{"id":30738,"date":"2013-03-01T11:58:43","date_gmt":"2013-03-01T00:58:43","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blog.booktopia.com.au\/?p=30738"},"modified":"2016-03-01T09:46:18","modified_gmt":"2016-02-29T23:46:18","slug":"fiona-palmer-author-of-the-sunburnt-country-answers-nine-naughty-questions","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.booktopia.com.au\/blog\/2013\/03\/01\/fiona-palmer-author-of-the-sunburnt-country-answers-nine-naughty-questions\/","title":{"rendered":"Fiona Palmer, author of The Sunburnt Country, answers Nine Naughty Questions"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/a>The Booktopia Book Guru asks<\/strong><\/p>\n

Fiona Palmer<\/h1>\n

author of The Sunburnt Country<\/a>, The Road Home<\/a>, Heart of Gold<\/a> and The Family Farm<\/a>…
\n<\/strong><\/p>\n

Nine Naughty Questions<\/h2>\n

———————–<\/p>\n

1. I wonder, is a Romance writer born or made? Please tell us little about your life before publication.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Hmm, you know I\u2019m not sure. Maybe it\u2019s both? I think it was reading romance books at a young age that gave me the bug, but then again maybe it was just me, I could have been predestined to love romance.<\/p>\n

My life before publication, well it was a simple country one, where my kids and work took up most of my time. Now the computer and my characters are my best friends. (I do have real ones, it\u2019s just hard to see them as much with the distances out here.) I grew up and now live in my tiny five house town, and because it\u2019s so small you find yourself on every volunteer list. Not that I mind but out here you don\u2019t just get to do a secretary job for a few years. Oh no! The last lady I took over from had done it for 17 years, so I expect I\u2019m in for the long haul. And that\u2019s just one position I have. But in such a small community it\u2019s needed and just what you have to do. Being an author doesn\u2019t change that at all either.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>2. For all the glitz and the glam associated with the idea of Romance novels, writing about and from the heart is personal and very revealing. Do you think this is why Romance Readers are such devoted fans? And do you ever feel exposed?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Yes, I think so. It\u2019s a real emotional journey, you try to connect with your readers, and that takes a lot of personal stuff. I do get embarrassed when people I know read my work, well I used to. I think now that I\u2019m published and the books are selling well I don\u2019t cringe as much. But I do get emotional. On the outside, I think I come across as strong and impenetrable but on the inside, it\u2019s a whole different story. (I\u2019m rather a softy and can tear up at the simplest things.) Now, I\u2019ve never been good with the spoken word, can\u2019t seem to express how I feel, yet when I write it\u2019s a whole different experience. I can pour my heart out to my computer, or in a letter, yet when it comes to my mouth\u2026nothing comes out. So I wonder if this is why I can fill my books with so much passion and heart as it\u2019s a form of release?<\/p>\n

3. Please tell us about your latest novel\u2026<\/strong><\/p>\n

My latest novel is about Jonelle Baxter, a 26-year-old mechanic from the small rural town of Bundara. Her town is struggling through a drought, which affects not only her business but her friends and family around her. And things go from bad to worse when a new city bank manager comes to town. Daniel Tyler has his hands full as he tries to rein in the spiraling debts of Bundara.<\/p>\n