At home with Helene Young … somewhere in the Coral Sea
Helene! Thank you for letting me park my rig on your… ahhh…new floating pontoon!
What a fabulous idea, Jenn. It will either sink or swim. *groan*
(Sink or swim was my Mum’s favourite saying, and what I tell myself when subbing a new manuscript. And, so far, so good!)
It’s great to be part of your blog tour, Helene. I’m mid tour myself and giving away my 3 x books to a lucky reader. You have a giveaway attached to your tour, too. Details are at the bottom of this post. (Enter my 3 x book giveaway here.)
Helen, I just realised how silly my regular Q&A is, given you live on a boat, but here goes…
What’s that I see written on your ‘welcome mat’?
‘Ahoy!’ (We like to keep it nautical.)
If I looked in your refrigerator right now, what would I find?
Avocadoes! Manna from heaven and perfect at this time of year
Downsizing my life into a 24 ft caravan meant leaving lots of things behind in boxes. I imagine when you did the same to Roobi you had trouble leaving certain things behind.
Since Roobinesque is quite similar in size I’ve already made this decision and undoubtedly leaving my books behind led to tears… That and my beautiful outdoor setting which had seen many an entertaining dinner party…
(Folks, I swear I saw that outdoor setting of Helene’s in the ahem…”storage hull”. I’m thinking Helene ‘schnuck’ it on board. Does the captain know? I wonder!!!!
So, whose home would you like to visit in your van and why?
There’s this tiny island off the end of the runway at Hamilton Island. Every time I flew in there with work I wondered about it. It can only be accessed by boat so I plan on doing that soon!
I usually ask my guest authors if they have room at their house to park a fifth wheeler caravan and do they mind visitors.
Happy to have you tagging along on the pontoon beside the dinghy!
Country curiosities…
My latest novel, Season of Shadow and Light, has a strong horse theme. (I love what horses can teach us). If you were an animal what would you be?
A staffy – loyal, happy and a little on the stocky side 🙂
You’re cooking and your food going up against the best cooks from the CWA (Country Women’s Association). What would be your winning dish?
My pavlova – crusty on the outside, melt in the mouth soft on the insides and smothered with cream and passionfruit.
About you…
What is the hardest part of writing for you?
Finding the time…
If someone were to write your biography, what do you think the title should be?
Dare To Dream.
Favourite four…
Favourite place in Australia: Tough call. I love Uluru and Birdsville, but then there’s Horn Island and Cooktown. And South Strabroke Island’s special. And Albany. And… Can I just go with Australia’s my favourite place?
Favourite holiday destination: Antarctica – the most amazing trip I’ve ever had! Who knew white came in so many shades. And then there were the penguins, historic huts, icebergs, The Dry Valleys, seals, whales, dolphins, and great company on the ship.
Favourite movie: Love Actually – so many intertwined threads.
Favourite quote: “Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things you didn’t do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines, sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover.”
(Ahh, Mark Twain! Also a favourite of mine.)
If I said to you, “Just entertain me for five minutes, I’m not going to talk,” what would you do?
I’d read you the opening chapters of Northern Heat – nothing like a bit of shameless self-promotion!
(Ahhh! Read. Loved. Informed! (We’ll be touring Queensland as of next month so extreme weather survival tips welcome.)
HELENE’s GIVEAWAY…
To celebrate the release of my sixth book I have six prize packs to give away. Four of them are duos of SAFE HARBOUR and NORTHERN HEAT and one major prize is a complete set of my six books. For international readers there is a duo of e-books to be won.
To enter leave a comment here or share the post and/or the trailer on social media site and I’ll double your chances!
Hope to see you through May at the following blogs.
5th May: http://bookdout.wordpress.com
7th May: http://auslit.net
10th May: http://deannasworld1.blogspot.com.au
12th May: https://www.jennjmcleod.com
14th May: http://ausromtoday.com
17th May: https://1girl2manybooks.wordpress.com
19th May: http://writenotereviews.com
21st May: https://australianbookshelf.wordpress.com
24th May: https://nevendbookshelf.wordpress.com/category/reviews/
26th May: http://teddyree-theeclecticreader.blogspot.com.au
28th May: http://australianruralromance.com
31st May: http://talkingbooksblog.net
2nd June: Wrap up and announce the winner on my blog http://www.heleneyoung.com
About Northern Heat…
In steamy northern Queensland, Conor is rebuilding his shattered life. Working at Cooktown’s youth centre has given him the chance to make a difference again, and the opportunity to flirt with Dr Kristy Dark. The local GP is hiding her own secrets and struggling to raise her feisty teenage daughter alone.
When a severe cyclone menaces the coast, threatening to destroy everything in its path, tensions come to a head – and the weather is not the only danger. Cut off from the world and with her life on the line, Kristy will have to summon her courage and place her trust in Conor, or they’ll both lose someone they love.
About Helene…
When Helene’s not writing novels she enjoys a busy career as the Queensland Regional Flying Manager with Australia’s largest regional airline. She’s worked in aviation for over 25 years and has 260 pilots reporting into her. She recently appeared in ‘Judith Lucy is All Woman’ in an episode showcasing women in aviation.
She has twice won the highly coveted RWA’s Romantic Book of the Year in 2011 and 2012 and was shortlisted for the Daphne du Maurier Award for Mainstream Crime and Suspense. She has also been nominated in the Ned Kelly and Sisters in Crime Awards. Helene’s last novel, Safe Harbour, was voted Australia’s 2014 Favourite Romantic Suspense Novel. This is the fourth time Helene’s stories have won the award.
A motivational speaker and writing mentor, Helene lives aboard a catamaran on the edge of the Great Barrier Reef and she plans one day to sail around the world in it.
Pre-order Buy Links
Northern Heat Trailer You Tube:
Or view on You Tube: https://youtu.be/_nC-4zrkbtM
Jenn’s 3 x book giveaway – CLICK to leave a comment 
Love Helenes books. Can’t wait to read this one. But with moving and now starting my nursing I can’t afford to buy it. And my children went looking for it for mother’s day around Swanhill and couldn’t find it. So won’t be reading it anytime soon. (Sigh)
I love them too, Sharon. I think this new one should be out on the shelves in a week or so. But with luck you might win one. 🙂 Thx for dropping by.
An eagerly anticipated read. You’re both in good company with each other!
Thank you, KM! (and for the typo fix) 😉
Thanks KM, it’s always fun visiting Jenn’s part of the world 🙂
Thanks, Sharon! Appreciate you stopping by for a chat. I’m sorry your children couldn’t track down a copy – Northern Heat releases on 27th May, but you’re in the running to win one of the prize packs!!’
Helene’s books are something I have loved immersing myself in. I had a rough time almost four years ago & stopped reading but I eventually found my first of her books & haven’t looked back. Absolutely love every book & wait for the next ones to come along. Cannot wait to read this book Meg x
Megan, thank you sharing your story and love of books. I am a HUGE Helene fan, from the very first book (and the hello hug when we first met years ago). Gorgeous woman and a talented storyteller. Thank you for dropping by.
Megan, I’m sorry to hear you stopped reading for a time, but very glad you’ve picked up some of my books as you forge your new path. And thank you for dropping by!
Thanks to Jenn for hosting the Northern Heat Blog Tour and to everyone who joined in!! The winners have been announced and details are up on my blog at :
http://www.heleneyoung.com/2015/06/and-the-winners-are-2/