Mark Bornz

Hey there! I'm Mark Bornz, and I write the kind of sweeping, emotionally-charged historical romance that keeps you up way too late and makes you call in sick to work the next day. (Don't worry, your secret's safe with me.)

Growing up in Australia, I was surrounded by stories - not just the ones in books, but the raw, real tales of people who carved out lives in our unforgiving landscape. Those stories got under my skin and never left. I spent years working various jobs, from ranch hand to business consultant, but those untold stories kept nagging at me, demanding to be written.

When I finally sat down to write my first novel, "The Consequence of Anna," I knew I had to do justice to the true story that inspired it. It's funny - I never set out to write a bestseller or create something that would be optioned for film. I just wanted to tell this haunting tale of love, loss, and redemption that wouldn't leave me alone. (The fact that it hit #1 and is being adapted for the screen still makes me shake my head in disbelief some days.)

My writing style? Well, I've been told it's reminiscent of Colleen McCullough's "The Thorn Birds" (which, as an Aussie author, is pretty much the highest compliment I could receive). I write complex, flawed characters who make terrible decisions for all the right reasons. My stories tend to be layered with historical detail, moral ambiguity, and enough sexual tension to power a small city. If you're looking for light, fluffy romance, I'm probably not your guy. But if you want a love story that'll punch you in the gut, make you question everything you believe, and leave you thinking about the characters months later - pull up a chair.

I'm a research junkie (my wife says I disappear down "historical rabbit holes" for weeks at a time), and I believe in getting every detail right. Whether it's the exact sound a sheep-shearing machine made in 1940s Australia or the precise way wool was graded and sorted, I want readers to feel like they're really there. Sometimes this means spending months researching a single chapter, but hey, nobody ever said obsession was rational.

When I'm not writing, you'll usually find me on my property in the Australian countryside, where I live with my family and an embarrassing number of animals. (The sheep are particularly judgmental of my writing schedule.) I start each day at dawn with a cup of strong coffee and end it with a glass of even stronger whiskey, usually while editing chapters or jotting down ideas for future books.

To my readers: thank you for embracing "The Consequence of Anna" and its complicated characters with such open hearts. Your messages about staying up all night to finish it, crying over certain scenes (you know which ones), and seeing your own family's stories reflected in its pages - those mean everything to me.

I'm currently working on my next novel (no, I won't tell you what it's about yet, but let's just say it involves another stunning piece of Australian history that most people don't know about). Like "Anna," it'll be a story that challenges you, breaks your heart a little, and hopefully puts it back together in unexpected ways.

If you decide to pick up one of my books, be prepared for: - Historical accuracy that'll make you feel like you've time-traveled - Complex characters who'll make you want to shake them (while secretly understanding why they did what they did) - Love stories that aren't always pretty but are always honest - Enough atmospheric detail to make you smell the eucalyptus and feel the outback dust on your skin - Plot twists that'll keep you guessing (and possibly cursing my name)

Want to connect? You can find me on social media, where I post about writing, history, and occasionally my sheep's opinions on my work-in-progress. Fair warning: I'm terrible at TikTok dances but pretty good at sharing interesting historical tidbits that might show up in future books.

Thanks for stopping by. Now, if you'll excuse me, I've got some characters waiting impatiently to have their stories told. (And these sheep won't shear themselves.)