Australian Heat Week 4- Jess Dee

July 16th, 2009 | Author: Selena

Blog for Selena — Australian Heat Week!

When Selena invited me to blog about Australia, she suggested I write about how Australia inspires my writing. I thought about this for a while, and finally decided pretty much everything about Australia inspires me to write.

Let’s take Sydney for example. Wow. What a beautiful city. I live near the coast and every time I walk my dog along the seaside path, I find inspiration for another scene in a book. There’s one particular path on the cliffs above Coogee Beach that haunted me until I put it into a manuscript:

She had to keep walking, had to outpace her guilt. Outwalk her desire. Onward she plowed, almost heedless of the stark beauty of the ragged cliffs that plummeted to the ocean. One foot in front of the other. One breath of air at a time.

Perhaps it was intentional, or perhaps her subconscious directed her there. Whatever the case, Katie found herself heading towards her secret spot. Before her, a well-trodden path led to a panoramic view of the sea. She bypassed it, choosing instead to continue thirty meters on and then slip through a concealed track in the bushes. A minute later Katie stood at the edge of one of the cliffs, hidden from the busy trail, staring down at the waves crashing relentlessly against the rocks below.

On and on the waves moved. Forward and backward, hurtling with a furious strength towards the rock face, smashing over the base of the cliff and then ebbing back to sea. Over and over, never stopping.

Katie sat, wedged herself against a boulder and watched the waves from a safe distance.

Taken from Only Tyler (Circle of Friends, Book One).

http://www.mybookstoreandmore.com/shop/product.da/only-tyler

Then there are the better known sites of Sydney:

A panoramic view through two enormous corner windows almost bowled Lexi over. It was uninterrupted across the city, over the bridge and onto the North Shore. From where she stood, she could see the ferries gliding past the Opera House and into Circular Quay.

Taken from Ask Adam.

http://www.mybookstoreandmore.com/shop/product.da/ask-adam

How about traveling through Australia? The first holiday I took when I arrived here was to the beautiful Whitsunday Islands. The instant the plane landed, I knew there was a story waiting to develop:

“I have never seen anything this exquisite.” Beth’s eyes were full of wonder as she took in the extraordinary beach. This early in the morning, Whitehaven Beach was deserted. None of the tourist boats had arrived yet.

Joe agreed. Although he wasn’t thinking about the dazzling-white sand and crystal-clear water. His sole focus was on the woman. Up until last night he’d contemplated going slow, seducing her over time. Now that he knew she was as hot for him as he was for her, he could not wait a single minute longer.

Temporary relief was all he’d found when he returned to his room the night before. His hand could never be an adequate substitute for what he’d witnessed. The only thing that could ease the constant pain in his groin now was Beth.

She knelt down and dug her hand in the sand, watching as the fine grains drizzled through her fingers. Joe cursed silently. The next time she dropped to her knees in front of him, it would not be for the purpose of tunneling into sand.

“It’s like powder,” she said in awe, oblivious to his torment.

From this angle he had an incredible view of her cleavage. The black bikini top covered more than it revealed, but it made her full breasts appear more voluptuous.

Christ, he was horny. If Beth lifted her head now, she’d come face-to-face with his raging erection. He twisted his shorts slightly to the left.

“This has to be the most beautiful place on earth.”

Taken from Visiting Paradise in the Boys Down Under Anthology.

http://www.aspenmountainpress.com/new-releases/boys-down-under/prod_189.html

And then there’s the Aussie dialect. Lord, you have to love it. Do you have any idea how many times my editor has highlighted words and sentences in my edits and said, “What on earth is that?”

When my heroines’ knees turn to jelly, I really mean they turn to jello, not to the fruit spread we put on toast in the morning.

And the doona on the bed? Bet you’re all wondering what the heck that is? It’s the duvet, or the quilt.

Ah, and then there’s my favorite term of all: Mate. I use at least a hundred times in every book. But darn, it is so descriptive, and so indicative of Australia.

And yes, when five Australian authors got together to write the Boys Down Under Anthology we had a good chuckle over the words and expressions we chose to use. We even slipped a glossary in the back of the book so everyone would understand them. Turns out I was the only one of the five who’d used the word, “Crikey.” But I had to use it. Steve Irwin had just died, and I felt I owed to him to immortalize him in a word. J

To end of this blog, I’m happy to show off my most recent book covers (for the Circle of Friends series.) I love them because they are a perfect blend of romance, sensuality, and Australia.