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#WriteRoundOz w/ Lily Malone

Image Image 1Ooops! What do you mean I can’t park my rig on the fairway, Lily? Looks like heaven to me: very green, recently mown? Perfect for pitching an annex. But, if you insist, I’ll move the rig. Best get out of the way, though. I am a bit new to all this. Toot! Toot!

 

Here I am in Lily Malone heaven — a heavenly part of WA — and talking books and wine and wine and books…

Hmm, and what’s that I see written on her welcome mat?
“Come on in, the wine is fine.”

(See what I mean, folks? I’m already at home in Lily country)

Now, Lily, I miss my HUGE refrigerator. If I looked in your refrigerator right now, what would I find?

You are lucky. I’ve just been shopping. I have smoked salmon (because it was on special); mango and strawberry yoghurt (yep, on special); lots of apples, carrots and corn; truckloads of milk and leftover chicken lasagne.

Downsizing my life into a 24 ft caravan meant leaving lots of things behind in boxes. What (or who!!) would you have trouble leaving behind if you took off in a caravan?

I’d miss my garden – for although the landscaping is lacking, I do like my native plants. I tried tubestock for the first time and I’ve been battling rabbits, and winning. I love my garden, so I’d miss it if I was away. Actually, I love my house too, I really don’t want to go anywhere.

(I’m not sure what tubestock is but if it’s anything to do with the garden bed I kind ran a wheel or two over while getting off the fairway then… Ooops!)

Whose home would you like to visit in your van and why? 
Sigh. I’m getting so boring: Warney’s pad in Melbourne, or Sydney, or wherever he sets himself up these days.

Do you REALLY have room at your house to park a fifth wheeler caravan and do you mind visitors? Oh, sorry, you don’t have to answer that one!! ☺

You have an open invitation you and ‘J’ – I would love to be your hostess with the mostest. I am already planning what we will eat and certainly what we will drink, and lots of other stuff we can do depending on (of course) the season you visit.

(Thanks for the nice segue!)

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?

An otter.

You’re cooking and your food is going up against the best cooks from the CWA (Country Women’s Association). What would be your winning dish?
Portuguese chicken.

About you…

What is the hardest part of writing for you?
Just doing it.

If someone was to write your biography, what do you think the title should be?
Pink Beanies In The Time Of Wine

What question have you always wanted to be asked in an interview? How would you answer that question?
Q: Is Warney one of your Twitter followers?
A: Unfortunately No. If he EVER does follow me, you will hear the squeeeeee from wherever you’ve parked your van.

Favourite four

(Okay, Lil, that was a heading but since you listed four – sort of…) Warne, McGrath, Lillee and Warne.
Favourite place in Australia: Mataranka (in the Northern Territory – hot springs – the clearest green waters of the Roper River – stunning)
Favourite holiday destination (anywhere): Victoria Falls, Zimbabwe
Favourite movie: Bridget Jones Diary and anything with Matt Damon
Favourite quote: Is that a gun in your pocket, or are you just glad to see me?

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

(and that, lovely readers, is why Lily and I are firm friends. Now, if only we can actually meet!)

2020 UPDATE: Lily has since been published by HQN and still writes stories to make you smile: https://lilymalone.blog

I love Lily’s books. (The fact that one of her characters is named Jenn ‘with two ‘n’s has no bearing on this opinion. 🙂 ) And we did finally meet in 2018 when I drove from east to west with Myrtle the Turtle in tow. And yes there was wine.

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

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LILY, GOLF – and other four-letter words!

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Let’s get one thing clear… I LOVE the name ‘Lily’. Add the word ‘Malone’ and for some reason I start to conjure up all sorts of wonderfully romantic images of Marlene Dietrich and Vera Lynn singing: “Auf Wiedersehen Lili Marlene” (Don’t ask me why! I just do.)

Let me further clarify…

Lily Malone is an author. I can’t remember where or how I found this author. My first memory is reading a blog post she had written about being an aspiring writer. Her writing style made me laugh (in a good way) and that is always a good thing in a blog post.

Since then, Lily Malone has gone on to publish (both through Escape Publishing and independently) three novel.  She does have a wonderful way with words and she can be a bit cheeky. Her stories are contemporary romances – a mix of love, lies and a little lust. (Oh and wine! There is usually lots of wine. And OH GOSH! All those wonderful four-letter words: LOVE, LIES, LUST … WINE!)

So if that is your genre, Lily tells a great yarn. Not only that, she has THE best cover on her latest release – Fairway to Heaven. Yes, it’s about golf – but not as we know it apparently (which may be a good thing because GOLF is definitely a bad four-letter word to me.)

Check out Lily’s blog here.  Or buy Fairway to Heaven on Smashwords.

I wanted to give a shout out on my blog because apart from being good fun and a fabulous storyteller, Lily is a generous and supportive person to lots of other authors – me included. (And I have been slack and totally missed the big [insert bad four-letter word here] blog hop thingy. But you can still join in the fun.

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You can find links to all the blogs taking part (and the clever enter to win thing) of them at the bottom of Rhyll Biest’s blog. Authors like Jennie Jones, Wine, Women and Wordplay (with Imelda Evans), Cate EllinkSusanne Bellamy. Check one or two or as many as you like for your chance to win a great prize pack from Lily filled with yummy delights (and a copy of Kate Belle’s book, The Yearning).

And finally…

Here is Lily (funny, funny lady) taking part in my Author Harvest last year and it has a little taste of the song: Lili Marlene –  CLICK

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Author Harvest ‘bales up’ Jenn J McLeod

Author HarvestJenn J McLeod - Rural AuthorWell Jenn, here you are. It’s all happening now. Who knew! So let’s start as we always do here on Harvest … with food.

Can I offer you scones and tea or some other homemade delight?

Definitely not! I think I’ve had a little too much harvest love from my guests. Did no one see that butt-to-camera angle when NBN News filmed me launching the Bellingen Readers & Writers Festival a few months back. No food! No butts!

At home…

Mum says garden gnomes make a house a home! Am I loud and proud in my loveIMG_0540 of garden gnomes at home, a closet gnomer or with a strict ‘no gnomes’ policy at my place?

I’m afraid I did inherit a love of the cheeky gnome. This one at my dad’s place is by far my favourite. (And clearly I have a butt obsession at the moment!)

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

I have a nice collection of both fruit and vegie: avocado, orange, ruby grapefruit, mandarins, oranges, custard apple, lychee, mango, lime, lemon, pecans. The vegie garden will have seasonal vegies: I love strawberries and cooking with fresh herbs.

If someone looked in the refrigerator, what would they find?

Grotesque, alien-like vegetables that I somehow managed to grow/create. (eg. my carrots are orange in colour, but that’s where the similarities end.)

If someone was to sort my wardrobe by colour, what colour would stand out? (Is anyone volunteering?)

You will mostly find the colour of ‘Opp Shop’. I do love finding a hidden pre-loved treasure. Opp shops are a kind of story starter. I find myself wondering about the person/history behind the treasure.

What am I wearing now?

Opp Shop favourites – shorts and a tank top. I love supporting the volunteers who run the shop.

Whose home would I like to housesit and why?

I was going to pick a few places. Then I thought previous Harvestees might get all precious and say: “Ooohh… Jenn J never said we could do that ….” To which my response would be: Hey folks, it’s my party and I’ll give answers in triplicate if I want to …

So, (with that out o the way) I’d do a progressive thing with some of my author pals so I can soak up some inspiration during my stay: Fiona Palmer’s (I’ve heard about that Pingaring pub!), Fleur McDonald (her photographs of home are gorgeous. Must go there.), my publisher’s house Larissa Edwards (so I can nose around in her book collection), Helene Young’s (in tropical north Queensland – say no more!), Christine Stinson’s (because she said I could stay there anytime I wanted to “come home to the city“!), Rachael Johns’ (she owns a supermarket for goodness sake. Imagine that!), Bronwyn Parry (she has kangaroos watching her work through the window), and speaking of rooms with a view – Annie Seaton’s place (have you seen that writing chair of hers?) 😉 I could go on…. In fact I could go to New Zealand and visit Rae Roadley (becasue she has found ‘Love At The End Of The Road’.)

Country curiosities…

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

Love my leather hat. Hate hat hair. Love my comfy Redbacks. Hate spiders!

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

A meerkat: stands tall, inquisitive, cautious, highly excitable, aggressive only when provoked! (Best of all, cute as all get out and no butt to speak of.)

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

It went to the shops to by House for all Seasons by this lovely new author called Jenn J McLeod. They heard there was a rather elaborate chook house described in the book as well as a competition with a great prize when you buy the book.

About you…

My turning point: when was that point in my life that I realised being an author was no longer going to be just a dream but a reality and a career?

A year before my 50th birthday I said: “It’s now or never.”  I’d written two novels already (contemporary fiction set in glamorous locations) but coud not interest a publisher or an agent. With a growing interest in Australian rural fiction I decided if I couldn’t sell an Australian small town story then I couldn’t sell anything and I would give up.

Two days before my 50th birthday I signed with Clare Forster (Curtis Brown Literary Agency). The rest, as they say, is history!

What is the hardest part of writing for me?

Picking up where I left off the previous day. I have to get into the flow (it’s a voice thing) which means reading a few previous chapters. I’m afraid I can’t read without editing so I get bogged down with the detail, which then ends up limiting my word count at the end of each day.

If someone was to write my biography, what do I think the title should be?

She did a good job, butt …!

Fun stuff…

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

My contemporary fiction tends to have a cast of characters rather than the protagonist/antagonist structure. Not sure any of them would want to hang out with me but, boy, would I LOVE hanging out with them. Especially a couple of my secondary boys. Will, the local cafe owner who makes great soy lattes, and Alex, the country vet and all-round nice guy. Both have the wonderful, witty (verging on wicked) sense of humour. I reckon we’d get on, don’t you?

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

I’d show you the NBN News clip and ask you: “Does my butt look big in that?”

What food would I be?

Ummm … something nutty perhaps!

What was the best thing before sliced bread?

I have no idea. I only included this question to see what others would say. But check this. Will we all be asking in a few decades, “What’s the best things since the super-duper toasting bread knife thingy?”

Name 5 uses for a stapler that has no staple pins.

With an obsessive partner there is NEVER a stapler without staple pins (nor a toilet roll holder without paper, a fridge without a cold beer, or a car without petrol).

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

I’ve just interviewed myself. What do you think?

Don’t forget to lock March 1 into your diary (or subscribe to receive a reminder). On online launch will be … colourful and loud 😉

Now … follow that chook and go buy my book. No butts about it! Check out the links in my book room.

(My thanks to Lily Malone for suggesting I interview myself. BTW – check out her Author Harvest and the other fabulous writing folk who have come home to the country so far – Author harvest line-up.