Ramblings of an Australian Writer

Rachel Lacey and Mia Sosa have teamed up with over 30 romance authors to offer you a special giveaway, in light of the recent natural disasters that have affected parts of the United States, Mexico, and the Caribbean Islands. To enter, just email us at romancecares@gmail.com showing proof of a donation (please remove sensitive information) to disaster relief efforts, and you will receive 1 or more free ebooks - chosen at random - from a list of books from participating authors. Some people will even receive an entire series! Please help us spread the word by sharing this giveaway on social media using the hashtag #romancecares.

Our hearts and thoughts are with everyone who's been affected. <3

Entry Details:

1. Please email romancecares@gmail.com by Friday, October 13 showing proof of a donation to disaster relief dated between August 1 and October 13, 2017.

2. In your email, please indicate your preference of Kindle or Nook copies for your gifted ebooks.

3. If you've already read any of the books included in the giveaway, please let us know in your email, and we'll do our best to gift you a book or books you haven't read yet.

Our Awesome Participating Authors:

Jennifer Bernard - Setting Off Sparks
Marnee Blake - Altered
Asa Maria Bradley - Viking Warrior Rising
Laura Brown - Friend (With Benefits) Zone
Celeste Castro - Homecoming
Olivia Dade - Ready to Fall
Alexis Daria - Take the Lead
Jen Doyle - Calling It
Kate Forest - Interior Design and Other Emotions
Calista Fox - His Angel of Starlight Bend
Megan Frampton - the Dukes Behaving Badly series
Codi Gary - Crazy for You
Mia Hopkins - Cowboy Rising and Cowboy Karma
April Hunt - Hard Justice
Ryvr Jones - Shadow and Bones
L.J. LaBarthe - The Archangel Chronicles (complete 9 book set)
Rachel Lacey - Crash and Burn
Ruby Lang - Hard Knocks
Jessica Linden - Fight For Me
Tracey Livesay - the Shades of Love series and the In Love with a Tycoon series
J.L. Lora - Boss
Sarah MacLean - the Scandal and Scoundrel series
Kelly Maher - The Bridesmaid and the Hurricane
Tif Marcelo - North to You
Liz Maverick - The Transporter
Harper Miller - The Sweetest Taboo
Steph Nuss - the Love in the City series
Priscilla Oliveras - His Perfect Partner
Tamsen Parker - Rogue Desire and In Her Court
Annie Rains - Forbidden Kisses
Sara Rider - Going for the Goal
Lydia San Andres - A Summer for Scandal
Susan Scott Shelley - Making His Move
Sabrina Sol - Delicious Satisfaction
Mia Sosa - Acting on Impulse
Elisabeth Staab - Losing the Fight
Mia West - Marked by Fire
Tara Wyatt - Dirty Boxing

It's Thursday, the day the country has been dreading. The news isn't great and there's more to come in the following days with a cyclone predicted for Cairns and moving east. I'm going to break this up into state with links to relevant news reports.

South Australia:
Minor flooding in the Riverland, although the residents worried as drains aren't working due to this being the second round of flash flooding in ten days.
Crop damage isn't as bad as first feared.

Victoria:
Heavy rains fall, prompting an anxious wait.
Victoria braces for flash flooding as the town of Natimuk is flooded.

New South Wales:
Evacuations as deluge continues and 4500 people are cut off.
Aboriginal elders taken to help convince indigenous residents to leave during the crisis.

Tasmania:
Tasmania east coast is preparing for more rain and more flooding.

Queensland:
The suburb of New Farm is dealing with looters.
Police sent in as the death toll rises to fifteen.
Video of flooded Brisbane from the air.
People warned to stay off the Brisbane River due to large amounts of debris in the water.
Cyclone is brewing off the Coral Sea.
Uncomfirmed shark sightings in the streets of Goodna. Goodna residents are navigating their flooded streets in fear after unconfirmed sightings of bull sharks in the area.
Anger rising over lootings. And with good reason.
Skipper of a tug boat saved Brisbane's Gateway Bridges.
The cleanup of Brisbane could take months.
Schoolboy begs rescuer to save his younger brother first drowns before being rescued.
Gold Coaster donates $37K worth of underwear.
Two heroes who deserve a fanfare via @DHughesy. (Australian comic.)

Fundraising/Charities/Etc:

waltzmatildah has a Fic fundraiser going.
owemebreakfast has an art/graphics fundraiser here.
Fandoms Fight the Floods on Facebook.
Official Flood Victim donations site.
Etsy Flood Relief Fundraiser.
Donate to help animal victims of the floods.
Storage King offer for those who live in Brisbane affected by floods for free storage-trucks & trailers to help evacuate. Phone: 1800storage.
Queensland Flood Pet Options needs donations.
Animals Australia and The Wildlife Protection Association of Australia has established an emergency wildlife flood appeal.

Desperate Adoration: An Anthology Celebration of Love and Life.




The anthology has been released (More information here) and contains the following wonderful stories.

Among the Stars – D. M. Silveria
An Earlier Heaven – K. P. Smith, J. Koch
An Ordinary Life – Beate A. Tecza, S. J. Morris
Amukade – Jacob Donovan
Art of Living – L. J. LaBarthe
Can‟t Stop – Miya Kressin
Ever Green – R. E. W. McNeil
Fire in the Blood – Jessica Nasca
Fragile – J. P. Barnaby
Going Home – Michelle Birbeck
Grandma‟s Last Wish – J. C. Wesner
Out of my Dreams – Laurel Chandler
Terra Firma – P. J. Roberts
The Price of a Sacrifice – Marie L. Andersen
Unbroken – Claire M. King

Put together by J. P. Barnaby to raise money and awareness for victims of violence. My story, Art of Living, is a snapshot from the very long lives of two Archangels: Michael and Gabriel. Michael is feeling the weight of his responsibilities and wondering if there is any hope. Gabriel takes him to see lives being lived to the fullest, hope in landscapes and humanity. A small sample:

Gabriel laughed and ruffled his brother's hair. "Oh yeah, you so are. So come on...what's up?"

He opened his mouth to protest but then sighed. Gabriel was right, Michael knew. Sometimes it bothered him just how well his little brother – his favourite brother – could read his tells. None of the other Archangels, or indeed any other choir of angels in Heaven, could read him half so well. Long, long ago, Michael had sometimes wondered if Gabriel had ever actually liked him at all. Raphael, Archangel of Healing, had pointed out to Michael once that if Gabriel didn't like him, hadn't liked him, then he wouldn't know him half so well or tease him half so often.

It had been a comfort then, in the early twentieth century, when Michael had listened to Raphael's words. War among humans was still developing; the tools and machines built for that purpose were crude. Michael knew, as only the first Archangel and warrior of God could know, that things would get worse.

It had been a comfort then, in the early twentieth century, when Michael had listened to Raphael's words. War among humans was still developing; the tools and machines built for that purpose were crude. Michael knew, as only the first Archangel and warrior of God could know, that things would get worse.

They had of course. Mankind‘s lust for conquest grew unabated. Michael found himself losing his spirit and what little hope he had for a good outcome for humanity with each new destructive invention. With each great war that covered the world, drawing in peoples from every nation, he lost heart just a little more until he found himself spending more and more time alone in the great deserts of the world, pondering the eternal question of why.

God the Father, however, kept His silence on the matter. Michael was left alone with his grim thoughts as sunlight burned his skin and blistered his wings and sand chafed his feet.

A wonderful cause that Serena Yates and I among many others are participating in is the E-Book Benefit. From the site, the E-Book Benefit is The eBook will include all kinds of stories - gay, straight, romance, paranormal, any kind of original short story that the authors choose to write. This eBook will be a gift from us to anyone that donates to a cause geared towards the aid of victims of violence and forwards us the receipt.

More about the E-Book Benefit can be found here. There's also a Twitter feed here.

To see who the participating authors are, go here. And please do donate for this wonderful cause, aiding the victims of violence/violent crime.