Fool Me Once: Q&A with Karly Lane on her latest rural romance

Today we welcome bestselling author Karly Lane (The Wrong Callahan, Mr Right Now) to discuss the release of her enticing new rural romance Fool Me Once (Allen&Unwin).

Q&A with Karly Lane on Fool Me Once

Congratulations on the publication of your 15th novel!

How are you feeling about releasing a book in this current climate?

These are certainly strange times, but I’m really loving how the reading community, booksellers and publishers have all come on board to support each other.

Can you share your writing process with us, in a nutshell?

I have no process, unless you call sometimes starting a book in the middle and writing scenes higgledy-piggledy all the way through, a process! But somehow, in the end, it all comes together.

What inspired you to write Fool Me Once?

One of my very first attempts at writing was a book titled The Cattleman’s Runaway Bride. When I began writing, I only had Mills and Boon in mind to submit to because they were the only ones I had writing guidelines for… This was in the very early days of the internet! It was eventually picked up by a small American publisher and after a few years I received my rights back and the story sat on my computer, unpublished for a number of years.

A year or so ago, I stumbled upon it and decided to have a read through. As I read, I found myself cringing through some parts while still having a soft spot for the actual storyline and characters, so I decided to give the whole thing a big overhaul and rewrite it.

The underlying inspiration for this story was probably something that I’ve carried around inside for quite a long time. I spent a great deal of time on my grandparents’ farm as a child and pretty much every happy childhood memory I have involves the farm and those years. When my grandparents sold it after it got too much for them, I was utterly devastated. If I’d been in a position to, I would have bought it, but I was newly married and hardly had a penny to my name, but I longed to be in a position to one day buy it back.

Writing was a way to channel my dream…

This never happened, and it’s still a very tender wound to be honest. But writing was a way to channel my dream and while I might not have been able to afford to buy back the family farm, maybe my character could! And so was born the idea to write this book.

Who are the main characters?

Georgie Henderson is a strong-willed woman who has spent her life working her way up the ladder in a sometimes, still, very male-dominated career of farming.

She’s had a rough life, losing her mother when she was young and then living with a father who buried his grief in drinking. With years of drought and her father giving up all interest in their property, Georgie’s dream of taking over the farm after university came crashing down around her when she discovered her father had sold the farm without even discussing it with her.

Unable to follow her dreams the way she’d been planning she found a job working on other people’s land but never gave up on her dream to one day buy back Tamban and run it herself. However, then Michael Delacourt came along and threw her plans out the window all over again.

What messages if any, would you like to see readers walk away with?

I wanted to highlight the importance of women in farming. For years women have worked alongside men, often making up unpaid workers as they not only raised children and ran a household, but also help their husbands, brothers and fathers work the land as well.

Women comprise 41% of the agricultural workforce but only 18% of management roles and 2.3% of CEO positions.

In modern farming women now make up a considerable number of the workforce. “Women comprise 41% of the agricultural workforce but only 18% of management roles and 2.3% of CEO positions” Australian Farmers website states.

There are so many stories of inspirational young women working in the farming industry every day, who are sharing their stories and inspiring others and it’s exciting to see so many succeeding in a field they love.

Any final thoughts?

Australian farmers are renowned for the quality of their produce and livestock and take great pride in ensuring its standards are of the highest quality. Our farmers work tirelessly to grow the crops and raise the livestock that feed and clothe us every day and I’m proud to support them and highlight the amazing work they do.

Over the last few years, they’ve battled through drought and then more recently extreme bushfires, followed by flooding. It’s a tough life and makes for tough people, but the very nature of gritting your teeth and getting on with it has also led to other problems—being that rural suicide is taking an enormous toll on our rural communities across the country.

While my last book, Return to Stringybark Creek deals with this issue, Fool Me Once, takes on a slightly different issue—one of women in agriculture and one that I am very proud to support.

Fool Me Once Synopsis

An enticing new rural romance from the bestselling author of The Wrong Callahan and Mr Right Now.

Farmer Georgie Henderson manages a cattle property in the New England region of New South Wales, but her dream has always been to buy back her family farm, Tamban.

When an unlikely meeting with Michael Delacourt at a rowdy B&S Ball sends them on a whirlwind romance, Georgie can’t believe it’s possible for life to be this good. For the first time ever, her dream of buying back Tamban takes a backseat to her happiness.

But her world shatters when she discovers the shocking secret Michael has been trying to keep from her. Can Michael convince her they still have a future? And after having her heart so thoroughly broken, can Georgie ever trust anyone again?

(Allen & Unwin, April 2020)

‘Karly Lane has a wonderful way of creating a sense of place – these are books I know I can fall into and be transported.’ – Noveltea Corner on Return to Stringybark Creek

‘. . . embodies Karly Lane’s passionate rural voice, reminding us of the value she is to Australian fiction. A must buy for all Aussie readers.’ – Mrs B’s Book Reviews on The Wrong Callahan

Get your copy of Fool Me Once from:

Amazon Book Depository Booktopia AU

OR listen to the audiobook FREE with Audible’s Trial (check eligibility)

About the Author, Karly Lane

Karly Lane lives on the mid-north coast of New South Wales. Proud mum to four children and wife of one very patient mechanic, she is lucky enough to spend her day doing the two things she loves most – being a mum and writing stories set in beautiful rural Australia.

Her bestselling novels include North Star, Morgan’s Law, Bridie’s Choice, Poppy’s Dilemma, Gemma’s Bluff, Tallowood Bound, Second Chance Town, Third Time Lucky, If Wishes Were Horses, Six Ways to Sunday, Someone Like You, and the bestselling Callahans of Stringybark Creek series – The Wrong Callahan, Mr Right Now and Return to Stringybark Creek. This is her fifteenth novel.

Check out Karly Lane’s website or connect with her on Twitter or Facebook.