Maya Linnell’s new rural romance, Kookaburra Cottage, is a book that will tug at your heartstrings. Good Reading talked to the author about the book, food, wine and South Australia’s Limestone Coast where she grew up.
What is your favourite aspect of writing romance?
Everyone loves to be loved! After spending 100,000 words with my characters, getting to know their strengths and weaknesses, dreams and fears, and throwing obstacles in their direction, it’s so rewarding to give them their ‘happily ever after’! I also adore the feedback from happy readers; their generous and enthusiastic messages always light up my day and keep me returning to the keyboard, day in and day out.
Why do you think the ‘rural romance’ subgenre has become so popular?
Readers tell me they love the escapism of rural romance and can picture themselves living in these small towns, making a living off the land, sharing homemade produce over the fence and helping their neighbours capture cheeky lambs when they escape. They can smell the rain on the dusty dirt roads, admire the strong, resourceful women, fall in love with the hero, and laugh at the antics of the unruly kids and animals. The novels bring back happy memories for readers who’ve previously lived in the country. For urban readers, they get to enjoy a taste of country life without the danger of snakebite or failed crops. And then there’s the rural and regional bookworms, who can relate to the issues and their impacts on the community.
This book is set in South Australia’s Limestone Coast where you grew up, have you added any specific locations from your childhood?
I sure have! One of my favourite things about writing fiction is slipping in special little mentions, like Beachport’s Donut Van and New Year’s Eve fireworks, four-wheel driving at the Ten Mile Beach in Canunda National Park, Mount Gambier’s stunning Blue Lake and of course, we can’t forget the beautiful vineyards throughout Penola and Coonawarra.
What elements are you most excited for your readers to experience in Kookaburra Cottage?
I’m excited to bring international characters into this novel, plus a love of music, and I had fun with the show-baking theme, which proves quite the challenge for the two clueless cooks in the story, April and Connor. There’s also a posse of naughty lambs that made me smile every time they gallivanted onto the page!
What would your dream fixer-upper job be?
As recovering owner builders, my husband and I joke that our home was our fourth child. It took nine months to make our bricks and then another year and a half of hard yakka before it was ready to live in. Although I’ve said there’s no way I’d go back for more (babies or house builds!), I seem to be softening as time passes. We’ve found ourselves admiring other new homes, talking about what we’d do differently and how surely the second major build would be much easier. Surely, right?! My dream fixer upper project would have a mix of weatherboards and stone, a generous kitchen, a light-filled writing office, a pool and a blank canvas for the garden. Oh, and if we’re talking about my wildest dreams, I’d have a lovely big budget to work with, all the tools we needed, and tradies who arrived on time.
What would you say to anyone who, like April, aspires to enter the food & wine tourism industry?
In Kookaburra Cottage, April is determined to make their winery, Lacewing Estate, and new B&B stand out among the crowd. Given my time in hospitality and my family’s experience in accommodation, I’d recommend a personal touch, a positive attitude and willingness to work long hours!
Your books absolutely give the feeling of cosiness, so what do you do to feel cosy while reading?
Thank you! I’m a sucker for snuggling into the corner of our leather couch on a Sunday afternoon, close to the wood fire, with a mug of tea, a fluffy blanket, and snacks. Anzac biscuits and Maltesers are both firm favourites, though I’m also fond of reading with a glass of wine and a bowl of chips.
As Kookaburra Cottage is the first in a series, can you reveal any details about your next project?
I’m working on my sixth manuscript right now. The novel’s working title is Wallaby Lane, thanks to the plethora of wildlife throughout the story, and tells the story of radio producer Lauren Bickford and former police officer, Jack Crossley. Lauren has a starring role in Kookaburra Cottage (as April ‘s best friend and housemate), while Jack makes a cameo appearance right at the end of the book. Set in the Limestone Coast, it will be out next winter.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Bestselling rural fiction author, Maya Linnell, gathers inspiration from her rural upbringing and the small communities she has always lived in and loved. Kookaburra Cottage is her fifth novel, following Paperbark Hill, Magpie’s Bend, Bottlebrush Creek and Wildflower Ridge. A former country journalist and radio host, Maya also blogs for Romance Writers Australia, loves baking up a storm, tending to her rambling garden and raising three bookworms.
She writes to a soundtrack of magpies, sheep and chickens on a small property in country Victoria, where she lives with her family, their menagerie of animals and the odd tiger snake or two.
Follow her on Instagram or Facebook @maya.linnell.writes or mayalinnell.com
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