Private Ubud Villas

25/08/2024

Nice catch up with Amy Clarke ne Everingham. I taught Amy 43 years ago. We're a bit older now.

05/08/2024

Thank you to the 11 people who nominated to be beta readers of "Flying Free on Rainbow Wings. I look forward to their feedback.

04/08/2024

Here's my latest blog.

For the past couple of years, I’ve been writing my latest memoir, Flying Free on Rainbow Wings. There was the first draft, the self-editing and rewrite, the reading on the draft by some friends, getting some feedback and again rewriting the manuscript. Finally it was ready for the editor. Ann is m...

04/08/2024

Flying Free on Rainbow Wings - What's it about?
BLURB FOR RAINBOW WINGS
When his beloved Mum tells him “Your life isn’t a dress rehearsal,” Steve decides it’s past time for him to emerge from the closet. He summons his chutzpah and packs his bags , burning a few bridges on the way, not least his career as a school principal .
With his mother’s words ringing in his ears, he spreads his rainbow wings and soars high in search of the creative life he’s longed for.
Touching down on the Island of the Gods, Bali, Steve plunges into a thrilling – sometimes hilarious – ride, filled with equal helpings of joy and delight, heartbreak and disappointment. He learns a new language and discovers a sensuous culture where beauty and smiles are in endless supply.
At last able to wield his paintbrush, he teams up with the (in)famous American artist Symon, who, between ci******es and Scotch, grudgingly helps Steve’s talent flourish.
But this new life comes at a cost and when Steve discovers his funds are perilously low he’s forced to call on all his skills to survive. Fortunately, his team of loyal Balinese offer the support he needs to bring his myriad money-making schemes to fruition.
Best of all, he finds love and his Happy-Ever-After.
Steve’s memoir is an incense-scented journey through the Bali of twenty-five years ago; a fascinating, heart-warming glimpse into a fast-disappearing world.

Please message me if your want to be a beta reader.

02/08/2024

Need beta readers for my memoir, Flying Free on Rainbow Wings. Please message me if interested and I'll send you my manuscript for your comments.

31/07/2024

Have finished "Flying Free on Rainbow Wings". Now the querying process begins.

26/07/2024

Just started "Safe Haven" by Shankari Chandran and loving every word.

07/07/2024

Sydney Hammond Memorial Short Story Competition - Have entered a short story called, 'Stubborn Me'.

07/07/2024

"Flying Free on Rainbow Wings"- My latest memoir. I came to Bali in 1999 to paint and live. Watch this space.

06/07/2024

"This compelling debut novel follows a young female painter whose ambitions begin to clash with those of her older lover and teacher." Girl in a Pink Dress is a great read. Grab it an enjoy.

05/07/2024

This is one of the best books I've read this year. I highly recommend it.

30/04/2024

My sister, Janet Vandenberg arrives tonight. She's here for 4 months. Wonderful.

28/04/2024

Am reading, "The Revenge Club". Kathy Lette's style is flippant and filled with humour, but the theme is very serious - Invisibility and discrimination against aging women.

26/04/2024

Morning birdsongs, an occasional motorbike in the distance and no sound of rain. The start of another great day in paradise.

25/04/2024

WOW! This looks exciting. Who wants to come?

Cunard's presents its inaugural Australian Literature Festival at Sea 2024 Queen Elizabeth 5 nights from Sydney award-winning authors

23/04/2024

Here's my latest blog.

Love is Love is set in outback Queensland in the fictional town of St James. Three relationship narratives are interwoven throughout this novel. The story of Bess Willer, a famous Australian artist and her lifelong partner, Anne Samson, a successful lawyer, is one of these narratives. The relationsh...

22/04/2024

Reading and not sure where the plot is going. Interesting character development, but I'm r7eady for some action.

22/04/2024

Just before daybreak. Gentle patter of rain on the roof. Is it still the wet season?

22/04/2024

Eight e-books read at my computer in the last week was enough to convince me. I just bought a Kindle and cover from Tokopedia. It should be here in the next few days.

22/04/2024

I've done it. Bought my tickets to Darwin for the Writers Festival. Excited!

21/04/2024

This looks interesting. I'll investigate going.

21/04/2024

"Girl in a Pink Dress," was magnificent. Kylie Needham sure can write. If you like art themed book, grab yourself a copy. You won't be disappointed.

20/04/2024

Continuing the art theme, I reading Girl in a Pink Dress by Kylie Needham. Well written and great descriptions.

19/04/2024

Don't you hate it when the author gets their own details wrong. In the book I'm reading, the restaurant was on the top floor of the guesthouse for the first half of the book. Now it's on the bottom floor. Inconsistencies!.

18/04/2024

I used to paint and made no money. Now I write and make no money. Just proves - You don't need lots of money to be happy.

18/04/2024

Looks interesting. Another art fiction based on facts.

18/04/2024

"The Sitter," by Angela O'Keeffe was so much better than I expected. It has a complex story line that needs to be read and savoured.

18/04/2024

My friend Ann, is a great romance writer and writes under the pseudonym Annika Erin Author. Please have a look at her page and like or follow her is you are interested in romances. You can also check out her website at

Annika Erin is an award-winning romance author of swoony, angsty and steamy tales. She writes billionaire stories, rural romance and historical fantasy.

18/04/2024

Have started reading The Sitter by Angela O'Keeffe. I'm already committed and intrigued. Here's the blurb - Paris, 2020. A writer is confined to her hotel room during the early days of the pandemic, struggling to finish a novel about Hortense Cezanne, wife and sometime muse of the famous painter. Dead for more than a century, Hortense has been reawakened by this creative endeavour, and now shadows the writer through the locked-down city. But Hortense, always subject to the gaze of others, is increasingly intrigued by the woman before her. Who is she and what event hides in her past? Heartbreaking and perfectly formed, The Sitter explores the tension between artist and subject, and between the stories told about us and the stories we choose to tell.

17/04/2024

Have entered a short story, 'Stubborn Me' in the Elizabeth Jolley Prize.