Blog Archives
New Release! SCENT (The Delta Girls #3)
Book 3 in my Young Adult paranormal romantic suspense series is now available! Scent is a stand-alone story but also continues the overall mystery from book 1 (SIGHT), so if you haven’t read the first yet, the details are HERE. Book 1 is currently on special for 99c at some retailers.
SCENT is told from Sasha’s point of view. She can smell the future! 🙂 But she needs her sisters and their respective senses to be able to put their predictions together in order to help others and themselves.
Here is the book description:
Five extraordinary sisters discover that they each have a unique talent, an extra-sensory perception that enables them to see what others can’t. It makes them incredible, it puts them in danger, and it brings them closer to learning the secrets that have haunted them their entire lives. These are the Delta Girls.
Sassy Sasha is having an online interlude with a secret admirer. She’s convinced it’s the gorgeous Taylor Petrenko behind the romantic emails.
There’s little time for love, though. As new developments come to light around their father’s disappearance, the Delta Girls start to question just how well they knew their father. The sisters experience increasingly detailed and troubling sensory predictions that bring fear and uncertainty, weighing them down with the responsibility toward helping those in danger.
Sasha distracts herself with the excitement of newfound romance, refusing to partake in further analysis of the visions. When her sisters cover for her so she can sneak out for a date, her sense of scent becomes heightened and awakens the memory of a vision she shared with her sisters. Sasha realizes a moment too late that she is in danger, and must gather all of her strength if she is to save her own life.
SCENT is published by Diversion Books and is now available in both print and ebook from all online retailers, with audiobook to follow, and can be purchased or ordered from physical bookstores as well.
Links:
- FREE & fast international shipping from Book Depository (all 5 books available to order/preorder).
- Diversion Books
- Amazon US / Amazon Aus / Amazon UK
- iTunes/iBooks US / iTunes/iBooks Aus
- Kobo
- B&N
You can also add SCENT to Goodreads here.
I hope you’ll enjoy the 3rd book in The Delta Girls series! Book 4 (TASTE) is releasing in April 2016.
~ Juliet xo
THE DELTA GIRLS:
SIGHT (Savannah’s story) – now available!
SOUND (Serena’s story) – now available!
SCENT (Sasha’s story) – now available!
TASTE (Tamara’s story) – Coming April 2016
TOUCH (Talia’s story & the series conclusion)- Coming July 2016
COVER REVEAL, I mean… COVER REVEALS! (and good news)
That’s right, I have TWO covers to reveal!
Books 2 and 3 in THE DELTA GIRLS, my Young Adult series launching July 14.
Each book will be available in ebook and paperback, and…drumroll…AUDIO! I was so excited to find out that the series will be made into audiobooks and available for download from Audible, Amazon, or iTunes. 🙂
I will share the plot descriptions as soon as they are finalised, but for now, enjoy these amazing covers:
And just because, here is the cover again for Book 1:
~ Juliet
PS – If you haven’t already, come and join me on Facebook at my author page and/or my Delta Girls page. 🙂
COVER REVEAL! 12 Daves of Christmas (plus excerpt)
Ta-Da! Here it is, the sparkling cover for my first ever Christmas story, 12 DAVES OF CHRISTMAS. 🙂
What is the book about? Here’s the blurb:
A beautiful, uplifting holiday story from best-selling author Juliet Madison about a lonely writer, her grandmother’s ghost, a road trip, and 12 different Daves.
Abby Solomon may write happy-ever-afters for a living, but doesn’t believe she’ll have her own. But then a surprise visit from her grandmother’s ghost sets her off on a journey she’ll never forget.
Grandma Charlotte wants to find her first love, Dave, who she mistakenly thought had died in World War II. A quick search yields a list of twelve possibilities, and Abby and Charlotte set off on a Christmas road trip – twelve Daves over twelve days along the sun-drenched East coast of Australia.
With just over a week to make the meeting happen, Abby has to meet a dozen Daves – some sweet, some quirky, some downright dangerous, while trying to honour her book deadline and enduring the awkward challenges of having a ghost as a travelling companion. But when she comes across a young doctor who looks like one of the heroes in her novels, Abby has the chance to discover that true love transcends time and space and that happy endings aren’t only to be found between the pages of a book.
12 DAVES OF CHRISTMAS is a 30,000 word novella and fits into the Romagic Comedy genre – it has romance, comedy, and magical elements, like some of my other books; FAST FORWARD, I DREAM OF JOHNNY, & HAUNTED EVER AFTER.
Release date: 8th December 2014
Publisher: Escape Publishing
>> Be notified when it is released by subscribing to my newsletter HERE.
Here is an excerpt…
‘What about Grandpa?’ I said. ‘Is he, ah…’
‘On the other side? Yes. I’ve touched base with him, and it was good to see him again, it really was, but I’m afraid to say he’s moved on. We loved each other of course and had a great life, but the truth is…’ she took another of those redundant breaths, ‘…we weren’t soulmates.’
‘What do you mean he’s moved on?’
‘He’s spending the afterlife with Lorna. And I’m not angry. I don’t blame him, because when all the obligations and responsibilities of physical life are down the pooper, all that matters is being true to your heart and soul.’
I frowned, from disappointment at Grandpa’s choice of afterlife companion or confusion as to how this all worked, I didn’t know.
‘Sorry, darling, it must be hard to comprehend all this. But the fact is, Harry and Lorna had a…what do you call it? A rendezvous or a fling, if you like, many years ago. I knew about it and of course I was furious, but after a while I forgave him. Because in reality, I knew I still loved and longed for Dave, so who was I to judge?’
‘But Grandma, who is Dave and why didn’t you stay with him back then?’
‘It’s a long story, muffin. But the gist of it is, we were together before the war, well, during the war. But then he went off to fight when he was eighteen and I never saw him again.’ She dropped her gaze to the floor. ‘We promised that when the war was over we’d meet again at our favourite place, and I was to turn up there every Saturday at noon until we were reunited. Months and months passed and I was there every week without fail, but he never showed.’
‘But the letter…he wrote to you, obviously.’
‘Just the once. As you can see in his letter, he promised to keep writing whenever he could, but something must have happened to prevent him from fulfilling that promise.’ She puffed up her short fluffy hair with an upturned palm like she always used to do, and pointed to the watch. ‘He gave that to me before he left, said it was to remind me that in time we’d be together again. I maintained it and kept it working.’
‘But he didn’t die in the war?’
‘Apparently not. I thought he had, everyone did. They said he was missing in action, presumed dead. And then when the war ended and he failed to return after several months, well, after a while I had to decide whether to keep hoping or let go and start living my life.’
‘So what happened to him?’
‘That’s the thing, I don’t know. I’ve tried to find out where he is and what happened, but the wretched administration up there,’ she pointed to the heavens, ‘leaves a bit to be desired.’ She crossed her arms. ‘All they could tell me was that my Dave Smith had not passed through the pearly gates. But to find out more information requires more manpower and paperwork, and they put me on a three month waiting list. Three months! While Harry and Lorna have their happily ever after, I’m left to twiddle my thumbs and wait it out. I’ll be putting in a complaint when I get back, you mark my words.’ She gave a curt nod. ‘But that will probably take another three months to process! They’re utterly swamped up there, what with all the deaths. And the queues, there are more crowds than a Buddy Holly concert, let me tell you.’
I didn’t know whether to laugh at what I was hearing or be frustrated along with her. Grandma wasn’t known for being shy, and if she had something to say about something that was bothering her, she’d say it.
‘How do we know where to look? I mean, do you have any idea where he might be?’
‘I met him when we were living in Berrinda. He was passing through with his soldier friends for a camping trip to celebrate his eighteenth birthday. When he told me he was going off to war, he said that if he returned safe and sound he’d want nothing more than to settle down in a place like Berrinda, or one of the other small towns on the south coast. That’s all I’ve got to go on.’
‘That’s a start, I guess. He might be in the phone book. What did you say his last name was?’
‘Smith.’
I sighed. She had to go fall in love with someone who had an extremely common first and last name!
As if reading my thoughts, Grandma said, ‘Shame his name wasn’t Reginald Liktenblacht or something easier to find.’ She shrugged and grinned.
>> Be notified when 12 DAVES OF CHRISTMAS is released by subscribing to my newsletter HERE. You can also follow me on twitter and Facebook.
New book deal: THE DELTA GIRLS – YA Series
I’m excited to announce that my Young Adult romantic mystery series is going to be published by Diversion Books! I’ve been keeping the premise of this book a bit of a secret and I’m so glad to finally be able to share it with you…
THE DELTA GIRLS is a five-book series about five sisters who can glimpse the future with one of the five senses each…
When the Delcarta sisters gather around the bed of their comatose youngest sister, Savannah, the unexpected happens. Not only does the sixteen-year-old awaken, but a unique ability awakens inside each of them: the five sisters can glimpse the future with one of the five senses each; Savannah with sight, Serena with sound, Sasha with scent, Tamara with taste, and Talia with touch.
Their gift only works by working together, so they must put aside sibling rivalry and collaborate, putting their sensory glimpses together to form a complete picture and work out the significance of their predictions.
As they experiment with their unique psychic ability and try to keep their secret on a ‘need to know’ basis while attempting to have a normal teenage social life with fun, friendship, and romance, they come across mysteries to solve and people to help in their small town community of Iris Harbour. But the one mystery they long to solve more than anything is the disappearance of their father nine years earlier.
Their determination to find out what happened takes over their lives and sends them on an unstoppable journey of discovery that will test not only their powers, but their inner strength and bonds of sisterhood.
Each book will be told from the point-of-view of one sister, and titled according to that sister’s particular psychic sense:
Book 1: SIGHT
Book 2: SOUND
Book 3: SCENT
Book 4: TASTE
Book 5: TOUCH
The Delta Girls are Savannah, Serena, Sasha (triplets), and Tamara and Talia (twins). The ‘delta’ part of the title relates to delta brainwaves that normally only occur in deep sleep and comas, but have been linked to psychic ability.
The books will be available in both print and ebook, with the first book releasing in Spring 2015 (American Spring, so Australian Autumn!).
You can follow my Pinterest board for the series HERE. And stay tuned for the launch of a new website just for The Delta Girls. To keep updated, make sure you are either subscribed to this blog and/or subscribe to my email newsletter, and/or follow me on Facebook and Twitter, and the dedicated Twitter account for The Delta Girls is HERE.
THE DELTA GIRLS
Five Sisters. Five Senses. One Gift. No Instructions.
Release Day! HAUNTED EVER AFTER is here
Today is the official release day for HAUNTED EVER AFTER, my new full length romantic comedy novel with a touch of magic. And over the next two weeks I’m running a special competition to win a beautiful silver bracelet from Mantraband of the winner’s choice (Open Worldwide, free shipping). See below.
HAUNTED EVER AFTER
Mixing romance, humour and a sparkle of magic, Juliet Madison is back with a new full-length novel about a bride-to-be, a mystery and the stripper next door.
When bride-to-be Sally Marsh attends a weekend away with her bridesmaids, the last thing she expects is an uninvited guest: the ghost of her fiancé’s ex-girlfriend.
Red is quirky, loud and distracting, and Sally is soon desperate to find the reason behind her presence, so she can rid herself of her embarrassing shadow before the wedding day. Unfortunately, the ghost is reluctant to share the reason for her existence, but very enthusiastic about Ty, the surprise hen’s night stripper who keeps showing up at awkward moments.
Time is running out for Sally, but it’s also running out for Red. By the time all is revealed, Sally will be tested to the limits, and go above and beyond everything she’s ever believed in order to ensure not only her own happy-ever-after – but Red’s as well.
>> BUY NOW from Escape Publishing or via the links below:
Amazon.com / Amazon AU / Amazon UK / iBooks / Kobo / B&N / Google Play / Booktopia / Ebooks.com / JB HiFi / AllRomanceEbooks / Big W Ebooks /
If you enjoyed FAST FORWARD, be sure to check out Haunted Ever After which has lots of funny moments as well as emotional and heartwarming moments. This one also has a touch of mystery, and what romcom novel of mine wouldn’t be complete without a wacky underwear scene? There’s one in here too. Two, in fact. 😉
And to celebrate the release, I’m joining forces with two fellow authors from Escape Publishing who also write Magic Realism Romance; Sarah Belle and Jacquie Underdown, in a fun Facebook party with lots of giveaways! It starts tonight (Sep 1st) and will run for 24 hours (the party – not us, we will hopefully get some sleep at some point). Join the event HERE!
GIVEAWAY!
WIN a beautiful silver inspirational bracelet from Mantraband with your choice of affirmation engraved on it, plus an ebook of your choice written by me (6 to choose from). Open WORLDWIDE and free shipping for the bracelet. The bracelet prize will be delivered as an email gift voucher which you can use to order the bracelet of your choice free of charge. Winner drawn 15th September.
To enter click the following rafflecopter link:
Good luck! And i hope you enjoy HAUNTED EVER AFTER! 🙂
Book News: I’ve signed another contract!
The paperwork is all in order so I can now officially announce that I’ve signed a 3 book contract with my publisher, Escape Publishing (digital imprint of Harlequin Australia)! 😀
The books are as follows:
- HAUNTED EVER AFTER (previously Haunted Housewives) – a romagic comedy novel about a prim and proper bride-to-be who is haunted by the ghost of her fiance’s ex-girlfriend on her hen’s/bachelorette weekend away. There’ll be fun and games, a stripper who has more to reveal than rock-hard abs, and one very feisty red-haired ghost on a mission. Releasing 1st September 2014.
- 12 DAVES OF CHRISTMAS – a heartwarming romagic comedy Christmas novella about a romance writer who spends more time on her fictional love lives than her own, and receives a surprising visit from her Grandmother’s ghost asking for help to find her first love, Dave, who disappeared during the war. Cue a Christmas road trip, and a series of funny and touching moments as they work their way through a list of Daves in search of the right one. Releasing 1st December 2014.
- MIRACLE IN MARCH (tentative title) – Book #3 in the Tarrin’s Bay series, though a complete stand-alone story just like The January Wish and February or Forever. …Miracle in March is about two ex-lovers both in need of a miracle, who find themselves unexpectedly reunited during a one week stay at the Tarrin’s Bay Beachside Cabins. Emma’s hiding the truth about why she ended their relationship six years ago, and James is no longer a high-flying lawyer but a single stay-at-home dad with an autistic son. At the Town of New Beginnings, truths will be shared, dreams will be remembered, and a miracle or two just may occur. Releasing 1st March 2015.
I can’t wait to share the first book, Haunted Ever After, with you in September! The other two are currently in progress, so I’m working hard on making them as enjoyable as possible and meeting my deadlines!
I use Pinterest a lot for inspiration, so if you’d like to follow my boards for each of these books, here are the links:
Haunted Ever After on Pinterest, 12 Daves of Christmas on Pinterest, Miracle in March on Pinterest.
You can also stay updated by subscribing to this blog, and to my email updates at www.julietmadison.com (free gift included!).
BIG thanks to my publisher for continuing to publish my books, and to my readers and reviewers who keep me in business! 🙂
~ Juliet
FEBRUARY OR FOREVER on special for 99 cents
If you haven’t yet got a copy of my heartwarming women’s fiction and coastal romance novel FEBRUARY OR FOREVER, or would like to send an inexpensive gift copy to a friend to give them a boost, now is the time! It is on special for only 99 cents on Amazon. The deal may not be available in all countries though, so please check the relevant links below:
Amazon.com link: http://www.amazon.com/February-Forever-Juliet-Madison-ebook/dp/B00HQ5ZEHQ/
Amazon.com.au link: http://www.amazon.com.au/February-Or-Forever-Juliet-Madison-ebook/dp/B00HQ5ZEHQ/
Amazon.co.uk: http://www.amazon.co.uk/February-Or-Forever-Juliet-Madison-ebook/dp/B00HQ5ZEHQ/
This book is the second in my linked Tarrin’s Bay series, but is a complete stand alone so you don’t need to have read the first book, The January Wish, beforehand (though you can if you choose!).
FEBRUARY OR FOREVER is set in a small Australian coastal country town and has romance, friendship, family dramas, and secrets, and revolves around the premise – what if your favourite celebrity fell in love with you? Think about your favourite singer, actor, or celebrity, or your fave from long ago… can you imagine what it would feel like if you met them and romance blossomed? That was what I tried to capture in this story. Chrissie is a hardworking single mother with a challenging six year old son, and has loved Drew Williams’ music (and um, his ‘personality’) for eighteen years, ever since he won a television talent show and shot to international stardom. Now he’s back in The Bay where he grew up, with plans to escape his busy life for just one month. But can one month become forever when he and his private yoga teacher Chrissie fall in love?
Discover the beautiful and enticing Tarrin’s Bay… join Chrissie and Drew at Serendipity beachside health retreat, the enchanting rural property of Honeydew House, the quaint Miracle Park, and the secluded part of the beach on a starry moonlit night…
Here’s what people are saying about FEBRUARY OR FOREVER:
- “Brilliant! … February or Forever is a fun, heartwarming story that will stay with me for a long time to come. It left me smiling at my eReader, making “woop” sounds all the way through and of course, made me cry. It’s a modern day fairy tale about a girl meeting her celebrity crush.. except that it’s nothing like that. And it’s why I loved this book so much.” ~ Maryline VP
- “This book brought out all of my emotions from laughing to crying. Highly recommend read.” ~ Sbart61
- “I totally loved this book! … Honestly, I’m not the one to drool over fictional heroes, but man..Drew really won my heart. He’s gorgeous, successful, yet such a friendly, kind, family guy. It was really nice to read about a normal celebrity for a change.” ~ Ananda
And here’s a little snippet from the book:
Motherhood had taught Chrissie to be a great multi-tasker. She could cook dinner, answer Kai’s ridiculously difficult questions about outer space, and do her one hundred bi-weekly calf raises while writing the next day’s shopping list. ‘Good, that’s better,’ she said, taking her hands off Drew and letting him sustain the pose. ‘I don’t want to see any more of those spaghetti arms.’
‘You going all Dirty Dancing on me?’
‘Whatever works.’
Drew’s posture loosened slightly as he chuckled. ‘Just don’t put me in the corner if I do things wrong.’
Chrissie laughed. ‘Don’t worry, nobody puts Drew in the corner.’
Drew eased out of the pose and turned to face her. ‘My puns are rubbing off on you.’
‘If only it was your singing ability.’
A smile formed on his lips.
‘How do you know Dirty Dancing so well, anyway? I thought it was a chick flick.’
‘I’ve seen it. I have a good memory.’ He shrugged. ‘And anyway, Sarah was obsessed with it as a young teenager, she had it on VHS and watched it over and over again on the only television set in the house. The script and songs are ingrained into my subconscious memory.’
Chrissie found herself swaying playfully side to side. ‘Are you a good dancer?’
He held his arms out to the side. ‘Am I a good dancer?’ he asked confidently as though he was Johnny Castle himself. ‘I’ll let you be the judge of that.’ He waltzed over to her in a sexy swagger and grabbed her, tipping her torso backwards.
‘Whoa!’ Chrissie straightened up. ‘Wasn’t expecting that.’
‘Expect the unexpected,’ Drew said dramatically, placing one hand on her waist and the other on her hand, in dance position. He stepped forwards and she moved with him, he turned and changed direction and she followed, trusting his lead, until she stepped on his foot.
‘Ouch! Lucky you weren’t in heels.’
‘If I was in heels I would have fallen over back there.’ She pointed to the direction they’d come from. ‘How those ballroom dancers do it I have no idea.’ She broke away from his grasp. ‘Anyway, this isn’t exactly yoga now is it? You, Mister, should behave.’ She jabbed her finger towards his chest.
‘You were the one who asked if I could dance. And besides, what’s wrong with mixing up the classes a little?’
‘So you want to…dance with me?’
‘Why not?’ He shot her a cheeky grin.
She matched it with one of her own. ‘Then there’s only one thing that’s missing.’ She walked over to the corner table and plucked her phone from her bag. She went to scroll through the iPod playlists but opted for YouTube instead. When she found what she was looking for she placed her iPhone in the speaker dock on the table, pressed play, then turned to look at Drew.
His face lit up in recognition when the music began. The unmistakeable song, The Time of my Life, filled the room, its slow, breezy start encouraging her to saunter across the room towards him. Drew eyed her with anticipation, curling his finger to entice her closer, then her body was against his, captivated by a playful eagerness in his eyes.
>>To read more, get your copy here…
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At Home With Jenn J McLeod [Interview & Aussie Giveaway!]
To celebrate my new releases THE JANUARY WISH and FEBRUARY OR FOREVER, the first two books in my small town series set in Tarrin’s Bay; The Town of New Beginnings, I’m running a special interview segment called ‘At Home With…’
Today, we’re paying a visit to fellow small town storyteller, Jenn J McLeod… And just as her stories have lots of secrets, today she has a secret of her own to share! Read on…
1. Hi Jenn, where are you from and how long have you lived there?
I’m from a real life Calingarry Crossing. Locals in my hometown of Bonville/Sawtell certainly recognise a few landmarks in both House for all Seasons and my 2014 release, Simmering Season. A city girl by birth, I did the big sea/tree change in 2004. Lot’s of firsts followed: running a café, setting up a B&B for people who travel with their fur kids, and writing a book a year for Simon & Schuster. It’s said a rolling stone gathers no moss, so soon I will be on the move – literally – and my “new home” (“Hint”) has me feeling a little on edge, like a small pebble perched precariously on a precipice. (Like that?)
[Juliet ~ Isn’t it great to write stories set in a town based on our own? 🙂 ]
2. What do you love about the place you call home?
Right now home is a small acreage, nestled in a rural hamlet south of Coffs Harbour, at the base of the Great Dividing Range, but only a ten minute drive to the beach. Apart from the stars at night, the birds all day, the peace and privacy (should I go on?) my place is like fruit salad – crammed with a dozen different fruit varieties of citrus, custard apple, lychee, mango and persimmon. Then there’s the vegie surprise patch! I love it when a surprise sprouts out of the compost our vegie scraps produce. It all makes for a very ‘informal’ vegie garden with the most recent sprouting of pumpkin, plus the usual cherry tomato surprise plants and sweet potato!
I love harvest time. Kind of a shame I’ll be in a “new home” and not here to enjoy the winter feast. (“Another hint!” Yes, I have a secret and those who have read my books know I love secrets.)
3. Do you have a favourite local cafe, restaurant, bar, club, business, or store? Give them a plug here!
Our old café, Shimmers in Sawtell, is now called Tree-O, and it is still lovely. Recently, a bunch of local-ish authors and I met at The Old Butter Factory in Bellingen. We may have to do that again.
4. Do you have any pets? If so, what are their names?
Strawberry & Daiquiri are little white fluffy rescue dogs of unknown age and origin. They are old, very naughty and spoilt rotten. But you can teach an old dog new tricks. I discovered this when my little muse, Daiquiri, lost an eye to cancer recently. So adaptable – and even more beautiful, don’t you think? [Juliet ~ Definitely. And yellow is the new black.]
I also had two budgies called Sunshine & Blue Skies. I don’t like caged birds really, but Sunshine was a tiny baby, found in the paddock next door. Too young to fly, I brought her home. Not expecting her to live, she gobbled down seed while sitting on my palm and was quite lively the next morning. When I couldn’t track down where she escaped from I had to get a mate because there’s one thing worse than a caged bird … That’s a lonely caged bird. With a loving relocation to a brand new aviary in the nursing home where my mum lived for a while, Sunshine and Blue Skies can now spread their wings – so I can spread mine soon. (“Hint”)
[Juliet ~ Any ideas yet, readers, about Jenn’s secret?]
5. What is your favourite room in the house and why?
My sunroom. I could eat, work and sleep in here. I’ve always said I don’t need a big house. One room to eat, write and sleep would be fine. Guess I’m going to get it after all. (“Hint”)
6. If you had to evacuate your house, what three items (apart from people and pets!) would you take?
My computer (and associated bits),
My mother’s memory box,
Oh wait! Soon I won’t have to limit myself to three. I’ll just take the whole house and get out of town. (“Hint”)
[Juliet ~ These hints are very cleverly inserted into your answers!]
7. If you had a magic wand, what’s one thing you would change about your home or your town?
Maybe I’ll come back in six months from now and answer that question again, Juliet.
🙂
8. Imagine you have the luxury of a chef for a night and you’ve invited people over for a dinner party, what would you have the chef cook?
I would NEVER have a chef in my kitchen. I’ve seen what they do to appliances and equipment and how they treat food. Sorry, folks, but owning a food business (because I LOVED eating out) has stopped me eating out! Next time you are deciding where to eat, don’t look at the menu, look at the floor!
[Juliet ~ I’ll keep believing that ignorance is bliss 😉 ]
9. Name three books on your To Be Read bookshelf or e-reader:
1. Safe Harbour by Helene Young
2. Losing Kate by Kylie Kaden
3. Season of Shadow and Light – yep! That’s mine. I just received the edits for book three so reading for pleasure must give way to reading to deadline.
And I want to see a book on my TBR pile by a new yet-to-be-pubbed author Louise Allan. You can check her blog out here. Sounds like my kind of story telling. http://louise-allan.com
10. Name something unique or uncommon that you have in your pantry or fridge:
Too many to mention as I clear out and downsize my pantry (among other things) discovering blasts from the past like a jar of Wild Hibiscus Flowers! All the rage about a decade ago with the champagne set. Who remembers them?
[Juliet ~ Though I have never used them, I do recall seeing the odd recipe with Hibiscus Flowers!]
11. If you could live anywhere for one year, where would you go?
We are about to find out! So I’d better clear up those “hints”. While my small towns can keep big secrets, I cannot. Time to reveal.
[Juliet ~ DRUMROLL…]
Check out the new home below:
[Juliet ~ Congrats! Looks like you are going to have one hell of an adventure! It might inspire a new story… The Travelling Season? 😉 ]
12. You’ve just received a phone call from a friend or relative, and they’ll be arriving in five minutes for a visit. What do you do?
a) Relax on the couch until they arrive.
b) Put the kettle on; place some (probably homemade) snacks onto a tray; set the table; put flowers into a vase; and light a candle (and maybe even make some place cards with your super calligraphy skills).
c) Put the kettle on; tip out a few cookies onto a plate; check your reflection in the mirror, and wait.
d) Freak out; shove excess household clutter under beds, in cupboards, drawers, and the garage; trip over something in the process; hold an ice pack to your bruised forehead while swearing profusely; check the mirror to see if you’re still in pyjamas; frantically change into suitable clothing whilst simultaneously holding ice pack to your head; fall over again; alternate ice pack between head and location of new injury; then shove ice pack under bed and greet visitors with the fakest smile of pure calm you can muster.
My answer: Depending on the friend or relative I might choose: e) hitch up the home and hit the road!
Thanks for sharing all about your home life with us, Jenn! And looking forward to hearing how your new home turns out. 🙂
> Even though Jenn J McLeod would probably love you to pay a visit, why not visit her online right now?
Website/blog : Facebook : Twitter
Or better still, everyone, tell Jenn where in this big brown land you live, especially if you have a flat block that will accommodate a caravan – at the right price! 😉 She could be coming to a town near you in the near future.
> And help her pay for that in-house chef (or housekeeper) by buying a copy of her new book, Simmering Season, here:
Forget the chef, Jenn says. Petrol money appreciated, though, so she can discover new small towns to inspire more small town stories.
[Juliet ~ You’ll have to pay a visit to my small town down south! I am four minutes walk from a caravan park and beach. Not five minutes, four. Though it’s downhill so it could become three. 😉 ]
*BUY NOW from all good Australian bookstores, or there are lots of options here for purchasing: http://books.simonandschuster.com.au/Simmering-Season/Jenn-J-McLeod/9781922052070
SIMMERING SEASON
It’s summer storm season and Calingarry Crossing is sweltering.
Devoted mother, sole breadwinner, and now local publican, Maggie Lindeman is back in Calingarry Crossing with her teenage son to sell the family pub, hoping to turn their lives and finances around. The trouble is, the girl people once called Magpie is so busy protecting everyone else she has no idea the perfect storm is heading her way, until her past and present collide with the unexpected to blow the lid off a lifetime of secrets.
BOOK TRAILER: http://youtu.be/218LziN4Ank
>> GIVEAWAY! Australian postal addresses only (or perhaps Jenn might deliver the prize in person!)
Prize: A copy of Jenn’s first Calingarry Crossing novel, House for all Seasons, or if you already have it, a copy of Simmering Season.
How to enter: Leave a comment and tell Jenn where you would spend a week in a caravan and why. (Can’t be 4WD-only access and no National Parks as they don’t allow dogs).
*Competition drawn on Wed 16th April and winner notified by email. You’ll have one week to confirm your prize and provide an Australian delivery address or an alternate winner will be chosen. Good luck!
FAST FORWARD Characters answer Five Fun Questions!
For a bit of fun, the characters from FAST FORWARD have dropped in from the future!
They each have the same five questions to answer, but of course, their answers will be quite different from each other’s.
If you’re new to this blog or my books, FAST FORWARD is my bestselling time-travel romantic comedy from Escape Publishing. You can read about it HERE.
And now, please welcome Kelli, Will, Kasey, Ryan, and Diora!
Kelli McSnelly (nee Crawford):
1. What is your favourite invention from the last 25 years?
It’s the e-pad! Otherwise known as an electronic personal assistant device – it straps onto the wrist like a watch, and does everything that a phone, computer, and credit card does. It even starts your car’s engine and locks your house! It’s an all-in-one super-dooper piece of technology and I’d be lost without it.
2. How would you spend your ideal birthday?
Despite what my son may think, judging by his choice of birthday present for my 50th, it is NOT going bungy jumping. It would be a costume party with my family and closest friends, and a heartwarming speech from my husband.
3. What is your best quality?
Back when I was 25 I would have said my appearance, but now that I’m more ‘mature’ I would say my resilience. And I mean that in relation to attitude and personality, not skin elasticity.
4. What is something you wish more people would know or understand?
It is not worth risking your life trying to fit into dodgy support underwear.
5. What would you do if you shared an elevator with an extremely famous person:
If they didn’t instantly recognise me from my modelling days I would introduce myself and ask them to share in a selfie to post on Facebook.
Will McSnelly:
1. What is your favourite invention from the last 25 years?
The inbuilt coffee machine in my car, helps to kickstart my work day. That, and the app on my e-pad which sends me useful facts and trivia at regular intervals throughout the day.
2. How would you spend your ideal birthday?
A costume party with my family and friends and a heartwarming speech from my wife. Or, a role-playing game marathon with my mates from the middle-aged gamers club.
3. What is your best quality?
My resourcefulness. Did you know I once resolved a traffic jam whilst wearing a Superman costume?
4. What is something you wish more people would know or understand?
That beautiful women can and do fall in love with smart, sensible, practical men, more commonly known as nerds or geeks.
5. What would you do if you shared an elevator with an extremely famous person:
I’d hand them a business card and invite them over for dinner.
Kasey Crawford (sister of Kelli):
1. What is your favourite invention from the last 25 years?
Mine, of course. You do remember what it was, don’t you?
2. How would you spend your ideal birthday?
An intimate occasion at home with my husband wearing our favourite caveman and cavewoman costumes.
3. What is your best quality?
My intelligence.
4. What is something you wish more people would know or understand?
Bugs have feelings too. If you step on them or spray them, you are a murderer. MURDERER.
5. What would you do if you shared an elevator with an extremely famous person:
Obviously, given my claim to fame from my Nobel-prize winning invention, I would be the famous person. I would be happy to sign an autograph if the person in the elevator wanted one.
Ryan McSnelly (21 yr old son of Kelli and Will):
1. What is your favourite invention from the last 25 years?
The Kitchen Assistant. Instantly boiled yolkless eggs and super fast meals? Hello.
2. How would you spend your ideal birthday?
Jamming it up with my band mates.
3. What is your best quality?
My friendly nature.
4. What is something you wish more people would know or understand?
That just because a man is passionate about interior decorating and wearing pink aprons while cooking does not mean he’s gay. Even though I am, I do, and I am.
5. What would you do if you shared an elevator with an extremely famous person:
Blabber something unintelligible and make it totally obvious I was having a fan moment (as long as I was a fan of the person).
Diora Bellows (nee McSnelly, 23 yr old daughter of Kelli and Will):
1. What is your favourite invention from the last 25 years?
My talking, self-driving car. When it takes over I can take the opportunity to do my nails. Multi-tasking at its best.
2. How would you spend your ideal birthday?
I’d eat as much chocolate as possible, have a pampering session at Queen of Beauty, a nice dinner, and a fun gathering with family and friends (which hopefully doesn’t culminate in me going into labour).
3. What is your best quality?
My assertiveness. Those people who delivered the wrong (baby-poo coloured) pram for my firstborn child didn’t know what hit them.
4. What is something you wish more people would know or understand?
That having big boobs is totally overrated.
5. What would you do if you shared an elevator with an extremely famous person:
I’d calmly ask how their day’s been and compliment them on their choice of clothing or accessories, leading into a chat about good design and how it’s also important within the home, leading to my original objective which is to hand them a business card for KC Interiors and set up an appointment for a complimentary home styling analysis.
Thanks Kelli, Will, Kasey, Ryan, and Diora! What a fun bunch!
About FAST FORWARD:
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?
>> Available from all good ebook stores. Links are here.
JULIET MADISON 