Last year Rachael Johns (Rach) and Fiona Palmer (Fee)
toured Western Australia.
Two authors of rural romance. Two good friends. One car. Plenty of action.
Fiona shares what happened…

(This blog post was first published on FionaPalmer.com on 26 October 2015)

It was an Author Talk tour of epic proportions. One blue Holden Commodore with a trailer full of books travelling over 2,400 kilometres across the state of WA. Inside this tardis like vehicle were authors Fiona Palmer (driver) and Rachael Johns (navigator – with the help of WhereIs and our Wog Boy guide). We set off in September to Albany for a talk at the library and were interviewed by famous local Jon Doust. It was a belly laugh talk with Jon digging deep and asking the tricky questions.

Then we headed to Kojonup, Rach’s old stomping ground and first country home, also where Jilted was set. It was our first night of talking together, sharing our journeys to publication and the stories behind our new books.

Next, we travelled to Busselton for a lunchtime library talk, catching up with the Dymocks girls. And Karen, from the library, looked after us again with yummy chocolate and a special delivery of ‘hot chocolate’ for our dry throats. (People must know us really well. We love chocolate!!)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

We got settled in at our gorgeous B&B, quick freshen up then off to Capel to a spread fit for two rural queens.The Wednesday Girls entertained us with singing before and after the talk, the food was delicious and the flowers we received were amazing.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Capel had set the bar high! That night we opened a bottle of bubbly that we’d received and toasted the release of our new books Outback Ghost and The Sunnyvale Girls.

The following day it was off to Bunbury for a lunchtime talk at the library. Next was Perth, with a quick stop in Mandurah to sign some books.

Our event this night was at Kalamunda. A fab turn out and loved catching up with people we knew. After this event Rach and I tried out a nearby restaurant and for the first time I tried deep fried icecream. Oh yum. We felt so full afterwards.

(We did fit in a walk around the Perth hills to try and work off all the food and chocolate!!)

Our biggest drive was to Geraldton (just over 4 hours) to the ABC radio station for an interview. After chatting with Glenn we headed down to Dongara (Bunyip Bay in Rach’s series) to talk at the Rec Centre for the library. Again, more amazing food and wine!

By now we had our talk sorted out and could set up and pack away in record time. Our banners got the biggest workout they’d ever had and our arms were growing muscles from carting our books around. (We had to burn off all the chocolate somehow.)

Kalannie was our next stop for a lunch talk, we passed through many little outback towns along the way – which we took notes on for our next books. It was during these long drives that you would think we would have saved our voices… NO. We talked non stop and even managed to plan another book in Rach’s Bunyip Bay series, plus plot details for other.

We stopped at Kalannie in time to hear our interview with Glenn on the radio and laughed ourselves silly at how we sounded and our repeated words (you know) and how Glenn picked it up by the end of the interview. We set up at the Kalannie library and enjoy an amazing lunch with a lovely group. As we left to get to Toodyay in time for our next event we hit a snag. The car battery was dead. Must have listened to the radio with the lights still on! Whoops. Lucky the locals helped out, jumper leads were produced, a ute pulled in close and we jump started the car and after only twenty minutes delay were on our way. Thank goodness for a great country crowd.

We made it to Toodyay for another fantastic event before driving back to Perth for our last one in Gosnells the next day.

We had a full house at Gosnells and found that the most asked question was about our covers and people wanting to know if we have much say in them. By Gosnells we were feeling the effects of all the driving and talking, but once we saw the eager faces in the crowd we couldn’t help but spring back to life, happy to share our story with everyone.

The trip certainly took its toll, mentally and physically. Many late nights were had. At one point we said goodnight at 9.30pm but it was 11 before we finally got to sleep. (There was just so much to talk about….also discussing old boyfriends may or may not have happened…what happens on tour stays on tour!) Overall the tour was fantastic and we had amazing turn outs at each event. We both shared our stories together in a fun and down to earth way. (We can nearly recite each others speech!)

It was great spending time with a like minded person, understanding each other and what we needed to achieve. And knowing how important social media is, at every stop, we were both on our phones and no one got upset.

The RuRo Roadtrip was a hoot.

Thanks for sharing this fabulous memory with us, Fiona and Rachael.
Here’s a quick question for you:
Would you do it again, and if you did – would you do anything differently?

I would most definitely do it again. We had a ball, planned some book plots, met heaps of great people, got to explore our great state and the best thing is traveling with another author who gets it. I dont think we stopped talking at all and had some pretty late nights. We ate plenty of chocolate and the battery wouldn’t be an issue next time lol. So I’m not sure what I’d/we’d do differently. Maybe just visit new towns. We do discuss trying to do events together when we can but its hard with our families, work, school and book schedules. We will tour again….watch this space 😉

Fiona

I have a blast whenever I’m with Fee, so of course I’d do it again. In fact I’d make it a bi-annual thing if we possibly could - maybe when our kids have flown the nest. We are going on a cruise together soon and while not a tour, we’ll definitely be talking/breathing books/writing and so I’m very much looking forward to some Fee-Rach time! If we went again, I’d bring a few bottles of bubbly, cos there’s nothing better than relaxing at the end of a hard (but fun) day touring with a glass of bubbles. There’s not much else I’d do differently though!! We had a blast!

Rachael

Fiona and Rachel were touring their books, The Sunnyvale Girls and Outback Ghost.

By the bestselling author of The Outback Heart

Three generations of Stewart women share a deep connection to their family farm, but a secret from the past threatens to tear them apart.

Widowed matriarch Maggie remembers a time when the Italian prisoners of war came to work on their land, changing her heart and her home forever. Single mum Toni has been tied to the place for as long as she can recall, although farming was never her dream. And Flick is as passionate about the farm as a young girl could be, despite the limited opportunities for love.

When a letter from 1946 is unearthed in an old cottage on the property, the Sunnyvale girls find themselves on a journey deep into their own hearts and all the way across the world to Italy. Their quest to solve a mystery leads to incredible discoveries about each other, and about themselves.

 

The Sunnyvale Girls is available in eBook and paperback from all good retailers.
BUY NOW
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Amazon Australia
Amazon.com
iBooks
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From one of Australia’s best loved rural romance authors comes a story of mystery, heartache and hope.

Stella only wanted a holiday… the last thing she expected was a love interest and a possible ghost.

Third-generation farmer Adam Burton has always tried to keep his family together, but twenty years after his little sister went missing from the family farm he’s losing hope. His dad has walked out, his mum is as reclusive as ever and he still blames himself for his sister’s disappearance.

When Stella Reynolds and her young daughter arrive from the big smoke to stay at the holiday cottage on their farm for the summer, Adam is immediately attracted to the beautiful single mum. Although he’s always steered clear of children and doesn’t believe he deserves love or a family of his own, he finds himself spending time with Stella and her young daughter, Heidi, and enjoying it.

As the twenty-year old mystery begins to unravel, Stella wonders if she should take her daughter and run. But doing so is easier said than done, because Stella just might be falling in love with Bunyip Bay and a gorgeous, but hurting, farmer.

Outback Ghost is available in eBook and paperback from all good retailers.
BUY NOW
Booktopia
Amazon Australia
Amazon.com
iBooks
Kobo

Read more about Fiona and Rachael’s books on MEET FIONA PALMER and MEET RACHAEL JOHNS

 

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