These experiences were the inspiration behind my book Twenty-Four Seven, and it is dedicated to telephone counsellors, past and present.

From when I began writing essays at school, till I graduated to writing reports at work, I’ve loved playing with words and functioning within the strict confines of English grammar. The world of fiction, though, is entirely another challenge which I’ve been delighted to explore, where breaking the rules is necessary to be authentic.

The title, Twenty-Four Seven, is a play on words, since it is both the name of the telephone counselling agency owned and run by the protagonist, Cherie Dexter, and the length of time her story spans.

Cherie is on call, not only to clients in distress, but also to her aging father, Tom, who is rapidly slipping into dementia. On top of the daily chaos, she must fight to keep the business afloat and her hare-brained partners under control. Just when she thinks nothing else can go wrong, it does, and Cherie finds herself embroiled in a life and death situation that puts all her skills and training to the test.

Could telephone counselling really be this dangerous?

Apart from bookstores, copies of Twenty-Four Seven are available on line from www.shortstoppress.com

Reviews and comments include:

Scoop Magazine: ‘(Twenty-Four Seven) provides an inside view into the extraordinary world of telephone counselling in this gripping thriller.’

His Excellency, Dr Ken Michael AC, Governor of Western Australia: ‘…a fascinating, enjoyable and engaging story, told very realistically and with great skill.’

Dr Judith Roberts AO, Deputy Chancellor (Ret), Flinders University, Adelaide: ‘The characters are real and leap out of every chapter with life experiences that are relevant to everyone.’

Jane Marrington, English Teacher, Gilmore College, WA: ‘It is an awesome read.’

Dr Jean Foster MD: ‘Congratulations…I haven’t stayed up late to read since I read Harry Potter.’

Fiona Wood, Lifeline Telephone Counsellor: ‘…Great read. Got me from beginning to end.’

Dawn O’Neil, CEO of Lifeline, Australia said: ‘Fascinating…an excellent read which I’m sure readers will find compelling.”

John Harman, Author, Ghostwriter, Scriptwriter, said: “Twenty-Four Seven really moves. The novel is full of pace, action and realistic characters who are living, scheming, and trying to survive in a world few of us know – that of telephone counselling. It’s a great, unputdownable read.”

Twenty-Four Seven was launched through  major Lifeline Centres throughout Australia  in February and March 2010. 

The manuscript of the sequel to Twenty-Four Seven, titled Georgie-Girl is now complete and awaiting editing.  This time, Cherie Dexter is operating from a mining town in Central Queensland.

I initially cut my literary teeth on The Rocky Girl in 2005, writing under my maiden name, Macaree. The Rocky Girl was published to honour the short life of my work colleague, Mima-McKim-Hill of Rockhampton, who, in 1967, was murdered on the job, while working as a home management advisor for the electricity authority. That murder has not been solved, although the case is currently undergoing a review by police and new evidence has come to light. Another book is under way.