Congratulations to all the 2016 Romantic Book for the Year winners. The results were announced at the recent RWA Gala dinner in Adelaide – and what a fabulous night that was too! You can find all the details at the RWA Blog. Special congrats to Michelle Somers, whose Romantic Suspense story, ‘Lethal in Love’, took Continue reading
Author: Helene
I live by a beach just north of Cairns – my own tiny slice of paradise in North Queensland. When I'm not writing, you'll find me flying Dash 8 aircraft for QantasLink around regional Australia.
I write romantic suspense with feisty, confident heroines who (not surprisingly) work in the aviation industry. My stories are set in the top end of Australia – a wild and wonderful, larger-than-life environment just begging to be showcased in anticipation-filled novels.
Up the hill to Hahndorf
Despite the lovely hotel concierge and the nice man in the information centre doing their best to dissuade us, Graham and I had an adventure on Adelaide’s public transport system today. Perhaps we look a little too old for changing buses three times in one journey or perhaps guests of the Stamford use more salubrious Continue reading
Off to Adelaide to celebrate 25 years of RWA
Roobinesque’s moored safely in a marina and we’re off to Adelaide for six days to attend the Romance Writers of Australia conference and the Australian Romance Readers Association Booksigning. Really looking forward to catching up with everyone again, but we’ve had to dig out our winter woollies with the mercury forecast to dip below Continue reading
Why are ships so fascinating?
It seems I am my father’s daughter… I don’t know whether my fascination with ships started with Dad being an engineer on oil tankers or whether it’s a genetic thing, but the older I get the worse it gets! I was delighted to find a bulk sugar carrier in Mourilyan Harbour when we sailed through Continue reading
Farewell to Hinchinbrook Island
For eighteen years I looked down on Hinchinbrook Island from the cockpit of my Dash 8 as we flew between Cairns and Townsville and I marvelled at its moods. Quite often the skies would be clear accept for the thunderstorm brewing over the craggy island. Under the care of Captain Lyle Cook I joined a Continue reading
Cairns Tropical Writers Festival
We have six days to make our way north to Blue Water Marina in time for the Cairns Tropical Writers Festival – I do hope the weather behaves! Check out all the details of the full programme at: CTWF Programme. The Literary Dinner, starring Madga Szubanski in conversation with Helen Chryssides, is sold out, but there’s Continue reading
“Handle with Care”
I’ve been privileged to follow the career of Australian artist, Tanya Sarianti Ashworth for many years. Anyone who’s visited us will have seen her paintings gracing our walls and will have eaten from her beautiful ceramic bowls – even aboard Roobinesque! I’m absolutely thrilled that Tanya’s latest work has been preselected for the Brisbane Art Prize 2016. Continue reading
Exploring Orpheus Island
Our day started with a leisurely kayak ashore as the tide reached its high for the morning. In the shallows a black-tipped reef shark did its best to pretend we weren’t there. The walking track to the ridge line starts from the picnic table. It’s loosely marked with varying colours of tape and string but easy Continue reading
Under the waves
What a day! We’re both exhausted from exploring, kayaking and snorkelling. If you get the chance to visit Orpheus Island then take it. The fringing coral reef is spectacular and my photos don’t do it justice. Even more special is the clam garden which is full of giant clams. They were bred here in the Continue reading
Orpheus Island
We had a delightful sail from Horseshoe Bay to Orpheus Island – although I lost count of the sail changes as the wind was up and down. When it reached 17 knots in a rush, and we still had our beautiful pink spinnaker up, I think we were both a little concerned we were headed Continue reading