Sara Foster is grateful for...

See that gorgeous woman above? That's my friend Sara Foster. We met at the Perth International Arts Festival last year, and aside from sharing a publisher, publicist and agent, we also share a love of books, writing and most importantly chocolate. I'm grateful having shared a stage with Sara to discuss the important role of womens writing - some people call the genre chick lit. Today, I'm grateful Sara has dropped by to MY blog to share her gratefuls.

And today is a VERY special day. Sara's new novel Beneath the Shadows - with the gorgeous cover below - is released nationally. So be sure and pop into your favourite bookstore and grab a copy and get your local library to order it in as well!!

Feel free to ask Sara a question here if you like also, she'll be dropping by later today. Please make her welcome.

Sara says: Five things I’m grateful for:
1. MY PHONE: I’m completely in love with it. At the end of last year I had a beaten-up pay-as-you go mobile with bite marks all over the surface from when my baby was teething. Now I have a swish-as-they-come iPhone with a fancy pink cover – and I can’t put it down! This multi-tasking super-efficient little device is keeping my life on track in all sorts of ways.
2. STICKERS: We go through hundreds of stickers in my house, as my little girl is obsessed with them at the moment. If you need to get through something, hand her a sheet of stickers and she’ll be busy for ages. Never mind that most of them end up affixed to her person (which means she’s having an early taste of all the painful waxing years to come), they are proving a godsend while it’s so hectic.
3. MAUREEN AND PAUL: They own a shop – within walking distance from my house – with lots of chocolate in it. The good stuff that is imported from the UK, without anti-melting agents (or is that an urban myth?). Anyway, it tastes great, and it’s imperative that I have regular infusions. I need to keep my strength up, after all.
4. OUR FRIEND'S TINY TV: Our big telly went bang a few weeks ago (after we spent our one and only evening playing tennis on the Wii). While at times it’s been a bit of a blessing, because I’ve needed to work in the evenings, we’re beginning to miss it. In our wisdom, being budget-conscious, we decided to order a part from the UK, which is taking a very long time to arrive. Luckily our friends have lent us a little portable so we can keep an eye on the tennis – although it has made me realise how much I need my glasses!
5. FRIENDS NEW AND OLD: I’m certainly not an island, and rely on heaps of generous support – from benevolent authors, readers, bloggers, tweeters, publishers, designers and booksellers, to friends offering welcome distractions and spots of babysitting, and putting their various skills at my disposal. For my latest book I’ve had an artist friend do a painting of Grace’s house, a photographer friend take my pictures, and two of my brothers-in-law took the time to design not one but two short films that showcase my story. Not to mention all those brains I pick for research! So I am very lucky, and I’m tremendously grateful for that.

The pic above is of Sara and I at the PIAF in 2010. It was five million degrees that day :)