Showtime!

Posted on May 19, 2014 by janecarterauthor

 

 

 

We’re off to Dubbo.

If anyone thinks sheep are dumb, think again.  It’s a countdown to Dubbo sheep Show.  Everyone’s on their toes.

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Sydney Medal for Champion Cross Bred Fleece of the show.

Elsworth, who won Reserve Champion in Sydney at Easter hasn’t stopped challenging Errol and Devil since his return from Sydney.  You know what teenage boys are like. Nipping and annoying each other. Not the outright head butts, thank heavens. He is definitely challenging for second place, though 

Not Dexter , of course.  He remains the king – indisputably.

So Devil is being entered as a shorn ram.  He is huge. We weighed them  yesterday and he weighed 125 kilos.

Frisco, our ram lamb, has also grown in these last five weeks.

I must also mention that our sheep met Kate and William.  They were commandeered back to Sydney  to be there when William and Kate walked through the sheep pavilion and exchanged some pretty interesting  comments that I am not at liberty to divulge.

Abbey, our crown princess, is looking good.  For Dubbo, our sheep have 11 months wool and will look as impressive as they will get.  We are taking Ewe, our 1 – 2 year old ewe, who will simply not befriend us and Flame, Abbeys daughter, as the ewe lamb.  That’s mostly because we haven’t yet separated Abbey and Flame and are simply not game to do so.

So by next week we will all know the Champions.

I enclose a picture of the medal we won at Sydney for the  Champion Cross bred Fleece in the district Exhibits.  It is a truly beautiful medal.  Thank you Sydney!

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Go Jessica

Posted on May 14, 2014 by janecarterauthor

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Go Jessica!

I have been watching the Eurovision song contest all weekend.  I have never watched it before as a matter of fact I’d never heard of it until I came across Fiona Palmer’s interview with Cathryn Hein

“And what is your favourite TV show ?”  –  “The Eurovision Song Contest . Definitely.”  Cathryn replied.

What? I’ve never even heard of anyone else watching it.   Okay – dark ages woman.

Purely another chance saw me catching the second half of History of the Eurovision Song Contest last week.

Amazing.

It is the  history of Europe.  The music vibrates  with the culture and the people and the joy of all the nations of Europe competing against each other  –  in a song.. The patriotism and waving of flags and I will repeat – the joy of it all.

Did you know, in the 90’s, Ireland won three or four times in a row – and the cost of running it sent the TV Station nearly broke so the fifth year they were begging Ireland to write the ‘worst’ song they could.  Okay,  Irish sense of humour.  Then there were the Bosnian and Serbian winners, a time of forgiveness, and  the wonderful Ukraine winner who entered Parliament the next year in support of her new President.

It is huge.  It is bigger than King Kong.  180 million people watch and have sweated this out,  year by year for the last forty or fifty years. There are traditional drinking games attached to it that people play, year after year, betting is serious and I would like to know who would have predicted that Conchita, a bearded drag queen from Austria, would win. She was lovely by the way

But the best thing was Jessica Mauboy, our very own Australian  diva who got up there and belted out a great song.  Sea of Flags  –  By invitation –  I learnt.   I was on a very sharp learning curve.  And she wrote her own song.  Another thing I must find out.  Do they all write their own songs?

Wow, bring on the Eurovision song contest  for 2015,  in Austria.

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Interview with Heather Garside

Posted on May 5, 2014 by janecarterauthor

It’s my pleasure to welcome Heather Garside to my website. Heather is the author of Breakaway Creek and a delightful rural romance writer.  She’s answered a few questions I though you might be interested in having a look at.

Heather grew up on a cattle property in Central Queensland and now lives with her husband on a beef and grain farm in the same area. She has two adult children.

She has previously published three historical romances and has helped to write and produce several compilations of short stories and local histories. The Cornstalk was a finalist in the 2008 Booksellers’ Best Award, Long Historical category, for romance books published in the USA. Breakaway Creek was a finalist in the QWC/Hachette Manuscript Development Program and is her latest release.

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What am I working on?

I’m writing another rural romance/dual timeline story, presently titled Morrison’s Road.

Holly Colter leaves her career in nursing to help her grandparents on their Queensland cattle property. But she hadn’t bargained on Jesse Kavanagh, the boy who broke her heart and ended up in trouble with the law, being back next door.

While doing her best to avoid Jesse, she indulges her love of history by trying to uncover the truth about a murdered ancestor.

Mercy Forbes is shocked but hardly grief-stricken when she finds her abusive husband murdered. Sergeant Jake Morrison is determined to find the killer, despite his suspicions about Mercy and a growing attraction between them that threatens to undermine the case and his policing career.

How does my work differ from others in the genre?

The dual timeline sets my two latest novels apart from most others in the genre. Although this technique has been used in other rural romances, most are predominately set in the present day and rely on diary entries or similar to tell the historical story. Breakaway Creek and Morrison’s Road are two complete stories in one, interwoven together. They combine adventure and romance with a touch of suspense.

Why do I write what I write?

I grew up in an isolated environment on my parents’ cattle station and have a deep love of rural life and the Australian bush. I have written off and on since childhood and I’m never happier than when I’m living in my characters’ heads and my writing is flowing!

How does my writing process work?

Now that I have a publisher waiting for my next book, I’m finding it much easier to stay focused. I try to do my chores first thing and then write for a couple of hours, depending on what’s happening that day. It is impossible for me to always stick to a routine with farm life, my job at the local library, and volunteer work intervening.

Although I write a rough outline first, I am more of a pantser than a plotter, finding the best ideas always come to me as the story evolves.

Thanks so much, Heather! You can see the interview I did at her website here.

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Anzac Day

Posted on April 27, 2014 by janecarterauthor

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My father was in the air force in the Second World War. And my mother was a physiotherapist in the Army. They met on Borneo in 1945. There was a whirlwind courtship for about two weeks before Mum was sent back to Sydney and Dad forwarded on to Japan to cover the Occupation of Japan. By then my dad was a war correspondent for The Sun newspaper. That was in August. Dad was back in Sydney six weeks later, proposed and they were married on 20th December 1945.

I’ve known that story all my life. Just writing it down leaves me with a lump in my throat. My parents loved each other, totally, till they day they died. What a wonderful story. No wonder I’m hooked on romance.

This Anzac Day there has been a lot of talk of sacrifice, and patriotism and sad stories of young men marching to their death. This was a good one. My father finished up a Wing Commander, which gave him the opportunity to see his own records. On his induction papers there was a definite remark underlined – Not officer material – which he relished telling us kids later. There was a lot of joking and funny stories, but he never attended an Anzac Day March.

There were a lot of men, to whom the experience of war was something they didn’t talk about. Mates made during this time were mates for life. It went a lot deeper than most were able to express.

War made a huge change to their lives. But they saw the world, many found opportunities they never would have got at home, met people they would never have ever been introduced to in a normal world. It mixed classes, upended social norms that had been quite strict before the war.

And if it wasn’t for the war, my parents wouldn’t have met and…

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Hooray High Country Secrets is Released.

It’s here. The release date and I feel like I’m all dressed up with nowhere to go. I’ve got the party hat on and the hooter in my hand.   Where’s the party. Where’s the people?

E books is a different world. .. and exciting because I’ve no idea where it will lead me.

Writing a book is like being on a roller coaster ride. You start slowly with the characters, the story, pulling you up and up and you’ve no idea where you’re going. And then you finish. That is always a real high. The best adrenaline rush there is. That precise moment. Before you start to fall…..

Not that the book is ever finished. You realise that as soon as you get that amazing email. ‘Yes, we love it.’ Okay, I admit that’s a complete rush to one’s ego and up we go again.

I did it, we punch the air and hover at the top.

Not quite. Editing and more editing, which I actually love because sometimes you don’t see very clearly through the tunnel vision of your own writing. A few curves.  I admit that. And I certainly can’t complain that it’s taken a long time – because it hasn’t. I’ve barely managed to catch my breath.

The roller coaster slowly pulls into the station and the people pour out, shaken and happy.

 

Then you realise it’s not about me.   It’s about Jessie and Michael, I love them both and I want to share their story with you all. This time of year, the air is crisp and clear on the Monaro. The mountains in the distance are purple. The animals content because of the recent rain. There are lots of calves and a few lambs cavorting around. There is a real place for a bit of romance in our world, come and join them.

And this is an E book –   all you have to do is click.

Posted on April 23, 2014 by janecarterauthor | Leave a comment

The Show

Posted on April 16, 2014 by janecarterauthor

Animals, people, noise.  I must admit though, the loud music from the skateboarding had been turned off which was a blessing.  So it was wonderful to get a fresh breeze coming through the big windows at the back of the pavilion. The sheep seem quite calm and contented.  Some of them become very friendly and want a pat anytime you stand beside them. The kids who help us are fantastic.  They have their favourites, too, that they hold. Abbey blitzed the ewes and Elsworth got the Reserve Champion Ram.  I know it sounds very grand but it actually is second.  Errol won the best head, which is no surprise ( see below)  and we ended up with the most successful exhibitor for the Corriedale section.

It was a big year for Corriedales this year as it is one hundred years since the Australian Corriedale Association was formed down in Melbourne.  It is quite arresting to think that Corriedale wool went into the making of the greatcoats and uniforms and jumpers for the soldiers in the freezing trenches in Europe. The breed started in New Zealand and Australia at around the same time, so we like to blend in with the ANZAC theme – Australian and New Zealand  Associated Corriedales.

We had a bit of fun too, Henry Thompson took his ram ‘Curry Nuts’ to the food Hall to be interviewed on Saturday afternoon. And our girls arrived with two Corriedale Throws made from our wool. They are so soft and beautiful, with loft and lustre, which are  qualities Corriedales have claimed for their wool since 1914.

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Girls win

Posted on April 16, 2014 by janecarterauthor

Girls win

Abbey did it. She is Champion Corriedale Ewe for 2014 at the Royal Sydney show.

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The connection between Romance writing and breeding sheep

Posted on April 12, 2014 by janecarterauthor

In 1969, Richard invited me to go to the Melbourne Sheep Show. This was my first introduction to meet stud Corriedale rams. That night, Neil Armstrong walked on the moon and the next day, I missed my plane flight home.

It wasn’t until a couple of years ago that I realised that the qualities you look for in your best stud ram, how you judge them, what you want in your stud sire are exactly what I look for in my heroes. The alpha male. Just have a look

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This is Avatar, last years Champion Ram in Dubbo and behind him Abbey, our Champion ewe. He says it all.

This year we take Dexter and Errol to the Sydney Show.

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Dexter is two years old. Now he is such an alpha male. There’s something about the way he holds his head up or maybe the glint in his eye. Dexter has it all. He’s huge and square (weighs 140 kilos) with beautiful soft long wool. He has all the other boys doing exactly what he wants. He walks into the shed first. Leadership comes naturally to him and he doesn’t hesitate to beat the others into submission. It is a very physical relationship. He’ll walk around the other ram he is fighting, nipping him on the flank and then they line up at twenty paces and charge each other full bore – head on. It is terrifying to watch. And then they back up and do it all over again.

Dexter always wins.

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Now meet Erroll. He is a one to two year old ram. He is such a good boy, always does the right thing. You can depend on Erroll, he comes up to you for a scratch and will stand patiently for you while we work on him to trim his fleece. It’s funny how they like having their fleece clipped. And he looks gorgeous. ( I think he knows it, too.)

Dexter will go into the older class and won’t meet Erroll unless he wins and Erroll wins his class. Then they will compete for the Champion Ram.

So what do you think? If they get into the final – who is going to win?

Aren’t they perfect heroes for a romance novel? They both are friendly and confident. And I think up for the challenge. They know perfectly well we look at them, judging, commenting; one will come and stand in front of the other if he thinks his mate is getting too much attention.

So the young ram is challenging the old ram. As a daughter, a wife and a mother I’ve seen that a lot. Most families, in fact. Human behaviour mirrors sheep behaviour minutely. So yes, I can see the alpha male in our rams.

 

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An introduction to me

Posted on April 3, 2014 by janecarterauthor

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Ric and I started our married life in Western Australia. I remember walking out at the end of the day to meet him, as he drove back in the tractor – an old Chamberlain with a bench seat. We would look out over the sand hills as the sun set into the sea. It was very beautiful. The cards changed so we moved back to NSW, had a lot of children, raised a lot of sheep, bought a lot of sheep – occasionally some cattle, very occasionally. Ric didn’t like cattle so much. We grew crops of oats and wheat and canola. And we had one truck, then two trucks, then three. Richard has trucked sheep and cattle over five million miles over the years and I’ve travelled many with him, particularly in the latter times – I pick all the good trips. It’s a beautiful, rugged country full of fascinating people.

I’m a city girl who married a farmer. It’s well known that city girls make the best country wives. Largely because we have absolutely no idea what techniques/methods our husbands are using so never argue.  Imagine marrying a man who drenched the sheep starting from one end of the race, when your Dad always started from the other end?

Besides that we’re very keen – the first thing I learnt was how to ride a motor bike.  Then I was mustering sheep.  Then I learnt to drive the tractor and soon I was dragging the scarifier behind it.  I have learnt to be a little more selective about what I learn or don’t learn now.

I love our sheep to distraction.  Six years ago we restarted our Billigaboo Corriedale stud. We now have over two hundred stud sheep. In April we take twelve of the best to the Sydney Royal.

Apart from the family, the sheep and some amazing grandchildren, writing has taken over my life. It is the most incredible feeling to suddenly be in someone else’s world.  I share it with Ric.  He gets out of the truck at night and has to put up with hearing how Jessie and Michael are getting on – or not as the case may be.  Walking and gardening give me time to think and ponder and after an hour or two I can usually see my way through a problem.

I started writing after the kids left home.  Suddenly I was writing a book – A Dream of Something More, which was published in 2009. Looking back, I am astonished at how painlessly this occurred.  I had a daughter in the publishing business who asked a friend to read it, who asked a friend…. Voila.  I think most authors could kill me for this.  But then I had to go to work and work hard to get the next one up.  I received a grant from the Veolia Mulwaree Trust in Goulburn which helped me get a manuscript edited and attend the Romance Writers of Australia Conference.  Both have been invaluable.

So five years later my next book High Country Secrets is published as an ebook with Momentum.

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Evening,

Posted on April 2, 2014 by janecarterauthor

Evening,

There’s only one week to go till the Sydney Show

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