Tree Change by Téa Cooper...
Hi Raven. It’s lovely to be here and such a delightful
change from the heat of the Australian summer – have you got a spare jumper?
(I pass over some thermal undies...very fetching with snowflakes all over them, and a wee dram)
Last time I was in this part of the world it was about the
same time of the year - New Year’s Eve fast approaching – to be honest I can’t
remember too much about it except for very cold ride up the motorway on the
back of a Norton 750 bike. All I remember is a serious case of sensory overload. Apart from
the trip up arriving to all those kilts, whisky and ‘pipes sent me into a flat
spin.
Anyway it got me thinking about New Year’s Eve and the year
that’s nearly over. Last year on New Year’s Day I was roaming around the
internet and found a “What are your goals for 2011.” It was easy – finish my New Voices entry and get published.
I posted it and got a response saying, “That’s not a goal – that’s a desire.”
I was a tad gobsmacked I thought it was a very reasonable
goal then I remembered a quote and I went scurrying back to the Internet to
find it….
“A goal without desire is just a meaningless dream.”
I still can’t find who to
attribute it to but nevertheless it did the trick and I went with my goal.
Tree Change, the
renamed, much rewritten, completed New Voices entry was released on November 29th
by Breathless Press and I’ve got two more contemporaries in the pipeline and a
historical novella.
My first historical romance, Lily’s Leap, will be published by Lyrical Press in May 2013 and I
wrote the sequel Matilda’s Madness
during NaNo 2011.
So my recommendation when you are planning your goals for
2012 is to make sure they have a very hefty chunk of desire in there and you
never know what might happen!
Catch you next year Raven and thanks for the hot toddy!
TREE CHANGE by
Téa Cooper
Set
on the NSW Central Coast and in Sydney Téa Cooper’s debut romantic novel is now
available as an e-book from Amazon,
Kobo,
All
Romance, Bol.com
and Bookstrand.
ABOUT TÉA COOPER…
Téa
Cooper is an Australian contemporary and historical romance author.
Originally
from England Téa came to Australia via India and a few other places in between.
She has lived in Sydney, on the NSW Central Coast and now lives in the
time-warp village of Wollombi near Cessnock.
To
find out more about Téa, or to check out what projects she's working on right
now, you can visit her website http://www.teacooperauthor.com
BIOGRAPHY:
Lurking
in the back of Téa’s brain somewhere was the knowledge that one day she would
write a novel. It probably started with a rather risqué story in the back of an
exercise book at boarding school featuring the long suffering school gardener -
not really the stuff romantic heroes were made of but it was before she knew
any better.
Life
and few heroes of her own showed her the error of her ways and with a baby
under one arm, a husband and a half built house she entered a Mills and Boon
competition. To her absolute earth shattering amazement she won second place –
the prize was a bottle of perfume! Next time she determined she would do
better.
But
it was still the stuff of fantasy and her family, a herd of alpacas, a protea
farm and teaching intervened until one day she decided it was time to do or
die. No more procrastination. The characters and plots that had lived in her
head for so long were clamoring to escape.
In
August 2011 she got serious and joined Romance Writers Australia, entered the
Harlequin Mills & Boon New Voices competition and to her horror discovered
she hadn’t been – discovered that is. Not even a bottle of perfume this time.
But in reality she had won. Procrastination was conquered and determination set
in. It was time to get serious.
Tree Change is
her first contemporary romance novel and is available
now. Her second, a historical novel Lily’s Leap - set
in Wollombi, the time-warp
village she now calls home – was accepted by Lyrical Press and will be
published in mid 2013. She has recently completed her second Australian
historical novel Matilda’s
Madness - inspired by some of the fascinating characters
haunting the local museum.
When
Téa is not haunting the Wollombi museum she can be found on Facebook, Twitter and Goodreads or
you can email her at teacooperauthor@gmail.com.
ABOUT TREE CHANGE…
Forced
to choose between the world she wants and the man she loves Cassia opts for fame
and fortune. But it’s not enough - one taste and she’s hooked again…
|
Despite
her success in the Sydney art world Cassia yearns for the idyllic life she once
lead with Jake in their shack over looking the Pacific Ocean. Seeking closure
she falls, like a recovering addict, straight back into his arms, and out again
equally quickly. Not only has he his taken up with his brother's wife but
it seems they have a child.
Truth
is Jake is living a lie, sworn to secrecy and hamstrung by a promise. Cassia’s
fey, artistic character and magical body possess his imagination and his heart.
Can he convince her to trust him long enough to save the crumbling remains of
their relationship?
Here's a wee tease...no not me!
She
dismissed his words with a wave of her hand, but her eyes betrayed her. He knew
her too well. The burn of hurt behind their velvety depths had nothing to do
with the here and now, but everything to do with the past. His fault? Lyle's
fault? No one's fault? Just circumstance.
"I need answers, and I
need them now. I can't go on like this. Either we are together or we are not.
You have to make a choice: Madeleine or me. I can't be a convenience you can
pick up and put down as the mood takes you."
"My feelings for you,
Cass, are a million things but convenience isn't one of them." He shook
his head in sorrowful disbelief. How could she not recognize the bond they had?
"Madeleine?" Her
raised eyebrows challenged him.
"Right now I can't explain
what happened with Madeleine, but her safety is paramount."
Her body shuddered as if she
was trying to lift a great weight. What was he doing to her? Madeleine,
Madeleine, always Madeleine. "I can't do this again, Jake. I need to go
home." Jake slipped her cardigan over her frail shoulders and then
stepped back to allow her to lead the way past the bar and up the narrow stairs
to street level.
He unlocked the car door and
held it open. Her skirt caught on the ribbons of her espadrille. As he leaned
down to untangle them, she flinched. Closing her door with exaggerated care he
walked around to the driver's door and let himself in. He clicked his seat belt
into its clasp before he twisted the key in the ignition. The engine sprang to life,
and he pulled out into the darkened street.
"You have to trust me, Cass. I
know it is difficult, but you just have to trust me and wait. Everything will
be sorted out soon."
Her sigh filled the car.
"Jake, I can't. How can I? I've tried and look where we've ended up. Me in
Sydney, and you living with your brother's girlfriend."
"Wife," he corrected,
regretting the word the moment it left his lips.
REVIEWS
FOR TREE CHANGE
"....wonderful novel for beach or fireside...."5
stars Manic Readers http://www.manicreaders.com/index.cfm?disp=reviews&bookid=31636
“A fabulous tale of love lost and found with a decent
dash of mystery to keep the heart pounding.”
“…one thing I really liked about 'Tree Change' is the
message about the sacrifices we make in life, that seem large at the time but
are ultimately small in the wider scheme of things.” 5 stars
“…Fabulous Australian
settings, great beach scenery, excellent background knowledge of the art scene
and believable characters who came alive on the page for me.” 5 stars http://www.amazon.com/Tree-Change-ebook/product-reviews/B00AFX2UIM/ref=cm_cr_dp_see_all_btm?ie=UTF8&showViewpoints=1&sortBy=bySubmissionDateDescending
“…Imagine the movie version with the panorama of Sydney Harbour and
its surrounds and a clean, uncluttered beach and that’s not to mention the
wonderful sculptures.” 5 stars
Well done for voicing your desire, turning it into a goal and achieving it!
ReplyDeleteI did something similar. Way to go for reaching your goal Tea, and then surpassing it. X
ReplyDeleteThanks Mel and Michaela! I hope 2013 is a great year for you both!
ReplyDeleteThis sounds Fabulous :)
ReplyDelete