A new chapter.
Welcome to Mackie Cottage
Built in 1867, Mackie Cottage is my little piece of Victorian history in Sale, Gippsland.
After years of writing about small towns and the people who live in them, I found myself drawn to an old cottage of my own — a place with timber walls, a wide veranda, stories in every corner and plenty of work still to do.
I'm slowly making it mine.
There will be painting and restoration, books and coffee, old furniture and new ideas. I'm creating a writer's room, a little guest retreat and, eventually, space for readers and writers to come and experience a little of the world behind my books.
This is the story of Mackie Cottage.
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The pink door of my dreams ...
From tired and dated to fresh, warm, inviting ... and super cute!
From the first moment it was mine, I envisioned the pink door. It's more than my home. It's where I write and speaks to my brand. My words, my books, my life.
The quilt my Mum made
It seems that every time I visit Mum lately, she gives me somethig special to take home.
This time it was the quilt she made when I was still at school. She was an accomplished sewer, but had never quilted, so she did a night course. This is the result and it's absolutely perfect in every way - not a stitch out of place.
I don't think she ever made another.
Did I have this in the back of my mind when I created the quilt storyline in Honour Thy Father? Possibly. And kinda spooky.
Some of the places behind my stories ...
Before Mackie Cottage, there were other places. When I lived in the Barrington region, I built Hookes Creek Forest Resort (since renamed), which later became part of the inspiration for The Bee Whisperer. I also built The Great Escape Lofts in nearby Gloucester which is still there today and mentioned in One Good Man. I've always been fascinated by small towns, old buildings and the places where people make a life — perhaps that's why they keep finding their way into my stories.