Happy Release Day to OUTBACK REUNION
The circus has arrived in Bunyip Bay!
Hey book besties
OUTBACK REUNION is finally in bookstores - virtual and physical!
I’m very excited to share this book with long time fans of the Bunyip Bay world and also readers who might be new to me or my rural/small town romances. After writing 12 rural romances my biggest challenge is trying to make each one original - so that both myself and the readers are invested. Last rural, TALK TO THE HEART, I did this by writing a modern day Aussie retelling of THE SOUND OF MUSIC with a nun as the main female character. This was super fun to write because I got to play with a really forbidden romance.
When I was wondering how OUTBACK REUNION would be fresh and unique, I happened to drive past a circus and suddenly remembered that one of the first books I ever wrote (one of those ones that will never see the light of day) was set in a circus, and I thought how FUN it would be to bring a circus to my beloved fictional town of Bunyip Bay and the conflicts that it might cause between the characters and within the community.
Of course that meant I had to immerse myself in the world of circuses - I read a few other novels (mostly decades old) and some non-fiction books (mostly about the history of the circus), dragged along my writing buddy and work wife Anthea Hodgson to the Moscow Circus and started following (aka stalking) Eve Everard brilliant circus hula hoop artist who we saw that night. Eve was excited to hear I was writing a book in the circus and allowed me to interview her. She was so generous with her time - I think they were setting up in Kalgoorlie that day and she spoke to me while the men were doing the heavy lifting (yep, that’s how it works in the circus). I learned SO much from Eve - little inside jokes and rituals - and so of course I had to name a character after her in the book ;) I also went to the Circus Royale on my own when in Melbourne. Luckily an old friend is related to the ringmaster Damian Syred and he kindly invited me to have a look behind the scenes post show. This was fascinating and also helped a lot with creating the setting of the circus in my book.
My main goal in writing these days is to HAVE FUN and to be OBSESSED with my characters and I hope you have just as much fun as I did reading OUTBACK REUNION. Please also be aware there are (as usual) serious issues amongst the fun - trigger warnings for domestic violence.
If you’re a fan of Robyn Carr’s Virgin River or any romances set in a tight-knit small town community, then I think you’ll enjoy spending some time in Bunyip Bay.
Happy reading.
Love Rach!
ICYMI: The Blurb
They spent one magical night together, but when he woke up she was gone ...
Eight years later, Gabriela Jimenez is hoping a couple of weeks in Bunyip Bay with the Grand Jimenez Family Circus will give her and Luna, her daughter, the chance to reconnect after the tragic death of Luna's father. The last thing Gabi expects is to run into the man she once knew. Mark Morgan is still as sweet and sexy as she remembers, but Gabi is harbouring guilt and dealing with the grief of her in-laws. She can't afford to let him get under her skin again.
After his successful career in AFL was cut short due to a crushing injury, Mark is struggling to readjust to small-town life and working the family farm. As if this isn't bad enough, his wife's betrayal means he may never be able to risk his heart to love again. Mark couldn't be less interested in the circus that has arrived in town ... until he discovers that the woman who vanished from his bed all those years ago without saying goodbye is part of it.
Will a chance meeting lead to something more?
READER EVENTS - I’m not doing many events for this release because I’m busy writing THE LUCKY SISTERS, but if you’re in WA, you can see me in Bunbury, Thornlie or Wanner. Details below:
Thursday 31st October
High Tea with ME!
10.30am Bunbury Public Library
Get your tickets
Saturday 9th November 2024
Writers of the North with Rachael Johns, Holden Shepard, Sara Foster, David Allen-Petale and Josephine Taylor
2:00 PM
Clarkson Library
Get your tickets
Wednesday 13th November 2024
An Evening with ME!
6:00 PM
Don Russell Performing Arts Centre
Get your tickets
Congratulations!! (P.S That sounds like SO MUCH FUN to research!) xx
Sounds like a great read. Can’t wait to read it! I’ve read the other Bunyip Bay novels. Will have to reread them again. A good excuse to. Happy writing & travelling.