Tag: love

Author Talks with Abra Pressler

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Australian Author, Abra Pressler 📸 Ravi from LiberaArts

Abra Pressler is a Riverina gal, who now lives in Canberra and writes her romantic heart out ❤️

Abra studied Creative Writing at RMIT University in Melbourne, where she lived for three years. But when the pandemic hit, in May 2020, she decided to self-publish an old manuscript, titled More. By December, she’d sold 3,000 copies.

After winning the 2021 Penguin Random House WriteIt Fellowship for Love Other Scores, Abra signed with Pan Macmillan to have the full novel published in 2023! And can I just say, I’m so pleased about this ⭐️🎾

Abra, welcome to Mel Reviews Her Books 💖

Abra, can you please share with us your writing life before Love and Other Scores came into the physical book world? … Because this isn’t your first rodeo.

Like most writers, I devoured books when I was younger and then tried writing my own (very, very bad) books. But writing quickly became my passion. I decided to study writing at university with the dream of being a published author.

After I finished my degree, I got a job in the private sector and kept writing on the side. I wrote several manuscripts in a variety of genres but kept coming back to contemporary romance. Around 2018-2019, I wrote a manuscript called More about an Uber-like delivery driver who dreams of being a chef and a taciturn foreign diplomat who can’t cook (thus orders a lot of takeaway). I pitched it to a few agents and publishers but didn’t get much of a bite. Then COVID-19 hit and I had nothing do to, so I thought I’d just polish it up, edit it, and self-publish. It was also pretty strategic because I knew I wanted to get a traditional publishing contract, and thought ‘Well, if I can show I can write a sellable book, that’ll help!’

I learnt so much about self-publishing (aka I made a lot of mistakes), and More did moderately well (it sold around 6,000 or so copies), so I started writing my next idea, which was Love and Other Scores with the intention that I really wanted to get a traditional deal, but if I didn’t, I could always self-publish it. I ended up signing with Pan Macmillan around 8 or 9 months after I started pitching it to agents and publishers. 

That goes to say that the first book you ever write may not be the one that will land you a traditional deal (if that’s your goal!). Sometimes it can take 3, 5, or 10 manuscripts and that’s okay. Every draft and book I’ve written has allowed me to grow as a writer and I’m of the firm belief no book idea is ever ‘dead’ even when it’s shelved. It’s just not in its right form yet!

The Australian Open is CLEARLY a huge inspiration for Noah and Gabriel’s love story. What personal experiences brought this idea to life for you?

I’ve been obsessed with tennis from a young age—my friend Bec and I would stay up late watching the Australian Open back when Nadal, Federer and Djokovic were the big three, fighting it out each year for the major titles.

But my actual ‘research’ comes from when I worked at the Australian Open as a barista. Around 2014 or 2015 (I forget which!), I was there making coffee and milkshakes and I had a ground pass for my job, but I could use it whenever I wanted. I’d go hang out and watch matches or see players’ practice. It was great fun! 

I studied in Melbourne, lived in Footscray and commuted to my job on Chapel Street. Yes. Chapel Street. (For those unfamiliar, an hour and fifteen minutes on public transport; two hours on Sundays). So a lot of Noah’s experience is based on my life working in South Yarra, being a rat bag and public nuisance, staying out too late, paying way too much to get into Revs—basically, being a young adult with no real sense of direction. 

Who came to you first- Noah or Gabriel, and what did you see/feel?

Noah came first, because as I mentioned, a lot of his experiences are based on my life, but his personality was developed over several drafts and his voice shone when I switched from third-person to first-person early in the drafting process. Still, I remember from the first draft I wanted him to have this floppy Leonardo Di Capro-esque blow-cut 90s hairstyle—something that (at the time!) was so out of fashion, but I just felt if anyone could rock that look, Noah could.

Gabriel is a more nuanced character who required much more research to bring to life, both because a) he’s a professional tennis player and b) he’s culturally completely outside of my own experience. But, in the same vein as Noah, I also knew he had to have incredible hair—there’s something about a tennis player with amazing hair that just gets the people going!

I instantly fell head over heels for both Noah and Gabriel. I just didn’t want that excited buzzing feeling in the bottom of my stomach to end! Are there more exciting buzzy books coming our way soon?  

Thank you—I am always so thrilled to hear when people love my characters. On the topic of more books, I certainly hope so!

Last year, I was lucky enough to win the Voices from the Intersection + Allen & Unwin Fellowship for a sapphic young adult sports romance. It’s a fun, sporty romance that explores those really hard ages between 18 and 20 when everything is changing (school, family, living situation, friendship groups), but it’s also about footy and female empowerment and standing up for what you believe in!

Argh, I’ve probably said too much but I’m in the middle of another draft and it’s all coming together, so I hope there’s a chance I can share it with you soon. And then, who knows! I would never say no to returning to the world of tennis…

Abra – thank you so much for sharing your time, experiences and book journey with us here & on Instagram Live 🎥 Admittedly, reading through your answers I was laughing and smiling – I think that just shows how much your writing in Love and Other Scores was a hit for me 👏🏼

Grab your copy of Love and Other Scores from Booktopia here 💚

4 Books to Begin my 2024

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It’s been a hot minute since I’ve written a good ol’ fashioned bookish blog post! So here you are my friends – I’m going to fill you in on the 4 books I’ve already whipped through in 2024 📖

The True Love Experiment by Christina Lauren was the first book I completed in 2024. I zipped through this in about 3 days because it’s addictive plot line and characters were just divine. The True Love Experiment is about a US best selling romance author going on a reality dating tv show, much like ‘The Bachelorette’ or ‘Love at First Sight’ here in Australia. However, the set up for this reality show is that each guy introduced to our eligible bachelorette needs to be inspired by a romance novel trope, such as ‘the bad boy’, ‘the one that got away’, ‘the nerd’ etc. And of course, our beautiful, kind hearted producer (😉) can see this is a fabulous idea and will help make the tv network the money it needs for him to go back to producing animal documentaries. That is, until he also becomes incredibly invested in the show … and our main character. This book was laugh out loud funny, had great angst and hot moments, but also sweet and down to earth moments. I find Christina Lauren’s books a great palate cleanser ⭐️⭐️⭐️ (3/5 stars)

Darling Girls by Sally Hepworth was my next completed novel. Admittedly, I started this in December of 2023 but just didn’t get around to finishing it until the hustle and bustle of Christmas and New Year was over. This story follows 3 women as they’re thrown into an investigation of the foster home they all lived in as children. A child’s body has been found under the house in present day and all 3 woman are suspects as the police try to put the timeline together. The flashbacks of each woman’s perspective shed light on what actually took place in the house/at this time/who this child could be. Due to the manipulative, abusive and influential experiences all 3 girls had at that house, they consider themselves sisters and are determined to see the woman behind their abusive childhood found guilty. I enjoyed this book. I would say that I saw some of the ending coming but there were other parts that I didn’t! Overall, enjoyable and I would like to try more of Sally Hepworth’s books this year. ⭐️⭐️⭐️ (3/5 stars)

Weyward by Emilia Hart was picked up at the perfect time for me! I wanted the feel of magic/fantasy but didn’t want drudge through the whole world-building chapters, not understanding peoples roles and having no clue what peoples names are – you know? 🤣 So Weyward was more magical realism and I found it the perfect slice for my craving. Following 3 quite extended generations of Weyward women, all 3 are guided by their connection to nature, ability to intuitively speak with animals, and also grow their gifts. A strong plot line that I was not expecting in this book is domestic violence and intergenerational trauma. Each woman has either been exposed to and/or experienced domestic abuse, with the male figure being the perpetrator, first hand. This abuse is actually the start of their spark in magic as it is used as both a coping mechanism and also a form of protection or revenge. One woman is in the 1600’s and she is on trial for witchcraft. Another woman is in the 1950’s and she has lost her mother, has a poor relationship with her father and her cousin unexpectedly comes to stay following his time serving in the War. Another woman is in present day, and she is on the run from her husband after just finding out she’s pregnant. This novel certainly hits some cautionary points and has quite descriptive scenes at times. I didn’t find this a bad thing, if anything it made me more passionate about seeing these women through to then end. ⭐️⭐️⭐️💫 (3.5/stars)

Love, Just in by Natalie Murray has been my fourth completed book and I just NEEDED to pick this up because, girl – is she getting some hype (totally worth it I might add)! Love, Just In is a friends to lovers but there is also some high school chasing and then present day heartache. Josie and Zac have been best friends since the moment they bonded over music in high school, but as the years went by, poor timing, dating other people and after Zac experiences a tragic accident, resulting in the loss of someone significant in his life, they’ve drifted. Zac fled Sydney 2 years ago following the tragic accident and since then, him and Josie have barely been in touch. Josie has been offered an opportunity to help progress her news reading/tv presenter career, and it just happens to be in the city Zac fled to – Newcastle. Instantly, their friendship is starting to mend but Josie is seeing Zac in a different light; an attractive light; a more than friends light; a HOT light. Zac & Josie’s story had perfectly timed reveals, angst, funny moments and tender heart moments. The perfect Sunday morning/afternoon read! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ (4/5 stars)

How are you guys starting your 2024? New books? New hobbies underway? 🙈📖 Comment below 💭

Author Talks with Steph Vizard

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📸 2022 HarperCollins Banjo Prize Winner, Steph Vizard

Steph Vizard has burst onto the Australian romance writing scene with her debut & award winning novel, The Love Contact.

Steph has a wealth of experience in the Australian and international book industry. From studying Literature at Oxford University, to working in publishing in London, to now writing her own Australian story which has won the 2022 HarperCollins Banjo Prize. I think Steph is in for an absolute cracker of a writing career ⭐️

Welcome Steph, to Mel Reviews Her Books 💖

Steph, congratulations! A published novel AND the winner of HarperCollins Banjo Prize for Fiction! Can you share with us a little bit about your journey in applying for this book prize and what life as an author has been like since?

Thanks so much! I wrote The Love Contract during my maternity leave and then submitted it to the prize when I went back to work. The process for the Banjo Prize is that you submit the whole novel so I tried to have my manuscript in the best shape I could when I sent it off. A few months later, out of the blue, I got a call from HarperCollins to tell me that I’d won the prize and that the book was to be published. It was a truly magical moment!


Life as an author has been a whirlwind and an incredibly fun ride. There have been some massive highs – seeing the cover for the first time, holding the first real life copy, a book launch surrounded by my friends and family, doing an interview on live TV. That said, I had a 3-month-old baby when the book was published so that’s kept things very real! One of the best parts of being published has been meeting so many other talented Australian writers – it’s the most supportive gang of people!

The Love Contract had me hooked from the beginning! I absolutely adored Zoe and Hazel(nut). You’ve written the realities of motherhood in such an accurate light and formed it into a gripping plot line. Did you always know motherhood would be the leading theme in The Love Contract?

I’m so glad it had you hooked – I was so keen to write a book where the reader wants to keep turning the pages! I think when I started to write The Love Contract I knew that baby Hazel would be part of the story, as she’s the reason Zoe and Will are forced to spend so much time together. But I think it caught me a bit by surprise how much I had to say about motherhood. I think I was hungry for stories about women trying to do all the things, including career and parenting, that didn’t shy away from the really tough stuff but also showed the incredibly funny and joyous parts of parenting.

Will, what a sweetheart. With his stiff, business-like composure whenever the topic of work is discussed but then his carefree and loving nature with Hazel. He’s swoon worthy! How did the characters of Will, Zoe & Hazel come to you?

I love Will! He has a lot of qualities I find very attractive – he’s smart, acerbic and (secretly) very caring. I like that he’s a straight shooter and isn’t a people pleaser – which is a nice ballast to Zoe. I think he was inspired by people I’ve met who are incredibly brilliant at their jobs and work super hard but have never stopped to think about why they’ve chosen their particular path.

With Zoe, I really wanted to write a romantic comedy heroine who is pretty pulled together and trying to pull off the life she wants to lead – she’s just completely overwhelmed.

Honestly, I think Hazel was just inspired by how cute and funny and ridiculous babies can be!

Steph, what advice would you give to budding writers aiming to land a publishing deal or researching & applying for book prizes such as HarperCollins Banjo Prize for Fiction?

I think my main bit of advice is to go for it! With prizes it’s worth being organised as there are different deadlines and entry requirements to keep in mind. I think (and maybe this is incredibly obvious) it’s important to always submit the best version of your story that you can, and things like craft books, writing courses, writing podcast, early readers and manuscript assessments, can really help on this front. I also think that in our busy lives carving out the time to write is always a challenge, but if you can find a consistent, small parcel of time to write every day, the words will happen!

Steph, thank you so much for sharing your time with us on Author Talks & Instagram Live Saturday 13 January 🎥 

I wish you all the best and can guarantee that I’ll be pre-ordering your next novel!

Author Talks with Clare Fletcher

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Australian Country Romance Author, Clare Fletcher 📸 by James Alcock

Clare Fletcher is an Australian novelist who has studied journalism, spent time freelancing and discovering different parts of the world. Yet, her stories continue to come back to the wonderful setting of rural Australia.

Clare and I had the pleasure of meeting in person this past July, to talk about Five Bush Weddings, her first novel, on a panel with talented romance/love authors.

Love Match is Clare’s second novel. It follows Sarah as she navigates dating in the small rural town of South Star after a recent breakup & Mabel, as she reminisces on her pieces of beautiful wardrobe, remembering the loving stories that come with each stunning outfit

What and where inspired you to set both of your books, Five Bush Weddings and Love Match in small rural towns?

I grew up in regional Queensland, in a town called St George. Even though I’ve lived away from there for many years – I went to boarding school, then uni in Brisbane, moved to Sydney to work, and even lived in New York for a while – my writing has often returned to those small town roots.

In Five Bush Weddings I wove in a lot of experiences of the country parties and weddings my friends and I would drive vast distances for. I hadn’t seen that part of Queensland on the page before, and so it felt right to keep real place names as a little gift to people from home. So many of the rural-set books published today are dark crime stories, so I wanted to celebrate the joy and resilience and creativity and complexity of regional Australia.

South Star is entirely fictional. With Love Match I wanted to get deep into small town dynamics, the richness and claustrophobia of a place where everyone knows everyone’s business, so I couldn’t use a real town. I didn’t want readers to be distracted by errors in geographic detail or by trying to guess who characters are based on. It’s all made up!

Love Match follows the dual storylines of Mabel and Sarah, which is so fun and funny to read! When writing Five Bush Weddings, did you know that Mabel and Sarah would reappear in Love Match? And what do you feel made these two connecting characters?

I wish I had been smart enough to plan ahead, but I had finished 5BW when I decided to write a second book around Mabel and Sarah. My mentor Emily Maguire asked what happened to Sarah after 5BW, and the idea came to me pretty quickly – I wanted to explore someone discovering their queer identity under the small town microscope. I thought it would be powerful to mirror that journey with someone in an earlier time, and Mabel was so much fun to write. Once I started researching the period when she would have been a coming of age (1960s deb balls, country dances, the Miss Queensland Quest) I knew there was something special there.

Sport was another thing I wanted to incorporate. I think women often write off sport as something that’s not for them, but my own experience playing footy as an adult was really special. There’s a lot for women to gain from community sport, not just physically but socially, psychologically. And as a storyteller sport offers a lot of rich territory to mine.

After Love Match, I thought I was done with South Star. But now there are more stories I want to tell and I’m just using my own books as elaborate writing prompts! It’s all the side characters I have the most fun writing, so it’s quite fun thinking about how to use people in new ways in new stories.

Love, dating and connection are such strong themes in both your novels! Is this an element of writing that you always knew you’d incorporate or did it happen by chance?  

For a long time, I was a bit of a literary snob. Only when I realised I was writing a rom-com did I start reading a lot more in the genre; but of course I had always loved reading and watching rom-coms, I just didn’t think they were as ‘important’ as more high brow culture. It felt liberating, energising and so joyful to realise there were so many talented women writing romance and rom-coms, and that I wanted to be one of them! I was a very romantic kid (in my head – no one wanted to kiss me until I was almost finished high school) so it feels inevitable in a way.

Sometimes I think dating men from Queensland trained me to be a good romance writer. With these blokes who are often quite reticent, if not emotionally constipated, you have to get quite good at finding romance and tenderness in small gestures! Being able to dial up the romance in a perfectly-made cup of tea or a dropped pie I think is more relatable than grand declarations of love from a bush bloke. That said, I love writing male characters and I find giving them strong women in their life helps shape them into realistic men who respect and treasure the women they fall for.Five Bush Weddings was very much about the fact that people falling in love is critical to bush communities surviving and thriving. Love Match goes deeper into the relationships and institutions that hold small towns together and, I hope, makes a case for building a beautiful life there even if sometimes the gossip and lack of privacy might be challenging. I poke a bit of fun at small towns, but it comes from a place of love.

Clare, thank you so much for joining me on Author Talks and spending the time chatting on our Instagram Live. It has been an absolute pleasure to host you and meet in person! You’re now a staple in my growing library and I cannot wait to fill a shelf with your novels one day 📚⭐️

Click on the titles of Five Bush Weddings & Love Match throughout this interview, to purchase your own copies from Booktopia 💚

Book Review: ‘The Last Love Note’ by Emma Grey

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Oh Hugh, you have my heart!! *calling on somebody to find me a Hugh*

I would describe The Last Love Note by Emma Grey in 3 simple ways; heart-wrenching; a direct but warm portrayal of grief; & from the heart. Let’s break these down shall we …

Heart-wrenching is the perfect way to describe Kate, Cam and Hugh’s story. At the beginning of the novel, we’re in the present and Kate is living with the grief of losing her once in a lifetime love, Cam. Cam was diagnosed with early onset dementia and his deterioration was rapid. Kate lost Cam over 2 years ago and living with that grief has been raw, brutal and hard. It smears a smog over each everyday action, conversation & decision. We learn to live with this grief as the reader just as Kate is, because we move through past and present watching how this horrible disease changed Cam and alter’s their lives forever.

I think Emma Grey has created a direct and warm portrayal of grief through her ability to make this novel a romance, incorporate humour AND take us on the hard, stressful and uncertain journey of Kate finding love again – all in one!

Hugh, Kate’s boss and workplace colleague, has always been a fixture in Kate’s life since her meeting him. And by ‘meeting him’ I mean falling off a treadmill in a hot sweaty gym, and then feeling very exposed when her breastmilk makes an entry, and Hugh, ever caring Hugh, hands over a spare shirt to help Kate cover up her chest and her embarrassment. The moment Kate enters her new job interview, all while Cam is sick and they’re needing income to support their small family, Hugh is taken with her. The grief she is living with is something he has experienced himself in a way we didn’t expect. He understands Kate’s grief process and gives her all the time, energy and support she needs. His silent yet reassuring manner is not what Kate realised she needed during the deterioration of Cam’s health and after his passing … until now. That’s right, Kate and Hugh are on an unexpected holiday together!

This novel is truely from the heart. Hugh’s grumpy personality (which we know is just his attempt to stay away from Kate, give her space and grieve) is just the reason we love him. But there is a challenge and reason for Kate and Hugh not exploring what could be … Hugh & Cam had a friendship and in this friendship there was a secret passed between the two of them that Kate was not allowed to know. This secret really keeps us guessing until the end of the book and when you find it out, my GOSH , my HEART!! I’m not usually one to shed a tear while reading but let me tell you, my eyes were brimming 🥺

The Last Love Note has been one of my favourite novels this year and to be honest, I may not have ever found it in the endless bookshelves until Emma walked into the shop, introduced herself and signed a few copies. I’m so grateful she did because we have now connected over books, met multiple times and had an awesome time in July with weekend of romance together 💖

Book Autonomy

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📸 Clare Fletcher *stunning country romance author*

My confessing this may come as a shock to some people but it’s the honest truth. I finished up working in my local bookstore after near 7 years of being a bookseller … and I feel an overwhelming sense of book autonomy.

Here’s how I can explain …

Since working around books, I’ve always been given the generous opportunity to read books before they’re released (many of you would name these as ARC’s ‘advanced readers copies’) which are handed onto booksellers from Publishing House representatives. This is one of the most appealing and exciting parts of bookselling.

Yet, this comes with added pressure to always keep on top of the latest books, read the most anticipated novels before they hit shelves and recommend, recommend, recommend. I don’t mean to sound like this isn’t fantastic because it truely is – but the challenge comes when new stock is unboxed EVERY SINGLE DAY. That means, every week, I was taking home at least 3-4 new titles that NEED to be read. My book autonomy dwindled. My ability to finish books grew and my bookshelf has become an absolute MESS! Plus the added piles of books overtaking my living room, desk, bedroom, kitchen has become unbelievable!

Now, having closed the bookselling chapter, I’m pleased to revisit titles that are still new and popular like; Carrie Soto is Back by Taylor Jenkins Reid; Kookaburra Cottage by Maya Linnell; The Isles of the Gods by Amie Kaufman; Charlie, Love & Clichés by Ella Maise; I’m Glad My Mom Died by Jennette McCurdy; Thirst for Salt by Madelaine Lucas; One for my Enemy by Olivie Blake; and so many more! (this is just SOME of my TBR books 🤓)

In summary, I’m looking forward to a little time to read for pleasure, reignite my passion for diverse genres and get planning for the July 2024 Riverina Readers Festival 📚

WWW Wednesdays

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WWW Wednesday is hosted by Sam @ Taking on a World of Words 📚 It is a book tag to broaden the reading community and help connect avid readers!

All you have to do is answer the following three questions:

What are you currently reading?
What did you recently finish reading?
What do you think you’ll read next?

CR: ‘Arthur and Teddy are Coming Out’ by Ryan Love is such a touching read. I am really only just at the beginning of this story where Arthur is preparing a dinner with his children to explain his sexuality. He and his wife have just celebrated a significant milestone in their marriage and she is supporting him with this decision to openly be himself now. Arthur’s grandson, Teddy, is about to come into the picture and I gather the idea that he is struggling with career decisions and also accepting himself. I look forward to seeing where this lightly written and fun story goes. Released in March 2023. (I am also semi reading this as research for my own writing as I feel the writing style is quite similar to my own)

RF: ‘The Whispering’ by Veronica Lando was the perfect mixture of ‘The Bluffs’ by Kyle Perry & ‘The Dry’ by Jane Harper – of which I absolutely loved each for their rollercoaster rhythm, past and present perspectives and whimsical/cultural/mysterious nature calling elements. This story follows a recent accident in the local rainforest where a fit, healthy and well-liked community man was found dead in mysterious circumstances. Callum Haffenden, a journalist and previous local, returns to town as his connections lure him back. This is a place that caused him pain, heartbreak and the loss of his leg. Accidents from past and present collide for a very interesting Aussie crime fiction novel. Full review coming soon!

RN: ‘Heartstrong’ by Ellidy Pullin has been on my radar since its release. This woman’s story is empowering, heart-tearing and unlike anybody’s I’ve heard before, which makes it all the more entrancing. Ellidy lost her significant partner in a tragic accident, his name was Alex “Chumpy” Pullin. He was an Olympic Snowboard Cross Medalist, a singer, a father to their dog Rummy and Ellidy’s person. Then one day he didn’t come home and their plans of starting a family and a life together seemed to stop in its tracks. Until Ellidy’s quick thinking family stepped in hours after Chumpy’s passing with a method of allowing Ellidy and Chumpy to still have a baby. I’ve leave you hooked with this as I really believe you should pick up this Aussie biography to learn more about Ellidy, Minnie & Chumpy too. For more of a snippet, check out Ellidy’s instagram, I love Minnie updates on the regular!