Meet My Main Character Blog Tour

Over the last couple of months I've been featuring Australian Rural Fiction writers in the Writers On Reading Series but this week is a little different.This week's blog post is all about me - well, actually not me, but my main characters in Essie's Way. Miranda and Esther.I've been tagged by Stella Tarakson to take part in the Meet My Character Blog Tour. Stella writes for children and young adults. She's written a number of non-fiction books but now her focus is on now on fiction. Stella's first junior novel, Mike the Spike, is being published by New frontier Publishing, as part of their Little Rockets Series in August! You can find more about Mike, Stella's main character here.Thanks for inviting me Stella and good luck with Mike. 

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Now, most writers taking part in this tour would probably have only one main character in their post but both Miranda and Esther are protagonists in Essie's Way so i'm going to introduce you to both ... 1. What is the name of your character? Is he/she fictional or a historic person?This novel has two main characters, Miranda McIntyre and Esther Wilson. Both are fictional. 2. When and where is the story set?The story is set mainly on the south coast of NSW in the fictional town of Pelican Point but there are also scenes in Sydney, where Miranda lives. The story has a double narrative and switches backwards and forwards in time, telling the story of Esther's life as a young woman, when she was known as Essie, as well as following current day events. 3. What should we know about him/her?Miranda is a thirty something woman, soon to be married, with a promising career in law. But there's something missing from her life and she can't pinpoint exactly what that is.Esther is in her eighties, a recluse who lives by herself in a small shack on a coastal cliff. She plays the violin and gets on a lot better with her, Buster, than she does with people.  4. What is the main conflict? What messes up his/her life?When thinking about something old to go with her wedding dress Miranda remembers an antique necklace from her childhood days but when she questions her mother about it she flatly denies all knowledge of it. Her hysterical reaction send Miranda on a search for the necklace which she finds and then starts an investigation into her mother's past. She is also having doubts about her impending wedding to James.Esther is happy living alone but her solitude is threatened by the possibility that she could be forced to move out of her home. When she has a fall on the rocks while fishing and a young woman comes to her rescue, it sparks a string of events that will force her to relive her buried past. 5. What is the personal goal of the character?Miranda's goal is to discover the answer to a family secret. In the process she will discover more about herself than she anticipates.Esther's goal is to live quietly on her own for the remainder of her life. 6. Is there a working title for this novel, and can we read more about it?Essie's Way is Ppublished by Hachette. You can read more about it here. 7. When can we expect the book to be published?Essie was published in December 2013. My previous novel, Blackwattle Lake was published in December 2012, also by Hachette.Both books are sold through Big W, local bookstores and are also available here at Booktopia. 

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 I've invited a couple of fellow writers to join the Meet My Character Blog Tour. They'll be blogging about their main characters next week.Monique McDonell writes contemporary Australian Women's Fiction including Chic Lit and Romance. Monique's novels include Mr Right And Other Mongrels, Building Attraction and A Fair Exchange. You can find out more about Monique here and connect with her on Facebook here.Wanda Wiltshire writes YA Fantasy/Romance. Wanda's first novel, Betrothed was published by Pantera Press. The second book in the series, Allegiance is due out in July. You can find Wanda on Facebook here and read her blog here.