Australian Author Margaret Lynette Sharp: Which Book Am I Proud Of?

As an Australian author with a total of five books published, I’ve been asked this question.  Which of your books are you most proud?

This is a tough one.  It’s akin to asking, “Which is your favourite child?”

I guess you could liken my first four to quadruplets, since they’re four of a kind. Even their names are closely linked.  ’25 Stories of Life and Love in Australia’, ‘A Taste of Life and Love in Australia’, ‘The Essence of Life and Love in Australia’, and, you guessed it, ‘Reflections of Life and Love in Australia.’  These volumes are dominated by romances, though some are interspersed with tales of human interest.  They’re quite short, averaging just four or five pages, flowing,and easy to comprehend.

My latest creation, ’60 Questions, Insights and Reminiscences’ is currently an ‘only child’, of sorts.  Will it remain so?  Who knows?

All five volumes are edited by my husband, Ronald Sharp, the creator of the Grand Organ in the Sydney Opera House.  His creative influence has touched all these books through his innovative style.

Back to the question.

I’m proud of them all, since within each there are stand-out favourites that show my own characteristic style to best advantage.

But, if pressed for an answer, I’ ll say the last.

Why?

Because ’60 Questions, Insights and Reminiscences’ makes me smile!

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Review: Reflections of Life and Love in Australia

Looking for a brand new collection of modern Short Stories, set in Australia? Then this is for you!

Just weeks after publication, very few know about it yet. What an opportunity to impress your circle with this discovery!

The fourth in the series, ‘Reflections of Life and Love in Australia’ encompasses a selection of twenty-five new stories, mainly of love and romance yet interspersed with human interest tales. Averaging around four or five pages, they’re written to appeal to a wide audience.

Tales of love, from the awakening passions of youth to the special bonds of maturity, are easy to relate to and understand. From ‘Letting Her Go’: a mother’s account of her fears as her only child races towards womanhood, through to ‘Into the Sunshine’: a tale of love in senior years, there’s a wealth of stories that trace defining moments.

Human interest stories such as ‘Hand in Hand’, which highlights parents’ dilemma of sport versus music studies, and ‘A Secret, Banished’, relating a grandmother’s impetus to improve her reading, provide a touch of contrast.

As always, this collection has been edited by my husband Ronald Sharp, the creator of the Grand Organ in the Sydney Opera House.

Interested? Then, please check out the Amazon web-site of ‘Reflections of Life and Love in Australia’, and use the ‘look inside’ feature to whet your appetite. And then, if you’re impressed, please tell your friends!

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Review: The Essence of Life and Love in Australia

This, the third in my ‘life and love’ series, follows in a similar vein to its predecessors in that it’s easy, light yet reflective, and since each short story is quick to digest, ideal for time-poor readers.

Take, for example, ‘Language of Love’. Warren, a young, naive guy with a penchant for putting his foot in his mouth, has fallen for Linda, a gorgeous, sophisticated French-language student. His task is to attract her attention, and get into her good graces. Can he succeed?

Another stand-out story is ‘My Daughter, Sally.’ Written from the point of view of the father, this relates episodes whereby a very young woman encounters some harsh realities of life and love.

Readers may also relate to ‘At Seventeen’, another scenario. Is it love or infatuation that Marianne feels?

If you’re looking for a fresh book of modern, Australian Short Stories that’s suitable for those of diverse ages and backgrounds, and like to recognise and encourage new writers, why not take a look at ‘The Essence of Life and Love in Australia’?  Edited by my husband  Ronald Sharp, the creator of the Grand Organ in the Concert Hall of the Sydney Opera House, it’s available through Amazon.com.

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Review: 25 Stories of Life and Love in Australia

I suppose a book review written by its author is apt to attract a very healthy degree of scepticism, yet who knows its contents more intimately?

If you haven’t already rejected my thoughts as useless, I promise to faithfully deliver the comments of others, as well as my own.

To begin, let me say that  ’25 Stories…’ is my first book, started in September 2010 and published early this year. It’s been edited by my husband, Ronald Sharp, the creator of the Grand Organ in the Sydney Opera House, and his enthusiasm was instrumental in bringing this, and all my books, about.

One reader described it on its Amazon site as “hard to put down”; further, his wife and himself were both  “enthralled by its content and style”.

By word of mouth, I’ve been told it’s “great” by one man, and that she “couldn’t put it down” by another reader. Several people who’ve finished this book have purchased subsequent volumes. It also seems to be finding favour at  local libraries.

Like all my collections of Short Stories, this is dominated by tales of love and romance, although several human interest stories  are interspersed. “Family Values”, about a child’s visit to see his grandparents who live in the country, and “New Digs”, relating a senior’s dilemma over moving home, have both been praised, but my feeling is that  “The Virgin Dancer” is by far the most moving. This very succinctly  tells the story of a middle-aged woman who has been held back in life, never able to live the “fuller, freer life” she wanted. Suddenly, circumstances contrive to find her at last on the dance floor, and able to be like everyone else, and dance.

“A Question of Trust”, which describes the scene where the rose-coloured glasses are abruptly removed from a rather naive young woman, and “Fresh Pickings”, the tale of young passion set against an ambitious family background, rank amongst the most striking love stories.

As in all my Short Story collections, the last story is  in fact a continuation of the first, with the elapse of many years.

If my review has whetted your appetite, why not check out this book on the Amazon web-site, and use the ‘click here’ feature? If you like what you read, please, spread the word!

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Ronald Sharp and ’60 Questions, Insights and Reminiscences’

At every chance, my husband likes to Ron talk about our newest book, ’60 Questions, Insights and Reminiscences’, which will shortly become available through Amazon.com.

Many readers of this blog will know that Ron is the creator of the Grand Organ in the Concert Hall of the Sydney Opera House.

While he speaks with enthusiasm by phone, it’s the in-person encounters which provide him with the best opportunity to show what we’ve done. That’s one indisputable virtue of having a proof copy!

Yesterday’s meeting with a friend provided the perfect opportunity, and, happily, he responded with equal excitement, interest and positivity.

Although the words and ideas in ’60 Questions….’ are mine, Ron has magically enhanced their presentation by his skillful, innovative editing; not to mention his attractively designed, unusual cover with compliments those of our ‘Life and Love’ series of modern, Australian Short Stories.

If you’re reading this, please spread the word!

Thanks!

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Thanks, Amazon.com!

Congratulations to Amazon.com for their refreshingly slick delivery of web-sites for my brand new collection of modern Australian Short stories, ‘Reflections of Life and Love in Australia’.

What a morale-boost!

With the four volumes completed, I’ve written a total of one hundred and six, easy to read short stories: mostly romances, sure, but all woven differently.  My favourites in ‘Reflections of Life and Love in Australia’ include ‘At The Art Society Picnic’, ‘Wishing’, ‘Letting Her Go’, and ‘Into the Sunshine’.

Not into Short Stories?  Then perhaps you’ll like my next book. Something quite different: yet, like the rest, edited by my husband  Ronald Sharp B.E.M., the creator of the Grand Organ in the Concert Hall of the Sydney Opera House.

I’ll keep you posted!

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It’d Never Have Happened, Without Ron

As I put the finishing touches on my fifth book, I take this opportunity to acknowledge the immense help, support and time that my husband Ronald Sharp B.E.M. has given me.

From the very beginning, Story One Book One, right through to the final pages of this, my fifth book, Ron has been involved. Not just with praise and enthusiasm for my writing, although he has been more than liberal with that. No: he has spend much time and effort in the editing, compilation, and setting up of the books. The resulting work mirrors his high standards of excellence in presentation; the same excellence that is evident in his Pipe-Organs.

If you ever hold a copy of any of these books in your hand, please remember the effort made by my husband, the creator of the Grand Organ in the Concert Hall of the Sydney Opera House, in bringing them into being.

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‘Reflections of Life and Love in Australia’ Published!

Any day now, and my fourth book of modern Australian Short Stories will be visible by the computer screen, on my Amazon.com pages.

Entitled, you guessed it, ‘Reflections of Life and Love in Australia’, this is another easy to read collection of mostly romantic tales, although this time, there are several interesting ones of  Human Interest variety.  ‘Hand in Hand’, the story of parental dilemma over sport versus musicianship, and ‘A Secret Banished’, about a grandma’s decision to improve her reading skills, are both to be found here.

The love stories are many, and delve into a variety of scenarios.  Most end happily, with the couples staying together; though, as in life, some situations end in disintegration.  All in all, there’s something for (almost ) anyone.

As Editor and collaborator, my husband Ronald Sharp B.E.M., the creator of the Grand Organ in the Concert Hall of the Sydney Opera House,  has stamped his mark, spacing the words out in the same musically-inspired fashion that he employed in the three previous volumes. Throughout his reading, he’s constantly praising the quality of my writing.  I hope others share his opinion!

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What Day Would I Like to Relive?

What day would YOU like to relive? My guess is, it’s a day of unbridled happiness; a day when your dreams came true.

Same for me. It’s my wedding day! The day I married my husband, Ronald Sharp B.E.M., the creator of the Grand Organ in the Concert Hall of the Sydney Opera House.

It was a quiet, family do at a close relative’s home. My bridesmaids wore pink, and I wore white.  Not a traditional gown: that would have seemed a bit out of place, I thought, since simplicity was the key-note.

I was given away by a senior family member, who, later on, performed this role for my niece.  I needed someone to walk with me up the pathway, for I confess to being very nervous and self-conscious despite being in the company of loved ones.

Somehow, I got the words out, and so did Ron. More formalities followed, and then we had our little party, surrounded by friendly faces. But like so many good things, it ended too soon, which makes it my choice as the day to re-live.

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Can We Do Without Cans?

The first time ever I went shopping at the supermarket with my husband Ron, he was less than appreciative of the fact that I bought food in cans.

“What a waste of metal!” he muttered. “They should be made into organ pipes!”

He should know, as the creator of the Grand Organ in the Concert Hall of the Sydney Opera House.

Nevertheless, my only response was to promise to recycle. How could I live without cans?

With difficulty, I hear you say. After all, so much of what we eat and enjoy is available, (almost)ready to eat, at a reasonable price. Remove cans from my shopping list, and everything from apricots (in juice or syrup) to zucchini is off the  menu. Well, unless you wish to go to the effort of preparing it all yourself; not to mention the problems of keeping fresh food fresh, instead of stored out of the way, in a kitchen cupboard.

Doubtless, great great great Grandma managed just fine without them, but then, she didn’t have the other pressures of life as we know it to contend with!

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