I'm well past the halfway mark in my next novel although I haven't a title as yet. A few ideas. But it remains to be seen.
The suspense in this one runs most of the way up until now and I'm loving it. At the same time the interaction between the hero and heroine is coming along well, although I might throw a few more stumbling blocks to test them. lol.
I also want to say that Outback Secrets is selling well on Amazon Au and I'm again indebted to my readers. Thank you from the bottom of my heart.
If you haven't read Outback Secrets here's a short excerpt to hopefully tempt you into reading the book.
Abby calculated the time
it would take to drive to Drop Gap, have a look around and be back at the
station by nightfall. She felt guilty for postponing the search with Judith but
promised she would as soon as she learned more about the area.
The morning was fresh, but the heat would peel in soon
enough. The temperature was forecast to reach forty degrees that day, a little
cooler than the last few days.
Tuffs of grass and low-lying shrubs spanned the
landscape. The red jutting rocks in all shapes and sizes stood tall and
dominant below the mountains. God, this place was desolate. She could almost
hear the earth frying under the heat of the sun, almost hear the haunted
whispers drifting through the brittle stillness.
Reaching the rocks, she manoeuvred her vehicle through
an opening and followed the winding trail for more than ten minutes. Leaving
the track, it opened, revealing hard rocky ground, almost a desert. To her
left, the landscape dropped away at a sharp death-defying angle. She slowed and
idled over the dips and rises.
In the distance, the remains of what was once a ute
stood out as though it didn’t belong. A sickening feeling moved to her stomach
as her gaze fixed over the heap of metal, and she pulled to a stop. After
surveying the area, she reached for her weapon and holster, positioning them at
her waist. She picked up her mobile phone and glanced at the screen only to
recall Matt had said there wasn’t any mobile service out this way. Sure enough,
not one bar lit up, not even an emergency signal.
Luckily, she had backup. She flipped the glove box
open, horrified that the compartment was empty. With disbelief, she looked
again. Her forehead creased, and she shook her head. Who would have taken her
satellite phone?
She hadn’t touched it since arriving at Corundin
Station. Her nerves spiked. Someone had been rummaging around in the glove box,
but who? She checked over her shoulder, scanned the back windscreen and both
sides of the vehicle before stepping out.
As she approached the ute, the oppressive atmosphere
made it a struggle to inhale. The years had taken care of any evidence. A
rusted heap of metal, coated by thick dust, was all that remained.
She kneeled, trying to read the number plate. Reaching
out, she brushed the dust away and made out the first three letters. She froze
and glared with disbelief. Trying to read the following numbers were
impossible, although the first number, four, was legible. Her hands trembled.
It was her father’s ute. She couldn’t be mistaken.
Abby took several photographs of the number plate.
Knowing the engine number would also help confirm who owned the ute, she walked
to the front of the vehicle and tried to open the bonnet. Struggling for some
time, she managed to prop it open, and after several more photographs, she
dropped it with an almighty crash. She’d send the pictures to Wayne to confirm
the owner.
She walked to one side, and her body shook as she
stared at the foreign object. Shattered glass, deflated tyres, and to her
amazement, a shrub had begun to sprout from the soil in the back tray. Drawing
in a steady breath, she peered into the front seat and leaned closer. Two empty
water bottles lay on the passenger floor.
After taking several photographs of the exterior and
the interior of the vehicle she stood back. If her father came out here to die,
did he drink the water before he marched off into the wilderness? It didn’t
make sense. Perspiration trickled down her brow and in between her shoulder
blades. She had to get back to her vehicle to cool down.
Inside the cabin, she fired up the engine and switched
on the air conditioner. The cool air fanning over her skin settled her for a
time, and she braced herself. She glanced into the distance. It was ten
kilometres to where the bones were discovered.
She checked the map and followed the directions. As
her vehicle bumped over the terrain, she tried to imagine what her father went
through. His ute was here, but that didn’t mean he was or his bones were. There
were only two men who would possibly know his whereabouts and they refused to
give the police any information on the day of their arrest.
