What inspired the idea behind this book?
I attended an open gate at a walnut farm not far from where I live. Coaldale Walnuts are an independent grower and have a restorative farming approach to what they do. As I collected my bucket of walnuts, it occurred to me that as far as I knew no one had ever set a rural romance on a walnut farm. Sheep and cows have been done to death. Loads of vets in small towns, too. Heaps of vineyards. But a walnut farm?
The novel is very loosely based on the 90s classic Sandra Bullock/Harry Connick Jnr movie Hope Floats. Throw a few walnuts into the mix and you have Home To Echidna Lane.
What was the research process like for the book?
Coaldale Walnuts very generously gave their time to teach me the rudimentals of walnut farming. I got to stomp around the orchard learning about the trees and how the nuts are harvested. I got to spend time in the processing shed and understand what life is like living on a commercial orchard. What I like about the lifestyle is that you don’t have to get up super early, and you don’t have to kill anything.
How did you think of the title of the book?
I was driving down the Colebrook Road in the Coal River Valley, Tasmania, where I live, and I spotted a large sign marking a road. Painted on the board was an echidna with a big blue arrow and the words, Echidna Lane. I was so taken by this cute sign and began to wonder what it would be like to live on Echidna Lane. The title flowed naturally from there.
What are you hoping the reader will take away from reading your book?
I’m hoping the reader will come away with a sense of this part of southern Tasmania, and some insight into a different aspect of the rural lifestyle. I’m hoping that the reader will come to sense the diverse richness of the community and maybe plan a visit. The story covers aurora chasing and has walnut recipes as well, so there’s plenty to inspire.
Does the creative process get easier for you with each book?
My creative process has changed considerably over the fourteen books I’ve written. It’s pretty comprehensive now and resembles the approach screenwriters take. I take a goodly while to get to know my characters. Characters are the most important aspect of the story to me. You can have the cleverest plot in the world but if your characters are unlikeable (or worse, boring) you’ll lose the interest of your readers. I like to create characters with depth, the kind that resonate long after you’ve closed the pages of the book.
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