Nicole Hurley-Moore is the author of Summer at Kangaroo Ridge.
She took some time out to have a chat with Beauty and Lace. Get to know Nicole in this interview:
Can you tell us a bit about Summer at Kangaroo Ridge?
Summer at Kangaroo Ridge is about the close-knit Carrington family, which consists of five siblings. The two eldest, Tamara and Sebastian vowed to keep their family together after a tragic accident took their parents. With the help of their aunt, they managed to do it but it came at a personal cost.
Where Seb is stoic and takes his role protecting his family maybe a little too seriously, Tam has occasionally gone off the rails in her attempt to make up for what she’s missed out on. This causes friction between the two and they are often at loggerheads.
Added to that, Tam has fallen in love with someone her brother wouldn’t deem suitable. So for a year, she’s been keeping it under wraps. But that’s the thing with secrets, they have the tendency of being discovered.
All Tam wants is her family to be safe and happy and maybe get a happily ever after for herself. The problem is, how can she even think of having a future when guilt sabotages every relationship she’s ever had?
Because deep down, she knows that she’s responsible for the death of her parents.
What does your schedule look like when you’re writing?
I try (try being the operative word) to write a couple of thousand words a day. It doesn’t mean that it always happens but that’s kind of the plan. I do procrastinate a lot and get distracted by shiny things.
What does being an author mean to you?
That’s a really interesting question. Writing has always been a great part of my life, so being able to create my stories and share them is a blessing.
What books did you grow up reading?
I loved reading myths and legends, as well as fairy tales from all over the world. Some of my other favourites included The Secret Garden (Frances Hodgson Burnett), everything by A.A. Milne, Tom’s Midnight Garden (Phillipa Pearce), The Owl Service (Alan Garner) and The Wizard of Earthsea (Ursula Le Guin).
Name an underappreciated novel that you love.
The Cousin from Fiji (1945) by Norman Lindsey. I’m not sure if it’s underappreciated but it can be a bit hard to find. I first read it when I was fifteen and loved it ever since. It’s fun and the characters are quirky.
The story is set in the 1890s, when 18-year-old Ella returns home to Ballarat, with her beautiful mother and they have to live with their relatives the Domkins. Ella finds it hard to adjust to the strict and suffocating Victorian society after her almost idyllic childhood in Fiji.
If you could spend a day with another popular author, whom would you choose?
Nora Roberts, I love her stories and maybe some of her prolific writing process would rub off on me.
Who is your favourite author?
I have a lot of favourite authors across different genres and I doubt I could narrow it down to just one.
What are you currently reading?
Death in Daylesford by Kerry Greenwood.
Where can our readers follow you?
www.nicolehurley-moore.com
https://www.facebook.com/nicole.hurleymoore.author
https://www.instagram.com/nicolehurleymoore/
What is next for Nicole Hurley-Moore?
I’ve just started plotting the next Kangaroo Ridge story.
I am a mother of four beautiful children. I can’t leave a book unfinished which equals a lot of late nights! When I’m not reading you can find me in the garden, or helping out at Beauty and Lace.