Happy Birthday Escape Publishing: Interview with Juliet Madison & Giveaway

Today marks the last post in my Happy Birthday Escape Publishing celebrations! Last, but not least, I have author Juliet Madison on the blog to chat about her most recent release, I Dream of Johnny!

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Hi Juliet and thanks for agreeing to chat with me today. It's always a pleasure to talk to an Australian author, so I'm glad you could help me in celebrating Escape Publishing's 1 Year Anniversary!
Thanks for having me!

Before we begin, I have to say congratulations for I Dream of Johnny's release. I know it's always an exciting time for most author when a new story of theirs graces the world. Do you feel that way?
Thanks. Definitely! I Dream of Johnny is my second published story (my 3rd was released in October), and it sure is an exciting moment when your book goes ‘live’ online. It’s a surreal feeling knowing that people are reading something that once only existed in your imagination.

Describe I Dream of Johnny in one sentence.
A wacky romcom that proves getting three wishes isn’t all it’s cracked up to be when an unfortunate spelling error in Mandy’s high-tech magic lamp changes her wish for a Greek God into a Geek God.

Honestly, the premise of I Dream of Johnny is so catching. I have to know, where did such a cute, fun idea come from?
I thought up this idea a couple of years ago when I wondered what could happen if a wish didn’t quite ‘process’ correctly for some reason. I tried to think up something a woman might wish for that could easily be mistaken for something else, and a Greek God popped into my head. Then of course, I removed one letter, and that made geek! It was quite random ;)

I Dream of Johnny is a novella; only a short 42 pages if I'm not mistaken. Why did you decide to write it as a novella, rather than a traditional, full length novel?
I originally thought of doing it as a novel, but when I started plotting it out, I realised the story and characters could get a bit monotonous if it went for too long. I thought it would be best as something short and sweet, a quick, fun read. Plus I had other full length books I needed to write and knew it wouldn’t get written at all if I waited for the time to write it as a full length.

I know most authors tend to think of their books as their babies, but is there a story of yours that holds a special place in your heart over others? And if yes, why?
They are all my babies, but there are two that stand out for me as holding a special place in my heart (can I pick two?!). One is The January Wish which releases in January 2014, because I put a lot of myself into it. It’s an emotional, romantic story about unexpected motherhood, and I drew on my experience working in the health field to create the medical setting and health professional characters. I also set it in the small coastal town I had just moved into when I started writing the book, so the book reminds me of home. The other is The Life Makeover Club, a women’s fiction book (currently unpublished but my agent will be submitting it shortly!). It is the first book I ever wrote. I based it on my own experience and wrote it while I was undergoing my own ‘life makeover’.

Have you always wanted to write and be an author? Or was this something that just happened one day?
I’ve been writing stories since I was a little girl, but I never seriously considered being an author until a few years ago when my life went through some big changes. So in a way, it did kind of just happen one day...the decision to write seriously, not the actual finished book!

Are you an avid reader yourself? And if yes, what would we find if we had a look at your bookshelf?
I loved escaping into a fictional world as a child, and although I don’t get through as many books as I would like to these days, there is always something I’m reading. Not having a current book to read just feels weird. On my bookshelf you would find way too many books, but I still love getting new ones! I have a mixture of non-fiction, women’s fiction, and thrillers, mostly. And my Kindle shelf has a lot of fellow author’s romance ebooks, ranging from romantic comedy, contemporary romance, romantic suspense, and paranormal. I’m currently reading The Husband’s Secret by Liane Moriarty, and looking forward to reading The Returned by Jason Mott, Outback Dreams by Rachael Johns, Blood Secret by Jaye Ford, and Nobody But Him by Victoria Purman, among others.

If you would meet anyone, living or dead, real or fiction, who would you want to meet and why?
Tough question! Umm... the child in me would want to meet Moonface from The Faraway Tree so I could slide down the slippery slide in his treehouse, but the adult in me would probably love to meet the fictional Johnny Castle from Dirty Dancing so he could teach me the famous dance routine he performed with Baby. Failing that, I’d love to have a good chat with J.K. Rowling. I just love the world she created in Harry Potter.

Oh, yes! Give me Johnny Castle too please! Guess I'm seeing where I Dream of Johnny's title came from ;) What's been your most memorable experience working with and being a part of Escape Publishing?
The overall experience has been pretty fantastic. They are a dedicated, professional bunch of people who care about their authors. A highlight for me was seeing my very first cover for the first time (for Fast Forward). I was a giggling, bumbling mess, because I loved it so much and it was such an amazing feeling seeing the story I created as something visual in front of me. It was also a great moment to attend the official Escape Publishing launch in November 2012 on Sydney Harbour. That was when I felt like a real author for the first time. :)

What's in store for you next? Is there anything you're working on right now that you want to share with us?
I have two novels releasing back to back in the new year; The January Wish in January, and February or Forever in February 2014! They are the first two books in my new small coastal town series, and I’ll be working on the third next year. Currently I’m revising my women’s fiction, The Life Makeover Club, and once that’s finished in a week or two I’ll get to work on something new, though I’m not 100% sure yet whether it will be my next women’s fiction or the second book in my YA series. Luckily I’m a fast writer so I write multiple stories each year!

6 Quick Questions:
1. Lucky Number? 4
2. Favourite Movie? Dirty Dancing Love that movie too!
3. Love or Lust? Love
4. Ebook or Physical Book? I’m an ebook convert but I still love the look and feel of a physical book.
5. Favourite Ice-Cream Flavour? Vanilla
6. Night or Day? Night (says she, writing this interview at midnight! Hmm, maybe I should say morning then. Early morning ;))

Thanks again for chatting with me Juliet. Good-luck with whatever you write in the future!
Thanks!

Juliet Madison is a naturopath-turned-author with a background in dance, art, internet marketing and perfume sales (yes, she was one of those annoying people in department stores who spray you with perfume). Nowadays she prefers to indulge her propensity for multiple careers by living vicariously through her characters. She likes to put these characters into extraordinary situations and take them on a challenging journey to discover their true passion and inner strength, weaving in some laughs, tears, romance and sometimes a touch of magic along the way.

Living near the beach on the beautiful south coast of New South Wales, Australia, Juliet spends her time running her internet business, raising her son, writing as often as she can, and doing her best to avoid housework.

Visit Juliet: Website | Blog | Goodreads | Twitter | Facebook

From the author of Fast Forward comes a story about three wishes, a high-tech genie in a lamp, and one very unfortunate typo...

Getting three wishes isn't all it's cracked up to be when an unfortunate spelling error in Mandy's high-tech magic lamp changes her wish for a Greek God to a Geek God. His fashion IQ is in the negatives, he’s clingier than cling wrap, and he has a penchant for breaking into song at inappropriate moments. Before Mandy can request a replacement wish, she has to put up with him for twenty four hours, and the timing couldn’t be worse — it's her friend’s wedding day, her ex will be there, and the God of Geeks insists on coming along for the ride!

Add on Goodreads!

Purchase:

Escape Publishing | Amazon | Kobo

 

 

Fantasy Bundle:

 

Details:

For your chance to win a Fantasy bundle featuring  Juliet's I Dream of Johnny well as four other fabulous stories, be sure to comment with a way to contact you!

 

Sharing isn't necessary, but always appreciated :)

 

Open internationally!

 

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As my Happy Birthday Escape Publishing celebrations come to a close, I want to say a big THANK YOU to Polina from Harlequin for helping me get all these posts ready and to all the authors who agreed to be interviewed, wrote guest posts and who released stories with Escape Publishing during their first year! Congrats on your accomplishments and here's to many, many more great stories with Escape Publishing!

 

*Note: The giveaway's for the YA, NA and Fantasy bundles will run for one more week, with winners picked and contacted on Monday the 6th of January.

 

Thanks for joining me--I hope you've had as much fun as I have!