What do Norfolk Island and The Parent Trap have in common?

The Bad Bridesmaid is OUT NOW.

Last January I went on a fabulous trip to Norfolk Island with my lovely mum. It wasn’t just a mother-daughter holiday - I had an ulterior motive for going…

You see, I’d recently come up with the idea for The Bad Bridesmaid, inspired by some editorial advice my publisher gave me about a secondary character in The Other Bridget. If you’ve read Bridget’s story, you’ll remember her best friend, Fred (short for Winifred). But don’t worry—you don’t need to have read The Other Bridget to dive into and enjoy this book.

If you caught my Introducing The Bad Bridesmaid post, you’ll know this book was partly sparked by my publisher’s comment and partly by one of my favourite childhood movies, the original Parent Trap. But the final piece of the inspiration puzzle fell into place when I decided to set the story on Norfolk Island.

Once I knew I was writing a wedding story, I wanted the setting to be an island for two reasons:

1. Destination weddings are so popular right now.

2. Islands naturally lend themselves to the forced proximity trope—a dream setup for tension and fun, not only between the love interests but also their extended families.

The next question was which island? Naturally, I had to visit for research (hardship, I know, but necessary!), and I had a narrow window to plan the trip. With January school holidays fast approaching, the typical resort-style destinations, like Hamilton Island and the Whitsundays, were almost fully booked and very pricey. Then, I remembered my friend Anthea mentioning Norfolk Island as a place she’d love to visit.

A quick search showed it was easy to get to, had reasonably priced and available accommodation, and—bonus—it sounded intriguing. Little did I know how perfect it would turn out to be for Fred’s story.

Fred spends much of her life online, her phone practically an extension of her hand. Norfolk Island, however, has limited wi-fi, and you can’t use a SIM card from your regular provider. Talk about her nightmare! On top of that, it’s not exactly the tropical paradise she might have imagined—no swanky resorts, cabana boys, or endless cocktails by the pool.

But don’t get me wrong—Norfolk Island is gorgeous. The people are warm and welcoming, the food is fantastic, the history and tours are fascinating, and Emily Bay is one of the most beautiful beaches I’ve ever seen. That said, it has a quirky, small-town charm that feels more country village than luxury beach resort—a perfect backdrop for Fred’s expectations to be turned upside down.

Without giving too much away, there’s also a bit of a wedding emergency in the story. If I’d chosen one of the more predictable island destinations, this twist might not have worked as well. You’ll have to read the book to find out exactly what I mean!

Writing a novel is about weaving together a mix of ideas to create something fresh, fun, and compelling. I hope the combination of Fred’s character, The Parent Trap, and Norfolk Island delivers just that—a page-turning, laugh-out-loud read.

Scroll down for a short excerpt from the novel, plus some other fun Bad Bridesmaid tidbits.

Much love and happy reading,
Rach x

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📣THE BAD BRIDESMAID IS OUT NOW!

And here’s the UK/UK cover from Bloodhound books:

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✈️ Five must-dos that I did on Norfolk Island

1. Swim at Emily Bay - it’s an idyllic cove, surrounded by the famous Norfolk pines. I hear it’s lovely for snorkelling too.

2. Go on a Progressive Dinner tour - we did this one, but I think all the tour companies do them. We all got collected in a bus from our various hotels and then went to three houses of locals over the course of the night. My memory is crap, so I can’t remember the menu but each host talked about their history and connections with Norfolk. It was also fun getting to know the other people on the tour.

3. Visit the Lavender Farm/Fitzy’s Farm - have one of their famous baked potatoes (I had one and it was delicious), gelato OR a cocktail overlooking the beautiful lavender crop. When we were there, there were also sunflowers. You can even do a tour with the farmer!

4. Enjoy the Coconut Bread at The Olive Cafe - I loved this SO much I put it in the book. Coconut Bread is a bit of a Norfolk Island thing, but this was by far the best I tasted.

5. Check out The Bounty Museum - and make sure you have a few hours or even a day. Best thing is if you buy a ticket you can go back again another day. The guy who ran it (sorry, can’t remember his name) was super friendly and this place is jam-packed with Norfolk history - there’s even a section on Colleen McCullough. Oh, and they have free wi-fi and are happy for you to park in the carpark and use it whenever.

6. (Whoops I can’t count). Colleen McCullough’s House - if you don’t already know she’s one of Australia’s most famous, beloved authors. Her house is a piece of art with art and furniture that is also pretty much art, which she picked up on her global travels. You have to SEE her wallpaper and fern room to believe it and if you’re a writer or reader you’ll love seeing her desk where she wrote all her bestsellers! You can’t just rock up though - you have to book into a tour.

There’s SO much more - more tours, museums, walks, more fun dinners, but I only have five days so I definitely plan to go back one day!

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✨Extract from The Bad Bridesmaid

‘It’ll be like The Parent Trap but in reverse.’

Leo frowns again and I might have to tell him to stop doing that because every time he does, my hormones dance a jig. I resist the urge to reach out and smooth a finger over those cute little creases as he says, ‘The what?’

‘You haven’t seen The Parent Trap?’ When he shakes his head, I add, ‘Not even the terrible nineties remake with Lindsey Lohan?’

A shrug accompanies his blank look.

I give him the run-down. ‘It’s about identical twins who are separated at birth because their parents get divorced and take one each. The girls have no idea the other one exists until one summer they meet at camp and—’

‘The parents take a child each and like, abandon the other one?’

‘Yes. I agree. It’s horrible, but divorce wreaks havoc on people’s lives and makes people do terrible things. Why do you think I don’t want my mother to go through another one?’ I shake my head. ‘But that’s not the point. When they meet again at summer camp, they immediately realise they’re identical. At first it freaks them out and they despise the other, but after a massive food and fist fight, they’re thrown together in a dorm as punishment and as they start to talk to each other about their lives and show photos of their parents, it all clicks, and they realise something fishy is going on.’

Leo’s leaning forward again, listening intently. ‘So what do they do?’

‘By this time, they’ve become so close they can’t imagine not living together, so they decide to try and get their parents to fall in love again. They hatch a plan to swap places so that when their parents realise they’ve got the wrong child, they’ll have to meet again to do the switch. They go to all sorts of lengths to show their parents that they’re supposed to be together – as a couple and a family.’

‘Sounds like a hoot,’ Leo says, picking up his mug and downing the last of his coffee.

I smile. ‘I loved it as a child – Mum had it on video from when she was a kid. And we’re just like Sharon and Susan, except we’re not twins, and we don’t want our parents to be together.’

‘Absolutely not,’ he agrees. ‘And did the twins’ plan work?’

I nod, steepling my fingers together and wriggling them in wicked delight.

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👋MEET RACH!

And don’t forget to wear your devil ears!

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