G’day! :)
This week my Awesome Aussie Author guest is the beautifully spirited and incredibly talented Rachael Johns. I am eagerly awaiting Rachael’s June release, Jilted, which promises to be a ripper of a read. The dazzling front cover has me hooked already!
Welcome, Rachael. It’s wonderful to have you here today.
Where were you born, raised, schooled and what was the most mischievous thing you did when you were a child?
I was born in London, moved to Sydney at 18 months, then to Perth at 7 years. I FEEL like I was raised in Perth because that’s where I went to school and that’s where I spent my teens. And oh dear... I was a rather naughty child. I once put my grandma’s best ring down a drain in the street because my also-naughty neighbour said it would come out the next drain and I wanted to see if she was right. I also
How long did it take you to get published and how did you feel when you were told you had a contract?
I wrote my first full-length novel the year I was 17 (the year my heart got broken – I wrote our story and killed off my ex) but didn’t get The Call from a publisher until a couple of months after I turned 31. This was for my e-book (ONE PERFECT NIGHT) which is available from Carina Press. So I guess it took me near on 14 years. I was writing MOST of that time, although I also did a lot of other things, including a uni degree and have three kids. How did I feel? Relieved that I hadn’t been flogging a dead horse all these years :)
What time of the day/night do you prefer to write and where do you like to write?
I prefer to write during the day but (having three kids who aren’t all at school) most of my books have been written at night. My poor hubby has got used to never seeing me. I used to write in a beautiful study with a pink wall (that was VERY important in a house full of men) but we moved a year ago and now I write in the corner. It’s a nice corner though and my son’s budgie sits in his cage next to me and sings me through the words!
Can you tell us a little bit about your upcoming book? And what date it will be released?
JILTED is a June release with MIRA Australia. It’s a semi-rural romance – the emphasis being on the romance. This is the official blurb.
She left him at the altar, but her heart was always his...
After more than ten years away, Australian soap star Ellie Hughes returns to the small country town of Hope Junction, determined to remain anonymous while caring for her injured godmother, Matilda.
But word spreads fast in the tight-knit community. It isn’t long before the people of Hope’s are gossiping about the real reason for Ellie’s visit and why she broke the heart of golden boy Flynn Quartermaine all those years ago.
Soon Ellie and Flynn are thrown back together again, forced to deal with the unresolved emotions between them. For Ellie is not the only one with secrets. Flynn has his own demons to battle, and Matilda is hiding something from her much-loved goddaughter.
When all is uncovered, can the ill-fated lovers overcome the wounds of their past? Or is Flynn destined to be jilted again?
Where do you find inspiration for your stories?
I wish I knew!! Seriously, mostly an image will strike while I’m out hanging the washing or going for my walk/run and then I’ll stew on that image for a while until another one comes and attaches itself. And so on, until the ideas form a whole novel. With JILTED I knew I wanted to write about a runaway bride who returned to a small tight-knit community who no longer respected or liked her. At the time this idea was sprouting I lived in Kojonup (Western Australia) and they were reviving their theatrical society, so I ran with that! Living in small towns helps immensely with the inspiration for my rural-set books.
What is your favourite meal?
Chocolate! That counts as a meal doesn’t it? I live by the motto eat dessert first :) But when it comes to non-sweet food I’m pretty simple. My all time fave comfort food is macaroni cheese made by my gorgeous Mum!
Who is your favourite Australian?
You’re all gonna LOL but it’s GRANT DENYER from Sunrise weather! He’s a crack-up and oozes personality, which I just love.
What is your favourite Aussie saying?
‘About as useful as tit’s on a bull’ because the godmother in JILTED says it about herself and I love her. Have to credit Fiona Palmer with that one though – I’m sure it was her that came up with it when I put a call out for help about something Aussie Matilda could say that meant she felt useless.
Where would be your ideal place to holiday?
Queenstown in NZ. Have been there twice cos my aunty and uncle have a house there and I loved it both times!! I’d also really love to do America one day.
Thank you, Rachael, for giving us a sneak peak into your writer’s life. I cannot wait to be holding a copy of Jilted in my hands!
To find out more about Rachael visit her website
Thought for this week
“Though you cannot go back and start again you can start now and create a new ending!”
Only 8 weeks to go until Jacaranda is released….yeehaa!
Until next week, keep dreaming and smiling
Mandy:)
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