Rose Dee - A Passion for Tropical Islands

Rose Dee

January is my interviewing Aussie authors month, so keep dropping by to see who I'm interviewing each week.

Today, I'm interviewing Australia's newest author, Rose Dee. Rose's passion is writing about the islands off the coast of Queensland. Welcome, Rose!

Tell us about your debut release, "Back to Resolution" and what inspired you to write this romance novel?

When I decided to ‘have a go’ at writing something I had no idea it would end in a book length manuscript. I didn’t really have a plan or preconceived idea of the end result. I just wanted to see if I could write something. "Back to Resolution" is the culmination of my imagination and my experiences in tropical North Queensland. It has a bit of mystery, drama, and a great portion of romance.

Who is your favourite author and what is it about their work you like?

If I had to narrow it down, I would say Charlotte Bronte (Jane Eyre is my ultimate favourite), and in a more current sense, Tamara Alexander. I very much enjoyed her Timber Ridge Reflections series. While settings are important, it is the character analysis that draws me to a story. I love the sense of knowing who the characters are at the end of a novel, and not wanting to say goodbye to them.

What books did you read growing up? How have they influenced the person you are and your writing today?

When I was a child I loved books and reading. As I grew into young adulthood I read a variety of teen romances, as well as classics (Jane Eyre, Pride and Prejudice, etc.). I love both contemporary and historic romances. Any story with a romantic theme is acceptable reading material to me, so when I decided to write this was the one criteria – got to have romance.

What does a typical day look like for Rose Dee?

Apart from the household, mother and wife duties, we run our own business so there are always tasks to perform in the office. I endeavour to find time to write, blog, or contribute in some way to my writing. I’m not a planner, so I will write when I have the opportunity, or when inspiration strikes. I never sit down to slog through something if it isn’t working for me. I will often leave my writing for days or weeks, and do something else – like a blog. I would dearly love to have the time to write every day, but the fact is – 24 hours goes by too fast.

"Back to Resolution" is the first book in a series. Why did you write your first book as part of a series rather than a stand alone?

I didn’t plan to do a series. Three quarters of the way through writing "Back to Resolution" I found myself thinking a lot about one of the characters and I knew she had a story of her own. It was a natural progression to tie her in with the first.

Back to Revolution by Rose Dee

Thanks so much for your time today, Rose.

Rose's debut novel, "Back to Resolution" is available at Koorong, Word and Collins bookstores. It's selling quickly, so make sure you secure your copy. Should you want to know more about Rose visit to her website: http://rosedee.com

The Next Chapter Unfolds...

Life in the tropics.

It's happened, before I thought it would!

Almost twelve years ago our family left Townsville to live on the Gold Coast so that our son, who is an IT guru, would have opportunities to work in that field. Our time on the Gold Coast was an interesting time full of challenges but a fun place to call home. Our son is now an adult and well on his way to an interesting career in IT.

Knowing he was settled, left me wondering where my future lay. Yes, of course, I'm a writer that was obvious, but where do I feel the freedom to write with no distractions. Part of our travels around Australia was to find the place where we were meant to be. Leaving my life behind on the Gold Coast was quite a challenge, but I also found it exciting to work out where the next chapter of my life was about to unfold. Living down south was exciting, but it wasn't for me climatically, so we headed north to the warmth, and discovered we belong up here in the tropics with humidity, balmy nights, open spaces, palm trees and the beautiful Great Barrier Reef at our doorstep. We were scuba divers at another time in our life.

Extended family living here also strongly influenced my decision to live in Mackay. In my adult years I've never lived in the same town as family, so Mackay has offered this wonderful opportunity for me to connect with them.

Another bonus was meeting author, Rose Dee, whose first book will be released in mid-November, 2011 by Even Before Publishing entitled Back to Resolution. It's great to meet and support each other on our writing journey.

So, it's official, we've decided to make Mackay our new home. Our house on the Gold Coast is on the market and we're searching for our new place to put down roots. We've lived in Townsville on three different occasions in the past, so it's no surprise we've returned to north Queensland. Mackay has regular flights in and out which are relatively cheap with lots of flights daily. The hour and a half trip to Brisbane means our son can visit often when he needs time out from his busy schedule, or I can return to the Gold Coast when I want to catch up with him and old friends.

My change of lifestyle isn't as dramatic as Gina's in my book, African Hearts. Gina was a woman with courage, understanding her strengths and moving forward to grasp new experiences. I learned from Gina that fear is real, but it can be overcome and there are many advantanges to going places that seem way too scarey.

Travelling in the van has given me the opportunity to meet many people throughout this vast country; connect with my readers and other writers; and to give me new fodder for my future projects.

I haven't been to Western and central Australia, but those places are still on my list of places to visit. It's time for me to be still for a while and focus again on my next work which is almost complete. When the time is right, I'll step out and seek all that the great central and west has to offer.

Where are you in your journey of life? Are you in a time of being, or are you caught up in the excitement and stress of change? If you're in the latter, hang in there, you'll soon be in that new place. I encourage you to hold on tight and enjoy the ride. You'll grow from the experience and have new resources to call on in the future when you next take a leap of faith.