Posted on 11 Comments

#WriteRoundOZ w/ Susanne Bellamy

2011 - headshots HOTO_HH_rszAt home with… Susanne Bellamy 

Welcome to my home, Jenn!

Hi Susanne, thank you for letting me park my rig on your…ahh…

Home on the range?!  (Yes, I guess you are right up there. I remember the spectacular, although very misty, morning view. But I will NOT be parking in your driveway!)

 

What’s that I see written on your ‘welcome mat’?

Come in for wine and good conversation.

 

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?

Hubby and a supply of books and notebooks (or laptop and charger!). And a stash of salt and vinegar chips.

Whose home would you like to visit in your caravan and why? 

Shirley Wine – she lives in a stunningly beautiful part of New Zealand that I want to explore. Of course, my caravan will be able to fly across the Pacific Ocean, carried beneath a hundred colourful hot air balloons.

(Of course. I, too, have done this! Have some more wine…)

 

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 eagle. I’d love to have that view of the world. My husband gave me a hot air balloon flight for my last birthday and I’m looking forward to taking it in a couple of weeks!

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?

Main meal: Lasagne

Dessert: Pears poached in red wine

About you…

What is the hardest part of writing for you?

Planning! I start with a broad outline but as I get to know my characters, they shanghai my plans. Followed by the title. My husband came up with ‘Heartbreak Homestead’!

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

Give a Woman Half a Chance and a Single Malt and Stand Out of Her Way.

You’re a fiction writer. Tell us a secret (any secret – about you, your books, etc) and we’ll guess if it’s true or not.

I featured as a dancer in a television special when colour TV burst onto our screens in the 70s.

Favourite four…

Favourite place in Australia: Aside from home? Melbourne

Favourite holiday destination: Italy, especially if I can return to Amalfi and Sicily.

Favourite movie: Casablanca

Favourite quote: “We’ll always have Paris.” (Of course!)

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

I know you love dogs so I’d bring Freya (our German Shepherd) in and show you her tricks. (Yay! Perfect.)

Time for… Fact or fiction?

You’re a fiction writer. Spin us a yarn and we’ll guess if it’s true or not.

Did Susanne feature as a dancer in a television special when colour TV burst onto our screens in the 70s?

True or fiction, folks? 

About Heartbreak Homestead – out 1 March 2016

After her brother’s death, the last thing Lizzy Wilmot wants to do is to return to her family’s property but Alex Carter, his former business partner, needs her help to locate some missing files. Alex doesn’t trust Lizzy and the feeling is mutual but when they find themselves back at the homestead in the midst of a bitter custody battle for Lizzy’s baby nephew, sparks begin to fly.

Who is trying to harm Lizzy?

Can they both learn that trust will overcome heartbreak?

Heartbreak Homestead (Hearts of the Outback Book 2) eBook

GIVEAWAY CLOSED: Laura wins an ebook copy of Just One Kiss (Hearts of the Outback Book 1) eBook Just tell us:

Want to know more or connect? You can find Susanne at the following:

  1. Facebook https://www.facebook.com/susanne.bellamy.7
  2. Twitter https://twitter.com/SusanneBellamy
  3. Website http://www.susannebellamy.com/
  4. Pinterest http://www.pinterest.com/susannebellamy/
  5. Goodreads https://www.goodreads.com/author/list/6869630.Susanne_Bellamy

 

Posted on 1 Comment

#WriteRoundOz w/ Georgina Penney

Fly In Fly Out Georgina PenneyEveryone needs a holiday – right? Even those of us travelling full time. Well, I am doing a ‘fly in’ to visit Georgina Penny, before I ‘fly out’ and she’s thrown in a little ‘fact or fiction’ question at the end. ***

Georgina, if only I could have put the van on the plane, I could have parked my rig on your… Hmm,  4 acres of ridiculous lawn (that isn’t quite a farm) in the middle of some lovely hills in Aberdeenshire, Scotland.

And what’s that I see written on your ‘welcome mat’?

You’d see a lot of spray painted bunnies covering up any writing that might have been there. Given how many real rabbits live in and under our lawn, we thought it would set the tone.

If I looked in your refrigerator right now, what would I find?

Raspberries! We recently moved here to Scotland and it’s berry season. I spend most of the time I’m meant to be walking and getting fit picking berries out of the hedgerows. There might also be a couple of bottles of Aussie wine in there too. Whenever I’m homesick, a glass of Margaret River white never fails to cheer me up.

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?

My king sized bed! My lovely husband has the sleeping habits of a starfish and I would miss having the room.

Whose home would you like to visit in your van and why? 

Right now, I’d probably vote for visiting my godson in Singapore. It might be hard to fit the van along side my friend’s apartment building but we’d give it a go!

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!!

We love visitors! The more the merrier. We don’t know how long we’ll be in Scotland so we’re encouraging anyone and everyone to come take advantage of our hospitality. Put floaties on the caravan and come check out bonny Scotland while sipping a nice glass of Aussie wine. 🙂

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?

Given how much fun the bunnies in our hedgerow look like they’re having, being a Scottish rabbit doesn’t look like too difficult a life but if I really had a choice, I’d probably go for a squirrel. Our last expat location was Brunei and there were squirrels in the trees everywhere. They spent all their days nibbling nuts, teasing the monkeys and playing. Looked like a pretty great deal.

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?

Nasi Ayam (Chicken Rice). I learned how to make it from a Eurasian Aussie master years ago. It’s super simple, just rice, chicken, soup and veges but so tasty. The perfect comfort food. If that didn’t suit the ladies’ tastes, I’d probably go with my mum’s tried and true caramel slice recipe. It used to win hearts and minds when I was growing up in country WA and I doubt it’s lost its magical powers in the intervening years 😉

About you…

What is the hardest part of writing for you?

Getting anything done in between moving around the place has proven a challenge of late but I’d say the first draft is the hardest bit for me. Pinning my story and characters down on the page is always a challenge. After that, the editing is a breeze.

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

‘So, Where Am I Again?’ So far I’ve lived in over 25 places in Australia and around 30 all up if you include international moves. It’s getting to the stage that if I’m unpacked completely, I begin to wonder when the next move is coming!

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

Q: Are you inspired by real-life people and events?

A: All the time. I can’t write anything I don’t feel and I frequently ‘steal’ things from my own life and from those of my friends/family (or just plain anyone I run into). Although, by the time my books get written, any recognizable relation to the actual real-life event is usually so obscure it would take a detective to trace the source!

Favourite four…

Favourite place in Australia – Margaret River in WA.

Favourite holiday destination – I’m going to have to go for Margaret River again. From the beach to the bush, the place is amazing. The wine and the great food helps as wellJ

Favourite movie – Jaws

Favourite quote – ‘Lower your expectations and don’t assume anything’ from a fellow expatriate not long after we moved to Saudi Arabia 8 years ago. It’s proving to be a pretty good life motto.

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

Probably tell you a crazy story from my time in Saudi Arabia. That or I’d give you a good book and read with you. 🙂

***You’re a fiction writer. Tell us a secret and we’ll guess if it’s true or not.

Georgina says: “I once knew a dog like Gerald in Irrepressible You.”

True or fiction, folks? 

Thanks for dropping by,

Jenn J

Current release: Season of Shadow and Light (click image for more info)

Season+of+Shadow+and+Light+banner

Posted on 4 Comments

#WriteRoundOz w/ Jennie Jones – romance author

Jennie Jones_Author Photo

Fellow small-town fiction writer, Jennie Jones from Perth, Western Australia, lets me drop by in the fifth wheeler (as long as I do a little weeding on the way!!)

Check out the *** below for a little FACT or FICTION fun.

 

 

 

Thank you for letting my park my rig on your driveway–a five minute walk to the Indian Ocean.

You’re welcome, Jenn. Very impressed at the way you casually backed up a steep driveway and around two bends…but hang on to your drink because you’re still on a slope!

(It’s okay. I have wheel chocks!)

What’s that I see written on your ‘welcome mat’?

Beware of the cat (the small one).

(You have a big cat?)

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?

My husband – because there wouldn’t be room for both of us (smile). But I’ve promised him I’ll write…

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

Scotch fillet steak for my husband and Eye fillet steak for me. Chilled champagne, cheddar cheese, iceberg lettuce, tomatoes, strawberries, low-fat vanilla yoghurt and yesterday’s Webber bbq chicken.

Whose home would you like to visit in your van and why?

Any country manor – so long as it’s elegant and grand and whispers stories.

Houses are definitely Jennie’s favourite things. Check out her titles!! 6 Teaser_Swallows Fall Series by Jennie Jones

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!! 🙂

It’s a complicated driveway and you were game enough to reverse up and around – if you could also do a little weeding while you’re here…you can stay.

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?

I’d be a cat. They’re so independent (so long as they’re fed on time) and so capable of looking after themselves (so long as they get what they demand when they demand it). But they are also very loving (when they want to be).

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?

Oh, heck. I’d lose, so maybe I’ll bring the wine.

About you…

What is the hardest part of writing for you?

I’m pretty good at starting a story due to ideas I have to get down, and it flows wonderfully from there for the first three chapters. I can grow the story at around three chapters per stage, but my huge stumbling block is making these stages glue together and make sense. So by three-quarters of the way through a first draft, I’m questioning my sanity. I don’t plot – even when I need to and think I’ve got the rest of the story outlined, the supposed plot changes as soon as I start writing – so I have to go through those difficult periods of wondering where on earth this is going and if it’s going to make the mark. One day, when I’ve got over twenty books under my belt, I might not find it so hard. That’s the hope, anyway.

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

She tried everything except parachuting (and bungy jumping).  

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

“How did you amass such a fortune, Ms Jones?” But I’d probably wake up before I answered…

Favourites…

Favourite movie: Jane Eyre (most of the many versions).

Favourite quote: “Fate keeps on happening” Anita Loos

*** NOW – You’re a fiction writer, Jennie. Tells us something about you and we’ll guess if it’s true.

I once spent two weeks auditioning for a musical dance troupe – and after all that effort, got the job. Only to discover we’d be touring Indonesia and would be performing the play naked. I turned the job down. They were all arrested in Indonesia during the first performance.

What do you reckon, folks? Fact or fiction?

______________________________________

More about Jennie and her books…

 

Author Webpage: http://www.jenniejonesromance.com

Facebook

BUY: THE HOUSE AT THE END OF THE STREET – latest release.

Booktopia

Amazon Australia

Kobo

iTunes/iBooks

And if you can’t get enough of HOUSE books, you can always check out my House for all Seasons (#5 bestselling debut novel in 2013)
House for all Seasons-194x300