Narelle Atkins here. I'm delighted to welcome you all to our new group blog. Australasian Christian Writers is a blog for writers and readers. We'll be posting five days a week and promoting Australasian Christian authors and books.
Monday is our Writing Craft Day. We want to help and educate writers at all different stages in their writing journeys. Multi-published Australian romance author Mary Hawkins will be posting our first writing craft post next Monday.
On Tuesdays we'll be promoting Australian Christian Readers Blog Alliance (ACRBA) book tours. We'll also announce New Australasian Book Releases on the first or second Tuesday of each month and have the occasional guest blogger visiting with us on Tuesdays.
Thursday is our Book Review Day. New Zealand book reviewer and freelance editor Iola Goulton will be posting our first book review on Thursday.
On Wednesdays and Fridays our blog members will contribute posts.
To celebrate our launch week we have giveaways. Please complete the Google form at the end of this post and select the giveaways you'd like to enter.
A Simple Mistake by Andrea Grigg: 1 book available, print for Australian mailing addresses only or ebook for international.
Angelguard by Ian Acheson: 2 books available worldwide, print or Amazon Kindle ebook.
God's Panoply by Anne Hamilton: 3 print books available, Australian mailing addresses only.
Rose Dee: Reader's choice of 1 print book, Australian mailing addresses only. Back to Resolution, Beyond Resolution, A New Resolution, The Greenfield Legacy.
Dale Harcombe: Reader's choice of 1 print book, Streets on a Map, Kaleidoscope, Australian mailing addresses only, or 1 ebook, Streets on a Map, international.
Mary Hawkins: Reader's choice of 1 print book, Australian mailing addresses only. Return to Baragula, Outback from Baragula, Justice at Baragula.
Mary Hawkins: Reader's choice of 1 ebook, international. Faith in the Great Southland, Hope in the Great Southland, Love in the Great Southland, Great Southland Gold.
Ray Hawkins: Captured by Calvary, 1 print book. Reader's choice of 1 print book, Australian mailing addresses only for all books. Bethlehem's Warrior Baby, Captured by Calvary, Children: God's Special Interest, From Eden with Love.
Carol Preston: Reader's choice of 1 print book, Australian mailing addresses only or 1 Amazon Kindle ebook, international. Mary's Guardian, Charlotte's Angel, Susannah's Gold, Tangled Secrets, Truly Free.
Paula Vince: 2 books available. Reader's choice of print books, Australian mailing addresses only, or Amazon Kindle ebooks, international. Best Forgotten, Picking up the Pieces, Risky Way Home.
Giveaway rules: You'll receive one entry in each drawing you entered if you leave a comment on a post this week. If you comment on every post, Monday 2nd - Friday 6th September, you'll receive the maximum of five entries in each drawing. You may select as many books as you would like to win. All commenters can win a maximum of two books. The winners will be announced on Tuesday 10th September.
We're glad you've joined us for our virtual launch party. What's you're favourite party food? We have Tim Tams, cupcakes, chocolate crackles, popcorn. And a coffee cart serving your beverage of choice. Enjoy!
I'm awake early this morning and I have a big writing day planned :) Time for my early morning cup of tea before I wake up with coffee. Is it too early for party food? I have been known to eat a cupcake before 9am.
ReplyDeleteHi Narelle - I find a good indication of my motivation at work is the amount of food remaining in my lunch box by about 10am. :-)
DeleteThanks for setting up the web site. I look forward to reading through the content.
Peter.
We should all eat a cupcake to celebrate... wherever we are!
DeletePeter, this is so true! Thanks for stopping by :)
DeleteYes Dotti, we can all eat our favourite cupcakes, and I'll try to forget I have dresses to fit into at ACFW next week!
Remember cyber food is calorie free.
DeleteI would love a cupcake or two.
Jenny, sounds great :) I love cyber food!
DeleteLol, Jenny... cyber part food for us today!! :)
DeleteAt least if the food stays in cyber land it won't change your dress size. ;)
DeleteExactly, Cat!! :)
DeleteIf words are food, then we've got a feast! But how do we count cyber calories?
DeleteAnne, we don't count :)
DeleteIf you're looking for more information on the books offered in the giveaway, please check out the 'About Us' page on our blog. You'll find the author bios and links to book information on their websites.
ReplyDeleteCongratulations to us!! What a fabulous launch and giveaway. Thanks for all your hard work, Narelle.
ReplyDeleteLooking forward to seeing the ACW community here, as well as our facebook page!
Well done to you all, Narelle, Dorothy, Jenny and Iola--hope I haven't missed anyone out! It all looks very well organised indeed. Looking forward to what lies ahead. God bless.
ReplyDeleteThanks, Jo-Anne :) We have a big week lined up!
DeleteExcellent launch! Privileged to be a part of the show ;-)
ReplyDeleteSome wonderful stories coming out of Australasia (that's Australia and New Zealand for those who are not familiar with the term) and I'm sure this is just the beginning.
Actually, Ellie, isn't the South Pacific Islands part of Australasia as well?
DeleteDo you have any visitors from the South Pacific? That would be cool, to reach the whole Australasian region :)
DeleteCongrats on the launch. Looking forward to watching the blog grow.
ReplyDeleteLooks great. Looking forward to reading all the posts.
ReplyDeleteAmanda, thanks for stopping by :)
DeleteGreat selection of books here (I know - I've read most of them!).
ReplyDeleteAs for my favourite party food, I stopped reading at Tim Tams, although I'm also partial to classic Kiwi Onion dip.
This comes from Iola.
Kiwi onion dip? Kiwifruit and onion, or am I way off with my guess, Iola?
DeleteI want to know about the Kiwi Onion Dip, too! Someone's got to share the recipe...
DeleteA can of reduced cream and a packet of onion soup - whisk that with a fork, refrigerate, and eat with your favourite chips. Yum!
DeleteThanks, Cat. It sounds like a nice quick and easy recipe :)
DeleteSounds like we'll need to pack onion soup when we go to Oz, Cat!
DeleteHappy to say we do have people entering good luck to you all but dont forget to comment to go into the draw.
ReplyDeleteJenny, thanks for the reminder. Please note that entering your details in the Google form doesn't automatically enter you into the drawings you selected. You need to complete the Google form and comment on the posts, Monday to Friday this week, to gain entries - good luck!
DeleteYay ... well done to all who made this happen. May ACW become a wonderful meeting place for authors, readers and lovers of party food! Ha..
ReplyDeleteBless,
Who doesn't love calorie-free party food?
DeleteI believe that broken biscuits are calorie free. The calories leak out, don't they? Which is why I like to break my Tim-tams and have them with coffee.
DeleteIt's true Anne and air is calorie free :)
DeleteAnne, I love your Tim-tams logic :)
DeleteLooking very good girls. Well done, and thank you. YAY. :). xo
ReplyDeleteHi Rose, thanks. What a great start we're having. :)
DeleteThanks, Rose :)
Deletehow very exciting, may God bless this venture, always lovely to share and watch something creatively grow from inception
ReplyDeleteWelcome Maree and thanks for commenting.
DeleteMaree, thanks for stopping by :)
DeleteSite looks great. Not big on party food but maybe a gluten free piece of fruit cake.
ReplyDeletedharcombe@bigpond.com
Hi Dale, I'll join you in gluten free fruit cake. :)
DeleteI had a slice of my mum's homemade fruit cake yesterday - yum :)
DeleteLovely to know I'm not the only GF around, Dorothy or fruit cake fan Narelle. Have just made a GF chocolate cake for a friend's birthday dinner tonight.
DeleteGot to be gluten-free, or it's the end of the party for me, Dale. :) I'll have to look up a good gluten free fruit cake recipe, now. My mouth's watering. :)
DeleteLove fruit cake - and miss not being able to eat my mum's scrumptious fruitcake she makes each Christmas - so GF/Wheat free fruit cake would definitely be a draw card for me :)
DeleteCongratulations to everyone involved. Very exciting. Great book choice. Something for everyone.
ReplyDeleteCarol, yes, there's a wide selection of books up for grabs, and an extra giveaway our blog readers can enter tomorrow :)
DeleteI don't need the books (I've read most) but I just wanted to congratulate y'all on the blog!!! :)
ReplyDeleteThanks for stopping by Ane.
DeleteHi Ane, thanks for visiting :)
DeleteGreat to see you here, Ane.
DeleteCongratulations, Narelle. I've long looked forward to something like this.
ReplyDeleteGod Bless your efforts,
Hazel Barker
Thanks, Hazel :) This is a team effort and I thank everyone involved for their contribution - we appreciate you!
DeleteYay, Hazel! Great to see you here!
DeleteCongratulations on the new blog! Looking forward to stopping by in the future. :)
ReplyDeleteHi Karen, so great to see you've found us!! Bless you for following. :)
DeleteLook forward to seeing more of you Karen.
DeleteKaren, thanks for stopping by :)
DeleteHow exciting to be launching the blog - with so many giveaways from such wonderful authors. My favourite party food - does pavlova count (topped with cream and fresh fruit - yum)?
ReplyDeleteHi Jenny. Yes, Pavlova certainly counts! Couldn't have a party without it. :)
DeleteMy piece has either pineapple or banana none of that strawberry stuff people seem to like!
Deletebut love pav.
Me too, Jen. Pav with banana is my favourite, but I need a little ruby red here and there and passionfruit syrup is a must. :)
DeleteJenny, pavlova definitely counts, especially with strawberries (sorry Jenny B, but I love fresh strawberries), kiwifruit and passionfruit - my favourite combo :)
DeleteOk so I'm hungry now. Anyone want a copy of my Aunty Pauline's super fail-safe Pavlova recipe? I can share. Its a special day :)
DeleteI like to make a ring of baking paper and make the pav inside that - then its extra high and impressive!
Hi Catherine -
DeleteYes, please! (And we won't even discuss whether pav is an Aussie or Kiwi invention - it's Australasian!
Australasian it is. Here's the recipe:
DeletePAVLOVA:
Heat oven to 125 degrees centigrade (sorry, don't know what that is Fahrenheit - google)
3 egg whites (absolutely no yolk and make sure your dishes are grease-free)
-Beat whites until stiff.
-Add BIT BY BIT 150grms (5 oz) of castor sugar (that's the fine-grain white sugar in case this is different in America)
-Beat until the sugar is dissolved and the mix is shiny, slick and thick. (its quite easy to see this)
- fold in (or beat if you are lazy like me) 1 teaspoon EACH of
- Cornflour
- White vinegar
- Vanilla essence.
- Grease a tray (butter is fine) - or your baking paper on your tray, then run under a cold tap a little, then tap or shake the water off.
-Here you can either pile the mix on the tray and shape it, or make a ring like I described above to put on the tray and the mix inside.(I guess you could use a cake ring from a tin?)
Then the Pav is higher and more impressive with this mold to keep it in its round shape :)
- Cook in the 125 degree oven for a half hour. Turn off the oven and DON'T OPEN THE OVEN. Leave until morning.
When cold top with cream and fresh strawberries or fruit, chocolate, or sprinkles or whatever takes your fancy.
Its a nice big Pav with a double recipe, but I have been known to go crazy and make one with 12 eggs. But my Kenwood mixer didn't like me for it. I did (licking chops)
Enjoy! The recipe is courtesy of my Aunty Pauline who is no longer with us but would smile to think of us sharing a good slice of Pavlova via cyber space. Enjoy!
My mouth's popping! Yum...and gluten free, right?
DeleteWhat are you waiting for, Cat? Cross that ditch, and bring me a slice. :)
Wow - that sounds delicious Catherine - and Narelle I love your toppings. I'm allergic to bananas as much as I love them :( but strawberries, kiwifruit and passion fruit - or maybe mixed red berries or even grapes, mango and lichees. Have you ever tried using custard instead of cream as a topping? It actually works quite well :)
DeleteShould be GF Dot - as long as the its GF cornflour :)
DeleteWow, Cat, you are spoiling us! Your aunt's recipe looks fabulous - thanks for sharing :)
DeleteJenny, I like the idea of a combination of cream and custard on a Pav and I'm also a big fan of trifle. No wonder I'm a regular at the gym, lol. I'm packing my workout gear to use in the hotel gyms while I'm away.
Oh I so have to try custard and cream! As for popping over Dotti, I'm coming, hang on (just let me use your kitchen and I'll make it fresh ;)
DeleteAnd yes, my friend can't eat gluten or she turns into a monster so this is my specialty for her. Super easy if you think about it too - machine whips the thing and you leave it in the oven overnight!
Do a run at the gym for me Narelle. I haven't made it out for a decent workout in too long!
I may hold you to that promise, Cat. Kitchen is yours!!
DeleteNarelle and I will be in the gym at about 3 am in a couple of weeks. Might be the only way to get our bodies to sleep in Indy. :)
Dotti, don't give away all our secrets! Do we really want to see anyone else in the gym at 3am?
DeleteLol! I don't think you need to be worried about anyone else being in the gym at that time Narelle!
DeleteI love to support Aussie authors!! Can't wait to see what comes up on this blog!
ReplyDeleteHey Beth good to see you here and know you love supporting the authors.
DeleteHi Beth, thanks for visiting and we appreciate your support of Aussie authors :)
DeleteParty day! Thanks for all the preparation, girls. Looking forward to seeing this blog grow and grow. Very excited to be on board at the pioneering stage and to have the opportunity to meet new readers. God bless!
ReplyDeleteHi Andrea... it's en exciting day. :) So glad you're one of the pioneers!
DeleteYes Andrea and Dotti, we're all pioneers together!
DeleteI just decided to restart my book blog yesterday. Timing is perfect!
ReplyDeleteWelcome Wyn, hope you can find some books you are interested in to enter for. Good to see you here.
DeleteHi Wyn, thanks for stopping by :)
DeleteWell done everyone and am looking forward to eating my chocolate cup cake! Or .. ahem...please could I have 2? :) Looking forward to those blogs too!
ReplyDeleteSure you can Anusha, I myself discovered Red Velvet cup cakes in the states and would love another of them.
DeleteHi Anusha, I'll join you in having a chocolate cupcake with a latte! Thanks for visiting :)
DeleteWe've just come home from a Persian banquet!! No more food for me, not even the whisper of cyber crumbs!! But Anusha, you're welcome to enjoy the bounty in celebration. :)
DeleteI am really excited about this... as a newbie I am excited to learn all I can and meet some wonderful people and read some amazing stories!!!
ReplyDeleteHi Kerry-Lee, it's great to see you here :)
DeleteWelcome Kerry-Lee I hope you will get some great info here nice to meet you dont forget to enter the giveaways if you haven't already.
ReplyDeleteWelcome, beautiful Kerry-Lee! Lots of good stuff coming up, my friend. I'm so excited with the lineup of bloggers for the next few months. :)
DeleteThis sounds great as I'm really keen to get to know some more Aussie authors to show off their books! Waving hello to Jenny B. and Dorothy A.! :)
ReplyDeleteWelcome Noela glad to see you also. (Im the reader supporting the blog with posting ACRBA posts).
DeleteHi Noela, thanks for stopping by and we appreciate your support :)
DeleteWaving right back at you, sweet Noela! So glad you've come to say hello. :)
DeleteWhat a great line-up of events, treats, tips, and good fun! I love all the positive energy and enthusiasm--and it's only day one!!
ReplyDeleteHi Sara, thanks for visiting :) For those of you who don't know Sara, she's our new ACFW Beyond the Borders Zone Director. If you write fiction and live outside the US, ACFW Beyond the Borders is the group you can join. I'm looking forward to meeting a number of online friends next week in Indy at the ACFW Zone breakfast.
ReplyDeleteHi Sara... so glad the BTB Mama Hen has come to visit ;) Can't wait to meet you at our bacon and eggs gathering.
DeleteIt is a real privilege to be part of our blog launch. I've enjoyed a morning at the monthly meeting of Society Women Writers Tasmania this morning. Face to face fellowship with other writers has always been invaluable for me, but these ventures in cyberspace has meant many new friends met in different places over the world. I look forward to sharing what I've learnt about writing novels over many years. Sometimes I had to learn the hard way and would love to help others not make those same mistakes. Thing is, we must never stop learning, improving our writing to create unforgetable characters, "unputdownable" books. Yah, did I just create a "new" word? LOL
ReplyDeleteHi Mary, I'm really looking forward to your posts. ;)
DeleteHope you get some sleep after ploughing through all the wonderful responses. A great concept now up and running. May it run well and long and bring blessing, encouragement to all and glory to our Lord.
ReplyDeleteThanks to all who have brought a dream to fruition.
Thanks, Ray :) It's great to see the blog up and running, with many more good things planned for the future.
DeleteMary, yes, I totally agree that we should never stop learning and we all should strive to write 'unputdownable' books :)
ReplyDeleteCongrats on the new blog! Looks like you have a great line up.
ReplyDeleteHi Sandra, thanks for stopping by :)
DeleteHi Sandra... so good to see you 'Downunder.' I just texted with your Jen. We're making plans for 'sometime.' Lol Maybe you can join us :)
DeleteHi! I am happy to find this blog. Very nice...:) I am having a cupcake in your honor. Everyone on here has made me hungry...LOL
ReplyDeleteKeep up the good work!
welcome connie nice to see you here.
DeleteIt is so strange to see the "wrong" date on a post here. LOL. I'm in Canada so a day behind you. I placed the html for the picture link to the blog on my blog this morning.
ReplyDeletehttp://wynswonderland.blogspot.ca/
Hope that was ok.
Thats fine Wyn thanks for doing that. yes I bet it is strange. I get so use to the other way round it is funny seeing it as my actual time.
ReplyDeleteThis comes from Cherie from Canada.
ReplyDeleteI would love to win Angelguard, the only one I'm qualified for since I don't do e-books. Thanks for the opportunity.
Cherie, thanks for stopping by :)
DeleteWell done Narelle! I pray this is a splendiferous venture. I've never had much joy following Blogger blogs. Any time I've tried to leave a comment, it tells me I don't own the Wordpress ID I want to use. Well, going to have a go again anyway.
ReplyDeleteJust wondering though, why some blogs on Blogger have the option of Name/URL in the "Select Profile" options and some don't. Don't seem to have any trouble with those ones.
Blessings,
Lyn
Hi Lyn, Thanks for visiting and I'm glad you were able to sign in okay :) The options for commenting depend on the settings chosen by each individual blog. Spam can be a really big problem. We've chosen to block anonymous comments and not use word verification, which is consistent with many of the international group blogs.
DeleteCongratulations on the new site. I hope it's a great success!
ReplyDeleteAmy, thanks for stopping by :)
DeleteThanks Amy good to see you here
ReplyDelete