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Dear friends, It’s been a busy few months since my last newsletter. My time has been spent editing book six of the West Series, Deliverance and travelling. For the second time this year I headed to the northern hemisphere, this time to Iceland, the Faroe Islands, Scotland, and the Lake District. I’m constantly drawn to that part of the world. It might be because of the Scandinavian blood pulsing through my veins. I could only have received it from the Viking raids on the east coast of the UK. The main percentage of my Viking blood is Danish with a small amount of Norwegian. The reason I know this is that I had my DNA tested. It’s interesting what you learn about yourself. When I travel, I’m looking for places to set stories. Faroe Islands, Iceland and Scotland didn’t disappoint. The Lakes District was beautiful, too, but the rugged, dramatic scenery of the other places grabbed me. With a population of just under 400,000, Iceland is experiencing a surge in tourist numbers. They’ve climbed from 500,000 a year to 2.5 million. They’re frantically building hotels to accommodate the influx, but money needs to go into the airport, which is struggling to cope. If you ever decide to visit, you won’t be disappointed though as it was spectacular. The Faroes, with its population of 55,000, was quieter and less crowded, which I preferred. They also have a small airport, and I can’t see how they can cope with many tourists. Firstly, the airport only takes small jets. It’s challenging to get around unless on a guided tour, and they don’t have the infrastructure for staying remote. But I think it puts them in the enviable position of controlling their tourism numbers. From a writer’s perspective, I found the Faroe history fascinating. They were first settled by Irish monks in the 6th century, but the Norse began arriving in the early 800s. The islands became part of the Kingdom of Norway in 1035. In 1380, Norway and the Faroe Islands joined the Kingdom of Denmark. The administration of the Islands gradually shifted from Norway to Denmark. In 1814, the Treaty of Kiel dissolved the union between Norway and Denmark, leaving the Faroe Islands under Danish sovereignty. The Faroe Islands were administered as a Danish county from 1816 to 1948. In 1948, they became self-governing under the Home Rule Act. The Faroese people are proud they have autonomy over their internal affairs, speak their own language and are ahead of the rest of the world in fish farming. There is much to love about the place. What grabbed me besides the scenery was the Selkie folklore stories, and by the time we left, a seed was sprouting. From the Faroes, we travelled to Scotland. It’s only a couple of hour’s plane journey and a popular destination for Faroese as a shopping destination. What I found interesting was that Scotland, Ireland and Iceland also have Selkie stories. All with a similar theme: seals coming ashore and changing into humans. The stories about selkie and human interaction grabbed my attention. The selkies are supposed to be friendly and helpful to humans but can also be dangerous and vengeful—those traits alone give scope when writing. They’re depicted as attractive and seductive in human form, and many stories involve selkies having romantic or sexual relationships with humans, sometimes resulting in children. Selkies can be tricked or coerced into marrying humans, usually by someone who steals and hides their seal skin, preventing them from returning to the sea. Such marriages are often unhappy as the selkie longs for the sea and may eventually escape once they find their skin. The Legend of Køpakonan is a Faroese story about one such selkie trapped in an unhappy marriage. She bides her time until reclaiming her skin and returning to sea. Her human husband, however, hunts her seal husband and children down, killing them. She seeks revenge and curses the people and their descendants. The selkie stories stretch the imagination, and I’m playing with a modern theme with an undercurrent of fantasy/shapeshifting. The selkie stories are so believable that it’s hard not to believe they’re real. Perhaps they are! More about Shattered Façade later. The West Series continues with the fifth book, Resurrection, released in September. This one is set in Scotland (it seems I can’t help myself with location). The blurb for those interested: Alana West is starring in a movie about the Jacobite Uprising. Filming is almost complete when a world pandemic sees the film crew in lockdown at a farmhouse in the small town of Drumnadrochit on Loch Ness. Fergus Frazer hosts cast members and is shocked when he meets Alana. She is his wife’s doppelganger. Elspeth died six years ago, and the perpetrator is still at large. When the police pull another female body from Loch Ness and learn how she met her fate, Fergus becomes their number one suspect. Initially, at odds, Fergus and Alana give in to the chemistry that draws them together. However, forces are working behind the scenes to keep them apart, and when Fergus ends up in custody, Alana must unravel past and present events to clear his name. It seems the West family attract trouble wherever they travel. A reviewer of Resurrection said: The best yet! Don’t miss the series. Available through Amazon: Destiny, Providence, Redemption, Survival and Resurrection. Coming soon: Deliverance, Tempest and Reckoning. Stay tuned for release dates. If you’re looking for an action-packed adventure series set in Peru, Australia and the US, I have my two-book series, El Alto and Return to Alto. And for those who love horses: Racing Dream, Racing Time and Racing Fate. The racing series is in South Australia. And I haven’t forgotten you car enthusiasts: Second Chance, set in the Flinders Ranges. All my books except the El Alto series are stand-alone, suspense stories with romantic elements. The El Alto series is an adventure love story. I can’t believe where the year has gone, but here we are again, looking down the barrel toward Christmas. I wish everyone a Merry Christmas and a very happy New Year. Until next year-- Suzie
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Dear friends, Welcome to the June newsletter. For something a little different, we invited Dan West to Independent Broadcast Studios, Balhannah, for a chat. This interview was recorded earlier in the week with local celebrity Suzie Hindmarsh-Knights. Introduction Dan West – Patriarch, a self-made person, cattle & horse breeder, lives in Denver, Colorado, with his family. He has married and buried three wives and carries guilt over a shooting incident that nearly saw the death of his youngest son Oliver. Suzie: “Morning, Dan, take a seat.” Dan: Hi, Suzie. Lovely to meet you again. You’re looking well.” Suzie: “Thanks. You’re not looking bad yourself. We’ve turned the weather on for your visit, but then you know about our hot, dry climate here in South Australia as you travel here often. I believe you have mining interests?” Dan: “Yeah. Love Australia. We holiday in Coober Pedy at least once a year. As you know, my wife’s father lives and works there, and we have interests in a couple of mines, so it draws us back for many reasons.” Suzie: “Did you make your fortune in opal?” Dan: “Depends on what you mean by fortune.” He grinned. “I was young when I first ventured into opal mining. I earned enough to buy back the family home from the bank. I turned my family fortune around and made my money work for me. My mines are still profitable, so I guess I’m one of the lucky ones.” Suzie: “You said you were young. Wealth isn’t easy to manage at the best times, but it can be tricky when young. How did you manage it?” Dan: Laughs. “I didn’t. I went off the deep end. I got drawn in with the wrong types who saw an easy mark and took advantage. I learned the hard way you can’t trust everyone.” Suzie: “You became a hunter?” Dan: Sigh. “Unfortunately, yes. If I could change one thing, it would be that. Lucky for me, I met my first wife. She sorted me out, and I never looked back.” Suzie: “You married four times. Three of your wives died in tragic circumstances. You met your fourth wife, Ellie, in British Columbia, and I believe it wasn’t love at first sight.” Dan: “I wouldn't go as far as to say that. She was in denial. She took me on a journey, that’s for sure. She learned of my past and wasn’t impressed. Her family are animal activists—” Suzie: “I believe you also followed that road.” Dan: “Yes, and it’s been so worthwhile. I’m trying to give something back after my unfortunate past. Anyway, back to Ellie, I eventually wore her down. It took twenty years for her to come into my life. I didn’t believe I could be lucky enough to meet another woman I’d want to marry. But when I met Ellie, I knew she was the one. We’ve been married for a few years now.” Suzie: “And happy?” Dan: “Oh God, yes. I love her to the moon and back. I’ve loved and lost three amazing women and was lucky to find my soulmate at a time I’d resigned myself to being alone.” Suzie: “That’s good to hear. Tell me, Dan, how did you deal with losing three wives?” Dan: “It’s never easy losing a loved one. For me, to lose three was heart breaking. But out of those marriages came children. They needed me and gave me purpose.” Suzie: “Talking of children. Whatever possessed you to have six?” Dan: Laughs. “Having two sets of twins certainly upped the ante. But I wouldn’t have changed any of it. I’d have had more if fate hadn’t intervened. My kids are as different as night and day, but their mothers would be proud of the people they’ve turned out to be.” Suzie: “Tell me about your kids.” Dan: “How long have you got.” Laughs. “Heath is the eldest. Firstborns bear all the responsibility of those that follow. He’s steadfast, solid as they come. He’s always had my back. He runs the ranch—” Suzie: “Married?” Dan: “He has a sweetheart, and when the time is right, I’m sure they’ll tie the knot. Jamie came next. He also carried much of the burden of younger siblings. Heath and his brother are tight. As a child, Jamie saw himself as Sherlock Holmes. He’s ventured into detective work and taken on more than he bargained for. I hope he’ll eventually tire of it and return to help Heath. Then we have my twin girls.” Smiles. “Caroline and Alana, who are opposites in everything. Alana was an adventurous child growing up. She learned to ride before she could barely walk. She worked on the ranch from an early age. When she’s not around it’s like losing three staff. Caroline is a homemaker. She can ride as well as her sister, but ranching isn’t her thing. She’ll marry and produce her own tribe. Alana had a chip on her shoulder about our wealth. She proved to the naysayer that she could make it without her old man’s help.” Laughs. “She had a passion for acting for a time and succeeded in many pursuits on her terms. Then we have Joe and Oliver, my youngest.” Sigh. “Joe is headstrong, and his brother Oli would have followed him into battle if Joe commanded it. They’re close, especially after a gun accident nearly took Oli’s life. Joe carried the guilt of that day for many years. Kids! He disobeyed me and took his brother's shooting badly. So, Suzie, you have kids?” Suzie: “No, I couldn’t stand the pressure. Tell me about your current wife, Ellie. How does she deal with your tribe?” Dan: “Nothing much deters Ellie. My girls and their young brothers did their utmost to convince her marrying me was a terrible idea. She turned things around with them. After saving Joe’s life, things improved. Now they’re tight.” Suzie: “Have you considered having a child together?” Dan: “No, it won’t happen. If we’d met earlier, we may have considered it. But Ellie is in her mid-forties, and I’m mid-fifties. We’ll hang in there and wait for the kids to produce grandchildren. Ellie has two daughters, Faith, and Charlotte, who are, funnily enough, twins. We’re blessed. Faith married Oliver and Charlotte, James.” Suzie: “They married their stepbrothers?” Dan: “Not unusual, considering they’d only met the last few years. So, between the eight of them, something should happen soon.” Suzie: “I’ve heard you often talk about one of your closest friends who is more like a son—” Dan: “You’re talking about Hank. He was young when he came to work for me. He quickly became someone I could trust. He’s one of the family.” Suzie: “Time is running out. Is there anything you’d like to add before we finish?” Dan: “Only to tell your readers and listeners to follow their dreams. Life is precious, and it doesn’t matter how difficult things might seem, we can change our circumstances for the better if we want to. Thanks, Suzie, for the chat. We hope to see you in Denver sometime in the future. Suzie: “Thanks, Dan, give my regards to Ellie and the family.” Thanks go to Dan West for dropping in for an informal chat. How about we get one of his kids in next time? Follow Dan’s story in the West Series, the first book being Destiny. I will sign off here and be back with the September newsletter. So, until next time, stay safe. Suzie All Suzie’s books are available through your local Amazon site and through Kindle Unlimited. Dear friends, Welcome to the first newsletter for 2024. I hope Christmas and the New Year were filled with family, friends, merriment and that 2024 has started well for everyone. The Festive Season and New Year celebrations seem a distant memory now. For us, the celebrations went on into January, the 26th being our national holiday to celebrate Australia Day. A recent news item grabbed my attention when Police in Sydney, New South Wales, busted a criminal syndicate planning to export hundreds of lizards to Hong Kong illegally. The police found these poor creatures concealed in chip packets, handbags, and cereal containers. By coincidence, Book 4 of the West Series, Survival, (released February 2024) is about animal trafficking in this part of the world. Charlotte Clifford is working to finish her degree at a wildlife park in Far North Queensland when she unwittingly becomes involved in illegally exporting Australian wildlife to Hong Kong. Jamie West is investigating the wildlife park. Jamie and Charlotte work to bring the perpetrators to justice. If you have read – Destiny, Book 1 of the West Series, you’ll be familiar with the Australian outback opal mining town of Coober Pedy where Dan West finds Ellie after they part company at the Bear Lodge in British Columbia. Coober Pedy has always fascinated me. It’s like you’ve left Earth to visit some far-flung planet. I’ve never understood its fascination to those who live there. The land is barren, hot and opal has never done it for me. It wasn’t until a friend decided to live, work, and marry an opal miner invited us to stay there. Meeting some of the locals I began to understand the appeal Coober Pedy has on people. Rubbing shoulders with the locals spiked my imagination. I saw not only how mining becomes a drug but also how hard it is on the body. Add a harsh climate, the peril of falling into open shafts, and little water; you have an excellent setting for a story. Estimates are that more than 1.5 million open shafts dot the area. Again, another news item caught my attention. A 47-year-old man fell down an abandoned thirty-metre (100 ft) opal mine shaft. His wife alerted the authorities after he didn’t return home, he was found 24 hours later. Country Fire Service (CFS) volunteers and the Coober Pedy Mine Rescue squad took three hours to pull him out of the mine. He was lucky only to suffer multiple broken bones. Most people don’t survive the fall, and many are never found. Tourists often laugh at the quirky signs dotted around the Coober Pedy region. They tell the unsuspecting person to watch where they put their feet. If you ever visit, take heed. I will sign off here and be back with the June newsletter. So, until next time, stay safe. Suzie Dear friends, |
AuthorContemporary adventure with Archives
June 2024
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