Ann B Harrison’s rural romance hit Outback In Stilettos.
Zooming up the rural/country romance charts on Amazon is Ann B Harrison’s Outback In Stilettos and she is my special guest for Tuesday Book Club. Welcome to the famous purple couch!
To put some context to today’s conversation, here’s the blurb for Stilettos.
The most popular soap on television hangs in the balance because Delilah Connors has lost her mojo. Her agent decides she needs a break.
Delilah disagrees but when her agent says jump, she jumps! She heads for the outback on a bus tour from hell. The coach smells, her seating partner is an octopus and the road leads nowhere she wants to go. It’s all too much.
She grabs her bags and hits the track. The trouble is the track leads to two small children and a widowed farmer. The kids are cute but not cute enough to compensate for an archaic kitchen and the filthy flies. Just when she’s getting the hang of the outback, the flies and that sexy farmer she’s summoned back to the big smoke.
Blake makes a last ditch attempt to plead his case but amongst the glitter and glamour of the Sydney film elite, he is way out of his depth.
Chesterfield couch, in royal purple – just perfect for our distinguished guest on tonight’s show.
I love the sound of Delilah already. She strikes me as a being at a point that we all get sometimes – utterly at the end of our rope – but sometimes we’re too close to our problems to see that we need help. As an author it must be fun communicating that.
Have you ever felt like that? Like you just wanted to drop everything and ‘run away from home’ as it were?
I’m sure we all feel like that every once in a while. I know there have been times when I’ve wanted to crawl back into bed and pretend the day hasn’t started. But I’m nothing if not practical. I know the problems would still be there when I woke up again so I’m the type of person that would meet the challenge head on and sort it out.
Tell me about Delilah’s personality?
Delilah is a lot like many writers I know. She’s an introvert and is happiest sitting in her own space creating characters and problems for the show. The thought of attending functions and being on show makes her quake in her shoes but if you want a friend who will be there for you – she is the one you need. Rather than get bogged down by disappointment, Delilah will jump in and get it over and done with so she can move on.
Delilah is in the flighty and volatile world of entertainment by contrast, Blake has serious responsibilities to his farm and to his children. Tell me about him. What he is like?
Ann B Harrison, the author of the terrific new rural romance, Outback in Stilettos.
Blake is nothing if not practical and down to earth. He doesn’t have the time nor the inclination to get involved with things that don’t concern him or his family. His life revolves around the children and providing for them – a fantasy world like Delilah’s holds no appeal for him.
What did you enjoy most about writing Stilettos?
Pitting Delilah against the down to earth Blake and his children. I grew up on farms and a bit of sheep poop doesn’t worry me at all. I put Delilah in that situation and watched her pale dramatically but I have to hand it to her, she held up well.
Will this be part of a series? What are you working on next?
No this was a stand alone book. I do have a series, Outback Heritage – Book Two came out early April. Book three is on the plotting board now. I’m also working on two other single titles at the moment, both rural.
You can check out Ann’s terrific new book from Amazon – http://www.amazon.com/Outback-Stilettos-Ann-B-Harrison-ebook/dp/B00T4O39QK