A Month Of Rural Romance Writers: Fiona Palmer

Well, here it is everyone, my interview with Fiona Palmer. Fiona is published by Penguin and currently has three fabulous novels out (one of them in german :) ). Please welcome her. It's been a pleasure to have her on this blog and I hope you all enjoy the interview as much as I did organising it.

So firstly, Fiona, tell us a little about yourself?

I’m a mother of two, live in the tiny rural town of Pingaring 350km south east of Perth . I work one day a week at the local shop, just to get out of the house and I try to concentrate on writing when I’m not busy chasing my kids around, doing housework or community jobs.

I think it's great that you work at the local shop and can understand your need to get out of the house. :) I think any job dealing with the general community is great. You get so many interesting character and terrified some may be, some end up in novels.

So who are you biggest writer influences? I think ever author has writer influences even the best of the best must. :)

I was never a big reader, but one of the first big books I read in primary school was Danielle Steel’s Summers End. I think this is where my love of romance really grew. Since then I’ve become a big YA fan also and have written my own YA book, which I hope to find a publisher for.

When did you start did you start writing Rural Romance? And was there a reason why?

I started writing at the worst time of my life, when my kids were just babies and I was working full time running the local shop. But I started to write mainly because I had this story in my head about a girl on a farm. I love the country and my lifestyle, so this is what made me write in the first place. I don’t write because I love words, I write because I love the story. After 2.5years of sitting on my book a friend gave me Rachael Treasure’s book, Jillaroo and I knew then that there was a market/genre for this type of book and it kicked me into gear. It just took off after that.

That's excellent. Funny enough, Rachael Treasure is a favourite if mine and one of the first romances I ever read.

Does your life in a small town influence what you write?

Yes, I’m living in the rural community so I am writing it as truthfully as I can. Our area went through a drought a few years back and it guttered the community, it also influenced my fourth book, which is set around a town in a drought.

I think it's great that you can bring such devasting issue to light. Personal, I don't think city people truly understand drought. But through fiction, I think perhaps we might be able to get something across to them. Fiction writing is great for portraying emotions and I couldn't think of a better way to humanize such a need for help.

Anyway, would you mind telling us in ten words or less what your current release is about?

The Road Home is about a country girl who ends up being citified, but finds out the country is where she really belongs.

That sounds great, Fiona. I wish you all the best with it. :)

Now I had a earlier post a month or so back, where I spoke about where writers write. Do you have any special conditions a writing space that you write most comfortably in? Do you have a picture to share.

I write in our office. Its not fancy and is crammed full of stuff but it does the trick.

I think that just it. It just seems to work for you. And Fiona has been nice enough to provide us with a picture of her study :)

                                                                                 

                                                                                 

Once again, thank you for joining me today, Fiona. It was a pleasure meeting you. Best of luck with your career and I hope to see you at the conference in August. :) Perhaps get you to sign a copy of THE ROAD HOME haha.

For my readers, you can find Fiona one facebook at this link: http://www.facebook.com/#!/fiona.palmer.37

And on her website where you can find out more about her releases here: http://www.fionapalmer.com/