Happy New Year!

from Good Acre Books

It's actually 3pm on December 31st, 2025, but since this is the December newsletter, I'm running out of time.

It's a balmy 31 degrees today, so I'm sitting outside on the balcony watching pelicans chase the fishing boats on the Brisbane River.

The last few weeks in New Zealand were fairly hectic, not with writing, but with organising a new bathroom and kitchen to go in while I'm away. Who'dathought there were so many decisions to be made? I just want handles, a choice of one. Why are there so many different shaped baths? Anyway, that's a first-world problem, so I'll stop there.

Writing-wise, I received some exciting news from back here. My short story 'The Long Way Home', which was in the anthology I mentioned last month, received an honourable mention in the Women Writers Queensland Marj Wilke Short Story Award. That's a Commended. I'm happy with that, as I rarely enter competitions.

Coming up in 2026, I have the Ages of Pages Book Fair and a writers' retreat in Coromandel, both of which I did this year.

I'm hoping my 3rd book will be in the process of printing, if not already released by then. My new marketing manager, Martin from Digital Strategies, is helping produce a whole new set of covers for the trilogy when it's done. As a result I have a new series name and revised title for Book 3, to be revealed next month.

The audiobook recording of 'Greenstone and Violins' is coming along. I've heard a few chapter examples, and the narrator is coming along well. This time I've chosen a New Zealand company, Audiobooks NZ, which has an excellent reputation. They will make the recording available on all platforms.

Of course, I listened to more books this month. They were all good, and very different to each other. They were Catherine Chidgey's 'Book of Guilt', Jean Grainger's 6th book in the Knocknashee story, 'Allied Flames' and Ally Mau's 'No Words For This'.

That's all the writing news for now.

I had a sweltering but fun Xmas with family up in Kulangoor, on the Sunshine Coast. Next month (which starts tomorrow😬) we will take the newly acquired motorhome down to Cowra and Sydney to see friends and family. One good thing about my job is that I can work from home, wherever that is.

So, until the end of January, have a good one and arohanui xo.

The Grandies

Jasper

Pōhutukawa