Kate Loveday writes novels of romance and action, both contemporary and historical, and loves to write about strong, independent women with spirit and courage – and the men who love them.  Being a fourth generation Australian Kate sets her tales in the land she loves – Australia. She strives to write stories with strong plot lines to hold the interest of her readers to the end and according to the reviewers of her books, this is what she achieves. Kate grew up in a seaside suburb in Adelaide, South Australia. The only girl and the second eldest amongst six brothers, she spent the sunny summers on the white sandy beach with her brothers and the cold, rainy winters indoors, reading. This is when her love of books began. Always wanting to write, Kate wrote short stories in her early twenties but never submitted them for publication. Then raising a family and helping to run a family business cut short such aspirations. Due to business commitments she moved to Sydney in 1988 and it was not until she and her husband Peter retired from the beauty and natural therapy business they ran together that she took the time to write in earnest. While spending three years caravanning in Australia she worked as a freelance travel writer for holiday magazines. It was then that she formed the idea for her first novel "Inheritance", which was published in USA in 2007 and received international acclaim. Her second novel, ‘An Independent Woman’ is set in the late nineteenth century and is published in Australia by Scribe’s Ink Publishers. It is the first book in a trilogy. The second book, ‘A Liberated Woman’ will be released in 2010. Kate now lives in the beautiful Great Lakes area on the lower mid-north coast of NSW, about three hours north of Sydney with Peter and their dog Lucy. Here, surrounded by green bushland where kangaroos come to visit and nibble the grass and birds fill the daylight hours with their song, she pursues her passions of writing, reading, gardening and listening to music. She is a member of NSW Writers Centre, Romance Writers of Australia, Taree Scribblers and Mid North Coast Authors       It is often a spur-of-the-moment decision that becomes a turning point in life.  So it is for Kitty Morland, a young woman in London in 1878. She yields to temptation one fateful day  and then, fearful of  the consequences of her action,  flees to the other side of the world, to the small timber town of Bulahdelah in the mid-north coast of New South Wales, home of the giant cedar trees and close to gold and diamond  mining. On board the ship carrying her to the other side of the world Kitty meets three men who will influence her future; a Colonial, an aristocrat and a diamond merchant In Australia her life is taken over by diamonds, intrigue, and passion.  Beautiful and spirited, Kitty needs all her courage and determination to survive the ordeal of marriage to a bullying husband,  but when she has a chance for love and happiness she must make a difficult decision. This book explores the way of life in Australia in the latter part of the nineteenth century.  It also looks at the way in which women in that era were dominated by their husbands. Under the laws of the day a married woman had few rights. All her property became her husband’s on the day of their marriage. She must therefore depend upon him in every aspect of her life. No matter how badly he chose to treat her, she had no redress. Women were considered to be physically, emotionally and intellectually inferior to men, and the entrenched and patronising attitudes of the time meant that the judiciary, all male, took the view that whatever the man did was right. It was this attitude which caused Kitty such unhappiness in her marriage and it is the manner in which she coped with it, and found independence, that makes this book compelling reading.   An Independent Woman is the first book in a trilogy.  The second book, ‘A Liberated Woman’ will be released in 2010. Read our review of An Independent Woman here   My first novel 'Inheritance' is a contemporary Australian drama of love and hate, mystery and intrigue, with more than a dash of adventure. It is a book about people but it is also about the fascinating, rugged, beautiful and potentially dangerous country of Far North Queensland.  In it you will experience life on a cattle station and spend time in the exotic rain forests. You will come up close and personal with the unique animals of Australia and take a trip to a coral island in the Great Barrier Reef, where you will snorkel in the crystal clear waters with brilliantly coloured tropical fish, as you view the coral below. You will also meet some of the original inhabitants of Australia, the aboriginals, and learn a little of their fascinating Dreamtime stories.   All in the company of Cassie Taylor, a young Sydney woman whose life is changed forever when she   inherits 'Yallandoo', a cattle station near Cairns in Queensland.  When Cassie leaves Sydney and travels up north to take possession of Yallandoo, she has just ended an unhappy relationship and is in no mood for any further romantic involvement. On meeting the dashing and entrepreneurial Mark Pierce, a neighbour, his chauvinistic attitude immediately puts her offside. However, as time passes she sees a different side to him. But are his professed feelings for her genuine, or does he just want to get his hands on Yallandoo? Forced by a drought to find a way to increase the station's cash flow, Cassie decides to capitalise on the exotic appeal of the beautiful and rugged country by adding a tourist lodge to the property. When a fire partly burns down her cabins, and she receives threatening letters, she knows someone is out to stop her, but she has no idea who, or why.  Could it possibly be Mark, the neighbour who has now become important to her?  Or Stella, a gallery owner, who covets the secret treasures and artefacts of the ancient original owners of the area. Or perhaps Ben, willing to do anything for a quick dollar and who ultimately pays a terrible price for his duplicity. Then there are her own workers, including Daniel and old Sam, the aboriginal elder who must protect his aboriginal heritage at all costs. Rosie, Cassie's lifelong friend and confidante, is the one person she can trust. But Rosie has her own problems; is her love for Daniel doomed because of racial prejudice and bigotry? The two friends must both face betrayal and heartbreak before they find who is behind the troubles and, ultimately, the answer to happiness.   Read a review of Inheritance here Read our Interview with Kate Loveday   My website-   http://www.kateloveday.com   My blog-   http://www.kateloveday.blogspot.com Publisher- http://www.scribesink.net     Booktopia- http://www.booktopia.com.au    Fishpond- http://www.fishpond.com.au