Best selling author
Passionate about story telling.
Author of small town and rural romance novels.
Love a good story. There are no bad stories.
Every person and every place has a story to tell.
Do you drive by old homes and wonder about the lives of those that built them, lived there, loved and lost?
Writers tell such stories. Sometimes real, sometimes imagined. Often both.
Susan Mackie, Queensland, Australia
Love in a Sunburnt Land Volume Two
Another five engaging stories from the authors who brought you Sunburnt Land One; Susan Mackie, Rhonda Forrest, Louise Forster, Leanne Lovegrove and Emma Powell.
Five 'single dad' stories that will move you to tears, laughter and leave you just a little bit breathless.
Barrington Series
Book One - Charlie's Will (Jan, 2020) - a small town romance with a hint of suspense.
Book Two - A Place to Start Over (Nov 2021) - a small town romance with secrets.
Book Three - Love in the Rugged Mountain Ranges (Dec 2021, novella) - a second chance romance.
Charlie's Will
Amazon best seller
Barrington Book One
"A lovely rural drama with plenty of romance and steam..."
Mandy White, Australia.
Rose Gordon knew the farm would be hers when her grandfather died.
Strong and sassy, Rose is the sole heir to five generations of cattle country and the magnificent Barrington Homestead.
But Charlie’s will is not as she expects and the appearance of Angus Hamilton on the day of the funeral unsettles her. Handsome and single, she's attracted to him. But can she trust him?
The ongoing drought and discovering she has friends, if not family, in the small rural community complicate matters.
More sinister threats lurk in the shadows.
Will Rose give up city life to face the threats head on and fight for her inheritance?
A Place to Start Over
Amazon Best Seller
Barrington Book Two.
"the warmth ... of the characters flows from the pages like melted butter on toast."
Mandie, Australia @allbookedout_with_mj
Can one bad decision change your life?
While recuperating from her biggest mistake, Harriet’s had time to plan a fresh start, away from the city.
With a business plan on her laptop and determination in her heart, she leaves Sydney, heading north. It’s a long drive and she’s only just beginning to heal, so she’s booked a stopover at Barrington Homestead on the way.
Harriet meets Drummond Murray on the road to Barrington. He’s a cattle farmer and fifth generation local. Impeccable manners but not much warmth. She has no choice but to accept his assistance, but she’s not keen to see him again.
In contrast, Ben Evans is a local stock and station agent, good humoured, warm and welcoming. Except Harriet isn’t looking for romance and she’s keen to continue her journey north. Circumstances conspire to keep her in Barrington and after months of feeling helpless, feeling needed strikes a chord.
A cast of local characters and new friendships make her wonder if this might just be her place to start over.
Love in the Ragged Mountain Ranges
Amazon Best Seller
Barrington Book Three - A novella
She swore she'd never trust again.
Buying the old courthouse near the Barrington Tops is a fresh start for Nicole and daughter Lucy.
Renovating the run-down building into a home and B & B accommodation will help them recover from the trauma they've endured.
Nik promises Lucy it will be just the two of them.
Always.
But the removal truck getting stuck in the driveway on the first day throws them into neighbour Robbie’s path. He sorts the problem, then returns with son Harry to help them unload.
Nik instinctively likes him.
But she can't trust her instincts.
And more importantly, she vows to keep the promise she made to Lucy.
This novella was published in the Love in a Sunburnt Land anthology - but now available separately.
Love in a Sunburnt Land (ANTHOLOGY)
ARRA Finalist - Romance Anthology 2021
Five Aussie authors, five small town novellas, five chances for love.
Susan Mackie, Rhonda Forrest, Louise Forster, Leanne Lovegrove and Emma Powell collaborate to bring you five ripping yarns of romance, intrigue and second chances, set in various regions of Australia.
Is it possible to have a second chance at love? Will they leave their past behind, or will it follow them home?
Where I write
We pulled back the carpet in my study, discovering gnarly old floorboards beneath. High ceilings have allowed the introduction of the large bookshelf, complete with ladder, which is the stuff of my childhood dreams.
Where I live
In the historic town of Warwick, on the beautiful Southern Downs region of Queensland.
Here is a black and white version of the original watercolour artwork of my lovely 1890s home, by local artist and dear friend Fiona Hayes. You may recognise her style. She painted the watercolours for the cover of Charlie's Will and A Place to Start Over. The original paintings hang in my study.
Small Town Publishing
A self-published author, I established the imprint: Small Town Publishing to manage my writing and publishing business.
Launching Charlie's Will in January 2020 saw me undergo a big learning curve - more than just writing, authors need to understand the 'business' of publishing - editing, cover design, formatting and printing, financial management, advertising and marketing, social media platforms and engaging with readers.
Fortunate to have spent my adult life running my own businesses, I found the business end of being an author less daunting than some. Collaboration with other authors, working together to support each other, sharing skills and knowledge, led me to open Small Town Publishing to authors in need of business and technical assistance.
Susan Mackie Tyrrell