About Margaret...

 

Margaret Tanner is an award winning multi-published Australian author. She loves delving into the pages of history as she carries out research for her historical romance novels, and prides herself on being historically correct. No book is too old or tattered for her to trawl through, no museum too dusty. Many of her novels have been inspired by true events, with one being written around the hardships and triumphs of her pioneering ancestors in frontier Australia. She once spent a couple of hours in an old goal cell so she could feel the chilling cold and fear.

Her favourite historical period is the 1^st World War, and she has visited the battlefields of Gallipoli, France and Belgium, a truly poignant experience. 

Margaret is a member of the Romance Writers of Australia, the Melbourne Romance Writers Guild (MRWG) and EPIC. In 2010 her novel, The Trouble With Playboys, came 3^rd in the romance section of The Preditors & Editors poll.  

Margaret is married and has three grown up sons, and a gorgeous little granddaughter.

Outside of her family and friends, writing is her passion.

 

Visit Margaret’s Website: http://www.margarettanner.com/

 

 

The Interview...

 

Congratulations Margaret, on being nominated as Author of the Year for the second time!

MT: Thank you, I am thrilled and honoured to have won Author of the Year here at Aussie Authors for the second time, and would like to take this opportunity of thanking everyone who voted for me.

 

AA: I know you are a prolific author, with many books under your belt.  I also know you work at a day-job.  Please tell us how you find the time to write.

MT:  Well, I can’t say it is easy, a continual juggling act would be the way I describe it. I write when and where I can. On the train going to work, sitting at the station waiting for said train to arrive. I snatch an hour or so after dinner some evenings, and have been known to get up very early in the morning when I am on a deadline.

 

AA:  I know you write your novels in longhand.  Do you find it ‘freeing’ to use a pen and paper, and do you think it impacts your writing style?

MT: I think writing in long hand gets my writing into a rhythm and hopefully this shows up in my stories. Ideas seem to flow more freely when I have a pen in my hand, rather than a keyboard under my fingertips.

 

AA:  You mostly write historical romance.  Please tell us how you came to write in this genre. 

MT:  History has fascinated me all my life, particularly Australian history. We have an interesting, if blood-stained past. I consider bravery to be a very noble attribute, and our early pioneers showed plenty of this. They travelled thousands of miles across the sea to a savage land and tamed it. Most of them must have known that there was little likelihood of ever being able to return to the British Isles, yet still they came. They endured loneliness, bushfire, drought and floods as they carved out a new life for themselves.  I wanted their courage and sacrifice to be remembered. To give them the accolades they so richly deserve.

 

AA:  You have a lot of historical romance novels published.  In an earlier interview with us you said you research using a variety of methods including books, family diaries, and elderly relatives. Does the fact you have done a lot of research already help eliminate research time, or do you still have to research every novel you write? 

MT:   Yes, one lot of research can be used for more than one book and this saves me a lot of time. In the case of World War 1, I was able to use the information I acquired to write three novels.

 

AA:  You are often asked to be guest author on blogs.  Do you find the blogs to appear on, or do the owners contact you?   

MT:  The blog owners always approach me.

 

AA: How do you feel these ‘appearances’ impact your writing career? 

MT:  Well, the honest answer is, I don’t really know. It does get your name out and about in the public arena to a certain extent. Of course, it depends on which blogs you appear on. Some are more high profile and have a larger following than others.

 

AA:  You seem to have a novel released every few months.  Does the thrill of a book being published stay with you no matter the number, or does the thrill diminish with each new book? 

MT:  No. The thrill never diminishes for me.

 

AA:  You have been incredibly blessed with the covers for your novels – they are all fantastic.  My personal favourite is Holly and the Millionaire, but I love all your covers, including your latest - for Reluctant Father.  How much do you think the cover impacts sales of your novels? 

MT: My covers have all been great, but no thanks to me. I couldn’t draw two straight lines on a piece of paper so I have always left the design to the publisher, and I have never been disappointed. I think an eye catching cover is vital. It is the first thing a reader sees when they pick up a book.

 

Margaret, thank you so much for your time, and again, congratulations on your second win as AussieAuthors Author of the Year.

 

Interviewed by Cheryl Wright April 2010