A Country Farm Christmas: Four New Festive Stories From Beloved Australian Authors

Lily Malone might have been a painter, except her year-old son put a golf club through her canvas. So she wrote her first book, His Brand of Beautiful, instead. Lily has now written six full length rural romance stories and a novella all published by Harlequin Escape. Her debut trade paperback, The Vineyard In The Hills, was published by Harlequin MIRA in September 2016. Last Bridge Before Home is the third of three books set in the fictional Western Australian town of Chalk Hill, a town which, in Lily's imagination, is about halfway between Manjimup and Mount Barker on the Muirs Highway. Book One was Water Under the Bridge, published in February 2018, which is Jake and Ella's story; and Book Two, The Café by the Bridge, followed Taylor and Abe.When she isn't writing, Lily likes gardening, walking, wine, and walking in gardens (sometimes with wine). She also doesn't mind the odd game of cards and loves her regular Thursday Night hand with the Card Girls. She lives in the Margaret River region of Western Australia with her husband, and two handsome sons who take after their father. Lily is a member of Australian Rural Fiction and Australian Fiction Authors. She loves to hear from readers and you can find her on Facebook, and on Twitter: @lily_lilymalone. To contact Lily, email [email protected] or visit www.lilymalone.blog

Penelope Janu lives on a farm in the Southern Highlands of NSW with a distracting husband, a very large dog and, now they're fully grown, six delightful children who come and go. Penelope has a passion for creating stories that explore social and environmental issues, but her novels are fundamentally a celebration of Australian characters and communities. Her first novel, In at the Deep End, came out in 2017, followed by On the Right Track, On the Same Page, Up on Horseshoe Hill, Starting from Scratch, Clouds on the Horizon, Shelter from the Storm and Sunshine through the Rain, as well as three novellas, The Six Rules of Christmas, The Countdown to Christmas and A Fairytale for Christmas. Penelope enjoys riding horses, exploring the Australian countryside and dreaming up challenging hiking adventures. Nothing makes her happier as a writer than readers falling in love with her clever, complex and adventurous heroines and heroes. She loves to hear from readers, and can be contacted at www.penelopejanu.com.

Stella Quinn has had a love affair with books since she first discovered the alphabet. She lives in sunny Queensland now, but has lived in England, Hong Kong and Papua New Guinea. Boarding school in a Queensland country town left Stella with a love of small towns and heritage buildings (and a fear of chenille bedspreads and meatloaf!) and that is why she loves writing rural romance. Stella is a keen scrabble player, she's very partial to her four kids and anything with four furry feet, and she is a mediocre grower of orchids. An active member of Romance Writers of Australia, Stella has won their Emerald, Sapphire and Valerie Parv Awards, and finaled in their R*BY Romantic Book of the Year award.You can find and follow Stella Quinn via her website.

Pamela Cook is an author, podcaster, writing teacher and mentor. Her debut novel Blackwattle Lake was published by Hachette Australia in 2012 followed by three rural fiction titles. Her latest releases Cross My Heart (2019) and All We Dream (2020) have taken her writing in an exciting new direction.Pamela writes page-turning contemporary women's fiction, delving deep into the psychology of her characters and the complexity of relationships in all their forms. She explores the impact of trauma, grief and generational conflict, drawing on the resilience and courage she finds in inspirational women. Her writing is imbued with a deep love of the natural world and its power to heal. Producing and hosting Writes4Women, a weekly podcast that supports women writers and celebrates women's writing, is one of Pamela's not-so-guilty pleasures. She is also a Writer Ambassador for Room to Read, a not-for-profit organisation promoting literacy and gender equality in developing countries. An experienced teacher, Pamela loves to mentor emerging authors. When she's not writing or reading, she wastes as much time as possible riding her handsome quarter horse Baloo, hanging out with her family and menagerie of animals on her dream-come-true rural property in the beautiful Illawarra region of NSW, and dreaming of a road trip in Virginia, her vintage caravan.

Annabelle Tudor is a Melbourne-based actor who completed her acting degree in Ballarat, Victoria. She has enjoyed a prosperous career in Melbourne's outdoor Shakespeare scene, having played numerous seasons with both the Australian and Melbourne Shakespeare Companies. She has previously narrated titles such as The Couple Upstairs by Holly Wainwright and A Remarkable Woman by Jules Van Mil.