New home for THE WATERHOLE

From today, you can buy signed paperback copies of THE WATERHOLE at the awesome Stories From Oz, Oz Bookstore!

The whole ethos of this site, run by award-winning Australian author, Greg Barron, is: ‘Great Australian books, direct from the publisher.’

So if you would rather pay the author your hard-earned dollars than whop it all over to Amazon, this collaboration with Oz Bookstore offers readers a hugely competitive buy price that gets the book signed and delivered to your door.

No fuss! Here is the link you need: https://ozbookstore.com/products/thewaterhole

Who is buried in the Cowaramup Creek?

‘Quintessentially Australian, Lily Malone takes us into the heart of a family ravaged by secrets.’ Fiona Lowe, author of Home Fires

It’s been a long drought, but I’ve been busy behind the scenes and the next six months will let my readers see that I haven’t just been slacking about in my ugg-boots these last few years!

I have a new book ready to go. It’s called THE WATERHOLE and I am super proud of it, and I hope you love it, and I hope it sells its socks off so I can prove to publishers across the country that this story deserves a place in bookstores everywhere!

You can skip the rest of this post if you’d like to just find out how to buy it right here! https://lilymalone.blog/the-waterhole/

THE WATERHOLE is something different from me. It’s a dirty, gritty, cold-case mystery set in my home town of Cowaramup in West Australia.

Years ago, the subdivision where I live now was farmland and bushland. I used to ride a horse around the green paddocks of the land that is now known as the subdivision of Parkwater.

Since buying a block and building here, we’ve heard stories of a waterhole that used to be on the old land. It was said to be beautiful clear water, deep enough to swim in. Well, as you can imagine, once a residential subdivision was destined for this area, that waterhole was viewed as a potential law suit waiting to happen, and it was filled.

The premise for THE WATERHOLE, bases itself on that classic question: ‘what if?’ What if one day we dug down to find that waterhole and the excavator dug up human bones?

Voila! This story was born. I had decades-old bones dug out of a creek, and now I had to work out how they got there.

THE WATERHOLE does make for gritty reading at times. Some harrowing scenes occur in real-time on the page, so be prepared you might need to duck under the covers.

I think readers who enjoy Jane Harper’s style of split timeline stories, such as THE DRY and FORCE OF NATURE, where past decisions impact the future, will find similarities with THE WATERHOLE.

It’s a twisty tale, leaping in and out of three timelines as we follow the story of the Ross family who originally owned the Cowaramup farmland that was sold to create the subdivision. Like all of us, the Ross family has its secrets. I hope readers enjoy finding out about the family’s loves, losses and lies.

Local readers, or people who have had the very good luck to visit Cowaramup might notice I’ve taken some liberties with the town. There really isn’t a ‘Limestone rocky ridge’ that would look over the subdivision of Parkwater, nor is there a national park bordering the town. Please forgive me these liberties in lieu of the story. I’m calling it author’s rights.

If you’ve got this far, I’d love for you to hit the buy button and pre-order the book.

PRE-ORDER THE PRINT BOOK:
Personally signed by Lily Malone. Please email Lily with the number of books you’d like and your mailing address, and we’ll send you a pro-forma invoice including postage to your door: lilymalone@mail.com

PRE-ORDER THE EBOOK: 
from all your regular e-tailers:
AMAZON AUSTRALIA
APPLE iTUNES
KOBO

Why pre-order? It makes me feel the love. It helps me work out how many print books to order. It might just convince a wonderful publisher that they should contract this title!

New directions for 2022

It’s been a quiet two years on the writing front since the release of my third Chalk Hill book, Last Bridge Before Home in December 2020, but while I haven’t had a new book out in 2021, I’ve been busy and there is good stuff happening.

I’ve just finished the second series of edits on my 2022 release with Harlequin MIRA (Harper Collins). This is a revisit to Chalk Hill in a whole new stand-alone story called The Vet’s Country Holiday.

The heroine is Isabella Passmore, a Perth city vet. Izzy makes a very brief cameo at the beginning of The Cafe By The Bridge. She’s Taylor’s friend and in The Vet’s Country Holiday, Izzy comes to stay at Taylor’s house to look after Taylor’s dog Bruno while Taylor and Abe are travelling. 

This is a snippet of what my editor, Rachael Donovan, said when she read the submission draft: ‘I thoroughly enjoyed the read, and think readers – old and new to Chalk Hill – are going to love it! I never thought I’d find myself chuckling over a chicken, but such is the power of your storytelling! Poor little thing.’

It’s always great to get that sort of feedback, and that was before all the spit and polishing that goes into the editing process. 🙂  Not long to go now and I’ll have a new cover to show you.

My second big piece of news is: I’ve joined independent publishing group, Pilyara Press.

Established in 2018 by former lawyer, Jennifer Scoullar (herself a best-selling author with Penguin Random House), Pilyara Press is described as ‘a trail-blazing group of professional writers who have left behind the Goliath world of publishing to form a small independent press. We offer a diverse and distinctive range of books, created on our own terms. We’re a bunch of professionals, and each of us brings a very specific talent to the group.’ 

I joined Pilyara Press for two main reasons. First: I appreciate the quality of authors already involved (they include Jenn J McLeod, Monique Mulligan, Kate Belle (I’m an absolute fan-girl of Kate), Kath Ledson and Jen Scoullar herself.) Second: I believe Pilyara will be a good fit for some books I want to publish moving forward.

While I’ve been very lucky to have The Chalk Hill Series and other paperbacks and e-books published by Harper Collins, which has opened enormous opportunities for me in Australia, I’ve had trouble getting other genres and styles accepted by the big publishers here.

There is debate about the ‘Lily Malone brand’… established in rural romance and romance settings, and whether my readers are ready for different genre writing from me. While I want to continue writing rural romance, I am keen to branch into other areas.

My new book, and the first that I’ll publish with Pilyara in 2022 is called The Waterhole. It’s a contemporary story of complicated family dynamics with a crime/mystery element that kicks off when excavations along a small-town creekline discover decades-old human bones.

While the timeline is a little fluent in order to fit around the release of The Vet’s Country Holiday, I am hopeful The Waterhole will be ready for release in January 2022. If I really pull my finger out, I might even have it available in December in time for Christmas.

Two books in the next six months! Now that’s exciting!

xx Lily

Looking for Lockdown Reading?

I really hope you’re not! I hope you’re not in lockdown at all. But if you are and you are looking for some light reading to keep you away from yet another bored foray to the fridge (well that’s what I did in lockdown, I ate!), I have a special book for you.

For a very limited time, I have a special additional gift with each copy of THE VINEYARD IN THE HILLS – a lovely sliver of handmade soap from Moonhaven in my hometown in Western Australia (near Margaret River where this story begins).

I have scooped the last print copies of The Vineyard In The Hills from my publisher… once these are gone, that’s all folks. UPDATED 1 September 2021. Sorry – these are all gonski!

But if you still want to read The Vineyard In The Hills – it is available in e-book from all your regular retailers. Amazon for Kindle. Kobo. Apple store etc.

When Famous Friends Come To Cowtown

Where do I start with the day I’ve had today?

After 6 years of cyber friendship, I met in person the writerly woman who was my first Facebook friend, and has always been an amazing supporter of my writing career, Jenn J McLeod; with her partner in all things writing and life, Jeannette – also known in official circles as the ‘J’ in Jenn J McLeod.

Jenn is the author of the ‘Seasons Collection‘ plus her new book A Place To Remember.

When I first ‘cyber met’ Jenn, it was through common links and goals in our writing, and a very similar sense of humour, plus I think a love of red wine clinched the deal…

We’ve been writing mates since, but our paths haven’t crossed in person in all this time, and today I got to meet the ‘nomadic novelist’ on her journey to WA. Jenn is here for several special events, including being writer in residence at Serenity Press’s upcoming Writing Retreat near Busselton in October, plus a signing author at West Coast Fiction Festival in Perth (where I’ll be too) on November 3. She’s also visiting various libraries across the South West, and whenever she’s resting, she’ll be writing in her mobile home, affectionately known as ‘Myrtle, the Turtle.’

So, to throw in a few twists to my day (because let’s face it, what is a typical Lily Malone day without twists??) it was my eldest boy’s 11th birthday today, and the day began with a visit to the dentist to repair a chipped front tooth!

Meanwhile, Jenn and Jeannette were traversing the town of Cowaramup, waiting for me to let them know I was back from said dentist visit before we could hook up. On the way back through town to deliver my newly-re-toothed boy to school, I spied the famous #WriteRoundOz vehicle, with the even more famous magnetic strips on the side… my first clue that the Double JJs were officially in town…

I decided to stalk them and see if I could track them down in Cowtown… (for those not in the know, Cowaramup is the size of… well, kind of a postage stamp. My task should not prove too difficult!)

Me in stalker mode…

My first stop was the post office, where I got my second official clue. Mail delivered to my address on behalf of Jenn J McLeod… Yes, she is bookish royalty, quite obviously, we all wait on her hand and foot. (Any more parcels to come, my-Lady?)

Next thing there are hoots and hollers across the highway, and lo and behold, I see these two ladies waving at me!

Well, much hilarity and a good few hours of coffee, toasted sandwiches, muffins (yes I baked!!) and conversation ensued… plus more photographs and a visit to Ellensbrook to see the sea.

Tomorrow, it happens to be Jenn J McLeod’s birthday! Yes, the day after my son’s, which feels doubly kismet & special. We have the day planned, and poor Jenn and Jeannette get the dubious honour of being invited to dinner with me, whereby I will set my mad baking skills to work for her! Bwahahahaa…

Lovely to see you, Jenn J & Jeannette. Welcome to Cowaramup and WA. I hope your visit is every bit of extra special awesome!

 

xx
Lily

Cover Reveal! The Cafe By The Bridge

Ta-da! Without further ado, I give you Book 2 in the Chalk Hill series, and more specifically the heroine: Taylor Woods 🙂

Taylor is about to rock Abel Honeychurch’s world… I almost feel sorry for him because the youngest Honeychurch brother really doesn’t know what’s about to hit him…

Child psychologist Taylor Woods needs a man. Flashy restaurateur Abel Honeychurch to be specific. Abe can help her get justice for her brother, Will. Taylor knows Abe, too, was scammed by the same woman who broke her brother’s heart and stole everything in his pockets.

But bringing a lying, cheating scammer to justice isn’t easy when all Abe wants to do is forget the whole sorry saga. He’s returned to his home town of Chalk Hill to lick his wounds and repay his debts, renovating his nanna’s house and opening the Chalk ‘n’ Cheese cafe.

He’s miserable. And it would be easier to stay miserable if everyone else around him wasn’t so darn cheerful. It’s wildflower season in Chalk Hill with a cafe full of upbeat bushwalkers, and it’s all Abe can do to remember to put sugar, not salt, in his customers’ cappuccinos. He definitely has no time for the mysterious red–headed guest who admires his cheesecake and adores his flat white.

Taylor’s mission to help her brother seems doomed – how will she gain the trust of a man whose every instinct tells him never to trust a woman again?

Coming December 2018!

Amazon AUS
itunes
Kobo
Booktopia (print & online)

Butterfly House Book 2 is out now!

A sneak peek at my hometown of #Cowaramup during the recent DejaMoo – Udderly Legendairy Country Fair. It’s the only place you can wear a cow onesie or a milk carton and feel totally at home!

Pic by Nicky Lefebvre

Pic by Anne Bowerman

As usual when there is a Fair going on in the local hall, I take out a stand to support the Cowaramup Retailers Association and sell my books and have a chat about books to anyone interested in reading. I always have an awesome time and meet some great people, and this year I had a new book to launch!

It’s WHO KILLED THE MOVIE STAR? Butterfly House Book 2
— the sequel to WHO KILLED THE BRIDE? —

Pic by Nicky Lefebvre.

My Butterfly House books are set in Cowaramup and I describe them as: ‘Like Bridget Jones meets the Cowaramup cows…’ They’re mad-cap fun, great for a giggle, a wonderful souvenir of our town and gorgeous hand-crafted gift for you or the reader in your life.

Who Killed The Movie Star follows the tale of Cally Minter and her best friend Sienna Devereux who we met in Book 1 where they’re trialling their new tourism venture in Cowaramup:  Murder Mystery at Butterfly House.

Who Killed The Movie Star starts the day after events of Who Killed The Bride, and so I’d definitely recommend you read Book 1 first, or you’ll be lost!

Available at:
Mukau Giftware & Gallery in Cowaramup
Just Add Passion, in Stoneville (Mundaring, near Perth)

Or personally from me, signed and comes with a bookmark. For pricing and order details please send me an email to lilymalone@mail.com

 

Who Killed The Movie Star? Butterfly House Book 2

About the book:

It’s Sunday morning on a long weekend in the quirky little town of Cowaramup and Cally Minter and her best friend Sienna Devereux are about to host a new murder mystery game, Who Killed The Movie Star?

But before an arrow can be shot from its bow, the girls are in a pickle. The Sheriff of Nottingham has gone rogue; they’ve lost a Maid Marian, and someone keeps reporting them to the local police for shooting their guests.

In all the confusion, Lovely First Class Senior Constable Daniel Reardon becomes a regular visitor to Butterfly House, and if Cally plays her cards right… whoever murdered the movie star might not be the only one in handcuffs by sunset.

 

Available at:
Mukau Giftware & Gallery in Cowaramup
Just Add Passion, in Stoneville (Mundaring, near Perth)

Or personally from me including postage anywhere in Australia for $18.95, signed and comes with a special Lily Malone bookmark. For order details please send me an email to lilymalone@mail.com

Lily
xx

The Evolution of a Butterfly Book Cover

How cool is it to have a book series called Butterfly House, and to be able to show the metamorphosis of a book cover… just like a butterfly!

If you scroll through the photos, you’ll see the unveiling of my latest Butterfly House cover, version by version, once again designed by the ever-talented Kerry Sibly.

Version 1: Kerry started with pink in the background, like my original Butterfly House Who Killed The Bride? … but I want something different from pink, so the first alteration was easy.

Version 2: Right from the get-go I love this purple through gold. The Butterfly House Book 2 line on cover and spine are hard to read… they need to be white… and there is a lot going on with ‘Marilyn figure’ ‘actor bloke’ ‘cow’ and ‘camera’… I’m thinking, we need to simplify. Let’s make ‘Marilyn’ bigger and lose the bloke.

Version 3: Now we’re cooking with gas! I’m loving this… but because it’s ‘movie star’ I’d like to see some twinkle twinkle little stars on there… stay tuned!

Version 4: Ask for stars and ye shall receive!!!

Version 5: More stars! Too many?

Version 6: Subtle stars… I’m loving this! Now we’ve just got the back cover blurb to update and a new barcode to add, and we’re done. Here’s our Beautiful new Butterfly!

 

So there you have it folks! Can you see the progression? Isn’t it beautiful? It’s got all the quirk and character of Cowaramup, and it’s so very original and pretty! 🙂

Love your work, Kerry Sibly!

For more information and a gallery of work for Mr Kerry Sibly, please visit http://www.mukau.com.au

Three Months Of Firsts

Water Under The Bridge has been out in bookstores and cyberspace for three months now, and I figure as she’s a little more mature, it’s a good time to reflect. It’s been 3 months of firsts for me, with lots of positive news.

1. For the first time, I had a print book receive a ‘top up’ print, ie, a second print run. This means that there was enough demand for the book from bookstores to encourage my publisher to print additional copies to make sure those orders could be met. Super news!
2. I made a list! Water Under The Bridge was the 7^th highest-selling romance in Australia for the month of March, according to a report in The Sydney Morning Herald.
3. I made a hashtag… what began as a bit of fun with a writing mate, Holden Sheppard, has turned into one of my favourite things to check on Amazon rankings. I give you, the #AbSandwich (meaning Ella is sandwiched between a couple of hefty bookish chests)… Amazon in its wisdom put my ex-nearly-olympic swimmer lady Ella in Water Under The Bridge in the category of ‘sports romance’, as well as ‘small towns and rural’, and this has led to many photo opps with err, ripped torso book covers like these below 😉
4. I made the Beauty & Lace online Bookclub… with 20 of the B&L readers reviewing Ella and Jake’s story. I’ve never had a book in an online bookclub discussion before
5. Water Under The Bridge was published the same day as two other Harlequin MIRA stablemates Fiona Lowe with Birthright, and Vanessa Carnevale with The Memories The Make Us. The three of us have enjoyed several Facebook conversations since release day, talking about book tours and speaking gigs, and it’s been lovely to share Ella and Jake’s release launch with these ladies. I think it’s fitting that, as our book babies turn 3 months old (which means we’re now too darn old for what Amazon deems a ‘New Release’), I managed to snap this screenshot of our 3 books all in a row in the Amazon Australia ‘small towns and rural’ category.

From a branding perspective, I’d describe myself in the ‘emerging author’ category so I need to keep making leaps and bounds if I’m to graduate to ‘established author’ status. Quite where these two lines blur is a bit of a mystery, but I think for me it might be when the second of the Chalk Hill books comes out next year (February 2019).

The Cafe By The Bridge: Chalk Hill Book 2 will bring me to 3 traditionally published print works (The Vineyard In The Hills; Water Under The Bridge; and The Café By The Bridge); 1 trad-published anthology (Fairway To Heaven), 6 ebooks (adding my first two stories His Brand Of Beautiful and The Goodbye Ride to the list); and 2 self-published novellas Butterfly House Books 1 and 2.

But on the purely personal front, I’ve absolutely loved the surge of support I’ve had for Ella and Jake’s story in its first three months of publication. There have been lovely reviews on Goodreads and Amazon; I’ve had emails from readers and Facebook photos and messages; I’ve had wonderful support from family and friends who’ve bought, read, gifted, and recommended the story, and I have a happy agent and publisher, which from a business and career perspective, is a truly important thing.

Thanks to everyone who has been on this ride with me… here’s to many more years of firsts ahead.

xx Lily