Last week’s post was so much fun! Authors Supporting Authors was a great way to connect with new authors. I also got to meet some inspirational people and learn about their work and story.

So I would like to showcase the authors I am working with at Ocean Reeve Publishing (ORP). Self publishing is an incredible journey, it takes drive and ambition to do this yourself, BUT… with the help of the ORP team, we are not alone on that journey. As Ocean always says: #beinspired #becreative #bepublished, which is exactly what we are being.

Please find following the ORP crew’s responses, including myself, and again if you can follow them, encourage them and congratulate them for the incredible feat of becoming a self published author.

Thanks so much to everyone for participating. If you would like to be a part of the next round of interviews, please email me at kelly@kellymareeauthor.com for a new list of questions.

Happy writing!

Kelly Maree Author

Ocean Reeve, Fearless leader of Ocean Reeve Publishing and the ORP Author Crew, Author of Inspire Your Fire; Creative Innovation Through Authorship, Change: The fast-track to Sustainable Culture Change and The Word: Self-Publishing Success www.oceanreevepublishing.com

Kelly Maree, Author of Oskar’s Adventures Series – www.kellymareeauthor.com

Jacqui Preugschat, Author of Tessa’s Books of Elegance Series – www.tessas.com.au

Jenny Old, Author of ‘Back of Beyond’ and ‘Innocent Nurses Abroad’ – www.jennyold.com

Bronwyn Houldsworth, Author of The Heart Has Its Reasons – www.bronwynhouldsworth.com

Kate Gale, Author of The Breast is yet to Come and Thanks for the Mammaries – www.kategaleauthor.com

Pip Coleman, Author of Finding my Soul at Sea – www.pipcoleman.com

Andrew Ge Holt, Author of A Wise Apple Tree Helps Me’- Top Tips for Wise kids and ‘A Wise Water World Inspires Me ‘ – Top Tips for Wise Water kids, ‘A Shooting Star’ – Empower your world with one simple kind act (released in September/October 2020) – www.andrewgholt.com

 

If you could be any cartoon character who would you be and why?

Any guesses? Superman of course! (Ocean)

Ariel, The Little Mermaid – She’s curious, loves to sing and hoard trinkets (Kelly Maree)

Penelope Pitstop – she always escaped the bad guys in style! And she had a mechanical arm that came out of her dash that had a lipstick on the end! (Jacqui)

Popeye – because I love spinach! (Jenny)

Katy Keene – she was a fashion model, we could send in clothes designs, and as I wanted to be a fashion designer so it was right up my street (Bronwyn)

Road Runner, because I love a challenge, I am a little cheeky and I also like to come out on top (Kate)

Moana … she has the same affinity to water, crystals and she’s a Gypsy adventurer (Pip)

Spider man as I like climbing (Andrew)

 

How many unfinished or half finished stories do you have?

I would have several unfinished film scripts – about 8 and three unfinished books (Ocean)

Around 15. (Kelly Maree)

Just 2 at present – my 4th book ‘A Day in the Life of Tessa ‘ and a short story about kindness that came to me in a dream 2 yrs ago (Jacqui)

Two (Jenny)

About half a dozen (Bronwyn)

I have about 5 half finished blogs (Kate)

2 at the moment . But have titles and some brainstorming for around 15 titles

One – right now I’m formulating my next book (I think it may be a prequel & sequel together – not sure if that’s a thing? (Pip)

2 at the moment . But have ideas for around 15 titles (Andrew)

 

What was your favourite book as a child?

Peter Pan (Ocean)

Snugglepot and Cuddlepie (Kelly Maree)

Alice in Wonderland (Jacqui)

The Magic Faraway Tree by Enid Blighton (Jenny)

Little Women (Bronwyn)

The Faraway Tree (Kate)

Winnie-Tha-Pooh series (Pip)

Anything Edith Blyton, Robert Jordan series the ‘Wheel of Time ‘ also The 12 book ‘Australians Book Series ‘which I read with my grandmother (Andrew)

 

As a child, what did you want to be when you grew up?

A cowboy (Ocean)

A vet (Kelly Maree)

Fashion designer (Jacqui)

A Dancer (Jenny)

A Fashion designer (Bronwyn)

A hairdresser…and I was! (Kate)

A writer and a fairy (Pip)

Teacher or Forrest ranger and magician like in the children’s book (Andrew)

 

What is the best part of your day?

4.30am in the morning – waking up and letting the inspiration settle in before kicking the days ass! (Ocean)

When my son wakes me up for a cuddle and story (Kelly Maree)

I love all the day! Probably at night when my children are all home, at dinner time (Jacqui)

The evening sunset (Jenny)

After dinner, My consort does the dishes and I can begin to chill out (Bronwyn)

When I jump into bed of a night time and shut down (Kate)

Riding my bike around Phillip island in the morning and getting a chai latte (Pip)

Getting up for a walk at sunrise (Andrew)

 

Your literary hero?

JM Barrie (Ocean)

Tolkien (Kelly Maree)

Enid Blyton (Jacqui)

Jane Austen (Jenny)

Jo in Little Women (Bronwyn)

JK Rowling (Kate)

Oriah Mountain Dreamer – poet and author – for her very honest and authentic work (Pip)

Dr Seuss and AA Milne , Ronald Dahl , Emily Rods and Chris Colin (Andrew)

 

If you could invite one author to dinner, who would it be and what would you cook?

Tim McGraw and I wouldn’t cook – he would! (Ocean)

Craig Smith, Wonky Donkey author, he looks like a riot! I’d cook a spicy Thai curry. (Kelly Maree)

Kim McCosker (5 ingredient lady). I would cook a 3 course meal from her new cookbook Veggie and Vegan (Jacqui)

Fiona Mackintosh…. roast lamb (Jenny)

Trent Dalton, roast lamb & veg (Bronwyn)

JK Rowling and would love to cook and eat pasta with her and ask 1000 questions (Kate)

Meggan Watterson – author of Mary Magdalene Revealed – the first apostle, her feminist gospel and the Christianity we haven’t heard yet. Someone would cook so I could spend as much time as possible talking with her. (Pip)

Dr Suesus and I would have a creative chef cook green eggs and ham amongst his favourite food (Andrew)

 

Share something your readers wouldn’t know about you.

I am a mad Star Trek and Country Music fan – but they probably know that. I have Superman socks, boxers, PJs, cups, Cufflinks, suit pins, keyrings and over 12 s-shirts – and that’s of the top of my head LOL! (Ocean)

I travelled the world for 10 years working as a diving instructor and visited 45 countries and over 200 cities (Kelly Maree)

I wanted to be an archaeologist and got the chance to have a tiny dig in Israel and realised it definitely wasn’t for me! (Jacqui)

I’m shy (Jenny)

I’ve a double degree in Sociology and Politics (Bronwyn)

I am really scared of speaking publicly (Kate)

I like to sing ’Bette Davis Eyes’ when I do karaoke (Pip)

I do intuitive healings that is a mixture of kinesiology, energy work and activations (Andrew)

 

If you had to describe yourself in three words, what would they be?

What I tell my authors – creative, inspired, published – #becreative #beinspired #bepublished (Ocean)

Honest, Hard working, Generous (Kelly Maree)

Creative, kind, loving (Jacqui)

Kind, generous, honest (Jenny)

Honest, Loyal, Demented (Bronwyn)

Strong, Extrovert, Kind (Kate)

Curious. Enthusiastic. Sensitive (Pip)

Adventurous , creative and visionary (Andrew)

 

What’s your favourite possession?

My TV – helps me turn my brain off. (Ocean)

My passport (Kelly Maree)

Handmade cards from my children (Jacqui)

My Husband (Jenny)

Some 18th century legal papers (Bronwyn)

My house…my space (Kate)

Music / IPod … I love my mediations and chants (Pip)

A knitted vest hand made by my grandmother, the last thing she made before she passed (Andrew)

 

Tea or coffee?

Coffee (Ocean)

Coffee (Kelly Maree)

Coffee (Jacqui)

Coffee (Jenny)

Coffee (Bronwyn)

Coffee (Kate)

Tea (Pip)

Tea (Andrew)

 

Wine or beer?

Beer (Ocean)

Wine during the week, beer on Sunday (Kelly Maree)

Wine (Jacqui)

Wine (Jenny)

Wine (Bronwyn)

Red Wine (Kate)

Wine (Pip)

Neither (Andrew)

 

Movie or book?

Depends on the moment but book most likely (Ocean)

Movie (Kelly Maree)

Movie (Jacqui)

Book (Jenny)

Book (Bronwyn)

Book (Kate)

Book (Pip)

Book (Andrew)

 

Morning person or Night owl?

Morning (Ocean)

Night Owl (Kelly Maree)

Both (Jacqui)

Morning (Jenny)

Morning (Bronwyn)

Morning (Kate)

Night Owl (Pip)

Morning (Andrew)

 

City or country?

Country (Kelly Maree)

City (Jacqui)

Country (Jenny)

Country (Bronwyn)

Country (Kate)

Country (Pip)

Country (Ocean)

Country (Andrew)

 

Paperback or Ebook?

Everyone said paperback.

 

Black and white or colour photo?

Colour (Ocean)

Black and White (Kelly Maree)

Colour (Jacqui)

Colour (Jenny)

Black and White (Bronwyn)

Black and White (Kate)

Colour (Pip)

Colour (Andrew)

 

Dog or cat?

Dogs – cats are Satan’s pawns (Ocean)

Dog (Kelly Maree)

Cat (Jacqui)

Dog (Jenny)

Dog (Bronwyn)

Dog (Kate)

Neither (Pip)

Cat (Andrew)

 

Phone call or text?

Neither – email (Ocean)

Text (Kelly Maree)

Both (Jacqui)

Text (Jenny)

Text (Bronwyn)

Phone Call (Kate)

Call (Pip)

Phone Call (Andrew)

 

Pen and paper or computer to write your stories?

Computer (Ocean)

In my head then on my phone then computer (Kelly Maree)

Computer (Jacqui)

Computer (Jenny)

Computer (Bronwyn)

Both…start with paper and pen and edit on computer (Kate)

Computer & notes on my iphone (Pip)

Paper for ideas and computer for writing (Andrew)