Jilted
by Rachael Johns
She'd left
him at the altar, but her heart was always his……
After more
than ten years away, Australian soap opera star Ellie Hughes returns to the
small town of Hope Junction, determined to fly under the radar while caring for
her injured godmother, Matilda.
But word
spreads fast in the tight-knit community. It isn't long before the people of
Hope Junction are gossiping about the real reason for Ellie's visit and why she
broke the heart of golden boy Flynn Quartermaine all those years ago.
Soon Ellie
and Flynn are thrown back together, forced to deal with the unresolved emotions
between them. Because Ellie is not the only one with secrets. Flynn has his own
demons to battle, and Matilda is hiding something from her much-loved
goddaughter.
When all is
uncovered, can the ill-fated lovers overcome the wounds of their past? Or is
Flynn destined to be jilted again?
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Let's ask Rachael Johns some questions:
What is your writing
environment?
Once upon a time I had a lovely room all to myself with my
desk and my books and a beautiful pink wall painted by my hubby. And then we
moved. Now I write in a corner in our rather small house (see attached photo)
and sadly my desk often becomes a dumping ground for everyone else’s stuff. I
usually don’t sit down to write here unless the house is silent and the kids
occupied. I write with a Diet Coke to hand but no music or anything.
Who is your perfect
hero/heroine? Why?
My perfect hero would own a chocolate factory, although I
guess my hubby is the next best thing. He owns a supermarket and therefore gets
my chocolate fixes at cost price. Nah, seriously, my perfect hero is someone I
can laugh and cry with, someone who is hard working and has a shared outlook on
life. Of COURSE, it also helps if he’s good-looking and has sexy arms. In terms
of fantasy hero, I think there are too many to list. But if you’re forcing me,
it’d be Mark Darcy from Bridget Jones Diary (a favourite novel of mine).
Which authors have
caught your interest lately? Why?
I read WALLBANGER by Alice Clayton at the beginning of the
year and simply fell in love with it. I’ve since bought all her other books. Another
fave of mine is Liane Moriarty; her book THE HUSBAND’S SECRET is fab and was a
recent global bestseller.
What type of book
have you always wanted to write?
Although I’ve tried many different types of books (within
the romance genre), I never felt truly at home until I sat down to write a
small town romance. I love reading about small rural communities – the good and
the bad – and so it’s fitting that I also like writing them. In addition to writing the hero and heroine,
I enjoy writing a whole cast of quirky community characters. For years I tried
chick-lit and then Mills & Boon but I didn’t have much luck with either.
Top 3 things on your
bucket list
·
A road trip across the United States – I visited
briefly earlier this year, only stopping in LA and New Orleans and I would LOVE
to see more.
·
Learn to patchwork! I love patchwork quilts and
hope one day to learn and make one.
·
Be the voice talent for the recording of one of
my books on audio.
How did you get the
idea for this particular novel?
The town I was living in at the time I wrote JILTED decided
to revive their theatrical society. My university minor is in drama and I would
have loved to have been involved, unfortunately I had a newborn baby and it
just wasn’t practical to dedicate all that time to rehearsals etc, so I decided
to write about the revival in a book instead. In JILTED, Ellie (a soap opera
actress) comes back to the small town she grew up in and is lured in to helping
out with the town’s theatre production. This is only a small part of the book
but it gave me the frame to hang my reunited lovers story on.
What is your favorite
scene in your newest release?
Possibly a scene near the beginning of the book where the
heroine (Ellie) has braved the local pub with the actors from the theatrical
society and the hero (Flynn) happens to be there collecting his younger sister.
Ellie and Flynn have barely spoken before now, bar one time when he said he
could never forgive and forget what she did but when the barmaid is publically
cruel to Ellie and she leaves, he can’t help going after her. They walk the
quiet country streets at night and I love the way the attraction and connection
is clear between them even while they are both trying their best to resist it.
What is the last
movie you watched and loved?
With three young kids, I sadly don’t get to watch many adult
movies but one I watched on a recent flight and loved so much I bought the DVD
was ABOUT TIME. It’s such a sweet story about two people who are destined for
each other. And I love that both these people aren’t typical romance heroes and
heroines. I love their quirkiness and the way they just match so perfectly. A
non-romance movie that I recently laughed-out-loud at with my husband was
HORRIBLE BOSSES. It was just too funny.
What would you
consider a “perfect date”?
These days – with three kids and a business that gives us
very little ‘us time’ – I’m quite easy to please. A night out just about
anywhere with my husband where we can enjoy a nice meal, a couple of drinks and
actually talk about stuff non-work related would be perfect. But this happens
once in a blue moon, so my second best perfect date is sitting on the couch
watching a movie on a Friday night and stuffing my face with popcorn!
What are you
currently working on?
I’ve just finished editing a follow-up book to JILTED, which
is called THE ROAD TO HOPE. It’ll be out in March in Australia and I’m hoping,
if JILTED does well in the US, it’ll also be out there soon. I’m about to start
a book that is more women’s fiction, than romance. About four sisters who
discover a family curse, when packing up their deceased mother’s belongings.
I’m hoping it’s going to be lots of fun!
**********
Rachael
Johns is an English teacher by trade, a mum 24/7, a supermarket owner, a
chronic arachnophobic, and a writer the rest of the time. She rarely sleeps and
never irons. She writes contemporary romance for HQN and Carina Press and lives
in rural Western Australia with her hyperactive husband and three
mostly-gorgeous heroes-in-training. Rachael loves to hear from readers and can
be contacted through her website at www.rachaeljohns.com.
Thank you for hosting JILTED Today!
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