I’ve been invited by the wonderful Nicki Edwards to introduce you to one of the characters in the final novel in my Muller’s of McLaren Vale series, which I hope will be contracted by the wonderful people at Random House and released in 2015.
Make sure you go back in time and visit Nicki’s website and read about her upcoming debut rural romance novel “Intensive Care” due for release in January 2015.

Nicki Edwards – Meet a character in “Intensive Care”

But here’s a sneak peek at Andrew Muller’s love interest in the third Muller’s Field story. He’s got his work cut out for him.

1. What is the name of your character?
Taryn McArthur – but as a kid she was a tomboy so the Muller boys called her ‘Arthur McArthur’. Little boys can be horrible.

2. Is she fictional or a historic person?
She is fictional and not based on anyone I know.

3. When and where is the story set?
The story is set in the current day and follows on from ‘Bet On It’ and ‘Chasing the Flames’, the first and second books in the Muller’s of McLaren Vale series. There are three Muller brothers and so the final book follows the third son, Andrew. I know lot’s of readers have been waiting for Andrew’s story so I hope it doesn’t disappoint. It’s set in a fictional winery in McLaren Vale in South Australia, one of the most beautiful wine producing regions in the world and my back yard.

4. What should we know about Taryn?
Without too many spoilers, Taryn is a strong and very independent woman with perhaps a little too much pride. She visited Muller’s Field with her father over three wine harvests until she was 11. She and Andrew were the best of friends as kids and the book starts with a look back at a game of kiss chasy around the winery. Who didn’t love kiss chasy in school?

5. What is the main conflict? What messes up her life?
She struggles to make ends meet, following the Harvest Trail around Australia picking fruit. She’s had a hard life, losing her mother when she was young and her father raised her alone but she loved her life as they travelled the picking route together. It’s the only life she has ever known.
But it’s Andrew who is messing with her now. He’s a playboy and a rich man and to her that means he is dangerous. But she figures she’s strong enough to deal with a summer fling with Andrew. It’s all going pretty smoothly too until Taryn’s two worlds collide and let’s just say it’s a big eye opener for our playboy hero.

6. What is the personal goal of the character?
She’s stubborn and wary of men, particularly men with money, due to a bad experience but she knows love and will do anything to protect the one thing she loves most in the world. So snagging a man to look after her is not on her list of priorities. Her main goal is to keep working and save money to keep living the life she’s always loved.

7. Is there a working title for this novel, and can we read more about it?
At the moment it’s titled ‘Handpicked’ since the harvest is all about handpicking the grapes but also plays on that Andrew and Taryn were handpicked for each other.

8. When can we expect the book to be published or when was it published?

There is no release date for this third book yet as it’s still a work in progress, but hopefully you will see it in early 2015.

I was meant to tag some authors to continue this Meet the Character, but there are so many book releases and launches and deadlines just now that I have been unable to pay it forward. If you would like to continue the ‘Meet the Character’ roving blog, simply use these questions and tell us about a character in your upcoming novel.

Peace, love and red wine.

Cheryl