Australian Romance Author Showcase with…Cathryn Hein

As part of Australian Romance Month, Romance Specialist Haylee Nash will be interviewing one Australian Romance author per day. Much like a beauty pageant, each author will be using their charm, wit and grace (and the power of social media) to take home the Booktopia Romance Bestseller crown. Booktopia invites bestselling author of rural romance Cathryn Hein to the stage.

1. Describe the perfect date.
A beautiful spring day, al fresco dining with delicious food and wine, some gentle music or perhaps the sound of the ocean or birdsong, and the man I love. Although I could just as easily be suckered in by  a trip to the SCG to watch my beloved Sydney Swans in action. Throw in a hot pie and a big win, and perfection is found!

2. Which of your books are you most proud of?
All of them, including the book I’m working on now and am very close to completing. There’s something so incredibly satisfying about finishing a book. It’s an amazing high and never ceases to fill me with pride.

3. What is the hardest thing about being a romance author?
Coping with the crushes that I develop on my heroes. I fall hard for those men and sometimes think I’ll never recover, but then the next hero comes along and crash I go again!

4. What is the best thing about being a romance author?
With each book I get to fall in love! Isn’t that wonderful? And I really enjoy getting to know my characters, their hopes, dreams and fears, and then completely stuffing up their lives.

5. Who (aside from a significant other) do you swoon over?
My heroes! Although Chris Hemsworth gives me terrible girly wobbles. I never thought I’d enjoy watching ads so much until he started doing them for Foxtel. Sigh. Also the entire Sydney Swans football team…

6. Tell us something very few people know about you.
My golf handicap is 25. Oh, that hurt to say! I so, so want to be better but I’m one of those unfortunate people whose love for sport is inversely proportional to their aptitude.

7. Describe your writing style in three words.
Fluid. Emotional. Layered.

Click here to buy Heartland from Booktopia,
Australia’s local bookstore

8. What is your definition of a good book?
A good book is one I either want to cuddle when I’ve finished because I’ve loved it so much, or one I place carefully down and stare off into space, contemplating the amazing journey on which I’ve just been taken.

9. Which author would you invite to a dinner party and why?
Stephen King. He’s an amazing storyteller and I suspect that what he doesn’t know about this writing business isn’t worth knowing. Plus I could enjoy my own little fan-girl rave session.

10. Finish this sentence: I would do anything for love, but I won’t do_____
Oh, wonderful. Now I have a rather persistent earworm. Makes me feel like answering ‘I won’t listen to Meat Loaf sing at the AFL grand final ever again,’ but that’s a given. How about: I would do anything for love, but I won’t do nude skydiving.

Cathryn Hein was born in South Australia’s rural south-east. With three generations of jockeys in the family it was little wonder she grew up horse mad, finally obtaining her first horse at age 10. So began years of pony club, eventing, dressage and showjumping until university beckoned.  Armed with a shiny Bachelor of Applied Science (Agriculture) she began work in the agricultural and turf seeds industry, until her partner’s posting to France took Cathryn overseas for three years in Provence where she finally gave in to her life-long desire to write. Now living in Melbourne, Cathryn writes full-time.

14 Comments Share:

About the Contributor

Booktopia