6/3/2012
Rachael Johns’ novel Jilted was released on June 1 and can be found in bookshops and department stores across Australia.
1 . What was the inspiration for your current novel?
Hmm…I have to think back a bit. All I really remember is that we were living in a small town and a group of people had decided to revive the Theatrical Society. I LOVE drama but had a young baby, so couldn’t really be involved, but the project got my writer’s brain ticking. I decided I wanted to write about a small town theatrical society and at that stage I was also thinking about writing about a runaway bride (not sure why). All the pieces of the puzzles came together!
2. When did you take up writing?
Now THAT question is easier. I started writing when I was seventeen after breaking up with my first boyfriend. It was a kind of therapy. It was another ten years before I got serious about pursuing publication and another five before I sold a book! I’m a slow learner but I’m persistent.
3. How important is setting/place in your writing?
In my Australian rural novels it’s VERY important – the setting is almost another character in the book. However saying that I don’t like reading novels where the setting description is so heavy you feel like you’re reading an advert for a travel destination.
4. Do you have a favourite character (s) in your current novel?
I LOVE the hero’s teenage sister, Lucy, in JILTED and also the heroine’s godmother – a feisty old lady. They are both women with guts and charisma and I LOVE them for it. Of course I’m VERY partial to the hero Flynn too!
5. What’s the best piece of writing advice you were ever given?
It’s simple – don’t give up!! Someone once told me the only writer who never gets published is the one who gives up before they succeed. I REALLY believe this. Also WRITE and READ lots.
6. Do you have a schedule for writing?
I WISH I did, but with three young boys and our own business, that’s not really possible. Although I do write most nights.
7. Are you a plotter or someone who tends to wing it?
A bit of both. I’ve become more of a plotter in the last few years, but I don’t have a big outline I follow. Generally I know the characters wants and conflicts and a few key scenes and I pants to fill in the gaps.
8. Can you name three of four of your current favourite books?
I found Susan Wiggs last year and LOVE her books. I’m also a massive Lisa Jewell fan. One of the best books I read last year was Lola’s Secret by Monica McInerney. GREAT book!
9. Can you tell me a little bit about what you are working on now?
I’ve just subbed my second rural (working title – MAN DROUGHT) and am starting work on my third, which is currently called FAITH’S CHOICE and is my first friend’s to lovers story.
10. What advice would you give to a fledgling writer to assist them on their journey?
Join Romance writers of Australia (or America or the Romance Novelists Association) if you are writing romance, or maybe even if you’re not. Joining RWA was the best thing I EVER did for my writing. The organisation is full of supportive and knowledgeable women who are more than willing to share their expertise with aspiring authors and that’s even before we start talking
about the monthly magazine and the conferences.
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Jilted
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?
Website: www.rachaeljohns.com
Blog: www.rachaeljohns.wordpress.com
Twitter: https://twitter.com/#!/RachaelJohns
Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Rachael-Johns/260103224001776
