda Buffy/Legally Blonde/Big Bang theory) about a girl, Charlotte, who goes from fashion queen to dying superhero with a strange ability to manipulate spacetime, just a fraction! She used to worry incessantly about her clothes, makeup, what her so-called friends thought of her, now she finds herself worried about whether she will live long enough and have the strength to save her father from the mysterious and dangerous organisation called Elkwood. Her friends are now a bunch of geeks, who are the only true friends she has and try to help her understand what is happening to her body. Charlotte finds herself falling in love with a boy who has secrets of his own.

Secrets of the Water Meadow  is for younger readers, age 7+ and is about two sisters who live on an island in Norway. The younger sister, Freya, befriends a creature of the deep fjord, a mermaid of sorts, called a 'havfrue', whom legend says drags small children down into the fjord to live with them. Freya's elder sister Lisbet has a terrible secret she won't tell anyone. Freya confides in her new friend, whom she calls Lorelei, who seems to listen and understand, even though she can't actually speak. When Lisbet runs away and her uncle almost drowns trying to find her, will Lorelei help the humans, because of her friendship with Freya?

Well, that's it for now. At the moment I am working on book two of the FLIGHT trilogy. It's called Runaway. The first book is about Reeve, but this book is about Sye, a girl of dark secrets who must travel to the frozen north to find the Ice Dragons to help save a friend of hers. She is an apprentice blacksmith, so I am having lots of fun researching that!

Have an excellent 2021! I hope you got LOTS of books for Christmas!