{"id":74967,"date":"2017-08-02T16:29:36","date_gmt":"2017-08-02T05:29:36","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blog.booktopia.com.au\/?p=74967"},"modified":"2017-08-02T16:33:28","modified_gmt":"2017-08-02T05:33:28","slug":"barbara-hannay-believe-love-romance-came-books-read-girl","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.booktopia.com.au\/blog\/2017\/08\/02\/barbara-hannay-believe-love-romance-came-books-read-girl\/","title":{"rendered":"Barbara Hannay: I believe my love of romance came from the books I read as a girl."},"content":{"rendered":"

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Congratulations to Barbara Hannay who is a finalists in the 2017 RUBY Awards, nominated for her book, The Grazier’s Wife<\/em><\/a>! We chat with Barbara about her nominated book, how she reacted when she found out she was a finalist, and her advice for aspiring authors.<\/span><\/p>\n

Congratulations, you\u2019re a finalist in the 2017 RUBY Awards! How did you react when you found out you were a finalist?<\/strong><\/p>\n

I was away on holidays at the time and I almost missed checking my emails that day. So glad I didn\u2019t. The nomination was a thrill and a wonderful excuse for a celebration!<\/p>\n

Please tell us about the story you\u2019ve been nominated for. Did you have a secret alternative title while you were writing it?<\/strong><\/p>\n

My editor at Penguin suggested the title The Grazier\u2019s Wife <\/em>when I first sent my proposal for this story. I loved it immediately and I think knowing the title helped to keep my focus. The story is about a North Queensland cattle grazing family and follows three women from three different generations. It takes the reader from Singapore during World War 2 to Ruthven Downs in the present day, and when a secret from the past is exposed on the eve of an important family celebration, tensions abound. And romance.<\/p>\n

\"The<\/a><\/p>\n

Do you write romance books in secret, or are you loud and proud?<\/strong><\/p>\n

I\u2019ve been writing romance novels under my own name for almost twenty years, so there\u2019s little chance of keeping it a secret. Not that I\u2019ve ever wanted to. Being published was my dream. I\u2019ve always been out and proud.<\/p>\n

Headless washboard abs, a torrid embrace, the sprawling homestead, an elegantly dressed d\u00e9colletage, or a vaguely kinky object against a dark background \u2013 what\u2019s your favourite type of romance cover and why?<\/strong><\/p>\n

I love the covers my publishers at Penguin have given me. Capturing the romantic outback and dual timelines can be tricky, but I think they do a brilliant job.<\/p>\n\n\t\t