Feature on Suzanne Gilchrist, Under an Outback Sky

  Feature on Author is on Suzanne Gilchrist. 

 

Suzanne Gilchrist can't remember a time when she didn't have a book in her hand. Now she dreams up stories where her favourite words are … 'what if' and 'where'?  Writing as both S. E. Gilchrist and Suzanne Gilchrist, she loves combining romance with adventure and suspense across many different genres including science fiction/space opera, apocalyptic, and contemporary small towns. 

 

S. E. takes a keen interest in the environment, anything to do with space, and loves walking her two dogs and spending time with her family and friends. She co-runs the Hunter Romance Writers group and is the organiser behind the multi-author writing ventures: the best-selling Bindarra Creek Romance series, the Deadly Forces series, and the Mindalby Outback Romance series.

 

Suzanne Gilchrist on the web:

Website            Facebook         Bookbub.     Tiktok

Twitter             Goodreads       Instagram

 

* What are common traps for new writers?

I think one of most common would have to be ‘head hopping’ which is where the narrative switches from one character to another in too short a space of time. A good way to avoid doing this if there are more than one character point of view in the story is to give each character a separate chapter. Another is failing to have a ‘hook’ at the beginning of each chapter (to capture the reader’s interest from the very first sentence/paragraph) and at the end of each chapter (to entice the reader to continue reading the story). In fact using minor hooks at beginning and end of each scene is another way of ensuring the reader won’t be able to put the book down until they’ve finished reading the story. 

 

* Do you also write non-fiction?

Not at this stage, although I have plans for a ‘How to’ book on organising and running a group writing project.

 

* Do you read non-fiction? If yes, then what do you read?

I like to read articles and books on anything to do with space and space travel, climate change, animals and history. 

 

* A recent book you read which changed your perspective?

I have only just discovered the No 1 Ladies Detective Agency written by Alexander McCall Smith which is set in Botswana. The main character is an independent and clever ‘traditional’ woman in her late thirties. It’s an engrossing series which has me completely immersed in the character’s life. Comparisons between the ‘western’ fast-paced culture and a more leisurely, mindful way of life are skillfully drawn as are the contrasts and debates about morality and old-fashioned values. The books are also quite amusing and have had me re-vising my image of Botswana and its people.    

 

* Tell us about your book...

The book is set in corner country NSW, the far north-western region of the state and on the edge of the Sturt Desert an area which is harsh and yet stunning with its desert scenery and ‘jump-up' tors. I wanted to invoke a sense of its majesty and also the frailty of the environment for both the people living there and also the wildlife. In Under an Outback Sky I have the small community worried about the prospect of gas fracking in their area and how they suspect there is a mine representative present. Maggie and Jace join forces to sniff out the rep’s identity, which of course throws them into each other’s company. Love grows, secret fears are revealed and a new future is born.

Is he her enemy or her future?

When a handsome stranger arrives in a remote outback town, Maggie Hayes’ almost forgotten dreams are re-awakened. For too long, she’s denied her adventurous spirit and now suddenly her future is filled with wonderful possibilities. At least it will be if only this intriguing man isn’t her beloved town’s enemy.

A past tragedy has led Jace de Haven to live without the complications of family or companionship. Yet when he meets small-town Maggie, her big heart and vibrant community spirit show him what he’s been missing. Can he find it in his soul to forgive and allow old wounds to heal?

But to have the future they crave, Maggie and Jace will need to take a leap of faith - together.

***
Under an Outback Sky is a love story and the fourth book in the Edge of the Outback series. The book is about forgiving the past and finding the courage to forge a new direction in life. If you love reading about small towns, country and rural communities (like Bindarra Creek romances) then you’ll love this series – similar to books by Barbara Hannay, Bella Andre, Melody Grace, Nora Roberts, Maisey Yates, Sarah Williams, Susanne Bellamy, Annie Seaton, Fiona McArthur, Heidi McLaughlin.

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