The Heart and Craft of Romance Writing

Australia’s Queen of Romance, Valerie Parv (pictured) leads an all star line-up of romance writers who have revealed their secrets of success in the new book, Heart and Craft.

So you want to write a romance novel. But as anyone who has ever tried to write a romance will tell you, it’s not as easy as it looks. Like all forms of writing, success requires a little talent and a lot of practice – and of course, it helps if you are a devoted reader of the genre.

Most authors of romance started out as devoted fans of one of the major sub-genres of romance fiction: historical, suspense, paranormal, contemporary, inspirational, and young adult. Read the story »

Oscar-nominated Mum Boards Greenpeace Ship

Oscar-nominated actress and Greenpeace Ambassador, Keisha Castle-Hughes (pictured), has boarded the Greenpeace ship Esperanza to speak up for a strong global climate treaty. The New Zealand based star of the film ‘Whale Rider’ and mother of 2 year old Felicity-Amore, joined the MV Esperanza in the Cook Island’s capital, Rarotonga, and spent two days in port with the Greenpeace crew, talking to locals affected by climate change and meeting with local environmental activists and the Cook Islands Prime Minister.

The Australian-born Keisha Castle-Hughes, rose to prominence in 2004 when at just 13 years of age, she became the youngest ever nominee for an Oscar in the Best Leading Actress category, for her role as Paikea in the film ‘Whale Rider’. 19 year old Keisha is keeping in touch with her fans while on board the Greenpeace ship through hourly tweets, and daily Facebook and blog updates, where she tells of her desire to make sure her daughter and future generations are left with a healthy planet. Read the story »

Family Matters Column: Where has the year gone?

Crikey. How did June slip under the doormat? Never saw that one coming, but isn’t it the same every year? Suddenly, you’re staring down the barrel of Christmas and you’ve only just taken down last year’s tree, and you’re still finding flecks of tinsel in the carpet, not to mention the dregs of one too many glühwein staining the outdoor decking. You might even find a shred or too-dry turkey between your tightest tooth gap, it seems that recent.

So, why is it that each year just zooms by even faster than the year before? There’s no way that was a six month period just whizzed by… more like three months and two days. Maybe three days at a pinch. At this rate, I’m figuring by the time I reach ninety, a year will evaporate in about an hour.

For kids, however, it’s a little different. Read the story »

Consumers and Retailers Frustrated by Clothing Size Irregularities

According to a report by consumer organisation CHOICE, the lack of a uniform standard for adult clothing sizes in Australia is affecting the online shopping market, with retailers saying Australia lags behind the United States, United Kingdom and Europe in this area. CHOICE journalist Kate Browne did her own investigation and you can watch the video below.

To address these clothing size irregularities, many key industry players have called for government funding of a national sizing survey to assess the body shapes of Australians to help manufacturers, retailers and consumers make a better fit. But don’t expect the high-end fashion labels to adopt any uniform standard, as this section of the industry plays by their own rules. Read the story »

Sydney’s Newest Style Guru has Women Addicted

Founder of Daily Addict, a free daily email newsletter for Sydney’s style-conscious, Carrie Choo (pictured), has an insider’s view of the hottest events and lifestyle news about town.

Launched in 2008, Daily Addict’s reputation for uncovering the latest news on events, entertainment, fashion, store openings and more, has women signing-up in their thousands in order to get the most out of the Emerald City. But the men of Sydney needn’t feel left out of the loop, with a new edition of Daily Addict for men launching soon. Read the story »