July 2026

Hi everyone,

Well, here we are, already halfway through the calendar year—or, for those of us in Australia, just beginning another financial year. Winter has well and truly settled in, bringing with it those crisp mornings that make you question every life decision as you pile on layer after layer of clothing until you resemble an overstuffed clown. The only difference is that clowns probably don’t complain as much about the cold.

June was an emotional month for me.

It marked the first anniversary of Miriam’s passing—a milestone I knew would be difficult, but one that somehow still arrived far sooner than I expected. Time has a peculiar way of moving. Some days it seems to race ahead without asking permission, while on others it feels as though it barely moves at all.

As if that wasn’t enough, tragedy also visited my extended family with the passing of Salvatore Tornatore—Sam to everyone who knew him.

Sam’s funeral was exactly what you might expect from a proud Sicilian family, with perhaps a healthy dash of Maltese tradition thrown into the mix for good measure. I’m not entirely sure what Sam would have thought about all the fuss, but I know this: his family honoured him beautifully. The ceremony was heartfelt, respectful, and filled with stories that reminded everyone present of the kind, generous man he had been throughout his life. You could see the love and admiration in every detail they had organised.

He will be greatly missed.

Life, however, has a way of insisting that we keep moving forward, and I’ve continued trying to do exactly that.

Health remains one of my priorities.

I continue to walk as much as my body allows without overdoing it, trying to maintain a balance between staying active and not creating fresh problems for myself. Those daily walks have become far more than simple exercise; they clear my head, help me think through ideas for fresh stories, and provide a little peace at the beginning of each day and, in some cases, in the late afternoon.

The Coffee Muggers continue to be an important part of my routine.

Our twice-monthly get-togethers remain as enjoyable as ever, and it’s wonderful to see a few new faces joining us almost every month. It’s always satisfying to watch the group continue to grow into the friendly community we hoped it would become.

I’ve also broadened my evening social life by venturing into the wonderful world of dancing.

Now, before anyone imagines Fred Astaire or John Travolta, let’s establish some realistic expectations.

I use the word “dancing” rather loosely.

My particular style involves enthusiastically bouncing around in roughly the general direction of the music. It really doesn’t matter whether the band is playing rock and roll, disco, country, ballroom, or something modern that I don’t recognise. My dance routine remains remarkably consistent regardless of the genre. If there were ever an Olympic event for making exactly the same moves to every song ever recorded, I might finally have found my calling.

The important thing isn’t whether I dance well—because I most certainly don’t.

It’s that I’m meeting new people, enjoying pleasant conversations, getting out of the house, and, naturally, finding every opportunity to mention that I’ve written a few books.

An author never really stops marketing, after all.

Most importantly, it keeps me from becoming a permanent fixture in the lounge room, slowly moulding myself into the shape of my recliner while staring endlessly at the television.

On the medical front, my gastroenterologist is planning to switch me to a newer injection that will hopefully be listed on Australia’s Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme (PBS). For those unfamiliar with the system, the PBS allows the Australian Government to negotiate directly with pharmaceutical companies so that Australians can access many expensive medications at a heavily subsidised cost.

My current medication, Stelara, is a perfect example.

The retail price is approximately AUD $7,500 per injection.

Thanks to the PBS, I pay just $7.70.

Considering I require an injection every month, that’s the difference between financial disaster and affordable healthcare. It’s one of those things Australians sometimes take for granted, but it truly is an extraordinary system that changes lives every single day.

Enough about doctors and medications, though.

The Coffee Muggers recently organised another outing, this time to see Steven Spielberg’s latest film, Disclosure Day. The movie draws inspiration from the recently declassified United States government files relating to unidentified aerial phenomena—what most of us still stubbornly call UFOs.

Was it a documentary? Not at all.

Was it entertaining? Absolutely.

Spielberg knows how to tell a good story, and this one was no exception. It sparked plenty of conversation afterwards, with everyone offering their own theories about whether we’re alone in the universe. Personally, I suspect that if intelligent life has been observing Earth, they’ve probably decided to wait until we sort ourselves out before introducing themselves.

Probably a wise decision on their part.

One final request. Please consider supporting my book authors who are advertising on my website. It will mean a lot to them as well.

Enough about me, so I’d like to introduce this month’s guest author, Mr Jivan Lal, who is kindly sharing one of his chapters from his science fiction book, Eternal Love. I hope you enjoy it.

CLICK ON THE BOOK COVER BELOW TO PURCHASE THIS MONTH’S AUTHOR’S BOOKS

June turned out to be an exceptionally productive month on the writing front, which always surprises me because I spend half my time wondering where the next idea is going to come from. Fortunately, the ideas continue to appear—usually when I’m walking, driving, or trying to sleep.

The first project I completed and released in July was Stories to Share With My Partner – Book 14. As with the previous volumes in the series, it contains a collection of stories and reflections designed to be shared with someone special. This edition also includes one of my poems.

Now, before anyone compares me to Banjo Paterson, Henry Lawson, or Shakespeare, let’s keep our expectations firmly under control. Poetry has never really been my natural habitat. In fact, I’m still trying to work out whether I actually have a literary forte at all. Some days I think I do, while on other days I suspect I’m simply someone who enjoys telling stories and occasionally gets lucky. Either way, the poem found its way into the book, and I’m rather pleased with how it turned out. The title is ‘My Goodbye Girl’.

The second release for the month of July takes me into territory I seem to visit more often these days; romance.

Yes… I know.

Who would have imagined that I would become known for writing love stories?

This novel begins with an innocent Christmas gift: a voucher for a psychic reading. What starts as a curious appointment soon becomes the catalyst for an unexpected journey filled with hope, humour, and the possibility that fate occasionally gives us a gentle nudge in the right direction. As with many of my stories, it explores second chances, the twists life throws at us, and the remarkable ways people can unexpectedly change one another’s lives. Title is Between Sessions.

The third novel released during July heads in an entirely different direction and returns me to one of my favourite genres—science fiction.

Recycled follows the extraordinary life of an individual who somehow possesses immortality, only to discover that living forever is nothing like the blessing people imagine it to be. Each lifetime becomes another chapter in an endless existence, forcing the protagonist to confront love, loss, history, and the burden of remembering what everyone else has forgotten. I thought the title was rather clever, if I say so myself.

Perhaps you’ll agree, or perhaps you’ll simply roll your eyes and keep reading.

Either way, I had an enormous amount of fun writing all three books. Every story allowed me to explore a different world, original characters, and different emotions, which is one of the great privileges of being a writer.

Included in this newsletter are brief excerpts from each title to give you a small taste of what’s waiting inside.

And, of course, I would be delighted if something captured your imagination, prompting you to reach into your wonderfully plentiful wallets, purses, or handbags and treat yourself to either the paperback or the eBook edition.

Every purchase, every review, and every recommendation helps support my writing journey far more than you probably realise.

As always, thank you sincerely for your continued encouragement and support.

It truly means more to me than words can express.