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Heat

 04-Feb-2008
Posted At : 5:49 PM | Posted By : Russell
Related Categories: Book release
Mood: Somnolent
Now reading: A Song For Arbonne - GGK

 

You Australians may laugh, but the Waikato (the province in which I live) is gripped by what some are describing as a hundred-year drought. (Not that the drought will last a hundred years, but such water scarcity occurs once in a hundred years. Just clearing that up.)

Yes, a hundred year drought. We've had no substantial rainfall for over three, er, months. Cue laughter from Australian friends. It doesn't take much to dry us out, not when we generally get a dependable and evenly spread rainfall.

Not this summer. We've had 6mm since October. And we've had the equivalent of three week's worth of temperatures higher than any single day since I came to the Waikato. Over (gasp) 30 degrees. I can hear the mocking laughter from across the Tassie.

Our grass has turned brown, we're not allowed to burn, and now we're not even allowed to sprinkle. We are hot and grumpy. We suffer from lassitude. We find it difficult to update our blogs, and all we talk about is the weather.

Dull, eh?

Oh yes, my 5th book, 'Dark Heart', is now available in Australia. Should be in NZ by the end of the month. My first trilogy has been launched in the USA and is coming out at monthly intervals. And my books are selling well and being reprinted. Huzzah!

Ooh, I shouldn't have jumped up. It's made me all hot. 

Comments (14)

Comments

Great news about the book - I shall hassle my local booksellers about it.

I'd mock you about the drought too (it is raining here right now) but the danger of it turning into a rant about overstocking and poor farming practice is too great.

Posted By Ross / Posted At 2/4/08 6:17 PM

No, please do! Trouble is, you'd be preaching to the converted. We continue to grow more and more cows (which require lots of water) as the weather gets drier and drier.

Tsk.

Posted By Russell / Posted At 2/4/08 7:01 PM

I am enjoying the rain today. I want to walk out in it and luxuriate.

Good work on the books. Did you get paid for them yet, Russ?

I recommend Dark Heart...ripping read.

hugs

Posted By Donna Hanson / Posted At 2/4/08 8:47 PM

Russ,

I went looking on Friday and it wasn't on the shelves.

Someone's being slack.

Donna,

Should we tell Russ that you stole his weather yet?

Good job by the way. La Nina would be proud.

Posted By Phillip Berrie / Posted At 2/4/08 8:59 PM

At least you understand how perfectly ridiculous you sound to Aussies...

Good news about the book!

Posted By Jo / Posted At 2/5/08 9:09 AM

Thanks Russell, Dark Heart was a great read. I particularly enjoyed the ending - late, but well deserved justice. Lookin forward to reading the grand finale.

Speaking of weather, if you ask the Queenslanders nicely, I'm sure they will oblige in diverting some of their deluge to Waikato.

Posted By Peter / Posted At 2/5/08 10:10 AM

Yes, Jo, we sound ridiculous. But it's all relative. We need 1000mm of rain annually to sustain our extravagant agricultural practices, and we're getting nowhere near that at present. But yes, three months isn't ten years.

Mind you, on the last weekend I was in northern Victoria they received over 75mm of rain, the most in the last decade. Perhaps that's where it went.

Hearing about the lack of availability of my books makes me somewhat nervous ...

Posted By Russell / Posted At 2/5/08 11:27 AM

Well, SEQld has been getting dumped on big time the last couple of days so hopefully some will still be in the clouds when they get to you.

Couldn't see Dark Heart on the shelves on the weekend - I'll be checking at lunchtime today!

Posted By Barbara / Posted At 2/6/08 6:20 AM

Just as well you have a pool isn't it Russell.
DON'T come looking for any of your books in my store...some silly customers keep buying them...all gone again...and I didn't mention the donkey

Posted By Linda / Posted At 2/6/08 5:01 PM

Hope someone in Hollywood picks them up and makes them into movies x

Posted By Andrew / Posted At 2/10/08 8:14 PM

How come the aussies get them first?
Not that I'm jealous or anything... OK I'm seething with jealousy.
I agree with the movie idea. Of course it will never be as good as the books.

Posted By Christabel Marshall / Posted At 2/13/08 6:10 PM

Saw your book in KMART! hahahahaha...that is a good thing really....hahahaha

Posted By Donna Hanson / Posted At 2/14/08 7:44 PM

Yeah, how come the Aussies get it first? You must be the Finn brothers of the literary world ha ha

Posted By Andrew / Posted At 2/17/08 1:52 AM

Ahh, so they're coming out in monthly intervals in the States... I was curious as to why I couldn't find "The Right Hand of God" at my local book store, I guess I'll have to check back later. The first two have been great reads thus far, I can't wait to get my hands on your others.

I wouldn't at all detest shipping you some of our water if it was at all practical. We're having flooding problems over here at the moment...

Posted By Nate Albert / Posted At 2/19/08 10:49 AM