GUEST AUTHOR: Margaret Tanner

Margaret Tanner is a 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 accurate. She's published with The Wild Rose Press and Whiskey Creek Press.

No book is too old or tattered for her to trawl through, no museum too dusty, or cemetery too overgrown. 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.

As part of her research she has visited the World War 1 battlefields in France and Belgium, a truly poignant experience.

Margaret is a member of the Romance Writers of Australia, the Melbourne Romance Writers Group (MRWG) and EPIC.  She won the 2007 and 2009 Author of the Year at AussieAuthors.com. Her novel Frontier Wife won the Best Historical Romance Novel at the 2010 Readers Favorite Award, and another novel, Wild Oats was a 2011 Finalist in the EPIC awards.

Margaret is married with three grown up sons, and a gorgeous little granddaughter. Outside of her family and friends, writing is her passion. 

Margaret, welcome to my blog. It's great to have you here.
Can you tell us about your book...


HOLLY AND THE MILLIONAIRE
Fleeing from her ruthless English in-laws who are intent on stealing her child, Holly Kirwan boards a flight home to Australia and meets Justin Devereux. They are instantly attracted to each other.

Justin doesn’t want a permanent woman in his life, particularly one with a baby in tow. Holly, still grieving for her soldier husband who was killed in Iraq, doesn’t want to be disloyal to his memory.

Can the young widow and the commitment shy tycoon ever find happiness together?

(Margaret says: In a special, temporary deal organized by my publisher, The Wild Rose Press, HOLLY AND THE MILLIONAIRE, is being sold at The Wild Rose Press, Fictionwise and Amazon Kindle for only $0.99.)

Title – HOLLY AND THE MILLIONAIRE
Setting -  Melbourne, Victoria, Australia.
Hero -  Justin Devereux
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Heroine -  Holly Kirwan.


Scene you would never cut - When Justin discovers that Holly has secretly given birth to his son.


Something your heroine would never do or say - Holly would never try to trap Justin by telling him she is pregnant.


What's one quirky thing about your heroine? She likes browsing through Op shops.
(For those who are unfamiliar with the term, Op shops sell second-hand clothing and other items.)

What do you think the readers will like about this book? Hopefully they will like reading about a gutsy young woman who is prepared to do anything to save her child.

So, what's next for you? I’d like to find an agent so that I can place some of my longer novels with them. My ultimate goal is to be picked up by one of the large publishers. A juicy fat advance would be nice.


About you:
Who is Margaret Tanner?
I have always been a writer from as far back as I can remember. I used to write these pitiful sad little ditties then I moved on to short stories. I was quite successful with short stories, had a few published and won a few contests.

One contest win really sticks in my mine.  Years ago I entered a competition for a sock company writing about feet.  Little feet, big feet, smelly feet any kind of feet and guess who won?  I dutifully collected my prize - twenty pairs of socks. Dad and my brother were very happy, so were their feet.

I graduated to novel writing and fell in love.

What the Iraq War did to my heroine, Holly Kirwan...I have to say I love all my books, (sorry about the self adulation), but my favourite would be HOLLY AND THE MILLIONAIRE, my one and only published contemporary romance.

It might seem strange because I call myself an historical writer, but somehow Holly got under my skin and stayed there. She was a gutsy little fighter whose soldier husband was killed in Iraq and left her with a toddler to support. She didn’t let being dealt a bum hand in the game of life defeat her.

I didn’t need to do much research for Holly’s story. My youngest son has been in the army, so I obtained information from him, and the newspapers were full of the war in Iraq. Sadly, Afghanistan has now becoming the killing field for our soldiers.

I actually got the idea for this novel when I was flying back to Australia from London, after visiting my oldest son who lives over there. A good deal of the story is set in Melbourne where I live.

I tried to imagine how a young woman would feel, all alone with her baby, and on the run from her husband’s ruthless parents. They want the baby but not her, and they will stoop to anything to get their son’s child. How devastating and frightening that would be for Holly, especially as her husband was barely cold in his grave.

I wanted to make Justin the opposite. Wealthy, confident, ruthless to a point, but underneath that hard exterior, a man with a heart, who falls in love with Holly and her baby but doesn’t realize how much he cares until he almost loses them.

Favorite movie of all time - Gallipoli.
Favorite fairytale - Cinderella
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Favorite story to disappear into – Any story that I am currently writing.
Favorite TV program - A Current Affair
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First book you remember reading - Seven Little Australians by Ethel Turner
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Dog or cat person (or other) – Neither.
Author (living or dead) you'd most like to meet – One of the Bronte sisters.
A romantic retreat for you would be - sitting by a roaring log fire in a quaint B&B in the mountains.

What do you do to unwind or relax? Read
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What era would you like to time travel and visit? And why? The 1st World War. I am fascinated with the tragedy and triumph of that era, having researched it. I have also visited the Australian battlefields and cemeteries in France and Belgium.

What does love mean to you? Trust and caring.

Margaret is generously giving away a copy of HOLLY & THE MILLIONAIRE (locals get a choice of e-book or print version, any international winner restricted to e-book version due to postage costs).

Just answer this question and you'll go into the draw for the giveaway...

What era would you like to time travel and visit? And why?

Leave an answer by midday (Aussie time), Thursday, 10th November and the winner will be announced Friday, 11th November.  

To find out more about Margaret, visit her website.

Margaret's other books: