Sunset At Pencarrow
Sweet As
Thanks for hosting us. Lou Sylvre and I are stoked to be here today as part of our blog tour for our re-release of Sunset at Pencarrow with JMS Books.
As Sunset at Pencarrow is set in New Zealand we were careful to walk a fine line between using the Kiwi idioms that are used here and ensuring international readers still knew what the characters were talking about.
As Rusty is American he could connect with the readers by asking questions about the slang that wouldn’t be described in the narrative, but it would get boring quickly if he did too much of that. And Nate isn’t about to explain expressions he uses every day when he’s narrating.
I figured “sweet as” would need an explanation—a word with ‘as’ tacked on the end is common here and is used to imply there is nothing to compare it with. For example, hot as is very hot, cold as is very cold, and so forth. Another common word is “munted” which means something is broken. There are a few stories circulating as to its origin, and it’s one I hadn’t heard growing up so is more recent, particularly since the Christchurch earthquakes. We also use the words high school and college interchangeably so that was something that needed clarifying too.
It’s often the little things the locals don’t think about that causes culture shock for someone visiting from another country. Driving on the left in New Zealand is expected, but watching someone drown their meal in tomato sauce—which is very different to ketchup—might not be. I had overseas friends stay with me a few years ago and they were surprised that our takeaway shops sell Chinese takeout as well as hamburgers and fish and chips. We dunk our chips—and a lot of other stuff—in tomato sauce, while they were used to mayonnaise. I also managed to get them addicted to L&P—Lemon and Paeroa—which is a popular soft drink only available here. L&Ps advertising jingle describes it as “world famous—in New Zealand.”
I was also surprised to find myself double checking some of our expressions, as being questioned about them led to me being unsure that what I use is actually what everyone else does. I blame that on the fact I’m half Australian so I grew up hearing both. When I went hunting online for lists of New Zealand slang to check, they used words I’d never heard or very rarely. I’m not sure whether those lists are a generational thing, or influenced by how we’re perceived by social media and movies.
We also share a few expressions with Australia, and with the UK but there are some which are distinctly Kiwi, such as those I’ve mentioned above. Although Lou and I had fun popping in a lot of New Zealand references and showcasing the scenery, a lot of this country also reminds visitors of home. We’ve become popular in recent years as “Middle Earth,” but sadly I have still to find any hobbits, despite visiting some of the locations close by where the movies were filmed.
We’re aiming to write more New Zealand romances, but we’ve headed for Scotland for our next story. The Harp and the Sea is an historical fantasy set in 1745, and releases from NineStar Press later this year.
Blurb:
Kiwi Nathaniel Dunn
is in a fighting mood, but how does a man fight Wellington’s famous fog? In the
last year, Nate’s lost his longtime lover to boredom and his ten-year job to
the economy. Now he’s found a golden opportunity for employment where he can
even use his artistic talent, but to get the job, he has to get to Christchurch
today. Heavy fog means no flight, and the ticket agent is ignoring him to fawn
over a beautiful but annoying, overly polite American man.
Rusty Beaumont can deal with a canceled flight, but the pushy Kiwi at the
ticket counter is making it difficult for him to stay cool. The guy rubs him
all the wrong ways despite his sexy working-man look, which Rusty notices even
though he’s not looking for a man to replace the fiancé who died two years ago.
Yet when they’re forced to share a table at the crowded airport café, Nate
reveals the kind heart behind his grumpy façade. An earthquake, sex in the
bush, and visits from Nate’s belligerent ex turn a day of sightseeing into a
slippery slope that just might land them in love.
Buy Links:
https://books2read.com/sunsetatpencarrow
Excerpt:
Nate turned off the water, toweled himself dry quickly, and yanked on his clothes. When he reached the bedroom, he was surprised to find it empty and the pile of blankets Rusty had slept on neatly folded on the end of the bed. He heard voices in the kitchen and hoped Amy wasn’t telling Rusty anything she shouldn’t. Nate ran a comb through his hair, glanced at himself in the mirror, and walked, he hoped nonchalantly, out to the kitchen.
Rusty sat at the table, nursing a cup of what smelled like coffee, an empty bowl in front of him. He gave Nate a smile, and Amy looked up from the pantry. She had a couple of cereal packets in her arms—the only two kinds they had.
“Morning,” Nate said to Rusty. “Hope you slept well.”
“I slept really well, thanks,” Amy said. She grinned at him, then had the decency to at least look apologetic. “Sorry about last night. I didn’t realize you were bringing a date home. Thought you were supposed to be in Christchurch?”
“It’s not a date,” Nate and Rusty said at the same time.
Nate’s face flamed again but he averted his gaze so he didn’t notice whether Rusty’s did as well.
“Our flight was delayed because of the fog,” Rusty explained. “Nate was kind enough to offer me somewhere to stay for the night. The airport chairs didn’t look all that comfortable.”
“Nate’s good like that,” Amy said, giving Rusty a huge smile. “He’s a good guy. I wouldn’t be flatting with him otherwise.” She put the cereal boxes on the table. “And your choice for breakfast this morning is…Weet-Bix or muesli. Or if they don’t work for you, we have toast with an amazing variety of spreads to go with it.” She turned back to the pantry. “Let’s see. Vegemite, Marmite—because some people have no taste—jam, and peanut butter.” Amy picked up the peanut butter jar and peered inside. “Sorry, no peanut butter. Someone used it all, put the empty jar back in the cupboard, and didn’t put it on the shopping list.”
“Ask your boyfriend,” Nate muttered. “He eats all the food and never replaces it. And,” he added, “there’s nothing wrong with Marmite. Not my fault if you eat that other stuff.”
Rusty looked as though he was trying not to laugh. “Whatever you have will be fine, thanks, although I’ll pass on the Vegemite <i>and</i> the Marmite.”
About the authors:
Anne Barwell lives in Wellington, New Zealand. She shares her home with Kaylee: a cat with “tortitude” who is convinced that the house is run to suit her; this is an ongoing “discussion,” and to date, it appears as though Kaylee may be winning.
In 2008, Anne completed her conjoint BA in English Literature and Music/Bachelor of Teaching. She has worked as a music teacher, a primary school teacher, and now works in a library. She is a member of the Upper Hutt Science Fiction Club and plays violin for Hutt Valley Orchestra.
She is an avid reader across a wide range of genres and a watcher of far too many TV series and movies, although it can be argued that there is no such thing as “too many.” These, of course, are best enjoyed with a decent cup of tea and further the continuing argument that the concept of “spare time” is really just a myth. She also hosts and reviews for other authors, and writes monthly blog posts for Love Bytes. She is the co-founder of the New Zealand Rainbow Romance writers, and a member of RWNZ.
Anne’s books have received honourable mentions five times, reached the finals four times—one of which was for best gay book—and been a runner up in the Rainbow Awards. She has also been nominated twice in the Goodreads M/M Romance Reader’s Choice Awards—once for Best Fantasy and once for Best Historical.
Website & Blog—Drops of Ink: http://annebarwell.wordpress.com/
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/anne.barwell.1
Facebook group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/annesbooksandbrews/
Joint Facebook group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/KiwiAuthorsRainbowReaders/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/annebarwell
Sign up for my newsletter: https://mailchi.mp/39edaba3e3ad/annebarwellauthor
Lou Sylvre loves romance with all its ups and downs, and likes to conjure it into books. The sweethearts on her pages are men who end up loving each other—and usually saving each
other from unspeakable danger. It’s all pretty crazy and very, very sexy. As if you’d want to know more, she’ll happily tell you that she is a proudly bisexual woman—a mother, grandmother, lover of languages, and cat-herder—of mixed cultural heritage. She works closely with lead cat and writing assistant, the (male) Queen of Budapest, Boudreau St. Clair. She lives in the rainy part of the Pacific Northwest, and hearing from a reader unfailingly brightens the dreary weather.
For more information, visit sylvre.rainbow-gate.com.