Yes, today was my birthday and The J was in top form this year, promising me I would do things I’ve never done before, so…
I woke to this… Our first property sitting job in a beaut little spot near Yeppoon, Qld.
https://www.facebook.com/JennJMcLeod.books/
And what fun! From opening night drinks and mingling with *warning: name-dropping ahead*: Kate Forsyth, Charlotte Wood, Jane Caro, David Dyer, and more) books and bookish types took over the pretty streets of Mudgee, where every second shop is a cafe and every second person a book (or wine) lover.
Officially, I was there as a presenter and I talked ‘Books With Heart’ with Amy Andrews, Alissa Callen and Charlotte Nash (about how the heart finds its way into all sorts of books: fiction, memoir, medical, sporting stories, even . . . cook books!! A robust cab sav is required in such instances! That’s ‘offal’ I know! ) We stuck mostly to fictional hearts: hearts that flutter, bang, burst, pound, race, tear, rip, break, swell, jump, thump, beat, bleed and skip and love, hate, ache, sigh, melt, palpitate, sink, shatter, somersault, radiate, glow, embrace, adore and feel. We discussed how hearts talk to us and betray us; become our weakness and our strength; and make us spontaneous and (according to the character in my next book) sometimes makes us wait.
Then, for something a little different, I had a few laughs with Candice Fox about outback serial killers and psychopaths. In fact I asked Candice for her thoughts on the most effective means of warding of potential psychopaths from my caravan door while free camping. I offered her a list of strategies:
(Yes, she thought #3 might work, too.)
While the welcome was warm (the atmosphere too) the temps were a tad chilly. (Minus 2 over night.)
Of course my book tour of NSW started well before Mudgee. We took the long road, starting with the launch of book four – The Other Side of the Season – at my home base – The Coffs Coast and after that a whole lot of small towns.
May 19, 2016
Author talk: Nambucca Library
Lots of lovely local media.
May 25, 2016
Library Event/Official Launch
Book number 4 of my Season Collection with more great PRINT MEDIA and a book signing at The Book Warehouse.
July 9, 2016
Library Event and a catch up with Nicole and Greg
DIGITAL MEDIA Moree Champion
and Local businesses got on board.
Big Sky Libraries online newsletter
Moree Plains Shire Council (online)
Moree Champion (print and online)
July 19, 2016
Only because I gatecrashed the local book club discussion! What fun!
July 23, 2016
Library Event – huge turnout. They made me feel like a star, even without a guitar!
RADIO CHAT ON 88.9 FM (Pulse)
TV News coverage – NBN: NSW Western District CLICK to Play
Articles: PRINT and DIGITAL MEDIA: Northern Daily Leader article and Northern Daily Leader f/u story
August 6, 2016
Book Store/Book Signing: The Book Connection: SOLD OUT of stock!
PRINT MEDIA (two pages): Dubbo PhotoNews Magazine 
Advertorial mention by The Book Connection
August 7, 2016
Special Author Event: Jenn J McLeod – In conversation @ Red Earth Vineyard (yes, there was wine). (Dubbo retweets)
August 13 and 14, 2016
PRINT/DIGITAL MEDIA: : Guardian Festival features Jane Caro and Jenn J McLeod
And pre-event PRINT MEDIA: Discover Magazine
Massive social media coverage by MRF
August 20, 2016
Book signing: Big W, Charlestown (biggest shopping centre EVA!)
August 25, 2016
RADIO interview: 2NVR Radio – Elizabeth’s Turning Pages.
So, there you have it.
And home in time to remember Mum on her birthday and share Father’s Day with Dad.
Oh, and by the way… If you are into stats, we did around 3,200 kms and fed the beast about $650.00 in diesel. While it was a great experience and fun, I do hope my tour helped to get my name out there and I found some more lovely readers. Word of mouth is the best compliment. (Have you told someone today about the last great book you read?)
Meet Pearl…
No, not that pearl!
Pearl is actually the daughter of an oyster farmer in my latest novel, The Other Side of The Season.
Pearl is an example of what we call in the business – a secondary character. This means she was created to support the lead characters, providing them with, among other things, a way to express themselves, to help foreshadow events, or to provide background while still moving the narrative forward. Sometimes, however, a secondary character can go rogue.
Another example of a secondary character is Alice, in Season of Shadow and Light. I created her after I’d finished the initial draft, actually re-writing the manuscript to add Alice as a “nanna/babysitter” to six-year-old Matilda, thus freeing up Paige, the mother, to get on with the story without readers saying: “But where’s the kid”.
Like Alice, Pearl has found her way into the hearts of readers. One reason might be because I let her hook up with Jake, and Jake is, well, I’m told he’s just adorable. But Pearl is pretty special, too, because she’s a little different. And I did that on purpose.
Pearl is a person born with albinism. Some of you might be more familiar with the word ‘albino’ but as I leanred when researching this character there are misconceptions and lots of misrepresentation in certain media about his inherited condition. I wanted to do my bit towards correcting this. It’s said the pen is mightier than the sword and I believe authors have the opportunity to make a difference in the world. Literature can start conversations and lead change. Through their stories, authors provide people with a safe place to explore social differences that they might not otherwise understand or encounter. With all four of my novels I’ve been inclusive, using fiction to normalise that which society may see or label otherwise. I do this by including characters with differences — although not focusing on the ‘different’ or applying a label to it. Acceptance comes from understanding. If things like sexual orientation, illness, race, language, physical traits/conditions and psychological issues are included into everyday fiction maybe they will one day become ‘the norm’.
You might have noticed I thanked Dr Shari Parker in my acknowledgements. If you Google the name, or go to the Albinism Fellowship of Australia website, you’ll learn a lot more about living with albinism and the importance of ending the myths created in some books and films that depict people with albinism as evil villains or supernatural freaks. I am very appreciative of Shari’s assistance.
Dr Shari Parker: “Albinism is an inherited condition where the body produces less than normal amounts of melanin – a substance that gives skin, hair and eyes colour. About one in 17,000 Australians is born with albinism and about one in 75 carries an albinism gene. If a carrier mates with another, they have a one-in-four chance of a baby with it.”
Read more: http://www.theage.com.au/national/albinos-think-its-time-the-world-played-fair-20111007-1ldvk.html#ixzz4CxDT37C9
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