Welcome to Teaser Tuesday, where I share snippets from new and past releases and works-in-progress and occasionally twist the arms of author buddies to do the same.

News from the Hein house is that I’m STILL comfort cooking. Last week I raided my piles of torn out cooking magazine recipes for salads because, maaaaan, we cannot keep eating my baking! While most were tasty enough, none were keepers which was a bit sad. Not to worry. Only five thousand other recipes to try. Although I did have fun using my mandoline to shave fennel and freshly plucked radishes from the garden for a fennel, radish and nashi salad.

On a bum note, my blow torch died. And smack on the night I needed it to brulee the top of some rice pudding. I bloody loved that blow torch. I bought it from a chef’s supplies in Florence back in 2004 (which took some doing with me not speaking Italian and the shop person not speaking English) and have been merrily brulee-ing and browning with it since.

At first we thought it had run out of gas but nup. It’s cactus. I’m going to replace it with a tradie’s brazing torch a la Rachel Khoo in her ‘The Little Paris Kitchen’ TV series. I’ll be able to brulee my little heart out then!

If you’re a newsletter subscriber (and therefore one of my favourite people) or follow me on Facebook or Instagram, then you’ll be well aware that Serenity’s Song, my second Outback Brides story and the sequel to Elsa’s Stand, is now up for pre-order. Whoop!

Here’s the newly-minted cover and blurb:

He’s got a history of bad decisions—is he finally about to make the right one?

Jesse Hargraves can’t outrun his notorious bad boy reputation. Betrayed by a woman he trusted, he retreats to his hometown, Wirralong, to serve as his brother’s best man and rebuild his life. But change isn’t easy, and it’s even harder when Jesse has to fight his fierce attraction to the maid of honour—a woman well aware of the darkness in his past.

Beautician Serenity Strachan’s flippant one-liners and vibrant hair colours are armour to protect her fragile heart. She’s always crushed on Jesse, but she’s determined to keep him and his sordid past at an arm’s length. That’s easier said than done when Jesse asks Serenity to help renovate an old property. And when they’re trapped underground in a tunnel cave-in, their emotional barriers fall faster than the tunnel walls.

When rescue arrives, they question their new emotional intimacy. Can Serenity trust this new Jesse with her heart? And can Jesse trust that Serenity will ignore the lure of a fortune to keep his secrets safe?

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Thanks to all who have sent me messages about the cover and blurb. It’s so cool that you’re excited about Jesse and Serenity’s story. While the ebook of Serenity’s Song is available for pre-order across major platforms, I know many of you are keen for paperback copies. They’ll be available, I promise. From online stores but also as personally signed copies, purchased direct from me. I’ll release news on that as soon as details are finalised.

In the meantime, here’s a few paragraphs from Serenity’s Song for a taste of what’s to come.

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She unlocked the door and peeked around the corner. A big man, head down, shoulders hunched and foot stamping, stood on the concrete stand above the loading dock that now served as the salon’s staff parking bay. Behind him, towering over Serenity’s car, was a shiny black Ford Ranger.

Jesse.

‘Hey, Nitty.’

Serenity’s teeth clenched at the Nitty greeting. ‘Hello, Mr You’re So Vain. If you’re after Elsa, you’ve chosen the wrong day. She’s—’

‘In Melbourne for the wedding expo. I know.’

She scanned his head. It had been eight days since his cut. ‘I hope you’re not expecting me to wax it.’

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Serenity’s Song releases August 31^st and is available now for pre-order from these ebook platforms:

Amazon US | Amazon AU | Amazon UK | Kobo| Apple Books| Barnes & Noble

Paperback links and personally signed copy orders coming soon.

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