By: Lily Malone
I
was having a conversation with an author friend recently and we mentioned the
number of times we’re asked how much of our books relate to our own
experiences. It happens all the time. I’m sure if I wrote erotica, I’d be asked
even more often whether the sex scenes come from my own history of steamy
moments! Not!
It’s
fiction, people!
My books are packed with far more action and
drama and adventure than is ever likely to happen to me. I’m too busy writing,
working and bringing up my kids to get in the type of trouble my characters get
up to.
What
I think is far more likely is that authors bury bits of truth, little tit-bits
of themselves in their pages.
These
are some of mine.
In
His Brand Of Beautiful, my hero Tate
thinks he’ll never find a girl who shares his
passion for the wild and secret
places of Outback Australia.Tate thinks most girls would rather stay in the
comforts of civilization with its lipsticks and powerpoints and hair-straighteners.
In
the book, there is a scene where Tate recalls the last girl he brought on a
camping expedition in the Outback. It didn’t end well.
“The
weekend he’d taken Lila camping in the Flinders, she’d been attacked by
sandflies and ended up at Hawker hospital on a diet of anti-histamine and
hysterics.”
Yep.
True story. In 1999 my husband and I drove around Australia in our Mitsubishi
Pajero and we camped for some time on the Oodnadatta Track. (Google it if
you’re not in Australia... it really is in the middle of nowhere). I got
hammered by sandflies on that trip and I did end up in Hawker hospital, huge
welts all over my face and neck. Not pretty!
Here’s
another one. Until this year (when Escape Publishing sent all its authors an
umbrella on Valentina’s Day) I never owned an umbrella. I worked that line into
His Brand Of Beautiful too.
“A
pair of pointed black shoes planted on wet road. Long, suit-clad legs followed
and the rest of his body unfurled from the driver’s door, a thick wedge of
briefcase last to exit. Christina wondered if he’d remembered an umbrella. Then
again, maybe he was like her — didn’t own one and just took the chance.”
In
my new contemporary romance novella, The
Goodbye Ride, there is a scene where the hero, Owen, plays guitar to the
heroine, Olivia. My husband plays good guitar (although he would never tell you
that himself). At the moment he is perfecting one particular song that I give
way in the book.
“Owen’s
grip on the beautiful instrument was relaxed, yet strong and sure. Head bowed,
brow furrowed in concentration, it gave her a chance to really study him. His
fingers flew over the strings and he didn’t miss a note.
Watching
him, a thrill shivered across the skin at the nape of her neck. She couldn’t
help but imagine those skilled fingers plucking at her own body, treating her
like he did those frets and strings.
“House
Of The Rising Sun,” she said when he finished, the notes lingering in the air
between them like smoke.”
I
am sure you’ll find I’m not the only author that sprinkles slivers of herself
in her characters and her novels. Next time you read your favourite books,
maybe you’ll think about what is truth, and what is fiction? I am certain it
won’t be the parts that you might have thought.
***
If
you’d like to read more about Lily Malone and her books, please visit her
author page on this blog, http://www.theromancereviews.com/lilymalone
Or
connect with Lily at her blog, www.lilymalone.wordpress.com or on Goodreads, or Twitter
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Liv
wants to buy the precious bike and bring it back into her family, and she wants
the ink dry on the paperwork before the approaching holiday weekend.
Tourist-mecca Hahndorf doubles in size on long weekends—and most visitors have
far fatter wallets than hers.
One
person stands in her way.
Owen
Carson likes rare and beautiful things and he has the Ducati in his
sights. Then he meets Liv, and finds his heart captured by beauty of a far
different kind.
What
will Olivia do to make the Ducati hers? And can Owen convince Liv he wants more
than a holiday fling?
Umbrellas? Surely Escape could have done something more 'escapee' - like a ten day escape cruise? ;) I love your humour, Lily.
ReplyDeleteThanks for finding me here Jenn... tho I hear I did leave a very clear trail! In Escape's defence - it is a VERY nice umbrella!
Deletexx
Lily M
"The goodbye ride" was a lovely read!
ReplyDeleteAnd I enjoyed todays post. Will have to check out that SA track you were talking about!
Just keep the insect repellent handy Iris and don't put your head out of the tent uncovered after dark! Thanks for the comment about Goodbye Ride. I'm glad you liked it. Thanks for visiting.
DeleteCheers
Lily M
Great post, Lily.
ReplyDeletePoor you with the sandflies. I hate sandflies but love the Outback. :)
Lily, you always make me smile :) A lovely post. Thoroughly enjoyed the Goodbye Ride! Working my way towards His Brand of Beautiful.
ReplyDeleteIt's dangerous to live in Florida during the summer and not own an umbrella. I own several. One for the car, one for the office, three in the house... It rains every day. There is no taking a chance.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the tidbits into your life.
Thanks ladies for coming to visit. Thanks Just Contemporary Romance for hosting me. It's been a fun weekend hanging out here.
ReplyDeleteCheers
Lily M