Living to the Beat of a Different Drum by Dora Bramden

When you don’t fit in you have no choice but to live a different kind of life, one that is a path forged out of necessity. It can be difficult as you face an unknown road but also freeing because you aren’t bound by the restrictions of a normal life.

My parents were raised on farms in Tasmania, but I was born in working-class suburb north of Melbourne Victoria. In some ways, I was socially more alone than the migrants from Southern  Italy who had each other, The Aussies in our street were all “City Folk” as my mother called them. The Italian families were from the rural south before migrating and I felt I had more in common with them but culturally, I didn’t belong there either.

Add to that how tall I grew. By age 12 I stood  5’11” and I towered above all the kids at my high school. I got teased about it relentlessly but it meant that I wasn’t to live life in the shadows but I didn’t like standing out. Back then it drew negative comments because I didn’t embrace the gift and walk with head held high. I hunched my back trying to be small.

I was born with a kidney condition that required stays in hospital and scarring from operations on my stomach, so no midriff tops when they came into fashion, no bikini for me even though all my friends wore them. But I needed to fit in somehow, and I kept trying hard to do all the normal things.

After school, I longed for a career doing something creative but I was funneled into office work, which I was never very good at. Later, I got married and had children but my health issue handicap eventually undermined my best efforts to live a regular life. I started to embrace my uniqueness and gave up office work and searched for a creative career. I needed to survive and that was going to have to be living to the beat of my own drum. Out of necessity, I started to make decisions based on what I really needed to do,  and not what was expected of me.

I started writing full time. Being an author was not one of the jobs I was ever given as an option. So making the choice to skill up for this was surprising to many but it opened a whole new world for me. Dora is short for Dorothy, and like Dorothy in the Wizard of Oz, it was like I walked out of my black and white life and into a Technicolor one.

My first RWAustralia conference experience was at the fancy dress cocktail party. Everyone was dressed up for the theme ‘Spellbound’. I walked into a room that was alive with color, cheerfulness, and camaraderie. It drew me in like a warm hug and I made new friends that welcomed me into this special world of romance writing, and I have to say I’ll never leave.

When writing my contemporary romance novels, a recurring theme is the main characters stepping out of the life they thought was expected of them and into a life that they are truly equipped for. It is here that they find the love we all want to have in our lives. Once they are being authentic and living large, they are then seen in all their true beauty, shining like stars, they are attractive to the one that is the perfect-for-them-match.

Katrina from The Italian Billionaire’s Secret Baby needed to see that she was capable of breaking free of what was expected to become a mother and keep her Ballet Career. When she became pregnant she was forced to step out of the life she’d settled for and create the one she could really thrive in, Alessandro had to do the same if he wanted her to be a part of his life.

It happened to me after I wrote the stories. I had the knowledge of what needed to happen in my life but applying it was super scary. After I had been set free in the world, I felt abandoned at first, but I had my romance author friends who supported me, and I bravely stepped into my new creative and wonderful life. That’s when I met Sam. 

An Aussie with Italian heritage, he’s a real-life hero because he loves me as I am. On my dating profile under the category ‘The first thing people notice about you” I wrote, “I’m tall.” He thought that was very funny and it was what drew him to me. He’s fine with me being a tall woman. As far as my choice of career, he proudly tells people I’m a romance writer and that I won an award. (I came first in the short romance category of the Australian RWA’s Emerald Award.)

 As far as my health issues go, I was upfront about them at our first meeting. He empathized with me and after only one month of dating, he started driving me to my doctor’s appointments and stayed right by my side through scary tests. The things that had felt so wrong about me as a child feel exactly right now.

It can seem overwhelmingly wrong to be authentic and embrace our uniqueness, but nothing fulfilling comes from living a half-life. We all need to beat on our own unique drum.

FYI. Our wedding story is on my blog https://www.dorabramden.com/doras-blog/my-wedding-day

I have two heart-melting, passionate, romance’s and a short story currently published on Kindle. Click the links below to find me on Amazon, Instagram, Facebook, and my website.

Dora’s Amazon Author Page

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What We Found On Lipari Island, Italy.

I met Sam's mum not long after I started dating him. He's the kind of guy that takes you into his warm heart and so is his mum. I hadn't known her long before she started sharing her memories of growing up on Lipari before she emigrated to Australia. She loved the outdoor life on Lipari, playing sport and swimming were her loves. Family was very important to her and she would embark on a long walk from where she lived on the coast up into the hills to visit her grandmother.

Sadly we lost her three years ago and it hit Sam very hard. He had always wanted to see the place that held such a special place in his mother's heart but it wasn't until we married that he decided the right time was right.

The hydrofoil took us from Sicily to Lipari and we were met by our hotel pickup. We'd opted to stay in Cannetto the town Sam's mum is from. We drove along the coast from the port of Lipari passing the beach where Sam's mum would have swum as a girl. Past houses and shops buildings that look as if they've been there for decades.

 Our B&B was a short walk from the street up this pretty laneway.

Having just finished a 13day Trafalgar tour of Italy we were pretty tired so opted for a rest but the next day we had a tour of the Island booked. We woke to a beautiful sunrise. This is the view from our balcony. 

The views of the neighboring islands were breathtaking. Sam and I had no idea how very beautiful Lipari would be. Our tour guide introduced us to some locals who said they would be related in someway having the same last name as Sam.

 We decided to see if the local council would be able to help us find where Sam's mum's house would have been.  

Our taxi dropped us in front of the council building which is attached to a church. With hope but no expectations we went inside.

In Italian, Sam told the clerk what he hoped to discover. He asked Sam for his mother's birthdate and her parent's names. Sam provided the necessary details and the clerk asked us to wait. He went into another room and quickly returned holding a very old, large book. He opened it and began to read the handwritten record of Sam's mum's birth. It was a very emotional moment that took us both back. 

We had expected to be told to fill out a form or that it would take a week to find. But here was this man reading out the time Sam's mum was born and where her parents lived. There was no street number in the record but we were staying just off the street where Sam's mum grew up. We'd been walking up and down that street for a couple of days.

We were so happy, Sam was beaming, and I had to wipe my eyes. We couldn't believe it had been so easy. The clerk created an official council excerpt for Sam and wouldn't take any money. We left with the precious document and kept looking at it over and over again.

We did lots of sightseeing on Lipari, visiting the Fort and Museum and took a hydrofoil to nearby Salina Island but nothing can beat the moment we stood in the council building listening to Sam's mum's birth record. The connection between the place we visited and the dear lady we loved became concrete. This was the land that shaped who she grew up to be. Sam had discovered something new about his mum and brought her close to him again.

It was a joy to share this special event with him.

My Hero is Batman by Dora Bramden

Dora         ‘If you could be any superhero who would it be?’

Sam          ‘I’m Batman Baby.’ Said without a moment's hesitation.

Dora         Laughs. ‘Why Batman?’

Sam          ‘Because I always wanted to be Batman.’

He didn’t explain further but It made perfect sense to me. Heroes, Super or everyday ones, often hide their strengths behind a normal façade. Unassuming Sam quietly takes on the role of superhero wherever there’s a need.

Batman swoops in to save the day with amazing physical and mental strength. In a similar way Sam, my everyday superhero, is brave, selfless and considerate of the people around him. He says I can do that when I don’t have the strength to do things for myself. He always asks questions about what is wrong and tries to find a way to fix the problem.

When I met Sam, I’d recently come home from an extended stay in hospital. I had a long road to recovery and he was there every step of the way. Many men wouldn't have given me a chance, given my poor health, but not Sam. He said we are all broken in some way and have to be understanding.

In those early days, I struggled with indecision because my brain wasn’t working very well, so when he’d ask what would I like to do on our date, I couldn’t answer him. He wasn’t fazed, ‘That’s okay, I can make that decision for us.’ Then he’d take me somewhere lovely. When I was overwhelmed by the menu he'd say, ‘I think you might like the chicken’ or ‘I think you’d like the pasta,’ and it would be what I wanted. A true superpower if you ask me.

When I was diagnosed with Coeliac disease he was by my side. I put my head in my hands, devastated that I would never be able to enjoy the food I love. He said, ‘No it’s okay, we can do this’. He took me straight to the supermarket where we found the GF section and he purchased chocolate biscuits for me to enjoy. It was consoling to know there were foods I could still enjoy eating.

As I gradually got better, and was able to make my own choices again, Sam valued my opinion. He never stopped asking what I’d want to do when we go out and is still happy to oblige me. We recently had breakfast at a place, called Two Beans and a Farm,  that is able to do a delicious GF meal.

Now married, we are firm supporters of each other. I help him a lot with his work, as a kind of secretary. Sam, supports my writing career, proofreading from time to time and the sweet man always tells me how talented I am. He’s blatantly biased, another superpower that I love about him.

I can’t fault Sam for wishing he had Bruce Wayne’s resources, a mansion with a resident butler, bat-cave and that fabulous car. All that makes it easier for Batman to devote his time to performing superhero activities because he doesn’t have to work at making a living. Sam, is better than Batman. He works hard while still stepping up and a superhero for me.

Dora Bramden writes heart-melting, passionate romance.

The Scottish Billionaire’s Secret Lover

The Italian Billionaire’s Secret Baby

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Dora Bramden’s Honeymoon in the Wine District of Rutherglen Victoria Australia

 Monday, we arrived at Carlyle House in the afternoon. The Victorian facade with gables and verandas decorated with iron lace set the tone for a romantic honeymoon. The owner greeted us and showed us through the high ceilinged ornate entrance hall to our suite. Carlyle House had once been a doctors residence and we were staying in what had once been the consulting rooms converted into a lovely lounge, bedroom and ensuite. They had been named The Tokay suite and were to be our home for the next four nights.

On entering we were greeted with a white MR & MRS sign sitting on the fireplace and rose petals scattered on the hearth area. On the king size bed was a tray with champagne and chocolates and a little dish of blueberries and strawberries. After the romance of our wedding, the honeymoon suite didn’t disappoint.

We began exploring the wine district on Tuesday. After a walk up and down the shops in the main street, and a drive around the town of Rutherglen we had lunch at De Bortoli.  Sam and I couldn’t stop talking about how delicious our meal was. The glass wall of the restaurant looked onto a formal and elegant courtyard. A center fountain focal surrounded by artistic plot plant displays. This made the dining experience very enjoyable.

That evening we went to one of the pubs for dinner and enjoyed well-prepared staples. It was crowded in the pub and we enjoyed seeing who else was dining there.

The next day we drove to Corowa (a nearby town on the Murray River) and walked the shopping district. We noted that a few wineries were on that road and made plans to return in a day or two. We headed to another pub for dinner and recognized a group of two couples that had been dining where we were the night before. They nodded to us and we smiled at them.

We decided to go for a driver farther afield on Wednesday. We lunched at Beechworth, a town renowned for its bakery. However, because I'm a Coeliac I couldn’t eat there, but we found a cafe that had a GF frittata on the menu. We enjoyed browsing the many boutique shops and giftware shops and then enjoyed the drive home. We had booked in at the renowned Taste Restaurant and enjoyed our entree sitting at a table close to the front window. Who should walk in? The same group of four that we’d dined with the last two nights. We took a look at each other and started to laugh. “Hello again,’ we said. They stopped and talked to us for a while about where each of us was staying and what we’d been doing. It turned out they had also been to Beechworth that day for lunch and that they had lunch reservations at the same winery as us for the following day.

Thursday morning we did some wine tasting at Warrabilla Wines because we’d enjoyed drinking their Shiraz with our meal the night before. 

We left with a box of wine and then went on to All Saints for our lunch. We were enjoying our main meal when our new friends came in and it was like a party. We had so much fun talking all about our holiday week in Rutherglen and discovered that we were all leaving to go home the next day. I also found out that one of the couples owns the Newsagent that I’d been going to for about 20 years! So I expect I’ll be seeing them again. We did some tasting after lunch and bought another box of wine. Sam is feeling very happy at this point but I'd kept a keen eye on how many drinks I'd had,  so I drove after lunch.

Friday we left after breakfast for the drive home, stopping at Glenrowan to visit the Ned Kelly (Famous Aussie Bushranger) attractions. 

I found a lovely antique shop with lots of girly things for the Shabby Chic side of me to enjoy.

We stopped for lunch with my cousins who live an hour down the road toward Melbourne. It was lovely catching up with them, but we were happy to eventually get home to our own bed. I'd been totally spoiled and enjoyed all the happy memories of our Wedding and Honeymoon. I’m still basking in the glow of it all.

I'll be uploading a post on my blog of the wedding day tomorrow so check over there for photos of me in at my glamorous best and a journal of my wedding day.

Dora Bramden writes heart-melting, passionate romance.

Looking Forward to Our July Wedding by Dora Bramden

As our RTG topic is AWedding Story, how could I resist talking about my own wedding that happening exactly one month and one day from now? It’s been a very busy time, organizing our special day but as a mature age couple, we are able to plan it together and have it exactly as we want. Our day will reflect who Sam and I are now in our choice of the celebrant, songs that will be played and the words we will say.  Also, Sam’s daughter and my son and daughter are going to be sharing a reading during the service. I’m so happy they are going to do this. It feels so right to have a celebration of the family we are uniting.

Visits to our marriage celebrant, Rev. Ric Holland involves an hour-long drive to the very beautiful town of Emerald. We meet at about 11 am so that afterward we can go and have lunch somewhere nice. Our second meeting was two weeks ago, we went over the order of service and chose our readings and enjoyed getting to know Rev Ric a little better.  He also recommended a restaurant in Emerald for lunch called Elevation. It was gorgeous with views of hills and we were seated next to a wood fire. There were many Gluten free options on the menu so I got to order what I liked. We had a beautiful lunch together and enjoyed a glass of wine followed by driving home through the Yarra Valley. Delightful.

Before we met Sam and I have been through a lot of struggle in our lives but feel we have found a safe haven in love and caring we have for each other. In the first two years of being together, we had a ball, going out and enjoying life, then tragedy stuck when Sam’s mum died. It brought us closer together as I stayed at his side through this. Then less than a year later, my mum passed away also. Sam was by my side for all of it. Each of us agrees that our Mum’s were able to go, knowing we had found the person who would love and take care of us.

Last October Sam proposed. I love he did it then because both our Mum’s birthdays are in October. We began to make plans for our ceremony and reception knowing that our wedding day should be a celebration of how grateful we are to have found a deep, abiding love and our joy in the prospect of spending the rest of our lives together.

At our first meeting with Rev. Ric, he suggested we might like a singer at our ceremony. Sam loved this idea so I went online and found a beautiful singer, Sharon Crossman. From her song list, we were able to find songs that represented how we feel about each other. As I’m walking down the aisle in the little the chapel we have hired, Sharon will be singing ‘There You Are’ It sums up how Sam and I are there for each other. Later when we’re signing the register she’ll be singing ‘Bless the Broken Road’ which acknowledges that all our struggles in the past are part of the road that led us to each other. and ‘I believe in you and Me’ a sweet song from Whitney Huston.

As we and the guests are leaving the chapel Sharon will sing ‘From this Moment’ by Shania Twain and ‘Feels Like Home to Me’ by Chantal Kreviazuk. It took a long time to choose these songs but we did it together and they are perfect for the mood we wish to create.

So you can picture how it will be I’ll share what we are wearing. The color scheme for the wedding is navy and blush pink. Sam and his groomsmen will be wearing navy suits, white shirts, and blush pink ties. My two bridesmaids will be in navy lace and chiffon cocktail length dresses and they’ll be holding pink floral bouquets. I’m going full-on bride with a long almond ivory gown. The bodice is lace with little bits tailing down onto a full tulle skirt. In my hair, I’ll be wearing a gold wired hair band that is studded with crystals and tiny pearls.

Today I have the hair and makeup artist coming to my house for a trial run and I’m very excited to see what we will come up with. At first, I was very nervous about getting married and all the attention it will bring, but now I’m really looking forward to a very special day and just enjoying all the lovely things that will be happening, and having a very romantic ceremony as Sam and I pledge our love, together with our family and friends.

Dora Bramden writes heart-melting, passionate romance.

www.dorabramden.com

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A funny thing happened on the way to Jane Austen’s House. by Dora Bramden

In November  2006 I was on a solo holiday in England. Half a world away from where I live in Australia, I was realizing my long-held dream of visiting the magical world of Jane Austen.

In heavy rain, I left London and drove along the M3 in my little black Fiat that I’d only just hired that morning. Cars whooshed past as I huddled inside my buzz box. The windscreen wipers worked furiously but failed to keep up with the deluge.  I thought I saw a signpost saying Slough, a village I thought I needed to pass through on the way to Jane Austen’s house. 

I made the decision to get off and assumed if I was wrong I would simply get back on the freeway and keep going. So I took the next exit ramp but it seemed rather narrow once I was on it. However, I was committed and had to keep going. Unfortunately for me, the off-ramp turned into a laneway which wasn’t the main road I was expecting. It was a one-way exit from the freeway. So I had no option but to keep driving while worriedly looking for more signs.

‘Oh boy. Where the heck was I?’ Except I don’t think I used the word ‘heck’

I drove for a few miles through green pastures when I started to have a meltdown. Where was I and how was I ever going to get back to the freeway? What if I didn't find my hotel that was already booked.  I pulled over and let the panic take me. I balled for a while and when I stopped I realized that crying wasn’t going to solve the problem of being in the middle of nowhere.

I wasn’t going to get rescued because it was a very quiet lane. I started to drive again and hoped that eventually, I’d find a village or even a house where I could ask directions.

I drove on for what seemed like a long time, but I think I’m an unreliable witness in my panicked state. A T intersection brought me to a halt and a small cluster of houses and a Pub relieved a little of the panic. But there was absolutely no signage to enlighten me where I was.

I parked in the pub car park and now noticed that at least the rain had eased to something between light rain and drizzle.

My hired Fiat

I ran around to the front door and went in. It was a busy Saturday lunch crowd but I was the only woman in the room and everyone stopped to look at me. So with the single intent of finding out where I was, I marched to the bar and said, ‘I'm a lost Australian. Am I near slough?’

‘No. I don’t even know where that is,’ he says. Then without warning, he yells, ‘DOES ANYONE KNOW THE WAY TO SLOUGH.’

I shrank inside. I'd created a spectacle of myself which I'd been brought up to avoid at all costs. I also didn't feel very safe. Instead of feeling more in charge of my situation I felt things were spinning way out of control.

‘I DO,’ said a well dressed middle aged man, sitting at the table with three other men dressed in laborer work clothes. I took in the beers they were drinking, it looked like the boss was buying a round after a mornings work. I decided to take the chance that they would help. So I paid for my coke and scurried over to them as the buzz of conversation started up again.

The well-dressed man asked where I needed to go and I told him, Jane Austen's House but I wanted to check in for the night at Fleet. He said I didn't need to go through Slough but to get off at the Fleet turnoff.  He explained that I’d got off the M3 too soon, it was easiest if I just waited until they finished their drinks and I could follow him back to the freeway. He was having lunch at his daughter's house and didn’t need to go on the freeway but he could go that way to show me.

I sipped my coke as he chatted to me kindly asking where I was from, and when he found out I was an Aussie he told me about every friend and relative of his that lived in Australia too. 

He led me back to the freeway in his silver Mercedes Benz. When the Fleet exit came up he put his left indicator on. I went off and he stayed on the motorway. I found my hotel, checked in and stayed put. I went to see Jane Austen's house the next day when I was calmer and could enjoy it properly.

Does this story familiar, like something you’ve read before? It’s the real-life event that created the inspiration for 'The Scottish Billionaires Secret Lover'. I've included the first chapter excerpt containing a scene very similar to this in past posts. Of course, Natalie has a much bigger adventure than I did but mine was plenty big enough for real life.

To this day I still have no idea where that pub was. I'm kicking myself for being so panicked I didn't ask, but I’ll always remember how, despite all the anxiety, I had been able to carry on. It was such a profound moment in my life that it inspired a book about a woman who’d lost everything and had to start again, relying on her inner strength.

2006 in England

Dora Bramden

Heart-Melting, Passionate Romance.

Dora posts weekly on her romantic lifestyle blog on her website: www.dorabramden.com/blog

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Romantic Christmas Potpourri by Dora Bramden

Christmas, with all that decorating and cooking, is a time of year that sharpens my focus on the kind of person really I am. I can clutter the house with a hundred trinkets and make it as cozy as a cabin in the snowy mountains even though it’s summer in Australia. I love to have lots of things around me. More is more. But like a potpourri, I like it to have a cohesive thread. So when everything is Christmas themed, there’s the thread and once a year I decorate with every bit of Christmas potpourri that I can find.

My personality is typically Piscean. I thrive with variety and an outlet for creativity. Not content to have one craft of the moment, I have many projects of the go at once and enjoy them all.  I need the stimulation of making things with my hands. I feel it provides creative energy which I can use when writing.

I like to garden and cook and sew and paint and hot glue things. I want to make and make and never stop. But there’s a limit to how much stuff I can put in my house so Christmas is a time I let my head go wild. There’s never too many decorations or ornaments. I’m only limited by how much storage space I can allot to it. But I’m already looking at second-hand garden sheds for sale.

I have a blog on my website about this year’s romantic Christmas theme that I’ve decorated the family room and kitchen areas in. Some of the things I’ve been doing this year to add to my collection include making lacy rosettes and painting baubles and décor in the pink shades I need for this theme.

A wreath decorated with lace strips cut from an old curtain and baubles, from years past, hand painted shades of pink.

Being a craft hoarder I have paints on hand that I can use. The pearl white mixed with burgundy makes a very pretty mauve/pink. I painted my deep red Santa’s pink but if I want to use them in a traditional theme next year, the paints and brushes will come out again.

A potpurri of ornaments freshly painted.

If you’d like to see what I’ve been doing to decorate my Romantic home this year check out my blog at www.dorabramden.com  Last week is the kitchen and family rooms, next weekend will be the bedroom, ensuite and the guest bedroom/study, where I write.

Have you ever decorated in the romantic style for Christmas? I've interpreted it as a cross between shabby chic and Victorian but I think it's got to be whatever inspires romance for you.

Heroines Don't Have To Be Beautiful by Dora Bramden

I recently became engaged. Ahhh! When Sam asked me it was a huge thrill. I posted Our Romantic Proposal Story on my website blog last Sunday. The fact that I'm in my mid 50's and weigh more than I ever have, when the man I love proposed, reminded me of a post I put up in 2016 about heroines not needing to be perfect in the way they look. 

You see I'm the heroine of my own life, ( That's a line from the movie 'The Holiday' that resonated with me ).  I now wear a lovely diamond ring and am looking forward to our wedding in late 2019. When I met Sam, I suspected he would be my happily ever after, and I was right. I found a keeper, a man worthy of a kind hearted loving woman who doesn't need to be thin or young and beautiful to have love and romance in her life. 

Heroines Don't Have To Be Beautiful

Heroines in romance novels seem to be always beautiful and slim, right?  Bertrice Small’s Sky O’Malley, had perfect skin unmarked by a single blemish. I loved that book but I also love it when an author goes against the trend and creates a less than perfect body type in a heroine who’s perhaps past her prime or has a plump figure.

In the book ‘Where The Heart Is’ by Billie Letts, the heroine, Novalee Nation, is overweight. I know, the movie version cast a tiny actress for the role but its heart and soul was born from the book that had had a less than perfect body heroine. Hero, Forney Hull, sees her inner beauty. He’s fascinated by Novalee when she visits the library to find out how to save her sick tree.

There is no perfect body, of course, and beauty really is in the eye of the beholder. As in Anne Gracie’s ‘The Perfect Rake’, hero, Gideon shows us. He falls in love with plump (by Georgian standards) Prudence; he admires her figure a number of times. She’s his kind of beautiful. She has a “mother hen” nature in taking care of her sisters that he loves too. He’d sworn off marriage but in Prudence, he finds the kind of woman he could spend a lifetime with and it’s his brand of attractive.

My favorite reunion-story, ‘Persuasion’, by (I don’t need to tell you but I simply must give her credit) Jane Austen, has the heroine, Anne Elliot, a faded version of her younger self. Poor heroic, heartbroken Captain Wentworth claims to barely recognize her she’s so changed. If this isn’t proof that she’s not the prettiest girl in the room, he drives it home by giving all his attention to the pleasing Miss Musgroves.  So much attention that by the time he realizes Anne is the only one he could ever love, her status as more attractive than any other has returned, but he’s created expectations in one Miss Musgrove that may divide him from Anne forever.  That his foolishness costs him a few sleepless nights is his just deserts.

All heroines have an inner beauty. They’re understanding and compassionate but flaws are fine, even physical ones. I’ve read lots of Mills and Boon Sexy and Desires with heroines who’ve been scarred or suffered burns, but their hero isn’t put off by them. For me, it makes the HEA all the sweeter because I want life to compensate her for her pain and I’ve become so invested in her worthiness of being loved by a good man.

Let’s acknowledge that most of us have something we feel a bit insecure about even though we know we shouldn’t. Fiona Lowe’s Ruby and Rita winning ‘Boomerang Bride’ has a secondary character who is dealing with physical disfigurement. I became so deeply invested in her journey and felt sad for her, but it was a joy to watch her find the courage to deal with real life issues and be valued and loved.

I guess we all want acceptance, so seeing a heroine who’s not beautiful in the traditional sense find love, reassures us that everyone is worthy of happiness as these heroines are. Christina Aguilera summed it up. “You are beautiful, no matter what they say.”

Dora Bramden writes contemporary romance. Find out about her books on her Amazon author page.
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What I Do To Refill My Creative Pantry by Dora Bramden

As an author, being creative is an ingredient to what I do. But what happens when the inspiration runs out. I go get some. Just like refilling the pantry I go and get my fill of the world so I can come back and write about it.

Lots of writers that I’ve listened to speak about their routine include a daily walk. I groan at the idea but actually walking is very nice. I like to look around me and see what’s in other people’s gardens or look at nature in parks and observe the people who cross my path.

But a daily walk isn’t as  restoring as having a whole day away from the computer and the four walls of my study. Years ago, I began taking a day for myself once a week. I called it Dora Day because I needed time to think about what gave me pleasure. I didn’t do dishes, cook the dinner or worry about teenagers' or my partner's concerns. They had me every other day but not Dora Day. If an emergency wasn’t worthy of an Ambulance or the Fire brigade I didn’t need to know about it. Dad could handle it.

After starting Dora Day my productivity skyrocketed. I wrote massive word counts. Now that my children are adults, I can take the time to think or do what ever I want but I must remember to do it. If I don’t the inspiration dries up. That is the trigger for me to take an excursion and have an adhoc Dora Day.

But what do I do on these days? I go to places that make me feel inspired and immersed in beauty. For me that is a garden or a gallery. The National Gallery Victoria is my favorite art destination. I park in an all-day car park and walk to the gallery. After visiting the historic fashions and the romantic painters I walk across the bridge for an early lunch at the Hopetoun Tearooms (early to beat the crowd). The afternoon includes a saunter up and down the Royal Arcade which is filled with artisan boutiques. Window shopping in curio shops, or tasting the treats from chocolate specialists Koko Black are some favorite stops. Perhaps a browse in Myer or David Jones to see the latest fashions before heading back to the car.

Another favorite place near the Melbourne City Center is the Fitzroy Gardens. It has a story book atmosphere because of the attractions found there but it’s free entry and there are banks of flowering shrubs and annuals to enjoy. Captain Cook’s cottage sits in the grounds, I don’t worry about going through it every time but I do love to stroll around this heritage cottage. Lunch in the Pavilion Cafe, located in the middle of the gardens, is always delicious and from there it’s a short stroll to the fairy tree and the miniature village. The most magical part of the visit for me, is spending some time in the Conservatory. It’s a wonderland of flowering plants. A distinctly Victorian feel is evoked with the strategic placement of cast iron benches and a bridge over a goldfish pond.  Lacy maiden hair fern fronds soften the natural rock borders and the towering glass house arched windows provide a classic backdrop. In-between is filled with seasonal plantings, fountains and statues. A wonderland that I always find hard to leave.

I guess it’s no wonder I come home feeling so refreshed from these excursions that fill my creative pantry. I suppose we all have special places that call us back again and again. These are the places that replenish our creativity and it pays to heed their call. In fact I think I hear them calling me right now.

Dora Bramden writes contemporary romance
Healing Love, Passionate Romance

You can find out more about Dora and her books at her website.

Fantasy Thai Holiday by Dora Bramden

Ever since I was a little girl, I wanted to go to Thailand. Documentaries I’d seen on TV made it seem like an enchanted fairyland. Pretty Thai dancers and the buildings with their upturned pointy eave decorations enthralled me. About ten years ago, I got the opportunity to have an overseas holiday in Thailand, but I’d have to go alone. It took two minutes to decide I was going. I felt scared to travel alone, but I had a motto, 'feel the fear and do it anyway'. With time enough for a few days in Bangkok and a little over a week on the Island of Koh Samui, I set off with high hopes of enjoying myself.

I landed at Bangkok international airport at night time, and after initial anxiety over finding my driver, my fellow minibus tourists and I were taxied through unnervingly dark streets where I saw an elephant being groomed. This let me know I wasn’t in KANSAS ANYMORE. (Or Melbourne in my case.) At last, we emerged in the middle of a colorful shopping precinct on Grand Sukhumvit road. I had just started to relax when we shot off down a narrow laneway lined to the road edge with street stalls. Pausing for traffic we stopped briefly next to a stand with rather scary looking deep-fried scorpions, hanging at my eye level. So far I wasn’t enchanted.

We turned a corner, and the street stalls disappeared as we drove into the forecourt of a grand hotel. It was five stars and not somewhere I’d usually stay, but I’d got it at half price. So my humble travel suitcase and I didn’t really fit in, but I didn’t care, all I wanted was to find my room and have a nice cup of tea.

The hotel staff were so friendly, and my room turned out to be a suite. I had everything I needed. The next day I began exploring Bangkok with a city tour company. I went in a banana boat and visited the Wat Arun (Temple of the morning) I couldn’t get over how beautiful the mosaic that covered it was. The next day I went shopping on Sukhumvit road and bought a bag and visited the king's palace. The gardens were gorgeous, and the architecture was so beautiful. Domes covered in gold and tiled roofs with dragons and upturned flames on the rooves.

In the evening I went to a Thai banquet with many dishes. The entertainment music was played on traditional instruments, and there were the much looked forward to Thai dancers. I took heaps of photos and thoroughly enjoyed seeing the gorgeous women and their costumes in real life.

Then It was time for me to fly to Koh Samui. Here I stayed at a resort on the beach. There were two swimming pools and a restaurant on site. I didn’t hardly leave the resort because I was so happy just relaxing and writing. Yes, I took a laptop. Well, I am a writer, and I thought I might get inspired. Which I most certainly did. I didn’t have to make a bed or cook a meal, just write and go for walks or swims at the resort. Traveling alone, I might have been lonely, but each morning at breakfast, the staff greeted me as a friend. Anywhere I went a staff member would wish me ‘Sawasdee ka if a woman or Sawasdee krab if a man’ (friendly Thai greeting).

After a couple of days, I booked a tour of the island. The highlights included visiting a market town full of handcrafted items, a waterfall in the jungle, the big budda ( a giant statue of Buddha at a temple), and to an elephant show, with rides and a monkey display. I was terrified of the elephants but remembering my mantra, ‘feel the fear and do it anyway.’ I made myself have a ride. I was nervous most of the time, but it was a huge adventure, and I love the photo I have of me sitting on the elephant.

I love being able to look back on my time in Thailand. A bucket list item that didn't disappoint. Despite uncertain beginnings, my Thai fantasy holiday surpassed all expectations.



You can learn more about Dora Bramden and find her social media links on her website