Author Harvest – Page 5 – Jenn J McLeod

Posted on 10/12/2013 by Jenn J McLeod — 9 Comments

Author Harvest w/ NZ author – Zana Bell

I have a final Author Harvest and we are heading across the ditch to the land of the long white cloud to meet New Zealander and Choclit author, Zana Bell. Please give her a great big Aussie welcome.

I fell in love with Zana’s beautiful storytelling after reading Forbidden Frontier, a fabulous story about a convict girl searching for Freedom. That was a log time ago, when I was still dreaming about publication, so it is pretty special to have Zana on Author Harvest.

Speaking of special, Zana, I am assuming you have some special treat for me.

Lamingtons, Jenn, because my latest novel is all about the celebrating the wild early days in the Antipodes. Here is the blurb…

We are not going any further until you tell me why yet another fiancé seems intent on wringing your neck.

Masquerades, deceptions and subterfuge – and that’s just on the heroine’s part.

****

Georgiana da Silva is catapulted out of the Victorian drawing rooms and into a world of danger when she escapes her fiendish fiancé to engage in a mad dash across the world to save her brother before an unknown assassin can find him.

Meanwhile, Captain Harry Trent is setting sail for New Zealand. With a mission to complete and the law on his heels, he’s got enough trouble of his own without further complications.

Thrown together, unable to trust anyone, -Georgiana and Harry are intent on fulfilling their missions despite the distractions of the other. But liberty comes at a price and the closer they get, the more they must question the true cost of being free.

Okay, so, at home…

Zana, 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 don’t have gnomes but for many years we always had one pretty little convertible or another parked up beside the driveway. I used to refer them as my garden gnomes. They never went – we couldn’t afford a sports car that was roadworthy! – but my husband could never resist the broken down 1930s MG, the rusted out 60s Porsche etc. Finally, we have one that we can actually drive but now it lives inside the garage while my trusty station-wagon (340 000km on the clock and still going) has been consigned to the drive.

(I’m sorry, but the only picture this conjures up is Noddy and Big ears!)

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

Pawpaw. New Zealand can grow a lot of things but not pawpaw, alas. Whenever I go to the Pacific Islands, my first stop is the local market to pick some up.

Whose home would you like to housesit and why?

It depends. Out of sheer curiosity I’d love to stay in Bill Gates’ house because it would be my only opportunity to see what all the money in the world can actually buy.

If I were going with the heart, I’d take any Bavarian castle provided it was fully-furnished with lots of central heating and a first rate chef. They are a wonderful blend of romance and Disney fantasy with all those turrets and towers. A friendly ghost would top things off nicely.

(Bil Gates my HAVE a Bavarian Castle and that would kill two birds, wouldn’t it?)

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 don’t view writing as a career per se. I just write what I love and then hope to find a publisher and an audience. For example, when I wrote Forbidden Frontier, it took me years to find a publisher who was interested in Australian history. Now that I’ve changed tack, they are begging for Australian sagas!

I loved writing my Superromance but historicals continued to pull at the heartstrings. Close to the Wind was written when even Kiwis were rolling their eyes when I said I wanted to write a NZ historical. But I’d fallen in love with the 1860s gold-rush days and nothing was going to stop me. I had in mind Georgette Heyer meets Romancing the Stone against glorious South Island scenery. Again, it took a while but as soon as I’d signed up with ChocLit in London, one of the big publishers in NZ began to show an interest.

It’s impossible to second guess the market so I write the book that burns to be written. It’s a risky approach but so far I’ve sold all the books I’ve written which has been very lucky.

(Good advice.)

What is the hardest part of writing for you?

I find the balance between family, job, friends and writing extremely tricky. If I’m not careful, a book can become an obsession. On the flipside, I’m also a genius at procrastination!

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?

That’s a no-brainer. I’d change places with Georgiana, heroine of my latest book, like a shot. I’ve given her all the skills I wish I had. She’s feisty and, having grown up in a circus, she can climb masts and walk tightropes. She’s an excellent horsewoman and a great actress. I’d love to have the performing gene!

On top of that, she gets to hang out with Harry, the rakish sea captain, and have lots of adventures with him.

Of course I think they are the coolest couple – I wouldn’t have spent all those many months closeted up in my study with them if I didn’t.

(Bill Gates may ALSO have a circus!)

For a more…ahem…serious look at Zana and her novels, I can recommend you check out this post. My ‘old’ critique partner (also a New Zealander) did a great Q&A.

About Zana Bell

Zana Bell writes in a variety of genre, her novels covering YA, historical, and contemporary and historical romance. Her second novel, Forbidden Frontier (Mira) based on Charlotte Badger, Australian convict and pirate and New Zealand’s first known English woman migrant won the Cataromance Single Title’s 10 Best Books of 2008. She won the Cataromance Reviewers’ Award 2010 for Tempting the Negotiator (Harlequin Superromance). In 2012 she was shortlisted for the New Zealand Society of Authors Mid-Careers Grant.

Her New Zealand historical, romantic adventure Close to the Wind (ChocLit) came out in October, 2013.

Visit her website http://www.zanabell.com/ or FB https://www.facebook.com/zanabellauthor

Posted on 03/12/201324/12/2013 by Jenn J McLeod — 11 Comments

Bar Yarns w/ just_a_girl, Kirsten Krauth (Merry Christmas Giveaway)

Some of you already know this demure debut author – sort of! Kirsten Krauth is not only a great new Aussie author to watch, she’s Editor of the NSW Writers Centre mag, Newswrite.

Kirsten and I met last September – author panel virgins at a NSW Writer Symposium.

A promotion powerhouse, mum, business owner – and more – Kirsten is a fun lady (as you can see by her profile pic – LOL) and a generous author, running a program on her blog for other debut fiction authors, so be sure to check out her blog addy.

But first, here’s a beer coaster, Kirsten. Would you mind jotting down the blurb for your book, just_a_girl, on the back?

just_a_girl tears into the fabric of contemporary culture. A Puberty Blues for the digital age, a Lolita with a webcam, it’s what happens when young girls are forced to grow up too fast. Or never get the chance to grow up at all.

Layla is only 14. She cruises online. She catches trains to meet strangers. Her mother, Margot, never suspects. Even when Layla brings a man into their home. Margot’s caught in her own web: an evangelical church and a charismatic pastor. Meanwhile, downtown, a man opens a suitcase and tenderly places his young lover inside.

just_a_girl is a novel about being isolated and searching for a sense of connection, faith, friendship and healing, and explores what it’s like to grow up negotiating the digital world of Facebook, webcams, internet porn, mobile phones and cyberbullying – a world where the line between public and private is increasingly being eroded.

Come on in. Grab a pew. What can I get you to go with your beer nuts? (Shandy? Wine Spritzer? Pink Lemonade?)

I’ll have a tequila slammer. Apparently tequila is the only drink you can have a lot of without getting depressed. Don’t forget the worm.

Hey, did you hear the one about …

Why did the man cross the road?

Because he couldn’t get his hat out of his underpants. Actually, that is my son’s favourite joke (at four). And my daughter has started saying it (at two). There are many variations including cats wearing underpants, pooey nappies, undies on head, bums with no underpants. But when my kids tell them, I find myself giggling hysterically. Some things never change.

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

I’d head to San Sebastian and become a tapas in one of the bars in the old quarter. I’d be a skewer with anchovies, olives and peppers. Sharp, spicy, salty and slippery.

Ahh, that beer 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? (NB: 1 = “I am a neat nut case” and 10 = “What desk? Where? Is there a desk here somewhere?”)

That’s tricky. My ideal is about 2, where I can sit down with a clear, neatly ordered space and start. In practice, at the moment it’s about 8. On my desk I have a Carmen Miranda headband with plastic fruit (from my tap dancing concert a few months ago), three mugs with cold tea, a plate hidden up the back with some kind of banana on it, a phone that’s not plugged in and never used, three years of receipts for my BAS (I must get round to), a yoghurt pot from the Basque country and a black lipstick that I bought the other day when pretending to be a punk (see my profile pic).

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, there’s no choice. Gangnam Style. I’ve been dancing to it for years. Only if I can play the part of the horse, though. And someone else does the whipping bit. I have a weakness for dancing. Some people will wait for the right song to come on. But not me. I love disco. I have learnt tap, hiphop, salsa, African, jazz, belly dancing — but never ballet. Who can be bothered with it?

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.

Stone Roses, Resurrection – to get the party into action
Salt + Peppa, Push It – the best dance song in the history of the world when you’re very inebriated
Nick Cave + The Bad Seeds, The Weeping Song – to regret your earlier actions (they lied about the tequila)

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

Perhaps this links to my earlier joke. Look for the one with hands in their underpants. I don’t think many authors or agents can walk past a bar, even if it involves going on a long detour around the block – lushes, the lot of them. NEVER let an agent buy you a drink before signing anything.

NSW Symposium 09_13 — And here is Kirsten ‘unpunked and pretty in blue’ at the NSW Author Symposium

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

The publican uses it to murder all those who refuse to leave after last rounds, and insist on staying until ugly lights. Staple in the temple and locked up in an old warehouse ready for demolition. Sounds like The Wire, doesn’t it.

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?

My kids waking me up at the crack of dawn every morning, while my husband snores beside me.
A book, and a couch to read it on.
Green spaces.

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

7 (apparently nearly everyone chooses 7)

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.

Come over and spend more time with me at Wild Colonial Girl or, if you’re in Castlemaine, always happy to smash a tequila down on the bar with you.

Find out more about just_a_girl: http://uwap.uwa.edu.au/books-and-authors/book/just_a_girl/

Buy my novel (paperback or ebook) at Amazon

Follow my blog at Wild Colonial Girl: http://www.wildcolonialgirl.com

Hang out with me at Goodreads

Visit me on Twitter (@wldcolonialgirl) or Facebook /wildcolonialgirl

GIVEAWAY TIME: It must be Christmas because Kirsten has pressies for two lucky readers: one printed and signed copy of just_a_girl and one e-book version.

Leave a comment below (and if you have a pref). Comp closed. Congrats Elizabeth and Brenda.

If you enjoyed this Bar Yarn, there are lots more to come including more great giveaways. So you never miss a post, whack your email in the TELL ME! box (above/right).

Just wait until you see who’s dropping by for a Bar Yarn next. Prepare to giggle.

Posted on 27/11/201302/12/2014 by Jenn J McLeod — 13 Comments

Bar Yarns w/ Author – Nora James

Nora James

I asked Nora James to drop into Calingarry Crossing pub for a bitova yarn because I was both captivated and intrigued by her new release’s cover and title – Dark Oil. (Isn’t it a great cover? Look at those eyes.)

So, first up, Nora, here’s a beer coaster. Take a minute to jot down the blurb for your book.

In DARK OIL lawyer Lara Beckham is sent to Africa to save her company’s multi-million dollar investment and she’s devastated at leaving husband Tim behind. But what can she do? She’s needed on the other side of the world to fight corruption in a country of rolling sand dunes and roaming camels.

On her return, however, it becomes clear that Tim has had plenty of company while she was away. Now, on top of dealing with a complicated legal system, an African coup and a marriage beyond saving, Lara has one more ball to juggle: her effortlessly seductive co-worker, Jack Norton, is joining her on the job… and he oozes trouble.

Now, grab a pew. What can I get you to go with your beer nuts? (Shandy? Wine Spritzer? Pink Lemonade?)

How about a Shandy-Wine Spritzer-Pink Lemonade cocktail?

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

A plate of Spanish tapas because life should be colourful, extraordinary and full of flavour.

Depending on the day I’d score a 1 or a 10. I tidy up on a regular basis and then, as I fall into the world of my story and my characters, my desk becomes a plane, a desert, a park in Paris in my mind, and so I take no notice of the accumulating mess. A few days later, perhaps because I finish a chapter or we are threatened with visitors, I come back to Earth and wonder what’s happened to my desk. I eventually find it somewhere under the research, the pile of books waiting to be read, notes to self, notes to others and more notes to self.

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?

Dance Gangnam Style to Take me Home Country Roads. It kinda goes together, the horsey movements and the song about the country, doesn’t it? I definitely wouldn’t do the dishes – I do enough of those at home.

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.

Sweet Thing by Keith Urban ‘cause I like to imagine he’s talking about me.
Whisper Your Name by Harry Connick Jr. I just love that voice.
The Cold Mountain soundtrack. There’s nothing like a bit of banjo in a country pub.

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

Well, that’s easy. The chicken crossed the road first. The starving author spotted it and followed, hoping to catch lunch. The agent saw the author and thought “hey, that person’s going places. I’d better catch her before another agent does.”

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

It’s waiting for another stapler to be placed next to it. Not any other stapler, mind you. It’s waiting for The One. Because even staplers need love.

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?

My family (including my pets) for pretty obvious reasons.
Food. You know how people sometimes say it’d be great to be able to take a pill and not worry about eating? For me that would be one of the worst forms of progress.
Lip gloss or lip balm. I hate dry lips!

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

Your lucky number is: the winning number. It goes something like this:

– Monday night:

“And the winner is… number 309.”

“What? That’s incredible! That’s my lucky number. I don’t know how I didn’t get it tonight.”

– Tuesday night:

“And the winner is… number 15.”

“What? That’s incredible! Fifteen’s my lucky number. I don’t know how I didn’t get it tonight.”

– Wednesday night:

You get the picture.

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.

You can find out more about me and Dark Oil at: www.norajames.com.au (Check out that fabulous review by top reviewer Jeannie Zelos while you’re there.)

Or find me on Escape Publishing’s website:

I’m also on Facebook

Thanks for dropping into Calingarry Crossing pub, Nora, and all the best with Dark Oil.

Beer Yarns and beer Nuts welcomes Kim Kelly Hope you enjoyed this Bar Yarn.