Contemporary author Cathryn Hein - and A house is a home when...

A house is a home when…

What does a house or a home mean to characters in a book? With the release of my fourth book in the Swallow’s Fall series, The Turnaround Treasure Shop, I decided to go outside my four walls and ask my neighbours - authors of contemporary and historical fiction. 
Over 12 days special guest authors talk us through A house is a home when…

It's WEDNESDAY and I'm welcoming CATHRYN HEIN!
(And there's a giveaway too.)

“Best-selling rural romance and romantic adventure author, Cathryn Hein. 
Take your heart on a country adventure!”

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What's being said about Cathryn Hein and her books?

'Books like this one, written by an author with genuine rural pedigree, are authentic and full of hope.' West Australian (Heartland)

'Hein has joined my ever growing list of must-read Australian women writers.' Book'd Out (Heartland)

'Take two feuding families with a dark history, add two beautiful offspring from those families, and let the angst-ridden romance begin.' Cosmpolitan (Promises)

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The Falls by Cathryn Hein

The Book: The Falls. Out now!

Character: Vanessa Rogers, Falls Farm owner and aunt of the book’s heroine Teagan.

Cathryn is offering one commenter the chance to WIN a paperback copy of her bestselling Rocking Horse Hill! 
(Open to Australian postal addressees.) 

See all the book covers below...

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Character bio: (Vanessa Rogers, Falls Farm owner and aunt of the book’s heroine Teagan.) In her early 50’s, Vanessa is an extremely glamorous double-divorcee who dresses and acts like an Italian film siren, albeit with dark-red hair and pale, Celtic skin. She likes good food, wine and cocktails, enjoys foreign films, speaks French and Italian, is rarely seen without makeup, and dresses in ultrafeminine clothes. Along with most of the male population of The Falls, Teagan is in awe of her and the exotic life she’s lived.

The House: Situated atop a hill and surrounded by gum trees, Vanessa’s home is a pale lemon-and-grey timber cottage with a wide, welcoming verandah fenced by a single rail and dotted with armchairs. Though it appears small, the rear has been extensively renovated with extra wings added, ending in a beautiful timber patio and infinity edged pool that overlooks a creek below. Falls Farm’s lawn is long and capeweed infested, a state Vanessa justifies by saying that the greenery provides excellent fodder for her two guinea pigs, Betty and Wilma. Truth is, she simply loathes mowing.

What makes a house a home for Vanessa?

People and her animals. Vanessa adores visitors and loves to entertain. Every evening she holds a cocktail hour during which locals pop in and out to say hello and share gossip. She’s generous, kind and sociable and that’s reflected in her sharing of good food and drink, and the welcoming comfort of her verandah. After the heartbreak that saw Vanessa return to Australia from Europe eleven years before, Falls Farm proved the perfect place to recover and she is determined for it to be the same for Teagan. The farm has also provided sanctuary not only for herself and her niece but for a menagerie of neglected and stray animals, from horses to guinea pigs and the notoriously nutty Merlin the Magic Ram. It’s a healing home that has worked miracles for her and will, she’s certain, for others.

An excerpt of The Falls by Cathryn Hein:

In a smooth glide, Lucas crossed the pool to join her against the wall. God, he was stunning to look at. Almost too vivid, too fantasyland. She turned away, wishing he’d disappear to somewhere else. Wishing she could do the same, but her jutting bones had her anchored.

He rested his head back. For several seconds he said nothing, then he rolled to the side to look at her. ‘I’m not what you think, Teagan.’

She raised her eyebrows at him. ‘Mind reader, are you?’

‘Maybe.’ He smiled lazily. ‘You think I’m a bit of a wanker.’

Embarrassment crawled from her belly all the way to her neck and face. Ness had been talking. She closed her arm tighter over her chest, fingers digging into her shoulder as she focused hard on the pool’s infinity edge, studying the surreal merge of water and space.

He remained quiet, waiting. Only the water ripples and birdsong tuning the air. This was ridiculous. So what if he was good-looking. She had more gumption than this.

Teagan dropped her arm and rolled her head in a mirror pose to Lucas. ‘And are you?’

A quirk tilted his lips. He pressed closer. ‘Sometimes. But I prefer the real thing.’

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The back cover blurb for The Falls by Cathryn Hein:

Will losing the home she loves mean finding the place she belongs?

For as long as she can remember, Teagan Bliss has wanted to manage her family's property. She's invested everything in the farm, knowing that when her parents retire she'll be ready to take the reins. But when a family betrayal leaves her reeling, Teagan is forced to rethink her entire future.

Heartbroken, Teagan flees to her aunt's property in the idyllic Falls Valley. Vanessa is warm and welcoming and a favourite of the locals who drop in regularly for cocktail hour. Teagan soon catches the attention of sexy local farrier Lucas Knight, and with a new job, new friends and the prospect of a new relationship, she slowly begins to open up again.

But the village is a hotbed of gossip and division and when Teagan gets caught up in town politics, Lucas and Vanessa become concerned. As the tension in town escalates, Teagan must decide who to trust. But when she realises those close to her have been keeping secrets, the fallout may split Teagan apart forever.

The Falls is an uplifting story of healing and hope from the author of Promises, Heart of the Valley, Heartland, and Rocking Horse Hill.

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And here are Cathryn's other best-selling rural romance books:

Plus Cathryn's romantic adventure novel: The French Prize

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Leave a comment to go into the draw to WIN a paperback copy of Rocking Horse Hill.

Open to Australian postal addressees. Good Luck!

"Who do you trust when a stranger threatens to tear your family apart?" Read the back cover blurb for Rocking Horse Hill.

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You'll find all the links of where to buy and discover more about 
 bestselling Rural Romance author Cathryn Hein over on:
  cathrynhein.com 

(And check out the video on the About page on Cathryn's website 
- it's fun and flirty and all about how Cathryn became a writer, from the cradle to today.)

And I do hope you pop back tomorrow! 
Two days to go of special guest authors. 

Tomorrow it's a nominated Queensland Literary People Choice Award 2014 author
writing contemporary romantic suspense set in Africa.

 “She is the key to setting a child’s soul free.
She is the perfect sacrifice.”

Jennie, in the company of Cathryn Hein x

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After you’ve left a comment for Cathryn, why not scroll down or click the links and visit previous days and maybe win a book:

Monday 18th: USA & Australia bestselling author Anne Gracie with The Spring Bride
Tuesday 19th: Award winning author Fiona Lowe with Truly Madly Montana
Wednesday 20th: Historical fiction author Eliza Redgold with Naked: A Novel of Lady Godiva
Thursday 21st: Much loved international bestseller Rachael Johns and The Road to Hope 
Friday 22nd: Me, Jennie Jones - and The Turnaround Treasure Shop 
Saturday 23rd: Multi award winning contemporary author Barbara Hannay and Moonlight Plains 
Sunday 24th: Much-loved small-town fiction author Alissa Callen and Down Outback Roads
Monday 25th: International bestselling historical author Michelle Diener and A Dangerous Madness 
Tuesday 26th: USA Today Bestselling author Annie West and The Sheikh's Princess Bride