Hot Island Nights – winners are Patsy Roberts and Crystal GB!!
Posted by Blaze Author in Sarah Mayberry
Ladies, if you could both email me via my website (www.sarahmayberry.com) with your street addresses, I will get those books in the mail to you ASAP. Thanks for coming along to chat, everyone. See you next month!
Original post:
I have a book out! Yay! I always love having a new release – it means I get reader letters, which are always a highlight, and I get to chat on blogs about my book. Hot Island Nights is a September release, but it’s available on-line now at www.eharlequin.com in the Blaze section.
This book is set on Philip Island, an unassuming little place in Westernport Bay, about an hour and a half south west of Melbourne down here in Australia. When I was a kid, we used to go there a lot for summer holidays, and one of my first boyfriends had a holiday house down there, so I have lots of fond memories of the place. The Island is fairly typical of a lot of Australian holiday spots – pretty laid back, not a lot of pretension, plenty of brown bodies and cold beer. Although holiday houses are getting more and more elaborate these days, on the Island there are still lots and lots of fibro cement weekenders, designed and built cheaply to accommodate Melbourne families for the weekend. The beaches are golden, main street is it as far as entertainment and shopping goes, and thongs (flip-flops to the rest of the world!) are de rigeur as far as footwear is concerned for about four months of the year.
Into all this relaxed casualness walks my heroine, slightly-uptight, very proper Londoner Elizabeth Mason. Brought up to be a nice girl by her grandparents, Elizabeth has come to the Island to find her real father, but she’s also in search of her real self. The not-so-nice, not-so-proper woman hiding beneath her well-bred exterior, if you will. Elizabeth has barely been on the Island five minutes when she meets Nathan. He’s hung-over, nearly naked and not very co-operative – but boy, does he have a great chest. From that first moment, Elizabeth and Nathan get sucked into each others lives, and they both discover that appearances can be very deceptive…
I had a lot of fun writing parts of this book. I also got a bit misty-eyed in parts. But hey, as far as I’m concerned, it’s not a good ride if you don’t have the highs and the lows. I want to give away two copies of Hot Island Nights this month. To be in the running, I’d love for readers to share their best holiday memory. It’s very cold and rainy down here in Melbourne – I want to live vicariously!!! Looking forward to hearing your stories…
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My family always went camping in the mountains of New Mexico and Colorado in the summer time. My parents didn’t have a lot of money and doing a week in the mountains fishing, cooking out over a campfire and sleeping in tents was way cheaper than staying in a hotel somewhere. We would catch fish and cook them out in an old cast iron skillet over an open fire and there were hot dogs and marshmallows. Bugs and heat aside it was a blast. We swam in the river because Dad always insisted we camp near a river so we could fish and swim.
My girls weren’t into doing outdoor things and our vacations as an adult were spent going to golf tournaments with my husband. Not the professional kind tho. These were ones that he played in and my girls and I would go shopping and then for the ladies there was bingo for NICE prizes (they always let my girls play, which was nice of them) I won an afghan and a set of luggage and lots of little things over the years. What fond memories of both…
I can’t wait to read your new book it sounds pretty interesting…
BTW It has been in the hundreds here in Texas and there is just enough humidity to make it miserable. UGH :-O
Patsy, I have always envied people who camped when they were kids. My mum was always more of a four walls and roof over her head kind of woman, but my sister takes her kids camping all the time and I know they have great memories, just like you, of their times together. There’s actually a bit of marshmallow toasting in my book, believe it or not!! And I have to say, you’ve got to love a holiday when you come back with better luggage!! Hope the hot weather’s not wearing you down too much. I’m huddled under no less than two rugs as well as my fleecy dressing gown over here – not very Blaze-y, but definitely snuggly!!!
The hot weather is draining but that’s why I have Air Conditioning… LOL
I wish my girls had liked outdoor things when they were little but alas it was not meant to be. They are both adults now and still don’t like camping and such although my oldest now runs marathons. But the youngest hates the sun. She is too afraid of getting skin cancer like my grandmother. So there is no outdoor activities for her. :-$
I think the best holiday I can remember was when I went to Disneyland. My ex-husband ( we were married then), my brother and sister-in-law all packed up and went to The Grand Canyon, Painted Desert, Royal Gorge, Las Vegas and Disneyland. We spent 3 days at Disneyland and it was wonderful. Guess what year that was, 1972, I haven’t had a real vacation since then. I think I’m due.
Hi Linda. Your Disney trip sounds like great fun. Me and my man went back in ’02, fulfilling a lifelong dream for me since Disneyland was always my Holy Grail when I was a kid. We had a hoot – although I’ll admit to being a tad more fascinated by Universal Studios. As for not having had another decent holiday since then – pack those bags and start planning, lady. What’s your dream destination?
Sarah Congrats on the new book, can’t wait to get my hands on this book!!
I have to say my favorite trip was when my parents took us three kids to Jamacia. i was 13 at the time. It was my first airplane ride ever. We witnessed my mom’s fear of flying. It was interesting how she held on to my dad’s arm REALLY hard!! Going to a country that was totally different then home. Wow!! It was a eye opener. Then when we were given our own room to have away from our parents, it was so cool!! Going to the beach where the water was crystal clear and seeing the white sandy beaches.
We were involved in activities everyday with other kids at the resort that were our age. We survived a small tropical storm one day. It was interesting and a little scary
It is a memory I hope I can do for our children some day. It was a vaction that was full of great food, great places that we would have never seen, and extra time with my parents to which we got a better view into who they were. It was a time that is timeless to me.
It’s amazing, isn’t it, how some memories are crystal clear in our minds even after all these years? It sounds as though that family holiday really marked itself in your mind for a number of reasons. Jamaica sounds stunning. We went to Bali a few years ago, which I imagine as being slightly similiar in that it’s tropical and lush. It was fabulous, so relaxing. I hope you get to take your kids on a similar adventure one day so they can make their own wonderful memories.
Hi Sarah!!! I have to say I’m very excited about your new book. Of course I love anything you write!
I have two different favorite vacations. The first one is when my family use to rent a house down in San Felipe Mexico. It was a 6 hours drive from home. We always had fun. Then we would pretty much live at the beach for the week. It was the one time a year we had the whole family together all the time. I remember racing my Dad on the beach and going out at night when the tide went out and exploring. I do remember one time when we were down there these guys got drunk and decided to drive their jeep down to the water. Well I dont remember if they got stuck or just left it, but the jeep go covered by water when the tide came in. They had to wait until the next night to have it towed in and it was completly ruined!
My second was the summer before my Junior year in high school. My Mom, my brother, my nephew and I drove from California to North Carolina with my oldest sisters family to help them move. We spent time in NC, then rented a car and drove to South Carolina to visit my second sister. We spent time with her then drove to Miami Florida to see my moms family down there. We were there for like 3 weeks then we flew to San Francisco to see my third sister. We were there for just over a week then we drove home from there. It was an awesome summer!
Cant wait to read the new book! Have a great Night! (*)
Wow. Two very cool holidays. I can totally relate to your beach holiday when you were kids, exploring the beach and the water line etc. I can remember friends of ours went night trawling one evening, trying to capture sting rays for the aquatic park they owned, and I can remember manning one end of the net (safely on the shore, mind you!) while we worked our way along the beach. We have moved closer to the bay recently and are now just five minutes from the beach – I can’t wait to build some new great beachy memories!!!
We had some great vacations as a kid (yes, even though I loathe camping, as a kid, it was kind of fun).
This year, my folks invited me along on one of their vacations to Paris. I had a great time visiting art museums, Giverny, Versailles, etc. I missed my kids horribly, but I had a great time with my folks and I love Paris. It’s reignited my love of travel.
Another great trips was when I studied in Australia (twice I did that). I so want to go back. I love the people and everything I saw. Fun times.
Hey, you’ve had some awesome holidays, too. I ADORE Paris. I know it’s a terrible cliche, but it’s such a beautiful, interesting city. Every corner reveals something new. My brother is in talks with my mother at the moment about going to Europe with her – she’s keen on England, Ireland and Scotland – and we are thinking we might lure them across to Paris, and then maybe Rome (which I also love). Touring some of my favourite places with my mother and my brother would be sooo cool, and it would be even better if my sister could join us for at least some of it. (she has three kids, so that’s doubtful, but fingers crossed) I hope we can arrange things so it can all happen, somehow. I hope you get a chance to come Down Under again. It’s a long flight, I know, but you’d probably be surprised by how much has changed down here in the past few years. Lots more people, lots of stuff happening…
My best holiday was my honeymoon. We rented a cabin in the mountains that had a serene setting but was not too far from the tourist attractions. It was a wonderful time.
I love that your honeymoon is your favorite holiday. How lovely! And a good sign for the marriage to come, eh? Finding a private place close enough to visit civilization is always a challenge, but it sounds like you guys pulled it off.
Congrats on the new release!! We spent a week in Key West. It was sunny and gorgeous. Enjoyed the ocean and beach. Very relaxing. You should come visit.
Oh, I could do with a holiday, let me tell you! Especially somewhere sunny. But we’re about to launch into house renovations, so I think it’s going to be a while before I step on a plane again.
Congrats on your new release!!!
One vacation that stands out is one of the cruises I went on… A trip through the caribbean… the food, the music, the shopping… loved it! They had this chocolate midnight buffet… oh my goodness… the variety and amount of chocolate… boy oh boy!
What is this you speak of? A chocolate midnight buffet? I think I may need a cigarette and a lie down… I had to do a lot of research for cruises for the continuity I wrote a few years ago (Island Heat), which was also set on a cruise through the Caribbean, and I was blown away by the images I found on line. What a beautiful, stunning place. And I gather from friends who have cruised that the whole live on the boat but visit different places thing is lots of fun and very relaxing. Hope you get to enjoy another cruise again soon.
Congrats on the new release, Sarah. A few years ago I went to visit my cousin so that I could spend the holidays with her, but then she had to go out of town for work. She bought me a plane ticket to Amsterdam so that I can go with her and not be alone for Christmas.
My brother went to Amsterdam a few years ago. It sounds like a pretty interesting place. I like all the little canals and bridges they seem to have (that’s Amsterdam, right?).
Hi Sarah, I love your books! You are the only HQ author I keep an eye out for.
I love to travel. One of my favorite holidays was a recent trip to Cancun, Mexico. The people were friendly, the food delicious, there was a beachfront and pool to hang out by. Nice & relaxing. Next time I will travel to a less touristy spot to take in all the history and more cultural offerings. I love Spain as well, I’ve been to Madrid, Sevilla, Barcelona. Spain is probably my most favorite European country. Sangria, tapas & siesta…lovely way to live, eh?
Hi Jen, glad you’re enjoying the reads. I have been thinking about Spain as my next European conquest lately. The problem is that I am a terrible creature of habit – if I find something I like, I just keep coming back for more. So I tend to keep going to Paris and now Rome is on my hit list because I just adored it when we visited a couple of years ago. But I have seen a few documentaries on Spain, and, of course, I love the food. I know they have some fantastic Moorish architecture (in the south? I can’t remember) that I’d love to see. I am in the tentative stages of planning a big euro trip (if you’re making that long haul flight from Melbourne to anywhere Northern Hemisphere, it pays to go for a while!) so I might sniff around and see if I can’t include Spain in my itiniery…
Woo hoo for the new book!! I can’t wait to read it! Yay!! Sounds fun.
My best holiday…wow, that’s a toughie. Growing up, we couldn’t afford vacations. Even as an adult, I usually schedule extra time around a trip I’m taking for business or volunteer work.
I think I’ll pick my upcoming vacation as my best. Next month we’re going down to the contiguous 48 to visit friends and family. Visit a new niece and give the great-grandparents another visit with my daughter. They may be far away, but we love having the chance for them to know her and her to meet them (even if she is too young to remember it!) LOL – and we’re going to eat some favorite foods that we can’t find up here.
Cathy, I’m a little ashamed to admit that food plays a major part in many of my travel fantasies. One of my fondest memories of Bali, for example, was the poolside room service. Club sandwiches in the sun. Yum. Then there’s the lemon meringue pie and fresh falafel in Paris, and the fabulous pizza in Italy… Hope you have a great time visiting your family.
Never went on vacation when I was younger and I’ve only gone on vacation once. I went to Clearater, FL to visit my cousin. The best part was going to the beach near sunset, it was absolutely beautiful. Spending a few evenings at the beach was so relaxing and the best way to wind down the day.
Your new book sounds like a winner!
I think the water is such an elemental thing. I find it very, very calming and relaxing. In fact, whenever I meditate with a tape or something and they tell me to imagine a favorite place, it’s always the beach. I hope you get some down time again soon, Nicole.
The best holiday I ever had was when I went to Newfoundland. There are many geological formations in a relatively small space.
Okay, I should probably google this before I reveal my geographical incompetence (definitely my worst category in Trivial Pursuit!) but Newfoundland is where the Shipping News is set, yes? I was obsessed with that place after reading the book, couldn’t stop thinking about it.
First I have to say I’m excited to read your upcoming book!! I love stories that take me to exciting places. It sounds awesome!!
I was born and raised in Southern CA, so we always did a lot of day trips at home. (I think my parents kind of thought, why travel when we have so much here?) So my favorite trip wasn’t until after I was married. My husband and I went to his hometown in WI. Exotic, I know.
But, we did lots of exploring and went to quite a few lakes and historic sites. And we ate our weight in fried cheese curds. 
Simple, but fun for us, and good memories.
I am intrigued – what exactly does a fried cheese curd taste like? I’m guessing delicious, because the word “fried” is involved… Sounds like you had a lovely time exploring your hubby’s home town and local area. This idea is out for me and my man since we grew up about 5 km from each other. And you thought WI wasn’t exotic!!!
YUM!! I love fried cheese curds!! Yes, I grew up in WI, too.
Oh, I do believe you have not lived until you’ve had a fried cheese curd. They’re kind of hard to explain, sort of like a fried cheese stick that you might find in a pizza joint. But way better. They’re smaller bits of cheese, battered and fried. Perfect size to just pop in your mouth and munch. It’s easy to eat about a zillion in about an hour.
I remember visiting Niagra Falls when I was in the second grade. I remember being impressed by the power and NOISE of the falls. We donned rain coats and went on a tour under the falls. It’s so beautiful and HUGE. It was a little scary too!
I was watching Mad Men last night (yes, I know, old news, but I’m catching up) and one of the characters was on his honeymoon at Niagara. It used to be a big honeymoon resort, didn’t it? I hear going under the falls is an experience not to be missed – even better when you’re a kid, I bet.
I have so many holiday memories, it’s hard to pick just one. A few years ago we took a cruise in December.We went to Grand Cayman, Key West and Cozumel. Cozumel was my favorite. We went to Tulum and saw the Mayan ruins. It was so amazing to see these buildings that were 700 years old. Also, the water was so blue and pretty.
On an aside, I read Her Best Friend and just loved it. A book that makes me laugh, cry and feel is a real winner.
Hi Tammy, glad you enjoyed Her Best Friend. I had a lot of fun writing that book. You guys have access to such awesome cruises up there in North America – so many cool places within easy reach. I think the closest we can get to down here is New Zealand, which, having lived there for 5 years, isn’t quite as exciting to me as the Carribean and Mayan ruins, oddly enough!
Hi Sarah! Congrats on your newest release!! Years ago my dad was working in England for a few months, so my mother, sister, and I flew there to see him for two weeks during Christmas break. We took the train all around Europe, and it was so amazing. I especially remember the Christmas market in Vienna, because it was such a wonderful way to celebrate the season.
I’m so jealous of your cold weather; it is SO HOT here in the southeast US!!
Denise, I can see the sun today. After days and days to grey skies and pelting rain, it feels like a miracle. Although it’s probably wrong of me to complain when we’ve been on water restrictions for years. Hopefully this summer will not be a horrible dry one. Your train holiday sounds great. My brother would be drooling – he’s always loved trains, and has actually recently left his IT job to retrain as a train driver!! He LOVES it and is the happiest I have ever seen. And can I say, the words “Christmas market in Vienna” conjure many lovely images in my head.