S2E3 March 2026 Q&A with Leearna Shaw on A Farm in Golden Clouds

Welcome to Kelly's Writerly Q&A, a podcast that celebrates authors and their books! I'm your host, Kelly Sgroi, writer, reader, and soccer mum.

Listen to my 26th episode where I chat to Leearna Shaw, debut contemporary rural romance author. Her debut novel is out on the 31st of March with Allen & Unwin, and it's the comfort read we all need. Purchase a copy of A Farm in Golden Clouds via my Booktopia affiliate link. 

We discuss:

• A Farm in Golden Clouds
• How Leearna got her most important yes
• Endometriosis
• What happens when you don't win
• The multiple manuscripts Leearna wrote before her debut novel
• Rejection

And more!

Thank you for listening!

Music credit to Levgen Poltavskyi from Pixabay.

*If you enjoy this podcast, please like, share, follow, and consider buying a copy of the book using my Booktopia affiliate link or buy me a Ko-fi. Your support, big or small, will help cover hosting and production costs, and keep me creating and supporting authors and books!

Transcript

SPEAKER_00 0:01

You're listening to Kelly's Brightly QA, a monthly podcast that features authors and their books. Kelly Scroy is your host, writer, reader, and soccer.

SPEAKER_02 0:13

This is season two, episode three of Kelly's Brightly QA, and I'd like to

Meet Leearna Shaw

SPEAKER_02 0:19

extend a warm welcome to Liana Shaw, debut contemporary romance author of A Farm in Golden Clouds, out next week with Ellen and Unwin. Congratulations, how are you today?

SPEAKER_01 0:35

Thanks for having me, Cal. I am good. We're as we said, we're a week out, so I'm feeling all the things. I'm excited, I'm nervous, I'm a little overwhelmed, but no, that excitement is is really starting to come through now.

SPEAKER_02 0:49

I should clarify, it's publishing on Tuesday, the 31st of March.

About A Farm in Golden Clouds

SPEAKER_02 0:54

And I have had the pleasure of reading this book, which was so wonderful. For me, it was like a warm hug, a comfort read. It took me back to my childhood growing up in the country, but it also had amazing writerly elements and the phenomenal country girl meets city guy trope. So I'm sure it's gonna be loved by so many people, and everyone's gonna be getting to the end and looking for a backlist, which they won't have to wait long for the next book. So congratulations, I'm so proud of you, and I'm so proud to have known you prior to all this happening. Like we met, I can't even remember how many years ago now, maybe five years ago. Yeah, and it's just been so wonderful to share that journey with you and have you as a sounding board when we've both had our ups and downs, you know. But there's been some real moments which I'll get to later. Let's just go back a few steps though, and talk about the book itself for anyone who hasn't heard of it yet. So, um, how would you describe it?

SPEAKER_01 2:17

So, first of all, thank you for all those kind things you said about a farm and golden clouds. That's made me feel uh really, really good, especially because I'm a bit nervous a week out from publication. So thanks, Cal. But I would describe a farm and golden clouds as a heartwarming rural romance that explores what happens when you find the love of your life and then lose them. The different ways in which we cope with loss, starting over and fighting for the people and the places we love. So the story follows widowed cattle farmer and self-help author Indy Carmichael, who whose life is absolute chaos. She is struggling to keep her farm afloat. She's desperate to deliver her second book in time. Her teenage son is acting stranger than ever, and she has this best friend who is determined to get her back in the dating saddle. But Indy doesn't have time for anything, let alone the 101 things going wrong with Manigum Farm or for romance. When grieving and washed-up actor Ben Wittham arrives in Kestrel Creek to film the role he hopes will revive his career and get his life back on script, their complicated lives collide and sparks fly. But with Indy's future on the farm hanging by a thread and Ben's career on the line, they'll both need to ask themselves if falling in love when their lives are falling apart is really the best idea.

SPEAKER_02 3:39

Amazing. That sums it up perfectly. And it's almost like a meant-to-be situation as well, which I loved the way that you set it all up with the kids having a lot of involvement in this relationship as well. And I also loved, like I said, the country girl crossed with the city guy. He's like quite famous, he's like a superhero character, isn't he?

SPEAKER_01 4:04

Yeah, he was definitely based off Indiana Jones when I thought of him.

SPEAKER_02 4:08

So oh wow, that's great insight. Cool. So I remember how nervous

Let's talk about how nervous and excited you were, and the chronic illness you were suffering from when you got your most important writerly yes

SPEAKER_02 4:16

and excited you were when you were going to pitch at the RWA conference in Adelaide back in 2024. We were sitting at TGI Fridays around that time, having a was it before or after? I can't remember if it was a debrief or a before situation. But you were also dealing with debilitating pain from a chronic illness, and everything changed around that point when you got your most important writerly yes. So can we talk about that experience?

SPEAKER_01 4:52

Yeah, sure. So that was a very hectic time for me. I was probably at a bit of a low point with my writing prior to that. I was feeling a bit stuck, feeling like I was banging my head against a brick wall and not getting anywhere. At the same time, I was in and out of hospital having surgeries for my endometriosis, and some of them weren't working. And also, I really hate pitching. It's not something I enjoy doing. And so I was quite anxious before that conference in 2024. But, you know, my motto is be afraid and do it anyway. So I flew over to Adelaide and the pitching went fine. I actually ended up getting three publishers request the full manuscript, which was which was so exciting. And then even more incredibly, I discovered that a farm in Golden Clouds had won the Emerald Award, which was such a shock, but you know, completely mind-blowing at the same time. And that win did change everything for me. Things moved quite quickly from there. I actually had a few publishers reach out and request to read that manuscript that won the Emerald. And I was a little bit cheeky. I did go back to them and just to let them know that I had successfully pitched that second manuscript too. And they all asked for both. So I found myself madly preparing two manuscripts to send off. I did that, and then not even a few weeks later, I ended up on the phone with Annette Barlow from Alan and Unwin. And at the end of that conversation, she offered me a two-book deal.

SPEAKER_02 6:23

It's like life imitating art, it was meant to be. Before I go on, I have to mention that March

Endometriosis Awareness Month

SPEAKER_02 6:30

is endometriosis awareness month, and we're both endo-warriors. So let's just acknowledge all the women out there that are suffering every day and getting on with things. You know, you were suffering so much during that time, which a lot of people probably weren't aware of. So yeah, you're just amazing.

SPEAKER_01 6:50

And you too, Carol, because we've both been going through it together. So um, yeah, no, I put my, you know, uh, it's it the the women that just keep getting up and going about their lives and doing extraordinary things while dealing with invisible illnesses are incredible. So yeah.

SPEAKER_02 7:05

Um thank you for bringing it up. I think it's really important that more of us do mention it. And

The RWA Conference

SPEAKER_02 7:13

was that your first RWA conference that you had ever attended?

SPEAKER_01 7:18

No, so that was, I think that was my second. So I did go to Sydney the year before in 2023.

SPEAKER_02 7:26

Oh, cool. And then the following year, am I correct to say that you ended up on a panel on the opposite side of the stage?

SPEAKER_01 7:36

I did. So it that was um that was a pretty incredible experience. So in 2023, I was a newbie. I knew no one, had never pitched before. Um, in 2024 I won the Emerald, so became an award winner. And then last year I was on a panel when we were down in Tassie with an other debut authors, just talking about our experiences with publishing our first book. So that was really exciting. And then this year, when I go to Darwin, it will be my first one as a published author.

SPEAKER_02 8:05

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 8:06

Bit of a full circle moment.

SPEAKER_02 8:08

That's so cool. Good on you. So nothing happens

Let's talk about all the manuscripts you wrote before you won the Emerald award

SPEAKER_02 8:12

overnight. I know you've been at this for at least six years. What can you tell me about all the manuscripts you wrote before you won the Emerald and got the two-book deal?

SPEAKER_01 8:24

So there is definitely no overnight success story here. I've been writing for at least 20 years. I think I wrote five or six completed manuscripts before I wrote A Farm in Golden Clouds. In those early days, I didn't really know what I wanted to write or the stories that I wanted to tell. So it was more experimenting. I think I've written stories, you know, I've written fantasy, sci-fi, crime, I've tried my hand at women's fiction, young adult, but it wasn't until my family and I moved to a small farm in a small rural town and I just became so inspired by the landscape that I decided I'd love to write a story based in a rural area. Those first manuscripts, though, will never see the light of day, but they did teach me a lot about the styles of writing and what it would take to actually write a novel. So once I discovered rural romance, I inhaled every story I could find. And then I went on and wrote A Farm in Golden Clouds. And then the next couple of years I've written another three rural romances, and I wrote those, you know, the first draft of those before I won the Emerald. So all up, it's probably took me 10, 10 manuscripts to get to the point where I signed a book deal.

SPEAKER_02 9:38

Wow. That's really important to actually share with other writers out there because you hear quite often when the first thing someone writes gets picked up and it's a success, but you don't often hear about the writer, even like myself. I've written multiple manuscripts, but I'm still, you know, in the trenches. So do you think that having those manuscripts is the reason you got your two-book deal? Is the reason you may be more successful? Is the reason that your debut reads like it's not a debut? Like, what can you say about all those things?

SPEAKER_01 10:21

Oh, that's so lovely. 100%. I I feel like by the time I wrote A Farm in the Golden Clouds, I had my, you know, I had my voice down pat. I had done quite a few courses. So I, you know, I didn't have to worry about punctuation and formatting and all that. That came quite instinctively. And I could really just focus on the story. But those other manuscripts also taught me that you have to sit down and write the book. It doesn't just happen. So you actually have to, you know, create habits and a process. And I yeah, I guess all those books work together to get me to the stage that when I did start writing A Farm and Golden Clouds and the subsequent books, that I was able to do that not easily, but confidently enough to carry the story through to the end.

SPEAKER_02 11:11

So the message is don't be disheartened if the first, second, or third or fourth doesn't sell, you know, keep trying. Because you had entered the Emerald Award previous

What happens when you don't win?

SPEAKER_02 11:22

years as well, hadn't you?

SPEAKER_01 11:24

Yes, I had. That was my third time lucky. So um plus a million other competitions that, you know, I'd entered and hadn't won or shortlisted or even long-listed. So yes, it was third time lucky for the Emerald for me.

SPEAKER_02 11:37

Yeah. Actually, let's skip to that question. So, what advice would you give to a writer who's never placed or won any competitions?

SPEAKER_01 11:46

Look, I guess the main one would be just to keep going. As we just said, I didn't, yeah, as I said, I didn't place or I wasn't a finalist or win a competition for well three years. You know, I did get a few long listings in the second year, and then a couple of short stories were shortlisted but didn't go anywhere. But it did take that persistence to get to the point where I was submitting enough in enough competitions to start making a dint and to start placing and becoming a finalist to then win the Emerald. So definitely keep at it, keep going. You have to be in it to win it. So and the other thing I do believe that competitions it teaches us how to submit to a publisher and an agent too. Like it there's a deadline, there's formatting. So it's really good in that respect too. I think the main thing is take what you can away from those competitions, even when you don't win or place. I entered a lot of competitions that give feedback, and that feedback was invaluable to improving myself as a writer, but also getting my manuscripts to a point where they were good enough to start placing and finaling and winning competitions. So, in short, keep going and yeah, take away what you can, uh especially the feedback, because there's so many amazing competitions that do offer feedback, which which is invaluable to a writer who who might be like me, like I was at the start, and a bit nervous to show other people my writing. So yeah, just keep at it.

SPEAKER_02 13:21

Yeah. It's a really good story, and I hope that you share it multiple times. Like your persistence is amazing. I'm sure you had moments when rejections hurt you, and you've had to like dig deep mentally to keep going and like tell yourself that it is gonna happen. So, yeah, it's really inspiring, and I'm just so happy for you now to have this moment.

SPEAKER_01 13:49

Well, thanks, Car.

SPEAKER_02 13:51

So obviously, there's nothing like celebrating

Can you share a rejection story?

SPEAKER_02 13:54

publication, but I do want to talk about those rejections. Do you have a rejection story that you can share?

SPEAKER_01 14:01

Take your pick. I have a million and one rejection stories. I guess the one that I could probably share would be probably the most memorable one for me. It was back at that first conference in 2023. It was my very first time pitching. And as I said before, I don't like pitching. I get so nervous, I work myself up. So I was so anxious heading into that conference. And but I must have done something right because I got three requests for my manuscript, which at the time was just such a huge win. I just remember walking out of there just full of adrenaline and thinking to myself, oh, you know, quite naively, that I'd done all the hard part, you know, that one of them would come back and offer me a book deal, and then the Netflix deal would follow, and that was it. I had done everything, you know, right, and everything was about to take off for me. Of course, you know, I got home and I heard crickets and the months pass, and then when I finally reached out to these publishers, they all came back and said, thanks, but no thanks. And I just remember being so gutted by that. But it was such a valuable lesson to me. Like, you know me, Cal, I'm a dreamer, I'm an optimist. I fully believe in manifesting, and you know, having that positivity has probably seen me get to where I am now. But I probably did get a little bit ahead of myself with that in that particular time. So I probably should have taken that idealism with a little bit of chill. But it did teach me that, you know, publishing a book is such a long game, and there are just so many up and downs in the journey. So I guess that rejection was the one I needed to, you know, really make me dig in deep and realize that this was going to take a lot. This was going to take a lot of persistence, a lot of perseverance, and that, you know, I was really going to have to dig in to make it happen.

SPEAKER_02 15:57

Yeah, it's it, I mean, sometimes they can really spur you on. Like rejections have been pivotal for me in good and bad ways, depending on each one and what time they've happened.

SPEAKER_01 16:11

Yeah, you they really are the perfect fuel for a writer who is determined to, you know, make it happen. I think getting to that point where you're okay with rejections and you can just put it straight in the tank and use it as fuel to push you to go again is really important.

SPEAKER_02 16:28

Yeah. And it's a fine line between planning the red carpet outfit and we've all done it. We've all done it. We've all been there. So looking into the future now,

What can we expect from you next?

SPEAKER_02 16:45

what can we expect from you next?

SPEAKER_01 16:48

So I'll be spending the next month doing events for a farm on Golden Clouds, which I am so excited about. I really can't wait to get out there and meet readers and talk about this book and these characters that have really existed in my head for almost six years now. So I can't wait to do that. But at the end of April, I'll actually be sitting down to start structural edits on book two, which is another rural romance, which will be coming out March 2027. And I'm really excited about this one. Cal's actually read a few chapters of this for very early drafts, but it's set in a fictional town that's based on my hometown, which is just such a beautiful part of the world. And I'm really excited to jump back into it.

SPEAKER_02 17:31

Yeah, I still remember the setting in that one. Like, you just really do such an amazing job at immersing the reader into what you call it like a forest where they it sort of surrounds where they live.

SPEAKER_01 17:45

Yeah, so eucalypt forest. So I our property actually backs onto a eucalypt forest and national park. So it wasn't too hard of a reach to imagine these settings for me.

SPEAKER_02 17:57

Yeah, because you've got that amazing vista from your writing desk that faces a window that's up high overlooking all the hills, just like the cover of your debut.

SPEAKER_01 18:08

It is.

SPEAKER_02 18:11

And before we finish, I am going to mention one little thing to entice readers. We spoke

Enticing you to read A Farm in Golden Clouds

SPEAKER_02 18:20

about this earlier. There's a Mr. Darcy moment, it's approximately page 201 in A Farm in Golden Clouds. And I asked Liana if it was intentional.

SPEAKER_01 18:35

It I think I have loved Mr. Darcy for so long that he is now part of my subconscious. And I love that you picked it out though, because I have an obsession with hand flexes. So if you love Mr. Darcy and you love hand flexes, then this might just be the story for you.

SPEAKER_02 18:53

Yay! Amazing. Thank you so much, Liana. It's been just wonderful to be your friend and to watch you shine. It's so well deserved. I loved this book. I know readers are gonna love it. You're gonna have such a fan base, and yeah, I'm just looking forward to your launch and looking forward to many more writerly conversations and seeing you bloom.

SPEAKER_01 19:22

Oh, thanks so much, Carol. And like as I said, it doesn't happen without your writing community. You know, you've been such a big part of my my writing group and my writing community for so long. You've read my work, you've we've commiserated when we've both have been rejected, we've celebrated when we know we've had wins. So um, thank you for having me on today and for always being in my corner. I really appreciate it.

SPEAKER_02 19:45

Thanks. Such a pleasure. Thank you for listening to this episode of Kelly's Writerly QA. If you'd like to know more about the podcast, visit Kellyscroy.com.