Tell us Your Backstory with Pamela Cook

 

Tell us Your Backstory with Pamela Cook

Well, as my bio says, I’m a city girl with a country lifestyle, but back when I was just a city girl, I grew up in the southern suburbs of Sydney and had a pretty ordinary Australian childhood. My father passed away when I was three years old, so I have no memory of him, and for a long time I thought his death had no impact on me, being so young. Since I’ve been writing though, I’ve come to realise that growing up in a house where everyone was dealing with grief had a huge influence on me – and on the themes of my writing. My first three novels dealt with the impact of losing someone close and my new release, The Crossroads also deals with issues of loss. So my own backstory definitely influences my plots!

In my early twenties I spent two years travelling and working in Europe. It was an amazing experience and since then I’ve travelled to Nepal, Thailand, Bali, the States, Fiji and back to Europe. Paris is my absolute favourite city, with London a close second. Most of my characters have travelled too and in the opening chapter of The Crossroads, Rose dreams of seeing the sights of Paris.

While I’ve always loved writing I chose the safe profession of teaching and became a secondary school English teacher. This job gave me the opportunity to teach about something I loved – literature. I met so many wonderful people, both colleagues and students and enjoyed my twenty years in the job.

After the birth of my third daughter I had the urge to do something more creative and enrolled in a Masters in Creative Writing at UNSW. I started writing and didn’t stop, first penning a literary fiction novel set in Nepal and then moving on to Rural Fiction (with romantic elements). It’s a genre I never expected to write but one I adore and that came naturally to me.

As my children grew we became more and more involved in horse-riding and also bought a holiday house on the south coast of NSW. We spent weekends and holidays there, and the peace and quiet provided both the perfect setting and more inspiration for my writing. Spending so much time at the horse stables, I decided on an if-you-can’t-beat-them-join-them approach and bought a horse of my own. Before long I’d started doing basic beginner showing in the Western Pleasure classes. Another thing I never thought I’d be doing!

All the time I kept writing and am just about to release my fourth novel, The Crossroads, with Hachette. Set in outback Queensland it’s the story of three women and the secrets and lies that threaten to tear their family them apart. This one features three separate narratives that eventually merge together and it was great fun to write. I travelled to Queensland to research it and was blown away by the impact of the drought and the resilience of the people, both on the land and in the towns.

The Crossroads will be on bookstore shelves on November 29 and is also available as an ebook.

I’m a firm believer that revealing a character’s backstory is crucial for a riveting story. Thanks to Ausrom for letting me share mine with you.

 

Find Pamela online:
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The Crossroads
Pamela Cook

Rosier O’Shea dreams of seeing the world. But right now, the Outback hotel she inherited from her husband is falling down around her ears, her bank account is empty and family duty means she’s staying put.

The only thing keeping Stephanie Bailey sane are the rides she takes on their sprawling property, even if the earth is red and barren as far as her eye can see. Drought has forced the sale of almost all their cattle and her husband is getting more and more distant. The last thing she needs is the complications her brother-in-law brings.

Sydney girl Faith Montgomery is single, out of work and at the age of 31 has just discovered she is adopted. Furious at being lied to for her entire life, she lands a job at the Crossroads Hotel so she can track down her biological mother without revealing who she is. When Cameron Bailey walks into the bar his curious blend of country charm and city savvy has her falling hard.

One family. Three Women. Will the lies they tell and the secrets they hide lead to more heartache of will fate bring them together before it’s too late?

A story of deceit, betrayal and love that proves that in the end you can choose your family.

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