Hey Everyone!I'd like to introduce you to Meredith Appleyard, who has just released her latest novel, The Doctor Calling.
Meredith Appleyard lives in the Clare Valley wine-growing region of South Australia, two hours north of Adelaide. As a registered nurse and midwife, she has worked in a wide range of country health practice settings, including the Royal Flying Doctor Service. She has done agency nursing in London and volunteer work in Vietnam. After her first manuscript was rejected, she joined a writers' group, attended workshops and successfully completed an Advanced Diploma of Arts in Professional Writing with the Adelaide College of the Arts. And she kept working. When she isn't writing, Meredith is reading, helping organise the annual Clare Writers' Festival, or at home with her husband and her border collie, Daisy. The Country Practice is her first novel.
Connect with Meredith via
Guest Post
My Writers Journey Part 2
When I hadn’t been a published writer, it was all I aspired to. Consciously, I’d never really thought past the point of publication – I wondered if I’d ever need to. And here I am – my second book, The Doctor Calling, about to make its appearance on bookshelves, with the third pending. Now I have real deadlines that drive me to my desk. I have contractual obligations. I have an agent. I’m learning an enormous amount working with skilled editors. I am a guest on radio and write guest blogs and answer Q&A’s. I have a webpage and a Facebook page and I give author talks at libraries…
I wish I could remember where I read, and who said, that writing the book is just the beginning! They were so right. When Penguin Books signed me up for The Country Practice, my publisher said it takes about twelve months to get from commissioning to the print book being on the shelves. It was a steep learning curve.
When I received the pages of notes that were my first ever structural edit, the thought that popped into my mind, on top of the sick feeling in my stomach, was, ‘I wonder what they actually liked about it?’ But I took it all in. They knew what they were doing, and there and then I made a pact with myself: I’d learn from it and my next book would be better. And in all honesty, from that point on, I enjoyed the process.
With the second book, The Doctor Calling, I was way more savvy and the structural edit wasn’t as many pages as the first one! Luckily, I worked with the same team again and it was terrific. I believe my writing has improved and now, working on book three, I can see how everything I’ve learnt is coming together. And I think I’m getting better at the publicity stuff as well! It feels more natural.
Was I prepared for life after being published? Not really, but looking back it has been an interesting trip and an awesome journey. If I get stuck there are plenty of people along the way to answer questions and offer support and encouragement. And writing is a joy.
The Doctor Calling by Meredith Appleyard
What Laura was about to do wasn't easy. To become embroiled in a family's grief, their anger, their secrets, wasn't safe, or clever.
Rebuilding her life again after unexpected tragedy, GP Laura O'Connor flees Adelaide, and her medical career, for a quiet life in rural Potters Junction. She's looking to escape her own family dramas. The last thing she expects is to become caught up in another's.
Jake Finlay is a man with a troubled past and a passion for risk-taking. After years away from his small home town, he's hell-bent on keeping his distance. But his father is dying and this could be the last chance they have to make amends.
As Laura and Jake come together over the care for the frail man, they experience an irresistible attraction. Will facing death help them both to grab hold of life? And might love be just what the doctor ordered?
Hey! Here's my review.
This story hit quite close to home. Last month, my motorcycle loving husband went to visit his parents to help clear out all the accumulated junk in their carport, just after his father had been diagnosed with cancer. Thank goodness they live in a retirement village and he didn't fall in love with the next door neighbour!
I loved going on the journey of healing and personal growth with Laura and Jake. I really liked Laura and wanted to slap some sense into Jake. The writing was engaging and the characters well developed. Meridith portrayed life in a small country town well, highlighting the importance of services being available locally.
This is the first book I've read by the author and I plan to read more of Meredith's work. I received this book free from netGalley in exchange for an honest review.
I loved going on the journey of healing and personal growth with Laura and Jake. I really liked Laura and wanted to slap some sense into Jake. The writing was engaging and the characters well developed. Meridith portrayed life in a small country town well, highlighting the importance of services being available locally.
This is the first book I've read by the author and I plan to read more of Meredith's work. I received this book free from netGalley in exchange for an honest review.