So here we are, writing a third book! I’m not really sure I ever thought this was possible! As most of you know, I sort of fell into writing and never expected to have the response to my books that I have.

Purple Roads, well, what to tell you? I’ve been writing as much as I can (which isn’t very much) since I finished Blue Skies. I had a phone call in January asking me to submit my synopsis for it straight away – I had a basic outline in my head and a few chapters vaguely written, but nothing else. So for about three days all I did was tighten, tidy and re-write those ideas, then I hit the send button and have basically forgotten about it since!

Well, that’s not entirely true. My mind keeps ticking over with ideas and I’ve been scribbling things on post-it notes every moment I get, but farming has taken up a huge amount of time over the past six months… and it’s supposed to, it is my full time job! Writing is only a hobby and will probably never be anything else. What would I write about, otherwise?!

What I can tell you is the theory behind the title: Purple Roads. As you can see from this photo a wet bitumen road actually looks purple, as do the dirt roads in the mid-north of SA where the book is set. There is a lot of ochre in the ground and in summer the roads throw off a purple dust while in the winter the wet roads are a deep red/purple colour.

I’m at the stage where I only have eleven months to finish writing Purple Roads and my fingers are now beginning to get very itchy! I think I’ve done enough planning and it’s time to get the ideas down on paper (or computer as the case may be!)

Usually I write on Friday’s when I’m in town, but the kids have sport this term, so I’m going in on Saturday mornings which usually cancels out my writing time. So think of me on a Saturday morning watching Hayden running around the footy oval in the car, watching intently, while scribbling chapter’s long hand.

Soon, I’ll introduce you to Matt, Anna and Ella and their farm Danja Plains.

This is a really important little note book. It’s small enough to fit in my hand bag or just sit along side me on the passengers seat of the car – and it goes where ever I am at the moment.

This is the start of Purple Roads.

In here I document every single thought I have, every comment and idea about a character or the plot. I try and spend time ‘in my characters head’ so I know what makes them tick, I know what they like to eat, drink, the music they listen to, their plans for their life and who their friends are. You can probably almost read a few ideas I have for Anna Butler, one of the main characters in Purple Roads.

Once I’ve got every character straight, I can start plotting. To be truthful, I don’t do a lot of that. I have four for five major points I know I need to get to, but often I don’t know how I’m going to get there until I sit in front of the computer and start writing. The characters themselves, often take me to places I haven’t thought about or been before! I can find myself tapping out parties or weddings that I haven’t thought of. Sometimes, during the final edit, before I send it to the publishers, these ideas can make it and at other times, they are cut and scrapped. I love my red biro!