Past, Present, & Future with Natalie Charles (plus giveaway!)
In celebration of the release of my debut novel, Fast Forward, I’m doing a series of interviews with authors about their past, present & future. Today, please welcome… Natalie Charles!
PAST:
1. When you were a kid, what did you want to be when you grew up?
I wanted to be an actress. Now it makes me laugh, but of course acting was very serious business. I used to write my own plays and direct kids in my elementary class, and I acted throughout high school. I fell in love with the idea of being someone else and bringing words to life, and I still draw on those experiences. When I write, I need to immerse myself in a character and to hear them speak. I spend a lot of my writing time on dialogue, listening to the rhythm of my characters’ conversations.
2. What did you do before you became a writer?
I was a sales clerk at my family’s independent pharmacy throughout high school, then I held odd jobs on my college campus like writing tutor, graduation program assembler, orientation leader, public relations assistant…basically I had no standards. If it paid, I wanted to do it. Over the summers I was a park supervisor in my town, which sounds like I was some kind of ranger, but really I made lanyards with local kids and told them not to swear. After college I worked in logistics for a construction company, shipping fixtures to national retail locations. That lasted about five minutes, and then I quit to work as a makeup sales clerk (seriously). Then I went to law school (seriously), and now I’m a lawyer.
I still work full-time as an attorney. I write laws, so it’s sort of a writing job, but not as much fun as writing romantic suspense.
3. What is one of your most treasured memories from the past?
Christmas Eve at my grandfather’s house. We’d have this formal Italian dinner and then these beautiful desserts: cannoli and cookies and fruit. I never ate the dessert or much of the dinner because I was too busy waiting for Santa to come, although I do remember eating pomegranate seeds. I can’t imagine one easily forgets the first time they eat pomegranate seeds.
The dinner took forever! There was a white tablecloth and all these fish dishes that I wouldn’t touch, and of course we had to dress up. Torture. My brother and sister and I would periodically excuse ourselves to dash to the living room, waiting for presents to appear under the tree. We practically wore the carpet thin, running between the living room and the dining room. At some point, we’d go to the living room and it would be filled with presents. We never saw Santa or had any idea that the gifts were being delivered. I was lucky to have such magic in my childhood.
PRESENT:
4. What’s your latest/upcoming release about and/or what are you currently working on?
My debut for Harlequin Romantic Suspense is called THE SEVEN-DAY TARGET. It’s about an FBI agent named Nick Foster who discovers that his ex-fiancée, prosecutor Libby Andrews, is being hunted by a serial killer who leaves six signs over six days before killing on the seventh. She broke his heart, but now he has no choice but to protect her – even if it means putting his heart at risk!
5. What’s a typical day like for you? (If there is such a thing!)
I wake up too early and cook my husband and daughter breakfast. Then I head off to work, where I draft legislation and do my best to not muck up anyone’s life too much…unless that’s what my clients want, of course. Then it’s home to make dinner, bathe my daughter and put her to bed. I collapse on the couch to write after all of that, and when I’ve finished writing, I collapse in bed. Sometimes my husband and I manage to fit in a conversation, but you asked about a typical day.
6. Name three things you are grateful for in your life right now:
I have so much to be grateful for! I’m grateful for my health, first and foremost. My youngest brother is a childhood cancer survivor, and I try to remember to never take a healthy day for granted. I’m endlessly grateful for my family, especially my husband and my daughter and the baby we have on the way. And I’m grateful for the support I’ve had in reaching this point in my life, because I haven’t done anything alone.
FUTURE:
7. If you could fast forward in time to any age or year for just one day, what would you choose & why?
Tough question! I don’t know that I’d want to do this. I’m definitely a person who dwells in the future, but I like my future unwritten and full of possibility. I think that actually seeing the future might make me feel like some kind of destiny was involved. Naive or not, I like to imagine I’m in control.
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 want a teleporting machine like they have on Star Trek. This way I could travel all over the world in a matter of seconds. I live in New England, where we have dark and cold winters. Summers here are absolutely beautiful, but I’d love to hop a teleporter to somewhere tropical on the winter weekends, or spend a chilly afternoon on a beach in Fiji.
I hope someone smarter than myself gets on that, stat.
9. What are your hopes & dreams for the future?
You mean besides writing the Great American Novel? I want to raise children who call me regularly as adults and travel to beautiful places with my husband. I plan to continue writing what I love to write, and if I happen to make a living at it, that would be a dream.
Thanks for visiting the blog, Natalie!
>>To WIN a copy of Natalie’s book, THE SEVEN DAY TARGET (blurb below), leave a comment for Natalie.
*Competition open WORLDWIDE (US/Canada residents will receive a signed print copy, international readers will receive a Kindle copy. Winner will be drawn Wed 10th April (Sydney time).
Good luck!
Natalie on the web:
The Seven Day Target
He never meant to speak to her again. Back in Arbor Falls for a funeral, Special Agent Nick Foster has moved on. He has no plans to stay in his tiny hometown-or to reunite with the beautiful Libby Andrews. His onetime fiancée broke his heart, and what’s past should stay buried.
Libby doesn’t want his help. Her childhood sweetheart can never know the real reason she ended their engagement three years before. But when a serial killer targets her, she must team up with the rugged agent for her own safety. Something in her past has put her in danger, and the passion they’ve reignited puts their future in deadly jeopardy.
Read Chapter One
Read Reviews
Buy Links:
Amazon B&N Powells BAM IndieBound
Top Ten Things I’ve Learned About Writing A Novel
I’m over at the Life In A Pink Fibro blog today talking about how to write a romance novel and the ten things I’ve learned on my journey to publication. It was interesting to look back on where I was a few years ago to where I am now. I hope you’ll get a lot out of this post!
And if you haven’t visited my blog for a while, here are some other recent posts you might like to check out:
– I took the plunge like Jenn J McLeod did and interviewed myself! Past Present Future with…me!
– Annie Seaton shares her Promotional Tips for Authors.
– Sandra Antonelli and I discuss the issue of ‘older’ women in fiction at the Escape Blog.
I’m also thrilled to have received some great reviews for Fast Forward recently, over at Novel Escapes, YA Novelties, and Chick Lit Club! A BIG thank you to the reviewers for taking time to read the book and write the reviews. 🙂
Coming up soon on the blog, an interview with Natalie Charles, a guest post by Ros Baxter, and a post on Twitter Basics for Authors. Stay tuned!
~ Juliet
Past, Present, & Future with… Me!
In celebration of the release of my debut novel, Fast Forward, I’ve been doing a series of interviews with authors about their past, present & future. Today I thought I’d do what Jenn J McLeod did recently on her blog, and interview myself! (Weird, I know. But if you’re still with me, read on… 😉
Welcome Juliet!
Thanks Juliet!
😉
PAST:
1. When you were a kid, what did you want to be when you grew up?
Many things. A dancer (did it), an artist (did it), a singer (but soon realised I was missing a vital requirement – singing ability), a fashion designer (didn’t do it), a fairy (I used to practise flying off my bed), and I’m pretty sure I thought making up stories was normal, so I think I was destined to become an author!
2. What did you do before you became a writer?
Many things (see above question!). I studied a lot – fine arts, visual merchandising (like window display and fancy sign writing), interior decorating, until I started a degree in health science and became a qualified naturopath. I ran my own natural health clinic for a number of years, and set up an online health business, while also doing the odd bit of dance teaching, until I changed course in order to homeschool my son. It was at this stage I decided to try my hand at writing novels.
3. What is one of your most treasured memories from the past?
This is such a hard question! Who came up with these questions?? Oh yeah, I did 😉
I’ll share three. I used to love it when I was a little kid on Christmas Eve and would look at the sky, trying to spot Santa on his sleigh, or even Rudolph’s red nose. It was so exciting!
Getting my university degree was also a great memory. I remember an overwhelming sense of achievement after I accepted my degree and sat back down in the audience and finally looked at it. I studied for the majority of this degree at home by distance learning, in between feeding and changing and comforting a baby, and dealing with years of sleep deprivation. It took me six and a half years, and it was a great feeling to finally finish.
Another great memory is when my son took his first steps. It was the day before his first birthday and a few weeks after his father had died. He simply held onto his own hands for support and walked towards me with a big smile on his face. Didn’t even fall. Unforgettable! 🙂
PRESENT:
4. What’s your latest/upcoming release about and/or what are you currently working on?
My debut release FAST FORWARD was published in February. It’s a romantic comedy with a time travel twist. Here’s the blurb:
Aspiring supermodel, Kelli Crawford seems destined to marry her hotshot boyfriend, but on her twenty-fifth 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?
In December 2013 my novel, THE JANUARY WISH will be released. It’s a contemporary romantic women’s fiction set in a small Australian seaside town, and is about how one woman’s life changes when her secret past collides with the present. (I seem to enjoy writing about all things past, present, and future!)
As for what I’m currently working on… A LOT! See my works-in-progress under each of the genre categories on this blog 😉
5. What’s a typical day like for you? (If there is such a thing!)
Ha! Typical?… Wake up, check email and facebook and twitter, eat breakfast, do stretches, shower, write a bit if I can, upload & schedule blogs, answer interviews, book promotion, answer emails, deal with any pressing business matters (I still run an online health site), feed and pat affection & food-obsessed cat multiple times each day, kindly turn away door-to-door sales people, chat to my critique partner via messenger about our plots and characters, tweet & facebook some more, help son with his Year 10 homeschooling/distance ed (majority of day), write lists to help me stay on top of everything, write more lists to stay on top of the lists, more tweets, facebook replies, and emails, write down plot ideas when they arise, clean up spills in the kitchen and remind son to put his rubbish in the bin and drinks back in the fridge, cook dinner, clean up after dinner, write, and if I’m lucky, watch a bit of TV before reading and going to bed – usually after midnight!
6. Name three things you are grateful for in your life right now:
1. The beautiful seaside town I now call home and have been living in for about two years.
2. My supportive family.
3. Being a published author and getting to make stuff up!
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 go about ten years into the future to see how my son is going as an adult and whether he is happy and following his career dreams. I’d also love to see how many books I’ve managed to write (and hopefully sell!) by then.
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?
Apart from a magical cleaning robot who does everything for you, I’d like some kind of device that allows you to have an express sleep of about an hour or two but with the benefits of a full eight hours! Think of all the writing and reading I could do with the extra hours in the day 😉
9. What are your hopes & dreams for the future?
To keep following my passions, have good health long into the future, be a bestselling and award-winning author, have a movie made from one of my books (or two, or three, whatever ;)), see my son live a happy, healthy, and successful life, and enjoy my life with people I love.
Well, that was fun! And weird 😉
I hope you enjoyed reading about my past, present, and future!
Remember, you can subscribe to this blog by typing in your email address in the top right corner to keep updated on my books, read revealing author interviews, enter great competitions, and learn marketing tips.
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To read other past, present, future interviews, click here. 🙂
Annie Seaton’s Promotional Tips For Authors [Marketing Mondays]
Welcome to the first of my Marketing Mondays posts, where I’ll be sharing marketing tips, interviews, and guest posts on the occasional Monday. My first post is a guest interview with romance author Annie Seaton, who has just released a helpful book for authors: Promotional Tips & Tricks for Aspiring Writers in a Digital Landscape.
Welcome, Annie!
1. Did you read any books or do any research or courses to help you learn about marketing, or did you learn things as you went along?
The same as I write, I am a seat of the pants marketer. Everything I have implemented, I learned as I went along. Self research and self taught.
2. Do you think it’s possible for time-poor authors to still market their books effectively? What would you consider they focus on most to make the best use of their time?
You’ve hit the nail on the head there, Juliet. Finding a balance between promotion and writing is hard enough, without the complication of career or other commitments. That being said, I think a structured schedule that allocates even a small portion of promo time…regularly or daily will allow time-poor authors to market effectively.
3. How can authors strike a balance between promoting their books and writing their books?
That’s the $64 dollar question. No matter how much time we allocate to promotion, we must always keep in mind, the very best advertising strategy is always your next book. Therefore it is essential that the balance leans in favour of writing.
4. Do you think it’s important for authors to be on twitter and/or Facebook every day?
I am an avid FB user, and I am yet to be convinced that twitter has the exposure of Facebook. But yes, whichever one you commit to as part of your promo strategy, you must be on there every day.
5. In your experience, what do you think has had the greatest impact on your book sales?
Establishing my brand in the lead up to publication. I blogged and Facebooked and saturated the market with Holiday Affair in the three months led in before publication.
6. Knowing what you know now, if you could go back and do anything differently when you first started writing seriously, what would it be?
No, I am happy with the way my promotional activities have succeeded. I wouldn’t change anything. If there was anything, perhaps I would have started an author page on Facebook a little earlier.
7. Is it normal for most book sales to die down after a few months, or do you think with consistent and effective marketing strategies authors can keep their sales at successful levels?
Holiday Affair stayed on the best seller Amazon lists for one year and I believe it was the constant promotion and saturation that allowed it to stay there.
8. Can you tell us about your new marketing book, and how writers can benefit from it?
As I experienced success with sales over the past year, many friends and colleagues asked me for the secret of my success. A couple told me I should write a book…and finally convinced me to write it down. It was intended for aspiring authors to show them my simple journey on a budget which still resulted in spectacular sales (I have sold over 25,000 copies of Holiday Affair in less than one year.) I have had many emails and reviews from established authors who have said they, too, got ideas from my outline.
Thanks for sharing your tips with us today, Annie.
>>To check out Annie’s book, Promotional Tips & Tricks for Aspiring Writers in a Digital Landscape, visit the Amazon book page.
You can also visit Annie online at her website, twitter, and facebook.
…Stay tuned for more ‘Marketing Monday’ posts coming soon. To be notified of new posts, remember to subscribe to the blog via email in the top right corner. 🙂
Past, Present, & Future with Kamy Chetty (Plus a Giveaway)
In celebration of the release of my debut novel, Fast Forward, I’m doing a series of interviews with authors about their past, present & future. Today, please welcome… Kamy Chetty!
PAST:
1. When you were a kid, what did you want to be when you grew up?
I’ve wanted to be a nurse since I was five years old. Not sure why or how but I know that if I didn’t follow that path I wouldn’t be a writer today. Weird I know, but life worked out like that.
2. What did you do before you became a writer?
I was a clinical nurse and then a nurse manager. I was pretty good at it too but now I work part time as an education manager so that I can write part time. I would like to think that I would one day hit the bestseller list and never have to work a normal job again but writing full time is a hard life.
3. What is one of your most treasured memories from the past?
Having no responsibilities and being in school. I know I hated it while I was there and couldn’t wait to be grown up but ain’t hindsight a wonderful thing.
PRESENT:
4. What’s your latest/upcoming release about and/or what are you currently working on?
Falling into Paradise is an emotionally charged off the charts heat level romance about two people who are scared to love. Damon is the playboy who had his heart broken and he falls in love with Sophie who can’t trust him or anyone else. Together they break through their walls and find that special thing we all desire.
5. What’s a typical day like for you? (If there is such a thing!)
Well I work part time so I go to work in the morning like everyone else and then I work my five hours and come home and work my real job, the one I’m passionate about. Sometimes I forget to feed my kids and they’re knocking on my door saying, ‘what’s for dinner?’
I tend to get lost in my character world, the scary thing is my children know my characters names and what they look like. I am forever having discussions with my teenage daughter about why Henry Cavill shouldn’t be the hero in my next book because it seems I am stealing all her heroes.LOL.
6. Name three things you are grateful for in your life right now:
That’s easy.
My family, because they encourage and love me and don’t get too mad when I don’t feed them.
The power out there that’s made this happen and has guided me through this journey. I’m really blessed by what I have and what I’ve accomplished.
The family and friends and people in my life that have been so amazing. I am always grateful to them for making my life richer.
FUTURE:
7. If you could fast forward in time to any age or year for just one day, what would you choose & why?
That’s a hard one. It might have to be on both the days my children graduate from college. I think it would be a proud moment because as parents we try so hard to do right by them but in the end, they make their own choices. I’d like to know I’ve taken them that far.
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’ll take the fun one on this. I think life would be a lot more fun if we could teleport. Then I wouldn’t have to travel anywhere and if I wanted to sit on the beach in Fiji, I could think about it and snap- I’m there. Hot cabana boy optional of course 😉
9. What are your hopes & dreams for the future?
I am going to be a New York Times Best Seller. I am going to set the world alight with my talent and be someone to look out for. That’s my dream and that’s what I will work towards. It takes hard work but I know I can do it.
Thank you so much for having me here, it has been an absolute pleasure.
[Juliet: Thanks Kamy, I enjoyed reading about your past, present, and future, and here’s hoping we’ll see you on that bestseller list!]
Visit Kamy online at her website, blog, facebook, and twitter. You can buy Falling Into Paradise here.
>>GIVEAWAY: Kamy is giving away an ebook copy of Falling Into Paradise. To enter, please leave a comment below. Winner will be drawn on March 28th (Sydney time) and is open worldwide.
Is Mature a four-letter word?
Is mature a four-letter-word? Sandra Antonelli and I discuss over at the Escape Blog…
by Sandra Antonelli and Juliet Madison
While proponents of the genre often talk about the breadth and depth of the stories within, one thing remains true: the heroine is young. Now, young is a relative term (I remember when 30 was old), but there definitely seems to be an age line of 38 that no heroine can cross and still expect a happy-ever-after.
But Sandra Antonelli and Juliet Madison pushed the boundaries. Both have written (and published with Escape) stories with heroines that cross the age divide. Granted, Juliet’s Kelly starts and ends at 25, but the bulk of her story happens on her 50th birthday. Sandra’s heroine, Lesley, is forty-something, and A Basic Renovation also features a secondary romance of her 92-year-old grandfather.
I asked these two authors about breaking the age barrier. They asked each other:
Older Heroines in Romantic Fiction – joint interview
By Sandra Antonelli and…
View original post 1,674 more words
Past, Present, & Future with Lisa Heidke
In celebration of the release of my debut novel, Fast Forward, I’m doing a series of interviews with authors about their past, present & future. Today, please welcome…Lisa Heidke!
PAST:
1. When you were a kid, what did you want to be when you grew up?
A veterinarian – before I realised I would have to deal with blood and operate on sick animals!
2. What did you do before you became a writer?
I was an Acquisitions Editor for a publisher, then moved to ACP where I wrote for several magazines including Bride To Be and Practical Parenting.
3. What is one of your most treasured memories from the past?
The toga parties at university were quite memorable…But as a kid, probably growing up with a menagerie of animals. We had dogs, cats, goats, rabbits, guinea pigs, fish and birds. I loved them all. (Maybe not the fish. They were difficult to get to know.)
PRESENT:
4. What’s your latest release about and/or what are you currently working on?
I am currently writing a manuscript with the working title of Lily’s Little Flower Shoppe about a corporate woman whose career and love life have fallen flat so she embarks on a tree change. It’s not turning out like she (or I) expected.
5. What’s a typical day like for you? (If there is such a thing!)
I drag the kids out of bed, kicking and screaming, then shoo them off to school. I then faff around answering emails, checking out Facebook status updates and spying on who’s tweeting what in Twitter world. Then, and only then do I finally settle down to write. At the moment, my anxiety peaks around 5pm when my oldest son wanders through the door and suggests we ‘go for a drive’. He has his Leaner’s permit. Life on the road is a little scary. #Youhavebeenwarned
6. Name three things you are grateful for in your life right now:
* Healthy children, loving family and friends.
* Maximum airbags in my car…should anything untoward happen when driving with son.
* At the moment, we are doing a huge pool/outdoor renovation and I am grateful I will only be living with mud, filth and excruciating noise for another six months.
FUTURE:
7. If you could fast forward in time to any age or year for just one day, what would you choose & why?
January 2014…so I could see if the new pool the kids promised they would swim in – and clean – becomes a reality.
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?
A sure fire cure for hangovers that doesn’t involve eating my body weight in sugary calories.
9. What are your hopes & dreams for the future?
Personally: Well–adjusted and healthy kids. That’s not ever going to change.
Professionally: To write the best stories I can and continue to get published. I won’t fall apart if I never get published again, but I am passionate about writing and reading. I won’t stop. #determined
Thanks for visiting the blog, Lisa!
You can visit Lisa at her website, blog, facebook, and twitter. And check out her funny, relatable women’s fiction/chick lit books at Amazon – they’re great! 🙂
Past, Present, & Future with Jenn J McLeod
In celebration of the release of my debut novel, Fast Forward, I’m doing a series of interviews with authors about their past, present & future. Today, please welcome another debut author, the fabulous Jenn J McLeod!
PAST:
![Jenn%20-%20the%20young%20author[3]](https://julietmadison.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/03/jenn20-20the20young20author3.jpg)
1. When you were a kid, what did you want to be when you grew up?
I was supposed to be a multi-disciplined musician (like my Dad), study at The Conservatorium (like my Aunt), be a famous opera singer like my cousin (whose sons – Ben and Alexander Lewis – (think Phantom!) are now making their own musical mark internationally). Instead I wrote, my keyboard of choice a computer, leaving the old upright piano to languish in the living room as I followed my labyrinthine road and wrote my own story. (Excuse me while I sing my theme song…“I did it myyyyyyy way!”)
So as the daddy longlegs weave their webs around the piano’s soundboard and strings, I weave stories that give my characters a life and a voice. My stage is country NSW, my tree change many years ago like coming home. I guess it must have been all those hours I spent in my room as a child, riding my bed-end rather than practicing piano! Yep, that’s right: a pillow for a saddle, a dressing gown tie as a bridle and voila! I was National Velvet.
2. What did you do before you became a writer?
You mean besides being National Velvet? That answer is a novel in itself. Let’s see (in order): Hairdressing, cosmetic sales, retail security (nabbing shoplifters), hotel security at Sydney’s Intercontinental Hotel (where I met celebrities and heard stories I can never tell), Event Management, Road Safety Education, Corporate PR & Communications, Intranet Producer, Cafe owner, B&B Operator and finally… Author.
[Juliet – what a wealth of experience to add to your stories!]
![pam%20and%20me%20001[2]](https://julietmadison.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/03/pam20and20me200012.jpg)
3. What is one of your most treasured memories from the past?
Besides pretending to be National Velvet, you mean? 🙂 Hmm, that would be winning a national road safety award for a young driver education initiative. Here I am accepting the award with my colleague, Pam Leicester. As friends and colleagues we were a formidable team; Pam inspiring me then and more recently. (My House For All Seasons character, Sara, was inspired by Pam who is sadly no longer with us. Creating Sara allowed me to give Pam her happy ever after.)
[ Juliet – Congrats on the award! And what a nice gesture for Pam]
PRESENT:
4. What’s your latest release about and/or what are you currently working on?
House For All Seasons is now available. It is the story of four estranged school friends forced to return the NSW country town of their youth to claim an unexpected inheritance – the century-old Dandelion House.
As restless teenagers, desperate to forget a tragic end-of-school muck-up day accident, they escape the confines of small town life and never speak to each other again.
Twenty years on, coming home to the country triggers mixed emotions and the women must face their shame and self-doubt if they are to reconcile their past with their present.
Only after spending a season each in the old place – a condition of the will – do they discover the reason for the inheritance and how they are forever tied to the house and to each other.
[Juliet – what are you waiting for readers? Dash to the bookstore now! Well, after you read this interview of course ;)]
5. What’s a typical day like for you? (If there is such a thing!)
A mess! I have no fixed agenda and I need to change that. I need to fit in the networking side of this business without losing entire days! I must write – not Facebook. I must write – not tweet. I must write – not blog. Oops!
[Juliet – sorry about that!]
![Jenn%20J%20McLeod_fence_web[3]](https://julietmadison.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/03/jenn20j20mcleod_fence_web3.jpg)
6. Name three things you are grateful for in your life right now:
Right now? As in today? As in 8 March 2013? Forgive my preoccupation, but as my debut novel has just released (with a couple five-star ratings already) I am a little dizzy (and I feel a Gwyneth Paltrow Oscars acceptance speech coming on, so we’d best move on.)
FUTURE:
7. If you could fast forward in time to any age or year for just one day, what would you choose & why?
Fast forward! Crikey, I so wish I could go back. I would love to be doing what I am doing now as a 40 year old!
But, okay, to fast forward it would have to be to the day a book is an interactive hologram. Remember those pop-up storybooks? I loved them. I used to walk my fingers through the pages. Imagine the future: holograms that let you wander through scenes—touching, tasting, smelling, hearing, seeing, feeling… ooh la la!
[Juliet – You’re in luck, there just might be a hologram or two in Fast Forward! Great minds huh?]
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?
A George Jetson Winnebago (ie it folds into a briefcase for easy parking).
[Juliet – Patent it NOW!]
9. What are your hopes & dreams for the future?
That people love my books and want more (so I can keep writing while travelling in that Winnebago.)
Thanks for visiting, Jenn, and all the best for HOUSE FOR ALL SEASONS!
>>You can visit Jenn at her website/blog, facebook, and twitter. You can buy her book from all good bookstores in Australia or you can order online here at Dymocks, or as an ebook at Amazon.
Opportunity to WIN a copy of Fast Forward!
Just a quick post to let you know I’m being interviewed over at the Caribbean Accent Book Reviews blog about my inspiration for Fast Forward, the most surprising feedback I’ve gotten from the book, and what’s planned for 2013!
Plus you can win a copy of the book by clicking on the rafflecopter giveaway link at the end of the interview.
Comp drawn in less than 5 days so get in quick!
Oh, and there are virtual chocolates! 😉 Read the interview here.
~ Juliet
P.S – Stay tuned for my interview with debut author Jenn J McLeod on the blog tomorrow!
When wishes come true…
In January 2011 I moved into a new house, in a new town, to start a new life. Somehow, I started a new book too! This book was The January Wish, set in my new town but with a fictional name. And exactly two years later (January 17th, 2013) I got an email with an offer of publication! Yes, I am excited to finally announce that I’ve signed my second publishing contract with Escape Publishing, the digital imprint of Harlequin Australia.
So now, two wishes have come true… my wish to have this story published, and my character Sylvia’s wish to… well, read the blurb to give you an idea 😉
When control-freak doctor, Sylvia Greene, makes an impromptu wish at the Tarrin’s Bay Wishing Festival, she doesn’t expect it to come true, but a week later her ordered life is thrown into chaos when the daughter she secretly gave up for adoption at sixteen turns up in town. While dealing with deeply entrenched guilt, small town gossip, and a burgeoning attraction for her emotionally unavailable colleague, she discovers her daughter harbors a secret that could threaten to tear them apart once again.
The genre of this story sits on the border between contemporary romance and women’s fiction, although it will probably be put into the contemporary romance slot because although the story has themes of motherhood, career, and friendships, tying the whole story together is an emotional romance that I hope will have readers aching for the hero and heroine to be together.
The January Wish is the first book in my proposed ‘Tarrin’s Bay’ series, with each book being a stand-alone story but set in the same town with some familiar characters appearing in each book. Each book is also named after one of the calendar months, and I’ll be working on the second book, February or Forever, later this year which I’m really excited about as I’ve been plotting it for months! I’m also creating a ‘Tarrin’s Bay’ website to help bring the town to life for readers. Tarrin’s Bay is called ‘The Town of New Beginnings’ – it’s where people go for a holiday to find they never want to leave. There are beautiful beaches set against a backdrop of lush green rural land, a close-knit community, friendly people, quaint shops – including an old fashioned bookshop, and an historic wishing fountain in the town’s popular meeting spot – Miracle Park.
What makes this book unique is that it has three points of view – the hero, the heroine, and an eighteen year old girl, with each of their lives and stories being linked to each other’s. There’ll be laughter, there’ll be tears, and there’ll be secrets revealed.
Last year, The January Wish was one of the six finalists in the Choc Lit Search for an Australian Star contest, and I was completely gobsmacked when I found out! Although I didn’t win, it gave me confidence that readers might enjoy this story, and I can’t wait to share it with you on 1st December 2013. It was going to be released in January to tie in with the title, but by releasing in December instead it allows time to build up some excitement around the upcoming new year, which is what starts off the story – at the Tarrin’s Bay annual Wishing Festival in January.
Here’s a little snippet:
The coin in Sylvia’s pocket cooled her warm fingers as she fiddled with it impatiently. At least this was all for charity. That would be her excuse if anyone asked why she – Dr. Sylvia Greene – sceptic and all round party-pooper, was making a wish. She had a great life; an interesting career, a best friend, good health, a nice house, and even a new boyfriend. What else could she possibly wish for? What was she doing here?
To see some pictures I’ve collected that give you a feel for the story, have a look at my Pinterest page for The January Wish here.
To keep updated on this book and the Tarrin’s Bay series, you can subscribe to my blog by filling in your email address at the top right corner of this page (if you’re on a smartphone, click ‘view full site’ at the bottom, then go to the subscribe form). I look forward to bringing you interesting articles and posts about this upcoming book and series in the lead up to it’s release!
Have you ever made a wish that came true? 😉
JULIET MADISON 