Category: Uncategorized

Catching up with Author Amy Andrews

Catching up with Author Amy Andrews

sandybarker

I’m delighted to welcome Amy Andrews to Off the Beaten Track to celebrate her latest book, Wild and Wanted, which is out tomorrow. And look at that cover! Swoon!

Amy, welcome! Tell us what inspired you to write Wild & Wanted.

I heard the Red Clay Strays singing a live version of their song ‘Wondering Why’ and I loved it so much I played it on repeat for an hour! Needless to say it got the creative juices flowing and my country guy/city girl took form and shape!

Oh, I love when inspiration strikes like that. And if readers want to watch the music video, they can do that here.

Tell us a little more about you. When did you start writing seriously?

I started writing seriously for publication in my 20s but I wasn’t offered a contract until my early 30s, so I did a very long apprenticeship 😊 This was back in the days before indie publishing but in all honestly, it was a good grounding in honing my craft.

You’re so prolific, having written more than 90 books, both with traditional publishers and as an indie author. What do you love most about being an author?

I love it most when I write ‘The End’ and I know I’ve given my characters their HEA and my readers that lovely happy sigh. I also love hanging out with readers and other authors at events!

It’s a great feeling, finishing a story, and I couldn’t agree more about the joy of meeting other book lovers at events. I always come away inspired and re-energised.

Can you tell us what you’re working on now, or is it a secret?

I’m working on book 2 of the Redemption Valley Ranch series – Rough & Ready. It’s a ‘woman in peril’ trope, which I’ve adored ever since I watched the first Terminator movie all those years ago!

Oh, that sounds fun. As a reader, I’m in my cowboy era, so I’m really looking forward to this new series.

What do you hope readers will take away from Wild & Wanted?

I want for them the same thing I want for all of my readers, to have had a good time and finished with a smile on their face. Life is busy and I consider it a privilege that a reader might decide to spend some of their precious down time with a book of mine so I want them to be really freaking glad they did.😊

So true! I’m always honoured when I hear back from readers who love my books.

My thoughts on Wild & Wanted

This is the perfect read for readers who like their romance with a side of sexy cowboy (yeehaw!). A fast-paced, super steamy, romance – so much fun. I devoured it.

Readers, here’s a little more about Amy

Amy is an award-winning Aussie author who has written ninety plus steamy contemporary romances across multiple sub-genres in both the traditional and digital markets over the course of her 20-year career. Her books bring all the feels from sass, quirk and laughter to emotional grit and sizzling chemistry.

Whatever you’re in the mood for, Amy has a book for you!

Follow Amy

Instagram | Facebook | TikTok | Amazon

And more about Wild & Wanted

A broken down cowboy. A star on the rise. The ride of their lives.

Clay Calhoun used to be the hottest bad boy on the professional rodeo circuit but a career-ending injury has dragged him back to Wyoming and the family dude ranch he escaped a decade ago. The washed-up bronc rider doesn’t want to babysit tourists pretending to be cowboys while he’s licking his wounds and dodging regrets. Then a record label drops a city girl straight into his pasture.

Reluctantly famous country music sensation Stephanie “Stevie” Everhart needs authentic cowgirl cred to go with her shiny golden Grammy, so her label sends her and her helicopter mother to Wyoming for a month to get some mud on her boots. Unfortunately for Clay he’s given the job of teaching her how to ride a horse.

Clay doesn’t do babysitting. Stevie doesn’t do bad boys. But beneath those big, reckless skies, good girl Stevie discovers a streak of wild she’s never dared unleash and Clay finds grit and warmth that slip past his defences. What starts as image control ignites into sparks neither planned.

Who knew going a little wild meant you might just end up wanted – for keeps.

Buy it here

Amazon AU | Amazon US | Amazon CA | Amazon UK

iBooks (Apple) | Kobo

Thanks for being with us, Amy, and I hope this latest book flies!

Writing the “unlikeable” character

Writing the “unlikeable” character

sandybarker

A Sunrise over Bali, the 4th book in the Holiday Romance series, is out next month. I wrote this book in 2020 and while I was writing it, I blogged about writing the ‘unlikeable’ character.

sandybarker's avatarSandy Barker | Author

Cover of A Sunrise over Bali: darkhaired woman standing on a Balinese beach with palm trees, huts, and a temple looking at a beautiful sunrise. Tagline: the adventure of a lifetime awaits

A Sunrise over Bali, the 4th book in the Holiday Romance series, is out next month. I wrote this book in 2020 and while I was writing it, I blogged about writing the ‘unlikeable’ character.

Written May 2020

In Bali, I am hyper aware that my main character is, based on her role as a supporting character in That Night in Paris, “unlikeable”―so much so, that when I mentioned to a friend who I was writing about, she cringed.

So, why write this character? Why give her a whole book?

In short, it’s because I love her.

I love the hard, prickly exterior she uses to mask a lifetime of being terrified of vulnerability. I love that, once she does care about someone, she is fiercely loyal and generous. I love that she is feisty and bold, independent and resourceful.

I love that, just like the…

View original post 332 more words

The Writer’s Other Half – Job Description #Writer

The Writer’s Other Half – Job Description #Writer

sandybarker

Oh, my, Lucy Mitchell has absolutely NAILED this. Brilliant post, Lucy. I am shamelessly re-blogging it.

A love letter to Australia

A love letter to Australia

sandybarker

This was my love letter to Australia before a pandemic hit.
It’s still true.
We should still change the date.
We should not honour bigots and media autocrats with national honours.
We are still, on the whole, here for each other, both proud and ashamed and (mostly) resolute to change, to be our best selves, our best country.
At times we are hopeless, but almost always hopeful, with a sharp eye focused on a better future.
We have stayed at home to save lives, we have grieved those we’ve lost, and we are hopeful of a vaccine that will open up our world again.
We have wept for a ravaged land, hopeful of recovery but mourning loss of flora and fauna, some species gone forever.
We have stood up against injustice and, from afar, have watched our brothers and sisters across the world in their own suffering, hopeful of change that must come.

We have survived.
We will thrive again.
We will see you again.
We are Australia.

sandybarker's avatarSandy Barker | Author

It is Australia Day 2020. January 26th is a contentious date, because it marks the arrival of the First Fleet―the first European settlers who arrived in Australia in 1788.

Of course, by commemorating this date, Australia ignores that in 1788 we were already populated by hundreds of nations of Indigenous Australians forming the world’s oldest civilisation. January 26th marks the date of an invasion and the beginning of a genocide.

This post isn’t about whether or not we should change the date of Australia Day, although we absolutely should. This post is a love letter to my home, my country, my Australia.

My Australia

My Australia is the person at the tram stop who sees that you’re lost and points you in the right direction with a smile. My Australia is the person at the party who draws the introverts into conversation, and makes sure everyone is heard. My Australia…

View original post 476 more words

CHRISTMASSY :: Q&A :: Sandy Barker

CHRISTMASSY :: Q&A :: Sandy Barker

sandybarker

With huge thanks to Bookish Bron for having me!

Bookish Bron's avatarBookishBron

A couple of years ago I did a little series of Q&As with authors where we talked about books and Christmas. It was so much fun that this year I’ve decided to bring them back!

First up to chat Christmas with me is the lovely Sandy Barker. Sandy has a new novel out called The Christmas Swap – it has been my favourite Christmassy read so far this year (you can see my review here). Here’s the blurb for The Christmas Swap – read on for our chat.

Chloe, Jules, and Lucy meet at a Maui resort kids’ club, aged 11, forging a lifelong friendship spanning two decades and three continents.
Twenty-two years later, they decide to swap Christmases, none of them expecting the hilarity and romantic escapades that will ensue.
Chloe from Melbourne spends her Christmas with Lucy’s mum and dad in a sleepy village in Oxfordshire…

View original post 1,194 more words

A Hero’s Journey – Furious Fiction May 2020

sandybarker

A breathtaking read from fellow Aussie author Nathan J Phillips for May’s Furious Fiction with the Australian Writer’s Centre.

So good I just had to share.

Nathan J Phillips's avatarNathan J Phillips

I haven’t shared a Furious Fiction story for a little while – quite frankly, they didn’t make it past the internal Quality Control assessments to justify making them public.

This story was different for a couple reasons – first of all, it felt like it hit all the buttons I wanted it to, so that was nice. Secondly, it managed to make the Long List for the month, which is a first for me and still has me giddy with excitement! But without further ado (ad while I quickly double check the list again to make sure I haven’t imagined this), here are the conditions and the story!

Conditions:

The story’s first word had to be FIVE.

The story had to include something being replaced.

The story had to include the phrase A/THE SILVER LINING

A Hero’s Journey

Five faces stare at me through the hatch. Relief washes over them…

View original post 456 more words

10 Inspirational Romance Book Heroines: Good To Read While Changing Your Life! #TuesdayBookBlog #Bookish

10 Inspirational Romance Book Heroines: Good To Read While Changing Your Life! #TuesdayBookBlog #Bookish

sandybarker

Thrilled that Sarah from One Summer in Santorini is featured in this fabulous blog post by Lucy Mitchell, author of Instructions for Falling in Love Again.

Sarah suffers from anxiety attacks and her self-esteem has taken a beating. Her trip is about falling back in love with life again.

Where the winds take you

Where the winds take you

sandybarker

In 2016, Ben and I took another sailing trip around the Greek Islands. Here’s that tale.

sandybarker's avatarSandy Barker | Author

A year ago, Ben and I were about to embark on a journey back to the Greek Islands, revisiting some of the places we discovered together in 2006 – when we met.

Our skipper from the sailing trip in ’06, Patrick, would be at the helm again. We’d get to see new places, we’d make new friends, and we’d celebrate a decade since we first met on the pier in Santorini.

This is about where the winds take you…

There’s something rather magical about going where the wind takes you, quite literally. The cares and stresses of everyday life ebb away, and the present becomes everything. Briny air, inky blue swells, and a wind that carries you and your fellow sailors to the next port. It’s freeing.

Seven people, one yacht, five Greek islands and one incredible week.

Group pic - sailing tripDay One

We meet with eager faces at the port of Vlychada…

View original post 2,874 more words

Celebrating the Launch of my #RomanceBook #IFFILA #NewAuthor

Celebrating the Launch of my #RomanceBook #IFFILA #NewAuthor

sandybarker

A huge congratulations to one of my dear writer friends, Lucy Mitchell, on the launch of Instructions for Falling in Love Again. I read an advanced copy of this wonderful drama-comedy-romance. It’s beautifully written and it will lift your soul – highly recommended.

15 books in 15 minutes

sandybarker

I came across this post from 10 years ago.
15 books that have stuck with me…I may need to revisit this meme.

What are yours?

sandybarker's avatarSandy Barker | Author

1189018851_33abd5066b

I love to read. In fact, I have discovered that my desire to write is affected greatly by whether or not I am reading regularly. When I read less, because I am too busy to carve out the time, I write less. When I make time to read – and I read diversely – I find that creative impulses kick in more frequently. I even write stuff in the middle of the night, if that is when inspiration strikes (like last night).

This meme, as with many of the others I have done, comes from Charlotte, whose humor and insight also inspire me.

The task: Name 15 books that ‘stick’ with me – in 15 minutes. Okay, so this took me 45 minutes (sorry Charlotte).

IT by Stephen King Truly the most terrifying book I have ever picked up. I could only read it in daylight, because it scared…

View original post 669 more words