Australia is much on my mind these days. The wildfires and devastation there fills my news feed. After visiting a couple of its largest cities last year, I’m shocked to now see pictures of the smoke that chokes these places. The lost lives. The animals burned. The scorched earth.
I’m so grateful to be part of a charity project my publisher is preparing, to raise relief funds for those impacted by the fires. The Wild Rose Press will publish two anthologies late next month, the short stories within all written by published authors from around the world. All royalties are being donated. My publisher is donating their expertise and coordination, all editors and cover artists are volunteering time and work, and we even have an Australian narrator willing to create audio versions of these anthologies. Dozens of writers, editors, artists and promoters are involved in this project. Someone is creating video trailers, a magazine will promote – all the work donated. My own small part is one short story called “Three Ghosts,” about a woman and her two children trying to survive a devastating event.
I’ll have more information on how to buy one of these anthologies in coming weeks, along with the specific charity monies will go to. I’m so impressed by my publisher for stepping forward so quickly to help where assistance is needed.
By coincidence, I also have a book set in Australia’s wild Outback region being released this spring. “House of Seven Spirits” starts as a ghost story but leads into a broader mystery about how an entire family disappeared. I’ll write more about this book as soon as I have a release date.
Australia, you are very much on my mind these days.
