Hello from a cold & rainy Perth... yes, winter has finally arrived in Western Australia.  In fact, today was so icy, we even had a brief spell of hail!

Congrats to the latest giveaway winner!

I'm delighted to announce the winner of my last giveaway - who was randomly chosen from the comments of the latest post on my blog: Culinary Crimes & Baking Bungles... Congratulations to Vibeke! You win a signed copy of your choice of any of my books. (My assistant, Erin, will contact you to organise the prize - if you haven't heard from her, please email: [email protected] )

And thank you to all those who left a comment on that blog post - I loved reading about your "baking blunders" (it made me feel much better - haha!) and I really appreciate all the baking tips. Yes, I'll definitely remember not to get too enthusiastic when mixing cake batter or kneading! 😉

Actually, you'll be pleased to hear that since those early days, I have managed to produce a couple of decent cakes - I guess it really is true that "practice makes perfect". And in fact, the last cake I made was the gorgeous Chocolate Whisky Cake recipe that's at the end of the latest Oxford Tearoom Mystery (Book 12: "A High Whisk Situation") which was released earlier this year. 

I needed to test the recipe before I put it at the end of the book and the cake turned out perfectly: moist and fudgy and OMG, that whisky chocolate ganache is to die for! (It was surprisingly boozy too... I think my hand might have slipped when I was measuring the whisky! 😜)

** If you have Kindle versions of my books, you can find all the featured recipes on one handy page on my website: RECIPES 

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"So you want to write a Cozy Mystery?" 

For those of you who live in/near Perth - I've been invited by one of the local libraries to give a "Cozy Mystery 101" workshop. So if you've always dreamt of writing your own mystery novel, but don't know where to start... or maybe you've started but are a bit stuck 😉 ... then come and join me for an exciting morning of fun and inspiration! 

You'll learn the rules and tropes of the genre, get tips on plotting whodunits, and discover how to create engaging characters and memorable settings - as well as having the chance to ask any burning questions you might have.

An introduction to murder, moggies and meddling old biddies, with bestselling mystery author H.Y. Hanna

For more information and to register:

Sat 15th July 2023 

(10:30am - 12 noon)

https://www.melvillecity.com.au/things-to-do/events/whats-on/so,-you-want-to-write-a-cozy-mystery

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Upcoming books:

I'm currently still wrestling with the plot of the next book in the Bewitched by Chocolate Mysteries... it's been a real challenge as this is the final book in the series and I want to try and tie up all the loose ends I can, but - OMG - this series has so much world-building, backstory arcs and different subplot threads that it's a bit like wrangling a many-headed hydra!! 😝

Anyway, I'm still aiming for release in the autumn, so hopefully I will have lopped off enough heads to tame the beast by then! 

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Gardening adventures and Muesli Moments...

Until next time, I'll leave you with some recent pictures of me & Muesli braving "the jungle that was formerly known as my garden" 😉 (Some of these are posted on my Facebook Author Page but I thought I'd share them here too, for those of you who aren't on social media.)

As many of you know, I LOVE the look of a rambling cottage garden billowing with plants and flowers, and that's what I've tried to create in my own home (and my experience as a beginner gardener is what inspired the idea for my English Cottage Garden Mysteries!). Here's a picture of my garden last spring...

... but I'm rapidly discovering that the problem with a “wild, romantic garden” style is that by the end of the long, hot Aussie summer, it’s more “wild” than “romantic”!! 😜

So I've been really busy the past few weeks cutting back and removing half a forest from my flower beds. Of course, Muesli always comes to "help" me... If only cats had opposable thumbs and could help carry the heavy bags of plant trimmings! Althought thinking about it, they probably wouldn’t help even if they did. 😉 Can you just imagine the look of disdain? 

“Me? Carry a bag for you? You want me to do actual work??”

Still, it IS really lovely to get out in the garden, and get some fresh air and exercise after being hunched over my desk all day... In fact, gardening at twilight is my favourite time of day!

Then... there are those unexpected little moments that make all the hard work worthwhile. 😊 I turned around while gardening the other day and was surprised by a late cluster of blooms from “Evelyn Rose” – one of my David Austin roses and the inspiration for Gemma’s mother’ name in my Oxford Tearoom Mysteries!

And there's no feeling in the world like that sense of achievement mingled with aching muscles and pleasant fatigue, when you come in after several hours of hard labour in the garden and finally sit down with a hot cup of tea... 

As you can see, Muesli is exhausted too from all that "helping"! 😉

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