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The Lost Summers of Driftwood
The Valley of Lost Stories
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Vanessa McCausland

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Thank you for the beautiful stay @serenitylanecott

Thank you for the beautiful stay @serenitylanecottage 💚✨

Is anyone else overcome with a certain feeling whe

Is anyone else overcome with a certain feeling when looking at beautiful hardcover children’s books? It’s like all the nostalgia and emotion of your childhood, mixed with what it felt like to discover the magic of books ✨❤️
#amreading #beautifulbooks #authorslife #readersofinstagram

❤️🌹❤️ Posted @withregram • @whatchris

❤️🌹❤️
Posted @withregram • @whatchrissiereadnext 📚📚Book Review 📚📚

Hi all, I was very excited to get this book from the lovely @vanessamccausland ,because I just loved her second book that I read earlier this year – The Valley of Lost Stories. The Lost Summers of Driftwood had an immediate appeal too, and I was delighted to pick it up and find another story that I became immersed in straight away. It’s a feel-good story with a nice amount of depth that is perfect for curling up with on the couch with, and it’s written with lots of heart and warmth.

This story opens with Phoebe, whose seemingly perfect life has crumbled. She flees to her family’s holiday cottage to recover, hoping to find comfort at a place where she spent many happy days. Her memories are tempered by a more recent tragedy, however – her beloved sister Karin committed suicide here a year previously. As Phoebe starts to process her losses, she finds herself with unanswered questions. Why would Karin have taken her own life when she seemed so happy? Life is further complicated by Phoebe’s childhood love, who is living at Driftwood with his wife, a few doors down…

I defy anyone to read this story and not want to give up their job and move to a small town on the river and live a simpler life! The sense of place in this novel is superb – I really felt like I could imagine living in a cottage by the water in a community where everybody looked out for one another. The characters all felt very real as well, as did the connections between them.

I also felt like the romance here was nicely done – very real and messy and reflective of the kind of thing that does happen in real life. McCausland does a great job of showing that things are rarely black and white, and that the lines between what is deemed right and wrong are often very hazy and dependent on circumstance. I really appreciated that this book felt very non-judgmental. It deals with some weighty issues – suicide, infertility, autism, grief – but it does all of this with a light and sensitive touch. To top it all off, the mystery of Karin’s death provides a good amount of tension and suspense. This one is the complete package!😊

This beautiful book mail arrived just in time to w

This beautiful book mail arrived just in time to warm me through these crisp, late autumn days. I love stories about women’s friendships and @kaneanamaywriter’s #allwehaveisnow promises to be just that ✨Thanks @harlequinaus
#newreleasefiction #beautifulbooks #womensupportingwomen #australianwomenwriters #authorsofig #authorssupportingauthors #authorslife #newreleasebooks2021 #authorsofinstagram #amreading

I loved taking over @wordsandnerds_podcast to chat

I loved taking over @wordsandnerds_podcast to chat to @kathryntbarker about her brilliant, beautiful new YA novel #wakingromeo . It’s Romeo and Juliet meets Wuthering Heights - with time travel. We chat about mashing genres, negotiating complex timelines, trusting the writing process, and the importance of young women finding their own stories.

https://podcasts.apple.com/au/podcast/319-takeover-with-vanessa-mccausland-and-kathyrn-barker/id1303440513?i=1000521752457

#newreleasefiction2021 #authorsofinstagram #authorssupportingauthors #wordsandnerdspodcast #podcasts #bookstagram #booklover #australianwomenwriters

I’m so thrilled to see my little book The Valley

I’m so thrilled to see my little book The Valley of Lost Stories at number 32 on Better Reading’s top 100 books for 2021. Thank you to everyone who read it and recommended it to a friend. Word of mouth is everything with books, and I’m so grateful for this wonderful silent passing on of stories. It’s also so good to see many of my talented Australian friends and colleagues on this list. Thank you @betterreadingau @harpercollinsaustralia #thevalleyofloststories #betterreadingtop100 #authorsofinstagram #womensfictionreaders #australianwomenwriters #bookstagram #betterreadingau

I’ve just finished structural edits for my new b

I’ve just finished structural edits for my new book, The Beautiful Words. I’m so humbled to have another story going out into the world ✨Will share more soon, but it’s looking like a December 2021 release 💙
#booksaboutbooks #authorsofinstagram #thebeautifulwords #amediting #bookstagram #authorslife #wordlover

A beautiful, haunting book that obscured everythin

A beautiful, haunting book that obscured everything for a few days and wrapped itself around me like sea mist. 🌊 #amreading #readersofinstagram #readingtime #thelastmigration #inspiringbooks @charlottemcconaghy

🌹Mother’s Day Giveaway winners 🌹 Thank you

🌹Mother’s Day Giveaway winners 🌹
Thank you to everyone who tagged their mum or a friend, I wish I could send you all books!
@becromano alaine.loves @larissajohnsauthor @emma.bray.188 @bookworm_coffee_addict please DM me you addresses so I can post you The Lost Summers of Driftwood🌹❤️
#thelostsummersofdriftwood #mothersdaygift #authorsofinstagram #amreading #womensupportingwomen #beautifulbookcovers

🌹GIVEAWAY🌹 The Lost Summers of Driftwood has

🌹GIVEAWAY🌹 The Lost Summers of Driftwood has been released in b-format. It’s now petite, so you can pop it in your bag for a beach trip 🌊
I have five copies I’d love to give away for Mother’s Day.
To enter simply tag your mum, or a friend who could do with some bookish escapism, and follow me🌹Open to Australian residents.
@harpercollinsaustralia #thelostsummersofdriftwood #giveaway #mothersday #bookstagram #booklover #beatifulbooks #mothersdaygift #mothersdaygiftideas #mothersday2021

Book mail 🔥✨ Can’t wait to start @nicmoriar

Book mail 🔥✨ Can’t wait to start @nicmoriarty ‘s new dark domestic drama. ‘Secrets we keep, lies we tell and truths that won’t stay hidden’.
@harpercollinsaustralia #youneedtoknow
#newrealeasebooks #authorsofinstagram #readersofinstagram #authorsofig #amreading #australianwomenwriters

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The Lost Summers of Driftwood
The Valley of Lost Stories
More Writing
Contact