Introduction: Image by Alan from Pixabay The true story continues with Sarah and George feeling comfortable and familiar in their relationship. It felt like the time was right to move to the next level and get engaged. How will Sarah’s parents react to George asking them for Sarah’s hand in marriage? Will they accept him into their family... Continue Reading →
A Perfect World- The Wilted Rose
Image by Çiğdem Onur from Pixabay Introduction: The true story continues with Sarah and George falling head over heels in love with each other. Ahh, young love, first love! Oh, so innocent! So beautiful! Everything in her life was going perfectly to plan. This part of this story is set in Brisbane, Queensland in the mid-1950s. Beverley Joy. Book... Continue Reading →
The Door of Love: The Wilted Rose
Introduction: The story of Sarah continues. The door to Sarah’s heart has swung wide open letting George’s confessed love for her flow into her life. They have been on several dates and grown familiar with each other’s lives and interests. She has never known happiness like this before. Her heart feels like it will burst out... Continue Reading →
Dawn Riding
When Sarah was a young teenager, still living in Maleny, Queensland, in the 1940s she was given a spirited horse that her elderly neighbour didn’t have the time to train, or the time to take care of. Sarah called her Dawn. She rode her at every opportunity and loved and cared for her more than... Continue Reading →
The Wilted Rose Blog Series
2022 marks the tenth anniversary of publishing my debut novel, The Wilted Rose, which tells the story of one Australian family’s struggle with mental illness during the 1960s and 70s. To mark National Mental Health Month, and to celebrate this special anniversary, from now until the end of October, in partnership with Simply Story Poetry,... Continue Reading →
Books By The Beach: Asha’s Story Part Two at Kirra Beach
Welcome to Kirra Beach, the second last stop on my Books By The Beach tour! It is hard to believe it is almost over! The small rocky headland Kirra Point separates Kirra Beach to the north and Coolangatta Beach to the south, and is noted as one of the world's premier surf breaks. In the... Continue Reading →
Books By The Beach: Asha’s Story Part One at Bilinga Beach
Welcome to Bilinga, the thirteenth stop on my Books By The Beach tour! Bilinga is close to the Queensland/New South Wales border to the west and has the Pacific Ocean to the east. The word 'Bilinga' is derived from the word 'Bilinba', meaning 'bats'. The name was adopted in 1918 as a place name for... Continue Reading →
Books By The Beach: Paid To Dance at Currumbin Beach
Welcome to Currumbin Beach, stop no.11 on my Books By The Beach tour! Stretching from Currumbin Creek in the north to Wyberba Street in the south the area is easily identified because of its headlands that project into the beach. At the beach front, Elephant Rock and Currumbin Rock enclose a discrete surf beach. Currumbin... Continue Reading →
Books By The Beach: The Graveyard Shift at Mermaid Beach
Welcome to Mermaid Beach, stop no. 5 on my Books By The Beach tour! This laid-back and curiously named beachside spot receives its name from the cutter HMS Mermaid. Explorer John Oxley sailed aboard the Mermaid in 1823 when he discovered the Tweed and Brisbane Rivers. Mermaid Beach was used during World War II by... Continue Reading →
Why Do I Care?
This week is National Carer's Week here in Australia (14-20th October). In January 2017 my fiance Greg suffered a debilitating work-related back injury, and for the past nineteen months I have been his unpaid carer. The road to recovery is slow and uncertain, and for both of us it has been an incredibly challenging journey,... Continue Reading →
Kate Kelsen 