![]() ![]() Patrick's Orphanage was inching toward the final days of May 1932, leaving behind one of the hottest months ever recorded in the city of palaces. I 'LL NEVER FORGET the night it snowed over Calcutta. Never mind the number of candles on your birthday cake-for those in the know, it's what lies beneath them that matters! Enjoy. So whether you are young or young at heart, I hope you will enjoy this ride into the twilight world of Calcutta in the 1930s, where the shadows of the night are thicker than blood. My intention when crafting these books was to create stories that would appeal to them also that they would hopefully be enjoyed by more mature and experienced fellow travelers for whom they might rekindle memories of the first books they had read, those magical tales of mystery and adventure that every reader hoards in the treasure chest of his or her brain. The Midnight Palace is the second in a series of novels I wrote for young adults in the 1990s, back when even I was probably more young than adult myself! Writing for the young, or the young at heart, is a risky business, and I learned that teenagers are a notoriously demanding and honest audience. ![]()
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![]() ![]() Tragedy, humour, heartache and unswerving determination - a big life with big dreams. He was going to be a comedian! The Happiest Refugee tells the incredible, uplifting and inspiring life story of one of our favourite personalities. 'Four,' the answer came back, and that was it. ![]() Another inspiration was the comedian Anh met when he was about to sign on for a 60-hour a week corporate job. His mother's sacrifice was an inspiration to Anh and he worked hard during his teenage years to help her make ends meet, also managing to graduate high school and then university. Things got harder when their father left home when Anh was thirteen - they felt his loss very deeply and their mother struggled to support the family on her own. ![]() But there was a loving extended family, and always friends and play and something to laugh about for Anh, his brother Khoa and their sister Tram. Life in Australia was hard, an endless succession of back-breaking work, crowded rooms, ruthless landlords and make-do everything. But nothing - not murderous pirates, nor the imminent threat of death by hunger, disease or dehydration as they drifted for days - could quench their desire to make a better life in a country where freedom existed. His entire family came close to losing their lives on the sea as they escaped from war-torn Vietnam in an overcrowded boat. Anh Do nearly didn't make it to Australia. ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() Watch the interview below to get a sneak peek at the forthcoming novel, learn how she got started writing romance, and why romance is such a great genre to read. I've been a huge fan of Sarah's novels since her Rule of Scoundrels series ( No Good Duke Goes Unpunished and Never Judge a Lady by Her Cover were LibraryReads picks), so I was incredibly excited to have the opportunity to sit down with Sarah to hear about her upcoming novel and her thoughts on the romance genre. The Day of the Duchessis the final book in her Scandal and Scoundrel series, which combines the celebrity gossip magazines of today with Regency-era London. Booklist calls her a "literary supernova," while The New Yorker states she "has reignited the genre with a bolder edge." Her books entrance, entertain, and sizzle with delicious relationships, period details, and characters that will forever hold a special place in your heart. In addition to being a bestseller and two-time RITA Award-winner, Sarah also writes a monthly column at The Washington Post celebrating the best of the romance genre. When it comes to historical romances, New York Times bestseller Sarah MacLean is an author to watch. ![]() |