what a week!

We've spent the last week cleaning madly and re-painting the entire inside of our new house. The colour is just gorgeous! a beautiful, warm, dark cream. Yum.

Today we get our furniture delivered. I'm all prepped to be a little general ordering big burly men around and telling them where to put things.

And then comes... the great unpack.

Friday is my brother-in-law's wedding. I've seen the menu so am very excited!!! How my hubby thinks he's getting a look in at either dessert I have no idea.

Oh, and my little sister is due to have her second bub the same day.

I'm rather exhausted just thinking about it. So who wants to be me so I can have a nap instead ;)???

want to read my first book ever? here's your chance!

First came news of the re-release of my first Modern Heat, and now...

Come January in the UK, Mills and Boon are oh so kindly re-releasing THE WEDDING WISH, my debut novel! How cool is that? This is the first time it's been published since 2003!

I'm am sooo excited about this turn of events as it holds such a special place in my heart. This is the book that took me from the slush pile. This is the book that introduced me to the editor I still have today. This is the book that made me think, "Wow, could I really make an actual career out of this thing that I've always done for the pure love of it?" And check out the original cover below. How close did they get to my inspiration pictures???!!!

THE WEDDING WISH comes out in a collection alongside stories by personal favourites of mine, Barbara Hannay and Fiona Harper. BLIND DATES AND OTHER DISASTERS is available for pre-order NOW at THE BOOK DEPOSITORY for a crazy 51% off the cover price!

Click here to order your copy today.

Check out my website for more about my first book, and watch this space for more behind the book fun as release date approaches!

did you miss my first ever modern heat? if so, read on!

Mills and Boon are oh so fabulously re-releasing my first ever Modern Heat novel GETTING DOWN TO BUSINESS!

The collection in which GETTING DOWN TO BUSINESS will appear is called Boardroom Hot-Shots: Real Men Collection and has stories by the fabulous Jennie Lucas and Robyn Grady within its pages as well. How cool is that?

This here is Flynn Granger, a guy I once described as "dark, elegant, rumpled". A man so sexy he can get away with wearing a paperboy hat and a scarf. Boy is he one of my absolute favourites! (A big thanks to Jeremy Northam for being just so very yum.)

GETTING DOWN TO BUSINESS be out in early January in the UK (meaning free delivery everywhere in the world via THE BOOK DEPOSITORY). You can even pre-order it now and get a whopping 51% off the cover price!!!

Click here to grab your copy now.

sold!

Soooo excited to announce that my twenty-first book, THE WEDDING DATE, will hit the shelves in the UK as a RIVA (Modern Heat's new incarnation come next year) release in March 2011!

This book was pure joy to write. Set in a chalet hotel deep in the wilds of wintry Tasmania, I had no choice but to let my characters do whatever they had to in order to keep warm ;). My PA heroine Hannah was just fun, with a great line in back-chat I simply couldn't rein in. As for Bradley the hero... The guy climbs mountains for Pete's sake. Just imagine the muscles!

Having just moved interstate we have stuff scattered from one end of Australia to the other and once that's all back in one place watch my website for behind the book background pics, excerpts, and all sorts of other gorgeous bits and bobs. Until then, enjoy this picture of my Bradley. Rugged, impossible, and heaven on two legs. Truly.

And yes, for those who are wondering, the book has been dedicated to raspberry white chocolate muffins, chunky white choc macadamia cookies, and the wondrous cafe gurus who served them up to me over and over in the making of this book!

moving on...

In the past couple of days I've officially moved, leaving behind elegant, cosmopolitan, wintry, wet Melbourne to land in bright, sunny, warm Brisbane. For any of you who've read my last three books, we've moved to the land of the Kelly family.

After weeks of packing landing with family, with nothing on my to do list but play with my gorgeous girls and sleep, I've been taking massive advantage of such luxury and done plenty of both! After staying behind to help the removalists, my husband is finally on his way, driving up the east coast as we speak. Hopes are he'll land here tomorrow night. And then the poor love can play and sleep too.

I can't believe the move has come so soon. I'm sure it won't hit me til we move into our new home and no longer feel like we're simply on holiday.

Anyhoo, wanted to extend muchos big sloppy kisses to those who made our Melbourne home away from home feel like home this past decade. Big waves to all who've been in touch to welcome us back. And apologies in advance if it feels like we've fallen off the map for the next month as we navigate our way from one place to the other!

Signing off before another blissful early night,

Ally
Brisbane, Australia

pink heart society

I'm over at the Pink Heart Society for Must Watch Friday later today yabbering about one of my favourite romantic movies.

Being a mum of two girls two and a half and under I'm really lucky to have found a movei they love to watch every now and then that I can moon over at the same time!

Want to see the 30 second movie trailer that made me blubber at the cinema? Head on over to the PHS today!

dedications

Would it be wrong to dedicate a book to a food? 'Cause this is what got me through my latest Modern Heat/Harlequin Presents. Raspberry and white chocolate muffins from my favourite cafe.

Add to that gorgeous staff who don't even ask for my order any more, just bring me the warm, crumbly, mound of yum with melting white choc on top and a mound of cream to dip it in. Along with a fork so my fingers stay clean while I'm tapping on my laptop. And a hot decaf latte. And who even give me staff discount I'm there so often!

Okay, so maybe its not just the muffins. Maybe it's the place. The office away from the office. So here's a big smoochy thanks to my cafe...and their muffins. This one's for you!