Every morning I wake to the sound of  birds in the big gum trees outside my window. Mostly they’re rainbow lorikeets, but sometimes there’s also a few magpies carolling joyfully away, or the mournful sound of currawongs who sing in the minor key,  occasionally a crow, cawing grimly, and pigeons and doves coo-cooing quietly.  The photo below is from Sue from My Wild Australia

But the rainbow lorikeets are both the noisiest and the happiest morning sound, to me (though a joyfully warbling magpie is a wonder and a delight.) You can see why they’re called rainbow lorikeets, can’t you? That rainbow of colours is gorgeous. But they’re also happy, cheerful birds and I love them.

Here’s a video that Sue from My Wild Australia recorded of a couple of lorikeets hanging from a branch, playing, flirting and squabbling. And when they’re upside down with their wings spread out, you can see more colours. Here’s another little video of them bathing in a pot plant saucer on a hot day, and having such fun.  And if you watch this video, you’ll hear the sound I wake up to most morning. Who needs an alarm clock? 

I’m delighted to announce that my book Marry In Scandal is a finalist in Romance Writers of Australia’s Romance Book of the Year (RuBY) — the historical romance section.

This is Lily’s story and was a bit of a book of the heart. You can read more about the story here , as well as read an excerpt.

The other finalists in other categories are here, and I’m delighted to see several of my friends’ books.

And don’t forget that this book Marry in Scandal, plus Marry In Haste and Marry In Secret (out 30 July) are all in a #giveaway at the moment.

If you live in the USA enter the sweepstake here.

If you live outside the USA —anywhere in the world — email me through the contact form on my website and I’ll enter you in my own private draw.

In the lead-up to the publication of MARRY IN SECRET, my lovely publisher is running another competition where people can win three of my books — the first three books in the “Convenient Marriage” series — Marry in Haste, Marry in Scandal and Marry in Secret. Because I have readers all over the world, and because the publisher competitions (sweepstakes) are only for residents of the USA, I have decided to run another private competition for people in countries outside the USA. 

If you live in the USA, you can enter the giveaway here. It closes on 16th July.

If you live outside the USA, send me an email through the “contact” form on my website, and on 16th July I’ll draw a winner. I’ll be sending the books to the winner through the Book Depository, which posts books all over the world for free.

Results of the previous giveaway.
I got so many entries from so many countries, I couldn’t choose just one winner so, since I had 5 ARCs (Advance Review Copies) of MARRY IN SECRET left, I chose 5 winners.
They have been notified privately, but here’s the list:
Marie-Noelle from Canada
Ewa from Poland
Andrea from Brazil
Enisa from Australia
Javaria in Pakistan

Thanks to everyone for entering.