Rural romance author Cheryl Adnams
talks about reading rural romance
with her cousin Peter

When I was about eleven years old my cousin left his family in the Northern Territory and came to live with us while he attended high school in Adelaide.

Recently I caught up with him at my parents’ 50^th wedding anniversary. We got talking about books and I discovered that he is a rural romance fan. Naturally I put him onto my own rural romance novels and the Australian Rural Romance website.

Male readers of rural romance are most definitely out there and I think it is always interesting to get their perspective on what it is they love about the rural romance genre. So I asked Peter to join us on the Australian Rural Romance website and answer a few probing questions about family, life on the land and loving rural romance. Enjoy!

Cheryl xx

Hi Peter and thanks for chatting with us today at the Australian Rural Romance website.

Can you tell us a bit about yourself?

I am a 48 year old male, married with four children - three girls and a boy - aged between six and fifteen. We live on the NSW/QLD border in a town called Goondiwindi. I have always lived on the land, working with stock or driving tractors. I am currently the property manager for a family owned cotton and dry land farm.

We are finding more and more Aussie blokes enjoy reading rural romance. What do you think it is about this genre that appeals to both men and women?

Speaking for myself I enjoy books that I can relate to. And because with a busy lifestyle and four kids, it doesn’t leave a lot of time for the real thing. So reading romance is like a substitute.

(Editors Note: Peter’s wife would agree and would say she is busier than he is!)

 

Do you remember how you came to read your first rural romance novel and, considering you work on the land and live in a small community, do you believe the authors of rural romance are creating accurate worlds?

The books I chose at the start were mainly novels with an outback setting and in my opinion the stories are very accurate.

Many people would tell me that the book was better than the movie and although I came late to a love of reading I am now a believer. But books like movies do have to exaggerate a little and make small towns sound more romantic to keep readers coming back. If all that romance was really happening in small towns we wouldn’t need to read about it, we’d all be too busy (if you know what I mean).

What rural romance author have you read lately that you enjoyed?

Authors I have read recently include Karly Lane, Jennifer Scoular, Rachael Treasure and Nicole Alexander, just to name a few.

Then a cousin of mine introduced me to the novels that she had written, and I couldn’t put them down. (Cheryl Adnams)

(Editors note: Aw thanks cous!)

Are there topics in rural romance that you prefer to read more than others?

I love to read farming stories, especially real outback stuff. I can relate to those as they put me right in the picture. Many of those types of books are romance books or books that have a happy ending. There needs to be a tear jerking moment that makes you tear up in every novel I believe.

Love a good tear jerker! That’s so sweet. Do you consider yourself to be a romantic?

I am a 100% romantic.

I’ll have to check with your lovely wife on that one. (wink) As you said you are married and have three daughters and a son. Being all but surrounded by women must be challenging. Do you think rural romance books can give men a good insight into the workings of the female mind?

Being surrounded my women, yes, it is very challenging. Would I change it? Never in a million years. But working out the female mind? If anyone can, could you let me know? Jokes aside, yes I suppose romance books could give a little insight into the working of the female mind.

Thanks for talking with us Pete and keep on reading!

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