Finally meeting my fellow Masterclasser, the lovely Tricia, at the inaugural Masterclass National Conference in Adelaide (October 2019)
So often it is the cover of a book that first draws the attention of the reader. And Oh My Goodness...the cover of Tricia's soon to be released novel The Family Inheritance https://www.booktopia.com.au/the-family-inheritance-tricia-stringer/book/9781489270825.html will literally have readers running across the book store to grab a copy when it lands on shelves on Wednesday October 7th!
Like me, Tricia is a graduate of author Fiona McIntosh's Writing Masterclass, held twice yearly in Tricia's home state of South Australia. Unlike me, Tricia has gone on to publish nine Rural Romance, three Historical Sagas and three General Fiction novels over the past nine years! Even more astounding is the fact that for the last three years, Tricia has published one rural romance and one general fiction novel each year!!
Tricia writes wonderful family dramas that come straight from the heart. Her novels are full of rich and multi-layered characterisations, with multiple story threads that truly draw the reader within its pages.
Perhaps it Tricia's time working as a librarian, or as the owner of a bookshop, that allows her to just know what will make a reader's heart sing.
I am counting down the days until the release of The Family Inheritance, having loved her two previous general fiction novels, Table for Eight https://www.triciastringer.com.au/books/general-fiction/table-for-eight/ and The Model Wife https://www.triciastringer.com.au/books/general-fiction/the-model-wife/
When time allows, I cannot wait to work my way through her entire back catalogue (if only I could win Lotto and spend all day reading...)
So without further ado, I will hand you over to the vivacious Tricia.xx
Q1: What piece of advice do you wish you'd been given when working on your very first manuscript?
A: Write every day (or at least very regularly) even if it’s only five hundred words, and you’ll finish the book. I took way too long getting that first draft done. I’m great at procrastinating. (I am great at procrastinating too Tricia...I will try and heed your advice. Shelley.xx)
Q2: If you could have written ANY book besides your own, what would it be? A: Horton Hatches the Egg by Dr Seuss – the rhythm and rhyme, the originality and hilarity are what makes reading wonderful. Oh the places you will go…
'A pic of my desk. It’s a messy space but it has everything I need close & handy. On the shelf above the printer are some very special bits and bobs. Wine gifts with special labels (contents consumed and replaced with coloured water. 😊) The RUBY award received for my first book, Queen of the Road. Ruby finalist certificates for two other books and my dear little Cornish piskies. They’re mischievous little people and I love that they watch over me while I write.'
Q3: What is the first book that made you cry?
A: Peter Rabbit – I was so worried he was going to end up in Mr McGregor’s pie and then at the end of the book his mother sent him to bed without any berries. My three-year-old self was very upset about that. More recently though it was One Bright Moon by Andrew Kwong. Resilience and love shone from Andrew’s life journey in spite of all the horror and hardship. I laughed and cried, it was an amazing story.
Q4: What is your favourite drink? A: Coffee, tea, wine or…
Coffee and wine, depending on the time of day.
Q5: What is the next book on your TBR (to be read) pile?
A: Which TBR pile? I have them stacked all over the house. The pile nearest me right now has Dead Man’s Track by Sarah Barrie on top. And the next one over has The Banksia Bay Beach Shack by Sandie Docker. I never decide what I’m going to read until the current book is finished. It depends on what I’m in the mood for next.
'My two feline assistants assuming their usual support positions.'
(Litte cuties! My canine assistant often assumes the same position! Shelley.xx)
Q6: Choose one male & one female character from your novel. In a film adaptation, who would you love to see play them?
A: There are four major characters in The Family Inheritance and they’re all women so please forgive my variation from your question. I’d love to see Penny Downie play the matriarch Hazel who’s rather downtrodden. Magda Szubanski would bring her quirky style to the role of Alice, Hazel’s long-lost sister. Miranda Otto has the right spark for Hazel’s daughter, Felicity, and I think Jessica De Gouw would be perfect as the youngest member of the family, Greta.
Q7: Name one thing you couldn't live without?
A: Family is always so obvious but they are my life. We have three children who’ve picked wonderful life partners and we have two grandsons and four grandfurbabies. Closely follow that with chocolate and wine.
'A family pic taken at our youngest son’s wedding. This is my support team. They encourage me, help me in endless ways and keep me grounded. As I like to tell them often, I love them to the beach and back.'
(What a beautiful family you have Tricia. Shelley.xx)
Q8: What is your dream holiday destination?
A: Anywhere it’s warm, the meals are prepared for me and there’s wine and…chocolate. (May I come too? Sounds like bliss. Shelley.xx)
Q9: If you had to choose a career besides writer, what would it be?
A: Before I was a full-time writer I spent much of my adult life as a teacher and a librarian. It’s still a big part of who I am. Luckily I get the odd invite to visit schools and libraries.
Q10: Do you view writing as a spiritual practice?
A: Perhaps not spiritual but therapeutic. I’m at my best and my worst when I’m writing. I feel every gamut of emotion. I get fidgety if I’m away from it for too long. Maybe addiction is a better word but it’s a pleasant addiction.
'A toxic will plays havoc in the lives of three generations of women when they discover they have been living a lie. A keenly observed story of the danger of secrets, the legacy of betrayal and the power of family from a bestselling Australian author.
Sometimes an ending is really a beginning ...
Felicity Lewis's fiftieth birthday party in her newly renovated home, loving husband and daughter Greta by her side, is going off with a bang when disaster strikes. Her father, Franklyn, with his usual impeccable timing, has keeled over and died.
For some members of the family, his wife Hazel for example, Franklyn's death is not the great loss it first appears to be. But when his toxic and inexplicable will is read out, it becomes clear that long-buried secrets are about to surface, starting with the astonishing reappearance of Hazel's long-lost sister.
Indeed, Franklyn's death sets in motion a chain of events that will cause three generations of Gifford family women to question everything they hold dear - their relationships, their loyalties, even their identities. Until, that is, they choose to fight back against their dark inheritance ...
A clever, sympathetic and thought-provoking look at how a legacy of lies can seep through the generations and poison all it touches, and how the truth can set you free.'
Thank you Tricia for being my September 1st Author Stalker victim. xx
The Family Inheritance is available for pre-order through all leading bookstores and online.
If you would like to find out more about Tricia, you can find her here:
Website: www.triciastringer.com.au/
Facebook: www.facebook.com/triciastringerauthor
Instagram: www.instagram.com/triciastringerauthor/