Fast Five
Long black or flat white?
Both taste like mud. I go for pineapple juice instead.
Kiwis or koalas?
Do you have an irrepressible urge to throw you arms around a kiwi the instant you see it? ‘Nuff said.
Mangoes or kiwifruit?
Would I rather eat what is essentially juicy sunshine, or a small brown hairy fruit? Tough choice…
Cricket or rugby?
Rugby League. I will support the Blues no matter how many years in a row they lose.
Hobbits or Mad Max?
My sister and I were rather fond of a character whose name I can’t remember, but we refer to as ‘the hot dwarf from the Hobbit’. Don’t judge. You all know which one I’m talking about. 😉
Books or TV?
WOULD YOU ASK A MOTHER TO CHOOSE BETWEEN HER CHILDREN?!?!?! TAKE ME INSTEAD!!!
Sun or snow?
See above response. 😉
Desert or sea?
Has anybody seriously answered desert?
Plotter or pantser?
I’m a pantser who morphs more into a plotter with every book. My obsession with screenwriting-style plotting boards is growing…
Getting to Know Jess
What’s something interesting or unusual about you that not everyone knows?
An hour ago I was throwing jabs and right hooks with my boxing trainer.
Where are you from? [city and state or country]
My family moved on average every five years, but the largest part of my childhood was spent in a farming region on the NSW/Victorian border. Hence my sophisticated accent.
What is your town or city most famous (or infamous) for?
A classy event called the Deni Ute Muster.
What books are set in your town/city?
No one has yet tried to capture the unique flavour of the Deni Ute Muster in fiction. Can’t imagine why.
But Kara Isaac’s book ‘All Made Up’ is set near my current Queensland home, and my second book ‘A Girl’s Guide to the Outback’ is a fictionalised version of Mundubbera, a tiny Qld town I lived in for a year.
About Your Writing
What do you write?
Sassy inspirational romance. Lots of love/hate, family drama and LOLs.
Who or what are your main writing influences?
Jenny B Jones, Janet Evanovich, Denise Hunter.
Do you have any books published?
Love and Other Mistakes is available for pre-order now and releases on July 30! A Girl’s Guide to the Outback is coming January 2020.
How long have you been writing?
42 dog years.
What inspired you to start writing?
There’s not enough sassy romance in the world, so I had to contribute some of my own.
What’s your favourite part of the writing process?
Daydreaming about my books while at work.
What’s your biggest writing challenge?
The fact that irritating things like bills and cooking and work interrupt my writing mojo.
How does your faith impact your writing?
Identity or trust in God tends to be the answer to many of my characters’ issues.
Finally, where’s the best place to find you online?
Get Chapter 1 of ‘Love and Other Mistakes’ when you sign up to my newsletter: http://eepurl.com/cIhfxP.
Find your nerdy book, movie and TV paradise at my StoryNerds podcast: http://www.storynerds.podbean.com/.
Join the tribe at ‘the Jeremy Walters Fan Club’ Facebook group, where we have sophisticated discussions about world economics and never ever gush about book boyfriends: https://www.facebook.com/groups/263644070957812/?ref=bookmarks.
Get book quotes, recs and an inordinate amount of Movieworld selfies on my Instagram feed: https://www.instagram.com/jessicakatewriting/.
Jessica firstly you have to be the first to write about the Deni Ute Muster!
I agree on the pineapple juice too.
but no don’t want to cuddle a Kiwi. I love sun but this week give me some snow or ice or anything that’s not over 45!
Its nice getting to know you.
I was one of the local journalists covering it. My first year, they took me up the chopper to take an overhead photo of the site. Then they were like ‘hey, so that you get a better photo, let’s take off THE DOOR!’
Then as they walk away they say ‘oh and don’t bump your seatbelt, it’s pretty easy to knock it undone’. Gulp!
And yep, so hot today it’s too hot to swim in the pool. That’s Australia Day for you! 🙂
Fun interview! I’ll have to read your books now! 😊
Thanks! 😀
The Deni Ute Muster sounds very Aussie!
Great to get to know you a little better 🙂
Thanks Iola!
Great interview Jess! I’m glad to see you’ve got your priorities right – go the Blues! 🙂