The Death of Mungo Blackwell
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If you could have dinner with any of your characters who would it be?
Granny! Can you imagine the stories she could tell? I love dinner conversations where I laugh a lot, and I know she would have had me doubled up in a pile of myself laughing so hard. And her food! I would have been happy to dine on her pastries any day. I’d just have to make sure it didn’t get too boozy – the woman likes a good splash of bourbon in her confectionery!
Who is your favourite literary character?
I adore Jo March in Little Women. She is such a strong female character; so willing to do whatever it takes for her family. And she is a writer! I always wanted to be Jo when I was a little girl. She was kind of the leader of the bunch. I liked that.
Did any of the characters in your book surprise you while writing?
Definitely Velveteen. She’s a lot stronger than I originally thought she would be.
What is the worst job you’ve done?
Oh my goodness! This takes me back to high school. I worked as a dressing room attendant for a clothing outlet. It was horrible! I’d have to clean out the dressing rooms after each person used it, fold the clothes, and then put them away – All. Day. Long. And some people had a smell that just stayed in the dressing room and would stick to the clothes. And if there was no one in the dressing rooms, I had to walk around straightening all the clothes racks… even if they were already tidy. Most boring job ever!
What is the most important lesson life has taught you?
To dwell on what is true and lovely. It’s from a scripture in the book of Philippians: Finally, brethren, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is of good repute, if there is any excellence and if anything worthy of praise, dwell on these things. Thinking on what is true avoids a lot of unnecessary worry and conflict. And dwelling on what it lovely just makes life, well, more lovely.
Which book do you suspect most people claim to have read, but haven’t?
The Bible. You can’t just read a scripture or two and say you’ve read it. You have to really read it, study it – what comes before and after – to understand what it says.
How do you feel about physical books versus eBooks?
I almost always prefer a physical book. My dad bought me a hardbound copy of Little Women when I was ten. It was the first chapter book that I could actually call my own. I still have it. Occasionally I will download an e-book or a free sample to get an idea of the writing before I purchase the physical book.
Do you have any advice for an aspiring author?
Be prepared and be professional. Study the craft of writing, listen to podcasts, buy the books, attend a writers’ conference, and surround yourself with other like-minded writers. Read both in and out of your genre. Professionals know their market and understand the whole process is a lot of hard work!
For more information please visit:
www.LaurenHBrandenburg.com
Return to Coraloo for
Publishing May 2020
It is said that something magical happens during the festival season in Coraloo, something unexplainable. People tend to be a little crazier, reckless. Maybe it’s because it coincides the full moon, but Coraloo’s constable, Roy Blackwell, is beginning to think it’s something else.
That said, Roy has other things on his mind, like marrying Margarette Toft. A controversial decision as the Toft and the Blackwell families have a hatred for one another that is older than the town itself. Tradition collides with superstition as the feuding families compete to organize the events surrounding the most talked about wedding in the history of Coraloo.
Despite the array of minor catastrophes that ensue, Roy and Margarette hold fast and declare they will do whatever it takes to wed.
That is until Roy unearths a town secret – a murder involving a pair of scissors, an actor with a severe case of kleptomania, and the mysterious marriage of Innis Wilkinson. Can good come out of unearthing the past – or will only heartbreak follow?
ISBN: 978 1 78264 299 2 | eISBN: 978 1 78264 300 5