Mid-June Author Stalker with Maya Linnell!

The gorgeous Maya seated on the steps of her divine writing space, holding a massive stack of her brand new release - Bottlebrush Creek.

I'd love you to meet my Mid-June Author Stalker victim, Maya Linnell.

Ever since I read her wonderful debut novel, Wildflower Ridge, I have been dying to meet the delightful Maya. She is such a bright and bubbly person and I love living the country life vicariously through her exquisite posts. The dahlias...the chooks...the bountiful produce...what's not to love. And don't get me started on the fabulous house she built with her husband.

We often 'catch up' on social media but I was so looking forward to finally meeting Maya in person during her Sydney book tour this year. Sadly, Covid-19 interrupted our plans this time around but watch out next year Maya!! The Author Stalker is coming for you! :-))

Maya's novels transport you to the beautiful, rural vistas of Australia and her stories will pull at your heartstrings. Families, love, loss and connection form the major themes in Maya's stories.

I know so many of us fantasise about moving to the country, being a part of their tight-knit communities, and Maya's stories allow us to experience country life from the comfort of our armchairs.

So without further ado, let's all give a warm welcome to Maya.xx

Q1: What piece of advice do you wish you'd been given when working on your very first manuscript?

A: I received lots of great advice from other authors, the tutors at Writers Studio Australia and support from my family when I was writing the first draft of Wildflower Ridge, which helped immensely on my path to publication.

I wish I’d made The McIntyres a family with ten sisters, not four, so I could set the scene for my next ten books. Hehe! Maybe I’ll have to add in long lost cousins or secret children to stay within the fictional town of Bridgefield beyond book four.

Q2: If you could have written ANY book besides your own, what would it be?

A: The Flat Share by Beth O’Leary was one of my favourites last year, and it quickly sold 100,000 copies. It was sweet, witty, funny and really touched my heart. It would’ve been nice to have my name on that one!

I am seriously amazed Maya gets any writing done with a view like that!

Q3: What is the first book that made you cry?

A: My Friend Flicka by Mary O’Hara. I was a horse-mad tween with an insatiable appetite for pony-themed stories. I still recall sobbing in my childhood bedroom, surprised a book could rouse such emotion. My horse-crazy phase ended when I realised how much work was involved in caring for one. I ditched the horse, belted around the paddock on a motorbike instead and fulfilled my horse fantasies fictionally thereafter.

Q4: Coffee, tea or ??

A: Tea - strong and white, no sugar, steaming hot. I’m not fussed on coffee, but I don’t know how I’d manage without tea. And I’ll never say no to a homemade biscuit on the side!

Beautiful images of fresh produce, family and baking make Maya's social media pages a truly beautiful space to visit

Q5: What is the next book on your TBR (to be read) pile?

A: I’ve always got a fantastic selection of books to choose from, but I’m super excited about Victoria Purman’s next novel The Women’s Pages and Alli Sinclair’s The Codebreakers.

Q6: Choose one male & one female character from your novel. In a film adaptation, who would you love to see play them?

A: Oh, that’s a hard one… I don’t have an actor in mind for Angie or Rob, as I’m not a huge TV or movie buff, and of course they’d have to be Australian. Andy Lee’s looks are kind of close to Rob – tall, olive skin, and dark hair with a bit of curl. Angie’s harder to nail, but I think Georgie Parker would do a fantastic job as Angie’s mother-in-law Rosa.

Q7: Name one thing you couldn't live without?

A: Sleep! I’m great with early mornings but I never function well without a decent amount of sleep.

Q8: What is your dream holiday destination?

A: I’d love to eat my way through Europe, although overseas doesn’t seem quite as appealing right now with the pandemic. WA is high on my wish-list. I’ve never been, and I almost got there this August (tickets were all booked for the RWA conference in Fremantle - darn Covid for ruining that plan!). Maybe in 2022!

I think Maya's beautiful farm would be my dream destination...a stunning home, chooks, dahlias & roses galore!

Q9: If you had to choose a career besides writer, what would it be?

A: I always wanted to be a TV travel presenter, like Catriona Rowntree but the Getaway HR team never called, so perhaps a flower farmer (I love my dahlias) or an Etsy maker with a full-time sewing/crafting/baking business.

Q10: How long does it take you to complete your first draft?

It seems to take me eleven to twelve months to knock out a first draft, then I spend a few months doing my own edits before sending to beta readers and then my publisher, where it undergoes a whole new round of editing. For the last two books, I’ve had to put the manuscript on hold as I edit and promote the new book, so that 11-12 month period isn’t spent actively drafting.

'Bottlebrush Creek is a sparkling rural romance of changing relationships and family ties from the bestselling author of Wildflower Ridge.

Between managing a bustling beauty salon, hectic volunteer commitments and the lion's share of parenting two-year-old Claudia, Angie McIntyre barely has time to turn around. And with each passing month, she feels her relationship with fly-in, fly-out boyfriend Rob Jones slipping through her fingers. When Rob faces retrenchment, and the most fabulous fixer-upper comes onto the market, Angie knows this derelict weatherboard cottage will be the perfect project to draw their little family together. There's just one catch: the 200-acre property is right next door to Rob's parents in south-west Victoria. It doesn't take long for rising tensions to set a wedge between the hard-working couple. Angie and Rob have to find out the hard way whether their grand design will draw them closer together or be the very thing that tears them apart.' 'A heart-warming, funny and poignant story about the joys and heartbreaks of country living. A winner.' Victoria Purman, bestselling author of The Land Girls.

Bestselling author Maya Linnell was recently shortlisted as the ARRA 2019 Favourite Australian Romance Author for her rural romance debut Wildflower Ridge https://www.booktopia.com.au/wildflower-ridge-maya-linnell/book/9781760529802.html?irclickid=V%3A5SgTW7gxyORi70GtxSTziGUki3YqVk%3AWhz1g0&SUBID1=&SUBID2=&irgwc=1&bk_source_id=2296127&utm_campaign=Maya%20Linnell&utm_medium=affiliate&utm_source=Impact&bk_source=Impact

Her new novel Bottlebrush Creek https://www.booktopia.com.au/bottlebrush-creek-maya-linnell/book/9781760529819.html?irclickid=V%3A5SgTW7gxyORi70GtxSTziGUki3YMz4%3AWhz1g0&SUBID1=&SUBID2=&irgwc=1&bk_source_id=2296127&utm_campaign=Maya%20Linnell&utm_medium=affiliate&utm_source=Impact&bk_source=Impact was released June 2, with both stories gathering inspiration from her rural upbringing and the small communities she has always lived in and loved.

A former country journalist and PR writer, Maya now blogs for Romance Writers Australia, loves baking up a storm, tending to her rambling garden and raising three little bookworms. Maya lives on a small property in country Victoria with her family, her menagerie of farm animals and the odd snake or two.

Thank you Maya for being my Mid-June Author Stalker victim. xx

Bottlebrush Creek is available through all leading bookstores and online. If you would like to find out more about Maya, you can find her here:

Website: www.mayalinnell.com/

Facebook: www.facebook.com/maya.linnell.author/

Instagram: www.instagram.com/maya.linnell.writes/