The fifth rural romance by former Millicent resident Maya Linnell is about to hit the bookstands.
Kookaburra Cottage will go on sale on May 30 and it is set in the Limestone Coast in the fictitious town of Penwarra.
A launch has been scheduled for the Mount Gambier Public Library in late July.
As part of the pre-release publicity drive, Ms Linnell recently travelled to Coonawarra and Penola from her home near Portland.
“We filmed a bunch of promotional videos at six local wineries for my publisher to use on their social media around launch time,” Ms Linnell said.
“We were really thrilled to be so warmly welcomed at the cellar doors and by Heidi Guyett of the Coonawarra Vignerons Association.
“It was lovely to shine a spotlight on SA’s Limestone Coast in the new novel.
“As with all my novels, the characters, plots and most of the settings are entirely fictional but local readers will recognise a few South East mentions.
“There are scenes in Canunda National Park, at the foreshore in Beachport with the Lions Club doughnut van and NYE fireworks, there’s an ocean swimming group and plenty of references that will hopefully strike a chord with Limestone Coast folks.
“I hope Kookaburra Cottage will go down well at Penola and Coonawarra.
“This new series is set in the fictional town of Penwarra, with plenty of references to award-winning wines, terra rossa soil and caring, close-knit communities.
“Local readers might be surprised to find I have added a restaurant and accommodation to Penwarra’s golf club, given the town a cooking school and changed the local show season from spring to autumn.”
Her four other rural romance titles published with Allen & Unwin are Paperbark Hill, Magpie’s Bend, Bottlebrush Creek and Wildflower Ridge.
They have all been met with strong sales and critical acclaim.
Raised on a farmlet near Tantanoola, she lives with a menagerie of animals, rambling gardens, her husband, their three bookworms/children and the odd tiger snake or two.
Ms Linnell was shortlisted in the 2021, 2020 and 2019 Aus Romance Reader Association awards for categories including Favourite Australian Romance Author, Favourite Debut Author and Favourite Australian-set novel and her novels have consistently made bestseller lists and the Better Reading Today.
The blurb for Kookaburra Cottage states it is a delightful, warm and captivating rural romance.
The chief characters are Limestone Coast horticulturalist April Lacey and English winemaker Connor Jamison.”
“United by cooking classes, music and an unexpected involvement in the Penwarra Country Show, April and Connor seem like the perfect match, but with old flames, new challenges and careers conspiring to keep them apart, can this pair forge their own path together?” states the blurb.
