MY BOOKS – Page 8 – Jenn J McLeod – small-town storyteller

Posted on 05/10/201305/10/2013 by Jenn J McLeod — 12 Comments

Tracks of my tears

The old salty (with the old salty hair-do) and me 1984! — The old salty (with the old salty hair-do) and me 1987!

There’s nothing too new in waving my parents off on holidays. (Dad calls it “spending the kids’ inheritance”.) Mum and Dad are no strangers to travel, be it the European vacation or sailing the high seas P&O style. A few years back they’d had to cancel a cruise—their twelfth, to the magnificent Milford Sound in New Zealand—when mum fell ill. But the plan always was to make #12.

My Dad is an old salty from way back. He loves his boats, even building one, christening it Steel-Aweigh; we had so much fun as kids in boats of all sizes. No doubt Dad was glued to the TV today to watch the Naval Fleet Review (while I navel gazed over a plot hole in book 3!)

This Monday, as the journey begins by plane from Coffs Harbour, Dad will get to taste that salty air one more time.

And I’m tasting salt right now.

Salt from my tears.

You see, Dad will be alone this time. Mum, who some of you will know passed away in March this year, just missing out on the release of House for all Seasons, will now only ever be with him in spirit (and in the picture frame he has packed in his suitcase!!).

Bon voyage Dad. Safe travels. See you soon. (No doubt with a million bloody out-of-frame, out-of-focus, a-novella-attached-to-each-one photographs that we can all look at over and over and over!) Oh, and I intend tracking him on the P&O Sea Princess Cruise Cam incase he decides to do a I’M KING OF THE WOOOOOOOOOOOORLD!

This post is very timely as I have just written the dedication for my next book (out end March). Simmering Season will be dedicated to Dad, my moral compass who let me travel my own path through life–loving me no matter how I strayed, letting make my own choices–even when he didn’t understand.

This theme will feature throughout Simmering Season. I can’t wait to bring the story to you.

Speaking of photos…. A few from the old album to bore you with. (Yes, I take after my dad!)

Beauties onboard! Me at the helm (pity help us all!)

Posted on 04/09/201304/09/2013 by Jenn J McLeod — 3 Comments

Imagine – House for all Seasons on the big screen!

movie deal What author doesn’t dream about having their novel made into a movie or an Australian mini-series?

I never considered this a possibility for House for all Seasons. I mean, why would they bother? We all know the ending – right? The ‘twist in the tale’ that people have been raving about is, well, it’s out there… Well before the first scene has been shot the cat is out of the proverbial bag and the horse has well and truly bolted.

It appears that knowing the ending of the story is not the death knell for a Hollywood blockbuster.

Case in point: Ryan Gosling (hubba, hubba) is tipped to play the lead character in the movie adaptation of M. L. Steadman’s The Light Between Oceans. Do we not know how that story ends? What would makes us want to spend money at the box office to see the film when we all know we are going to ball our eyes out as the credits roll?

Is it a Kleenex conspiracy perhaps?

No, it’s because we want to see characters we’ve fallen in love with, cried with, hoped for, laughed with come to life. It’s the characters. We want to fall in love all over again.

I’ve been discounting the movie dream all this time because I figured while Calingarry Crossing is a town keeping big secrets, the secrets in House for all Seasons are out. But if it’s about falling in love with the characters then I reckon my girls would be brilliant on the big screen.

What do you think? If you have a favourite character and an actress in mind to play her, let me know and I’ll pass it on. 😉

Ahhhh! Time to reignite the movie deal dream, perhaps.