The House That Inspired Me.

 

Thornton Park is the Thornton family home and is where the mystery takes place in my book The Dragon Sleeps.

It’s a murder mystery set in the late 1920s.

A Dragon statue. An ancient sword. What treasure is worth killing for?

Alexandra Thornton is determined to discover how these things are connected to the antiques her great-grandfather brought with him from Hong Kong so many years ago. What secret has remained hidden for the last eighty years?

Photos:
Top left is the main hall, the others are of the drawing room. Far right is my book.

These photos are of the real house that inspired me – Werribee Mansion in Victoria.

You can go through the mansion if you’re visiting Melbourne or Victoria. It’s definitely a worthwhile day.

REVIEW: Rise of the Sparrows by Sarina Langer

Rise of the Sparrows by Sarina Langer

I absolutely loved this book. Sarina Langer has masterfully created a new world filled with fantasy, prophecy and magic.

Rachel is a homeless orphan and is shunned for having ‘the gift’ – which in her case is visions of people dying. Cephy, who joins her, has a much more powerful and darker gift. When Cephy burns down her old home, the villagers of Blackrock respond with violence. The two flee and head into the forest, a world alien to them.

They encounter new dangers. The White Guard is chasing them. They meet a Mist Woman, who offers them shelter, but Rachel instinctively feels she can’t be trusted. Then a young rebel tells Rachel she must fulfil a prophecy. He takes her to meet the Sparrows; but can she trust him?

The story moves along at a great pace and the ending is action packed and filled with energy and excitement, with twists and turns.

The characters are well written. The story strongly crafted.

This is a fabulous first novel for Sarina Langer. I look forward to the next book.