Tag: Author Harvest

Fan girl moment!

Please join me in welcoming the incomparable Dianne Blacklock (who is also apparently known as ‘the platter queen’!).

Di has not only whipped up “Jenn’s #1 fave platter treat” (dips, cheese, crackers, olives and whatnot, with a glass of wine, of course) she’s also giving away a copy of her new book … WOOT! (no, it’s not called woot – that’s just me being excited.

The new release is called The Best Man (and with four gorgeous grownup sons I reckon Di has lots of research material at hand).

To be in the draw for a copy of The Best Man, read on…  

At home… 

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

I have a casual relationship with gnomes, we’re just friends. That’s all I’m prepared to say at this time.

(Oh, is that a gnome I can see in the garden behind you?)

(LOL – tricked ya!)

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

I’d love to have a lemon tree. I have a slice of lemon in my tea every morning, I use lemon in a lot of dishes, I even like a wedge of lemon in the odd beer! I’d love to be able to go out back and pick a lemon off my very own tree.

(Hmm, I believe I have a Corona rolling around in the bottom of the fridge somewhere – AND a lemon tree. Back in a jiffy!)

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

Fresh fruit and vegies, yoghurt, eggs, juice, the aforementioned dips and cheeses, soda water, wine of course … Not very interesting, but you have helped me write my shopping list for tomorrow!

🙂 🙂 🙂

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

I don’t need to sort it, it’s almost entirely black! My sons laugh when I come home from shopping – ‘Oh, you bought a black top just like all your other black tops.’ I have been trying to be more adventurous lately, and I’ve gone a little crazy with green accessories. I even bought a green dress last summer. Unheard of.

What are you wearing now? (Be honest!)

Black trackies, black long-sleeved top, black socks … (told you). As the day has grown colder, I’ve added an oversized beige cardie, and I’m wearing the comfy but crazy striped booties my niece brought me back from Guatemala. I’m all class.

(Beige?! You crazy girl!)

Whose home would you like to housesit and why?

George Clooney’s villa in Como. As long as he was in it. Which is not really housesitting, but hey, that’s my answer and I’m sticking with it.

(George Clooney has a villa in Como? He just got even better!)

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 have a big head, so hats always sit too high. My ideal hat is adjustable.

(Okay everyone, admit it. You all scrolled up to check out a big head on Dianne’s author pic just then, didn’t you?)

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

Gosh … I’m a Pisces, so I guess I’d be a fish. Lucky I like the water.

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

I look forward to a time when chickens will be free to cross roads without having their motives called into question.

(Jennifer Scoullar will agree with that. She’s a chook rescuer!)

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?

Probably not until I was able to quit my real job, around the time my third novel came out. After that I had no choice but to put ‘author’ under occupation!

What is the hardest part of writing for you?

There’s a quote I relate to from Thomas Manne – ‘Writers are people for whom writing is harder.’ It’s hard work to do it well, and you never feel satisfied, always thinking it could have been better.  The constant self-doubt is tough, but it’s par for the course.

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

I’ve always wanted to be asked how I feel about garden gnomes. You’ve made my dreams come true, Jenn!

(The least I could do given your inspiration and support regarding my own dreams – not to mention the number of times I boldly compared myself to you in my submissions to publishers! There … I’ve confessed!)

Fun stuff …

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

I hope she thanks me for bringing her to life, perhaps wishing that I hadn’t put her through the ringer quite so much. But no, she doesn’t want me to hang around with her, she wants me to leave her alone so she can get it on with [insert love interest here].

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?

Most of the people I admire, I’d like to hang out with them, not be them! Though I wouldn’t mind changing places with Gina Rinehart, and give away as much of her money as I could manage in 7 days!

(Maybe take Loretta Hill with you. She knows her mining!)

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

Oh, it’s a bad idea to give me the floor without interruption – all you’d get from me is a stream of babble, and I’m not too sure that would be entertaining. I can’t sing or play an instrument, but I can talk. Under water.

(Under water – That’s the pisces thing again, I guess!)

What was the best thing before sliced bread?

I have no idea … just how old do you think I am?

(Shall I scroll up to that author pic again and have a stab? Probably not!)

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

Noel Coward said ‘Very few people are completely normal really, deep down in their private lives.’ So I reckon I’m as weird as the next person – we’re all fives.

Wonderful! Thank you Di – for being so supportive and for your lovely comment about my House for all Seasons.

Check out all Dianne’s novels here (oh, and do yourself a favour while you’re there. Sign up for her newsletter – it’s a Lane Moriaty, Ber Carroll and Di Blacklock newsletter. Fabulous reading.)

Now to WIN the Best Man … Leave a comment below. You have two weeks from the post date. Winner chosen at random and announced here.

And the winner is …. (chosen by the random number generator) Peta!

Check out the full list of Author Harvest posts.