Contemporary author Kate Belle - and A house is a home when...

A house is a home when…

Over 12 days, special guest authors have talked us through "A house is a home when…" and what it means for the characters in their books.

It's FRIDAY.
It's the last day of this current blog series and we're going out with fireworks.

I'm welcoming KATE BELLE!
(And there's a giveaway too.)

“A new perspective on desire and its dangerous edges, Kate Belle writes dark, sensual tales of love that make you think.” 

And in Kate’s own words: “I’m a lover: of words, people, life and coffee (especially coffee). I’m a rule bender, boundary challenger and mischief maker. My quest to understand love, in all its darkness and light, leads me to ask my readers some tough questions. I write to connect – to you, to myself and to the mess of dots that make up the universe. My kitchen is my favourite dance floor.”

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The Book: Being Jade

Character: Banjo Murphy, main character who also happens to be a bit dead.

Kate is offering one person who leaves a comment the chance to WIN a paperback copy (and a beautiful bookmark) of Being Jade.
(Open to Australian postal addressees only.)

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 What readers are saying about Kate’s novels: 

“Some books have happy endings and make you satisfied because of that; some have cliffhangers and drive you mad in wait; others have a unique and perfect ending that makes you think.” Reviewer, Booktopia

“Being Jade by Kate Belle has taken me on one of the most heartfelt and emotional journey’s I’ve experienced from a book so far this year.” Reviewer, Amazon.com

 “Kate Belle stretches boundaries to deliver a read that doesn’t fit in a box and adds unexpected plot twists that keep you reading all night.”  Juanita Kees, author

“I found this novel a little different from most. The story line was new and the characters interesting. I loved this book.” Reviewer, Amazon.com

“Kate Belle is a lyrical, sophisticated writer who takes on matters of the heart and emotions where others might fear to tread.”  Lily Malone, author

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Now back to Being Jade...

Character: Banjo Murphy, main character who also happens to be a bit dead.

Character bio: Banjo is full of decency and compassion, but plain as white bread. Bald, bearded and tattoed, broad shouldered and scrawny hipped Banjo is no match for the wildest, most beautiful woman in Uldunga - his first and only love, Jade. Banjo loves her completely and to prove it marries her before she turns eighteen hoping to make a perfect life. But with Jade, Banjo gets much more than he bargained for.

The House: Serendipity is a work of recycled art. A forest palace built with Banjo’s own hands, the support beams came from trees he felled to clear the area for the house, the floors and foundation built from river stones he ferried up the hill in a wheelbarrow. At sunset the mudbricks glow orange, the wide windows overlook a briny strip of lake lying behind dunes that stand strong against the surging tides of the sea. The house grows out of the earth beneath it, evolving from rock to floor, from tree to wall, blending in with its bush surroundings.

What makes a house a home for Banjo?

Jade grew up rough. Daughter of a small town prostitute, she was raised in a frightening atmosphere of neglect. As a witness to the carelessness of Jade’s mother, when Banjo marries Jade he decides he will build her a safe and beautiful home. Jade needs security, but she also needs her creative freedom.

Serendipity is no ordinary house. From the intricately designed wrought iron gates, to Jade’s mezzanine hideaway, to the shining slate floored living area where she paints and the glorious view from the floor to ceiling windows, Serendipity is the physical realisation of Banjo’s love for Jade. Built by his own hands and sweat and imagination, it is the haven they bring their two daughters home to, the place that celebrates their love for each other. Which is why, when he discovers Jade’s infidelities, he finds it so hard to leave. Until one fateful night...

Excerpt from Being Jade by Kate Belle:

I turned left down the pot-holed dirt track that led to our home. A forest palace I’d built with my own hands, just like I’d promised. I did it on the cheap, using the wood I felled to clear the area for the house and river stones I ferried up the hill in a wheelbarrow.  I was deeply proud of it, it was a work of recycled art. Only a month ago I’d carried her over the threshold, old-style, across the slate-floored living space and straight up to the mattress on the mezzanine, where we made love for three uninterrupted, sweat and gossamer filled days. I didn’t know it then, but they were to be the best days of my life – Jade and I wrapped around each other like vines.

I pulled into my usual park in the dusty circle beside the verandah feeling angry and desperate. The two of us sat staring at the pale lick of blue stretching across the bottom of the hill: Lake Girraburra, a briny stretch of tidal water separating the town from the ocean dunes. It was this view that captured Jade’s imagination when I first showed her this land eighteen months ago. We’d made love under the scribbly gums, joy running over us because we’d found a place to call home. It was then, as we lay on the uneven ground, we named it. Serendipity. A place of destiny and belonging.

Jade pulled on the door handle and went to get out. I reached over and grabbed her forearm, holding her tight, not wanting her to escape from me. Not yet.

‘I understand Jules has been in your life a long time and he’s probably always looked after you. Maybe you feel like you owe him. But you have me now. And I want us to have a life together. Just you and me.’

Jade wouldn’t look at me. Her eyes stayed fixed on the lake, her lips pressed together, a look of impatience on her face. When she spoke she hissed at me through clenched teeth.

‘Jules is my friend. I don’t owe him anything. And I’m sorry Banjo, but I don’t owe you my body. I love you, but I can’t spend the rest of my life making love to only one man. I never promised I would.’

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Back cover blurb for Being Jade by Kate Belle:

A tragic death. A family divided. One truth can set them free.

Banjo Murphy is killed on the night he finally walks away from his wife Jade after twenty five years of her adultery. In the aftermath, Banjo is bewildered to discover he still exists, and in despair he watches Jade collapse into deep depression and his daughters, Lissy and Cassandra, struggle with their unexpected loss.

Lissy is tortured by the mystery surrounding her father’s death. What compelled Banjo to leave the night he died? Why won’t Jade talk about what happened? Despite their volatile relationship, Lissy believes her parents’ love to be enduring, but sensible Cassandra sees things differently. When Cassy discovers a sketch book chronicling Jade’s affairs, the truth of their parents’ relationship begins to unfold and Lissy’s loyalties are divided.

Searching for answers, Lissy contacts Jade’s ex-lovers. And watching from afar, Banjo aches, discovering the truth he had never believed while he was alive. And then one day, Lissy’s quest with Jade’s long line of lovers leads her to an explosive truth...

One that will finally set her family free.

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Did you know?

If you’re a member of Romance Writers of Australia – this is the lady who’s conference coordinator for the next RWA conference in August. So if you’re going, don’t forget to say hi and thanks to Kate and all other volunteer organisers from RWA, because it’s an enormous task…

Did you also know:

Kate holds a tertiary qualification in chemistry, half a diploma in naturopathy and a diploma in psychological astrology. Kate believes in living a passionate life and has ridden a camel through the Australian desert, fraternised with hippies in Nimbin, and lived on nothing but porridge and a carrot for 3 days.

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Kate's first novel:  First love. Forbidden love. The Yearning – a dark, sensual and dangerous love story.

Read the back cover blurb for The Yearning

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You'll find all the links of where to buy and discover more about 
contemporary fiction author Kate Belle over on her webpage and blog: ecstasyfiles.com

Kate is offering one reader who leaves a comment the chance to WIN a paperback copy of Being Jade.
(Open to Australian postal addressees.) 
Good Luck!

Jennie, in the company of Kate Belle x

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But wait!
There's no "tomorrow". 

But there's still a chance to WIN a book or ten.
Click on the links below to find a new or favourite book or author.
(Winners will be drawn on Sunday 31st May 2015.)

 I give huge thanks to my eleven special guest authors for telling us about 
"A house is a home when..."
and also to the hundreds and hundreds of readers who have visited each blog post in this series.

Hope you enjoyed reading. x

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After you’ve left a comment for Kate scroll down or click the links and visit previous days. Giveaways end Sunday morning Western Australia time, after coffee:

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 bestseller Annie West and The Sheikh's Princess Bride 
Wednesday 27th: Bestselling Rural Romance author Cathryn Hein and The Falls 
Thursday 28th: Queensland Literary People Choice Awared 2014 nominee T.M. Clark and Shooting Butterflies
Friday 29th: Contemporary literary fiction author Kate Belle and Being Jade

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Over to you and Kate Belle - leave your comments here...

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