Notices by Cara Bruar (carabruar@sfba.social)

#ScribesAndMakers 13 March: Shameless self promotion day. Boost away.

New cover for my most popular ebook, Wipptee, available on Kobo, Barnes & Noble, Kindle, and others.

I have tried multiple covers for this book, a mystery/ action adventure set in an imaginary Australian country town called Rakali Springs, but this is the first one I've really liked.

It shows Maddie, my heroine, a very tough woman with serious attitude, who is searching for her missing husband.

Cover by me using image licensed from iStock. Credit:3quarks

#bookcover #bookstodon

My newest ebook novella is out now from Kobo, Barnes & Noble, Kindle and others.

A village magician embarks on a journey to save a young man from a magical affliction.

Includes river voyages, danger in the capital city, fear in the forest, and a mysterious older mage, among other excitements.

The cover is based on a licensed image from iStock by Tithi Luadthong (@grandfailure on iStock), a wonderful artist.

#bookstodon #newrelease #newrelease2025 #fantasy #FantasyMagic

My photo from 2014. This is the Taemas Bridge over the Murrumbidgee River at Cavan in New South Wales.

This is at least the third bridge to be built here, the others were destroyed by floods.

Just downstream of here is the Burrinjuck Dam, used for power generation and to control water flows further down.

The road to this bridge is hellish, and goes from Yass to Wee Jasper and beyond into the mountains to the west.

#photography #australia

#WritersCoffeeClub March 12. Happy Plant a Flower Day! What rôle does nature take in your stories?

I write a lot about the weather. One of my characters is prone to sunburn and never has a hat.
Sometimes nature is an obstacle, e.g. long grass to be struggled through, or mud for a car to be bogged in, or fog making it hard to follow someone.
Sometimes it's inspirational, usually when people stare at mountains or stars or lakes.
Occasionally I have animals.

Here's a sample from the book Deadset Mongrels, a crime novel.

He scanned the rocky gullies and arid hills for threats. The sensitive muscles around his eyes tightened against the glare, and his fair skin was hot and halfway to blisters. He was drying out, withering into a parched remnant of a man. He should have brought a hat with him. Or failing that, some water. Maybe there was some in the car. Nothing would induce him to drink anything that came out of that shipping container.

@skinnylatte my father's special skill on family trips was to explore interesting looking quiet side roads. They always, and I mean always, went to the town rubbish dump.

@liztai thank you for an interesting review

@liztai I'm a recent convert, 2024. I can only access what's on Netflix or Australia's SBS tv streaming, but there's a lot there. Watching my first Korean one right now. I also like programs from Turkiye, Spain and Italy. Slow pace is a plus, matches my current state of mind 😴

@liztai I wish my country would follow the BRICS path. Right now we are on a road to nowhere good.

Wool fingerless mittens waiting to be sewn up. 10 weeks so far ...
#knitting

Fantasy need not be epic! My first fantasy is out now. The Tyrant of Spite is a light-hearted novella with coming of age and romance themes. Nothing epic or grim, I went for a very light touch with a little magic.

I designed the cover using a licensed image from Tithi Luadthong (@grandfailure on iStock) and Photoshop. This wonderful illustration inspired the story.

Available now from Amazon as an ebook.

#fantasy #bookstodon #newrelease #bookcover #ebook

My photo from 2010, convict built steps in Richmond, Tasmania / lutruwita

#photography #tasmania #australia

My photo, best I've ever taken. I'm very proud of it.
It's at the Tulip Top Gardens just outside Canberra, taken in 2013.

#photography #tulip #flowers #bloomscrolling

My photo of Weereewa / Lake George New South Wales, north east of Canberra.
This is a shallow lake that dries out during droughts. At the time of Australian federation in 1901 it was considered as a possible site for the new capital. In the end Canberra was chosen.
A former Federal treasurer complained about how much he hated the wind turbines on the far side.
One of my better images, I think because there is more light and shade contrast than usual. Or the lake is just very photogenic.

#photography #windturbines #renewables #renewable #lake #lakes #landscape #Australia #weereewa

I'm proud to announce the ebook release of my first poetry anthology, "Emerging Fully Weird". I'm proud of the cover too, created by me using a licensed stock illustration. I think it captures the spirit of my poems very well.
Available from https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0BTV9VK48 (and all the other amazon stores too)
#bookstodon #poems #poetry