Autumn leaves are pretty special here — our native vegetation is often very beautiful, but the plants that have leaves that turn gold or orange or scarlet are almost invariably exotics, imported from the northern hemisphere. So when I spot some spectacular autumn display it’s a treat.

I spotted this in a neighbor’s front yard coming home the other afternoon. The sun was shining through the last few autumn leaves of this tree and they were lit up gorgeously, as you can see.

I drove on past, then stopped, backed up, and got out to take a few photos.

Two days later and we had rain and storms, and last time I passed it, there was just one golden leaf, hanging valiantly on. I didn’t stop to take a photo as the rain was pelting down and I was a wimp. <g>

I really miss the glorious Virginia Creeper in my old garden — one whole fence was covered in glory every autumn — but not only have I moved, the entire  back yard has been bulldozed down to mud, and the creeper, and all my other lovely plants have been replaced by bricks. All that remains of that garden are my photos. 

For those who use a kindle, MARRY IN SECRET will be featured in an Amazon Kindle Daily Deal and will be priced at $1.99 on May 2.

It’s only for ONE DAY, so you need to get in quickly.

Please, before you buy, check that the price change has appeared as it sometimes it takes a while for the cheaper price to show up. 

Some reviews of Marry In Secret.
Romance Junkies said : “Rich in history and mystery, MARRY IN SECRET, the third book in the A Marriage Of Convenience series, is a sincerely addictive, in love with romance, story. . . (snip) This is simply a stunning story! MARRY IN SECRET is superbly dazzling, daring and charming. Historical romance at its best!”

“A well plotted, richly emotional and delightful read, this Regency novel brims with wonderful characters and romance.” —Lois Faye Dyer, writer and reviewer.”

Reviewer Malvina ended her review with this: “Thank you, Ms Gracie, for once again giving us wonderful characters, an absolutely beautiful romance, and for the amazing way you touch on horrendous topics and give us a profound understanding of how things were in Regency times. It was so compelling I couldn’t stop reading. There was tears and laughter, and you touched my heart.”

Bookpage said: “Nothing is more delicious than a heroine determined to overcome a noble hero’s scruples, and watching Rose win Thomas over is a true pleasure. A charming supporting cast and witty banter are paired with emotion and a dash of suspense to make Marry in Secret a deeply enjoyable historical romance.”

There was a big book-signing event in Melbourne last weekend, and authors came in from all over to attend. Not me, though. Those big events are best for authors who are mostly indie (self-publishing) and who are prolific writers. As you know, I’m slow.

But I managed to catch up with two good mates a few days before the signing started — Keri Arthur and Amy Andrews. Here we are taking a last-minute selfie in the car park — Keri on the left, then Amy and then me peering over Amy’s shoulder.

We all more or less met many years ago when we worked on the RWAustralia committee for six years, and that sort of experience can be bonding. It was so great catching up after several years of not seeing each other, mainly because of CoVid. Sadly there were only three of us — two had dropped out at the last minute, one because she had CoVid, and the other because she had a tooth emergency. Still the three of us had a lovely time and we talked and talked and talked.  It’s wonderful being able to catch up with friends again.