Jenn J McLeod

 

 

Jenn J. McLeod

Past

Let’s start at the beginning. When did you write your very first book?

It is providence perhaps that the first draft of my very first manuscript was titled: Past Lives.

I wrote it in 1996 while recovering from major surgery. (Thyroid! Grrrr! Get that sucker out, I told the surgeon.) I was in my mid-thirties, in what I call my Nora Roberts/Danielle Steele period. That book was rejected 46 times until I gave up and (eventually) found my own voice with House for all Seasons. The rest, as they say, is history.

Publisher

Your books are published through Simon and Schuster – one of the largest English-language publishers in the world. Can you tell us about the day you heard they had accepted your novel, House For All Seasons?

Oh, I will never forget. I was at Mum and Dad’s place when my agent called with news that S&S were accepting TWO books. That meant I did not have to call the first people I wanted to tell. They were right there, in the living room. I simply hung up, turned around, looked at Mum and Dad and burst into tears. I could barely speak to tell them, so they, of course, were thinking it was very bad news.

Proposal

So now I have to ask – (apart from writing a stellar women’s fiction novel!) – how did you do it?

Good grief! (My latest character’s favourite exclamation.) How long have you got? You know how it is, Nene: I was an overnight success (if you don’t count the ten years of confusion, rejections, desperation and crippling self-doubt—etc, etc, etc.) My turning point (and I recently updated a blog about this) was discovering the sort of writer I was ‘naturally’ and being comfortable and confident about my voice. I was never going to be Nora or Danielle, but who was I?

That question made me look at my author platform/branding (which you, Nene, do so, so beautifully. You are my branding inspiration). Publishers love an author with a strong brand, a fresh voice and authenticity. These three things form the basis of the old adage “write what you know”.

But what did I know about? I am a passionate sea change advocate, which means I know about leaving the city to discover small town life (with all its cliques and clichés). From this came my “small town secrets” platform—contemporary family relationship stories about coming home to the country and discovering country roots that run deep.

One day my publisher mentioned that my storytelling style could make her laugh and cry all at once. (I didn’t ask, but I hoped that was a good thing!)

Place

You recently spent some months on the road. Write Round Oz in fact! Do you find that places you visit around Australia inspire the settings in your books?

It’s what this writer did when she ran out of friends and family to fictionalize. I sold up, downsized to a 24ft caravan, and went in search of more country towns and quirky characters to write about—and this magnificent country called Australia has plenty of both to discover.

My #WriteRoundOz odyssey is taking me to new and amazing places and inspiring more stories than I can handle. I’m coming up to two years of living in a caravan full-time and I’m loving it. Recently I was camped in the middle of a paddock (literally) on a fifth-generation cattle property near Rockhampton/Yepoon—Henderson Park Farmstay Retreat (which is also a magnificent country wedding venue).

For three months I focused on writing a new book (set on a fictional version of Henderson Park) with the only distraction being the passing parade of Brahman cattle, plus the seven roaming horses, several free-range chickens, two pigs, four farm dogs, and Dash, the Dachshund who wants to be a farm dog. While there I also finished the edits on this year’s release, The Other Side of the Season—a story about one woman and two brothers working in dangerous conditions on the snake-infested slopes of a plantation in the New South Wale’s banana farming region of Coffs Harbour in 1979. A story inspired by the ten years I lived in Coffs Harbour prior to hitting the road.

Public Speaking

What would be your number one tip for new authors when it comes to doing media interviews or talking to groups in libraries and at book events?

PLUG that book! (There’s another P word for you, Nene.)

I was fortunate to do media training while muddling my way through the corporate world and I learned about this thing called ‘the key message’. During an interview or a talk an author should be informative and polite and answer questions but always with their key message firmly planted in their brain. I’ve had radio interviewers veer off subject to talk about everything BUT my books. They love talking about my gypsy writing status these days, while some have a book inside them that they would love advice on how to write and publish. Having my key message helps me bring the conversation back to my books and my writing.

Politicians are trained in media in the same way. They are putting themselves in front of the camera to get a message across. When they don’t want to answer a question, or to bring the interview back on track, you will hear them say . . . “What I can tell you is this . . .”

You can use this tactic too. For example:

Radio guy:      “Tell our listeners how they can get their book published.”

Me:                  “What I can tell you is this . . . Writing a novel like The Other Side of the Season was [blah, blah, blah]” (See how I got the name of my book on there just now?)

Do the same at libraries when you find that attendee who is there for the sole purpose of picking your brain for free writing tips and shortcuts to being published. Remember, you are there (usually for free) to get people interested in reading and talking about your book. It is a balancing act (and often awkward) to politely bring conversations back to YOU, but an author must learn to PLUG THAT BOOK! (And the other attendees will think you are even more amazing when you get tricky person under control.)

Plans

What’s in the pipeline?

Oooh, lots more P’s! PLACES to see. PLOTS to bring to life. And a sea change! Yes, I am bringing my readers from the country to the coast when May 1 sees my fourth ‘seasons’ novel on the shelves: The four standalone reads of House for all Seasons—which was #5 best selling debut novel in 2103, Simmering Season, Season of Shadow and Light, and The Other Side of the Season make up my SEASONS COLLECTION. Books 5, 6 and 7 are all works in progress, all small town stories, and, yes, one is set in a caravan park. (I don’t have to look too hard for characters. They park next to me!!!!!)

About Jenn J McLeod

Moving to the country in 2004 to escape the hectic world of corporate communications was like coming home for Jenn J McLeod. These days she lives the gypsy life in a fifth-wheeler caravan, travelling this beautiful country, her days spent writing heart-warming tales of the Australian country that weave intricate tapestries of friendship, family and love, contemporary human issues and small-town life.

Come home to the country at: www.jennjmcleod.com

Small town stories from the country to the coast

Twitter: @jennjmcleod

Facebook: Jenn J McLeod.Books