Crack open the champagne and tear open that big block of choccie because it’s celebration time!

Yes, after a long wait, The Grazier’s Son has finally hit the shelves.

If you’re wondering where all that “wheeeeeing!!!!” is coming from, that’ll be the Hein house. I am stupidly excited about this book and cannot wait for you all to read it. I want you to wallow in the splendour of Westwind, be intrigued by its secrets, gossip with the small-town Grassmore population, and fall in love with Stirling and Darcy as deeply as I did.

My heartfelt thanks to everyone who pre-ordered a copy of The Grazier’s Son. Pre-orders are incredibly important and your support means an enormous amount.

But if you’re one of those people who prefer to buy on release, you’ll find The Grazier’s Son available right now in paperback, ebook and audio from your favourite retailer.

Amazon AU | Amazon US | Amazon UK  | Apple Books | Kobo | Google Play | Barnes & Noble  |  Booktopia | Dymocks | Angus & Robertson | QBD Books | BigW

Or purchase a personally signed copy of The Grazier’s Son from my online store (Australian postal addresses only).

The Grazier’s Son should also be available in Australian discount department stores like BigW, Kmart and Target. Just give them time to stock the shelves.

And now, as I always do with any new release, here are…

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Six Secret Things About The Grazier’s Son

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1/. The Grazier’s Son original title was…

Westwind. That’s the name of the property the hero, Stirling, inherits. I wasn’t thrilled with the title when I first chose it but left it in place until something better came along. Except nothing did. Measures had to be taken!

After some mammoth, multi-day brainstorming sessions, a new title remained elusive. Then, one morning walk along the beach, The Grazier’s Son popped into my head and I knew I had a winner.

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2/. The theme song for The Grazier’s Son is…

“The Way You Are” by Anti Social Media. This song was Denmark’s entry for the 2015 Eurovision Song Contest. It’s a wonderfully happy song and perfectly captures how Stirling feels about Darcy and her uniqueness.

I love it.

Another song I listened to a lot was “God’s Country” by US country music star Blake Shelton.

I love the twangy, dark tone. It was great for writing certain scenes.

The Grazier’s Son’s playlist was a long one – 37 tracks – but not as long as Rocking Horse Hill’s. At 49 songs, Rocking Horse Hill still holds the record for my biggest book playlist.

Normally my playlists are around 5 or 6 songs but some books seem to need more.

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3/. I had a ball…

Me in my Darcy-style loveheart dress

Researching Darcy’s unique outfits. It was so much fun. I was lucky enough to find a couple of clothing shops in Newcastle where the owners make and sell their own designs – just like Darcy.

I got so into it I even bought a vintage style dress of my own – black with red lovehearts. Perfect!

Here’s me wearing my Darcy inspired dress to the Romance Writers of Australia Conference cocktail party last year.

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4/. Two incidents in The Grazier’s Son are taken from my own life. The first comes…

In a scene where Darcy explains to Stirling how her grandmother introduced her to sewing by helping Darcy make purple tartan pants for her teddy bear. My grandmother did exactly that for me.

The second is the discovery of an ancient bottle of malathion and DDT in one of Westwind’s sheds. We made the same discovery in my parents’ pantry when they moved house many years ago. Yikes!

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5/. Darcy’s house and atelier (as she likes to refer to it) was inspired by…

A warehouse conversion in Brisbane that I found on an online real estate site. A former garage, it was perfectly Darcy.

I loved the industrial décor and the use of upcycled furniture. Darcy has similar in her home because she’s clever like that.

Check it out here. While not exactly like Darcy’s atelier, the photos will give you a feel for it.

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6/. I’d originally planned for The Grazier’s Son’s heroine to be a…

Community nurse but as much as I tried, I couldn’t get her right in my head. I also didn’t think Stirling needed another medical person in his life. You’ll see what I mean when you read the book.

Not having a heroine prevented me from starting the book for a long, long time. It was incredibly frustrating! Usually characters come along organically but not in this case. My heroine refused to show herself.

So I had another brainstorming session in which I listed all sorts of potential heroine professions. The very last on the list was a heroine who ran a vintage and collectibles shop and adored all vintage style. That one immediately gave me a tingle. After some playing around, I changed her into a woman who ran her own vintage style clothing business. And at last Darcy was born.

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Annnnd, a final bonus secret thing…

7/. Stirling’s last name came from…

Watching an episode of the BBC television show “Bargain Hunt”. Caroline Hawley is one of my favourite antiques experts. She’s so stylish! One day it struck me that Hawley would make an excellent surname for a hero. Stirling was the next on the list so he got it!

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I hope you enjoyed this little The Grazier’s Son behind the scenes trip. Here are the links again where you can snap up a copy in paperback, ebook and audio.

Amazon US | Amazon AU | Amazon UK  | Apple Books | Kobo | Google Play | Barnes & Noble  |  Booktopia | Dymocks | Angus & Robertson | QBD Books | BigW

Or purchase a personally signed copy of The Grazier’s Son from my online store (Australian postal addresses only). 

Watch out for it in Australian discount department stores like BigW, Kmart and Target as well.

Thanks to everyone who helped get The Grazier’s Son to release. It was a sometimes very tough journey and I couldn’t have done it without the incredible support of my writing friends. Special mention must go to Michelle Douglas, Annie West, Monique McDonell, Anna Campbell, Jennie Jones and Janette Paul (Jaye Ford), along with my Newcastle Romance Writers group (especially the Thursday morning Zoom sprint ladies) and the Hunter Romance Writers. You were amazing, patient, encouraging and generous. I am blessed to have friends like you.

Also thanks to the team at Harper Collins/Harlequin Australia, Di Blacklock, who edited the manuscript with her usual excellence, and to my agent Clare Forster at Curtis Brown Australia.

And to my Jim, to whom, as always, the book is dedicated to. My hero!!!