When I saw the utterly beautiful cover to Clare Rhoden’s latest novel I simply had to ask her to stay in with me on Linda’s Book Bag to tell me a bit more about the book.

Staying in with Clare Rhoden

Welcome to Linda’s Book Bag, Clare. Thank you for agreeing to stay in with me.

Thank you so much for being such a generous host, Linda!

Tell me, which of your books have you brought along to share this evening and why have you chosen it? 

Tonight I’d like to introduce you to my latest book, The Stars in the Night. I hope you love this cover as much as I do. Isn’t it grand?

(It really is. I think this may be the most attractive cover to me as a reader that I have ever seen. I love it Clare.)

I’m so pleased we managed to have this published in the Centenary Year of the WWI Armistice.

(Very timely indeed I think.)

What can we expect from an evening in with The Stars in the Night?

Stars is historical fiction, with the story beginning in 1915 and continuing until the 1970s. You can expect quite a few smiles and a dash of tears as the Fletchers and the MacTierneys navigate the Great War and the years after it. I trust it’s a perfect book for staying in with.

(It sounds as if it is to me Clare. I know my TBR is out of control but I really don’t think I can resist The Stars in the Night.)

What else have you brought along and why?

I’ve brought some Brown Brothers Orange Muscat &Flora – it’s a sweet, syrupy dessert wine from Milawa in north-eastern Victoria (Australia), just a few hours from where I live.

(I don’t drink wine often as it makes me ill, but I could be persuaded with this one.)

I’ve also brought some Fennel-almond biscotti from my favourite bakers, Phillippa’s of Melbourne. A match made in heaven. No driving after the second glass of orange muscat, mind you!

(Ha! You’re the one having to drive. I’m staying put. Mind you, I don’t drink anything if I’m driving. My driving is quite poor enough without alcohol in the mix!)

This combination is just the sort of thing you want to celebrate finishing a book draft – or even better, to enjoy while staying in with a good book.

(Or a cup of tea and a biscuit. It’s always time for a cup of tea…)

One more thing I’ve brought to show you is this photo of my dad and his family, taken in Port Adelaide in 1933. It was researching my father’s parents, who both died quite young, that eventually led me to a PhD in Australian WWI literature and my novel The Stars in the Night. My grandparents emigrated to Australia in January 1914 and were declared enemy aliens because of their German connections (he was from Pomerania and she was from Alsace). Yet they instilled in their sons a love of all things Australian and a strong desire for peace, not war. My father is that sweet little boy on the right.

Without the people in this photo, I would not be the writer I am.

What a moving and lovely stimulus for The Stars in the Night Clare. It has been wonderful finding out more about it as it is definitely my kind of read. Thanks so much for staying in with me.

The Stars in the Night

Harry Fletcher is a confident young man. He’s sure that he will marry Nora MacTiernan, no matter what their families say. He’s certain that he will always be there to protect Eddie, the boy his father saved from the gutters of Port Adelaide.

Only the War to End All Wars might get in the way of Harry’s plans.

From the beaches of Semaphore to the shores of Gallipoli, the mud of Flanders to the red dust of inland South Australia, this is a story of love, brotherhood, and resilience.

The Stars in the Night is available for purchase here.

About Clare Rhoden

Clare Rhoden completed her PhD in Australian WWI literature at the University of Melbourne in 2011, and a Masters of Creative Writing in 2008, in which she investigated the history of her grandparents who emigrated for Europe to Port Adelaide in January 1914. The Stars in the Night is the result of her research. Clare also writes sci-fi and fantasy (check her titles at Odyssey Books). She lives in Melbourne Australia with her husband Bill, their super-intelligent poodle-cross Aeryn, a huge and charming parliament of visiting magpies, and a very demanding/addictive garden space.

For more information you can visit Clare’s website, find her on Facebook, Goodreads and Instagram and follow Clare on Twitter @ClareER.