Jennifer Scoullar's Blog, page 4
November 30, 2018
Huge Australian Rural Fiction Book Giveaway – and winners of this month’s draw
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Hello and welcome to the huge Australian Rural Fiction Christmas Book Giveaway! We at Australian Rural Fiction are proudly seventy wonderful Aussie authors bringing our big Australian country stories to you across many genres.
Why has this come about?
We wanted to see more of ‘us’ out there. We wanted to have more of us easily accessed in the one place, to discover our country’s big stories – and we have many bestselling and award winning authors bringing those stories to you via our website.
We’ve given readers one place to find out the news every day, and you can also join our Facebook group.
ENTER OUR HUGE CHRISTMAS GIVEAWAY!
[image error]We have the most fantabulous, awesome and generous Christmas contest that will sort out the summer…and probably winter…reading for six lucky winners.
Four Australian winners and two international winners.
There are FOUR prizes of fourteen signed print books for the Australian readers, and TWO prizes of eight e-books each to two international readers.
Complete the first entry options and the others will magically appear! The more options you take up, the more entries you get! And the best part… invite a new friend to the Facebook group every day for an additional FIVE entries per day! Enter HERE!
And now for the winners of my monthly prize draw.
Congratulations to glynismc@icloud.com and toni.long@outlook.co.nz. I’ll be emailing you shortly to ask what books you’d like. Happy Reading!
September 2, 2018
Winners Of ‘The Lost Valley’ Giveaway Draw!
[image error]I’m pleased to announce the winners of the random draw for ARC copies of The Lost Valley (Book 2 of the Tasmanian Tales trilogy) Drum roll please! Congratulations to:-
Julie Winston
Rachel Crossley
Steve Llewellyn
Jenny Evans
Veronica @ The Burgeoning Bookshelf
Christine Nehemiah
Charlotte Creeley
Kel Spence
Annie Pink Shoes
Clair Holderness
I’ll be emailing you all soon for your postal addresses. If you are outside Australia, I’ll send you a Book Funnel link which allows you to download the eBook onto any device.
Please be aware that these ARCs (advanced reader copies) have not undergone a final proofread, and may contain minor errors not present in the final published version.
Thanks for entering and happy reading!
August 13, 2018
For The Love Of Historical Fiction
[image error]I’m an eclectic reader who enjoys a wide variety of genres: romance, suspense, literary fiction, crime – although I do draw the line at horror. The first Stephen King novel I attempted scared me witless! But among the genres, historical fiction is one of my absolute favourites.
From Jean M. Auel’s The Clan Of The Cave Bear to Hilary Mantel’s Wolf Hall — I love them all. It’s intriguing to contemplate life without modern conventions and conveniences. Without advanced science and medicine. Without the women’s movement, workers unions and children’s welfare laws. Without the general understanding that poverty can drive good people to do bad things. Living in the past involved hardships and injustice that we can barely imagine.
[image error]But what about the advantages of living in the past? Village life offered a powerful sense of community, with strong family ties. Children played outside instead of watching screens all day. People lived closer to nature, and died in their own beds surrounded by loved ones, instead of in hospitals surrounded by tubes and machines.
History books tell us what happened, but novels give us a sense of the how and why. They draw us into the inner lives of people across time and place — inviting us to imagine their untold stories. The best historical fiction also reminds us of the mistakes of our past, so we can avoid repeating them.
They say history is written by the winners. In my historical novels Fortune’s Son and its sequel The Lost Valley, I wanted to write a fresh version of history, giving a voice to the outsiders, including the animals teetering on the extinction precipice.
[image error]The books follow the trials and tribulations of the Abbott family from the 1880’s to post World War 2 Tasmania. But they also tell the story of the last Tasmanian tigers (thylacines) soon to disappear from the Earth after a twenty-five-million-year reign. Apart from a little gem, Coorinna, written in 1953, there is no historical fiction concerning the thylacine. It’s time to fill the gap
To celebrate the upcoming release of The Lost Valley I’m giving away five Advance Reader Copies (Aust addresses only) and five eBooks (overseas readers). To enter, just comment below naming one of your favourite historical novels. Good luck! (drawn 02/09/2018)
For The Love Of Historical Fiction – Plus a Giveaway!
[image error]I’m an eclectic reader who enjoys a wide variety of genres: romance, suspense, literary fiction, crime – although I do draw the line at horror. The first Stephen King novel I attempted scared me witless! But among the genres, historical fiction is one of my absolute favourites.
From Jean M. Auel’s The Clan Of The Cave Bear to Hilary Mantel’s Wolf Hall — I love them all. It’s intriguing to contemplate life without modern conventions and conveniences. Without advanced science and medicine. Without the women’s movement, workers unions and children’s welfare laws. Without the general understanding that poverty can drive good people to do bad things. Living in the past involved hardships and injustice that we can barely imagine.
[image error]But what about the advantages of living in the past? Village life offered a powerful sense of community, with strong family ties. Children played outside instead of watching screens all day. People lived closer to nature, and died in their own beds surrounded by loved ones, instead of in hospitals surrounded by tubes and machines.
History books tell us what happened, but novels give us a sense of the how and why. They draw us into the inner lives of people across time and place — inviting us to imagine their untold stories. The best historical fiction also reminds us of the mistakes of our past, so we can avoid repeating them.
They say history is written by the winners. In my historical novels Fortune’s Son and its sequel The Lost Valley, I wanted to write a fresh version of history, giving a voice to the outsiders, including the animals teetering on the extinction precipice.
[image error]The books follow the trials and tribulations of the Abbott family from the 1880’s to post World War 2 Tasmania. But they also tell the story of the last Tasmanian tigers (thylacines) soon to disappear from the Earth after a twenty-five-million-year reign. Apart from a little gem, Coorinna, written in 1953, there is no historical fiction concerning the thylacine. It’s time to fill the gap
To celebrate the upcoming release of The Lost Valley I’m giving away five Advance Reader Copies (Aust addresses only) and five eBooks (overseas readers). To enter, just comment below naming one of your favourite historical novels. Good luck! (drawn 02/09/2018)
June 28, 2018
June 14, 2018
Building A Launch Team – The Lost Valley
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The Lost Valley
Gone are the days when authors could simply write books and then rely on their publishers for marketing and publicity. To be frank, this has pretty much been my default setting. But it’s now best practice for authors to take control of their publishing journey, and an important first step is to build a launch team – so here goes!
A launch team consists of a select group of fans and supporters, who will help build some buzz around a new title. The main way they can help is by writing reviews, particularly on Amazon. Nothing boosts a book’s chances like having a solid number of online reviews shortly after its release. This can be achieved by letting people read your book early. For many readers, it’s a cool perk to be the first ones in the know. They get to give early feedback. They get to tell their friends, “I’m reading a great book that isn’t yet available to the public.” That’s the plan, anyway.
So in light of this, I’m enlisting interested people to join my marketing team by giving away digital advanced readers’ copies of my upcoming release. The Lost Valley is Book 2 in my Tasmanian Tales trilogy, that began last year with the publication of Fortune’s Son. The trilogy tracks the lives and loves of the Abbott family, from the late 1800’s to present day. The final book, The Memory Tree will be released next year.
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Fortune’s Son
Billed as a Tasmanian East Of Eden, The Lost Valley follows the trials and tribulations of Tom and Harry Abbott, grandsons of Isabelle Abbott, whose story is told in Fortune’s Son. The Lost Valley is now available for preorder and will be released on 27th August (eBooks release on the 20th August). However I’ll provide an early digital copy for those of you interested in joining my launch team. Members will review and/or rate The Lost Valley online when it’s officially released. I’d also appreciate early feedback either by email or by joining my Facebook launch group. Simply leave a reply below, and I’ll send you the download link. Included is a free eBook giveaway of Fortune’s Son for those yet to read it. I’m looking forward to hearing from you!
May 26, 2018
Fortune’s Son
[image error]I am thrilled to announce that a new edition of Fortune’s Son will soon be available for overseas readers. As a bonus, it sports a gorgeous new cover!
Can one man’s revenge become his redemption?
Young Luke Tyler has everything going for him: brains, looks and a larrikin charm that turns heads. The future looks bright, until he defends his sister from the powerful Sir Henry Abbot. His reward is fifteen years hard labour on a prison farm in Tasmania’s remote highlands.
Luke escapes, finding sanctuary with a local philanthropist and starting a forbidden relationship with his daughter, Belle. But when Luke is betrayed, he must flee or be hanged.
With all seeming lost, Luke sails to South Africa to start afresh. Yet he remains haunted by the past, and by Belle, the woman he can’t forget. When he returns to seek revenge and reclaim his life, his actions will have shattering consequences – for the innocent as well as the guilty.
Set against a backdrop of wild Tasmania, Australian gold and African diamonds, Fortune’s Son is an epic story of betrayal, love and one man’s struggle to triumph over adversity and find his way home.
PRAISE FOR JENNIFER SCOULLAR
‘Lovely lyrical prose. Scoullar, it turns out, is a writer of documentary calibre.’
The Australian
‘An excellent read!’ Newcastle Herald
‘Superb! … Scoullar’s writing has a rich complexity. Poetic and visual … the landscape vivid and alive.’ Reading, Writing and Riesling
May 25, 2018
‘The Lost Valley’
THE LOST VALLEY – OUT AUGUST 27th!
I can finally reveal the beautiful cover for my new novel, The Lost Valley, out August 27th. It follows the lives and loves of the Abbott family, introduced in my last book, Fortune’s Son. The Lost Valley is a sweeping saga of ambition, betrayal and dangerous love.
Tasmania, 1929: Ten-year-old-twins, Tom and Harry Abbott, are orphaned by a tragedy that shocks Hobart society. They find sanctuary with their reclusive grandmother, growing up in the remote and rugged Binburra ranges – a place where kind-hearted Tom discovers a love of the wild, Harry nurses a growing resentment towards his brother and where the mountains hold secrets that will transform both their lives.
The chaos of World War II divides the brothers, and their passion for two very different women fuels a deadly rivalry. Can Tom and Harry survive to heal their rift? And what will happen when Binburra finally reveals its astonishing secrets?
From Tasmania’s highlands to the Battle of Britain, and all the way to the golden age of Hollywood, The Lost Valley is a lush family saga about two brothers whose fates are entwined with the land and the women they love.
June 10, 2017
Launch of ‘Fortune’s Son’
My new novel, Fortune’s Son, will be officially launched at Readings Doncaster on the 13th of July. Please come along if you’re in Melbourne!
The winners of the draw for Fortune’s Son are Astrid and Veronica. Congratulations, and thanks to everybody who took part. I received some great suggestions for my historical fiction reading pile! I will email the winners shortly 
