The Writing Life with Julianne McLean, co-author of 'Cocktails and Mock-Tales'

Julianne has created & organized targeted national launches, press coverage, television appearances, publicity events and community service affiliations for a varied range of entities including: “Masai Barefoot Technology” – therapeutic footwear company; award-winning cartoonist Mark Lynch’s book – “How Green is My Planet” with forewords from Spike Milligan and David Suzuki; best-selling recipe book, “Barbies for Blokes” with recipes from celebrities such as Peter Brock, Jeff Fenech and Guy Leech and the sequel “More Barbies for Blokes” (These later publications were co-authored by Julianne); John Gill, eight times World Martial Arts Champion and Hornsby Council’s sports complexes that won the national award for “Best Swim School Promotion”. Julianne has just produced directed and written a DVD for Holland America Cruise lines based on their exercise programs and is publishing her new book “Cocktails and Mock Tales”.

Visit Julianne McLean on Facebook!

Mark Lynch our Australian cartoonist, describes himself as being born “sometime in the middle of the last century.”

After doing a variety of Jobs, Mark became a QANTAS Flight attendant and he quips that “the next nineteen years of his life resembled an exotic beer commercial set in a variety of world- wide locations”.

Mark was editorial cartoonist for the leading publication, “The Australian” newspaper. His work has been enjoyed in more publications than you could count, ranging from Australian dailies, even ‘Le News Switzerland”. Mark’s cartoons appear in a variety of forms and diversity world-wide including video screens in the Berlin and Munich subway system where they are seen by 1.5 million people a day.

Mark is the recipient of 48 international and Australian cartoon awards!

Mark lives in Sydney with his lovely wife, Jenny, and two sons and to learn more about Mark and see further cartoons, visit www.cartoons-a-plenty.com

About the Book:

Cocktails and Mock- Tales is not just about alcoholic beverages. The book is about sensations that tickle your tastebuds and humour that tickles your fancy. It includes non-alcoholic beverages that the whole family can enjoy and even herbal recipes for the adventurous.

Have one extremely tall high ball glass and a giant cocktail shaker at the ready

Ingredients:

Unlimited centilitres of wit and humour

9 cl or 3oz titillating snippets of history and gossip

Add flavours of exotic destinations

A dusting of spice mixed with satire

Several centilitres of high spirits (optional)

Shake with vigour. Garnish with an open mind and your own sense of humour

Now you are ready to truly laugh and savour Cocktails and Mock Tales!

Amaze your friends and family with your knowledge of the origins of international beverages and excite their tastebuds with these exotic sensations.

For More Information

Cocktails & Mock-Tales is available at Amazon.
Discuss this book at PUYB Virtual Book Club at Goodreads.

Q: Welcome to The Writer's Life! Now that your book has been published, we’d love to find out more about the process. Can we begin by having you take us at the beginning? Where did you come up with the idea to write your book?

PREAMBLE:

On a balmy summer’s evening in the historic and pretty German city of Leipzig this book was conceived.

Here I was treated to the most sensational cocktail that I have ever tasted. It was so good, one could say it was out of this world! Master Cocktail Creator, Joerg Braun, told me that this cocktail was titled “Amadeus” after musician, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, and was one of his award winning cocktails.

I tentatively asked for the recipe and Joerg graciously agreed, penning the ingredients on a paper napkin. A subsequent visit to the Mephisto bar and coffee lounge to sample their mocktails deepened my resolve. Why not make these delicious recipes available to all? “Cocktails and Mock Tales” was born.

The next step was to find an illustrator. How could I overlook my old friend and colleague, Mark Lynch? Mark’s biting wit and satirical cartoons are surpassed by none. He, too, has won many prestigious awards for his cartoon works. Mark, fortunately for me, agreed to take on his part of the project.

“Cocktails and Mock Tales” is not just about alcoholic beverages. The book is about sensations that tickle your tastebuds and humour that tickles your fancy. It includes non-alcoholic beverages that the whole family can enjoy and even herbal recipes for the adventurous.

A percentage of this book’s royalties will go to organisations promoting the responsible consumption of alcohol.

Taste, laugh and enjoy!

Q: How hard was it to write a book like this and do you have any tips that you could pass on which would make the journey easier for other writers?

It was a pleasure to write, and having each recipe accompanied by a brilliant cartoon made the load light. Also researching the origin of each cocktail and mock-tail was interesting. My best advice is follow your dream and be both methodical and determined.

Q: Who is your publisher and how did you find them or did you self-publish?

ASJ Publishing Pty Ltd was contacted on the internet and offered an up- front royalty

Q: Is there anything that surprised you about getting your first book published?

No, as we have been published before,, and have had a best seller before. We followed the same formula

Q: What other books (if any) are you working on and when will they be published?

We will start to revamp our best seller comical barbecue book for the man of the house and hopefully publish next year

Q: What’s one fact about your book that would surprise people?

The cartoonist and I met whilst both flight attendants with QANTAS and wrote our first book almost 30 years ago

Q: Finally, what message (if any) are you trying to get across with your book?

That you can have fun enjoying alcohol and the same by tasting our mocktails and that our book you can keep you laughing for years ahead.

Q: Thank you again for this interview! Do you have any final words?

Enjoy!