Welcome to Teaser Tuesday, where I share snippets from new and past releases, and works-in-progress and sometimes twist the arms of author buddies to share theirs.
First up, there will be no Teaser Tuesday next week. I’m heading off to Sydney on Thursday for the Romance Writers of Australia annual conference and it’ll be a veeeeery busy weekend. History has shown that it’ll take a good four or five days to get my voice back properly and catch up on all the sleep I’ve lost. So I’m thinking ahead and cancelling next week’s Teaser Tuesday so I have one less thing to worry about, but we’ll be back on the 28th for certain.
I can’t wait to catch up with all my author friends. Romance writers are huge fun. They’re also very savvy, generous with sharing what they’ve learned, and inspiring. Just the sort of people to rev me up for the rest of the year.
Onto what we’re here for: a teaser!
Last week we had Wal from Heartland being grumpy. This week I thought we might show popular character Granny B in full stride. She’s appeared in a few books now and I hope to see her in a few more. She’s too much of a hoot to write to let go of yet.
Here’s Granny B in full flight in Rocking Horse Hill.
‘You look amazing,’ she said, as her grandmother helped Em out of her coat and hung it up. ‘Been somewhere?’
Today Granny B’s elegance had reached an even more impressive height. A pair of navy cigarette pants showed off long legs enhanced by a pair of low-heeled patent pumps. Her gold silk shirt sported a high collar, the neck fixed with a tasteful but expensive pearl brooch that matched the triple-stranded pearl bracelet around her left wrist. Her make-up was deftly applied: rouge adding colour to her heavily powdered cheeks, eyes smoky with eye shadow and liner.
‘A late afternoon tea with Barry McClintoff and that idiot new councillor, Herriott.’
‘I gather it wasn’t fun.’
‘I do so loathe vegetarians. Ridiculous people.’
‘Could have been worse,’ joked Em, desperate to keep things light. Granny B’s tumultuous mood did not bode well. ‘She could have been vegan.’
‘Indeed.’ Granny B maintained a special dislike for vegans. ‘Hard to trust these people, though, isn’t it? As I pointed out, if nature had wanted us to be vegetarian she would have given us a rumen. Anyway, how does the silly woman think we grew brains the size we did?’ Granny B huffed. ‘And she refused wine.’
‘She probably had to work.’
‘That may be true, but it’s hardly supporting local agriculture. Barry and I made up for it. Enjoyed a rather nice pinot from Ryan’s. That winery is doing very well for itself. I proposed to Barry that we host a local wine festival to run concurrently with Art Week, but the Herriott woman thought the idea “unwise in light of the town’s youth drinking culture”. What about the rest of us? Just because she’s part of the lunatic greenie fringe doesn’t meant the rest of us should suffer.’
‘Gran.’
Granny B rolled her eyes. ‘Don’t start, Emily. I’m seventy-nine years old. I’m permitted my prejudices.’
Ah, I do so love Granny B. She’s so haughty and naughty!
Rocking Horse Hill is available now in print and ebook. Try these retailers:
Amazon.com | Amazon.au | Amazon.uk
iBooks | Kobo | Nook | Google Play
If you’d like to know more about Rocking Horse Hill or read another excerpt, check out its book page on this website. For extra background, read The Story Behind Rocking Horse Hill.
Granny B also appears in Wayward Heart, Summer and the Groomsman and Chrissy and the Burroughs Boy. She’s also up to her usual mischief in my current work-in-progress Eddie and the Show Queen. Stay tuned for news on that one!
See you again on the 28th.
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