Not long now until The Codebreakers is released and I have one special Advance Reader Copy available to give away. To enter, all you need to do is sign up for my newsletter here (and if you’ve signed up previously you are already in the draw!). Entries close 11.59 AEDT, 2 February, 2021.
Stay tuned for a special announcement for pre-orders!
I’m super happy to announce I signed a four book and two novella deal with Audible and the first audio book has been released today worldwide!
The first audio book released is BURNING FIELDS with the rest to follow shortly. I’ve recently found a love for audio books and I hope you enjoy them just as much as I do!
Happy listening!
My very first book launch – Readings Hawthorn (Melbourne), 21 August, 2014
Today is five years since the launch of my first book, Luna Tango. It had taken ten years, three manuscripts (that will never see the light of day), lots of workshops and conferences, thousands upon thousands of hours honing my craft and a dash of luck to get to the point of seeing my first book published and available in bookshops. It was a dream come true and I’ll never forget that moment of standing in a bookshop and seeing my book on the shelves for the first time. It was a magical moment and scary at the same time. My story was out in the world and people were going to meet my characters for the first time. It felt surreal and I really did have to pinch myself (after wiping away tears of joy).
Before I was published all I had focussed on was getting a publishing contract. What I never expected was the wonderful friendships I would make with other writers, booksellers, book reviewers, journalists, librarians and readers. I love that my non-reader friends get behind me as well, promoting any events I’m doing or new releases. I adore the publishers I work with, their passion for the written word shining through in everything they do, and I am so thankful every day for my wonderful literary agent, Lucienne Diver, who works so very hard and is brilliant at what she does.
Never in a million years did I expect to see my books translated into other languages or be published around the world. I never expected to release a new book every year, be a bestseller or have one of my books voted into Australia’s top 100 books. I never expected that I would get the opportunity to do book tours in Australia and overseas, to be invited to literary events, mentor, and to teach workshops and run writing retreats with one of my best friends who is also a writer. I never expected opportunities to take my storytelling to the screen. But all these things have happened and I am grateful for every single one of these magical moments.
A selection of books – more to come!
On this fifth anniversary, I wanted to thank each and every one of you for getting involved in this precious, uplifting, wonderful writing journey. Without you, I wouldn’t be where I am today.
Thank you from the bottom of my heart.
Alli
Release day is always exciting and nerve-racking. Writers spend so much time writing our books that when the time comes for our books to be released to the wild, it’s a little like the baby bird flapping its wings and leaving the nest. So today, The Cinema at Starlight Creek is out in Australia and New Zealand and available in print and e-book! For my readers outside Australia, the international edition will be available on 5 November.
To celebrate, I’m running a #shelfie contest until 11.59 on 3 June, 2019. There will be two winners drawn randomly.
To go into the draw to win a vintage scarf (styles will vary) and a Parisian necklace, all you have to do is:
My social media links are:
A little more about the book:
A heart-stirring novel of loss, love and new hope set against the glamorous backdrop of 1950s Hollywood and a small Australian country town.
How far would you go to follow your dream?
Queensland, 1994: When location manager Claire Montgomery arrives in rural Queensland to work on a TV mini-series, she’s captivated by the beauty of Starlight Creek and the surrounding sugarcane fields. Working in a male-dominated industry is challenging, but Claire has never let that stop her pursuing her dreams-until now. She must gain permission to film at Australia’s most historically significant art deco cinema, located at Starlight Creek. But there is trouble ahead. The community is fractured and the cinema’s reclusive owner, Hattie Fitzpatrick, and her enigmatic great nephew, Luke Jackson, stand in her way, putting Claire’s career-launching project-and her heart-at risk.
Hollywood, 1950: Lena Lee has struggled to find the break that will catapult her into a star with influence. She longs for roles about strong, independent women but with Hollywood engulfed in politics and a censorship battle, Lena’s timing is wrong. Forced to keep her love affair with actor Reeves Garrity a secret, Lena puts her career on the line to fight for equality for women in an industry ruled by men. Her generous and caring nature steers her onto a treacherous path, leaving Lena questioning what she is willing to endure to get what she desires.
Can two women-decades apart-uncover lies and secrets to live the life they’ve dared to dream?
Harper Collins: https://bit.ly/2Cp1ywN
Amazon: https://amzn.to/2DenZ9o
Apple Books: https://apple.co/2FEcIAR
Booktopia: https://bit.ly/2TSL6fp
Kobo: https://bit.ly/2Mhf61G
Google Play: https://bit.ly/2Mlz8IN
GIVE AWAY TIME! Who would like a chance to win an advance reading copy of The Cinema at Starlight Creek? I’m giving away two and there’s two ways you can enter: answer my question in the comments below (1 entry) and/or sign up for my newsletter (1 entry). If you’ve signed up for my newsletter previously you already have an extra entry allotted! Yes, you can do both and give yourself a double chance! Entries close Tuesday, 7 May at 11.59 pm AEST.
Question: If you could choose to meet a favourite Hollywood star (past or present), who would it be and what would be the first thing you’d say to them?
Newsletter sign-up link: https://allisinclairauthor.wordpress.com/newsletter/
Good luck everyone!
More about the book (releases May 20 in Australia and New Zealand and 5 November the rest of the world as The Cinema of Lost Dreams):
A heart-stirring novel of loss, love and new hope set against the glamorous backdrop of 1950s Hollywood and a small Australian country town.
How far would you go to follow your dream?
Queensland, 1994: When location manager Claire Montgomery arrives in rural Queensland to work on a TV mini-series, she’s captivated by the beauty of Starlight Creek and the surrounding sugarcane fields. Working in a male-dominated industry is challenging, but Claire has never let that stop her pursuing her dreams-until now. She must gain permission to film at Australia’s most historically significant art deco cinema, located at Starlight Creek. But there is trouble ahead. The community is fractured and the cinema’s reclusive owner, Hattie Fitzpatrick, and her enigmatic great nephew, Luke Jackson, stand in her way, putting Claire’s career-launching project-and her heart-at risk.
Hollywood, 1950: Lena Lee has struggled to find the break that will catapult her into a star with influence. She longs for roles about strong, independent women but with Hollywood engulfed in politics and a censorship battle, Lena’s timing is wrong. Forced to keep her love affair with actor Reeves Garrity a secret, Lena puts her career on the line to fight for equality for women in an industry ruled by men. Her generous and caring nature steers her onto a treacherous path, leaving Lena questioning what she is willing to endure to get what she desires.
Can two women-decades apart-uncover lies and secrets to live the life they’ve dared to dream?
You can find out more HERE
I am delighted to introduce you to the lovely Cheryl Adnams. Cheryl lives in Adelaide, South Australia. She has published four Australian rural romance novels and a Christmas novella. Cheryl has a Diploma in Freelance Travel Writing and Photography and has lived and worked in the United States, Canada and spent two years with a tour company in Switzerland and Austria. Her passion for Italy, volcanology and cycling have made their way into her stories and her favourite writing retreats include Positano on the Amalfi Coast and Port Willunga Beach just south of Adelaide. When she’s not writing, Cheryl is still creating in her busy full time job as a trainer and learning designer.
The idea for “The Girl from Eureka” came originally from Clare Wright’s 2014 Stella Award winning novel “The Forgotten Rebels of Eureka”. Her in depth look at the women who were in Ballarat during the 1850s was probably the first non-fiction book I had read cover to cover in years. I couldn’t put it down. I latched on to the idea of a female gold miner and Indy Wallace was born.
Then came the hard work. I’d only ever written contemporary rural and while research was required for my Muller’s of McLaren Vale winery based novels, and also Common Ground which features a war journalist who is suffering post-traumatic stress disorder, I hadn’t undertaken anything as daunting as an Australian historical romance. And to write a book based around a true event in history that featured real people and a real timeline, well, I’m not exactly sure I knew what I was in for.
The first forty thousand words came fast. I knew my characters, I knew my plot and, since the story was based on factual happenings, I had my climactic point already written for me, — the big battle at the Eureka Stockade. Right? Except, I wasn’t writing a non-fiction book and I had to figure out how to weave these real events into my story without it coming out as a regurgitated text book.
So many of the events that happened in the six months leading up to the battle of the Eureka Stockade were catalysts for the building of the barricades by disgruntled miners. I had to choose carefully which of those events to include. Which of those inciting moments would be interesting to readers? How would my fictional characters have been involved in them? Could I use some of the real people who actually played a part in this small moment of Australian history?
There are so many little things you have to be aware of when writing Australian historical, basic questions you have to ask yourself like: How much did a nobbler of whiskey cost? What was the British soldier’s uniform of the day? What food did they have access to in such a remote but rapidly growing region? Things were changing fast in the 1850s and 1860s because of the gold rush. There was sudden wealth and staggering poverty living side by side. Melbourne was the fastest growing city in the world on the back of the gold rush. I buried myself in the history of British military, women’s clothing, food, diseases, weaponry, a police force made up of convicts, bushrangers, carriages, mining equipment, dances of the time. Hours of research could be undertaken to ensure just one line of text was historically accurate.
I’ve never considered myself a patient person, let alone a researcher, but I found a new love for history in the course of writing this story. And as “The Girl from Eureka” is released, I have a second Australian story based in the 1860s and am currently working on an Australian World War 2 story. So it seems I’m having a romance with Australia’s history. I just hope my readers will too.
On the sun-drenched goldfields of Eureka, a wild colonial girl and an honour-bound soldier will break all the rules to claim a love worth more than gold …
Ballarat, Australia 1854
Gold miner Indy Wallace wants nothing more than to dig up enough gold to give her mother an easier life. Wild and reckless, and in trouble more often than not, Indy finds herself falling for handsome, chivalrous, British Army Lieutenant Will Marsh. But in the eyes of immigrant miners, soldiers are the enemy.
Will has been posted to Ballarat with a large contingent of Her Majesty’s Army to protect the Crown gold and keep the peace. But once he meets rebellious Indy, he doubt’s he’ll ever be at peace again. As Will and Indy’s attraction grows, their loyalties are tested when the unrest between miners and the military reaches breaking point.
On opposite sides of the escalating conflict, can their love survive their battle of ideals? And will any of them survive the battle of the Eureka Stockade?
Buy links:
I hope 2019 has started off super well for you and you’re finding some fabulous books to read. I’ve just finished Belinda Alexandra’s The Invitation which was absolutely beautiful. I’m a long-time fan of Belinda’s books so please go and check out her amazing stories.
This year is shaping up to be an exciting and busy one for me, and it’s started off fabulously with the news that I’ve received two nominations for Burning Fields the Australian Romance Readers Association (ARRA) awards:
Thank you so much to the ARRA member who voted for Burning Fields. I really appreciate your support!
Filming for Trust Frank starts in a couple of weeks and I can’t wait! Director and producer Penny Moore has assembled an amazing cast and crew and I’m really looking forward to this beautiful film being shown around the world later this year.
I’ve had a sneak peek at the cover of my 2019 book and I’ll be sharing the cover very soon, so if you’d like to be one of the first to see it, please sign up for my newsletter. You can do so HERE.
As always, I love hearing from you so I’d love to hear what you’re looking forward to this year. Please feel free to drop me a line or post in the comments below.
Have a fabulous day!
Better Reading has opened voting for the best 100 books of 2018. If you cast a vote, you could be one of seven winners to win the whole 100 books that make it onto their list! How cool is that? Of course, I’d be forever grateful if you chose to put Burning Fields on your voting list.
Voting link is here: https://www.betterreading.com.au/news/do-you-want-to-win-100-new-books-vote-now/
And if you haven’t got a copy of Burning Fields but would like one, it’s still available in bookshops and online in Australia and New Zealand. In fact, Burning Fields e-book is currently on sale at the moment! You can check it out here!
I’m super chuffed to reveal the cover for the international edition of Burning Fields. And to celebrate, my USA publisher, Kensington Books, is giving away 100 copies prior to its November release. All you need to do is go over to Goodreads to enter. Good luck!
ENTER GOODREADS GIVE AWAY HERE
Here’s a little more about the book:
1948: Change has come to every corner of the globe—and Rosie Stanton, returning home to northern Queensland after serving the war effort in Brisbane, plans to rescue her family’s foundering sugarcane farm with her unstoppable can-do spirit. Coming up against her father’s old-world views, a farm worker undermining her success, and constant reminders of Rosie’s brothers lost in the war, Rosie realizes she wants more from life and love—but at what cost?
Italian immigrant Tomas Conti arrives at a neighboring farm, and sparks fly as Rosie draws close to this enigmatic newcomer. When an enemy appears with evidence of Tomas’s shocking past, long-held wartime hatreds rekindle . . . and an astounding family secret sets Rosie’s world ablaze. At the dawn of a new era, Rosie must make her own destiny amid the ashes of yesterday—by following her heart.
Alli Sinclair 