Tammy Mannersly
What’s your favorite thing to do to relax?
Besides watching a cheerful movie or reading a good book, I love walking along the beach of a morning or afternoon and watching the waves roll in. I feel very blessed to live so close to the water and to be able to enjoy that stunning scenery every day.
If you could go back in time to when you were seven years old, what wisdom or advice would you pass on to yourself?
There are probably many things I wish I realised much earlier in life, but the main two are:
For what are you most grateful?
I am most grateful for my parents. Without them—their unconditional love and never-ending support—I never would have been able to pursue my dreams.
Now about you as an author…
Did anyone in your life influence you or encouraged you to be a writer? (teacher, family member, friend)
When I was in primary school, I hadn’t considered writing as a career until my year 7 teacher told my parents and I that he wanted me to send some of my work into an organisation that held an annual writing camp for young people. Apparently, he’d noticed the flair in my creative writing assignments and believed I had the potential to score a coveted spot at the camp. At the time, I had been writing stories for myself after school, using them as a form of escape and expression. I ended up being chosen to attend and got to meet and be mentored by various Australian authors with national and international acclaim. One of those authors was Narelle Oliver, the award-winning children’s book author-illustrator, and seeing her passion, recognising mine, helped inspire me to work toward writing as a career.
Do you have any “must haves” with you while you’re writing?
Since I hate working in silence, I must have the television on with some movie or TV show that I know by heart and the volume low enough that the verbal buzz doesn’t pull me from focus. Besides my beloved laptop, I also always surround myself with my initial notes, a baby name dictionary, several half-empty “idea” notebooks, my lovely to-do list notepad (which I can’t live without) and an assortment of coloured pens. Air-conditioning is also a must as sunny South-East Queensland is subtropical and not always friendly to electronics.
Do you have a common theme or item that appears in each of your books?
Being an ex-swimmer and slightly obsessed with swimming pools, especially as I don’t currently have one at home, I have noticed that the majority of my books include swimming pools or water of some kind. I honestly didn’t plan from the beginning to have pools or water feature so frequently. It must have just been an odd subconscious addition.
Tell us about your latest release:
How did you decide on your story plot?
Let’s just say that the plot of my most recently released novel, Persuading Lucy, was inspired by true events. It’s dedicated to my wonderful best friend, with whom I shared an interesting life event that strengthened our friendship and forever changed our relationship with our closest male friend.
How did you choose the location for your story?
I normally choose local Australian locations that I love and frequently visit. The beauty of these places, whether as picturesque scenery, friendly small town or bustling city, always inspires me, prompting story ideas I just can’t ignore.
Do you have a character that you identify with? Who and why?
In many of my stories, I tend to identify with my female protagonist’s friends, often their best friend. In Persuading Lucy, I connect the most with Lucy’s friends Maddy and Steph. I think I feel this way, because the protagonist is often guided by their close friends in a way that is somewhat similar to how I, as an author, guide the story and characters along. I also often like to create those characters, especially those who are best friends with the female protagonist, as a version of the kind of best friend I strive to be.
Besides watching a cheerful movie or reading a good book, I love walking along the beach of a morning or afternoon and watching the waves roll in. I feel very blessed to live so close to the water and to be able to enjoy that stunning scenery every day.
If you could go back in time to when you were seven years old, what wisdom or advice would you pass on to yourself?
There are probably many things I wish I realised much earlier in life, but the main two are:
- It is not your obligation to always please everyone, to keep everybody happy and take responsibility for every mistake, accident or bad situation. Don’t forget, you deserve happiness, encouragement and compassion as much as all of those people you aim to please.
- There is no need to always be perfect or hold yourself so severely accountable when you and your efforts or achievements do not reach the highest level of success. Everyone is flawed. Be proud of everything you achieve in life, not just those that impress the masses.
For what are you most grateful?
I am most grateful for my parents. Without them—their unconditional love and never-ending support—I never would have been able to pursue my dreams.
Now about you as an author…
Did anyone in your life influence you or encouraged you to be a writer? (teacher, family member, friend)
When I was in primary school, I hadn’t considered writing as a career until my year 7 teacher told my parents and I that he wanted me to send some of my work into an organisation that held an annual writing camp for young people. Apparently, he’d noticed the flair in my creative writing assignments and believed I had the potential to score a coveted spot at the camp. At the time, I had been writing stories for myself after school, using them as a form of escape and expression. I ended up being chosen to attend and got to meet and be mentored by various Australian authors with national and international acclaim. One of those authors was Narelle Oliver, the award-winning children’s book author-illustrator, and seeing her passion, recognising mine, helped inspire me to work toward writing as a career.
Do you have any “must haves” with you while you’re writing?
Since I hate working in silence, I must have the television on with some movie or TV show that I know by heart and the volume low enough that the verbal buzz doesn’t pull me from focus. Besides my beloved laptop, I also always surround myself with my initial notes, a baby name dictionary, several half-empty “idea” notebooks, my lovely to-do list notepad (which I can’t live without) and an assortment of coloured pens. Air-conditioning is also a must as sunny South-East Queensland is subtropical and not always friendly to electronics.
Do you have a common theme or item that appears in each of your books?
Being an ex-swimmer and slightly obsessed with swimming pools, especially as I don’t currently have one at home, I have noticed that the majority of my books include swimming pools or water of some kind. I honestly didn’t plan from the beginning to have pools or water feature so frequently. It must have just been an odd subconscious addition.
Tell us about your latest release:
How did you decide on your story plot?
Let’s just say that the plot of my most recently released novel, Persuading Lucy, was inspired by true events. It’s dedicated to my wonderful best friend, with whom I shared an interesting life event that strengthened our friendship and forever changed our relationship with our closest male friend.
How did you choose the location for your story?
I normally choose local Australian locations that I love and frequently visit. The beauty of these places, whether as picturesque scenery, friendly small town or bustling city, always inspires me, prompting story ideas I just can’t ignore.
Do you have a character that you identify with? Who and why?
In many of my stories, I tend to identify with my female protagonist’s friends, often their best friend. In Persuading Lucy, I connect the most with Lucy’s friends Maddy and Steph. I think I feel this way, because the protagonist is often guided by their close friends in a way that is somewhat similar to how I, as an author, guide the story and characters along. I also often like to create those characters, especially those who are best friends with the female protagonist, as a version of the kind of best friend I strive to be.
Blurb:
You can’t hide from destiny….
Callum Hawthorne is one of those lucky guys who seem to have it all. He’s a wealthy property tycoon, the CEO of his family’s company. He’s handsome, intelligent and charming and has a gorgeous new woman on his arm every week. But there’s one thing still missing – the love of his life, Lucy Spencer.
Fourteen long years ago, Lucy left for college and cut off all contact with Cal, leaving their mutual friend Madison as his only connection. That was until in his effort to save his deceased father’s beloved Gold Coast property, The Calypso, Cal contacts Insight Marketing, the best advertising firm in Melbourne, and discovers his Lucy among the team.
Successful marketing executive, Lucy Spencer had managed to avoid her ex-best friend for nearly half their lives. Fearful of trusting him, loving him and having her heart broken all over again, Lucy tries to keep her distance from him, but discovers that there is a fine line between love and hate, and maybe – just maybe – Cal could be her inescapable destiny.
Excerpt:
Cal was flabbergasted. What had happened? What had he missed?
Then, distracted by her outburst, he made another mistake and his grip on Lucy’s wrist loosened slightly. As if sensing his lapse in control, she used the whole weight of her small frame to jerk herself free of his hold and with a triumphant sigh she began to back away.
“So, you orchestrated this together, did you? What, did you seduce Maddy too? Why can’t you just leave me alone?”
Cal’s gaze narrowed with concern. “What are you talking about, Luce?”
Worried that she’d run before he had a chance to explain, Cal reached out and took a step toward her. But, Lucy immediately backed farther away, taking two steps for his single stride.
“What did you give her to make her finally tell you where I was?”
Her fiery glare was enough to make his fingers ache to touch her, to soothe her. He hated seeing her in so much distress.
“Nothing.” His voice was calm, pacifying. “She didn’t tell me.”
Lucy frowned and her gaze dropped from his, confusion clearly clouding her expression.
“But I—” She shook her head with irritation and glanced back up at him. “But how did you know that I’d be here?”
Cal smiled as he remembered the moment of pure serendipity, the second he’d seen her gorgeous face on the team’s profile page on the Insight Marketing website. Executive Manager Lucy S., it had read. Cal had tried searching the internet for her before, but to no avail. There had always been too many Lucy Spencers and he’d been convinced that she must have altered her name. Yet, this time he’d found her, so simply found her, as though the universe had finally pointed her out to him.
“Fate,” he said confidently.
Bio:
Tammy Mannersly is an Australian author based in Brisbane, Queensland. She loves writing romance, has a fondness for animals, is crazy about movies and enjoys a great Happily Ever After. Her passion for writing started from a very young age and led her to complete a Bachelor Degree in Creative Industries majoring in Creative Writing at Queensland University of Technology. Her novel, Persuading Lucy, is a semi-finalist in the 2018 Chatelaine Books Awards for Romantic Fiction, a Chanticleer International Book Awards competition.
You can find out more information about Tammy and her work on her website: www.tammymannersly.com or by visiting:
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/tammymannersly
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/16935790.Tammy_Mannersly
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/tammymannersly/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/TammyMannersly
You can’t hide from destiny….
Callum Hawthorne is one of those lucky guys who seem to have it all. He’s a wealthy property tycoon, the CEO of his family’s company. He’s handsome, intelligent and charming and has a gorgeous new woman on his arm every week. But there’s one thing still missing – the love of his life, Lucy Spencer.
Fourteen long years ago, Lucy left for college and cut off all contact with Cal, leaving their mutual friend Madison as his only connection. That was until in his effort to save his deceased father’s beloved Gold Coast property, The Calypso, Cal contacts Insight Marketing, the best advertising firm in Melbourne, and discovers his Lucy among the team.
Successful marketing executive, Lucy Spencer had managed to avoid her ex-best friend for nearly half their lives. Fearful of trusting him, loving him and having her heart broken all over again, Lucy tries to keep her distance from him, but discovers that there is a fine line between love and hate, and maybe – just maybe – Cal could be her inescapable destiny.
Excerpt:
Cal was flabbergasted. What had happened? What had he missed?
Then, distracted by her outburst, he made another mistake and his grip on Lucy’s wrist loosened slightly. As if sensing his lapse in control, she used the whole weight of her small frame to jerk herself free of his hold and with a triumphant sigh she began to back away.
“So, you orchestrated this together, did you? What, did you seduce Maddy too? Why can’t you just leave me alone?”
Cal’s gaze narrowed with concern. “What are you talking about, Luce?”
Worried that she’d run before he had a chance to explain, Cal reached out and took a step toward her. But, Lucy immediately backed farther away, taking two steps for his single stride.
“What did you give her to make her finally tell you where I was?”
Her fiery glare was enough to make his fingers ache to touch her, to soothe her. He hated seeing her in so much distress.
“Nothing.” His voice was calm, pacifying. “She didn’t tell me.”
Lucy frowned and her gaze dropped from his, confusion clearly clouding her expression.
“But I—” She shook her head with irritation and glanced back up at him. “But how did you know that I’d be here?”
Cal smiled as he remembered the moment of pure serendipity, the second he’d seen her gorgeous face on the team’s profile page on the Insight Marketing website. Executive Manager Lucy S., it had read. Cal had tried searching the internet for her before, but to no avail. There had always been too many Lucy Spencers and he’d been convinced that she must have altered her name. Yet, this time he’d found her, so simply found her, as though the universe had finally pointed her out to him.
“Fate,” he said confidently.
Bio:
Tammy Mannersly is an Australian author based in Brisbane, Queensland. She loves writing romance, has a fondness for animals, is crazy about movies and enjoys a great Happily Ever After. Her passion for writing started from a very young age and led her to complete a Bachelor Degree in Creative Industries majoring in Creative Writing at Queensland University of Technology. Her novel, Persuading Lucy, is a semi-finalist in the 2018 Chatelaine Books Awards for Romantic Fiction, a Chanticleer International Book Awards competition.
You can find out more information about Tammy and her work on her website: www.tammymannersly.com or by visiting:
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/tammymannersly
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/16935790.Tammy_Mannersly
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/tammymannersly/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/TammyMannersly
