Friday, November 1, 2019

The week in The Loft: Author Jan Selbourne!

Joining me today in The Loft is Australian-born author Jan Selbourne. Prior to launching her career as a writer of historical romance, Jan graduated from a business college in Melbourne and worked in the dusty world of ledgers and accounting in Victoria, Queensland and the United Kingdom. Now retired, she lives near Maitland, New South Wales.


Author Jan Selbourne

S:  Good morning, Jan! Thanks so much for joining me today.

Why did you become a writer?

J:  I loved reading from an early age and the urge to write followed. I shined at writing essays and short stories at school, while failing miserably at mathematics and subjects not requiring any imagination. Career and marriage and children put that urge on the back burner. When I did have time to write, I sat at my typewriter and had no idea what to write about. Then I read an article on how danger and fear brings out our true character. For example, the tough he-man turns to water and runs while the mild unassuming person steps up and takes charge. That inspired me to write Perilous Love, set on the early days of World War I.

S:  It's amazing what inspires us!

What attracted you to the romance genre?

J:  I think all of us are romantics at heart. When we read a book or watch a film, we want the characters to get through the hard times or challenge, and find that happiness. Last week, I read an article on a couple celebrating their 70th wedding anniversary. The photograph of them together, smiling and holding hands, said it all.

S:  Do you write in other genres?

J:  My genre of choice is historical fiction or romance because my other favorite subject at school was history. When I was 21, I traveled to the United Kingdom for a working holiday and there in front of me was the history I'd read about. I was hooked. I guess it just flowed from there.

S:  If you had to do it all over again, would you still write books?

J:  Definitely. Writing a book is a joy and incredibly satisfying.

S:  What's the best advice you've ever been given?

J:  If something in our life isn't right, such as a bad relationship, a job, or unfair treatment, we have two choices. We can leave, take another direction, even though it might be tough for a while, or we can stay. If you stay, don't complain because it was your choice.

S:  That's so true. You can choose to be happy, you can choose to be miserable. It's your choice.

What do you consider your greatest achievement?

J:  My two daughters, who are now adults and my best friends.

S:  Tell me about your book, "Lies of Gold."

J:  Sure, here's the blurb--

Someone within the corridors of power is smuggling gold across the Channel to Napoleon Bonaparte. When flimsy evidence points to the Essex coast, a royal order is given to three men to find the traitor.  One of those men, Julian Ashford, has his life transformed into debts and disgrace and is sent back to Halton Hall, and Katherine the woman he loved and lost. What Julian discovers within the walls of his ancestral home is much deeper and more sinister than he thought possible, but nothing could prepare him for the terrible betrayal when faced with the mastermind behind this sordid operation.


S:  That sounds pretty suspenseful! Where can readers buy your book?

J:  It's available from the following booksellers--




S:  Jan, thanks so much for joining me today! If you would like to learn more about Jan and her books, please visit--

6 comments:

  1. This was a great interview, Jan and Seelie! I loved Lies of Gold because the Napoleonic era was a time frame I didn't know much about and I knew I could rely on Jan's integrity in her research and writing. It's a great book!

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    2. Thank you very much Dee and Anne

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  2. Great interview Jan! I too am a romantic at heart and I love your books! The research is fantastic.

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  3. I read with great pleasure how you tell a story even in an interview and it comes across so eloquently and yet still delivers the idea of wanting more knowledge of the book and its authors perspective of that time period. Your a great story teller and I wish you continued success in all your future book publications.

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