Patricia Leslie

From Pearl Harbour to Sydney, a forgotten secret could unite a family - or destroy it.

Welcome to my strand of the World Wide Web. Writing Toolbox: tip #11 Online Graphic Creation apps Subscribe to receive articles and tips every week in your inbox This week's article: Daydreams and Ruminations: creating fictional mythologies It won’t come as much surprise to the people that know me, but I spend a lot of time daydreaming. I ruminate on stories. Parts of some will pop up in a novel here, a short story there. Most will not escape the confines of my imagination. T

I was asked by my publisher to provide some book club questions for all three of my novels. Interesting task. Especially for The Ouroboros Key, which I haven’t read since the day I signed off on the galleys, and which I haven’t written or talked about in a couple of years. Then there’s the realisation that my only experience with book clubs is watching the Jane Austen Book Club (a couple of times, in fact. What can I say. I’m a romantic at heart). Time to do some research. Di

There are various ways to undertake a heritage walk of your home city. One of mine has been to print out copies of old maps (Doves Maps of Sydney 1880), and then see if I can find the locations that were a hive of activity 130 plus years ago. This is the first in a series of “quick dips” into Sydney built heritage. I’m starting with Town Hall Station. One, it's on my train line so easy for me to reach and two, it's central to the major heritage buildings in the city. Followin

In May 2015, I sat down in an Edinburgh pub with a fresh notebook and a pen, and started my third novel. With a nod to future history, I penned the working title and a few lines on character and opening scene. I’m happy to say that last week I signed the contract that, hopefully, will see Crossing the Line (book 1) published later this year. I’m also happy to say that the title and main character have survived time, numerous edits, and months of research to make it to the pri

On Saturday, I will be one of six authors presenting at a Local Author Showcase at Sutherland Library. I’ll be talking about inspiration and settings, and have collated a snapshot of “travel” photos taken from various research roadtrips. I’m often asked what it is about writing that drives me to keep at it. I process thoughts, develop ideas, and increase my memory potential by writing notes as I go. It involves me and by jotting things down I participate in the creative flow