Writers + Roman Baths = Blissful Writing Retreat!
My life since 23 June has been somewhat chaotic! I flew to the US on that day to do some book research in LA and to speak at the Historical Novel Society Conference in Las Vegas. I arrived back home on July 4, ready to start packing everything we own into boxes so we could move house on July 10. Since then, I feel like all I’ve been doing is unpacking boxes and assembling IKEA flatpacks!
But we’re in the new apartment now and most boxes are unpacked, so I’m ready to get back to a more normal schedule of posting here on Substack. It also means that this newsletter is a big one because I’ve got so much to update you on! Read on for:
my impressions on the Historical Novel Society Conference (I have a LOT of thoughts about the publishing industry, writing trends and the future for writers and books after having attended the conference, which I’ll be publishing in a separate newsletter for my paid subscribers towards the end of the month
a summary of the writing retreat I attended after the conference with my agency sisters
a look at my research trip in LA (my lucky paid subscribers already had this peek at the Chateau Marmont last week, which is the setting for my 2026 book, THE CHATEAU ON SUNSET)
A Sneak Peek At the Legendary Setting For My Next Book!
This post was meant to come out a week ago but most of you know I’ve been in the US speaking at the Historical Novel Society Conference in Vegas, which was crazy and amazing in equal measure. Before I went to Vegas though, I spent a little time in Los Angeles and was lucky enough to stay a couple of nights at the storied hotel that forms the backdrop for
a glimpse at the edit that I’m working on right now for that book
links to my upcoming writing courses and events
But let’s start by heading to Las Vegas!
My First Ever Event in America Was Incredible!
The Historical Novel Society Conference marked the first public event I’ve ever done in America. I think because I’ve done so many events in other places before, I wasn’t nervous at all, but excited to be talking to an entirely new group of readers.
My panel was about creating mystery and suspense in a historical novel. Each of the 4 authors read a short 3-5 minute section from their book and then the audience had more than half an hour to ask us questions about how we build suspense and embed mystery into our storylines.
I was kind of lucky - the prologue of THE MADEMOISELLE ALLIANCE is just made to be read aloud. It’s a scene where real-life Resistance leader Marie-Madeleine Fourcade is captured by the Gestapo, taken to a military barracks and is contemplating how she’s going to escape. And her plan is to try to squeeze her body out through the barred window of the cell. Then the prologue ends and the reader is left hanging, wondering whether she ever manages to escape or not. So it has a lot of suspense!
I sold out of copies of THE MADEMOISELLE ALLIANCE immediately after my session, which was on the morning of the very first day! So it was great that so many people wanted to read the book after hearing me read the prologue, but not so great that there were no more copies available over the course of the conference. But that’s the thing with events - it’s impossible for booksellers to know how many copies of any book to have on hand, especially for a conference where there are so many authors speaking.
Anyway, I was very happy with how my first ever American event went, and it was wonderful to meet so many readers. It was also interesting to note just how many of the questions the audience asked the panel at my session related to voice, which is one of the most important, but also the hardest and most misunderstood parts of the writing process. I’ve written about voice in this Substack article - it’s the No. 1 reason why writers sometimes feel there’s no magic in a piece of writing.
There were lots of other sessions involving writers, agents and editors. And there was much discussion about what’s hot in publishing, what trends are shaping up to be big, and what writers can do to either get published or raise themselves to the next level.
There were some very clear directions in terms of how established writers are tackling the difficult publishing environment we’re in right now. I’m not sure that I agree with or love all of these directions and it’s something I want to discuss in my next newsletter. There were also some interesting predictions about what might be the next WWII in historical fiction, which I’ll also share in that newsletter towards the end of the month.
My favourite thing about the conference was meeting so many writers who I know via social media but have never met in person, including Hazel Gaynor, Gill Paul, Louise Fein, Amanda Geard, Kristina McMorris, Fiona Davis, Heather Webb, Weina Dai Randel, Elise Hooper, and Laura Morelli.
Spa Days Are a Compulsory Part of Any Writing Retreat
I stayed on in Vegas for a few extra days after the conference with a group of writers. We share the same literary agent, the amazing Kevan Lyon from Marsal Lyon, and we normally communicate via our Facebook Group. But the conference is a great chance for some of us to catch up face to face. I wasn’t able to go to the retreat last year, but I went to the first one in Hawaii in 2023 and it was such an inspiring and uplifting week.
June's Monthly Digest - What Really Happens on a Writers Retreat!
My literary agent is the remarkable Kevan Lyon, a woman I can’t heap enough praise on. Having had two agents previously, I’m in a position to confidently state that she’s the model all literary agents should base themselves on.
This time, the group consisted of Kate Quinn, Madeline Martin, Eliza Knight, Renee Rosen, Chanel Cleeton, Noelle Salazar, Kristin Beck, Shara Moon, Monica Kilgore, Elizabeth Langston, and me. We don't have a formal agenda for our retreats, but there are plenty of group writing sessions and group therapy sessions where we try to solve one another’s plot problems, amongst other things!
What I most love about these retreats are the organic conversations that come up when we’re having lunch or dinner (yes, there’s always plenty of eating!) where we compare writing processes, the way we plan a novel (or not!), how we approach character development etc. These ladies are all incredibly smart and very talented and I feel very lucky to be sitting down and listening to them discuss the nitty-gritty of how they write their books.
As the conference was held at Caesar’s Palace—which was definitely not my kind of place I realised after having spent almost a week there—it was easy for us to stay on there after the conference for our retreat. And it did have the bonus of a bathhouse with hot and cold pools, spas, and a variety of saunas that you can enjoy for three hours.
So, the writing retreat moved into the bathhouse! It’s amazing how many ideas you can have after a freezing cold plunge and then a lovely relaxing soak in the hot pool! This should be a compulsory part of any writers retreat, I think!
A Writer’s Travelogue
Like I say, Caesar’s Palace wasn’t really my kind of place and I don’t think I’m a Vegas girl either. I don’t gamble and I come from a state where you aren’t allowed to gamble anywhere except the one casino , so the sight of so much gambling was truly shocking to me. And you can’t avoid it. You literally have to walk through the gaming floor to go anywhere.
But Vegas has other charms. We took a helicopter out to the Grand Canyon, which was spectacular. To see the canyon from up in the air, and then to land at the bottom and see the scale of the landscape was a truly memorable experience.
Los Angeles is definitely more my kind of place. It actually reminds me a little of Perth, where I live. I was there to do some final research for THE CHATEAU ON SUNSET, before I start on my final round of edits tomorrow. That research included staying at the legendary Chateau Marmont, as well as doing a tour of the Warner Bros studios, which was absolutely fascinating.
As always with a research trip, it’s the small things you pick up that make the most difference to any story, the things you don’t know you need to know but that find you when you’re out looking for the ways your story connects to its real-life landscape. I can safely say that my book will be one hundred percent better for having made the journey to the other side of the world!
Another Retreat!
Yes, a writer can never have too many retreats! I’m now on a solo retreat at my beach house to work on the edits for CHATEAU. I received the edit notes from my US and Australian publishers the day I was meant to fly back to Australia, but a dust storm grounded us in Vegas for seven hours, meaning I missed my connecting flight back to Sydney.
But there’s a silver lining in every dust storm - it meant I got to have an extra night in LA and then a full day to visit the Huntington Gardens, which are beautiful. And I don’t know if it was spending the day outside in all the beauty but I had lots of ideas for the edit while I was wandering around the gardens.
Edits can be tricky - you need to have the edit done by a certain timeframe. But you also want to do your best work. So you need to somehow make your mind generate new ideas to strengthen your story before the deadline. It’s something you can’t force. The ideas come when you create the right circumstances for them, which is what happened at the Huntington Gardens.
I’ve since had a phone call with my publisher to run through all of my new ideas and she loves them as much as I do. So I’m feeling confident going into this edit that I’ll nail it.
As with so much of writing, sometimes the answers aren’t to be found at your desk. Going outside and breaking your usual routine and seeing unfamiliar places is such an important part of my writing process. At least that’s what I say to my husband when I tell him I have to go away again! 😉
And Another Overseas Adventure!
A couple of months ago, I announced that I’d be touring with a group of readers in Paris and Lisbon in April next year. In Paris, we’ll be visiting lots of the sights that have served as inspirations for my novels, including fashion ateliers, fashion museums, Ritz afternoon teas and Marais walking tours. And in Lisbon, we’ll be visiting the sights that inspired my friend and fellow historical novelist Madeleine Martin in writing her novels. I just found out that so many of you have signed up for the tour that there are only a few spots left! Wow! I truly can’t wait for this now.
If you’d like more information and want to grab one of the last few places, then click this link for all the details. You can also email Dilya at John Shors Travel, who are taking care of all the tour arrangements, and she’ll be able to answer any questions you have. Email Dilya here: dilya@johnshorstravel.com.
July and August Events and Writing Workshops
Gertrude & Alice Bookstore: Join me on July 24 at 7pm at one of Sydney’s most beautiful bookshops to hear me talk about The Mademoiselle Alliance over wine and snacks. Book your tickets here; only a few left.
Bannisters Long Table Lunch, Mollymook: SOLD OUT. Waitlist here.
Wanneroo Library Writing Course for beginners and emerging writers. Two Saturday afternoons, August 2 and 9 from 12pm to 4pm each day. Only 2 places left. More info here.
Queensland Writers centre writing course. Narrative tension: Making Readers Care About Your Story. Online course on August 7. Only 2 places left. More info here.
And that’s a wrap! Please join me in the comments to let me know what you’ve been doing this past month.
This all sounds AMAZING! Can't wait to hear about it in more detail at our retreat :)
When I arrived for Roland Garros the airport bus stopped almost opposite the Hotel Scribe so I went in for lunch and thought my Dad who, I think I mentioned, had an office round the corner. I'm afraid I have also stayed at the Chateau Marmont! Keep writing and eventually you will find a place that doesn't inadvertently inter-act with my life! Wish I could join you on the trip to Paris and Lisbon which I barely know. I am sure will get lots of ideas. Bon voyage!