I have to apologise for a very slack writing year over the past twelve months. I was distracted by projects to do with my writing, but that didn't involve a lot of writing. And in the end much of it was like spinning my wheels, which has been frustrating. But there are a few things to update you on, which I will do after I first introduce my brand new series.

"The Sunshine Series" is on it's way with the first book, "The Sunshine Potluck Society" releasing on 11th June 2024.

This book is about a group of life long friends who hold a potluck brunch every month so they can catch up on each other's busy lives and stay in touch. They're all entering their sixties and going through a string of life changes, so their friendships become even more important to them than they've ever been before.

Sunshine is a fictional town on a very real island, Bribie Island. It's one of our favourite places to visit as it's not far from Brisbane. You can access it via a bridge over the Pumicestone Passage. And it has long, golden beaches, places you can go 4WDing on those beaches, quaint restaurants and a real community feel. We love it there.

Our heroines are: Joanna, a retired chef who now writes cookbooks and has an issue with agoraphobia; Gwen who is a stay-at-home mother turned grandmother, who finds herself taken advantage of by her very spoiled family, and a husband who doesn't appreciate her; Debbie, who has spent her life building her career and now is struggling with an apparently dead marriage, and finally Emily who is 23 years old and works as Joanna's live-in carer.

It's an electic bunch of women who are the very best of friends and who will be there for each other when things get tough. Which inevitably happens, of course. What would a good book be without drama? Gwen's husband comes home in a shirt smelling of a perfume she doesn't recognise; Debbie's husband is barely speaking to her; Joanna can't venture outside of her own home; and Emily is faced with her teenaged crush who returns from a stint in the military and doesn't even do her the curtesy of recognising her.

Through it all, they are there for each other, and they hold their potluck brunches, where delicious foods and friendly conversation are on the menu. Which gives Joanna an idea - why don't they write a cookbook together?

I hope you enjoy this read. It is more of a light-hearted story than most of my books. Just a sweet, heartwarming and happy read. I've tried to take on board the feedback I've received on my other book to write this series, so there are no cliffhangers and each book is a complete story with a happily ever after.

You can buy any of my books by visiting my Shopify store here: (speaking of things that distracted me from writing! This is one of them).

You can also now find all my historical fiction under the pen name, Bronwen Pratley (). And I have a brand new crime fiction pen name, Bronwen J Pratley () if you're interested in reading thrillers (another distraction for me!).

However, I don't plan on being distracted any longer! This coming year (from this month!) I will be fully focused on delivering sweet women's fiction reads to you, and am hoping to release one per month for most of the next twelve months. We'll see if I can maintain that pace, I may not make it because I am planning a trip to the UK with my parents! I'm excited about this trip and will be posting updates and photographs of my adventures on my socials if you're interested. I will also be writing a book based on my travels when I return, so you'll get to read all about it.

Have a wonderful week. Don't forget to buy the new book, or ask your library to order it. You can access all of the links from my website.

Happy reading!

Lilly Mirren xo

It was surprising to discover that no one has ever told his story before now. It's a tale of adventure, love, hope, and good triumphing over evil. I love finding new stories that no one has ever heard woven into history, and this is one of those gems.

Janek's family, his mother and two sisters, lived with him in Old Town Warsaw before the war broke out. They were close to a Jewish family. The widower father of the Jewish family, lived with his son, daughter and extended relatives in a house across the courtyard from Janek's Catholic family.

When the Nazi's invaded Warsaw, they ordered all of the Jews into a ghetto, which was sealed by a wall that they built around the Jewish Quarter. That wall went directly through the courtyard that separated the two family's homes. The directive was that no one could cross the wall, or help the Jews, or else they'd be shot.

Jan and his mother, didn't follow that order. Over the next few years, Jan's mother found the supplies the family (and other Jews in the ghetto) would need, and Jan smuggled them over the wall.

This book is filled with far more danger, excitement, close calls and disaster than any entirely fictional story could, because it's based on the reality that these amazing people lived through. And in this case, reality truly is stranger, more exciting and more impossible to believe than fiction.

I hope you enjoy the true story of Janek Kostanski and the people he loved. He and his family ended up moving to Australia where they settled in Melbourne. His life ended Under a Sunburnt Sky, in a land of peace, hope and where they could all finally feel safe.

Grab your copy, settle down on the couch with a cup of coffee, and spend a few hours in 1940s Poland with me.

Warm regards,

However in October 2021, I released my first historical fiction novel, Beyond the Crushing Waves. I was so excited to write and release this book. I love historical fiction and so it was a natural progression for me to take my stories from revealing snippets of the past to being set almost entirely in history. And the story of the forced migration of British children was just waiting to be told.

So many people today are unaware of the fact that over 100k children from the UK were sent to the colonies of Australia, Canada and South Africa. Many of them had parents still living in the UK, but were told their parents had died. Some were followed to their new homes by their parents in later years, however most never saw their families again.

For those of you who aren't aware, writing books is my full-time occupation. My writing supports my family. So every book you purchase goes towards keeping a roof over our heads. And the best way to sell books is to write them all in the same genre and build up a loyal audience of readers. However, I'm just not that kind of author. I can't write book after book in the same style and genre. It destroys my muse! So, you're going to see some more variety coming from me in 2022, with me dipping my toe into a new genre and some more historical novels as well.

Historical novels, based on true stories, are my first love. And I have an unbelievable story from World War II to share with you in 2022. It's an untold story. One you've most likely never heard before, of a family of heroes who saved a Jewish family from the nazis. The lengths they went to and the risks they took to achieve this will astound you. When I discovered this hidden gem of a story, it made me cry. I just know you're going to love reading about these amazing people from the past. So I can't wait to share them with you.

If you want to keep up to date with what's going on in my publishing schedule, please subscribe to my newsletter. I don't send out emails very often, but when I do they're packed full with deals, gifts, behind the scenes info and new releases. "Under a Sunburnt Sky" is coming in June. So keep an eye out for it and don't forget to let me know what you think - I love to read your reviews on the various retailers, it just makes my day!

If you haven't read all my books yet, you can go through the Reading Order list on my website.

Happy reading!

Cheers,