I was privileged to see Helene’s star performance at ARRC this year—she does ‘demure’ very well! She’s multi-talented, a ‘high-flyer’ you might say (I had to get that one in!) Romantic titles and gorgeous covers abound for Helene Young. The cover gods love her! Welcome and thanks for treading the boards with us today! 

Thanks for allowing me to dance across your page, Susanne J

1.      Are you inspired most by places, people or experiences and how do these work their way into your writing?  

Inspiration comes from so many places! Half Moon Bay was definitely inspired by growing up at Currumbin Beach when it was still a small coastal hamlet in the 1960’s. We used to drive down from Brisbane every weekend to look after a couple of beach shacks my parents rented out to holidaymakers. It was such an idyllic way to grow up. When I started writing Half Moon Bay and found the story was about council corruption I couldn’t quite bear to do that to Currumbin so I invented a town and dropped it onto the coast around Yamba and Angourie in Northern New South Wales, another area we visited a lot when I was a teenager. It’s a gorgeous setting!

2.      Please share one of your favourite moments of inspiration with us.

I think the most powerful moment of inspiration was finding a body washed up on our local beach. The opening scene for Wings of Fear continued from that moment even though it took some time for me to be able to write about it.

3.      How did you come up with the idea of Half Moon Bay?

There are a lot of threads running through Half Moon Bay. There’s drug smuggling from Afghanistan, corruption in local government and the dislocation that injured servicemen and women have to deal with when they return home. Much of that comes from every day news stories. On a deeper level it’s a story about crossing the boundaries in pursuit of justice. How far is too far? Who makes that call? I guess I’ve always been fascinated by human nature and the idea that we put people we love up on a pedestal and are then angry and disappointed when they turn out to have feet of clay.

And this is the part that really fascinates me, how these threads are woven together from such diverse elements.

4.      How do you come up with your characters’ names?

Some of them arrive already named and they’re the easy ones. Nicholas Lawson had so much presence he was only ever going to be a Nick. Ellie was a little more problematic and it took several goes before I worked out who she was. Once Eleanor Wilding had her name she finally started to open up to me!

5.      If you could pick a soundtrack to match your main character’s life, what would it be?
Missy Higgins song ‘Waiting’ played on rerun when I was writing Ellie’s scenes J

6.      What is your favourite holiday?  
My favourite, most awesome holiday was a 26 day cruise to Antarctica. There’s a whole series of stories waiting to be written inspired by that holiday!

I hope you’re already into these, Helene, because Antarctica intrigues me. Can’t wait to see what you come up with!

7.      Do you read reviews of your books? What do you do when you read a not-so-nice one?

I do read reviews, but I understand that not everyone is going to like my stories so I take critical reviews on board and see if there’s a kernel of truth in them.

8. How many times were you turned down before you finally got published?

I was a spineless wonder and only submitted once to Harlequin Mills and Boons and then to Hachette Australia…

9.      What reason(s) did the publishers give for their rejection of your manuscript?
HM&B politely rejected my story as it didn’t fit their guidelines. They were right! At the time I had no real understanding of the romance genre, nor the different lines and their requirements. It was a lesson I needed to learn J

10.  Who is your literary hero?

Hard to go past Mr Darcy isn’t it?

There are many out there who will agree with you! Me included!

11.  If you could meet anyone, alive or dead, and spend an hour with them, who and why? 
Amelia Earhart -  she was such an inspirational aviator and a woman ahead of her times.

12.  What is your favourite book of all time that you can reread a hundred times, and it still feels like the first time? 
Hungry as the Sea by Wilbur Smith.  It’s comfort food for me J

Always loved his African settings too.

13.  What do you need to set the mood for you to write?
No mood setting required. Since I juggle a flying life and a writing life I write whenever I can. In my ideal world I’d be sat on the back deck of Roo Bin Esque with a lavender scented candle, Missy Higgins playing on my ipod and a cool breeze. I’m working on it!

14.  If there is one genre that you have not written in yet, but would love to try writing a book in that specific genre, what would it be? 
I’d love to write an action packed YA.

15.  How many blurbs did you have to write before the final one?

Writing blurbs is as hard as putting together a synopsis, so for everyone out there who’s struggling with their first submission, don’t despair! You’re not alone. I don’t know any writers who just whip up a back cover blurb, but blurbs should be the essence of the story so it’s worthwhile persevering even when it’s hard.

16.   Would you like to share an excerpt from your writing or a photo or music link that inspires you?  Click the link to read the first chapter for Half Moon Bay:  http://www.heleneyoung.com/books/half-moon-bay/

 

17.  Please share your favourite cocktail recipe or celebration photo.
My first writing award at the Australian Romance Readers Convention!

Need a hot man for a cold winter’s night? Jenny’s debut novel, A Man for All Seasons, and her hero, Chad, seem more than ready to oblige as we head into winter.

Welcome, Jenny, and thanks for treading the boards with us today!

 

1.      Are you inspired most by places, people or experiences and how do these work their way into your writing?

Landscape is a particular source of inspiration for me. The development of my characters is greatly influenced by their geographical location. But  I think that every facet of my life and experience becomes part of my writing, although often this is a subconscious process. Sometimes I think my writing is the sum of all my mistakes! So, plenty of scope there.

And don’t we often use our own life moments in our writing!

2.      How did you come up with the idea of A Man for All Seasons?

My titles tend to evolve. Usually they are taken from a particular line that especially moves me. This may happen early on or not until the work is nearly finished. You'll be able to spot the moment for yourself if you read the story. It's a particularly poignant moment for Seraphim.

Sir Thomas More has always been the definitive “Man” since high school English. Looking forward to Chad giving me a newer image!

3.      How do you come up with your characters’ names?

For A Man For All Seasons I wanted names that created an invisible bond between the characters. They are both such good people that angels seemed appropriate.

4.      What is your favourite holiday?

I think all holidays are pretty fabulous. But, for me, going back to the UK to see the folks is pretty special. I particularly love the Thames Valley area, and lived for several years around the location where Midsomer Murders was filmed. (I'm probably lucky to be alive.) I also have a soft spot for Scotland, especially in the west around Oban.

Oh me too, Jenny! We spent a few days in the west of Scotland, around Oban and Kilmelford – it’s picture postcard stuff!

5.      How many times were you turned down before you finally got published? For A Man For All Seasons I was very lucky, only three. This is a fantastic time to be writing. The explosion of e publishers and readers really has created new windows of opportunity for the industry.

6.      What reason(s) did the publishers give for their rejection of your manuscript?

One said it was "a bit too niche" and another hinted that my work wasn't quite spicy enough for their particular line. The third didn't give a specific reason. All rejections were kindly worded and encouraging.

7.      Who is your literary hero?

Heathcliffe. I just adore the dark hero.

8.      Who do you most admire and why? OR  If you could meet anyone, alive or dead, and spend an hour with them, who and why?

That's a hard one. There's quite a list of people I'd like to meet. To narrow it down to three I'd say Ann Boleyn, Joan of Arc, and Boadicea. Under the threat of torture (trust me, a threat would be enough) I think I'd have to finally choose Anne Boleyn, for whom I have held a lifelong fascination.  Just imagine an hour with Anne.  What secrets would be uncovered? Awesome!

9.      What is your favourite book of all time that you can reread a hundred times, and it still feels like the first time?

Wuthering Heights.

Heathcliff – it’s me, I’m Kathy, I’ve come home (okay, Kate Bush. Enough of that!)

10.  What do you need to set the mood for you to write?

Not a lot. I'd rather write or research more than anything else. Who wants to clean the house or work when you can kiss a tall dark stranger beneath a star encrusted sky?

11.  If there is one genre that you have not written in yet, but would love to try writing a book in that specific genre, what would it be? I'd have to say Historical romance. This is the genre that I wanted to write originally. I'm working toward it. One day...

What I want to know is, will there be tall, dark and brooding starring in it? Please!

12.  How many blurbs did you have to write before the final one?

About half a dozen variations of a theme usually. The hard thing is to decide which works best.

13.  If you could bring one of your characters to life, who would it be? And why? I would love to bring Seraphim's slightly dotty but delightful nanny into my life. Everybody needs a Nanny M.

18.        What are you working on now?

Another rural romance. This one's set against the glorious, rugged wilderness of Queensland's far north, and the explosive sport of rodeo.

 

When Angelina arrives home from boarding school to her beloved cattle station, she has one goal. Never to leave.

 

Jed, roustabout, confidante and partner in crime, is delighted. As friendship slides into a steamy affair, life seems filled with promise. But when Jed discovers Angelina's carefully guarded secret, their world falls apart. Fate forces them to walk alone.

 

It is in the gritty, grinding arena of the rodeo circuit that their destinies are finally fulfilled.

 

19.        Would you like to share an excerpt from your writing or a photo or music link that inspires you?

Here's an excerpt from A Man For All Seasons:

Chad gazed at Seraphim and listened to her fiancé in frank amazement. What the hell was his problem? Too risqué? He was kidding, right? Too risqué for what exactly? Was the man gelded? Perhaps they still had eunuchs in England.

The dress was a bloody ripper. She looked like something out of a Bond film. It clung to her soft curves like plastic wrap, her porcelain white skin gently warmed by the candle light. Chad felt his blood thicken in his arteries. He longed to run a finger down the long, naked length of her spine.

And with those sparks heating up our cool winter nights, thanks Jenny. Loved having you tread the boards and best wishes for wonderful sales of your debut novel.

 

It had to happen one day!


1.      Are you inspired most by places, people or experiences and how do these work their way into your writing? Faraway places, just as in that old 50’s song. I’ve been on quite a few overseas trips with my husband, and several included our children. Our style of travel is ‘independent’ so we tend to find out-of-the-way places along the road to wherever. I soak in the atmosphere and often there it is, that first meeting between h/h.

2.      Please share one of your favourite moments of inspiration with us. An abandoned red brick building glimpsed from a Melbourne tram. (Well, it’s far from home in Queensland!) We were madly trying to come up with enough change to buy our tickets and, while my husband rifled through his pockets, I looked out as the tram glided past a faded red building. Merger in Melbourne was born!

3.      How did you come up with the idea of White Ginger? Seriously? Hubby was off climbing in Nepal. We’d had a couple of chats on Google, very slow given the poor internet connection on the way up to the Everest region. He was talking about snow, I countered with heat and began dreaming of Hawaiian beaches. White Ginger was the result. However, I also have a half written story set in Nepal, which I visited with my husband many years ago. I’ll send him back to finish the research for me! (I hate being cold.)

4.      How do you come up with your characters’ names? Arne in White Ginger is Keanu. His little sister just couldn’t say his full name when she was small; you know how kids shorten names? That’s how Arne came about? And Amelie – just felt right. She has a French grandmother and I do seem to incline towards names beginning with ‘A’.

5.      Who would you cast for a movie/TV series as your main characters if given the chance? (**grins**) I had a lovely time checking out suggestions made on an early blog visit and posting them to my Pinterest board for this novel. http://pinterest.com/susannebellamy/white-ginger-a-romance/ My choice would be Keanu Reeve with Drew Barrymore as Amelie.

6.      If you could pick a soundtrack to match your main character’s life, what would it be? Il Divo! I listened to “The Man You Love” umpteen times when I was writing the wedding scene. And Etta James’s “At Last”; it took Amelie and Arne a while to accept they are a couple.

7.      What is your favourite holiday? It could be almost anywhere so long as I get time to read, taste local specialties, drink plenty of good wine (or Limoncello J) and…okay, you’ve got me. I want to go back to Italy, see more of the Amalfi Coast and Tuscany, and this time I want to see the real David in all his glory. Each time we’ve been to Paris there has been a general strike so we still haven’t seen the Musee d’Orsay, and the same happened in Florence! Strikes—stay away!

8.      Do you read reviews of your books? What do you do when you read a not-so-nice one? I do read them and so far, they’ve been nice and even great! However, one reviewer commented on “grammatical challenges” in my work. Given her review ‘style’, it was clear she didn’t understand rules of grammar so I just glossed over that bit. You have to remember that reviewers aren’t editors. 

9.      How many times were you turned down before you finally got published? Once, by HMB who took forever to get back to me.

10.  Who is your literary hero? Given the title of this blog page—Shakespeare! How well have his stories stood the test of time; consider the many incarnations of plays such as Hamlet, Taming of the Shrew, Romeo and Juliet. He knew how to throw pebbles, rocks and boulders at his characters!

11.  Who do you most admire and why? OR  If you could meet anyone, alive or dead, and spend an hour with them, who and why? Aung San Suu Kyi. Her dedication to her country and her cause, like Nelson Mandela, inspires me to hope. Walking the walk you could say. If you’ve seen Cloud Atlas, the Korean clone server has many of these qualities. I’ve actually wondered if David Mitchell based this character on Aung San Suu Kyi.

12.  What is your favourite book of all time that you can reread a hundred times, and it still feels like the first time? The Handmaid’s Tale, by Margaret Atwood. But I also love Anne McCaffrey’s Dragons of Pern series, especially The White Dragon. I dip into them every couple of years or so, speaking of which …

13.  What do you need to set the mood for you to write? A calm frame of mind which is difficult to achieve when my day job stretches into the night, and the weekend. Roll on holiday and a few precious hours of unclaimed time to write!

14.  If there is one genre that you have not written in yet, but would love to try writing a book in that specific genre, what would it be? An historical set around WW2. I have an outline in my head. One day…

15.  How many blurbs did you have to write before the final one? Hahahahaha… I lost count. Blurb writing is a nascent skill for me. Will I ever master it? Maybe that could be a hands-on workshop at an RWA conference.

16.  If you could bring one of your characters to life, who would it be? And why? Well, Alejandro in Her Spanish Flame is drawn from Carlos Marin of Il Divo (**sigh**). His voice does things to me, but he actually exists so that probably doesn’t count? I think I’ll animate Arne from White Ginger; he’s a natural protector, a smooth dancer, and gorgeous, standing like a young Hawaiian god on the deck of his boat—whew, why is it so hot in here?

17.  What are you working on now? Merger in Melbourne is slowly coming together (only for lack of time to write) I love this story about a building, an Irishman and a history that binds two people.

18.  Would you like to share an excerpt from your writing or a photo or music link that inspires you? This is from White Ginger.

Amelie’s eyes narrowed slightly. “Stay there.” Flicking over to a new page, her pencil flew across the paper. Her tongue poked out as she paused to contemplate his face anew, then she looked down at her page again. After a while she sat back, a satisfied expression on her face.

    “Are you going to show me?” he inquired. She looked teasingly up at him.

    “I don’t think so.”

    She jumped off the couch to return her drawing materials to the cupboard. Arne was quicker. He reached one arm around her slender waist from behind and grabbed the wrist holding the sketch book with the other hand. His gaze was caught by her sketch. 

    She was good, really good. She had captured more than he perhaps would have liked her to have seen in his face at this point in time, especially in his eyes. How perceptive she could be. 

    As his attention was engaged in contemplation of her drawing, Amelie twisted neatly out of his arm. “Oh, no you don’t!” he laughed, dropping her sketch pad on the table. “You’re not getting away that easily.”

    She darted as swiftly as one of the tropical fish he had shown her on the video, her long hair flicking out as she changed direction, sure-footed and laughing. As she raced around the end of the couch, he leaped over the back of it, grabbing her out flung arm and pulling her in close. Her hands flew up to balance herself against his chest. “I think you owe me a modelling fee,” he grinned down at her.

    “I don’t think I can afford to pay you,” she murmured, suddenly breathless. Long dark lashes swept down to her cheeks and slowly up. Sea-blue eyes met the deep brown of his.

    “Then I’ll have to take my fee in kind.”

19.  Please share your favourite cocktail recipe or celebration photo.

(My book launch at the Olive Branch)

Ireland exerts an appeal for Iris Blobel as well – must be something in the water there! Welcome, Iris, and thanks for treading the boards with us today!

1.      Are you inspired most by places, people or experiences and how do these work their way into your writing?
Places and music inspire me. I’m lucky to have a husband who likes travelling as much as I do, so whenever I see a truly beautiful spot (I know I do by getting all teary) I have the setting for my next story. Last year I went to Hobart for a weekend and more or less wrote a whole story during my stay. Most of my books are set in Ireland and Tassie – I LOVE both places.

2.       Please share one of your favourite moments of inspiration with us. 
A story close to my heart is “Auf Wiedersehn” (still a WIP). I’m trying to write a contemporary story about a girl finding her grandfather’s letters, which were written while walking (yes walking, no typo!) from Greece to Germany during WWII. The details are based on stories my mother told me about my grandpa. It’s quite a challenge.

3.      How did you come up with the idea of Innocent Tears?
“Innocent Tears” evolved out of many different ideas. The main one, though, was when I went to Europe a few years back. My husband and my girls returned to Australia a week earlier while I went to Dublin for some “research”. He did a marvellous job, being “house husband” for a week, but between the lines I did hear from my daughters that “the routine” was out of whack. It got me thinking how it would be for a man to suddenly have to take on a parent role, and vice versa, how children would feel losing one parent. This is how I came up with “Innocent Tears”.
 

4.      How do you come up with your characters’ names?
I assume I’m supposed to write something really fancy here, like the meaning of names or relevance. But basically, I see a name on telly, or hear it in a conversation, and if I can still remember it a few days later, I write it down. If one of my characters “fit” the name, I use it. I have to admit, though, I quite often tend to look for Irish names - it’s just one of my “traits”.
No expectations of fancy answers, Iris! I’ve searched end credits of movies for interesting names a couple of times.

5.      Who would you cast for a movie/TV series as your main characters if given the chance?
My first book “Sweet Dreams, Miss England” was never intended for publishing, so I based some of the characters on “guys I fancied” at the time: Luke Goss (whose web-site I co-administered at the time) and Nicky Byrne. So their names come to mind straight away. But in all honesty, I’d be too stoked to care. I would just relish the fact that someone in the movie business is interested in my books J

6.      What is your favourite holiday?
Tricky one – I’ve just returned from the US so obviously it’s the first holiday that comes to mind. But there have been many, many great holidays. Going “home” to Germany is a treat every time. My weekend in Dublin was special. Every caravan holiday with my family is full of fun and adventure. So the bottom line is, we make the best of our holidays and each has been special and unique.

7.      Do you read reviews of your books? What do you do when you read a not-so-nice one?
Yes I do.
Ouch!
I read the good ones, as well as the bad ones and I try to learn from both of them. I do make the mistake and get wound up by a negative review, but more so when I have the impression that the reader misunderstood the story. However, I am aware that we all have different tastes and from a personal point of view I’d have to admit I’ve read many books that had great reviews whereas I scratched my head thinking “really?” It’s part and parcel of this business. I try to avoid the “nasty” and “jealous” ones though.

8.      How many times were you turned down before you finally got published?
I honestly wouldn’t know. I self-published “Sweet Dreams, Miss England” as it was only intended for family and friends. It kind of took off really well though. I obviously received quite a few rejections before I found a ‘home’ with my current publisher, Astraea Press. The team worked beyond expectations to eradicate all the grammar issues a non-English writer has.

Would love to hear more of the obstacles you've faced as a non-English writer and how you’ve overcome them. Possibility for another post, Iris!

9.      Who is your literary hero?
Jill Shalvis! Without a doubt. She writes with wit, humour and I love her stories.

10.  If you could meet anyone, alive or dead, and spend an hour with them, who and why?
Love this question - the answer somehow changes every month. I can’t say there’s that one person I really admire or want to spend time with, but if I could invite a few for dinner, Dame Edna, Billy Connolly, Dawn French, Angela Lansbury and my publishing team would certainly be on the list.

11.  What is your favourite book of all time that you can reread a hundred times, and it still feels like the first time?
“If you could see me now” by Cecelia Ahern. I love her stories, but this is my all-time favourite, which I have read and re-read and read again – and it still gives me goose-bumps.

12.  What do you need to set the mood for you to write?
Absolute and utter silence – and no distractions. So I usually write very late at night - a big concession for someone like me who likes sleeping more than most other things in life ;-)

13.  If there is one genre that you have not written in yet, but would love to try writing a book in that specific genre, what would it be?
I’d love to be able to write Mystery as I love reading the genre. I tried a couple of times but have given up. Friends read it and knew on page three the “whodunit”. Frustrating! LOL

14.  If you could bring one of your characters to life, who would it be? And why?
I love Daniel, my character in “Sweet Dreams, Miss England”. If I could I would love to have him in every story: a charmer, good looking, fun-lover and, above all, he’s Irish!

Whitney KE – where are you now? Here’s another Irish charmer for you!

15.  What are you working on now?
I’ve just contracted my story set in Hobart “New Beginnings” which is about twenty-something-year-old Sophie Levesque and her eight-year-old sister Mia, who inherit a small house but have no idea who the testator is. I suppose that edits will arrive soon, so until then, I’m working on the sequel “More Beginnings”.

16.  Would you like to share an excerpt from your writing or a photo or music link that inspires you?

This is one of my favourite scene from “Innocent Tears”

“Flynn? Flynn!”

He dipped his head and shook it regretfully. “Yes, Mum, I’m still here.” He paused for a moment and then continued. ”Sarah’s parents came for a visit.”

The surprise was obvious by the moment of quiet. “Teresa and William?” she asked in disbelief, her voice an octave higher than usual.

His hand was holding the bottle of beer next to him like his life depended on it. “Mum, I’ve got a young daughter.”

Silence.

“Flynn, have you been drinking?”

“Mum, I’m serious as serious could be. Remember Sarah not wanting to live in Melbourne, and then saying she had someone else in her life?”

He heard her sigh. “How can I forget? I don’t think I’d ever seen you so upset and depressed.”

“Well…” He took a deep breath. “That someone was a baby. I’ve got a little girl, Mum.”

More silence. His mouth curved into a grin when he heard his mother whisper to his father, “Get me a stiff drink, Carl. We’ve just become grandparents.”

She lifted her hand off the receiver and rattled out questions. “How old is she? What’s her name?”

The grin disappeared and he rubbed his face. “Six, and Nadine,” he murmured.

Jenny screamed into the phone. “Si-i-i-ix?”

Flynn almost dropped the bottle. “Good grief, Mum. Keep it down.”

He heard her sipping her drink – whatever it was. “How am I supposed to keep it down? Flynn, why on earth… why the… Teresa and William… and where’s Sarah–“

“Mum!”

Silence.

“Jenny Rose McCormack.”

She sighed. “Yes?”

“Ask Dad for a glass of water.”

“Oh my goodness gracious, Flynn.” He heard her holding her hand over the phone. “Carl, he says I need a glass of water.”

Flynn shook his head. Carl wanted to talk to his son as well – of course, because so far he was just serving her with drinks and listening to outbursts of disbelief and questions. “Not now… in a minute… It’s my turn”

“Mum?”

“Your father is a bit of a pain here.”

“Mum?” he said more firmly.

“Yes?” she replied flustered.

“Saz died just after Christmas last year.”

Silence.

“Mum?”

“Flynn? It’s your dad here. What just happened? Your mother is pale as a ghost.”

“Hi, Dad.” Flynn felt his stomach turning upside-down. This was more like a comedy than him trying to tell his parents about his last forty-eight hours. “Dad? I’m a Dad as well. Sarah died last Christmas. Teresa and William have been in Melbourne, and in Teresa’s subtle and gentle way, she told me about the young daughter I have. Nadine’s her name, and they want me to take over custody and look after her.”

Silence.

“Son? That’s a lot to take in. How are you going?”

Flynn rubbed his temple with the heel of his hands. How he was going? How was he going?

Iris Blobel’s bio:

Iris Blobel was born and raised in Germany and only immigrated to Australia in the late 1990s. Having had the travel bug most of her life, Iris spent quite some time living in Scotland, London as well as Canada where she actually had met her future husband. Her love for putting her stories onto paper has only recently emerged, but now her laptop is a constant companion. Iris resides west of Melbourne with her husband and her beautiful two daughters as well as her dog. Next to her job at a private school she also presents a German Program at the local Community Radio

 

Where you can find Iris online:

Official Blog: http://www.iris-b.blogspot.com

Twitter @_iris_b

Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/4067254

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/irisblobel

Lilliana Anderson and I both love the same writer: if I mention Poisonwood Bible, do you know who it is?

Welcome and thanks for treading the boards with us today!

Thank you for having me!

1.      Are you inspired most by places, people or experiences and how do these work their way into your writing?  I think I would have to say that it’s experiences that inspire me the most. A lot of things that happen in my books are based on how I would react under the same circumstances – so my own personal experience comes into play quite heavily then.

Confidante has an interesting background story too!

2.      Please share one of your favourite moments of inspiration with us.

I was hanging the washing on the line and could hear a cricket game being played on the oval near my house. It gave me the idea of a hero and heroine meeting when the ball gets whacked too far and hits the heroine on the head. She’d be really ticked off about it and the hero would find her reaction quite charming.

3.      How did you come up with the idea of A Beautiful Forever?

The idea for this book came about after I released A Beautiful Struggle and fans started to call for more of Elliot. I had already written most of chapter one as an idea for another story that I was going to title ‘Superfluous Me’ about a girl who was cast out by her family, she was heading overseas to get away from her past and I felt that Elliot would probably like a new start too – so off they went together!

4.      How do you come up with your characters’ names?

This is really lame of me! I search ‘Popular Australian Girls/Boys names’ and choose from the list.

5.      Who would you cast for a movie/TV series as your main characters if given the chance? I will stick with Aussie actors and choose Chris Hemsworth for Elliot and Phoebe Tonkin for Paige.

Absolutely perfect – Chris Hemsworth can be my “forever” hero…forever!

Thank you, Lilliana! Eye candy extraordinaire!

6.      If you could pick a soundtrack to match your main character’s life, what would it be? Well I wrote this book whilst listening to Florence and the Machine’s Ceremonials – it had the right kind of emotional feel to it that I wanted A Beautiful Forever to have. So, I would have to pick that.

7.      What is your favourite holiday?

What are holidays? Lol I have four children so while they are young, holidays are very tiring for me. Although when they are older, my husband and I have a big plan to take an around the world cruise.

8.      Do you read reviews of your books? What do you do when you read a not-so-nice one? I do read all of my reviews. When one isn’t nice, I tend to shrug my shoulders and say – ‘oh well, it wasn’t for them.” But sometimes people get a little mean, or they completely spoil the plot of your book. Those times I talk to my husband and have a bit of a rant, then I let it go. As a friend says to me – haters hate. There’s not much you can do about it.

9.      How many times were you turned down before you finally got published?

Three and then I self-published – which really, was the better option for me. My books peaked in the top 200 overall on Amazon and I have complete control over price and giveaways.

10.  What reason(s) did the publishers give for their rejection of your manuscript?

They didn’t like the ending of the first book A Beautiful Struggle which funnily enough, is what got me noticed – it isn’t what you’d traditionally expect and some people love it and some people hate it. But, it’s sparked conversation which is what we’re all after.

11.  Who is your literary hero?

Barbara Kingsolver. The Poisonwood Bible is one of those books that stays with you forever.

Isn’t she fabulous! I loved this one too, and Pigs in Heaven.

12.  If you could meet anyone, alive or dead, and spend an hour with them who and why?

If I could meet anyone, it would be John Lennon – just because I love him.

13.  What is your favourite book of all time that you can reread a hundred times, and it still feels like the first time? Don’t hate me – but I don’t reread books. I really don’t like knowing what’s going to happen. However, I do love rereading Roald Dahl’s books to my children. It’s wonderful to share something I loved as a child and experience it for the first time through their eyes. Their favourite so far is Charlie and the Chocolate factory. We’ve read that one a few times together.

14.  What do you need to set the mood for you to write?

Most of the time I just write, my house is very noisy and I get interrupted a lot. But, if I am struggling with a scene then I will pick some suitable music, put headphones on and block out the noise so I can focus.

15.  If there is one genre that you have not written in yet, but would love to try writing a book in that specific genre, what would it be? Probably dystopia – I love end of the world books and movies, so I wouldn’t mind doing an Australian version.

16.  How many blurbs did you have to write before the final one? I think there were three all up.

17.  If you could bring one of your characters to life, who would it be? And why?

It would have to be Elliot, simply because he’s hot AND thoughtful. Lol!

18.  What are you working on now?

A romance called Alter, it’s about a girl who is struggling mentally, undergoing a series of blackouts while still interacting with those around her. It follows her confusion and worry and finally her healing – all with the help of a very handsome hero of course!

19.  Would you like to share an excerpt from your writing or a photo or music link that inspires you?  I normally share excerpts that are full of attraction, but this time I thought I’d share one that’s a little bit of fun.

This is from Chapter 6 in A Beautiful Forever

Paige

“You know that guy you don’t really know?” Andrea says behind me as I blow dry my current client’s hair. I nod in response, still focusing on curling the brush to create enough volume.

“Well… he’s asleep.”

“What?!" I laugh incredulously, turning my head slightly to spot him in a chair with his head slumped forward on his chest.

When I finish up with my client, I walk her to the counter, quickly offering her some product, but not caring if she takes any. I can’t seem to stop my eyes from flitting constantly to the sleeping figure in the waiting area.

The moment she leaves, I walk over to Elliot and stand in front of him as I contemplate how best to wake him.

“Wait, wait, wait!” Andrea calls out in one of those whispers that might as well be a yell, as she dashes towards me. “I want to witness this!” She stands beside me and adjusts her shirt as she prepares herself.

“What are you doing?” I ask her. She looks like she’s getting ready to catch a ball or something.

“I don’t know,” she shrugs, laughing a little. “Just wake him.”

Elliot

I jerk my head up as a loud clapping sound startles me awake. Slowly, my eyes focus and I’m met by the sight of Paige and her co-worker standing in front of me smiling their arses off.

“Jetlag can be a bit of a bitch huh?” Paige comments. “You still want that haircut?”

I scratch my head and stand up, stretching to try to bring myself fully awake. “Yeah, I still want that haircut,” I reply through a yawn.

20.  Please share your favourite cocktail recipe or celebration photo.

I’m a bit of a chocoholic so I love a Mudslide (if I had one, my favourite celebration photo would be of me drinking one! Lol)

• Ingredients

• 250ml (1 cup) thin cream
• 250ml (1 cup) Baileys Original Irish Cream liqueur
• 60ml (1/4 cup) chilled vodka
• 60ml (1/4 cup) Kahlua liqueur
• 8 scoops chocolate ice-cream
• 1 cup crushed ice

Method

Place cream, Baileys, vodka, Kahlua, ice-cream and ice in the jug of a blender and blend until smooth. Pour into serving glasses and serve immediately.