Things are getting pretty exciting on the publishing front. We (my co-author Sharmini Kumar and I) submitted the final manuscript of Miss Caroline Bingley: Private Detective a couple of months ago and we expect copy edits back from HarperCollins any day now.

Even more thrillingly, we’ve seen cover designs for the US and Australia/NZ/UK editions and they are gorgeous. We could show you, but we’d have to shoot you, so you’ll have to stay tuned.

It’s not out until April but things are heating up behind the scenes.

While that’s happening, I’ve been working on a new historical crime novel, currently titled Afterwards, which is set at an archaeological dig on Hadrian’s Wall just after the Second World War. I’ve got a first draft and am revising that now.

Teaching time

Last year, I gave up teaching full-time, after around a decade at La Trobe University. I do miss it, especially my colleagues and students, but it was the right time. I want to focus more on writing and various other projects.

But somehow I couldn’t quite seem to stop. I love teaching writing, working with writers, talking and thinking about writing.

So I’ve figured out a way to have the best of both worlds: teaching what I want to teach, the way I want to teach it, a few times a year. A couple of months ago I set up New Pages Writing Retreats & Masterclasses, and I’m looking forward to teaching in different ways over the coming year. I’ve been reviewing my favourite writing books, exploring new methods of teaching and articulating thoughts about writing, and preparing in every way I can.

First up, there’s a one-day masterclass on How to Build a Heroine, for any fiction writers with a heroine in mind, but especially for genre and YA writers. That’s on 21 September, in person, in Melbourne.

In November, I’m focused on one of my favourite genres, with another one-day, face-to-face masterclass, Do Crime: Writing Unforgettable Crime Fiction. That’s on 16 November, also in Melbourne.

Then early next year, I’m hosting my first weekend writing retreat at the gorgeous Continental House in Hepburn Springs. It’ll be a fiction intensive, with masterclasses and writing exercises, and lots of lovely food. That’s in March 2025 and bookings came in almost as soon as I opened them!

Really looking forward to all of these, and more.

And because I’m me, I’ve also set up a private online writing community for people who come to the classes, where we can stay connected, share tips and opportunities, and I can offer a few extra goodies.

So all in all, even though I haven’t been teaching full-time, I’ve been pretty busy.