Tag: Jessica Wakefield

It’s Aussie August!

… and a bunch of top Australian authors have teamed together to introduce you to some of the best of Aussie fiction. (And one Kiwi—me.)

So if you’re looking for something to read this winter/spring, click here to check out Aussie August, featuring:

  • Narelle Atkins
  • Liz Chapman
  • Amanda Deed
  • Christine Dillon
  • Jenny Glazebrook
  • Iola Goulton
  • Sheridan Lee
  • Carolyn Miller
  • Jennifer Mistmorgan
  • Meredith Resce
  • Jessica Wakefield

The novels in the promotion include all three finalists in the Adult Fiction category of the 2024 CALEB Awards from Omega Writers, Australia’s network for Christian writers. The finalists are:

  • Where Our Hearts Lie by Jenny Glazebrook
  • Broken Spirit by Sheridan Lee
  • Heart in the Clouds by Jennifer Mistmorgan

The Aussie August lineup also includes several other CALEB winners:

  • The Game by Amanda Deed (2010)
  • Grace in the Shadows by Christine Dillon (2019)
  • In Want of a Wife by Meredith Resce (2022)

I recently read a blog post by Australian book reviewer Jenny Blake where talked about how she prefers promotions that are all Christian stories, rather than a mix of Christian and clean fiction.

While I haven’t read all the novels in the promotion, I have read most of them and can confirm they are Christian fiction, not just fiction written by Christians or “clean reads”.

The two authors I haven’t read are Sheridan Lee and Liz Chapman, and I’m looking forward to reading Broken Spirit and Valerie Rose soon … just as soon as I get the draft of Always in My Heart off to my fellow Trinity Lakes authors to beta read.

Jenny also mentioned how much she’s enjoying her two-month subscription to Kindle Unlimited (aka KU), which is a good time to point out that all the Trinity Lakes novels are in KU …

So if you’re looking for something to read on Kindle, check out Aussie August. And if you prefer paper books, most of the titles are available from Koorong or Amazon.

First Line Friday

First Line Friday #294 | The Christmas Box by Jessica Wakefield

It’s First Line Friday! That means it’s time to pick up the nearest book and quote the first line. I’ve just bought The Christmas Box by debut Australian author Jessica Wakefield. It’s three novellas featuring three of my favourite tropes: friends to more, forced proximity, and fake relationship. Here’s the first line from the Chapter One:

Change was coming. Amy Franklin hated change.

I only have to read that much to know I’m going to love Amy 🙂

What’s the book nearest you, and what’s the first line?

About The Christmas Box

Three Christmas Novellas: Can Christmas be saved by a mysterious box? Join three couples across three decades as they find love in places they least expected it.

1995: Braving Christmas

Amy Franklin is in love with her best friend. Years of family rejection have left her unable to tell Chris Lawrence how she feels for fear of history repeating itself. But as she becomes the key to saving his family’s Christmas tree farm, she realizes teaming up with Chris permanently might just be worth being brave after all.

2005: Risking Christmas

Holed up in a cabin in Connecticut during a blizzard, chef Josh Keller is looking to finish a proposal for his new restaurant. But he didn’t count on getting snowed in with Nicole Abbot, the very food critic who derailed his career faster than you can say master chef. As the days drift by, Josh and Nicole form a tentative truce that might just turn into more.

2015: Faking Christmas

Antonia Katsaros needs a fake boyfriend to attend her sister’s Christmas-themed engagement party, or she’ll never hear the end of it from her meddling family. In the mall, she meets Dylan Matthews, a guy more than ready to help the woman who helped his niece. Can their fake relationship turn real just in time for the holidays?

Find The Christmas Box online at:

Amazon | Goodreads

Click here to check out what my fabulous fellow FirstLineFriday bloggers are sharing today.

And you can click here to check out my previous FirstLineFriday posts.

Share your first line in the comments, and happy reading!

Don’t forget to click here to check out my Amazon shop for my top picks in Christian fiction!