Roberta Ivers and Larissa Edwards–book number four! Wow! And what a wild ride that editing process was this year. I am a better writer for having accomplished the challenges you set. Thank you, ladies, for your continued support, guidance, encouragement (and Bert, your patience. I hope you enjoyed the Minties!). My appreciation to everyone at Simon & Schuster Australia, especially Anna O’Grady, Carol Warwick and Anabel Pandiella for looking after me.
Elizabeth Cowell, editor extraordinaire, all I can say is . . . THANK YOU, from the bottom of my trash bin! Yes, trash bin–the one now spilling over with darlings that had to die. Without you my book would be bigger, but not better. What those few pages of your structural report taught me changed the way I see myself as a writer and the way I approach each draft. I am so indebted to you for your sage and detailed advice.
When not writing her own best sellers, Fiona McArthur, midwife, will tell you she catches babies for a living. Fi, as books are the only thing I have given birth to, I really appreciated your advice with this story (and always your friendship).
Dr Shari Parker–I hope my portrayal of Pearl is one that will help the important work you and the Albinism Fellowship of Australia do in providing a voice and support to those with albinism (and educating those without it). My thanks to you and the committee.
To Belinda Scott at The Coffs Coast Advocate, whose 2014 article about a local banana family and ‘a lovely bunch of brothers’ planted a story seed for me to nurture and grow into an all-fiction story about two brothers on the family plantation in the hills above Coffs in 1979. The V-Wall at Nambucca also features in the fictional town I’ve called Watercolour Cove. Both the Coffs Coast and Nambucca are magical places to live or visit. Readers, put them on your list.
Richard Claremont–yes, an award-winning artist in real life, but no, Natalie did not discover him. I am so glad I did discover you on Facebook. (Yes, I only ever use Facebook for serious research *wink*). Your works are inspiring; especially your Remembered Landscapes and Night at the Carnival series, which evoked a wonderful sense of nostalgia, and which I tapped into to go back to 1979.
Speaking of inspiration–I was so lucky to have been camped at Henderson Park Farmstay Retreat (north of Rockhampton, Queensland) while editing. Not only did the peace and serenity help me through the editing process, sitting around an open fire drinking the Barretts’ wines helped too. The fifth-generation cattle property inspired book number five. Roll on 2017. This one will be a ripper.
To my lovely readers and Facebook friends and followers who responded to my many social media shout-outs for ideas and suggestions–I cannot thank you all individually. Sadly, many of our words and story ideas ended up in that editing trash bin, but simply having such fabulous responses gives me the kick-along to keep putting words on pages.
Finally, to my collaborator, Jeannette McAnderson and, for the wise and wonderful words quoted in this story, I thank Karen Baumgartner at the Andrew Wyeth Office (Pennsylvania), Stephen Gray, William Makepeace Thackeray and Confucius, of course!
Jenn J McLeod
Book club questions
Hello book lovers, I hope you enjoyed this story about love–first love, family love and enduring love–set in a fictional banana growing area on the New South Wales Mid North Coast.
If I had the pleasure of being at your book club meeting to talk about The Other Side of the Season, these are the questions I’d throw in to kick-start the discussion.
1. First, let’s get the Natalie issue out of the way, shall we? I suppose I expected the majority of readers to dislike her in the beginning. But did you grow to understand her? What was her worst flaw or mistake? At what point in the story did you start to care about her? Did she redeem herself in the end to make you feel sorry for her–even a teeny weeny bit?
2. Which character did you feel the most empathy for, and why? Was it: Natalie, David, Sidney, Albie or Matthew?
3. After the accident, David gets on with his life and stays on the mountain with his parents. When Tilly comes back he is immediately accepting and incredibly calm. (I deliberately avoided angry scenes, striving for a more grown-up and poignant response from them both, probably to reinforce that they had changed–they were no longer children.) What do you think influenced David to be so forgiving?
4. How did Sidney’s relationship with her parents–especially her mother–shape her life?
5. Okay, about here I might ask what you thought about Damien, but I’m pretty sure I know the answer to that!
6. What are the predominant themes in this story, and were they handled well?
7. What lessons did you take out of this story, if any?
8. How did you feel about the ending? Shocked? Saddened? Angry? Satisfied? If not satisfied, how would you, as the reader, have changed things?
I hope your book club found this useful. (Wish I could have been there.) If you have a burning question you’d like me to answer, or if you’d like to share anything from your book club discussion with me, I love receiving emails and feedback. Connect with me:
on Facebook: JennJMcLeod.Author
on Twitter: @jennjmcleod
or email me at [email protected]
Happy reading,
Jenn J
www.jennjmcleod.com
Moving to the country in 2004 to escape the hectic world of corporate communications was like coming home for Jenn J McLeod. These days she lives the gypsy life in a fifth-wheeler caravan, travelling this beautiful country, her days spent writing heart-warming tales of the Australian country that weave intricate tapestries of friendship, family and love, contemporary human issues and small-town life.
Readers and reviewers alike enthusiastically received Jenn’s debut, House for all Seasons, placing it at #5 on the 2013 Nielsen Top Selling Debut Novel list. Simmering Season, published in 2014, is book two, followed by Season of Shadow and Light in 2015.
Come home to the country at: www.jennjmcleod.com
Small town stories from the country to the coast
Twitter: @jennjmcleod
Facebook: Jenn J McLeod.Books
Author photograph by Marie Miller
Also by Jenn J McLeod
House for all Seasons
Simmering Season
Season of Shadow and Light
THE OTHER SIDE OF THE SEASON
First published in Australia in 2016 by
Simon & Schuster (Australia) Pty Limited
Suite 19A, Level 1, 450 Miller Street, Cammeray, NSW 2062
A CBS Company
Sydney New York London Toronto New Delhi
Visit our website at www.simonandschuster.com.au
© Jenn J McLeod 2016
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without prior permission of the publisher.
National Library of Australia Cataloguing-in-Publication entry
Creator:
McLeod, Jenn J., author.
Title:
The other side of the season/Jenn J. McLeod.
ISBN: 9781925030310 (paperback)
ISBN: 9781925030327 (ebook)
Subjects:
Brothers – Australia – Ficion.
Families – Australia – Fiction.
Interpersonal relations – Fiction.
Dewey Number: A823.4
Cover design: Christabella Designs
Cover image: Stephen Carroll/Trevillion Images
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Other Side of the Season Page 35