Aussie Bushfires, A Real-Life Mystery + 3 Festive Gifts!

It's been a big year for me on a personal level and while I only published one book in 2019—After the Ferry: A Gripping Psychological Novel (see more on that and whether you've won a copy, below)—I want to say a very big THANK YOU for all your support in 2019, and APOLOGIES for not getting my seventh Ghostwriter out in time for Christmas as planned. 

I do have a pretty good (well, bad!) excuse

My eldest son finished school this year, which was whopping for him and us, but it wasn't the biggest event of 2019. As you may have seen on the news, large swathes of Australia have been burning now for months, and we have had our own battles in my immediate area, in the hinterland beyond Byron Bay. We had to evacuate our property at one point and while everything is okay for now, it has been extremely unsettling and, as you can imagine, a major distraction. But that's not the worst of it.

To date, across Australia, almost a million hectares of bushland and forest and about 1,000 homes have been destroyed, several lives have been lost as well as countless wildlife, including our precious and already endangered koalas. It really has been a horrendous start to our summer season here and, with no leadership at a political level, sadly, things remain very grim.

That's why, in 2020, I'm hoping for rain and lots of it! I'm also hoping for relief for our beautiful 'firies' - the unpaid, volunteers who leave their own homes, families and jobs to fight the fires for the rest of us. Many of them have been working for two months solid and THEY are the real heroes in all of this.

To them, I say THANK YOU,  and to you, my beloved readers, I say, here's to a calmer, cooler, happier year ahead—not so I can write more books, but so the firies can finally find time to put their singed boots up and read some!

HAPPY HOLIDAYS everybody.

For more on my books and other news, visit: calarmer.com

Why I Love My Latest Book

As some of you may know, I conjured the idea for this psychological thriller many decades ago, and have been itching to write it ever since. 

Back in the 1990s—pre-mobile phones—I really was a young Aussie backpacker travelling with a group of guys and girls making our way on a ferry to Santorini in Greece.

During the long, sunburnt voyage, one of the guys in my group—a handsome American lacrosse player—fell head over heels for a woman from a different group. I think she was a Kiwi but I'm not 100% sure. In any case, he fell hard and literally jumped ship with her long before we got to our destination! He threw caution to the wind and deserted all of us for someone he had only just met.

There were no mobile phones back then. No way to track each other down, and I often wondered how things turned out. WAS it true love and are they now living happily in New Zealand? Did he realise his mistake and get the next ship out? Or did something untoward happen? I certainly never saw him again and have wondered about him ever since. Hence the book. 

In my story, I upped the ante by turning the traveller into a naive young woman and her love interest into a dark, Greek stranger. Then I wrote two versions of what happened—a parallel story, with a startling murder thrown in.

The result is my fictional suspense/thriller AFTER THE FERRY and, while it's a lot more complex than my other books, it's also richly rewarding and those who have made it to the end agree that it's the best thing I've ever written. 

Which is why I'm handing out free copies as a festive gift!

CONGRATULATIONS…

* Lesa Neace

* Thomas Palmer

* Joann Lord

I'll be in touch shortly to offer your free ebook. For everyone else, thanks again for all your support in 2019 and happy (calm!) reading, everybody.

xo Christina

Are YOU Named in My Next Mystery? + 99c Suspense Novel!

In my last blog I asked you to send in the names you'd like to see used (and abused) in my next Ghostwriter mystery. And wow, what a wild and wonderfully named bunch you are! There were some beauties amongst the mix. Most of you offered up your own names or names of people you know for my seventh in the series, and very few of you specified exactly what type of character you'd like to be—a 'good' one or a so-called 'baddie'. Which is just as well because I won't be revealing which name is which. Wouldn't want to give away the plot, right? The two names I have chosen were names I would never have thought of, but really resonated with me and fit two of my characters perfectly (you'll understand when you finally get to read the book ;-) in early 2020). So, without further ado, a big CONGRATULATIONS to (drum roll please)… • Presley (adapted from the name Preslea, a reader's granddaughter) • Paisley (a pretty suggestion from reader Nancy) The generous providers of the names will be credited in the book and sent a free paperback copy when it's published. Big THANKS to them and to everyone who contributed. I feel like I will never be short of sweet and surprising monikers again! Meanwhile, my gripping new romance/suspense is on sale—99c! ABOUT AFTER THE FERRY It's the 1990s, pre-mobile phones, and a young traveller must make a terrifying—exhilarating—choice: Will she jump ship with a seductive stranger? Or stay cocooned on the Greek ferry with friends and miss what could be the love of her life? ONE CHOICE LEADS TO TRUE LOVE. ONE CHOICE LEADS TO MURDER. BUT WHICH IS WHICH? In this fast-paced, psychological thriller, we follow Millie Malone across two very different lifetimes. In one life she remains onboard with her 'mates'—two Sydney lads with shaky motives, and an old school pal with a crush of her own—and in the other she jumps. One decision sees Millie shacked up in the country, the other sees her married to her career, but both 'Millies' are harbouring a shocking secret that could blow their worlds apart. THIRTEEN YEARS LATER… and 'Millie' has vanished overnight from her respective lives. Has she returned to Greece to face her past? Or has the past caught up with her, violently? ONLY ONE OF THEM WILL LIVE TO TELL THE TALE. From the best-selling author comes a cracking, stand-alone story with twists and turns that will make you question every decision you ever made, and everyone you ever trusted. This is a story of choices, and how one bad decision could end up being the best decision of your life. Genre: Mystery // Travel // Thriller // Romance // Suspense  NB: This book follows British English spelling and usage, and contains some adult language. No graphic violence or sex.  AVAILABLE NOW AT:  AMAZON  APPLE  B&N NOOK   KOBO

Tell Your Wildest Travel Story & WIN New Travel Mystery/Suspense

It happens every single time… 

No sooner have I started telling the true story behind my latest mystery / suspense After The Ferry (see the full story from a past newsletter, below), when the listener invariably rushes in with an extraordinary travel tale of their own. Some stories are sad, some shocking, some sidesplittingly funny, but the ones that grip me the most are the ones that end with words like, "I was so lucky! It could have turned out so different!"

That's what I love about travel—you throw caution to the wind and yourself open to fate. Travel makes you a hostage to destiny. Anything can happen and it often does! At the very least, you meet all kinds of weird and wonderful people and have all manner of wild and wondrous experiences. 

And THAT'S what I want to hear from you! Have you, or someone you know, got a 'near-miss' travel story? A gripping adventure to reveal? A tale of sailing very close to the wind? If so, jot me a few lines today. The best THREE stories that come in over the next week will score a FREE e-copy of my new book. (And just for the record, those of you who have already shared your stories with me, no need to re-send—you're officially in the running!)

But first, the rules…

1. Please keep your stories short and sweet. No more than a few sentences or I won't have the time to read them or the space to repeat them.
2. Please only send gripping tales—something memorable or life-changing that happened to you or someone you were travelling with.
3. Stories must be received within the next seven days to be eligible for the prize. Just reply directly to this blog, leaving a comment below, or sign up to my newsletter and email me that way: calarmer.com.
4. You MUST be willing to share your story and your name (but not your full email address) in my upcoming calarmer.com newsletter. If you don't want your details revealed, best not to apply.
5. Due to the enormous number of entries that I usually receive, no correspondence will be entered into before, during or after this competition (in other words, I won't be able to reply to each story but I will read them, I promise!) 

That's it, folks. I look forward to hearing your near-misses and/or magical, memorable travel moments.

Now, for those who missed my past newsletter (you can sign up at calarmer.com), here's the true story behind my latest psychological mystery. Just scroll down to the blog, below, or click here!

Happy reading, everybody.

xo Christina

The Real Story Behind My New Mystery THE FERRY MAN (out soon!)

A young backpacker meets an alluring stranger on a ferry to the Greek island of Santorini. When he gets off miles from her destination, she has to make a terrifying choice. Will she jump ship with him and desert her travelling companions? Or stay safely onboard and miss what might be the love of a lifetime? 

This is the story of one woman, two lives, and the consequences that lead to murder.

THE STORY BEHIND THE STORY

The year was 1991. I was in my early 20s. A wide-eyed backpacker fresh from Sydney, Australia, with an old school friend beside me and a team of American Lacrosse players we'd met up with somewhere in Europe. We were en route to Santorini, on the deck of a ferry, laughing, flirting, having fun.

Then, in the middle of the eight-hour journey, one of those US players struck up a conversation with a total stranger, another Aussie woman with an alluring smile. He was instantly smitten and before we knew what was happening, he was deserting us all and jumping ship with her on a completely different island.

Now remember: This was BEFORE mobile phones, before instant messaging and GPS. It was back in the days when you still had to book a call from a Greek post office if you wanted to phone home. It was another time and era and so his decision to abandon us for a relative stranger was a brave and potentially risky one. And yet we all laughed and waved him off as if it was just a lark. 

To this day I don't know how it went with that Aussie girl and if he ever caught up with his mates again. But I do know that choice he made has haunted me ever since.

Over the years, I started to wonder, what if?

• What if the man who abandoned his mates had been a woman, a young and vulnerable one? 
• What if the stranger she jumped ship with was a man who turned out to be a monster? 
• And what culpability did WE all have, not pulling our friend back to safety?

Have you ever made a risky travelling decision? If so, you'll relate to this book. It's the one I've been madly typing for the past nine months (but conjuring in my head for almost 30 years). It's a ripper of a tale and I look forward to sharing it with you very soon. 

Unlike anything I have written before, it's a little less 'cozy' and a lot more 'thriller/suspense', with a dash of Gone Girl and a Sliding Doors-style twist. It's now with my editor (love ya work, Annie!) and is due out next month. 

For more on this mystery, a cover-reveal, and your chance to win FREE COPIES, just keep an eye on future newsletters.

Until then, happy (safe!) reading everyone.

xo Christina

The Reason I've Gone Quiet… I've Got Something to Shout About

   

Yes, I know. I've been suspiciously quiet of late. I haven't posted my usual short story. I haven't offered fabulous free book prizes. I haven't asked what you think of Agatha Christie or cozies or covers of the like. Here's why… 

I've got a new book in the works (woo-hoo!)

This one is a thriller like nothing I've ever written before. With echoes of Sliding Doors, a splash of Gone Girl and a good dose of my usual Aussie candour, this new, stand-alone story has kept me tap-tap-tapping away for months, and is almost complete! 

I thank you all so much for your patience and promise you the wait will be worth it. Or at least I hope it will. My most complicated mystery yet, this one is set in three very different places and two completely different timelines. It all starts with a simple scenario:   

A young backpacker meets an alluring stranger on a ferry, enroute to Santorini. When he gets off miles from her destination, she has to make a terrifying choice. Will she jump off with him and desert her travelling companions? Or will she stay safely on the ferry and miss what might be the experience of a lifetime? 

One woman, two choices. Which way does she go? 

What she can not know in her youth and naivety is that one choice will see her finding true love, the other will leave her fighting for her life. 

This is a story of choices, and of surviving their consequences.

Sound enticing? I hope so! And now you know: When writers go quiet it usually means the voices are screaming loudly in their heads and there's a bunch of characters coming to life on a page somewhere.

This book will be ready for a mid-2019 release but I'll be in touch before then with both the title and cover reveals, so stay tuned for that.

Until then, thanks again for your patience. You can catch up on all my other mysteries by heading to my website: calarmer.com or clicking on your favourite book here.

Happy (future!) reading, everyone.

xo Christina

This Black Friday the real SS Orient is back from the dead!

Today I'm donning my finest boat shoes and popping on the captain's hat for the official launch of the Agatha Christie Book Club 2—Murder on the Orient (SS). But don't worry! 

I'm not going to bore you senseless with a sales pitch here—check out your preferred e-retailer for that. Instead I'm going to remind you where I got the idea from and how true synchronicity works, courtesy of my Author's Note from the book (see below). 

I think the backstory is almost as fascinating as my novel. Damn, there I go with the sales pitch…

S.S Orient (5,390 tons),  Orient liner which made its maiden voyage to
                     Australia in 1879. From a lithograph after T.G. Dutton at the National
                     Maritime Museum, Greenwich, U.K. (PAH5285) 

Murder on the Orient (SS): A Note from the Author

"When I started conjuring up the second adventure for the Agatha Christie Book Club I wanted to take them on an exotic journey à la the infamous Orient Express, one of my favourite Poirot settings, and began looking around for ideas.

Boy, did I get lucky!

In the early 1900s, there really was a classic steamship called the SS Orient that sailed between London and Sydney, via the Suez Canal and The Cape. According to my research, it was a gleaming ship, full of glamorous characters and several rather dubious deaths, and proved a perfect fit for my book club friends. While I have changed some details, including the original itinerary, for the sake of this contemporary plot, much of the information about the ship is authentic and can be found in the bibliography.

Sadly, however, the SS Orient has not been recommissioned nor is there a real-life replica floating about as I have imagined here, but an author can dream can’t she?

And a book club can jump aboard for the ride…

Bon voyage!"

For more info on the (real) SS Orient 

 

The SS Orient Story by Roy Clifford and Dave Knight

http://collections.museumvictoria.com.au/items/404048

http://www.clydesite.co.uk/clydebuilt/viewship.asp?id=1263

http://www.bogstown.com/ss-orient/

Happy reading, everyone, and I hope you enjoy the voyage.

xo Christina

An Island Found

I'm heading up to Papua New Guinea next week and wondering whether Roxy Parker will be joining me this time, or whether Vilia Lea mght be strapped in beside me on the rattling Cessna 182 instead.

My loyal readers will know exactly what I'm talking about and why I'm buzzing with excitement. Born and bred in the South Pacific nation, I have set two of my best-selling books up there, or thereabouts.

A Plot to Die For (Ghostwriter Mystery Book 2) was set on a fictional island called Dormay in a fabricated island nation, but really it's just a luxurious version of an island called Doini where I'll be travelling to next week.

Similarly, my stand-alone novel, An Island Lost, is set on an island called Tubu which is a more realistic version of Doini, a very real island where I spent idyllic childhood holidays, complete with cannibal skull caves (I kid you not), empty shell-smattered beaches, and folklore so vibrant, it quivers.

This time, my whole family will be travelling with me to Doini, which is no quick hop, skip and a jump. Situated on the safe eastern tip of PNG in the stunning Milne Bay, we first have to fly into Port Moresby, overnighting in the capital, before catching a light aircraft to the ramshackle town of Alotau. From there we hitch a long boat ride to the island, boxes of supplies in tow, including fresh milk and heavyduty SPF.

Doini Island is postcard perfect, we're talking azure water, white beaches, vibrant coral reef, but it's also so rich in colour and texture a postcard would do it no justice. It could fill endless novels, which brings me back to my opening question....

Who should accompany me?

Should I take my 'Ghostie' Roxy Parker back up there, and see what mischief she stumbles into this time? Last time, if you recall, she found her hotelier client dead, buried to the head in the soft white sand.

Or is it time for Vilia Lea, my 'little girl lost' who came to terms with her extraordinary family history in An Island Lost, to start a whole new chapter in a long-awaited sequel?

What do you think?

I'd love to hear from you, especially if you've read one or both of those books. Until then,  a warning dear friends: from Monday, I'll be silent for a few weeks—WiFi is sacrilege on a place like Doini—but I'll be madly scribbling in my journal and turning the experience into an adventure you're sure to enjoy in the not-too-distant future. I can't promise that Roxy and/or Vilia will be quite as happy about it!

Happy reading everyone, and happy adventuring if you can manage it.

xo Christina