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Writers reveal their writing process

Larissa_EdwardsIt’s great to be taking part in this blog hop on The Writing Process in which different writers answer the same questions about their writing process.

The picture to the left kind of sums up my writing process. Firstly, there would be no writing process without Larissa Edwards, the wonderful Head of Publishing at Simon & Schuster, Aust, who once uttered those words “I love your story”. But look behind her: integrity, confidence, difference, passion and belief. They are all part of my writing process.

Thanks to Pamela Cook, rural fiction author of Blackwattle Lake and Essie’s Way (Hachette), for tagging me. Here is Pamela’s post from last week in case you missed it. Or why not connect with this teacher, mother of three gorgeous daughters, manager of dogs, rabbits, birds, fish and horses, on her website: www.pamelacook.com.au, Twitter: @PamelaCookAU and on Facebook. Pamela lives in the southern suburbs of Sydney and spends as much time as possible at her “other” home in Milton on the south coast of NSW. Her favourite pastime (after writing) is riding her handsome quarter horse, Morocco.

So, it’s my turn now…

1) What am I working on? 

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It’s unbelievable and mind blowing to think I am still being asked to talk about House for all Seasons after 12 months, while about to launch and talk up Simmering Season (April 1), just typed THE END on book 3 in my Seasons Collection – contracted for April 2015, and now plotting book 4 ready for 2016! Yes, this is the glamour life of a published author – NOT! I’ve also fit in a short story for an anthology, a couple of articles for the Queensland Writers’ Mag, and designed some workshops. No one warns you about the crazy hours and deadlines. But I LOVE it.
2) How does my work differ from others of its genre? 
While House for all Seasons reviews have made (humbling) comparisons to Monica McInerney and Maeve Binchy, the thing people comment on the most about my ‘Come home to the country’ stories (friendship, family relationships, and small towns keeping big secrets) is the way I balance humour with high emotion, making readers smile and cry and laugh and cry and laugh … but always with a contented sigh at the end.
3) Why do I write what I do?
It just happened. I tried writing romances, but I think my novel’s wry-humoured inhabitants (thx Rowena Holloway for that delightful description) got in the way. (I was giggling in all the wrong places!) Romantic comedy, maybe – which is where I was headed back in 2009 when my characters – filled with guilt and regrets and facing life’s challenges – had other ideas. So now it’s more “Laugh, Cry – Cry, Laugh  Kleenex” genre.
4) How does my writing process work? 
I usually start with an opening sentence and a title and wonder how I can make a story from them. I play around characters, a tag line and a blurb and away I go.
Unfortunately, my opening sentence in Simmering Season is NOT going to go down too well with some House for all Seasons readers. I can only say this…. Give it a chance. I promise you, I will not disappoint.
Well, that’s it from me. Coming up next week, answering the same writing processquestions, is three fabulous authors. I high recommend you look up and follow: Helene Young, Natasha Lester and Zena Shapter. They all love connecting with readers, as you can see, so check them out.

SafeHarbour_cover-1-low-res-676x1024Helene Young – multi-award winning romantic suspense author of Wings of Fear, Shattered Sky, Burning Lies, Half Moon Bay and her next release: Safe Harbour.

Ever wondered what a plane crash feels like? It’s all in a day’s work for multi-award-winning author and airline pilot, Helene Young.  A check captain with Australia’s largest

regional airline, her job is to ensure aircrew can handle all inflight emergencies. It comes in handy for writing fast-paced suspense novels starring feisty women and sexy men. When she’s not writing or flying Helene’s sailing the seas with Capt G and Zeus, aboard their catamaran Roo Bin Esque.

Helene’s twice been awarded the RWA RuBY and was voted Most Popular Romantic Suspense Author by ARRA in 2010 and 2011.

Website: http://www.heleneyoung.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/HeleneYoungAustralianAuthor?fref=ts

WILOA web sizeNatasha Lester – award winning author of two novels, If I Should Lose You and What 
is Left Over, After. She also teaches creative writing through the Australian Writers Centre, and when she’s not teaching and writing, she spends her time playing dress-ups with her three children.

ZenaShapter300dpiZena Shapter – a British-Australian author who loves putting characters inside the most perfect storm of their lives, then watching how they get out. She likes wild rides through the gulches of adventure that spit you out breathless, and close-to-reality books of the unexplained. She’s won seven national fiction writing competitions (all blind judging), has been published in magazines such as “Midnight Echo” and anthologies like “Award-Winning Australian Writing” (Melbourne Books, 2012). She is represented by literary agent Alex Adsett.

Website: http://zenashapter.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ZenaShapter
Twitter: https://twitter.com/ZenaShapter
Google+: https://plus.google.com/+ZenaShapter/posts
Pinterest: http://www.pinterest.com/ZenaShapter/

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A Bar Yarn with Author – Victoria Purman

VictoriaPurman-190

I’m so excited to have someone like Victoria Purman, Harlequin’s big hit with a winning formula (and the prettiest covers) join me in the Calingarry Crossing pub for a beer and a bar yarn.

Here you go, Vic, take this beer coaster and jot down the blurb for your newest book –

Someone Like You.

Love! Summer! The beach! Lizzie Blake and Dan McSwaine think hiding out in the beachside town of Middle Point means they can also hide from love. But fate has another thing coming!

When Lizzie Blake knocks on the door of Dan McSwaine’s beach house at Middle Point, she barely recognises the man who answers. What ever happened to the guy who swaggered into her home town with a grin and left wither heart in his back pocket? Lizzie wonders if he’ll ever be that man again – and if she should risk everything she’s built her life on to help him.

Dan can’t normally bear to be more than ten minutes from a hip bar, an imported beer and a group of hot women. So what is he doing holed up in a falling down beach shack at Middle Point? All he knows is that he’s made some crazy decisions since the night a truck slammed into his care and almost killed him. The first one was to think that buying a crumbling piece of coastal real estate was a good idea. The second crazy decision was to try to hide away from the world when a woman like Lizzie Blake is determined to drag him right back into it.Screen Shot 2013-11-29 at 10.01.44 AM

Someone Like You – officially releases February 1st 2014 through Harlequin Australia, but you may  just find it on shelves and you can certainly preorder online. Check out links below.

Now, Victoria, what can I get you to go with your beer nuts? (Shandy? Wine Spritzer? Pink Lemonade?)

A glass of South Australian white wine thanks. I couldn’t drink anything else!

Pub joke time. Hey, did you hear the one about … ?

A horse walks into a bar. The barman turns to him and asks, “Why the long face?”

An oldie but one you’ll hear in every pub in the country I reckon!

I’m a beer nut nut! What bar snack would you be and why?

Who needs snacks? Another wine please!

Oh, a girl after my own heart, Vic. That hit the spot. Let me slip a drink coaster under your glass while you tell us—on a scale of 1 to 10—as a writer are you a messy desker or tidy desker?

I have the smallest desk in the world tucked away in the corner of the bedroom. Three kids means we have no spare room, so I have to be tidy in my little space. Except for the basket to my left which seems to have a whole of crap in it.

The publican offers you free drinks all night if you will:

  • Dance to Gangnam Style
  • Sing John Denver’s ‘Take me Home Country Roads’ on the Karaoke machine
  • Spend an hour washing dishes

Which do you choose?

Oh this one’s easy! I love country music, always have. Maybe it stems from my mother’s love of John Denver back in the ‘70s. Give me that mic! “Almost Heaven, West Virginia, Blue Ridge Mountains, Shenandoah River…”

Time to liven the place up. Got a buck? We can crank up the old jukebox in the corner. You get to pick three songs.

  1. “Dancing Queen” by ABBA
  2. “Times Like These” by Foo Fighters
  3. “Baggage Claim,” Miranda Lambert

An author, an agent and a chicken walk into the bar… how do you know which one crossed the road?

It will probably be the author – because she’ll be taking mental notes as she’s doing it to write the scene into her next book.

There’s a stapler on the bar. Tell me what it’s doing there.

Waiting to carry out a mob hit.

The pub is the heart of a small town and most locals would be lost without one. What are three things you’d be lost without?

  1. In no particular order, my lovely Apple Mac. I write my books on it and stay connected to the world through it
  2. My family and friends – goes without saying.
  3. Did I mentioned that lovely South Australian white wine?

There are a few good prizes up for grabs in the bar jackpot. Do you have a lucky number?

My lucky number is 22. The 22nd of December 2012 was the day I signed my current three-book deal with Harlequin Australia. That’s pretty lucky to me!

Last drinks, my friend! It’s been great. But before we go, tell us how we can find out more about you and your writing/books.Screen Shot 2013-12-18 at 3.02.48 PM

I love social media because I can connect to readers and other writers, so you’ll frequently find me on facebook at Victoria Purman Author
On twitter @VictoriaPurman
At www.victoriapurman.com  and on pinterest as VictoriaPurman

Here is where you can get your hands on this brand new release:
Harlequin
Amazon Australia – on sale for $2.29
Amazon  – on sale for $2.01
iTunes Books – Picked as one of the Best Books of February

Three books? I am already eager to see the next gorgeous cover and clever title. You are on a roll, girl!

Speaking of roll…. Watch out! The clouds are rolling in.

This storm season, in Calingarry Crossing, a perfect storm is heading Maggie Lindeman’s way.  For emergency alerts and warnings for SIMMERING SEASON, subscribe to Jenn J McLeod’s blog or newsletter before you go, or LIKE her Facebook Page.

Simmering Season: April 1, 2014  Find out more, right here.

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WIN House for all Seasons

australiadaybloghop2014ENTER HERE

This weekend I’m celebrating  “The Great Aussie Author Invasion” because Australian authors are doing amazing things — here and around the world.

House for all Seasons Jenn J McLeod

House for all Seasons has been so well received by readers (see the reviews here) I have a signed copy to giveaway today.

To enter the draw I ask two things:

1. Leave a comment below with the release date of my next book – Simmering Season. (Not sure? Look here.)

2. Sign up for my newsletter – coz I figure if you’re interested in my stories, you’ll be interested to hear about other books and news with the odd newsy newsletter! See the newsletter sign-up box top right of this page.

Bar Yarns

NOW – Double your chances  – I’ll pop a second entry into the Akubra with your name on it if you add to your comment below that you have either shared this post on your Facebook page (if you have one) or if you Click to Tweet: “Hey, I’m in the draw to win House for all Seasons by @jennjmcleod”

Entries close at midnight on January 28th. Winner announced here, no later than Feb 4th 2013. Australian residents only.

Now, check out Book’d Out for more Great Aussie Author Blog Hop participants.

Grab a snag, a beer, and slip, slop, slap, read.

Now closed. Thanks to everyone. I have posted the winner in the comments below.