Welcome Victoria Purman

Victoria Purman has studied journalism at university, worked as a television and radio journalist, a speechwriter, a publicist, a communications consultant, a political adviser, and a public servant. Not to mention mum, chef, taxi driver, volunteer and problem-solver. Living in South Australia, when she is not writing, she spends time with her husband, three sons, a disobedient dog, her loving, extended family and dear friends.

Nobody But Him published by Harlequin Australia on October 1st 2013, is Victoria’s debut novel and the first in a trilogy named My Boys of Summer. My review of this sweet and sexy romance will be posted later today but let Victoria pique your interest with this guest post about the setting of Nobody But Him and keep reading for your chance to win!

Sun, salt and sand: My inspiration for “Nobody But Him” and the Boys of Summer trilogy

Who hasn’t harboured a secret fantasy about running away from it all to a sleepy beachside town, where summers never end and the coastal air blows the cobwebs from your mind, taking the stress and problems of city life with it?
The fresh air, the long walks, the sun, the relaxed mood, that feeling that you’re on holidays all year round?
What’s not to love? And it’s clearly not just me who has occasionally indulged in this daydream. Hundreds of thousands of Australians flock to the beach like seagulls onto a hot chip during summer holidays for the sun, the surf, the clean and safe water and the fun.
We just love the weather, the views, the surfing, swimming and bodyboarding, the beach cricket and time under a beach umbrella with a good book.
So, why not set a book in a place as gorgeous as this?

“Nobody But Him”, the first book in my Boys of Summer trilogy, takes place in the fictional town of Middle Point on the very real and stunning coastline of South Australia’s Fleurieu Peninsula.
I’ve been lucky enough during the past few years to spend time each summer with my family there and we adore it. The small towns there aren’t far from Adelaide, just over an hour’s drive south, but they seem a world away from the city.
Victor Harbor has been a holiday resort town for more than a hundred years, and Goolwa is the place where the River Murray finally finishes winding its way through southeastern Australia and flows out to sea.
In between are the small towns of Port Elliot and Middleton, which swell when the warm weather arrives, as thousands of holidaymakers not just from South Australia but from around Australia head there to relax.
Middleton (which is the inspiration for Middle Point) is a surfers’ beach. Here are a couple of them about to head out to catch a wave or two.

One of Australia’s most famous wine-growing districts – McLaren Vale – sits on the Fleurieu and that area gets a mention in the book, too. What a perfect summer view, especially with a glass of chilled white wine in your hand!

As you turn the pages and get to know my characters, I hope you’ll let yourself be whisked away to the beach, smell the salt in the air and feel the warming sun on your face.
My heroine Julia is someone who left Middle Point as soon as she turned eighteen, leaving behind her hometown and a city boy – Ryan – with a broken heart. But after her mother dies, she’s forced to go home and finalise her mother’s estate. Coming home makes her realise that not only has her hometown changed, but she has too.
And when she runs into a grown-up Ryan Blackburn, sparks fly once again
I tried to imagine what it would have been like for a young girl growing up in a small town like those I’ve mentioned, and what it must be like to see the wealthier holidaymakers arrive and turn those towns upside down during the summer.
That’s something I wanted to explore in “Nobody But Him”. My characters are at a point in their lives where they have to make some big decisions about who they want to be, where they want to live and whether they’ll open their hearts to love.
A love story set in such a beautiful part of the world? Heaven, if you ask me. I hope you agree.

Nobody But Him is available to purchase from

Harlequin I BoomerangBooks I Booktopia I Amazon Kindle

via Booko

GIVEAWAY

Thanks to Morey Media

I have

1 print edition of Nobody But Him to giveaway

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Entries Close October 20th, 2013

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