The Cake Maker's Wish was released by Penguin Random House on June 2 and what a gorgeous cover! I had a fantastic time between the pages, and felt right in my element with all the lovely baking, the charming Cottswalds setting and the cast of cosy characters. If you love food inspired storylines, you're in for a treat with this novel. WIN! See the link at the bottom of the page for your chance to win a copy, thanks to Penguin Books Australia.
Author spotlight
Five fast minutes with Josephine
Do you have a good luck charm or a special token that sits on your desk/in your office?
I have a red children’s typewriter. There is a long story about this but if I can summarise it exceptionally fast, I saw this typewriter when I was three years old and burst out crying when I left it behind in the toy shop. (I’m sure I didn’t even know what a typewriter did… but I knew I needed it.) After I became a published writer, the memory of that event resurfaced and I felt compelled to find it. I searched the internet and found ONE and it was in England. I snapped it up straight away and paid for it to come to me in Australia. It reminds me that I knew from a young age that I was meant to be a writer (which helps on the days when I’m convinced I’m rubbish and should actually quit this gig for good).
Favourite exercise to help ward off author’s bum?
Most of my daily activity comes from animal care, which is my favourite type of exercise as it’s something I love and is ‘activity with a purpose’. I live with many animals, including several horses, so I’m in and out of the house frequently and traipsing up and down hills and through muddy paddocks.
What’s your go-to weekday dinner dish?
Steamed fish, mash and greens.
Which career would you choose if money wasn’t a factor and writing wasn’t an option?
I’d love to be a zookeeper at Australia Zoo.
Favourite book from your childhood?
The Silver Brumby series by Elyne Mitchell
Which jelly bean do you eat first, and which do you leave until last?
I don’t eat jelly beans any more (as I’m coeliac) but when I did it was the green and white ones first and never the purple or black. I am not a fan of aniseed.
Have you done anything special with any of your advances?
For the first few years of my professional career we were renovating a 112-year-old Queensland workers cottage so lump sum payments came in handy often as we reached new milestones of development. Probably the most enjoyable uses for advance money has been to fund overseas research trips!
Which of your books would you love to see converted to TV or a movie, and who would play the leads?
I think either The Gift of Life or The Beekeeper’s Secret would be good ones for adaptation as they’re both set in Australia. I would be happy to support any great Australian actors. Off the top of my head, I love Kat Stewart, Asher Keddie, Deborah Mailman, Rachel Griffiths, Justine Clarke, Claudia Karvan, Nicole Kidman, Margo Robbie and Cate Blanchett.
You’re snowed in on the side of the Swiss Alps with access to only one novel and one electronic device. Which do you choose?
I’m going to take a collection of James Herriot’s vet stories (there are many to choose from!) and my laptop because you can do almost anything on a computer these days. (Note from Maya - brilliant taste in books, Jo! I loved the James Herriot books too!)
Favourite Aussie book so far for 2020?
Jane in Love by Rachel Givney. It’s so smart, funny and lovely. I really, really enjoyed it.
Best one-line sentence from one of your book reviews?
Good Reading Magazine once said, ‘… a mountain of heart, an abundance of soul and a banquet of mouthwatering food.’ To me, this tums up my goal for every one of my novels. I love this quote.
The Cake Maker's Wish
Life in the village isn’t always sweet and simple . . .
When single mum Olivia uproots her young son Darcy from their life in Tasmania for a new start in the English Cotswolds, she isn’t exactly expecting a bed of roses – but nor is she prepared for the challenges that life in the picturesque village throws her way.
The Renaissance Project hopes to bring the dwindling community back to life – to welcome migrants from around the world and to boost the failing economy – but not everyone is so pleased about the initiative.
For cake maker Olivia, it’s a chance for Darcy to finally meet his Norwegian father, and for her to trace the last blurry lines on what remains of her family tree. It’s also an opportunity to move on from the traumatic event that tore her loved ones apart.
After seven years on her own, she has all but given up on romance, until life dishes up some delicious new options she didn’t even know she was craving.
An uplifting and heartwarming story about the moments that change your life forever, human kindness and being true to yourself.
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Insta @josephine_moon