Some months ago, I wrote a guest post about Sri Lanka for Australian author Téa Cooper's blog. You can read it here. I asked her to do me the favour and be my guest in return, and what a wonderful post she has come up with! Knowing that I love animals, she has penned this tongue-in-cheek article with facts (or are they fiction?) about Australian wildlife, with a slightly historical bend. Enjoy the quirky post and read on to find out more about my friend's latest release!
Guest Post
1. Bunyips
According to Aboriginal legend a bunyip is a creature, an evil spirit or devil that lurks in swamps, billabongs, riverbeds, creeks and waterholes. It’s also used as a slang synonym for an imposter or a pretender. Exactly what they look like is a matter of debate as you can see from these 19th and 20th century images!
According to Aboriginal legend a bunyip is a creature, an evil spirit or devil that lurks in swamps, billabongs, riverbeds, creeks and waterholes. It’s also used as a slang synonym for an imposter or a pretender. Exactly what they look like is a matter of debate as you can see from these 19th and 20th century images!
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2. The Rainbow Serpent
A creature of The Dreamtime (the Aboriginal stories that tell of the creation of the world). When a rainbow is seen it is said to be the serpent moving from one waterhole to another, controlling life’s most precious resource. There are some fantastic examples of ancient Aboriginal art depicting the Rainbow Serpent.
A creature of The Dreamtime (the Aboriginal stories that tell of the creation of the world). When a rainbow is seen it is said to be the serpent moving from one waterhole to another, controlling life’s most precious resource. There are some fantastic examples of ancient Aboriginal art depicting the Rainbow Serpent.
3. Drop Bears
A drop bear is another mythical Australian creature, but this time a lot more tongue in cheek. They are said to be unusually large, vicious, carnivorous marsupial creatures related to koalas. Rumour has it you can deter drop bear attacks by spreading vegemite* behind your ears.
A drop bear is another mythical Australian creature, but this time a lot more tongue in cheek. They are said to be unusually large, vicious, carnivorous marsupial creatures related to koalas. Rumour has it you can deter drop bear attacks by spreading vegemite* behind your ears.
By Frank Wouters [CC-BY-2.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0)], via Wikimedia Commons
4. The Lyrebird (I have these in my garden!): an amazing and beautiful ground dwelling bird that mimics sounds from its environment. (Mine thinks it is a telephone and catches me out when I am gardening!) There is a story about a lyrebird that used to halt 19th century logging operations by mimicking the fire siren.
5. The Tasmanian Tiger is not mythical. These dog-like creatures were once the largest carnivorous marsupials and had a pouch! Sadly, they became extinct in the 1930s because of intensive hunting and high bounties. Sightings in parts of Tasmania persist, but they are rarely proven.
This image of a bagged thylacine may have been taken in the late 1860s by well-known photographer Victor Prout, but no one really knows!
* Vegemite to the uninitiated is a dark brown, almost black paste made from left-over brewer’s yeast extract, with a few spices thrown in. It’s popular on bread or toast for breakfast and most Australians won’t leave the country without it!
By Tristanb [GFDL (http://www.gnu.org/copyleft/fdl.html) or CC-BY-SA-3.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/)].
Needless to say I can’t resist sneaking facts like these into my Australian historical romances. In “Matilda’s Freedom” you’ll find the tale of Tiddalik, the Thirsty Frog, and in “Lily’s Leap” the story of the Great Goanna, who created the valleys and the mountains.
Available now! Lily's Leap by Téa Cooper
About the Book (new release)
From Escape's Queen of Australian historical romance comes a story about a privileged member of Australian's squattocracy, a bushranger, and a very special horse.
Born into the rough, but privileged society of the Australian colonial landowners, Lilibeth Dungarven finds herself married, widowed, and, much to her distress, back under her father’s thumb, all before her twenty-first birthday. Determined not to forgo her dream of breeding the perfect racehorse, Lilibeth ignores propriety and sets out to restore the family’s flagging fortunes.
When Captain Tom and his mismatched band of bushrangers stumble across a mob of the best horses they’ve ever seen, and the daughter of the famed Dungarven horse stud, they know their fortunes have changed. Their catch is worth a king’s ransom. All they have to do is hold her for seven days. How hard can it be to control the pampered daughter of a colonial upstart?
ISBN: 9780857991713 Publication Date: July 1, 2014
Harlequin Escape
Amazon
Amazon.aus
iTunes
Kobo
Amazon and Goodreads Reviews:
“Forget work, forget all your responsibilities and slide into this delicious story ... a well-written book by a talented writer ... since I doubt I’ll be visiting Australia, it was a treat to feel like I was there, herding horses to market across the Australian Outback. The landscape assumes the position of a character in this exciting romance; playing a pivotal role in Lily’s adventure. A fabulous read by a very talented Aussie author … I have no hesitation in HIGHLY recommending Lily’s Leap.”
http://mywrittenromance.com/2014/06/06/lilys-leap-by-tea-cooper-review
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/946141614?book_show_action=false&page=1
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/961167774?book_show_action=true&page=1
Excerpt:
Hunter Valley, Australia 1848
Lilibeth Dungarven’s cry of pure pleasure soared skywards as the massive black stallion rose to clear the fallen tree, sending the horrors of the last four years scuttling into the dirt of the ancient land.
Clenching her knees against Nero’s heaving flanks she bent low, ducking the overhanging branches framing the bush track, her cheek pressed to the warmth of his muscular neck. When the erratic pounding in her chest settled she drew Nero to a shuddering halt and pushed the damp curls back from her forehead.
A pair of black cockatoos, disturbed by her madcap gallop, shrieked their annoyance and resettled in the whispering casuarina trees. The crack of their beaks as they threw the mangled nuts to the ground filled the silence. Below her the ribbon of sandstone road weaved its way towards Payne’s Crossing and she shielded her eyes from the sun, searching for her mob of horses.
A glint of reflected sunlight drew her eye to a mounted figure in the middle of the road. Despite the hat pulled low shadowing his face, the stockwhip crack of his words registered deep in her belly.
‘Bail up! Guns down and off the horses.’
‘What do you think you...?’ Constricted by the tension in her throat her words petered out. No one would dare steal such a valuable mob of horses. They were branded. Everyone in the colony knew the Dungarven brand. To lose them was unthinkable. Years of breeding — the first pure Dungarven bloodlines. Months proving herself capable of managing the sale and the trip to Sydney. And now a hold up! It would not happen. Not if Lilibeth Dungarven had any say in the matter.
Born into the rough, but privileged society of the Australian colonial landowners, Lilibeth Dungarven finds herself married, widowed, and, much to her distress, back under her father’s thumb, all before her twenty-first birthday. Determined not to forgo her dream of breeding the perfect racehorse, Lilibeth ignores propriety and sets out to restore the family’s flagging fortunes.
When Captain Tom and his mismatched band of bushrangers stumble across a mob of the best horses they’ve ever seen, and the daughter of the famed Dungarven horse stud, they know their fortunes have changed. Their catch is worth a king’s ransom. All they have to do is hold her for seven days. How hard can it be to control the pampered daughter of a colonial upstart?
ISBN: 9780857991713 Publication Date: July 1, 2014
Harlequin Escape
Amazon
Amazon.aus
iTunes
Kobo
Amazon and Goodreads Reviews:
“Forget work, forget all your responsibilities and slide into this delicious story ... a well-written book by a talented writer ... since I doubt I’ll be visiting Australia, it was a treat to feel like I was there, herding horses to market across the Australian Outback. The landscape assumes the position of a character in this exciting romance; playing a pivotal role in Lily’s adventure. A fabulous read by a very talented Aussie author … I have no hesitation in HIGHLY recommending Lily’s Leap.”
http://mywrittenromance.com/2014/06/06/lilys-leap-by-tea-cooper-review
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/946141614?book_show_action=false&page=1
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/961167774?book_show_action=true&page=1
Excerpt:
Hunter Valley, Australia 1848
Lilibeth Dungarven’s cry of pure pleasure soared skywards as the massive black stallion rose to clear the fallen tree, sending the horrors of the last four years scuttling into the dirt of the ancient land.
Clenching her knees against Nero’s heaving flanks she bent low, ducking the overhanging branches framing the bush track, her cheek pressed to the warmth of his muscular neck. When the erratic pounding in her chest settled she drew Nero to a shuddering halt and pushed the damp curls back from her forehead.
A pair of black cockatoos, disturbed by her madcap gallop, shrieked their annoyance and resettled in the whispering casuarina trees. The crack of their beaks as they threw the mangled nuts to the ground filled the silence. Below her the ribbon of sandstone road weaved its way towards Payne’s Crossing and she shielded her eyes from the sun, searching for her mob of horses.
A glint of reflected sunlight drew her eye to a mounted figure in the middle of the road. Despite the hat pulled low shadowing his face, the stockwhip crack of his words registered deep in her belly.
‘Bail up! Guns down and off the horses.’
‘What do you think you...?’ Constricted by the tension in her throat her words petered out. No one would dare steal such a valuable mob of horses. They were branded. Everyone in the colony knew the Dungarven brand. To lose them was unthinkable. Years of breeding — the first pure Dungarven bloodlines. Months proving herself capable of managing the sale and the trip to Sydney. And now a hold up! It would not happen. Not if Lilibeth Dungarven had any say in the matter.
About the Author
Téa Cooper lives in a stone cottage on one hundred acres of bushland, just outside the nineteenth century village of Wollombi, NSW Australia. When she isn't writing, Téa can be found haunting the local museum or chatting to the locals, who offer a never-ending source of inspiration. Both Lily’s Leap and Matilda’s Freedom are set in and around Wollombi.
In October, Jazz Baby, a 1920s rags to riches story set in Sydney will be released and in February, Forgotten Fragrance, Book I of a family saga entitled From the Ocean to the Outback. At the moment she is working on a parallel time-line series called The Adventures of Miss Abigail Wynter. She has also written three contemporary romances.
Personal Links:
Website: www.teacooperauthor.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TeaCooper
Twitter: https://twitter.com/TeaCooper1
Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/teacooperauthor
Pinterest: http://pinterest.com/teacooperauthor/
Grab your copy of "Matilda's Freedom" quickly, it's on sale until July 1st!
In October, Jazz Baby, a 1920s rags to riches story set in Sydney will be released and in February, Forgotten Fragrance, Book I of a family saga entitled From the Ocean to the Outback. At the moment she is working on a parallel time-line series called The Adventures of Miss Abigail Wynter. She has also written three contemporary romances.
Personal Links:
Website: www.teacooperauthor.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TeaCooper
Twitter: https://twitter.com/TeaCooper1
Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/teacooperauthor
Pinterest: http://pinterest.com/teacooperauthor/
Grab your copy of "Matilda's Freedom" quickly, it's on sale until July 1st!
All images via Wikimedia Commons
Unless otherwise specified
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