Talented, emerging author, Juliet Madison leaves no gnome unturned as she launches Author Spring Harvest…
STOP PRESS: I am so happy to announce Juliet is no longer an aspiring author. Her first novel, Fast Forward, will be published by Harlequin Escape Digital in February 2013. Escape Publishing
At home…
Juliet, my mum says garden gnomes make a house a home. Are you: (a) loud and proud in your love of garden gnomes at home, (b) a closet gnomer or (c) with a strict ‘no gnomes’ policy at your place?
Hmm, well, now I think of it. I don’t have a gnome nor do I have much of a garden! All I have in my garden is a few shrubs, a trampoline, and probably a ton of fertilizer courtesy of my cat who thinks the whole yard is his toilet 😉
If I came to your home and looked in the refrigerator, what would I find?
Hang on, let me check… okay, looks like I need to go shopping. I have a half-full (I’m an optimist) bottle of juice, a carton of protein-enriched rice milk (no dairy in our house), leftover soup, mayonnaise (half-full again), fish oil capsules and probiotics, chilli paste, mustard, apple cider vinegar, out-of-date pesto (and out of the fridge now), strawberries, vegetables, smoked salmon, strawberry jam (my son goes through bucket loads of the stuff), and an empty lemonade bottle (the one thing my son decides to put away, and it’s EMPTY).
If you sorted your wardrobe by colour, what colour would stand out? (Ahh, do you sort your wardrobe by colour?!)
Mostly pinky-purples! And no, I’m lucky to get as far as putting things away, let alone colour-coordinating them. Backs of chairs make such good clothes hangers!
What are you wearing now? (Be honest!)
Bugger. Knew I shouldn’t have changed out of my Collette Dinnigan designer dress for the sake of the comfort and warmth of my ten-year-old tracksuit pants and lambswool jumper, complete with those little pilly bits hanging off it. Today is a cold day, and daggy is allowed.
(Juliet, daggy is the new black in my part of the country!)
Whose home would you like to housesit and why?
Downton Abbey. Then I could dress up in fancy clothes and put on my best British accent and hope that a handsome Turkish diplomat comes to visit (and doesn’t die, this time).
(Juliet, he may cark it if you feed him from that refigerator!)
Country curiosities…
If you were a tree (or animal) what kind of tree (animal) would you be?
Probably an owl because I often stay up late, as that is when my creative muse works best. But I would prefer to be a cat and get lots of naps!
Now for the big country question… Why did the chicken cross the road?
He was chasing after the love of his life, of course. Why she was crossing the road, well that’s another question. Hopefully she wasn’t trying to get away from him!
About you…
Your turning point: when was that point in your life that you realised that being an author was no longer going to be just a dream and you were going to make it a reality and a career?
When a crisis resulted in me leaving my health business behind in order to help my son get through high school by distance education, and I realised that being at home full time would be the perfect opportunity to begin my dream of writing a novel. I’d had no time whatsoever when I was running a clinic, and I knew it was now or never. Three years and three novels later, I am one hundred percent committed to doing this as a career, as it is my passion and I love it.
(FYI readers – Juliet joins Author Harvest this spring as a seedling, but she will be reaping the rewards of her hard work with a contract soon enough – or I’ll eat my Akubra.)
What is the hardest part of writing for you?
Surprisingly, the hardest part sometimes is stopping. I can get so carried away in the story and before I know it it’s 2am. Creativity strikes me at ridiculous hours. On the opposite end of the spectrum, sometimes just sitting down at the computer and starting can be hard too, but once I start… well, see the first part of my answer!
If someone was to write your biography, what do you think the title should be?
Mother on a Mission
Okay, not wanting to take advantage of your hospitality, before I go, tell us…
What does your protagonist think about you? Would he or she want to hang out with you, the author, his/her creator.
I think Kelli, the protagonist in my most recent manuscript, FAST FORWARD, probably wouldn’t want to hang out with me after what I’ve put her through. I made her age twenty-five years overnight, forced her to bungy jump against her will, gave her multiple hot flushes, and almost killed her off courtesy of a revolutionary and ridiculously tight support undergarment. Then again, I did give her a happy ending, so for that she might at least meet me for a quick coffee once a year. I would have to pay, of course.
If I said to you, “Just entertain me for five minutes, I’m not going to talk,” what would you do?
I’d tell you about all the funny things my son has done in his life, such as secretly wearing a Superman outfit under his school uniform at age six, and making a well-thought-out decision around the same age that he’d like to be ‘a man’ when he grows up. If that failed to entertain, I could try summoning my dancing skills from the past and hope I don’t end up knocking over a valuable vase or something.
What was the best thing before sliced bread?
What? There was a time when people didn’t have sliced bread? 😉
Name 5 uses for a stapler that has not staple pins.
1. Paperweight
2. Door stopper
3. Bug whacker (sorry bugs!)
4. Back scratcher
5. Weapon (if the need ever arose, though it might be more powerful WITH staples)
(Okay Juliet, I’m backing away now. Put the stapler down. I said, PUT THE STAPLER DOWN! (hehehehehe)
Thank you. The scones were delightful. Not only that, you have FREE treats on your website. So readers, what are you waiting for? Get your free gift now. http://www.julietmadison.com/
LOVED this interview so much… particularly relate to the Collette Dinnigan dress (oops, I mean the trackies) and the Downton Abbey house-sitting. Can I come too??
Thanks Rach, glad to know I’m in good company with my choice of attire. Those RWA conference photos are so deceiving, you probably won’t see me in another dress like that until next years conference!
And sure, come and keep me company at Downton Abbey. I will need an extra pair of hands to help carry the body in case of any misfortunate incidents 😉
Hi Juliet, Good luck with your up coming seedling novels . Jenn is very good at applying fertiliser 🙂
OMG! That is so funny, Marie. You are so right my friend.
Thanks Marie. Jenn is a great gardener 😉
Great stuff, girls! Good luck, Juliet.
W
Thanks Whitney 🙂
Waving hi Juliet & Jenn 🙂
Great interview. Boy, was I glad to swap those heels for my Ugg boots!
Good luck harvesting your gardens, girls.Now where are those scones…
Hi Juanita! Yeah… heels look great but man do they hurt!
Sorry, Jenn and I *gulp* ate all the scones 😉
…but I’m sure we can whip up an extra batch just for you 🙂
Hey Juliet, loved reading about you. I so get the can’t start, can’t stop syndrome – but it took you to spell it out. Warm wishes for your writing life, Rae
Hi Rae, thanks for dropping by! I’m glad I’m not the only one who has the ‘can’t start can’t stop’ syndrome 😉
Hi Juliet and Jenn,
Loved that interview. Had to laugh with the contents of the fridge. I’m too scar to check mine at the moment. Lol.
Good luck with Fast Forward. Sure to be a hit! and I’m sure that Kelli would forgive you…well she’d better otherwise she’d find herself standing pretty close to the delete button.
Smiles
Effie
Ooppss eratta “scared”
Hi Effie, glad you enjoyed the interview. I’m sure one of those MasterChef’s could whip up something unique with all my mismatched ingredients (bar the out of date pesto) 😉
Thanks for your good wishes with Fast Forward, I’m sure Kelli is pleased that I at least gave her life, even if it did involve some rather challenging moments! 😉
Delightful interview ladies. Aging 25 years overnight, bungy jumping in tight undergarments? This book *has* to get published, I want to read it.
Couldn’t agree more VP. Now feel free to bake scones and invite me over (‘cyberly-speaking’) for a cuppa and we can find out what’s in your fridge LOL
Thanks Valerie! I hope it does. 🙂
It is currently out on submission so fingers crossed xx
[…] are beginning to burst to life in the garden. To celebrate the start of Spring, I visited author Jenn J McLeod’s blog to be the first seedling to take part in her Author […]
Look forward to reading FF, Juliet. And I loved the interview–you two created so much fun with it. I love the seedlings reference. With elements like you have in your story and the sense of humour ripping through the interview, I reckon we’ll see you in print before Freo, Juliet.
Hi Susanne, thanks so much for dropping by and lifting my spirits with your confidence! I really appreciate the support from all my wonderful author friends 🙂
Great interview ladies.
I was giggling like a little girl.
There’s nothing like a good giggle! Glad you enjoyed the interview, Eden 🙂
Love it! Wonderful new segment on your web, Jenn. Great to learn more about you, Juliet:-)
Thanks Helene, hasn’t Jenn come up with some fantastic questions?! I’m sure we’ll see you interviewed soon 😉
lol, good to see it’s not just my house where people put empty cartons back in the fridge and pantry!
And I totally agree with Jenn about you having a contract soon!!
Aww thanks Kez, am basking in the wonderful support here right now 🙂
As for those empty bottles and cartons, it must be a boy thing, huh? Now if only he’d put his clothes away… but then again, maybe I should set a better example with this!
Loved the interview, ladies. I agree with Jenn, Juliet, trackies are the new black for winter, shorts, thongs and daggy t-shirts are the way to go for summer!
I agree! Thanks for stopping by, Christine 🙂
Lovely interview. I’ll join you in Downton Abbey. I so loved that series. I watched one season in about two days.
I’ll see you in Downton, Jennifer! We’ll have to fight over the Turkish diplomat though 😉
I think you raided my writing wardrobe, Juliet. I wear the same thing but with broken down ugg boots to add a final touch of glam.
Mother on a Mission, now that’s got best-seller written all over it.
Good luck, Juliet. Will be whooping for you bigtime when you score your first contract.
Thanks Cathryn! I think we should have a fancy dress theme at a future conference of ‘Come as you write’ where we wear our writing clothes! I think there’d be quite a few glamourous trackies to be seen 😉
Yeah I quite like that book title, maybe it could even be a novel someday 🙂
Juliet–you REALLY don’t want to see me in my PJs and dressing gown! I promise you, it’s not a pretty sight.
I’m coming to Downton too, as long as someone else looks after the wardrobe. My writer uniform wouldn’t be up to standard. Great interview, Juliet and Jenn, although you’ve got me worried about those lovelorn chickens!
[…] join my list of ‘do not let this woman near a stapler’ people – right alongside Juliet Madison and Jaye Ford. […]