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Who, When, Where and Why of Lost in Kakadu

6/25/2014

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This story isn't just a survival story... Tea Cooper hits me with four big questions.

Escape Artists are rocking the Romantic Book of The Year (R*BY Awards) nominations.  The finalists in the Romantic Elements category are: Under The Hood by Juanita Kees and  Lost In Kakadu by Kendall Talbot,  and in the Short Sweet category A Father At Last by Julie Mac. I caught up with Kendall Talbot to find about the Who, When, Where and Why of Lost in Kakadu – which, in case you haven’t read it yet, is a fantastic Aussie suspense.

 Tea Cooper
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In your wildest dreams WHO would play your characters when it’s made into a movie?
My Story is Australian so I’d love Australian actors to play my characters. Abigail, my leading lady has an incredible character arc. She begins as a rich pretentious bitch who is completely useless in the harsh wilderness she’s literally crashed into. But not only does she learn to live she develops into a strong passionate resourceful woman who can wield an axe and eat all manner of grubs in order to survive. She discovers who she is and develops a wicked sense of humour along the way. This simply has to be the gorgeous,  talented, Cate  Blanchett.

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My hero, Mackenzie, is sexy, dark haired, with eyes the colour of molten honey and has an Adonis body. Even before the crash his life was a rollercoaster of tragedy and triumph. But he’s a man who truly believes in love and isn’t afraid to show it. Eric Bana is the hunky man for this role.

If you know either Cate or Eric, don't forget to mention my book.

Tell me WHEN you came up with the idea for your RUBY nominated book.
I love hiking in our great Australian bush. There’s nothing like the solitude, the earthy smells, the melodious birds and our abundance of beautiful and sometimes not so beautiful flora and fauna. I wrote this story during the Year of the Novel course at the Qld Writer Centre. But it wasn’t until I was hiking for 4 days in New Zealand’s Milford Track that the story truly came alive. During the hike we carried our own food, water, clothes, bedding etc. We walked in the sun and the rain. We tramped through crystal clear streams and climbed a mountain so high I was on top of the world. 
During these 4 days I imagined being lost in the wild without any luxuries. Abigail is a woman who was so horrified about being in the bush, her heart would race just at the thought of it. But when the sun went down and complete blackness consumed her and the bugs came out, just the sound of rustling in the bushes would send her over the edge. Then to give her even more misery, I trapped her with a complete stranger, a man she would never even associate with back at home. Abigail hits breaking point, and then, only then does she truly discover who she really is. 
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Climbing Milford Track in New Zealand. I'm on top of the world.
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Tell my WHERE your story is
set.

The title that says it all: Lost in Kakadu. My characters really do get lost in Australia’s fabulous heritage listed Kakadu National Park.  It’s 20,000 kilometers of virgin Australian bush and it offers some of the most amazing scenery including
cascading waterfalls, ancient caves complete with Aboriginal paintings, great stone plateaus, crocodile infested wetlands and even a deserted mining town. Perfect. Simply perfect for a survival story.

Tell my WHY you think your story is a RUBY finalist?

My life motto is: I’m grateful that I’m mortal, it motivates me. This story isn’t just a survival story, it’s about living every day as if it were your last. I think Australian readers love my action adventure style of writing, my hidden messages about accepting who we are, and if they love my characters as much as I do, then they too truly believe in love. Sometimes crashing down to earth is exactly what we need. I personally want to thank each and every one of my readers for believing in my story as much as I do.

Tea Cooper writes timeless romance from the ocean to the outback. http://www.teacooperauthor.com. LILY’S LEAP is now available for pre-order on amazon, itunes & kobo and for reviewers on NetGalley. Release date July 1st, 2014 Escape Publishing
 
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I'm in heaven

6/15/2014

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48 hours in a writing retreat, 6 writing buddies, 14 bottles of wine and 1 manuscript = a perfect weekend.
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No I didn’t drink all the wine myself I shared it with my fabulous YonBeyond writing group. This weekend we shared our second bi-annual weekend together in the secluded Tambourine Mountain Aaronlee retreat. 

For me, this weekend was a great opportunity to polish my Treasured Secrets manuscript. I recently came to a halt with this story. I knew there were problems with it but couldn’t quite pinpoint exactly what they were. I was too close to see what was wrong. Treasured Secrets had been through three rounds of edits and it wasn’t quite right. I knew I had a riveting plot but my characters simply didn’t jump from the page with the passion and authenticity I was after and I didn’t know why.
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So with the weekend retreat approaching and my manuscript at a frustrating standstill, I sought out specialist expertise in the form of a manuscript assessment by Word Witchery. I’m so glad I did. Anna Cleary not only pointed out the deficiencies in my characters, she also made very valuable suggestions on how I could fix them. With her honesty and insightfulness and a weekend dedicated to this manuscript it now has a new lease of life. I can finally see  Treasured Love reaching its full potential.

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It was a wonderful, fulfilling, leisurely weekend. We all set our own personal writing retreat goals. Whether it was writing, plotting or editing, all six of us succeeded and some of us exceeded our weekend goals.

Not only was it special to share the weekend with likeminded people who understand my crazy writing brain, we also shared lots of yummy wine, ate delicious cheese and other fabulous foods and celebrated my RUBY nomination with Moet champagne.

So here’s cheers to my writing buddies. YonBeyond you are all fabulous talented authors and great fun.

I couldn’t have asked for a more productive writing retreat.
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L - R. Anthea, Matt, Tania, Me, Isabella
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1 Comment

Ruby, Ruby, RUBY - YAY

6/11/2014

1 Comment

 
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Winning the Romantic Book of the Year (The RUBY) has been on my bucket list for years and today I came one step closer. My debut novel, Lost in Kakadu is one of the four finalists in the Romantic Elements category. The Ruby is Romance Writers Australia’s premier award and the only one of its kind in Australia. 
I’m so glad I  persisted through all my manuscript rejections. I’m so proud that I ignored the
‘It’s too controversial’ comments. Because if I didn’t then my book would never have reached publication. My publisher calls Lost in Kakadu meaty, challenging and risky. Yep, I agree.

I'm crying with excitement and to say I'm speechless is an understatement.
Maybe Lost in Kakadu is exactly what Australian readers wanted right now. With a survival theme, fabulous Australian setting, mystery, secrets, grit, grief, adventure, and of course a happy ending, what more could a reader want?

This story isn’t just a wild ride with unconventional characters,   I hope it also makes readers think about how we need to live our lives to the fullest, to be true to ourselves and accept who we are. Sometimes crashing down to earth is exactly what people need.
Check out some of the crazy things I do HERE
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So if you are truly ready to get lost in a book, I hope you check out Lost in Kakadu.

Lost in Kakadu was eight years in the making and many many people have touched it in one way or
another. I would never be a finalist in such a prestigious award without each and every one of you. This award nomination is for all of us.

Thank you Romance Writers Australia for this wonderful opportunity. Thank you Australian readers for believing in my story and thank you to Escape Publishing for believing in me. I'm up against some very talented authors, but hopefully when the winners are announced in August, I can tick off another achievement on my bucket list.
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