Kathryn's Inbox

Before Sesame Street came along to sober him up and well before he found fame with the Muppets, Kermit the Frog was the somewhat crazy and often violent spokes person for a popular brand of coffee in the United States. PS Does his offsider remind you of anyone?

Imagine waking in Las Vegas and discovering that one, you cannot remember anything about the night before, two, that you married to a very famous rock star and three, that you have his name tattooed on your backside. That is the premise of Lick , the first novel in Kylie Scott's Stage Dive series. This one pretty much is what it is and publisher Pan Macmillan's marketing campaign--hiring male models to give away free copies in three major cities--should pretty much tell potential readers whether they belong in the target audience. The writing itself is fairly lightweight. The good girl heroine and rock star hero are relatively easy for the reader to identify with and some readers will probably enjoy Evelyn's musings about her future and the development of her own goals versus the vision that her straight-laced parents have for her. Most of the story revolves around the premise of will they or won't they stay married, coupled with a lot of erotic content. Anyone

Welcome back to Writers on Wednesday. This week, I put my questions to Kat Smutz author of Spies on Neither Side ... Tell us a bit about yourself … I've always been sort of an independent thinker, always curious about everything and questioning whatever I didn't understand, and going where life leads me.  I studied engineering in collge, tried my hand at law enforcement, and somehow ended up in journalism, first in radio and then with newspapers.  Writing fiction was something that began in high school, and became my source of escapism.  Anyone who ever read any of my work always told me I should get it published.  So, when we reposted to Maine, my husband told me it was time to stay home and work on getting published.  I had no idea where to start.  Then, I had a history website begin following me on Twitter, and I began writing for them.  I had become addicted to history in college and I knew a lot about the American Civil War era.  So, History In An Hour aske

Red Hill is the third novel I have read this year about the zombie apocalypse. The first was The Girl With All the Gifts and the second was Wake . Both of those two novels were very different, very unique and very well crafted. Red Hill goes out on a slightly different tangent--this one is a mass market page turner from the author of Walking Disaster  and focuses very much on the emotional journey made by the three likeable lead characters. Red Hill opens with Scarlett, a nurse and single mother who first gets an idea that something is very wrong when a patient arrives at the hospital where she is working displaying an odd variety of symptoms. Her part in the story is to find a safe haven and to be reunited with her daughters. Next up is Nathan, a newly single dad, who needs to find a safe place for himself and his young daughter. Rounding up the three is Miranda, a sensible college student who is on her way back to her father's ranch, along with her sister and their boy

This week, I am paying tribute to the most iconic work of Adelaide Street art of all, the silver balls in Rundle Mall, or Sphere's by Burt Flugelman  if you want to get technical about it. (Or the Malls Balls, if you would prefer.) Located in Rundle Mall, the balls have become a popular meeting spot and were a subject of controversy a few years ago when the members of the Adelaide City Council wanted to shift them three metres. (Hey, it's Adelaide. We care about this kind of thing.) PS I've already checked. No you can't zoom in on the shiny balls and see an image of me taking a photograph.

Philip Siegel's teenage high school comedy brought back a lot of memories of Sweet Valley High and other books about puppy love. The whole thing is very innocent, occasionally funny and filled with innocent teenage romances. Our heroine is Becca, a young woman who is not doing so well in the high school popularity/romance hierarchy and who believe that romance can cause a lot of damage. After all, it was a teenage romance that changed her former best friend Huxley into a nasty social climber and it was not so long ago that her big sister was dumped at the altar. And so she creates an inventive solution to her problems. For $100 via PayPal she will break up various couples at her high school. Initially, her business is a success, but things become complicated when she is offered the chance to break up the horrible Huxley and her boyfriend Steve. To further complicate things, Becca has mixed feelings for her best friend's new boyfriend and there may or may not be a bloss

Saw this one doing the rounds on facebook and just had to repost as a Friday Funny. Caption says all...

Losing Kate is an intriguing novel that tells the story of how one single, chance event can change the future and destroy the lives of a number of people. The novel opens with Francesca, a single woman age thirty who is a social worker and who lives alone. Her world is a very safe one, until Jack, a boy she knew in her teens moves into the house next door along with his partner and child. The painful history that Francesca shares with Jack soon resurfaces and it becomes very obvious that neither can hide from their past, or their attraction to one another, forever.  Losing Kate is told through two parallel narratives, the dominant one being the present day. Selected chapters tell stories of what happened in the past and how the lives and Jack were turned around when, in their final year of high school, a charismatic young woman named Kate transferred to their school. Kate is an instant hit with the other kids, but it is Francesca that she chooses for a best friend and Jack for

Just to prove that Noarlunga Centre isn't the only place in Adelaide to possess a brightly coloured piano (see my post from last week,) I snapped this one outside the Adelaide Festival Theatre ...

Maybe Someday was a book that, initially I felt very hesitant about. The first couple of chapters did not work as well for me as they could have. After reading a couple of poor reviews from trusted sources, I wondered if perhaps the author had reached her saturation point. After all, in the past couple of years, the best sellers have been coming through thick and fast for Colleen Hoover-- Slammed and its sequels Point of Retreat and This Girl, followed by Hopeless , its sequel Losing Hope and another sort-of sequel  to Hopeless , Finding Cinderella . And later in the year a new novel, Ugly Love  is set for release. (I am unable to find any official confirmation for November Nine , a rumoured release.) It would not be at all surprising if the novels did start to have a manufactured, churned out feel to them. But for one reason or another, I found myself wondering about the heroine, Sydney, and her potential new love interest, the mysterious Ryder and I found myself drawn bac

Welcome back to Writers on Wednesday. This week, YA novelist, math teacher, soccer trainer and actress Gabrielle Arrowsmith answers my questions ... Tell me a bit about yourself … Hello! I’m Gabrielle Arrowsmith, a YA novelist, math teacher, soccer trainer, and actress. I have lived all of my twenty-something years in Ham Lake, Minnesota. I’m itching for the snow to melt so I can partake in some of my favorite outdoor activities, especially trail running and playing soccer. I also enjoy reading, watching movies, listening to music, and spending time with my family, friends, and pets! Tell us about your most recently published book? My latest book, Released from the Darkness (Concealed in the Shadows #2), came out just weeks ago. In this novel, eighteen-year-old Sydney fights to re-establish rights that citizens in this futuristic society have been denied. In book one, the reader learns that unforgiving laws limited Sydney’s contact with her younger sister and co

Today we welcome prolific Australian writer Dianne Bates for a brilliant guest post--I think this one will be of interest to many aspiring writers out there ... Things I Wish I Knew As a Beginning Writer I’ve been writing for over 30 years. I was 29 years old and all I’d achieved in my life until then was becoming a wife, a mother, and a school teacher. I wanted my life to mean something so I resolved to write my first (children’s) book and have it published by the time I was 30. I did this, the book was published by Penguin Books (Puffin imprint). Since then I’ve published 120+ books, mostly for young readers some of which have won state and national awards, including children’s choice book awards. Nowadays I make a living from writing. Here are some things I Wish I Knew as a Beginner Writer: 1. Learn the fundamentals of writing before you even attempt a writing career. I cannot stress this enough, even if you feel that writing comes naturally to you, especially le

Yarn Bombed Trees, Kent Town   Adelaide is never far away from a tree controversy, but the spat of yarn bombings around Adelaide in recent years is probably one of the more pleasant controversies in recent times. I first started noticing these in about mid-2012, but now it seems to be commonplace to walk around Adelaide or the suburbs and find trees that are covered in bright, colourful knits. This picture was taken on Dequetteville Terrace, Kent Town in December 2013.

I'll tell you a secret. As a reader, I devour three star reviews. (As an author, I find them moderately less easy to digest, but I still enjoy the taste.) Why? Because three star reviews are generally honest. A reviewer who gives a book three stars is likely to be able to see both the good bits and the limitations within the novel. Three star reviews have a bad reputation. I was surprised recently when someone approached me on amazon and wanted to know why I had rated a book three stars, when I had written so many nice things about it. Consequently, I felt that it was something that needs to be addressed. First and foremost, this blog has no star rating system--I usually just talk about what within the book works for me, what may not work so well, whether or not I would recommend it to others or if it is better suited to a niche audience. I find this works rather well and fits in with the artsy feel of this blog. When I move on to sites such as Goodreads, Amazon and t

It is not often that at book based on a screenplay turns out to be a winner, but Not Another Happy Ending proved itself to be one of those rare gems. Author David Solomon also wrote the screenplay for this quirky, set-in-Scotland, romantic comedy that pokes fun at the publishing industry, so it is no surprise that the story survives the transition from screen to print. The film/novel tells the story of Jane Lockheart, a twenty-something aspiring writer and lover of all things miserable, whose novel goes on to be a surprise literary hit. She also enjoys a brief relationship with her editor, but then all of her success goes on to make her rather happy, which destroys not only her relationship, but leaves her with a terrible case of writers block. Ex-boyfriend Tom is quick to realise that Jane's happiness is getting in the way of her becoming a successful writer so he goes about in a cruel-but-ultimately-disastrous attempt at making her unhappy. There is a couple of twists and tu

Last week, I posted about the Canadian television series, You Can't Do That On Television . Similar in nature was this little gem from the UK, Your Mother Wouldn't Like It which was made during the mid-1980s. I remember it airing in Australia sometime around the summer of 1988-1989. What I remember best about this show is certain character called Tapeworm and the fact that it inspired years of my brother, Damien, and I saying to one another, "I've had just about enough of you ..." whilst doing an imitation of Mr Briefcase ...

Welcome back to Writers on Wednesday. This week I put my questions to YA novelist Ann Herrick ... Tell me a bit about yourself … I grew up in Connecticut, where I graduated from The Morgan School and Quinnipiac University.  I now live in Oregon with my husband, who was my high-school sweetheart.  Our wonderful daughter is grown, married and gainfully employed as an advertising copywriter, and has given us our only grand-dog, Puff, a bloodhound-rottweiller-beagle mix and six grand-kitties.  While I miss the East Coast, especially houses built before 1900, I enjoy the green valleys, fresh air and low humidity in the Willamette Valley of Oregon.  I love cats, walking, the Oregon Ducks and working in my back yard.  In addition to stories and books for children and young adults, I also write copy for humorous and conventional greeting cards. Tell us about your most recently published book? Life, Love, and Surviving High School is pretty much about, well, the stress

Piano, Noarlunga Cenre Fancy tinkering on the ivories, anyone? (Imitation ivory, I hope.) I saw this piano down at Noarlunga Centre, just a few steps away from Colonnades Shopping Centre a few weeks ago, and safely bolted to a retaining wall. I've edited the photo a bit to demonstrate how bright and colourful the piano actually is. (In the original, it got a little lost among the leaves and plants, etc.) I wonder if anyone has played that piano, what tunes were heard and what conversations were had ...

I picked this one up a few weeks ago, as it seemed like an interesting twist on the myth of Hades and Persephone and I was not disappointed. This one is well-written and thoroughly researched and falls firmly into the school of thought that Persephone and Hades were lovers and that Persephone went to the underground willingly. The pomegranate becomes quite a potent symbol within the narrative indeed. But this tale also comes with a surprising twist. What if Hades were actually a woman? The Dark Wife works on two levels, one as a unique retelling of the Hades and Persephone myth and another as a coming of age tale of a young woman who is discovering her sexuality. Demeter is presented as a woman who suffers greatly, while Zeus is presented as a complete cad. The descriptions of the underworld are quite detailed and interesting.  This one is for fans of Hades and Persephone, particularly those who enjoy new and unique twists on the myth. I will be interested in reading more o

Something Borrowed is the sixth in a year long series of eBooks released by Puffin in 2013 as a part of the 50th anniversary of  Doctor Who  celebrations. Each story was to feature a different incarnation of the Doctor, written by a different and well-established author of books for children and young adults. And despite catching this one rather late, I have to admit, this and the other stories prove to be one hell of a nostalgia trip for an old Whovian like myself. Consequently, I have decided to feature them all on here ... The Doctor: The Sixth Doctor The Companion: Peri The Author: Richelle Mead, author of Vampire Academy My Review: Something Borrowed is the first of the stories to be written by a female and told via the first person perspective of one of the companions. (And, consequently, Mead's version of Peri is not only fashion conscious, but quite scathing of the Sixth Doctor's somewhat ridiculous outfits.) On this occasion, the Doctor and Peri have been

You Can't Do That On Television is a Canadian television programme from the 1980s, best remembered as that show with child actors and gross-out slapstick sketches that usually involved the stars being covered in slime or water, or being pelted with cream pies. I remember this one best from the late 1980s, when in Australia, the ABC used to show reruns as part of their line-up on  The Afternoon Show. I've picked this clip because we see a lot of one of my favourite characters from the series, Moose, in these sketches.  PS Random Trivia. Alanis Morrisette starred in a few episodes of the series while in her teens. 

One of Australian author Tim Winton's most intriguing tales is this short novella, set in an isolated valley known as the Sink. There are only four characters in this book--two men and two women. Through their harrowing experiences, the question is raised, which is more dangerous--the outside world or what lies within us? The novella opens with Maurice Stubbs, an older man who has lived in the valley with his wife Ida for many years. When the novella opens, the horror is already over, but Maurice explains to us that he is going to explain all that happened. He also further explains that he knows the others and their experiences so well, that he will be able to tell their versions of the story just as easily as his own. In other words, we the readers, are to put our trust in Maurice. We meet the other three people in this tale, Ida, Murray Jacob (known as Jacob,) and Ronnie. The scene then shifts back to a year earlier when, an unknown and unnamed horrible thing swept th