By Rose Dee
My beach was wild today. A powerful wind showered salt spray that stuck to my skin, making me sticky in seconds. Every now and then, a gust would blow dry sand off the top of the beach, stinging my legs and sending me swaying.
Where was my sun, my blue water, my usual tropical splendour? I smiled. Even the sea birds were taking a day off from diving for their daily crab meal.
I drove on with purpose. The great black rain mass out to sea was not going to stop us from enjoying our morning walk. Beside me, my little dog Noodle was happily sniffing around the rocks, oblivious to the approaching storm. I trusted in the grey, but fluffy clouds above me, and trudged on against the wind hoping to be back before they melted into the black horizon.
I reached my turning point with satisfaction, just as the sky opened up, not to pelt me with rain, but to shower me with sun. It was an amazing feeling to stand squinting through the sunshine while looking directly at a great storm bearing down. The following extract from Dorothea MacKeller’s poem My Country popped into my head:
I love a sunburnt country
A land of sweeping plains,
Of ragged mountain ranges,
Of droughts and flooding rains.
I love her far horizons,
I love her jewel-sea,
Her beauty and her terror-
The wide brown land for me.
She was talking about Australia, a land of many contrasts. I thought of the previous night’s news reports concerning the inland drought. These battlers prayed for black clouds, yet here I was hoping to avoid them. As I turned and felt a shock of cold air coming through the rain, as if straight out of an air-conditioner, I thought about the heat waves the southern states recently faced. How they would have revelled in my moment of relief. And I thought about the cyclone sitting just off the coast of where I stood, in great contrast with the bushfires of the south.
Australia is a baffling country. It holds a wonder of contrasts. It seems to have a spirit of its’ own. It loves us, it challenges us, and it punishes us too. But those who know it love it. Those who have lived before us have fought and died for it. Many who have come here from far away find peace in its borders. Expats will forever call it home, and the world will always wonder at the astounding people it produces.
I write about my country because it has a vibrant and amazing spirit. I write about characters who discover this spirit and love it. I write about my backyard of sand, sea and islands, of small towns and big personalities. I write with the sole purpose to bring you, the reader, into my world, just like I hope I have brought you into this day with me. My hope is that you see and experience my country through the eyes of my characters, to taste the spirit that is Australia.
Bay, the main character in my first novel, Back to Resolution, found that spirit. It is called:
L’Australie del Espiritu Santo: The Southern Land of the Holy Spirit.
Please pick up my novels at DeeperShopping, and visit me at http://rosedee.com/ I would love to see you.
Rose, who holds a Bachelor of Arts Degree, was born in North Queensland, Australia. Her childhood experiences growing up in a small beach community would later provide inspiration for her first novel, Back to Resolution.
Her novels are inspired by the love of her coastal home and desire to produce exciting and contemporary stories of faith for women.
Beyond Resolution, and A New Resolution are the second and third books in the ‘Resolution’ series.
Rose’s debut novel Back to Resolution won Bookseller’s Choice at the CALEB Awards 2012. A New Resolution won the Fiction price, CALEB 2013.
She has also released The Greenfield Legacy, a collaborative novel, written in conjunction with three other outstanding Australian authors.
Rose resides in Mackay, North Queensland with her husband, young son, and mischievous pup, Noodle.
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Narelle here. I’m delighted to welcome my friend Rose Dee to our blog today. Rose is giving away two print copies of Back to Resolution to two lucky readers. To enter the giveaway, please leave a comment on this post and complete the Rafflecopter form below. Carol will announce the winners in our post on Sunday. Please note this book is rated PG. It contains mild language and situations that may offend some readers.
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a Rafflecopter giveaway
A fun loving Aussie girl at heart, Narelle Atkins was born and raised on the beautiful northern beaches in Sydney, Australia. She has settled in Canberra with her husband and children. A lifelong romance reader, she found the perfect genre to write when she discovered inspirational romance. Narelle's contemporary stories of faith and romance are set in Australia and international locations.
Hi Rose and Narelle,
I love Dorothea MacKeller’s poem too. We certainly live in a great country of amazing contrast. I was pleased to be able to visit the tropical Queensland setting of the Resolution books last year. Thanks for writing and promoting the excellent Aussie contemporary Christian romances. Needless to say, I loved the trilogy.
Hi Paula,
Thank you for stopping by and supporting me. Our country certainly is a place of many surprises. We both love writing about our little corners of Australia. It gives us so much inspiration doesn’t it! :-)
xxoo Rose.
Thank you for having me here on Inspy, Narelle. I hope your readers get to know a little bit more about our country.
xo Rose.
Ah, Rose, after that beautifully descriptive piece I am ashamed!!! I keep meaning to get to your trilogy, especially as my husband comes from Rocky. I’d love to begin with Resolution and then follow up. My only excuse is cyber overload. I’ve been trying to keep up with everything on the net and neglecting my own writing, let alone enjoyable reading!
More from tropical North Queensland please.
God bless Rita
Rose and Narelle, thanks for sharing Australia with us. That’s one of my favorite things about books–they’re both time machines and a mode of transportation!
Rose, I truly enjoyed your post. Thank you for sharing Australia with us. Books can give us so much pleasure in so many different ways. Thank you Rose and Narelle!
Hi Rita,
I know how you feel. Finding time for new writing is hard. Will will find no judgement with me – just understanding. We always think Rocky is just down the ‘track’ but it’s like 300klm away. Lol – such are the distances in this country. But you would certainly get to visit our tropical north through my books. I love to share my piece of the world. :-)
Thank you for dropping by and reading.
xxRose.
Hi Cathy,
Yes they are. It always amazes me how imagination can take us anywhere.
Thank you for commenting.
XXRose.
Hi Barbara,
I get down to the beach for a walk four or five times a week. This day could have been a wash out, but it turned out to be quite inspiring. I am so pleased you enjoyed reading about it.
And thank you for leaving a comment.
xxRose.
great to see you Rose, I do like the books and I do love this country. We are over the heatwaves now having nicer autumn weather but dont want winter (do want daylight savings over!) walking on the beach would be so nice.
So glad a friend told me about this lovely blog post.
I moved to Australia over 17 yrs ago and don’t regret it one bit. The people, the landscape, nature and even most of the animals ;-)
No wonder they call it the lucky country :-)
Hi Paula, I love the diversity of our beautiful country :) My High School in Sydney was named after Dorothea MacKeller, and her poem captures the essence of our great nation.
Rose, thanks for visiting with us on Inspy Romance and sharing your lovely post :)
Hi Rita, I hope you have the opportunity to read Rose’s Resolution series :)
Hi Cathy, I love escaping to a different world and exotic locations in a good story :)
Hi Barbara, I’m glad you enjoyed a glimpse into Rose’s world in tropical north Queensland :)
Hi Jenny, Yes, autumn is definitely a welcome relief from the multiple heat waves we experienced over summer. Not long to wait until daylight saving finishes :)
Hi Iris, Thanks for stopping by :) Yes, there are many reasons why Australia has been described as the lucky country. I feel blessed to live here.
Narelle, I have made friends online, with many Australians. I collect dolls, and have “met” many Aussie collectors. I have viewed their photos through facebook and doll groups. I can easily say that Australia is a gorgeous country. I keep telling myself I must visit some day.
Thank you so much for having me, Narelle. xo
Hi Jenny. Good to hear the heat is over. It went on so long this year. Queensland only had one trial year of daylight savings. I think it was we North Queensland people who complained the loudest. That is why we do not have it in our state. I loathe it too.
Hi Iris, I have a lot of friends from all over the world. England, South Africa, Italy – they all say the same thing – this is an amazing place to live. It’s a great feeling when people from around the world delight my country as much a I do.
Thank you for stopping by to read my post. :-) xo
Yes – you must visit one day. It is a large country, but a very welcoming one. I hope you get to visit us ‘Down Under’ soon.
Your doll collection sounds fascinating :) Australia is a gorgeous country, and I hope you’ll have an opportunity to visit. It would be lovely if you could meet your Aussie online friends in person. I love catching up with my American online friends when I attend US writing conferences.