Monthly Archives: December 2012
The secret of staying young…
I’ve featured various quotes at the beginning of chapters in my upcoming novel, FAST FORWARD. All of them relate to the themes in the book; ageing, beauty, birthdays, family, and folllowing your dreams. Some are funny, some are heartfelt, and here is one of them:
Do you like books with quotes at the start of chapters (please say yes!) 😉
Stay tuned for more…
Five things I’m grateful for…
Today I’m over at multi-talented author Anita Heiss’s blog sharing five things I’m grateful for.
I love this idea Anita has come up with for blog posts. It’s nice to take time to think about the good things we have in life, so here are mine…
What are you grateful for?
~ Juliet
On the 8th Day of Christmas…
…my true love gave to me… an interview on Lindy Dale’s blog!
And here it is. Lindy’s been doing a ’23 days of Christmas’ author interview series, so make sure you check out all the other fab interviews too while you’re there.
In this interview I talk about where I got the idea for FAST FORWARD, character crushes, and what I’d like to do before the world ends. I also share a short excerpt from the book.
Check out the interview here.
Enjoy! 🙂
BookLovers Giveaway! I’m feeling generous…
In celebration of my book contract for FAST FORWARD I promised I’d do a giveaway, and one can’t go back on a promise, right?
So here it is! If you love books, you’ll love this prize, and before you get too excited I must point out that you need to be in Australia to be eligible (*hides from yelling and cursing international readers*). But, before you get too annoyed at me, if you’re not in Australia you’ll still be eligible for the runner up prize of an ebook copy of my short story Sisters At Heart (Read on for more details).
So without further ado, one lucky person who leaves a comment and answers a question below will be in the running for this prize: A BookLovers Bag of Goodies!
You could win:
- A canvas tote bag (The front says (in large print): I Heart Books, the back says (in small print): www.julietmadison.com – Humorous & Heartwarming Fiction). You could take this shopping with you, or pack it with a couple of books or your e-reader and a snack and head down to the beach or park for a good read. How cool is that? Inside the tote bag you’ll find…
- A ‘Love is in the air’ mug for your coffee, tea, hot chocolate, or vodka. Whatever your drink of choice. Or, who says you have to fill it with drink? It could hold all your choccies, or if you’re more health conscious it just might fit an apple. …Nup – not gonna happen is it.
- A big fat paperback copy of ‘Girls Night In’. At almost 700 pages this book is choc-full of great stories by some authome ausors…er, I mean: awesome authors (too much vodka in that mug?), including Marian Keyes, Kathy Lette, Jenny Colgan, Cathy Kelly, Fiona walker, Kaz Cooke, Lisa Jewell, and heaps more. You could take this to the beach in your tote bag along with your mug of vodka apple. Also, I’ll just point out that this book is second hand. I haven’t actually read it, I picked it up at a local book sale and it has someone’s name written on the inside. But I reckon that adds some intrigue, don’t you? Like… who did it belong to before? What is their life like? Who else has this book been passed onto? – okay, enough of the writerly character-creation thoughts 😉
- A beautiful handmade bookmark from ‘Chickieboo‘ in the Blue Mountains.
- A ‘Juliet Madison’ notebook to jot down your thoughts, your shopping list (more vodka), or perhaps pen a future bestselling story the old-fashioned way.
- And speaking of pens, a ‘Juliet Madison’ pen for writing that bestselling novel, or chewing on urgently when you run out of vodka. Okay sorry, enough of the vodka jokes, I don’t even drink the stuff! Really.
- A set of ‘Paris sticky note tags’ for doing whatever you like with really. The opportunities are endless… stick on dangly earrings, fingernails, household decorations, a little bookmark, or just a little reminder note to yourself to perhaps buy more…apples. What did you think I was going to say?
- A ‘Juliet Madison’ (sorry for the name overload) super-dooper clip magnet. Seriously, these things are awesome, or should that be authome? They can stick on your fridge or magnetic whiteboard, and the little grippy clip thing is strong enough to hold just about anything. You could even pull back your hair with it and create a new trend – magnetic promotional hair clips – and really draw attention to yourself as you go through airport security and set off the alarms.
- A ‘Juliet Madison’ (cringing slightly at the repetition of my name) fridge magnet. Just the usual run-of-the-mill magnet, nothing fancy, and unfortunately no hair-styling potential. Unless you attach it to the grippy clip on the magnetic promotional hair clip.
So what do you think, pretty cool huh?
To enter, leave a comment on this post and answer the following questions:
1. What is your most favourite invention from the last twenty-five years?
AND
2. What invention would you most like to have in the future?
If you’re not in Australia but would like the chance of winning the runner-up prize of one of two ebook copies of Sisters At Heart, answer the above questions and mention that you’re not in Australia.
*Winner will be announced Wed 12th December 2037 – just kidding! 2012. 😉
…Here’s the blurb for FAST FORWARD, my debut release coming out with Harlequin’s Escape Publishing in Feb 2013…
Aspiring supermodel Kelli Crawford seems destined to marry her hotshot boyfriend, but on her 25th birthday she wakes in the future as a fifty-year-old suburban housewife married to the now middle-aged high school nerd.
Trapped in the opposite life of the one she wanted, Kelli is forced to re-evaluate her life and discover what is really important to her. Will she overcome the hilarious and heartbreaking challenges presented to her and get back to the body of her younger self? Or will she be stuck in the nightmare of hot flushes, demanding children, raunchy advances from her husband, and hideous support underwear forever?Â
My first interview about FAST FORWARD
Just a quick blog post today to let you know I’m over at Monique McDonell’s blog talking about my upcoming book, FAST FORWARD, and my writing processes. Here’s the link.
I’d love you to come and say “Hi!”
I’ll also be on Anita Heiss’ blog very soon talking about five things I’m grateful for, and Lindy Dale’s blog for her 23 Days of Christmas interview series, so keep an eye out!
I’ve been busy writing guest posts and doing interviews for my Fast Forward Blog Tour which will commence in February 2013. I’d like to get as many of these as possible written before Christmas so I can spend more time in January working on my next book and revising another one. Whether it’s blogging, interviews, or working on a novel – I’m always writing in one form or another!
Hope to see you over at Monique’s blog 🙂
Past, Present, & Future with Jennifer St. George (& giveaway)
In celebration of the upcoming release of my debut novel, Fast Forward (see announcement here), I’m doing a series of interviews with authors about their past, present & future. Today, please welcome… Jennifer St. George! (leave a comment to win a kindle copy of her new release…)
Thanks so much for having me Juliet!!
You’re welcome!
PAST:
1. When you were a kid, what did you want to be when you grew up?
I was an ambitious kid. At the age of nine I would review the weekend newspaper looking at job ads and circling the ones I was qualified for. Sad, but true. Obviously I wasn’t qualified for much. I wasn’t sure what industry I wanted to work in but I definitely wanted to do work involving travel. I remember writing job applications to cruise liners when I was in high school (yes, I know, again quite sad, but two companies replied with encouraging letters)
2. What did you do before you became a writer?
I spent the first 20 years of my career in corporate marketing and management consulting roles. Some career highlights include launching Guinness beer in Russia; reaching 40 million people through a publicity campaign that ‘gave away’ a pub in Ireland and launching the Ford Ka brand in Australia. I also launched an online business and had my own marketing company for about four years. I also love studying and have a graduate business degree and an MBA from Melbourne Business School and Duke University (USA).
3. What is one of your most treasured memories from the past?
Wow – that’s a tough one. I think it would have to be from the time when I lived in South America as a child. One weekend, my family visited a farm far out in the centre of Uruguay. None of us had ridden horses before, but my brother and I were thrust up onto these huge Uruguayan stallions (the rest of the family were on ponies!!) Accompanied by gauchos, we headed out to the pampas for a tour of the property. It was like something from a Spanish western movie. When the horses were turned for home, mine took off. It galloped about two kilometres back to the farm with me clinging to its back. I had to keep my head down to avoid being scalped by low tree branches. It was the most terrifying but exhilarating experience. One I’ll never forget.
PRESENT:
4. What’s your latest release about and/or what are you currently working on?
My debut novel, The Convenient Bride, was recently launched by Penguin’s new digital-first romance imprint, Destiny Romance. To say I’m a little excited about it is an understatement. It’s a sexy romance set mostly in luxurious surroundings in Venice and Lake Como. My second novel is coming out in January 2013.
5. What’s a typical day like for you? (If there is such a thing!)
I (try!) to get up early and write 500-1000 words before the children are up. After dropping them to school, I walk to the Byron Bay Lighthouse, go to the gym or go for a run. Then I write for as long as my brain will let me until it’s time to pick up the kids. In between I do the occasional freelance marketing job.
6. Name three things you are grateful for in your life right now:
Happy family, flexible career and a positive out-look on life.
FUTURE:
7. If you could fast forward in time to any age or year for just one day, what would you choose & why?
I’d speed ahead to a time when the medical community had found a cure for all the terrible diseases (eg cancer) inflicted on the world. I’d come back and mass produce vaccines (as while I was in the future I’d have learned all about which stocks to invest in, so I’d be a billionaire too!).
8. If you could have any new technology or invention in the future that would make your life a whole lot easier (or more fun), what would it be?
I’d love a machine you could program to a particular destination, for example, southern France, where you’d arrive instantly. A port key from Harry Potter would do.
9. What are your hopes & dreams for the future?
Wow – where do I start (world peace, no poverty, an end to the GFC….)? If we are just talking writing, I simply hope that readers enjoy my stories and they come back for more!
Jennifer around the web:
Website Facebook Twitter Author Page
Jennifer’s debut book just released!
Back Blurb
Sienna De Luca will do anything to save her family’s hotel, and ruthless Italian businessman Antonio Moretti knows it. With problems of his own, he proposes a marriage of convenience and plans to use Sienna to secure his next business deal. But things don’t go quite according to plan.
In keeping with her part of the bargain, Sienna travels to Venice to be with Antonio, who introduces her to a life of great luxury and opulence. As befits the fiancée of the famous Antonio Moretti, Sienna is given a new wardrobe of designer gowns and outfits and instructed exactly how to behave when out in public. But after thinking he can manipulate her at his will, Antonio begins to realise he has seriously underestimated Sienna, her intelligence, her skills, her courage – and her beauty. Unexpectedly, Sienna gets too close and when she discovers his dark secret, Antonio’s perfectly planned life begins to unravel.
The Convenient Bride is a fabulous romance set in a world of great beauty and luxury, portrayed in picture-perfect detail. Two opposing souls strike up a partnership in a deal that has overlooked one important detail – that it involves a woman who knows her mind and her heart.
Buy links for THE CONVENIENT BRIDE
Destiny Romance     Amazon     iTunes
WIN! Jennifer will be giving a Kindle copy of The Convenient Bride to one lucky commenter here today!