Monday 24 October 2011

Please welcome JoAnne Kenrick




Today I am thrilled to have fellow author JoAnne Kenrick visiting my blog and chatting about her new novel Rock You Like A Hurricane, an 80's rock romance set in Australia.

Phew, its hot stuff, so take it away JoAnne, I can't wait to hear all about your writing process and inspiration...

Puberty Blues, 80s, and the best beach in New South Wales


In Rock You Like A Hurricane, I had to not only develop two friends with very difference characters who lived in Australia, I also had to get to grips with Aussie and 80s slang. Sure, I'd spent two some years living in New South Wales. But I had no idea with the whole Hunk'O'Spunk was a trend back then, or what else might have been common speech. It didn't matter how many episodes of Neighbours I watched to catch up with my Aussie lingo, it wasn't going to clue me in with Australia in the 80s.



Adele is a gobby lifesaver, and I'd already decided she would work at Cronulla Beach because it was my most favorite beach in NSW that I've had the pleasure of body surfing at. I had to write it in somehow. And Sadie, the main character in Rock You Like A Hurricane, is stubborn and a bit of a snob. It made sense to base her work place in Darling Harbour because the whole area just struck me as upmarket and somewhere you would find an exclusive five star hotel complete with a concert hall. And it was just a stones throw away from Sydney Harbour bridge...where Sadie and Ryker have fun with public displays of indecency.

With the story finished, I was near tearing my hair out trying to get the Aussie slang just right when I landed upon a research treasure; an Aussie cult movie that was set in Cronulla Beach...and the 80s! OH MY. Birthdays and Christmases all at once. And it is about two girl friends.






That film is called Puberty Blues and had everything I needed to 80s up my little Aussie Rock story. And thanks to all my Aussie friends who answered a multitude of emails asking for confirmation on words and phrases. YOU GUYS ARE DA BOMB.






Puberty Blues put Cronulla Beach on the map, internationally, when it was released in 1981.  The book was written by Gabrielle Carey and Kathy Lette, and actually centered around younger characters; for legal reasons they changed their age from 13 to 16 for the movie. The darker scenes were also edited out to soften the effect, and a lot of crude surfer slang was removed. The book caused quite a controversy when it released...as did the movie even though it was a lot 'cleaner'. And notice the 18+ rating. Although this book/movie is about teenagers, it's definately not FOR teenagers.


Buylinks: BOOK MOVIE






Rock You Like A Hurricane, Sirenic #1
It's 1989 and Ryker Conall, American rock star and heartbreaker, is looking all kinds of Bon Jovi hot. He’s back in Australia and staying in the exclusive Darling Harbour Hotel where Sadie Fox works. His plans include more than rocking it down under. He also wants to rekindle what he had with Sadie back in ‘85. But wanting and getting are two different things.

Sadie’s objective is to get through the week without getting under Ryker. Getting over him was hard the first time around. She’s not sure she could do it a second. Just one week, that’s all, then she’s home free.

When a hurricane moves in, they have to wait it out. It might be a big hotel, but Sadie can’t hide from Ryker forever. It’s not long before Sadie is backed into a corner. A corner she is not sure she wants to get out of.


Bio

JoAnne Kenrick, an ex-Ghost Tour Guide turned Romance Author, is a Welsh lass who has lived in various countries around the world. She now calls North Carolina her home, where she lives with her husband, two children and a lazy cat. When they aren't demanding her attention, she can most likely be found watching a vampire movie, reading or baking up a British favorite in her N.C. kitchen. That is, when she isn't writing or chatting up a storm on social networking sites. www.joannekenrick.com



Thanks so much for stopping by JoAnne, and all the best with Rock You Like A Hurricane 

Lily x

2 comments:

  1. Hi, Lily x Thanks so much for hosting me today xx It's an honor to be here :)
    And if I may just mention--for those who may be wishing to purchase my 80s rock romance--Rock You Like A Hurricane is now also available at the Amazon Kindle store WOOT!!
    http://www.amazon.com/Hurricane-Sirenic-Publishing-Classic-ebook/dp/B005XBLQJA

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  2. Thanks for stopping by JoAnne.

    Lily x

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