Author Harvest ‘bales’ up Pamela Cook

So, Pamela, we’ve had a quick canter and now it’s time to put on the nosebag. Let’s start by you telling me if it’s scones and tea or some other homemade delight you have whipped up for me today. 🙂

I’m definitely a scones, jam and cream girl, Jenn. And tea – English breakfast.

At home…

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

I’ve always wanted to grow a mango tree. I love the plump, smooth orange-ness of them and would love to see them hanging on a huge green tree in my backyard.

(Yes, well, I have 5 mango trees and the bats, possums and parrots really, really enjoy them!)

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

An assortment of containers with leftovers, chocolates hidden behind the eggs where he thinks no one can find them (my other half), the usual staples and a nice bottle of semillon.

(Hmmm, semillon and scones – with a chocolate chaser! Is that uncouth?)

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

I’m not organised enough to sort my wardrobe by colour but if I did you’d find a solid block of purple, an assortment of greens (mainly khaki), a splash of orange and bright pink and some basic black.

What are you wearing now?

Denim shorts and a white top

Whose home would you like to housesit and why?

Friends of mine in Milton have just bought a property I would love to housesit. You drive down this very bumpy, steep road, round a few bends and then find yourself in this beautiful valley surrounded by enormous, straight-as-soldier gums. In the paddocks there are alpacas and horses. The air is alive with swallows, parrots and kookaburras … might be a setting for a future book methinks!

(Sounds like a tax-deductible research trip to me!)

Country curiosities…

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

Love hats, especially summery straw ones with a small brim. And I am partial to an akubra. I’m definitely a boot girl – live in long boots in winter and love to wear my R.M’s when I’m riding.

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

I’d definitely be a horse. I think they are the most amazing, intuitive, beautiful creatures on earth.

(I agree. Just don’t tell my dogs!)

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

Pass!

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?

It wasn’t so long ago actually – it was the day my now publisher, Vanessa Radnidge, called me to say Hachette loved my manuscript and wanted to publish it. I had a kombi full of 11 year olds I was delivering to a school debate and I swear my heart must have been beating so loudly they could all hear it. It’s all so fresh it still feels like a dream really.

(It wasn’t long ago!? Crikey, those four words probably sent a dozen authors I know to the booze cupboard!)

What is the hardest part of writing for you?

Plotting. I love creating characters and building their backstories and relationships. Coming up with a strong, interesting story-line is my block. I try to let the plot evolve from the character’s problems but it’s not always easy.

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

Hmm, good question. Maybe something like “Daydream Believer”. It sounds corny but I’ve always believed that your dreams can come true if you believe in them enough and if you work hard towards achieving them. It’s certainly worked for me so far!

Fun stuff…

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

My protagonist Eve and I would get on pretty well I think. She’d probably think I’m a bit timid at times but would appreciate my sense of balance. We’d have good times sitting on her veranda sipping our bourbons, watching the horses and chatting about life.

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?

Elizabeth Bennett, so I could wear those gorgeous clothes and dream about Darcy. It would have to be the week she visits Pemberley and he emerges from the dam with that wet, white shirt on. Hmmm-hmmm!

(Here ya go. Something for everyone. Which one is your fave, folks? Colin, Matthew or ‘the other bloke’!)

What food would you be?

Something warm and scrumptious like a rice pudding.

(I don’t know many women who would admit to being like pudding!! Good on you.)

What was the best thing before sliced bread?

Unsliced white bread (with lashings of butter and vegemite).

(Ahh, yes, but fresh or toasted? Do you have a fave, folks?)

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

Most of the time I’m pretty normal (2), although my 16 year old would rate me as more of a 7 a lot of the time. And I definitely have my 10 moments.

2020 UPDATE: Pamela has since had books published with both Hachette and
Wild Words Publishing: www.pamelacook.com.au

See who else has taken part in the harvest so far – HERE. https://www.jennjmcleod.com/author-harvest/

Thank you for checking out a blog post from the past. Keep supporting Australian storytellers and stay safe.