Shannon here: Jessica Kate takes us on a tour of her native country, Australia. Comment or answer the question at the end of any post dated June 11-14 to enter the drawing for a copy of her latest Romantic Comedy, Love and Other Mistakes. U.S. only. Deadline: June 22nd, 11:59 pm central time. Here’s Jessica:
G’Day USA: Bringing American Rom Com Novels Down Under
We all love a great romantic comedy, but what’s one thing that can make a hilarious love story just a bit better?
The country that produced Chris Hemsworth, of course.
As a proud Aussie myself, I had buckets of fun writing A Girl’s Guide to the Outback, where my American heroine, Kimberly Foster, chases her ex-colleague and Aussie bloke Samuel Payton from the Virginia-based youth ministry they once ran together all the way to his family farm in outback Queensland, Australia.
Forget the Sydney Opera House and Harbor Bridge—Kimberly gets the
full Aussie experience as she works with Sam and his twin sister Jules to help save their family farm—all on the condition that Sam returns to the USA with her to save the ailing youth ministry.
If only Kimberly had a list like this one to aid her in her quest. But if you, dear reader, decide to visit the more rural areas of the Land Down Under, here’s a little something to help you: A Girl’s Guide to the Outback.
- Store your boots upside-down to prevent spiders, mice, frogs and/or baby snakes from curling up in them when you sleep.
- Our kangaroos are like your deer. They look cute, but at some point you’ll need to slam the car brakes.
- Enjoy our coffee—it’s amongst the best in the world.
- Don’t trust tall tales Australians tell you about mythical scary creatures.
- Beware the drop bears.
- When you hear someone talk about their ‘thongs’, they’re probably referring to flip-flops.
- Our money is color-coded for your convenience.
- Our toilets have two buttons: half flush and full flush. For some reason this causes tremendous confusion amongst tourists.
- Locals pronounce the name of our country as ‘Straya’. Say it right and you’re an honorary citizen.
- If you see a stick that moves, don’t touch it.
Kimberly encounters plenty of local wildlife, including our kangaroos.
My parents helped inspire the subplot for this book, as one loves the beach and the other the farm (just like my hero’s sister Jules and her ex-boyfriend Mick.) I combined rural farm settings plus some beach scenes set at the Gold Coast. As you can see, the water at the Goldie really does look golden.
I grew up on farms across rural Australia, which inspired the fictional Yarra Plains property. Our landscape can be pretty brown at times, but the sunsets are spectacular.
About Jessica: Australian Jessica Kate is a sassy romance author and addict.
Her novels feature wit, snark and grit, and her StoryNerds podcast gives her a chance to nerd out with others about these ingredients in books, movies and TV.
She has a passion for garlic bread, theme parks and Batman.
Sign up to her newsletter at jessicakatewriting.com to hear first about her books, including her upcoming novels Love and Other Mistakes and A Girl’s Guide to the Outback.
Facebook and Instagram: Jessica Kate Writing. StoryNerds podcast: Available on Spotify and Apple Podcasts and at www.storynerds.podbean.com.

Giveaway
About the book – A Girl’s Guide to the Outback:
Kimberly Foster needs help from the last man in the world who would give it.
She and Samuel Payton fought so much during their three-year stint as colleagues that they now reside in different halves of the globe. She’s still the business director of the Virginia-based youth ministry that Sam founded, while he’s back at his family’s farm in rural Australia.
But Kimberly can’t find a suitable replacement for Sam, and the ministry is in trouble. She needs him back. What she doesn’t know is that the Payton farm’s finances are scarier than statistics on Australian spider bites.
She and Sam strike a deal: if she can use her business savvy to save the farm, he’ll return to Virginia and recruit and train his replacement.
Soon Kimberly’s on the edge of the Outback, working more closely with Sam than ever before. Can she protect his family’s legacy, the ministry, and her heart?
Get your preorder now! A Girl’s Guide to the Outback
Question for Readers: If you could travel Australia (or read a novel set there), what would be your top locations?
Come back June 18th for Lindsey P. Brackett!
love to go to the outback of Australia to see the kangaroos and wallabees and other wild animals
There’s plenty of them around! (Though two less than there used to be – and my car has the dents to show it.)
The Gold Coast looks awesome! Take me there, please!!!
The Goldie is AWESOME. Theme parks, restaurants, beaches, loads of fun. My parents lived there for 4 years so I visited a lot! And if you like a quieter pace, the Sunshine Coast is delightful too.
I would love to go to Sydney, The Great Barrier Reef, and Ayers Rock/Mount Uluru.
Australia gave us Barry Gibb too. Guess I’m showing my age on that one. I like the Gold Coast too.
The Goldie’s terrific, and until you mentioned Barry Gibb I didn’t even know the Bee Gees lived in Australia at all!
Sydney, the Gold Coast, and anyplace where I can see a kangaroo! 🙂
Anyplace you can see a kangaroo? Drive 10km on a back road out of any town in the country, and you’ll probably see one (and have to do evasive manoeuvres!)
I would absolutely LOVE to visit Australia! I’d love to visit the outback and see kangaroos hopping around everywhere. I’d love to drive around and see the beautiful countryside. And…I’d also love to see some of your big cities and taste the Australian coffee and food.
So, I guess to summarize, I don’t have a specific Aussie destination I’d prefer, I’d just like to take in as much as I could. 🙂
And I love reading books set in Australia because it’s as close as I can get to actually visiting right now, but I’m hoping that will change someday!
Thanks for the opportunity to win!
Yay for a food tour! 😀 Hope you like Italian, because it’s on pretty much every menu here.
If you like books set in Aus, have you read Kara Isaac’s Then There Was You and also All Made Up? Both Aussie settings, one in the city and one in the country! 🙂 (The second one is set near where I live!)
I’m complicated – I’d really like a combination of both! When I was younger, I’d have been OUTBACK all the way. Now that I’m older & not as active as I used to be (nerve pain in my left leg) I would probably choose the Gold Coast.
The Goldie is a great choice! All the fun of the city and the beach in one place. 🙂
Ooh, the Gold Coast because I’ve never been to the ocean, and the Outback, and the Sydney opera house! Your country is so fascinating!
You have to see Australia’s beaches! They’re SO GOOD! Nothing beats that salty air and warm sand.
I I traveled to Australia, I want to drive and take lots of photos along the Great Ocean Road, explore the national parks, and ride a camel on Cable Beach. P.S. I live in the US and our toilets have the same flushing.
I just did the Great Ocean Road! It was amazing!
I don’t know my top places to visit in Australia, but I love views, the beach/coastline, and nature scenes that make me go–WOW!
Our beaches are awesome! Love them. 🙂
I’d love to see Australia! I’m not sure which parts exactly, though they all look beautiful. I’d probably start in Sydney and travel from there I guess.
I just did the Great Ocean Road and I can recommend it! Though if you want to swim in water warming than freezing, head up to Queensland’s sunny beaches.
I’ve always wanted to go to Uluru and see the Aussie outback in general. 🙂
I’ve never seen Uluru either! Though I think I’d go to the Kimberly first.
The Great Barrier Reef and the Opera House and the Waterfalls
Good choices! I especially recommend a German pub that’s a short walk from the Opera House. Delicious pork belly. 🙂
Hey Jessica. I meant to tell you that 1, 2, 4, 6 & 10 to Arkansas. 1 is mostly spiders, but all the others could happen. 2 is about deer. And it sounds like I need to find some Australian coffee. My husband and I are addicts.
I have a winner! Brittany Searfoss won the drawing. I appreciate Jessica for being my guest and everyone else for stopping by.