Writing a survival story has its challenges, and I’m not one to back away from a challenge. So like a crazy woman and the determined author I am, where possible, I love putting myself in my character's shoes. Although I'm happy to skip the plane and helicopter crashes I've detailed in a few books.
I love writing survival stories where my characters are lost in the middle of nowhere. But the challenge with these books is making them survive. LOL. My characters are not Bear Grills or MacGiver, but I need to figure out what they can do to make it out of the jungle alive.
I want my reader to feel like they are right there with my characters. My debut novel Lost in Kakadu, is set in North Australia’s extremely remote Kakadu National Park which is 20,000 square kilometers of rugged Australian bush.
I did a huge amount of work to make this story real like hiking in our great Australia bush. There’s nothing like the solitude, the earthy smells, the melodious birds and our abundance of beautiful and sometimes not so beautiful flora and fauna.
But it wasn't until I was hiking for 4 days in New Zealand’s Milford Track the story for Lost in Kakadu truly came alive. During the hike we carried our own food, water, clothes, bedding and anything else we needed. We walked in the sun and the pouring rain. We tramped through crystal clear streams and climbed a mountain so high I was on top of the world.
My characters need to eat some disgusting things while they are trapped in Kakadu, so you can imagine my delight when I found whitchetty grubs while digging in my garden. So despite the horror from my family, I washed the ugly creatures and ate them raw, and cooked. For the record, they tasted like chicken, but with a nutty overtone. But it was the tough skin and chewy texture that was disgusting.
Unfortunately I didn't get of a photo of that eating adventure, but here I am eating snails - which my characters also need to eat to survive.
One of the fun things I did was create a sling shot with my bra! 😮
At first I cheated, using scissors and tape. But then I decided that I could only use what my characters had after their plane crashed in the middle of nowhere. I destroyed 3 bra's before I made a slingshot that could hit a mark 6 feet away.
How cool is that!
Hopefully you never get stranded in the wilderness like Abi and Mackenzie did, but if you do, now you know that your underwear can double as a hunting weapon. LOL.
Lost in Kakadu is not just a survival story, it's an extraordinary journey through grief, resilience, and an unpredictable love as wild as the jungle itself. Dive into this enemies-to-lovers, opposites-attract romance, featuring an older woman and a younger man, and discover why my survival romance Lost in Kakadu won Romantic Book of the Year!
Two complete strangers are the sole survivors of a plane crash.
They waited to be rescued. They assumed they'd die. They never expected to fall in love.
After a harrowing plane crash in the remote Australian wilderness, wealthy socialite Abigail Mulholland and Mackenzie Steel, a man mourning his partner lost in the same disaster, are the only survivors. Isolated and awaiting rescue that never comes, they face deadly wildlife and unforgiving elements in a landscape as brutal as it is beautiful.
Thrust together by fate, Abigail and Mackenzie must navigate not only the dangers of the Kakadu jungle but also their unlikely attraction. Battling their inner demons, they discover that the key to survival lies in trusting each other, even as nature conspires to tear them apart.
This best-selling, award-winning, stand-alone novel celebrates the strength of the human spirit and the power of love to flourish in the most unlikely place
Find out why Lost in Kakadu won – Romantic Book of the Year.
Check out more of my research blogs here.
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐“I have read hundreds of books and this is my first review. I gave it 5 STARS, but would give more if I could. Without giving any spoilers, I will say this is the best book I have ever read. It's my first time with this author, but not my last. I laughed, I cried, I ugly cried. OMG, she is can pull all the emotions. It was so believable. A gifted writer. A absolute must read.” Stephanie L Martin.
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ "One of the most riveting books I've read. I found myself sitting on the edge of my seat at some points, holding my breath in others. I laughed, I cried, and I deeply sighed." Janet Ross