Rachael Johns's Blog, page 9

My Secret Life with Pamela Cook

I’m excited that I’ve got a whole host of My Secret Life posts lined up for 2013, but before we close on 2012, I’ve got Pamela Cook here today talking about what she does when she’s not writing.

Pamela’s debut novel Blackwattle Lake released last month and is another book high up in my TBR pile. Can’t wait to get to it. Welcome Pamela…

So lovely to be here on Rachael’s blog to chat about my “other” (non-writing) life.

I’m a high school English teacher by profession but decided a few years ago to concentrate more on my writing and teaching writing to adults which I do through my business Justwrite (www.justwrite.net.au). Being a very undisciplined person means it’s easy for me to fritter away my days and feel like I’m not getting anywhere. When I write it’s usually in bursts, spending a few days a week during school hours or at night writing and revising. Then I have periods where I hardly get to the page. As much as I’d love to practice what I preach and write every day it generally doesn’t happen.

So how do I spend my time when I’m not writing?

Well, I’m the mother of three girls ranging in age from 12 to 20 so I’m often dropping off or picking up, attending concerts, presentations, canteen duty – all you mums out there know the drill. I kept thinking it would get easier as they got older but I’m still waiting!

As you’ll see when you read my book, I’m a horse lover, a pastime I got into once again through my children who have all ridden from a young age. We don’t actually live in the country but agist our horses on a property just south of Sydney and since I was spending so much time there I thought I may as well have a horse myself. Morocco is a quarter horse and has been with me for six years now. He’s as happy to plod along as I am and behaves himself pretty well as long as I don’t push him too hard. Having started riding as an adult I’m not as confident as I’d like to be but I do the occasional Western Show, dressing up in all the bling. It’s a lot of fun – as long as I keep my nerves under control!

On the volunteer front I’m the secretary of a Pony Club and I until recently was the Students Helping Students Co-ordinator for Room to Read. It’s a not-for-profit organisation that promotes literacy and gender equality in developing countries. I went to India a couple of years ago to see their programs in action and was amazed at the wonderful work they do. I’ve taken a step back now to focus more on my writing but am liaising with the Writer Ambassadors who do a wonderful job spreading the word about Room to Read in schools.

I manage to squeeze in a game of tennis most weeks and attend my writing group, The Writers’ Dozen, fortnightly at The NSW Writer’s Centre. I’m not much of a TV watcher but I do love to read – my to be read pile is ridiculously large. My reading tastes are pretty eclectic but I do love Australian writers and Tim Winton is my all time fave.

When I’m not at home I’m at my “other” house on the south coast of NSW. We have a small property there which is up in the hills with a spectacular view out over the bush to the sea. It’s a great place to chill out with the horses and just generally relax. The physical space is great for generating ideas and when I’m there I always find inspiration for my writing.

Which brings me back to what I should be doing a lot more of. My plan for 2013 is to develop some of that discipline I sorely lack and write every day. Wish me luck!

I’m sure you won’t need much luck Pamela. Seeing your cover for the first time and holding that book baby in your hands is VERY good motivation and inspiration! We have a fair few things in common – the English teacher and three kids for a start. Thanks for sharing your other life Pamela and I’m looking forward to getting stuck into Blackwattle Lake.

You can find Pamela on the web, on Twitter and on Facebook and please check out the blurb of Blackwattle Lake below:

For Eve Nicholls, walking up the driveway of her childhood home brings up many emotions, and not all good. The horses that she loved still dot the paddocks but the house is empty, and the silence inside allows her memories to flood back. She’s glad to have her best friend Banjo the kelpie with her . . . and a bottle of bourbon. Her plan is simple: sell the farm, grab the cash and get the hell out.

Despite Eve’s desire to keep a low profile, within days of her return she runs into all the people she hoped to avoid. At the house she is surrounded by memories and worse. But with a lifetime of clutter to sort out, there’s plenty to take her mind off it all. Slowly, she begins to discover the girl she used to be: Angie Flanagan – adventurous, animal-loving, vulnerable. When tragedy strikes, Eve realises that changing her name all those years ago in an attempt to hide from her past has not changed the truth of what happened or who she really is.

Blackwattle Lake is available wherever books are sold in Australia and also online, including Amazon, iBooks, Kobo.

Hanging with Caitlyn Nicholas

Today folks I have a very special friend on the blog chatting about her new releases. I met Caitlyn Nicholas at my very first Romance Writers of Australia conference and we’ve been mates ever since. I’m also a fan of her work, having loved her writing from the day I picked up her debut romance RUNNING SCARED. I’ve got her next two books, which she’s chatting about today on my mammoth TBR pile and cannot wait to get to them – hopefully over the school holidays. 

So…without further ado, I bring you gorgeous Cait…

Hey Rach!

Thanks for having me on your blog.  I was thinking about it, and the last time I guest posted was around the time you released your wonderful breastfeeding book.  My goodness that was a long time ago!

OMG indeed it was Cait – if anyone wants to know what she’s talking about, here’s the link to my non-fiction book BREASTFEEDERS ANONYMOUS! 

Christmas, and the end of the year, are hurtling towards us – the advent calendars are out and countdown has moved from weeks to days! For me, this year has not been without its rough spots, but the dramas have been manageable. As I head towards the end of 2012 I feel like I’ve got a lot to be thankful for and a lot to celebrate.

Top of my list celebration-wise is the publication of my two books, both of which have been released in the last few weeks.

The first, a rip roaring romantic suspense called Drive Me To Distraction came out in November.

Sometimes life or death decisions are easy. Alex Radford has a choice – borrow the money to treat her mother’s rare and aggressive cancer from sleazy moneylender Hamish MacCameron. Or do nothing and watch her die.

MacCameron has an agenda. He wants Alex in his bed, and he wants her to help him exact revenge on his sworn enemy, Robert Dryden. He is only too happy to lend her what she needs, but the strings attached form a tangled web from which Alex has little hope of escape.

It’s not all bad. Since she was a girl Alex has had one dream: to become a Formula 1 driver and show the boys how to drive a race car. MacCameron’s money gives her a shot at fame, and in a move that scandalizes the F1 racing fraternity she becomes the new driver for Rob Dryden’s struggling F1 team, Prometheus.

Alex tries to keep her distance from Rob, knowing that one day she will need to betray one of the few people who ever had faith in her. But things begin to unravel when Hamish MacCameron is murdered and she and Rob are the top suspects on the list …

Amazon

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B009VTIGWU

iBookstore

https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/drive-me-to-distraction/id561591060?mt=11

Kobo

http://www.kobobooks.com/ebook/Drive-Me-to-Distraction/book-UZHkKiqVv0qCEupMU0m2pg/page1.html

And the second, a romantic suspense novella called The Danger Game, is coming out on 10th December.

Flick likes computers. She’s good with them, and they do what she tells them, mostly. People, however, are more of a challenge.

But when a terrifyingly dangerous program is stolen, and her mentor killed, Flick finds herself on the run. The police are convinced she’s committed murder, and a sinister weapons developer will stop at nothing to force her to work for him.

In Ben’s line of work being suspicious keeps you alive. So when Flick turns to him, he quickly realises that she’s up to her neck in trouble and hasn’t fully grasped the danger she is in.

First he has to keep her safe, and then, together, they have to figure out how to save the world from an epic meltdown.

More information about The Danger Game from Escape Publishing: http://www.escapepublishing.com.au/

Or to buy:

Amazon http://www.amazon.com/The-Danger-Game-ebook/dp/B00AK3GTTI/

Amazon UK http://www.amazon.co.uk/The-Danger-Game-ebook/dp/B00AK3GTTI/

Kobo http://www.kobobooks.com/ebook/THE-DANGER-GAME/book-4CHaOFNh70yB3UeAWKA7lg/page1.html?s=shBHL7QvTEeR0uGd3fnOsA&r=1

Ibookstore https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/the-danger-game/id585508156?mt=11

I hope that you had a good 2012, and that you are leaving it in as good, or better shape then when you arrived.  I love to heard from readers, leave me a comment, or come visit my blog http://www.caitlynnicholas.blogspot.com

You can find me online at: http://www.caitlynnicholas.com

My blog: http://www.caitlynnicholas.blogspot.com

Twitter: http://twitter.com/CaitlynNicholas

Fb: https://www.facebook.com/CaitlynNicholasAuthor

Google plus: https://plus.google.com/u/0/105412279044420141735/

Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/783424.Caitlyn_Nicholas

Well, thanks for that Caitlyn, it was a pleasure to have you and your books. I really hope some of my readers check out Drive Me To Distraction or The Danger Game as I know they won’t be disappointed

The Next Big Thing

Hi folks

If you hang out in the Blogosphere, I’m SURE you’ve heard of The Next Big Thing recently. I was first tagged by the lovely Cari Kamm but didn’t get my act together in time to participate. Next two talented Aussies asked me if I’d like to be involved – Michelle Diener and Alissa Callen. I saw how HUGE this thing had become and knew I’d be crazy not to be involved. Since then the brilliant Aussie author Greg Barron has also asked me to participate.

So, today I’m finally taking up the challenge:

I’ve just subbed a book to Harlequin Australia which I hope will be the first in a linked series focusing on some fabulous characters in the fictional town of Merindah, Western Australia. If all goes well, book one will be out later this year and I’m about to start writing book two in the series, so I decided to do my Next Big Thing post on this book!

Ten Interview Questions for The Next Big Thing:

What is your working title of your book?

Outback Blaze or Playing With Fire – not 100% yet, will depend on what my publishers want to call book one.

Where did the idea come from for the book?

A few years back when I was living in Kojonup, WA, my husband’s place of work burnt to the ground in the middle of the night. He worked at the Co-op, which housed a supermarket, liquor store and drapery. Many of the towns residents were employed here and locals had been shopping here for years. The whole town came down in their pyjamas to watch as the local volunteer firefighters did their absolute best to save the building. Since that night, I knew I wanted to write a book involving a major fire and when I started writing rural romance, the idea seemed even more fitting.

What genre does your book fall under?

Rural romance, farm-lit, Ru-ro, chook-lit – whatever you want to call it, it’s currently doing amazingly well with Aussie readers!

Which actors would you choose to play your characters in a movie rendition?

Ooh I haven’t got as far as thinking about this yet, but Jessica Marais who rose to fame in Aussie show Packed To The Rafters would be perfect for Ruby and the hero in this is actually an American and I’m very partial to Matthew McConaughey so might have to give him the role of Noah Tucker.

What is the one-sentence synopsis of your book?

Argh, you’re joking right? I’m hopeless at this stuff.

Okay… here goes… Recovering from OCD, the last thing Ruby Jones needs is for her livelihood to burn to the ground or for the cop she finds herself attracted to pointing the finger at her.

Will your book be self-published or represented by an agency?

I’m represented by the lovely Helen Breitweiser from Cornerstone Agency and I’m hoping my current publisher Harlequin Australia will snap this one up as well

How long did it take you to write the first draft of your manuscript?

I haven’t actually written this yet but most of my STs take between five and six months!

What other books would you compare this story to within your genre?

There are so many rural authors out there now and the degrees of romance among them varies, I’d say my books are at the romance end of the spectrum and more similar to authors like Cathryn Hein, Karly Lane and Barbara Hannay.

Who or what inspired you to write this book?

The fact I wanted to write the book before and after it Seriously! However saying that, when I met Ruby in book one, I knew there was a lot more to her than met the eye and I wanted to explore what things in her life had made her into the woman she is when the book starts – someone recovering from OCD and thinking they are finally getting their life back on track.

What else about your book might pique the reader’s interest?

I think it’s the first rural book I’ve read with an American hero and he’s oh-so-divine. I hope readers will like this point of difference. The mystery thread that will really come to the forefront in book three will also be developed more in this book.

Thanks to Cari, Michelle, Alissa and Greg for asking me to participate in this fun blogging event. I hope you’ll all check out their blogs as well! And now I’m supposed to tag more authors but almost everyone I know seems already to have done this, so I’m putting out an open tag to my author friends. If you haven’t yet participated in The Next Big Thing – I tag you!!

WINNER!!

Just a quick post today to announce the winner of my STAND-IN STAR contest!

My heroes-in-training helped me picked the winner out of the oldest’s magician’s hat this morning!

 

And His Lordship, the youngest, picked out Chanpreet!!!

A HUGE congrats to Chanpreet – if you could please email me at Rachaeljohns077@gmail.com and let me know if you’d like it in pdf or epub version, I will send it ASAP.

I hope you enjoy it and I’m so sorry to those of you who missed out. I would have loved to give you ALL a copy but if you really want one, it’s available now for pre-order on Amazon!

 

Two book contests!!

Hi peeps

Sorry I’ve been quiet lately… LOTS going on. Some good (editing of book about to be subbed), some bad (being in hospital with my son who was suspected of having meningitis) and the usual stuff that has to be done constantly (yes, I’m talking about washing)!!!

I’m finishing up editing my next book for submission this weekend and then it’ll be onto finishing the Christmas novella I started last month. Am having a lot of fun with that. But I just wanted to pop in to tell you about two contests – chances to win copies of my January 2013 releases.

I’ve got a giveaway going on Goodreads for Man Drought – unfortunately this is only open to Australian and New Zealand residents as at this stage Man Drought will only be available down under. You can enter this contest here!

BUT because I don’t want my loyal international readers to miss out, I’m also running a contest for an early copy of Stand-In Star (out with Carina Press January 7th). Please note this is an e-copy only – the winner will be able to choose between a pdf or epub version.

To be in the running to win a copy of Stand-In Star, please leave a comment below and how I can contact you if you win!! It’s THAT easy!! Contest closes midnight Wednesday 5th Dec (Western Australian time).

And I hope you all have a fab weekend.

x

Rach!

Dear Santa…

Or rather Dear Hubby! Mine HATES buying pressies (especially jewellery) cos he’s scared he’ll buy the wrong thing and has asked that this year I write a list of FIFTY things, so he can choose a couple and it’ll still sorta be a surprise.

Well, I need help. I have pretty much everything I need/want. So far I have eight items – in no particular order. Am open to suggestions to fill the remaining 42 spots!!!

Soda Stream
iPad Mini
Lorna Jane vouchers
Any jewellery from Pandora
Theatre tickets
Sunny Cowgirl CD
Phone holder for running
Pig/Cow/Sheep from World Vision

PLEASE HELP!!! What do YOU want for Christmas?

Why My Husband Thinks I Love Our Cat More Than HIM!

I am a cat LOVER from way back. I was one of those girls who had cat pictures all over my bedroom and friends always gave me cat calendars and cards at Christmas. I don’t think there’s been more than a couple of months (maybe even only weeks) in my life where I haven’t had at least one cat companion.

My hubby knew my love of animals (particularly) cats when he met me. He too adores animals. However, the month before our wedding he got tested to see if he had allergies that were the cause of a life long skin condition. Many people told him it was all the milk he drunk – he LOVES his Coffee Chill – so he wanted this proved wrong. Turns out he’s allergic to dust (and ended up marrying an undomestic goddess), grass and animal fur. When he told me, I looked at him and said, well, nice knowing you! Since then he’s known his place and been SUCH a hero about putting up with animal fur in his life.

So much so that our current cat (SIMBA) spends most of his day sleeping on our bed, frequently on hubby’s side. But I guess he loves us both enough to put up with it.

In my defence I DO try to keep the cat to at least my side of the bed and I wash and change the sheets frequently. See I’m not totally horrible!! And I KNOW that doona cover and pillowcases are GHASTLY but do you know how hard it is to find something that both men AND women will like atm? I bought them from Ikea a while back and in the end, I thought it safer to go with something we BOTH didn’t like – LOL!!

THE END!

There might be no sweeter words for a writer than THE END. I don’t actually type them anymore because my eds always delete them but today I typed the last word in the first draft of OUTBACK DREAMS. The hard work is really only just beginning because to make this book really shine, it’ll require another few rounds of attention, but getting the bare bones down on paper feels AMAZINGLY good.

I have sent it off to my beta readers and will put it to the back of my mind for a week or so while I await feedback.

The future is full of possibilities! I want to write a Christmas novella by March, so plan to do lots of reading of Christmas books over the next few weeks and hope what is currently only a tiny idea in my mind will grow into something big and fabulous! I also want to write the outline (loose because I’m not a massive plotter) for my next book in the Outback series – this follows on from OUTBACK DREAMS and is currently titled OUTBACK BLAZE. I’m looking forward to giving a couple of characters from DREAMS their own HEA in BLAZE!

In addition to the above fun, there are many blogs to write for my two releases in January and I also have a talk with Fiona Palmer coming up and much Christmas shopping to do.

Life is busy… but that’s the way I like it

Stepping outside your comfort zone!

I should probably set up this post with a little bit of background about myself.

I was NEVER good at team sports. I am SCARED of balls being hurtled at me. I dabbled with tennis for about a term when I was seven, played netball (unhappily) for one season when I was twelve and ended up breaking up with my high school sweetheart, cos I was too pathetic to play basketball with him! Fast forward almost ten years and we were living in Kojonup, a small town in the Great Southern of Western Australia. As with most country towns this was a sporty place. Many of the friends I made played tennis and hockey, but I was always too chicken to give it a shot.

I was scared that all my years of NOT playing would show and I’d be totally dismal. So I avoided the sporting circuit. However, it is a fact of life in country towns that to get involved in the community, it helps to get involved in sport. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not too unfit – I love running (or attempting too) and going to the gym and aerobics – but team sport gives me the heebie jeebies.

When we moved to Goomalling some of the lovely ladies of social tennis asked me and the family along. I made some pathetic excuses and told them how dismal I was at tennis. I admit I was a bit shy as well as scared of sport – it’s always daunting to start something new in a group of people who have known each other for year. So imagine my surprise when this week I agreed to go along to social tennis.

Poor hubby and the heroes-in-training had no choice but to accompany and we all went along on Sunday arvo, petrified that we would be the laughing stock of town. Well, we may well be, but the bottom line is we DID it (badly maybe) and we had FUN!! So much fun that we actually WANT to go back – hopefully the town will have us – and today I bought us all tennis racquets! Of course I got a nice pink one and I happened to splurge on some gorgeous pink running shoes as well.

So, what have you don’t out of your comfort zone lately?

Miss Golden Sausage 2012!!!

Well, I know many of you are eagerly awaiting news from my exciting night at the Elders Merriden ANNUAL Golden Sausage Awards yesterday!

I guess the first thing is to put you all out of your misery and explain exactly WHAT the Golden Sausage Awards are, because like you, until yesterday evening I had no clue at all. Maybe a bit crazy to agree to going along to an event I had no idea about, but I’m glad I did, it was lots of fun AND I came home with a TITLE (aside from Mum, Mrs, Author, etc)!

So, the Golden Sausage Awards are a contest and a fundraiser. Due to lots of people with Italian heritage in the Merriden region, they run a contest to find out who can make the best sausage (you know, like the Chorizo types) and be crowned Golden Sausage Winner of the Year. Now I must admit, although I liked fried chorizo in pasta, these types of sausages don’t do much for my taste buds, so I was a little worried when I was asked to be one of the judges of the Top Five that I might gag. But I didn’t. My fave sausage (and it was really hard to pick – once I’d tasted one, I felt like I’d tasted them all… yep, not a sausage fan me) didn’t win unfortunately But I’m so happy to have been a part of it.

As with all good rural events there was something for everyone. Sausage and beer for the men, jumping castle and Lion’s train for and ME for the women. I had a lovely crowd who listened to me babble of for half an hour about the popularity of rural romance (I dropped a lot of names) and how I came to write it. I talked about my writing journey (the whole long 17 years of it) and a bit about JILTED and MAN DROUGHT. Luckily my new bookmarks, featuring MAN DROUGHT arrived just in time for the event and they garnered lots of excitement.

One question one delightful lady asked was what had been the BEST thing about my writing career thus far. The immediate answer was seeing a cover and holding a book for the first time – that really is an undescribable (is that even a word?) joy. But my thought out answer was the people that I have met through writing – members of Romance Writers of Australian and other writers and readers who I have met online, many of whom have become some of my greatest friends. I might have got a little teary!!

And then, when it was all over I was absolutely GOBSMACKED to be called to the front given a beautiful bouquet of flowers and crowed with a SASH mind you (I’m no Miss Universe and never entertained the possibility of ever winning such a thing) – Miss Golden Sausage 2012. It was all in the name of fun really – there were no other contestants – but it made my night and I will treasure that title aways.

Here’s a few pics from the night:

A couple of the keen samplers tasting the sausages before casting their votes!

A close-up of some of the “contestants”.

The score board with only a few minutes left to go!

Me with Wayne, the manager at Elders Merriden, just after being crowned Miss Golden Sausage 2012 – you can SEE my glee!!