Now to Love

Question: I have reddish-brown hair and would like to dye it blonde, without having to spend a fortune at the hairdressers. How can I use home products? Tracey, via e-mail. Answer: It can be tricky dying brown hair with red undertones blonde without going “brassy”. When trying this yourself, the Schwarzkopf Advice Line suggests starting […]

One way to keep in shape this summer is to keep active during your holiday break. You can still enjoy the holiday feel-good factor while you improve your fitness. Spa reviver Check out Golden Door www.goldendoor.com.au Fitness resorts Check out Fitness Escapes www.fitnessescapes.com.au Walk on by Check out Intrepid Travel www.intrepidtravel.com Sun, sea and surf […]

You can’t just tell the reader the emotion your character is experiencing, you have to show them. You do this by creating images using bricks of significant detail. God and the devil are in the detail. As Strunk and White wrote in The Elements Of Style, “if those who have studied the art of writing […]

Today we are going to explore one of the x factors in writing fiction, faith. Writing, like any creative endeavour, involves uncertainty and requires an act of faith. Faith in our imagination, faith in ourselves, faith in the creative process and faith in the stories we want to tell. When you sit down in front […]

Exclusive extract from Social Crimes (Allen and Unwin) written by Jane Stanton Hitchcock. Murder was never my goal in life. I’m a very sentimental person at heart. I cry in old movies. I love animals and children. I’m a pushover for a beggar in the street. So if anyone had told me five years ago […]

Who would have thought that the humble herb pot at your back door could be growing such a powerful health story? A sprinkle of chopped chives on a baked potato, rosemary on a rack of lamb and ginger with chilli on baked fish, hardly adds up to much in the way of nutrition. Or does […]

She appears fragile, yet Naomi Watts has the grit to overcome the pain of her father’s death, the will to be known as more than “Nicole Kidman’s best friend” and the talent to be a star. In this candid interview, she talks to Ginny Dougary about her life, her career challenges and the devastation of […]

We were young and had what others perceived as the perfect relationship. Within 18 months of meeting, Tom and I married. Both of us had great careers, we’d purchased our own home and on the outside, everything looked perfect. Inside, things were so much different. I was diagnosed with depression after Tom and I had […]

Hollywood mums give their tips on shaping up after your bundle of joy has arrived …

Question: I have just had my hair permed and now I find it a little dry. What is the best product to put on my hair to help nourish it? Tania Atkins Answer: There are a number of over the counter treatments that you can buy to help nourish hair. My favourite is the VO5 […]