Author Harvest – Page 13 – Jenn J McLeod

Posted on 26/03/201313/05/2015 by Jenn J McLeod — 70 Comments

Author Harvest ‘bales up’ Anna Campbell w/ giveaway

Oh be still my trembling tummy! Look who I’ve managed to ‘bale up’ on Author Harvest AND she has a book to giveaway to one lucky person, somewhere in the world.

Yes, it’s Regency romance author queen – Anna Campbell – who I am certain will have prepared a lavish feast fit for a contemporary fiction princess like me (although with queen-like aspirations) and also have rogues on hand (out of bed, but drapped in a shimmering gold toga and…. ) Okay, so, wrong century. Maybe we’ll just ask Anna…

What HAVE you prepared for me?

Hi Jenn! Delighted to be here with you today. Here, have one of my famous chocolate slices. I’ve got the kettle on for tea.

(Tea? Oh, right-o, no rogue then? That’s okay. Not sure I’d know what to do with one anyway. Hand me a choccie slice instead and tell me….)

At home…

My mum says garden gnomes make a house a home! Are you loud and proud in your love of garden gnomes at home, a closet gnomer or with a strict ‘no gnomes’ policy at your place?

No gnomes, no pack drill!

(No roaming rogues either?)

What vegetable (or fruit) have you always wanted to grow at home?

Actually I grew up on an avocado farm. Growing things to eat at home has always seemed too much like going to work as a result!

(Hmm, that reminds me, I must ask you about my heavily pruned Mango tree that’s developed a white fungus rather than leaves! On the bright side, that avo tree with wet feet we talked about a while back is still trying. Bless it!)

If I came to your home and looked in the refrigerator, what would I find?

Wine.

(Woot! I’ll get the glasses. Wine – good. Company – good. Life – good! Who needs a rogue?)

If you sorted your wardrobe by colour, what colour would stand out? (Ahh, do you sort your wardrobe by colour?!)

Black.

(And I so thought you’d say shimmering gold satin!! Black, huh? Is that black as in classic black? As in the new black? Or as in grunge black? Or, Anna Campbell, are you a secret Goth under that mask of elegance?)

What are you wearing now? (Be honest!)

Snort! You’re out to destroy the glam romance writer image, aren’t you? Let’s go for stained lime green singlet from Target and navy shorts. Not Vogue material! Gardening Australia perhaps.

(Hmm, probably not even Gardening Australia!)

Whose home would you like to housesit and why?

Chatsworth, the Duke of Devonshire’s house in Derbyshire in England. As long as someone else did the housework! Hey, I’d like to live the lifestyle of my Regency characters for a while. Purely for research purposes, you understand.

(Sorry, could not possibly survive without a flushing toilet, a coffee machine, and a computer – possibly in that order.)

Country curiosities…

We love a sunburnt country (slip, slop, slap and all that). What’s your ideal hat? Or are you a boots person?

I’m a boots person. Always feel like I’m Queen of the World when I’ve got a pair of boots on.

If you were a tree (or animal) what kind of tree (animal) would you be?

I think I’d like to be a dolphin. All that surfing and playing? Sounds like fun.

Now for the big question… Why did the chicken cross the road?

To buy the latest Anna Campbell historical romance! That chicken has taste (especially when roasted).

(LOL – Hey, leave the jokes to the host, will ya! )

About you…

Your turning point: when was that point in your life that you realized that being an author was no longer going to be just a dream but a reality and a career?

I sold my debut historical romance CLAIMING THE COURTESAN at Easter 2006. That was the turning point for me – before that I’d pretty much convinced myself that it was never going to happen.

(OGG! 2006. I had no idea. I thought you’d been at ‘it’ for ages (the writing, not the rogues!) The things you learn on blog posts! I’m even more impressed. Now I also know why you love your Easter bunnies! here’s a celebratory bunny just for you.)

What is the hardest part of writing for you?

First drafts are tough.

If someone was to write your biography, what do you think the title should be?

She Has Wine in Her Fridge.

(Not anymore! Hic! Well, we are toasting the latest novella – These Haunted Hearts – aren’t we?)

Fun stuff…

If I said to you, “Just entertain me for five minutes, I’m not going to talk,” what would you do?

Play selections from shows on the piano. I do a mean “Stranger in Paradise”. Hmm, ‘mean’ has so many connotations, doesn’t it?

(Ah, yes, Kismet. I do love a musical. number or two. Love South Pacific, so maybe after Stranger in paradise we could spend One Enchanted Evening with a Bloody Mary or two, enjoy a little Happy Talk, before we Wash That Man Right Outa Our Hair, and end up feeling Younger Than Springtime!)

So… how many of you know what on earth I’m talking about?

What food would you be, Anna?

The big cheese – at least in my dreams.

What was the best thing before sliced bread?

Men in boots!

(And only boots? You cheeky minx, Anna Campbell. Have another drink. This interview is getting interesting.)

Name 5 uses for a stapler that has not staple pins.

Paperweight.
Burglar cosher.
Toy mobile phone.
Baby shark trainer.
e-stapler

(LOL e-stapler. Love it!)

How weird are you? Rate yourself on a scale of 1 (not) to 10 (very).

Hmm, that would be telling!

Now for the GIVEAWAY…

Pour more champagne, someone, Anna Campbell will be sending a copy of her e-book These Haunted Hearts to one lucky commenter.

To go into the draw just tell us what we’d find if we peeped in your fridge. Wine is optional! (Open internationally. You have one week from now. Winner announced here.)

AND THE WINNER IS……. BRENDAAT59. Yay! Thanks to everyone for your comments – from wonderful to slightly weird! That was fun.

These Haunted Hearts is on Amazon and on Smashwords

And the blurb:

On one fateful wedding day at Marston Hall in 1818, four linked destinies hover in the balance.

Josiah Aston, Earl of Stansfield, wakes to discover he’s seventy years dead and he alone can free his beloved wife Isabella’s tormented soul. But first he must convince her to trust him against all the evidence…

Lady Isabella Verney, beautiful and tempestuous, married the man of her dreams, only to die violently on her wedding day. Every clue points to Josiah as the murderer…

Is true love strong enough to defeat ancient malevolence forever?

Miles Hartley, Viscount Kendall, is society’s ideal catch, but what does that matter if he can’t convince Calista Aston that he loves her? When an age-old curse strikes, only by proving himself worthy of her faith can he save their happiness…

Lady Calista Aston, noted bluestocking, fears she loves Miles Hartley not wisely, but too well. On her wedding day, her doubts place her at evil’s mercy. When death and disaster loom, is it courage or mad folly to believe that Miles loves her in spite of all her faults?

On one fateful wedding day at Marston Hall in 1818, will the lovers emerge triumphant or will darkness conquer all?

Website link to read an excerpt. If you don’t know Anna, or if you haven’t seen her gorgeous books, check out her website: www.annacampbell.info

Posted on 09/03/201305/03/2015 by Jenn J McLeod — 10 Comments

Author Harvest ‘bales up’ Margareta Osborn

Author Harvest

I’m delighted to ‘bale up’ Margareta Osborn, now in her third reprint on Hope’s Road (even before she’s turned the first bend!!) And I don’t even have to ask what treat she has for me today. There’s always a billy boiling at her place.

But I will ask …

At home, Margareta …

My mum says garden gnomes make a house a home! Are you loud and proud in your love of garden gnomes at home – or a closet gnomer?

Quite frankly, gnomes and I have never gotten on. It’s a hangover from my Enid Blyton days. I have fairies in my garden instead. They’ve relocated from a fairy tree, which is at my cousin’s paddock called ‘The River’ (for obvious reasons). This magnificent tree is a big old River Red Gum with windows and doors observable in the bark. Truly.

(Maybe we need to see this tree, or have you been burning the wrong kind of twigs under that boiling billy?)

What vegetable (or fruit) have you always wanted to grow at home?

None. I was once a vegetable farmer. Never again.

(Fair enough.)

If I came to your home and looked in the refrigerator, what would I find?

Salad, salad, salad. I’m on a healthy diet kick. Otherwise, meat, meat, meat, cheese, cheese, cheese and milk, milk, milk. What more can I say? My family are dairy farmers PastedGraphic-1 and we run beef.

(Yum! Yum! Yum! Only don’t give me milk straight from the cow, like my uncle did when I was young, unless you want a projectile vomit hitting your computer screen!)

(Oh and BTW – I love your meat, meat, meat, cheese, cheese, cheese and milk, milk, milk. I have a character in House for all Seasons who likes to repeat himself in much the same way. Much, much the same way!)

If you sorted your wardrobe by colour, what colour would stand out? (Ahh, do you sort your wardrobe by colour?!)

Pink … and denim. I buy one dress a year for my book launch. This year’s is black with a gold sequined bodice. I love it!

(I saw the pics – and the shoes. Noice!)

What are you wearing now? (Be honest!)

I wish I could say something decadent like a silk night-gown, lace teddy or one of those long flowing kaftan thingys that Barbara Cartland wore. But, being honest, I’m wearing what I usually wear. Jeans, cotton shirt and boots. They’re very nice boots though 🙂

(You’re part way to channelling Babs with your penchant for pink!)

Country curiosities…

We love a sunburnt country (slip, slop, slap and all that). What’s your ideal hat? Or are you a boots person?

Peaked cap or my battered old Akubra. I have boots too – endless boots. There’s my Ariat high tops, my good R.M.’s, my middle R.M.’s and my stuffed but still hanging in there R.M.’s. Then I have my Redbacks, gumboots … But what I’m really renown for around here is my coats. I cannot … and I repeat cannot walk past a nice coat without buying it. My only excuse? I hate being cold. (My father’s fetish is torches :))

(And you would be the shining light. Aww!)

If you were a tree (or animal) what kind of tree (animal) would you be?

A Gum Tree. I love my trees. Stringybarks, Mountain Ash, Scribbly Gums, Black Box, Grey Box, and I adore the more decadent WA varieties – Salmon Gums, Spotted Gums. It all comes from spending countless hours riding horses and four wheel driving through the bush and mountains of my home. And don’t get me started on wildflowers …

(WA, I’ll give you top marks for your wildflowers, but you don’t have the biggest gum trees – okay?!)

Now for the big question… Why did the chicken cross the road?

Because he was a bloody idiot? Oh, but that would make him a rooster rather than a chook… but then you did say chicken, didn’t you? And it’s a bit hard to tell whether a chicken is a chook or a rooster for a while, so I say, because he’s a he. A chook would’ve walked up to the pedestrian crossing. 🙂

(So true. So true.)

About you…

Your turning point: when was that point in your life that you realized that being an author was no longer going to be just a dream but a reality and a career?

A Reality? The day my agent rang and told me I had a publishing contract. I screamed into the toilet rolls at our local IGA supermarket.

(LOL, I would’ve like seeing that!)

A Career? The day Bella’s Run arrived in the mail at our general store. I raced in to collect it in my gumboots, didn’t open it until I got home where my husband had to do the honours as I was shaking so much.

(I couldn’t even drive to the PO Box for House for all Seasons. I waited (read: paced) at home waiting for them the come to me!)

What is the hardest part of writing for you?

Time. My life is always about trying to fit everything in. Writing, farming, children, husband, family and all the associated commitments.

If someone was to write your biography, what do you think the title should be?

Hell on Wheels (and in boots!)

What question have you always wanted to be asked in an interview? How would you answer that question?

Q. Are your sex scenes based on experience?

A. That’s for me and my husband to know and you to wonder about 😉

(Not touching that one!)

Fun stuff …

What does your protagonist think about you? Would he or she want to hang out with you, the author, his/her creator.

Well I don’t know about the protagonist, but I’d sure as hell would like to hang out with the hero. My Dog Trapper, Travis Hunter, is to die for. I’d gladly swap places with my protagonist, Tammy McCauley.

(And what does hubby think about that?)

If you could trade places with any other person for a week, famous or not famous, living or dead, real or fictional, with whom would it be?

Jessica from A Man from Snowy River. I want to be on that horse in those mountains with Jim Craig kissing ME!

(Ahh, again – the word ‘husband’ comes to mind!)

If I said to you, “Just entertain me for five minutes, I’m not going to talk,” what would you do?

Give you HOPE’S ROAD to read. We wouldn’t hear from you for hours 🙂

(Bring it on!)

What was the best thing before sliced bread?

Unsliced bread, warm from the combustion oven, torn apart in hunks and slathered with fresh butter and yummy homemade raspberry jam.

Name 5 uses for a stapler that has not staple pins.

Whacking spiders.
Ruling lines when you can’t find a ruler because someone has them all out in the shed — namely my husband. (Oh, so, Miss ‘I wanna kiss Jim Craig’ is complaining that hubby has the rulers in the shed!)
Banging in tacks when you can’t find the hammer because all hammers are in the ute or on the tray of the motorbike.
Slamming the door shut because the kids are yelling, you’re trying to write and you can’t quite reach the door …
Slamming onto the bench in frustration because the kids are yelling, you’re trying to write and even with the darn stapler in your hand you can’t quite reach the door… GRRRRRR.

How weird are you? Rate yourself on a scale of 1 (not) to 10 (very).

You seriously want me to answer that question? In my eyes, 4. In my families eyes probably 7, in my friends eyes probably 10. But hey, they still love me (I think).

(We’re writers. We talk to ourselves and fall in love with fictional friends. We’re all a 10!)

Thanks for joining Author Harvest.

Everything you need to know about Margareta, and her fabulous novels, is right here. http://www.margaretaosborn.com

About Hope’s Road

In the rugged and beautiful high country of East Gippsland, HOPE’S ROAD connects three very different properties and three very different lives.

Sixty years ago, heartbroken and betrayed, old Joe McCauley turned his back on his family and their fifth-generation farm, Montmorency Downs. He now spends his days as a recluse, spying upon the land – and the granddaughter – that should by rights have been his.

For Tammy McCauley, Montmorency Downs is the last remaining ties to her family. But land can make or break you – and, with her husband’s latest treachery, how long can she on to it?

Wild-dog trapper, Travis Hunter, is struggling as a single dad, unable to give his son, Billy, the thing he craves most. A complete family.

The, out of the blue, a terrible event forces the three neighbours to confront each other – and the mistakes of their past …

Posted on 06/03/201325/10/2014 by Jenn J McLeod — 24 Comments

Author Harvest ‘bales up’ Greg Barron w/ giveaway

Greg Barron, author of Rotten Gods and the upcoming Savage Tide, welcome to Author Harvest.

Rotten Gods was included in last years 50 Books You Can’t Put Down and Greg is giving away a signed copy to one lucky person who leaves a comment.

Start by telling me if it’s scones and tea or some other homemade delight you have whipped up for me today.

Sorry Jen, you won’t get much baking out of me, but if you hang around for dinner you might get fresh sweet corn and barbecued fish.

(Nice. Thanks. Don’t mind if I do! You look like a man who can handle tongs (and terrorist plots!)

At home…

My mum says garden gnomes make a house a home! Are you loud and proud in your love of garden gnomes at home, a closet gnomer or with a strict ‘no gnomes’ policy at your place?

We have no gnomes at all. Only this very realistic turtle that I picked up at a market once.

What vegetable (or fruit) have you always wanted to grow at home?

I love mangos, but we’re a bit too far from the coast. I once planted 500 mango trees on a property I owned in the Northern Territory, but ended up selling before any of them had fruited.

(Hmm, kinda like me. I once had 6 trees but savagely pruned three of them last year as they only fruited every five years or so. Guess what? It’s a mango season! Well … for the three I didn’t cut!)

If I came to your home and looked in the refrigerator, what would I find?

Milk, dates, date spread, fish chunks for the cat, leftover lasagne, butter, fruit juice, lettuce leaves, sweet corn, tomatoes, cucumber, celery, barbecue sauce, avocado, watermelon, condiments. Probably a cider or two. (My wife drinks occasionally, but I don’t at all.)

(Cider is good. The BBQ’s sounding better.)

If you sorted your wardrobe by colour, what colour would stand out? (Ahh, do you sort your wardrobe by colour?!)

Black is a favourite for me, but there’s a lot of blue in there. Blue jeans, blue shirts.

(I notice you didn’t answer the sorting question!)

What are you wearing now? (Be honest!)

King Gee shorts and an old shirt.

(King Gee – “Any tougher and they’d rust!”)

Whose home would you like to housesit and why?

Yours, so I could change all my answers to this quiz.

(I’m hardly going to upset you. I’ve seen how your characters deal with people who tick them off!)

Country curiosities…

We love a sunburnt country (slip, slop, slap and all that). What’s your ideal hat? Or are you a boots person?

I do love akubras and have owned plenty. I wear a wide-brimmed straw hat when I’m out on the boat. Love boots too: Redbacks, Baxters, Blundstones.

(Redbacks are like walking on snake-proof sponges. Love them.)

If you were a tree (or animal) what kind of tree (animal) would you be?

Tree? – Definitely a casuarina, because I love the way the breeze whistles through the leaves on a sunny day. Like they’re happy to be alive.

(Well stay away from Coffs Harbour. Council thinks they are a weed!)

Animal? – Definitely an eagle. They don’t really have any predators, and it just looks like so much fun, hovering around on those thermals.

Either that or something really cute. Like this piglet:

(LOL. Well, while this little piggy went to market, this other really clever little piggy wrote an amazing book called Rotten Gods …. !!!!)

Now for the big question… Why did the chicken cross the road?

Because the other side always seems so appealing. Doesn’t it?

(Yes it does – until the other side is a debut book and no one tells you about the terror tummy trembles. The ones that leave you wondering what the hell you were thinking letting people read your work.)

About you…

Your turning point: when was that point in your life that you realized that being an author was no longer going to be just a dream but a reality and a career?

My turning point was getting an agent. That was in 2004. Having someone in the industry who believed in me was such a massive boost. I’ll be loyal to my agent (Brian Cook) until the day they drop me in a hole and throw dirt on my face. Paying him back for his trust and support is a large part of my motivation to succeed.

(How lovely. I hope we get a lot more books out of you first—okay? You know, many years ago, I considered Brian Cook for my first manuscript assessment. It was between him and Belinda Castles at the time. I went with Belinda – not sure why – and her comments encouraged me to keep trying. Never for a moment did I ever imagine that ten years later Belinda would be my publisher’s choice of freelance editor assigned to House for all Seasons. Some things are meant to be and it sounds like Brian was yours.)

What is the hardest part of writing for you?

Getting the story right. Prose can always be improved, characters fleshed out, but you can’t polish a crappy yarn into a good one. You have to pull it apart. I spend ages restructuring, often to the extent that my final draft bears very little resemblance to the first.

If someone was to write your biography, what do you think the title should be?

Never Afraid to Try.

What question have you always wanted to be asked in an interview? How would you answer that question?

Interviewers ask me lots of questions about the issues and themes I write about. Few give me a chance to talk about the suspense, excitement and tension I am aiming for in my stories. Being an entertaining and thrilling writer is my main aim, after all.

(I think you may have achieved that! Looking forward to Savage Tide.)

Fun stuff…

What does your protagonist think about you? Would he or she want to hang out with you, the author, his/her creator.

Marika is probably the most important protagonist in Rotten Gods. I suspect we’d get on pretty well, though I’m older than her. She’s the kind of girl who’d enjoy my offshore adventures, climbing up on the bow to handle anchor duties, no worries. Her passion for bushwalking and travel grew from my own experiences and we could have a lot of fun together.

Hanging out on a Friday night? I doubt it. She loves going out, just as I did at her age, but I’m over that now. Barbecues with friends and their families are more my thing these days.

If you could trade places with any other person for a week, famous or not famous, living or dead, real or fictional, with whom would it be?

A beggar, an untouchable, or a refugee. There’s nothing to learn from being rich and famous for a week.

(Wow! You really are a SNAG – and I am not referring to the BBQ’d type! That is a lovely response and says so much about you as a person.)

If I said to you, “Just entertain me for five minutes, I’m not going to talk,” what would you do?

Get my guitar and sing you a song. I played semi-professionally in my twenties and still teach music one day a week.

I forget who first said that music is what feelings sound like, but it’s so true. I listen to music every day, and it’s a huge source of inspiration for my writing.

(Then I hope one day to hear you. I also think you may enjoy my Online Release Day surprise. Click here to check it out.

What was the best thing before sliced bread?

Unsliced bread.

How weird are you? Rate yourself on a scale of 1 (not) to 10 (very).

8/10

(A very nice weird!)

About the book – Rotten Gods

In Rotten Gods, a new wave of terror threatens a world torn by inequality, conflict, economic disaster, and environmental chaos.

Heads of state gather in Dubai in an attempt to bring society back from the brink of global catastrophe. But when extremists hijack the conference centre, the clock starts ticking: seven days until certain death for presidents and prime ministers alike, unless their governments agree to the terrorists’ radical demands.

A treasonous British diplomat, an Australian intelligence officer, an airline pilot searching for his missing daughters, a mysterious Somali agent, and a disillusioned UN official are all forced to examine their motives, faith and beliefs as they attempt to stave off disaster, hurtling towards the deadline and a shattering climax.

Rotten Gods is both an imaginative tour de force and a dire warning, holding the reader spellbound until the last breathtaking page.

WIN A COPY OF ROTTEN GODS

Greg’s upcoming release has a great title – Savage Tide. I ask my Author Harvest guests to title their biography. Now I’m asking you – the reader – to title your autobiography and tell us why. The winner will be announced here in 7 days from now. (Open to Aust and NZ readers.)

Connect with Greg Barron

http://gregbarron.com
http://www.facebook.com/gregbarronauthor