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10 Reasons to Say Hello to Winter

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10 Reasons to Say Hello to Winter

Many people understandably have a love–hate relationship with winter. But if our rural summer has been long and hot with a few added curveballs, like fires, dust storms or mice plagues, by this time of the year I’m looking forward to winter.

Since I’d always wanted to write an Australian-set winter book and couldn’t have a series based in the Snowy Mountains without snow, here are some of the reasons Snowy Mountains Promise was such fun to write:

1. Snow

There is something magical about watching the silent fall of snowflakes over a white world. Whether seeing snow for the first or umpteenth time, or making a snowman, having a snowball fight or skiing in the back country, snow is definitely a reason to enjoy the arrival of winter.

2. Hot Chocolate

It is no secret I have a sweet tooth. Any season that gives me an excuse to enjoy a warming hot chocolate gets a big thumbs up. 

3. Comfort Food

I also enjoy hearty comfort foods such as soups and slow cooker casseroles. They just don’t seem the same when eaten under an air-conditioner on a 43°C day.

4. Winter layers

Nothing says winter more than rugging up in a coat, scarf, hat and boots. As I live near Dubbo where it can get very hot, it’s always a novelty when the time comes to layer up.

5. Readathons

With shorter days, longer nights and extra inside time, there can be more opportunity for snuggling up with a good book.

6. Movie marathons

Just like with reading, winter provides a perfect season for getting cosy on the lounge and binge-watching movies and television shows.

7. Fires

Whether warming yourself in front of a bonfire, campfire, fire pit or living-room fire, watching orange flames dance and embers glow makes it almost impossible not to relax.

8. Fur kids fashion

For anyone with fur kids, there is a winter fashion world out there with a super high cute factor.

9. Frosty walks

Winter can be a time for meandering and contemplating. With no flies or mosquitoes to accompany you, walks through a frosty world can be leisurely and slow.

10. Winter landscape

Winter brings its own beauty. From misty mornings to bare branches etched against the sky, to camellias and snowdrops, winter can be a photographer’s paradise. 

When the summer ends and the temperatures drop, I hope you find something to enjoy about a season tailor-made for slowing down and savouring the things that bring you joy.


ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Alissa Callen

When USA Today bestselling author Alissa Callen isn’t writing, she plays traffic controller to four children, three dogs, two horses and one renegade cow who believes the grass is greener on the other side of the fence. After a childhood spent chasing sheep on the family farm, Alissa has always been drawn to remote areas and small towns, even when residing overseas. She is partial to autumn colours, snowy peaks and historic homesteads and will drive hours to see an open garden. Once a teacher and a counsellor, she remains interested in the life journeys that people take. She draws inspiration from the countryside around her, whether it be the brown snake at her back door or the resilience of bush communities in times of drought or flood. Her books are characteristically heartwarming, authentic and character driven. Alissa lives on a small slice of rural Australia in central western NSW.

Alissa’s next book Snowy Mountains Promise will be available in February 2023!

A town scandal. A kelpie chaperone. A winter ball. The bush telegraph has never had so much to talk about…

A delightfully charming rural story about love and healing from bestselling Australian author Alissa Callen.

Hettie Burbrook is the first to admit she’s happiest when flying solo through the outback skies. After her hobby of photographing farmers lands her a book deal, it provides the ideal cover story to visit small-town Bundilla. But every photograph brings her closer to uncovering the answers behind why she is really in the mountains…

Deer farmer Taite Lancaster is as strong as the tempered steel he welds into lifelike animal sculptures. Unlike his father, he will never allow feelings to break him. But when the old schoolfriend of his twin sister lands on the airstrip of their high-country station, he knows he’s in trouble. Hettie is the one woman he can’t forget.

While they’re both determined to keep to themselves, between dog races, a ute muster and a winter ball, Hettie and Taite are forced to face how much they need each other. And when a long-buried scandal erupts into the present, relationships and lives are threatened.

Can a man who locks away his emotions reveal his vulnerability before the mountain snow melts? And can a woman intent on righting a decades-old tragedy listen to her heart before history repeats itself?

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