It’s only taken 6 months to get her here, but finally Lexxie Couper has decided to blog over at my place. LOL, have you met her yet? She is lovely. Pretty as anything, lots of fun, with an imagination none of us could begin to fathom. Lexxie writes very, very, very hot – okay scorching – paranormal romance. And she is honestly a brilliant author. If you haven’t yet read her stuff, don’t worry. She has a new release coming out at Samhain in a couple weeks . (Yep, she’s about to tell you all about it.) And if you want more info, I blogged about Lexxie a while back. Check it out here.

But why do you want to hear more from me, when? Lexxie can say it so much better herself. 🙂 She’s here to chat about being Australia and her Samhain releases.

🙂

Jess

Lexxie Couper: To Australia or Not?

I’m a proud Aussie. Anyone familiar with me has probably worked that out by now. The words “fair dinkum”, “crikey”, “struth”, “bloody hell” and “by jingoes” regularly pepper my conversations. There are some Australians who suffer what is known Down Under as the “cultural cringe” – a distinct distaste for the more Aussie elements of our heritage. I’m not one of them. I grew up in the outback and love who I am. What better way to say someone is not pleasant to look at than to say “Jeez, they’re as ugly as a hat full of a*se-holes!”

Okay, maybe there are better ways, but the Aussie way seems, to me at least, to have more visual kick and really, what is language for than to plant images in the minds of those we talk to, no matter the medium?

Having said that, I find myself in a conundrum. When does my love-affair with my own country become too much for my readers? My last two books have Australian heroes. They say “fair dinkum” often. I’ve written three books set in Australia (well, four, actually, but one is still looking for a home) and have another three planned. Each time I write a story set Down Under I research the location in great detail, visiting it often if I can, spending hours on the net if I can’t (contrary to belief, Australia is a bloody big place. I can not drive to the Outback or the Great Barrier Reef in a day). Every time I begin to write, I fall in love all over again with my home country and want my readers to do so as well.

But should I?

Judging by the lukewarm reception to Baz Luhrman’s “Australia” (which is a beautiful, wonderful film, btw) anything Aussie isn’t necessarily warmly welcomed in the rest of the world. What does this mean for me? Does this mean I should transplant my heroes and heroines to far off distant shores and planets? Should I return to my sci-fi roots?

My latest release, Savage Retribution, sees an Irish werewolf fighting for his life in Sydney, Australia. I had lots of fun writing this book. I wanted to show what Australia and Australians are like from a non-Aussie’s point of view. The heroine, Regan, is an animal rights activist who rescues a wolf from a notorious science lab only to discover the wolf is really a man…well, a werewolf. Suffice to say, she’s a little surprised. More so when said man forces her to join him on a mad dash that takes them from Bondi Beach to the opulent suburbs on Sydney’s North Shore, in an attempt to escape the scientist/werewolf hellbent on destroying them both. There’s lots of Sydney locations, lots of Aussie characters and lots and lots of “bloody hells”, “fair dinkums” and the odd “crikey”.

Next month, Death, The Vamp and his Brother is being released by Samhain. Another tale set in Sydney, this one has the head lifeguard of Bondi Beach as the hero. You can?t really get a more Aussie bloke than that ? Bondi Beach, one of the most Aussie icons in the country plus a man who spends his days on that beach watching over the lives of thousands of tourists and locals alike. The story for Death, The Vamp and his Brother sees the Apocalypse about to destroy mankind, and guess where that horrific event is going to take place? Yep, Bondi Beach ?

There are two sequels to Savage Retribution, both set in Australia (one in the Outback, one in the lush rain forest state of Tasmania) and two planned for Death, The Vamp and His Brother (both set in Sydney) but should I set them somewhere else?

Or should I say, to hell with it all? They say writers should write what they love, and I love Australia, I really do. So, I guess that answers my problem, doesn’t it.

To Australia or not? Well, in the immortal words of Men At Work…I come from the land Down Under… and I’m proud of it *grin*

Death, The Vamp and His Brother
When it comes down to love or duty, pick a side?and pray your heart survives.
Death exists for one purpose and one purpose only: to sever the life-threads of the living. She does her job with pride and an unwavering commitment. Nothing ruffles her. Until she encounters Patrick Watkins. The Australian lifeguard pushes all her buttons?and makes her tailbone itch like crazy. And when her tailbone itches, it means trouble is brewing. Big trouble.
Ven?s gut tells him that Death is taking aim at his kid brother. He should know?he died and was turned vampire while trying to prevent another failed murder-attempt eighteen years ago. Patrick is meant to do something important in the world, and Ven will do anything to keep him safe. Even take on Death herself. In more ways than one.
As far as Patrick?s concerned, the whole thing is a load of bull. But what if everything Death tells him turns out to be true? How is he expected to save mankind from the worst fate of all?the Apocalypse? Especially when all he can think about is how quickly he?s falling in love with the most feared Horseman of them all?
Warning: This book contains enough heresy to shame the Devil, more scorching sex than one person can handle, Oh, and lots of Australian colloquialism. A bloody lot of Australian colloquialism.

You can find out more about the mad Aussie woman, Lexxie Couper at her website. While you’re there, take a look at her book trailers.