East Gippsland Field Day

Wrapping up the Lake Hill Book Launch

Margareta-Admin — Fri, 05 May 2017 07:15:00 +0000

Wrapping up the Lake Hill Book Launch

Margareta-Admin Fri, 05/05/2017 - 5:15 pm

First up, I want to thank you for all your good wishes on the launch of LAKE HILL from the very bottom of my heart. For those of you who have bought my new book already, huge appreciation for investing your time and money in my words, and for those of you making lists for a Mother’s Day present, maybe you could suggest LAKE HILL? ;)

What an incredible night we had at the LAKE HILL Launch! IT WAS A SELL-OUT! We couldn’t fit another person in the room and I can’t even BEGIN to tell you how much fun it was. So many people, such a lovely space to gather, divine wine and pizza, books being signed and on their way to new loving homes … it was a mecca of goodness, and we all had a fantastic time. Huge thanks go to Liz and Trevor from Collins Booksellers, Sale along with Catherine & Al at Blue Gables Winery for organising it all.

Lake Hill Launch Crowd

Here’s a few photo’s of the night, where my mate and rural journalist Jeanette Severs and I had a chat. We succeeded mightily in not falling off ‘the stage’ laughing and disappearing into one of the surrounding hay bales. We discussed LAKE HILL and the inspirations behind the book, chuckled ourselves silly over sex scenes and Lee Kernaghan (Yes! It jolly well came up AGAIN! Hangs my head in shame …)

Jeanette Severs and I

The East Gippsland Field Day’s were also a huge success, with many of my Lardner Park regulars visiting the Just Books stall to get their books signed. These wonderful and supportive readers are creating ‘a signed set’ and I am starting to get to know them well. There were new babies (Carmen, so lovely to meet your gorgeous little girl), Dad’s and kids being dragged to field days kicking and screaming (so not) for their wives to get their books signed. One lovely fellow, Bill, even advised me on which cattle crush to buy. Sure enough, he was right, so if you’re reading this, Bill, I followed your advice and the crush will be delivered on Monday. Thanks so much!

From this week onwards, I’m on a lovely road trip around my home ground – Gippsland – over the next little while, plus throwing in a couple of pre-Mother’s Day book signing at two city bookstores, so it’s going to be a busy, but fun time.

We kicked off the journey in Heyfield on Wednesday where over 40 people turned up for THE most DIVINE afternoon tea and listened to me chat about the inspirations behind my new book, and how to “never say never. We only get one life. Get out there and tick your bucket list while you can.”

Next week I can be found chatting and signing books in two places. First up will be THE best café in Gippsland (in my (not so) humble opinion!), the stunning Café 3847 & Co in Rosedale, where some ideas for my café in LAKE HILL originated. You can understand how delighted I am to be holding a book launch there! This in on Wednesday night (May 10) at 7pm. Booking can be made with Andrea and Mark at the Readers Emporium, Traralgon (phone: 51764620).

On Thursday evening (May 11) from 7.30pm I will be at the Onyx Café, 61 Breed Street, Traralgon, chatting about LAKE HILL. Booking for this event can also be made with Andrea and Mark at the Readers Emporium, Traralgon (phone: 51764620).

Think, Mother’s Day treat. Think, new book to read. Think, I can get it signed by Margareta! I would adore seeing you there.

And can I just quietly add here that I was shouting with joy and dancing around in my horse paddock on Friday morning, when I received the news that despite LAKE HILL not being officially released until Monday May 1, IT HAD ALREADY GONE TO REPRINT!

OMG, the horse, dogs and chooks thought I’d gone nuts!

For those of you who have already downed the book like a delicious hot chocolate, can I ask you to post a review? That’s if you enjoyed it, I guess … ;)

Reviews at all sorts of places (LibraryThing, GoodReads or your online retailer / private blog) really help authors with their books, and we sincerely appreciate it when readers take a few minutes to comment on our work, which might encourage others to pick up LAKE HILL or any other book you have read recently and enjoyed. (Let me know via the contact page above and we'll happily link to your review as well!)

Until next week, Happy Reading!

Love and many, many thanks,

Margareta

Tags

Lake Hill

Launch

East Gippsland Field Day

Just Books

Gippsland

Jeanette Severs

Lake Hill Release - an update on events and ... stuff

Margareta-Admin — Wed, 26 Apr 2017 05:04:24 +0000

Lake Hill Release - an update on events and ... stuff

Margareta-Admin Wed, 26/04/2017 - 3:04 pm

Our book launch for LAKE HILL is a sell-out! Thank you to everyone who has responded in any way to the invitation to help celebrate the arrival of my seventh book! It should be a fabulous night!

SO, if you aren’t at the book launch to get a signed copy, where can you get LAKE HILL?

At any good book store, is the short answer! And if you can’t see it, ask for it and the bookstore can order it in. It’s that easy!

I’ll also be at the East Gippsland Library in Bairnsdale TOMORROW Thursday April 27 at 2pm and then again at 5.30pm, chatting about LAKE HILL. Elaine from Just Books, Bairnsdale and Lakes Entrance, will also be there, with plenty of books for sale, which I can sign for you.

I’ll also be at the East Gippsland Field Days, Aerodrome Road, Bengworden with the lovely Elaine and team again on both Friday April 28 (9am-3pm) and Saturday April 29 (9am-4pm). So come and say hello, and purchase your copy of LAKE HILL, which I can sign especially for you. Or perhaps you might like to buy and give any of my books as a gift to mum for MOTHER’S DAY? I can sign them for her too. We will also have some lovely matching bookmarks. What a nice gift for that special mum in your life.

Next week on Wednesday May 3, I’ll be at the Heyfield Library (42 MacFarlane Street, Heyfield) from 2pm chatting about LAKE HILL. Bookings are essential. Ph: 51482644. I cannot tell you how excited I am to be having a chat at one of my own local libraries. Especially Heyfield. The library there is as lovely as Cath, who runs it. Better till it’s only a 15-minute drive down the road. Awesome. What? I still haven’t told you about my new car??? I’m such a tease …

Over the coming weeks I’ll also be at Rosedale, Traralgon, Trafalgar, Korrumburra and Moonee Ponds, just to name a few places. Details of events are now going up onto my events page.

You’ll also see the cover for LAKE HILL hanging out on the huge light walls in the airports across Australia (I KNOW! I’m going to have to drive the 5 hours to Tullamarine just to see it myself!). So, if you happen to see a fellow traveller pick my book up at the airport, or in any bookstore or BIG W or Target or any newsagent that has novels on the shelves, could you possibly give me a good shout out? Shove them in the direction of the counter whilst telling them you know the author and she’s a really nice farmer from up in them there hills in East Gippsland who tells a reasonable yarn; makes you laugh, cry and curse and well, she really loves chocolate, so unless you buy the book, her chocolate fund will be very poor … where was I...

Last newsletter I chatted about my back titles as eBooks, (they’re all still on sale). But for those of you who are audiobook lovers, the pre-order links for LAKE HILL are here as well. The LAKE HILL audio book will be released concurrently with the print and eBooks. Yahoo! (All dairyfarmers who love to listen to audio while milking or truck drivers, take note!)

And if you follow my Facebook page we’ll be running a competition for a free book very shortly. Plus a VERY special little something from Sarah at http://www.saylittlehen.com/, one of my favourite blogs. Get on board and come and like my page if you haven’t already!

So as you can see from the above, things are very busy and I reckon by about midday Saturday, I’ll be a needing a Tim Tam and a half shot cappuccino! Someone? Anyone?

Love

Margareta x

Tags

East Gippsland Field Day

East Gippsland Field Day

Margareta-Admin — Wed, 26 Apr 2017 03:40:05 +0000

East Gippsland Field Day

Margareta-Admin Wed, 26/04/2017 - 1:40 pm

Date & Time

Fri, 28/04/2017 - 9:00 am

Event Address

Just Books Site, GI-26, East Gippland Field Days

I'll be at the East Gippsland Field Day today - find me at the Just Books Site: GI-26

Tags

Lake Hill

Event

Free

East Gippsland Field Day

Just Books

Kelpies, Life and the East Gippsland Field Days

Margareta-Admin — Mon, 27 Apr 2015 07:08:54 +0000

Kelpies, Life and the East Gippsland Field Days

Margareta-Admin Mon, 27/04/2015 - 5:08 pm

LIFE ON THE HILL

The Farmboy (12 yrs) has finally thrown away his crutches after spending a good three weeks hobbling around with his fractured leg. Being on school holidays and restricted to one leg nearly killed him (not to mention mum!). No ute driving, no motorbike riding, no bouncing on the trampoline. No making his usual plethora of creative items with his Renovator and other tools. No wandering over the paddocks to make cubby houses and tree houses and follow wombats and just generally suss out whatever's moving out there in the paddocks. I think his return to school was almost welcomed! At least there was something to do other than sit on the couch and read books, play Xbox games or watch DVDS. The novelty of being allowed to do the last two soon wore off after about day 3!

But he did get some relief from the monotony of crutches last week, when both he and I headed on a road trip down to South Gippsland for the most educational and life-changing weekend.

Ever since this lad was little he has loved Kelpie working dogs. His bedroom walls are plastered with Zoe Phillips Kelpie pictures from the Weekly Times. His wall calendar features Kelpies on each page. The second book he ever showed any interest in reading was stories about Kelpies. Man, was I excited about that! He was reading! Finally! (It should be noted though; this came after the ‘Encyclopaedia of John Deere Tractors’. I think you can see where his loves lie.)

Kelpie on downtime

I've always said to him he could only have a Kelpie when he knew a) how to train it, and b) could take on the responsibility of looking after the pup himself. And a while back I thought we were finally reaching that time. After making a few quiet enquires and thanks to a gorgeous friend of mine Miss Grey (Miss Grey Photography) we found out about Neil and Helen McDonald’s Advanced Livestock Management and Working Dog (http://www.neilmcdonald.com.au) training course. After waiting patiently for two years for Neil to come to Gippsland (his courses are primarily run in Northern Australia), and virtually on the precipice of saying, ‘Dash it, lets just pack the swags & go to Keith in South Australia from where Neil hails’, last weekend finally saw us on our way to hear from this renowned stock handler.

Miss Grey, me! and Bush Chooks

8am through to 5pm, Friday, Saturday and Sunday in a little place called Buffalo, and that 12 year old sat and soaked in every word our presenter Neil McDonald said. With the help of a few others also doing the course, the lad, even though he was on crutches, was able to pen sheep, work a dog with sheep and even hobble around a course of drums leading his sheep where he needed them to go. He and I learnt more about pressure and relief, how to start, stop and create a good steady flow of livestock, how the position of your feet, eyes, indeed your whole body, including demeanour and body language affects animals. We also learnt about the working dog itself – how to teach manners, social graces and the use of the natural instinct of the working dog to assist you in your stock work. There was whole swag of life wisdom to be gained as well because Neil’s way of teaching was in story form. To an author and her child it was the perfect way to learn. In fact, the lad could just about repeat verbatim a lot of what was said over the whole three days! (Not so me, I had to rely on my notes!)

Campfire

Can you tell how inordinately proud I was of my son? The only words to come from him for 8 hours of each day were, 'Mum did you write that bit down? Did you get that?!'

H and the Princess came to join us on Saturday night, and the property owners who kindly hosted us all had a HUGE bonfire. It was pretty spectacular and just added to whole camp atmosphere. The children pulled up their camp chairs and watched the whole thing avidly (our kids just LOVE bonfire nights), which caused me to say to H, 'Who needs television? Really?'

We met some really lovely, generous and knowledgeable people including finally meeting face-to-face my friend, Miss Grey, and her buddy Bush Chooks (Bush Chooks Photography) who came to stay with us for a night on the Hill. These girls are on their way around Australia with 20 kelpies on board. Two truly beautiful and talented people who were an inspiration to us all.

And the strength and breadth of information we learnt from everyone present over the weekend has the capacity to change the whole of our farming operation. I can’t wait to put what we now know into action. I can't wait to learn more!

And the Farmboy?

Well, he’s lining up for his first Kelpie. Stay tuned ...

Crutches put to one side, working the sheep

EAST GIPPSLAND FIELD DAYS

This Friday and Saturday (May 1 & 2, 2015) is the East Gippsland Field Days at the Bairnsdale Aerodrome. I’ll be there on SATURDAY May 1, at the Collin’s Booksellers Bairnsdale stand from 10 - 12 midday signing books. If you're in the area, it's a great opportunity to pick up a signed copy of ROSE RIVER for Mother’s Day! Or just come and say hello and pass the time of day ... Love to see you there!

Next week, I'll be giving you some book ideas (besides ROSE RIVER ) for Mother's Day!

Until then, hope you all have a great week,

Margareta xo

Tags

Kelpies

Miss Grey Photography

Bush Chooks

Neil and Helen McDonald’s Advanced Livestock Management and Working Dog

East Gippsland Field Day