Welcome to Jenn J McLeod. A city girl by birth, she left Sydney and a corporate role in communications and PR and moved to a small coastal town in 2004 with plans to soak up a little  café culture and concentrate on writing and a new life in the country. Jenn’s debut novel, A House For All Seasons is a delightful story structured around four very different women and a century old house. Jenn writes contemporary women’s fiction and hopes that her characters  will make you laugh, cry and embrace the idea of a second chance.

              “I have a confession, Nicole. When I was learning the ropes of this writing/publishing biz, you were one of those authors that made me bemoan being me! You, Hélène Young, Fleur McDonald (and more) all have really interesting author platforms. In fact, collectively you sound bloody amazing! You guys sure know how to make a girl feel ordinary. How was I going to crack this publishing biz without an equally amazing platform? There was nothing special about me. I even let this ‘deficiency’ stop me writing, until I decided it’s okay to be ordinary. What matters to readers is the authenticity authors bring to their stories. A platform can be as simple as writing what you know and love and what you live everyday. I know about coming home to the country, and it was the authenticity of my small town stories that secured my two-book deal with Simon & Schuster.House-for-all-Seasons-Jenn-J-McLeod-194x300

I love country towns. According to Google, you (Nicole) and I are a mere 7.5 hours away by car! Maybe I’ll make it over your way when I eventually hit the road in search of more inspirational small towns. And I have a new mantra: “Will it work in a Winnebago?” (Yes I am nearing grey nomad stage, which means books with titles like Fifty Shades of Grey make me think more about my hair colour than my love life.) I write about small towns because I love small towns, and while creating fictional places is one of my favourite things to do I take inspiration from real life. For example: The town of Calingarry Crossing, which features in House for all Seasons, is a fusion of NSW towns I know and love: Sawtell, Ulmarra, Bellingen and Bowraville.

Readers have told me they fell in love with Calingarry Crossing and its characters and didn’t want to leave. Even I struggled to let go when it came time to typing the words THE END; I’d fallen in love with my characters and my made-up town and wasn’t ready to leave either. So, although I didn’t intend linking novels, next year’s release – The Simmering Season – picks up secondary threads, weaving them into a school reunion story with a difference; one that brings home more than memories for Calingarry Crossing’s publican, Maggie Lindeman. So I get to take readers back home to the same small town next March.

In the meantime, I’d love to send a signed copy of House for all Seasons to one of your readers, Nicole. All readers need to do to enter is leave a comment below. For a second entry in the draw to double their chances, come home to the country with me now and subscribe to my blog. Good luck! (Open for two weeks from date of post. Australian postal address only.)

A House For All Seasons – “In a country house surrounded by the past, four friends will discover… small towns can keep big secrets.”

Discover more at www.jennjmcleod.com