What are your simple (family) pleasures on vacation?

Hello and happy Sunday…from the middle of a Sydney winter.

Right now, families in Australia are poised to head into a well-deserved term break from school. That’s three weeks without packing lunches or driving to sport, and plenty of time to enjoy the simple things in life.

And overseas, school is nearly out and summer beckons…

So when I read these three questions by Brene Brown, author, professor and researcher, I really wanted to share. Brene asked her family three questions to create the kind of vacation that truly inspired a “rest” for them.

Simple, but genius.

We rarely take the time to think about this. We do a lot of things that are supposed to be relaxing or fun, but sometimes this just means it’s fun for other people. And if we’re honest, it’s not what we love. Two examples: reading and travel. Supposed to be fun for everyone, but really they’re not.

What is fun for me? What is a “rest” for me?

It’s worth rediscovering.

Enjoy your weekend, and I hope you have some (real) fun today…

Love Catherine x

PS.

• Fun for me is cooking! I hope you tried last week’s Rosemary Lemon Cake or my apple pie!

• Book news: I’m excited to start chatting with teen girls at high schools about all the themes in my novel, Love Lie Repeat. So thankful for my two books this year.

Lemon Rosemary Yogurt Cake And A Secret...

Yesterday I made this Lemon Rosemary Yogurt Cake. Today, the cake is gone. It was a simple story of cake love, and I wanted to share it with you here.

Imagine snipping rosemary in your garden, zesting two lemons (or oranges), squeezing the juice.

Imagine how your kitchen smells when you chop the rosemary, and rub the lemon zest and herbs into sugar until it’s fragrant and damp.

The rest is easy. And the result is divine: a grown up cake, with a dusting of icing sugar. You might have all the ingredients in your house now.

Preheat your oven to 160 C, fan forced, or 325 F in North America.

• 2 small lemons or oranges, zested and juiced

• 2 Tablespoons snipped rosemary

• 1 cup white sugar

• 2 eggs, beaten

• 1 cup Greek yogurt

• 1 cup olive oil

• 2 cups self-raising flour (or 2 cups plain flour with 3 teaspoons baking powder and 1/2 teaspoon salt)

Here’s what to do next:

• Add the sugar, zest and rosemary to a bowl. Rub until damp. (Your kitchen will smell delicious.)

• Add the eggs and whisk until pale and thick.

• Beat in the lemon OR orange juice and Greek yogurt.

• Sift in the flour and mix. Pour into a round cake tin.

• Bake for 45 - 50 minutes. (Please — start checking at 40 minutes with a toothpick. It should come out clean.)

Eat a slice in the sun, or for us today in Sydney, in the rain…

And while you do, consider this: the best happiness tip I know. I use it all the time. When the world throws something hard at me, I turn around and do some good. Tim Ferriss puts it this way in his book, Tools of Titans.

Happy Sunday, my friends. I hope you all get your cake and eat it, too.

Love Catherine x

PS.

• How to stop thinking about something and remembering my brother.

• The original cake recipe above is from Hetty McKinnon, who used to live in Sydney before she moved to Brooklyn.

How To Make An Apple Pie

In our family, apple pie equals Love.

And it always signals that it’s time for a Family Meeting. I started this tradition years ago: if we had something to discuss as a family, we did it on a Sunday night with an apple pie and a pot of tea (mostly made of hot milk and honey when the boys were little).

For me, for some reason, traditions like ‘Family Meeting and Apple Pie’ are hugely important. When we became immigrants 23 years ago, I wanted some way to feel at home. Rituals and traditions helped me feel grounded.

So, pie.

In Australia, most pies are savoury: beef, steak and mushroom, chicken. In Canada, all pies are sweet: pumpkin, apple, peach, Saskatoon berry, ‘bumbleberry.’ For our family, old fashioned apple pie brings a little bit of Canada into Sydney.

Here’s how I make mine. I kind of shocked myself to realise that, after years of practice, I can make a pie in under twenty minutes. I’ve been making apple pies for 34 years, since I was a teenager.

You’ll need 6-8 apples, butter, plain flour, white sugar and cinnamon.

Preheat oven to 180 C /350 F.

The most delicious crust

• Soften 3/4 cup butter (cut in small cubes).

• Sift together 2 cups plain flour and 1/4 cup icing sugar.

• Mix butter into the flour mixture, until it crumbles. Use your hands or a pastry blending tool.

• Add 1/4 cup water and mix.

• Divide pastry in half and roll out two rounds on baking paper! This makes it easy to flip into your pie plate.

The filling

• Peel, core and slice 6 large - 8 small apples

• Layer apples on the crust.

• Sprinkle with 1/2 cup white sugar and 1 tsp cinnamon

• Add 2 tablespoons of butter, dotted on top of apples

• Cover with top crust, crimp edges.

Bake for around 50-60 minutes.

Pies are best when the apples are soft, so start checking your pie at 45 minutes. I poke a knife into the apples peeking through the ‘vents’ on the top crust. The apples should be soft when the pie is done.

That’s it!

Over to you, friends. And trust me: when there’s a family meeting on the cards, a home baked apple pie makes it so much better.

Enjoy your weekend. Have some fun (or some pie!), and be fun to live with!

Love, Catherine x

PS.

• Remember those excellent posture exercises? I’m still doing them.

• Some (realistic) beauty hacks for you.

• The set up from my library book talk last week…take a peek. Loved catching up with a few blog readers there, too!

Hey, happy weekend!

Hello there!

Today is our 3 year blog anniversary — I hope you’ve loved getting a little happiness every week for 156 Sundays in a row, without fail (whew!). I appreciate ALL of you! Welcome to the new people, and thank you for reading!

This week, it’s time to celebrate. My birthday’s on Thursday and I love getting wiser! May is always a good month for me and I’m so glad it’s nearly here.

Because here’s the truth: April has been hard. Can you relate?

For me, a major project has finished up — my book is out in the world — and I need to figure out what’s next. I’m not sure where I’m headed with my new writing project. I’m not sleeping that well. I’m working a lot more now, too (one day a week in the city, some work from home, plus other freelance projects). And winter is coming…

I’ve found myself in a tailspin, overthinking everything, feeling stuck. Worrying.

So here’s what I learned this month thanks to my American friend, Kristen — and I thought it might help you, too.

When times are tough, Kristen told me, here’s the best question to ask ourselves:

When life hands you lemons, what is the gift?

When your kid is in pain, what is the gift?

When you’ve been disappointed, what is the gift?

When you’re worried about something, what is the gift?

I should tattoo this on my wrist. It’s such a great question. It’s helped me so much this month as I get myself back on track.

If you’re feeling a little down, if something has happened, if you have a deep worry that you haven’t shared with anyone, I hope it helps you, too. What is the gift inside your problem?

Enjoy your weekend, everyone. Have some fun — and be fun to live with!

Love Catherine x

• Picture book writers — did you know about this e-book? It covers everything I learned about writing picture books and getting a book deal for Jacaranda Snow .

• On sale today only for 50% off to celebrate my blog-anniversary! Learn more.

• Want to write your novel or nonfiction book? My online class starts this week, 1 May. Learn more.

A super (easy) side dish for your Easter feast!

Hey, Happy Easter!

I hope your day is filled with chocolate, a long walk, sweet family, loyal dogs and lots of friends!

Just quickly, before I zoom off to the airport to pick up my favourite guy who has been away on a business trip, I wanted to share this amazing side dish with you. If you’re serving beef, lamb or pork for Easter dinner, you may want to try it.

It’s embarrassingly easy but oh-so-good!

Every time I serve this, my guests always ask for the recipe. It takes 30 seconds to make.

• Drain a tin of baby beetroot.

• Stir in enough horseradish cream to coat the beetroot generously.

My Canadian and American friends are asking right now, What is beetroot??? It’s the Aussie name for canned beets (not pickled). Yes, you could boil or steam your own fresh beets.

Trust me. So delicious.

Enjoy your long weekend. Wishing you all the happiness (& chocolate eggs) that you can find today!

Love, Catherine x

PS.

• If you have Netflix…have you watched Brene Brown’s Call To Courage? If it’s time to be brave, say YES. You’re so worth it!

• Ready to write YOUR book? I’ve loved writing mine! I’m teaching a new online class for beginner writers. Perfect if you’re new and need to learn how to start. Find all the details here! 5 Wednesdays in May.

Love & Chocolate...

Happy weekend! Welcome, all the lovely new readers…

You probably have everything in your pantry to make this cake today. It’s the cake that debuts at every family birthday and celebration in our house.

It’s the cake that Ruby makes in my new novel, Love Lie Repeat. (Yes, out now!)

The scent of this cake — especially the chocolate glaze — will drift through your entire house. Have I sold you?

The recipe is here. (If you’re gf or df, make all your usual substitutions for flour and butter.)

The secret of this cake is olive oil, balsamic vinegar, no eggs, and coffee!

For a quick update on all things Aussie — autumn is here. It’s glorious.

Tibouchinas are blooming purple (also in my novel!) and the air smells like Orange Jessamine /Murraya blossom.

Time to rest a little today…agree?

Time to appreciate our beautiful autumn and bake for the people you love.

Enjoy your weekend!

Love Catherine x

PS.

• ABC radio chose Love Lie Repeat as the April young adult book club pick for Queensland and Victoria! My interview goes live tonight. I’ll share next week.

• Juicy book talk! Want me to drop by your book club (in real life or video overseas)? Let me know. Book deals, writing YOUR book, we can talk about all of it! All you need to do is pick Love Lie Repeat. Available at all bookshops in Australia and online overseas here.

Good Week, Tough Week?

Hello, everyone — and a huge welcome to all the new people!

I’m sharing two things with you today: a recipe and a conversation! First up, I was a guest on The Bubble Hour, a fantastic podcast all about recovery and sharing our stories. The Bubble Hour is hosted by my Canadian cousin, Jean Greer McCarthy. You’ve met Jean here before when I wrote about her blog, Unpickled. We talk about writing your own story, recovery, perfectionism and life. Jean is a wonderful person, wise and kind.

You can listen here!

Here’s Jean, me and Alana (L to R) — the three cousins who used to curl our hair in those pink foam rollers and have sleepovers at our farm. Man oh man, being part of a big family is fun. Memories! (I didn’t get the Greer Girl hair, but we ALL got the smiles!)

Thanks, Jean, for helping so many people with their recovery journeys.

Enjoy your weekend, and hug the ones you love.

Love, Catherine x

PS.

• Love Lie Repeat, my new novel, is perfect as a conversation starter for mothers and daughters. Authors love readers! You can buy a copy at your local shop or here with free worldwide delivery. Readers help writers create more books. Thank you.

• Recipes! I told you I’d deliver all April long and here’s the first one. It’s the Love Lie Repeat fruitcake from my book launch made by Jules Van Mil. You can get the recipe here. Jules did a beautiful job decorating it, didn’t she? The cake is divine!

What went wrong at my launch party...

Absolutely nothing!

The party was so much fun. I wish you ALL could have been there. Conversation, food, music, book chats, dancing, desserts…we had it all. Including a beautiful book cake made by my friend, Jules Van Mil. Stunning!

And one little TINY thing did go wrong…we set up the Live Stream to record the whole party for you, but we forgot to set the controls to mute everyone who watched.

So…we have people eating popcorn, commenting (so funny!), and a few mums giving instructions to kids (hilarious) and a long conversation with a woman KINDLY telling her husband to stop vacuuming.

I’m sitting here this morning with sore feet, laughing just thinking about Life — and how lucky I am.

It wasn’t perfect. The Live Stream is too revealing of other people’s lives to share. But then, life isn’t perfect, but it’s so so good.

There was lots of time to hug friends, to share my story and to inspire people, too.

And family, and fun.

Here’s me with my guys, Luther, Luke and Elijah. How did I ever get so lucky that I got to share my life with them?

I’m a little sad that I can’t share the replay with you all…especially if you want to be a writer. The gist of my talk was this: don’t wait.

Start today.

Now, for me, today’s about heading back into the city to clean up after the party. I hope you all have a good weekend.

Stay tuned in April — I’ve decided I’m going to do a whole month of blogging about my BEST recipes and food that I love to share.

Love Catherine x

PS.

• Love Lie Repeat is at the airports in Australia! How exciting!! If you’re overseas and want a copy, shop here. Free worldwide delivery!

• THANK YOU for partying with me! For the gifts, the love, the effort you made — and thank you to everyone who watched the party. Thank you, Libby at Beachside Bookshop!
  

My, oh my! All the GOOD things...and a tragedy

Everyone, especially my New Zealand readers — I want to reach out and offer peace this weekend. Every sentence I try to write comes out like a cliche, but please know that the world loves your country.

(Moni, Susan, Frannie, Joan, Amiri…and all the other beautiful Kiwi readers I don’t know personally, we are all thinking of you.)

---

I don’t know how to continue with what I had planned to tell you this week, but I’m going to try. It’s been a big week, with lots of this — baking for my launch party.

And a lot of this… rushing around!

LOVE LIE REPEAT is out now in Australia and in our beloved New Zealand, and I’ve been signing books before they fly out of shops. Want to see what a book signing looks like, especially if this is YOUR dream for your life? If yes, take a look here.

• Bookclubs are reading LOVE LIE REPEAT! Get your free Penguin Book Club notes.

• High schools are interested in teaching it! Free excellent Teachers’ Resource Guide is here.

• I’ve been baking yummy biscuits and decadent chocolate brownies for the launch party next weekend, and I’m planning a charcuterie board like this one, but massive…

I want you to know this: you can write your book, too. Let my story encourage you. It took two years to get LOVE LIE REPEAT from my laptop into the shops. People are reading it in one sitting — racing through — so we need LOTS of books. There is room for all of us. Me and you.

To party with us next Saturday, 23 March, 7:30pm Sydney time, you can join with Zoom on your laptop. It’s like watching a meeting, live. Just click on the image below OR on this Zoom link https://zoom.us/j/732408698 Check your time zone before you click! Zoom will load automatically, so follow the prompts. I’ll share the replay link next Sunday, too.

Can I say a million, billion THANK YOUs for being on this journey with me?

New Zealand, we’re carrying your heart in our hearts today.

Love, Catherine x

Do you know this flower arranging tip?

Hello, friends.

I read about the most brilliant tip this week and I can’t wait to share. My smart and talented writer-friend Tara gave me these gorgeous flowers to celebrate my publication day for Love Lie Repeat.

Pink roses, like the roses on my book cover — and I reflexed them. Aren’t they pretty?

“Reflexing” is a technique where you gently flip some petals outward. It works beautifully when roses are a few days old.

It breathes new life into them and makes them look exotic.

That’s it!

Reflexing roses makes me think this: how many other things are so very simple to do, but we just don’t know about them?

Let’s be curious.

Let’s keep learning.

Oh, this week was so much fun. I need to thank you all for your support. For pre-ordering books (they should be shipping now), for buying books in shops, for the notes and comments and photos…thank you.

You mean more to me than you know.

Lots of readers are saying they stayed up too late to finish Love Lie Repeat, that it sprints to the finish and that they love the Margaret Atwood-esque feel.

I say this: thank you. It’s been a dream come true.

(And this gift for me on International Women’s Day — my son’s friend texted him and said…Did your MUM write Love Lie Repeat?? My girlfriend stayed up until 2am to finish it.” Nothing better than being an example of what’s possible for our kids. Right? Right.)

Enjoy your weekend, and be fun to live with!

Love, Catherine x

P.S.

• I’m baking for my book launch party on 23 March. Spaces now limited! Let me know if you want to come!

• Want to read my interview with an Aussie blogger about Love Lie Repeat?

• Cookie recipe is here! My Almond Raspberry White Chocolate cookies freeze well.

It's a big week for me...

This is Archibald Fountain in Sydney’s Hyde Park, and behind it, St Mary’s Cathedral. I wrote about these classic landmarks in my novel, Love Lie Repeat. I snapped the picture last night, on the way to visit a friend.

Yes, my book is my love song to Sydney…and it hits the shops tomorrow!

If you have any desire to write — if you do write — can you imagine how this feels? I’m proud and tired and happy. It feels a bit like leaving a five year old at the door of a kindergarten classroom.

(You hope that people will be nice.)

I’m a beginner and I started at 50. You guys, it’s been amazing and scary and wonderful all at once. Reviewers are loving my book and posting gorgeous photos like this one.

celebrate with us on 23 March!

I’m getting super excited about my launch party in the city on the 23 March. We’re getting close to capacity at our very cool venue in the city, so if you want to party with us (Penguin Books, my family, me!) please email me or Libby at Beachside Bookshop.

Overseas people — we’re going to Live Stream the launch so you can ALL party with the Aussies! And you can watch the replay, too. (Details coming soon — but it’s easy.)

Everyone is invited.

Everyone’s still sleeping in my Sunday-morning-house, so I’m off to make another cup of coffee and enjoy the birds and autumn sun.

I hope you all have a beautiful Sunday!

Thank you for being here with me, in real life, or in this corner of the internet. I appreciate you more than you know.

Love Catherine x

PS.

• How are you all doing with your posture exercises?? So good!

• You can buy Love Lie Repeat at your favourite indie bookshop, Dymocks, Harry Hartog, Kinokinuya, Berkelouw Books, Target or Big W. Overseas free worldwide delivery here! (Available across Australia on Monday.)

• Melbourne author Louisa Deasey wrote about authors and money. So interesting if you’ve always wondered how the book industry works.

My New Happy Ring...

Hey there!

Today I needed a little bit of good news. I won’t share the details, but let me say this: I went through the wringer this week.

I was seriously upset, but in the end, I fixed things up again. It was hard and painful and please don’t for a moment ever think that I’m sitting here in Sydney, sailing through life, telling everyone else how to chill and have a good time. Not always true!

Our lives are the same, yours and mine. Some things are GREAT (yay! new book coming out!) and some things are SO HARD I want to cry (but I make it through).

When things go wrong, what do I do?

1. Walk a lot.

2. Feel my feelings (This is new. I used to eat my feelings, or stuff them down. Now I let them in, take a look, and try to deal openly with what’s happening.)

3. Ask myself the best question in the world. How is this working in my favour? (I wrote about that here! Read it if you’re struggling this week…)

What you’ll notice is that I’m not a “retail therapy” person. I don’t shop for entertainment or to feel better. But this week, I took a shortcut.

For me, when I look down at my hands and see a pretty ring, I feel SO GOOD. Here’s my find this week from Collette Hayman (not a sponsored blog post!). I love this ring. It’s exactly what I would have bought to make myself happy when I was ten years old. And it was $2 on sale.

The flower ring makes me think this: how much joy can we access if we shift our attention to what makes us feel good?

It costs almost nothing to find some joy.

Rings are symbols, of course, and they also work well when you want to feel better in an instant. Why? We always look at our hands. Think about it: it’s the only jewellery you get to see yourself wear.

So, it may be silly but it works: if you want a little instant happy, remember that you don’t need a real diamond. You don’t need to wait. You can think back to yourself as a ten year old girl, you can give her something fun, and you can make her happy.

I hope you enjoy today, I really do! Have some fun, and as always, be fun to live with!

I appreciate all of you SO MUCH, more than you know! Your emails this week made everything so much better.

Catherine x

PS.

• You guys! Love Lie Repeat is out in Australia in 15 days! You can buy it at all good independent bookshops, like Libby’s at Beachside, at Big W and Target, and all the big chain bookshops, too. And online at Booktopia and amazon Australia. Personally, I love to support Indie bookshops!

• If you’re overseas, order here with free postage worldwide. I appreciate you SO MUCH! (We haven’t yet signed an overseas book deal, so this is the only way you can get Love Lie Repeat. The price is AWESOME.)

• And here’s a shout-out to Alicia in America — a sweet friend of mine — who launched Dorset and Pond. So pretty.
  

How I'm Fixing My Posture (and you can, too...)

Hello!

This weekend, let’s talk about something you might need — a revamp of your posture.

Here I am, sitting in someone else’s bedroom, taking a selfie to show you my efforts at having better posture. If you know me in real life, you know that I have forward head posture…and finally, this year, I’m doing something about it.

I’ve been working on straightening up for about a month now, and let me tell you guys, it is HARD WORK but IT’S WORKING!!

So many of us struggle with hunching over (phones, computers, slouching) and I did a little research to figure out what helps. I’ve chosen a set of 3 easy exercises to do twice a day (plus weights to strengthen my back) and I’m noticing a big improvement. I’ll share the link with you below.

But first, let’s look at the WHY behind our posture.

Some of it is mechanical, and some of it is … you know … Life. I ignored my poor posture for a long time because it felt too hard to correct and, frankly, I was embarrassed. If I didn’t acknowledge it, it wasn’t there. Have you ever done this?

Anyway, confronting my posture and thinking about it made me remember that I started slouching when I had a couple of rough years in primary school. Over time, it became normal. When I stood tall, I felt like an imposter; when I slouched, I felt safe.

Hmmmm.

In January, I decided it was time to change. We all know that it’s good to let go of fear, stop hiding and stop playing small.

But there’s this:

So true.

No one tells you just how uncomfortable it is to stop being who you were … even when you’re letting go of something negative.

It should be so obvious to drop a bad habit, right?

Just let go of the stuff that’s holding you back! But the bad feels normal and comfortable. (The slouching, the over-drinking, the over-eating, the chocolate for comfort, the glass of wine, the bingeing on Netflix...the complaining, the criticising of other people, the angry outbursts, seeing the negative side of life.)

Here’s a really good question: what parts of ourselves should we let die?

For me, straightening up is a symbol of deciding to be on my own side. It’s about taking up space. My new posture felt so strange at first that I seriously thought people would notice and criticise me for standing tall! How weird is that? But ever so slowly, I’m learning to feel ‘right’ when I hold my head high.

I’m letting myself be seen.

Now, over to you!

I hope you have some time today to take a deep breath, give yourself space, and think about a habit you’re ready to let go of…

Love Catherine x

PS.

• The posture video I use is here! (I’ve watched dozens and dozens of videos on forward head thrust, dowager’s hump and forward head posture — this one works for me! You’ll need a wall and 2 minutes, twice a day.)

• Exciting book news!! Love Lie Repeat is in Frankie magazine! Take a look at this gorgeousness…

"Let's expect more from February..."

Hi everyone!

I want to announce the winners for last week’s giveaway at the end of this blog post, but for now…just look at what I found on my bush walk this week. Beautiful!

January was a busy month for me — lots of change, big resolutions, a return to healthy eating after the holidays, a re-commitment to moving my body more. I’m trying to learn to switch from chocolate and coffee to a walk or some meditation when I’m stressed.

Honestly, that’s hard for me.

It’s made me wonder — how are your resolutions going for you? Do you set any? Do you have some goals for 2019?

This week, Austin Kleon (an artist I love thanks to my American friend, Victoria from Being Me Movement) quoted a friend who said “We expect too much from January and not enough from February.”

It’s true, isn’t it?

We expect so much from January and so much from ourselves. But we have time: another eleven months to find our way and do the things we want to do in 2019.

Austin also shared his art and the words are beautiful:

Deep breath: we have more time. February is here and we can start again.

How?

Make a simple list. Jot down the things you want to achieve this year. Remind yourself that you have eleven months and today is the best day to start. Remember a gentler truth: you’ll accomplish so much more when you treat yourself with love. (Coffee? Chocolate? Or a bush walk? Try to make a good choice if you can, a choice that supports your own well being.) I heard some advice once and I think it’s true: when you feel awful, treat yourself how you’d treat a tired, overwhelmed toddler….with rest, good food, love.

So today, I’m sending you a fresh start and cheering you on from Down Under, where the bush walks are spectacular, even in the city parks.

Love Catherine x

Winners of last week’s giveaway!

The lucky winners are…

• Leslie B. from Canada, I’m posting you Love Lie Repeat! Congrats!

• And Sharon O. from America, I’m posting you my favourite (emerald) ring. Thanks to everyone who entered. (Rafflecopter chose random winners).

• You can watch me open my box of books here — Penguin sent me my author copies and the books are SO PRETTY. If you want to order, visit your local Aussie bookshop or order here for free delivery overseas. 30 days until release date!

Giveaway! Win LOVE LIE REPEAT & my favourite ring...

Happy Weekend!

If you know me in real life, you know I love giving. I’m the youngest of six kids and was raised in a family that knew how to share. (Was there enough to go around? Did everyone have something?) Giving was natural, like breathing, staging a play in the basement and fighting over board games.

I’ve baked a million cookies, given thousands of meals to friends, wrapped little gifts to encourage people, passed on poems I love. I’ve shared clothes and shoes and recipes, recommended just the right book to my writing students.

And this is weird: in my fantasy of fame and fortune, the best part about being like Oprah would be that moment where I could give the entire studio audience ALL my favourite things.

Enter to Win!

So today: something for you! I’m giving away a copy of LOVE LIE REPEAT and my favourite ring (pictured above).

I get so many compliments when I wear this ring that I went out and bought two — one to give away on my blog and one on Instagram. The pink ring was sold out, so I bought the ‘emerald’ stone to give away here, and the black stone ring on Instagram. Both are so pretty.

How To Enter:

Enter your details below, and forward this email to a friend who you think will enjoy my weekly Happiness Blog. That’s it!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Contest closes Saturday, 2 February. I’ll announce the two winners on my blog next week — one person wins the ring, one my book. Fingers crossed that the technology works for me here. It’s my first giveaway using Rafflecopter (but it won’t be my last!).

And here’s some wisdom about these rings: I used to think I needed to wait until I could have a real emerald to enjoy one, but now I seize the day. You can have so much fun with a $12 ring, my friends.

Have some fun today!

Love Catherine x

PS.

• More awesome happiness posts: how to fix anything in 10 minutes, and is it time to rest?

• Thank you for pre-ordering LOVE LIE REPEAT! Early sales determine a book’s popularity. Order here with free postage worldwide (in Australia, try your local bookshop first!)

One Trick To Feel Better Now!

Everyone, it’s your weekend!

I always feel like the weekend is filled with limitless possibility.

For all of us, there’s at least some time to do what we love:

• chat for hours

• get creative

• cook (try my favourite salad!)

• relax

It seems like a MIRACLE to me that we get a weekend every single week.

Aren’t we lucky? Despite everything that’s going on in our Not Perfect Worlds, even if we need to work a little, we get this space to pause.

All of us have something we’re worried about. For me, there are sons to raise, book sales targets to hit, a house to clean, work to do, a new part time job, a just-finished novel to give to my publisher (and a brain that will not stop fretting about it). There are sisters in Canada and Phoenix to miss, school fees to pay at the end of the month, and on and on.

My life is both easy & hard, probably a lot like yours. And that’s only on the surface, the things we share with each other. We all have deep concerns that we don’t share.

When I’m feeling less than great, I use this quick fix. It’s so simple I’m almost too embarrassed to tell you! I sing Pink’s lyrics to myself. Crazy, but I do. (Song is here). This is the line that helps me:

Today, no matter what hard things are going on in our lives, there are a thousand worse places we could be.

We have a weekend! We have the choice to do something that makes us feel alive. We have the right to enjoy ourselves, if we decide to.

Have some fun, my friends, and let’s be FUN to live with.

Love Catherine x

PS.

• Last week I heard from SO MANY OF YOU! Love getting your emails. Please share my blog with any friends who would like it!

• Love Lie Repeat is out 5 March! Which cover do you love? Here’s the ARC (Advance Reader Copies for reviewers) and the actual cover is below. So far, everyone loves both, but most people prefer one or the other. I feel SO LUCKY. Penguin’s running a competition for Australians to win an ARC! Closes 22 Jan!

And here’s the actual cover — books arrive in shops on 5 March!

If you’ve pre-ordered, thank you! It helps so much! In Australia, please support your local bookshop — like Beachside Bookshop — or shop online. Overseas people — you can order here! I appreciate your support more than you know. Thank you.

There's Something I Haven't Told You...

Hi, everyone!

It’s time to let you in on some exciting news.

Eighteen months ago, I signed a book deal with Penguin Random House. It’s been my dream to write a novel since I was a little girl, and finally, in the middle of my life, I decided it was time to step out and try.

LOVE LIE REPEAT hits bookshops in 8 weeks — March 5th! (Available overseas via book depository & amazon kindle)

What’s my book about?

I’m intrigued by strong women, and I wanted to write about beauty and power. (A long time ago, I wrote my Master’s thesis on Feminine Vitality in the stories of F. Scott Fitzgerald.)

LOVE LIE REPEAT is about mothers and daughters, the pressure to be perfect, and why we hurt the people we love. It’s set in the upper north shore of Sydney, full of private schools and privilege, opportunity and competition, love and disappointment…and what that does to women and girls.

People are saying it’s “lush and chilling” .… “gorgeous and biting” ,.. “powerful and shocking and completely unputdownable.”

I hope you think so, too!

A publisher at Penguin said, “LOVE LIE REPEAT is your love song to Sydney.” It’s also my love song to the Pacific Northwest, where I used to live. And it’s a tribute to Margaret Atwood, whose poem ‘Siren Song’ inspired the book.

We’re all more than we seem…

You’ve known me as a happiness blogger and a children’s author; some of you know me as a teacher and book coach for my online class, How To Write Your Book This Year.

But like you, I’m more. I’m also a writer of juicy family dramas, thrillers with the twists & without the gore — psychological suspense novels. I write about beauty, power, deceit and redemption. And I do it all on my patio, with my laptop and my dog and a good cup of coffee.

So how does this relate to you?

If I can move toward my dream in the middle of my life, so can you. I want to be an example of what’s possible for all of us, especially if we remember this:

Thanks so very much for sharing in my good news! All writers need fabulous readers, and I’m so grateful for your encouragement and support.

Happy Sunday! I hope you find a way to take the first step towards making your dreams come true.

Love Catherine x

PS.

• Pre-orders help authors so much! It means publishers know how popular a book will be. You’ll get your copy of LOVE LIE REPEAT in just 8 weeks, March 5th. Preorder here on book depository for worldwide delivery, here on booktopia, here on amazon in Australia, here on amazon Kindle. Thank you so much for your support!

• Want to write your own book this year? It’s not too late to join my online class. Fabulous students — all beginners. You’re so welcome! I can send you the replay for our first class; there’s four to come. Learn more.

Holiday Goodies Just For You!

I’m sending holiday good cheer around the world to you this morning! (My family’s sleeping in from our late night Monopoly marathon; I’m up with my early morning coffee, admiring our tree.)

Anticipation brings joy, and I truly believe that you can have maximum fun with minimum effort, so for you — my list of holiday goodies to enjoy.

1. For families — Christmas Camp Out

   We started Christmas Camp Out when the boys were little and budgets were tight. We’re still going, 15 years later. On December 23, the kids open their Christmas pjs, then they drag sleeping bags under the tree and have an indoor camp out. Late night stories, lots of laughs. It was THRILLING for 3 year olds to sleep under the tree, and honestly — teenagers still love it.

2. Take a walk — alone or together

   For us, it’s a big bush walk. Walking is the perfect way to de-stress, to think about what you love, and to get your body moving. My teens chose a bush walk that was 3 kilometres down a cliff and 3 kilometres back up. Not kidding you. I’m sore this morning! Wherever you are today, take a walk and appreciate how beautiful the world is.

3. Enjoy your holiday treats

We all have a few holiday treats we love. For us, it’s old-fashioned Coconut Ice and Rum Balls at Christmas.

I use this recipe for Coconut Ice, and I always make Vancouver chef Diane Clement’s rum balls.

4. Always this: gratitude.

Because no matter what we’re facing this holiday — and I know, we rarely share the absolute hard stuff but we ALL have it happening — we need to take a little time to appreciate our lives. The old cliche is true:

5. Friends and family: reach out!

A one minute text message, a photo sent, a call, a hug, a minute to really listen. Give the gift of your attention. We can all do more of this. My big sister, Cookie, always says: “Is there a piano tied to your keister??” which makes me laugh every time. So unless there’s a piano tied to you, you can easily reach out to someone. We all can.

From me and my (tall) family, Happy Holidays. It’s an absolute privilege to say hello every week. Thank you for reading!

Thank you for being lovely.

Love, Catherine x

(We need to work out using the timer! But here we are…love from my family to you!)

You're Doing Better Than You Think You Are

As the year draws to a close, are you distracted by what you didn’t get done?

When I start down that road, I also begin comparing myself to other people…

Instagram.

Facebook.

Friends and colleagues in real life.

Sometimes we come up ahead, and sometimes behind. Often we think, “I’m so thankful I didn’t have to walk through THAT!” and often — if we’re honest — we also think, “Where’s MY good thing? When is MINE coming?”

But here’s the deal: comparison is the thief of joy, as Teddy Roosevelt famously said.

And I will add this:

This is the season to be jolly, not to blame yourself for things you didn’t get done. Life is twisty and some things take time; we don’t always know why events unfold as they do. My wish for all of us right now is this…

Slow down.

Enjoy.

It’s okay to take your time. It’s okay to let things unfold. And remember: you’re doing better than you think you are.

I love this quote from Morgan Harper Nichols:

So as the year ends, let’s enjoy it. Let’s celebrate. Blooming ever-so-slowly is still just fine.

Love, Catherine

P.S.

• It’s almost finished Jacaranda Snow-ing in Sydney! Kerri from Adelaide @asqueezeoflemon sent me this beautiful Jacaranda Snow photo! Thanks, Kerri!

• If you’ve read the Notes to my picture book, Jacaranda Snow, you’ll know that jacaranda seedlings were given to new mums in Australia when they left hospital, and that’s why we have so many beautiful jacaranda trees. This week, a lovely fan of the book emailed me to tell me that jacarandas were also given to young birth mothers at adoption. I love Australia and our jacaranda kids. (If your local library or school library doesn’t have Jacaranda Snow yet, please ask them to carry it! It’s so important for our history.)

One Minute Happiness

Happy Thanksgiving! I missed our Canadian holiday this year, so I’m jumping in with the Americans. Generally, I go where the party is.

In honour of this beautiful American and Canadian tradition (celebrated in November and October, respectively), I’m making pumpkin pie and roasting turkey.

And I’m slowing down and getting grateful.

Want to know my ‘One Minute To Happiness’ Trick?

• STOP.

• Imagine plucking all the problems from your life. Set them aside (just for a moment).

• What’s left?

• Be thankful for it.

What’s always left, when I pull out the problems?

People to love.

Warm beds.

A roof, food, books, board games, libraries, fresh air, clean water. Our ability to choose our thoughts.

When I pluck out my problems and get back to basics, happiness always comes to me in one minute flat.

Enjoy your thanks and your giving today!

Sending love around the world from Australia,

Catherine x

PS.

• See & listen to the String Quintet in our music room playing ‘Jacaranda Snow.’ The piano score is printed in my new picture book!

• Jacarandas are busy snowing in Sydney, and everywhere I go I’m hearing stories of kids who’ve read and loved my picture book OR from people who were jacaranda babies. It’s not too late to get Jacaranda Snow for someone you love! Overseas buyers can purchase here; Aussie buyers please purchase here. Thank you for your support! The entire project has been a labour of love. Helene Magisson’s illustrations are gorgeous, Alex Lau’s music is divine and Educalme’s FREE online growth mindset course is amazing,