BY LAUREN HEWITT
From law lectures to late-night writing sessions and long days spent in the saddle, Genevieve Croeser is not your typical romance author.
The third year BA Law with Psychology student balances university life with two great loves: storytelling and horses. At home, she shares her space with a devoted golden Labrador guide dog who believes he is very much the baby of the family, and an Appaloosa gelding named Pavati Pokerface, the real-life inspiration behind one of the beloved horses in her debut novel.
Her first book, Not Quite Meant To Be, launches The Lawless Johnsons series, a romance driven by ranch life, grit, heart and slow-burn love stories. We caught up with Genevieve to chat about her journey to publishing, the real-life moments behind her writing, and why she believes the right story always finds you.
1. Your road to publication in South Africa
I considered the traditional publishing route at first, but after weighing up the pros and cons, I decided independent publishing suited me and my stories better.
A good friend of mine, Rosalie Fox, independently published her debut novel around the same time I started writing Not Quite Meant To Be. She became my mentor through the whole process, and I am incredibly grateful for her guidance.
About a month after the book’s release, it was accepted by Willow Trading South Africa and made available in bookstores across the country, which was such a surreal and exciting moment.
2. Are any scenes based on real life?
Definitely.
As an equestrian who competes in Western Performance shows and loves trail riding, many of the horse scenes come straight from personal experience. The Johnson family breeds, trains and shows Appaloosas, which worked perfectly because I own one myself and spend most weekends on the farm surrounded by Rosalie’s herd.
If I had been born on a ranch in Texas, I think my life would look very similar to the Johnsons’. One day, I hope to own a ranch of my own, breeding and training champion reining and western horses. Then I’ll have even more real-life inspiration to draw from.
3. If the book became a movie, who would play the characters?
This might sound terrible, but I’m completely clueless about actors.
I usually fall asleep halfway through movies unless they really captivate me. The only thing I would be picky about is the voices. A proper Texan accent melts my heart, so whoever plays the characters would absolutely have to get that right.
4. Your favourite childhood book?
Probably an unconventional choice, but The Book Thief by Marcus Zusak.
His writing style is unlike anything I’ve read since. The characters have stayed with me for years, and it was the first book that ever made me cry. It definitely shaped my love for historical fiction.
5. Your writing routine
I don’t really have one.
Inspiration strikes at random times, usually when I’m supposed to be paying attention in class. I jot ideas down as quickly as I can.
When I sit down to write, I might have a rough plan, but my characters usually take over and steer the story themselves. I just follow along.
6. How do you celebrate finishing a book?
When I finished Not Quite Meant To Be, I cried for ten minutes straight. Happy tears, mostly pride, but also a bit of sadness because their story was done.
After that, I try to let the manuscript rest for about a week before editing. Although I’ll admit, I usually sneak back to reread it sooner because I miss the characters too much.
7. How do you choose character names?
Honestly, they choose themselves.
The characters arrive fully formed in my head, names and all, and simply insist that I write their story.
8. What inspired the book?
This might be my debut novel, but it’s far from the first book I’ve written.
I’ve been writing since I was young, but I’m my own biggest critic, and nothing ever felt good enough to share. When I was sixteen, a friend and I challenged ourselves to finally finish a full manuscript.
That story eventually became Not Quite Home.
Years later, while rewriting it, one of the side characters, Colton Johnson, completely took over. He demanded his own story. I wrote the prologue for Not Quite Meant To Be just to see what would happen, and from the first paragraph, I knew this was the one.
It finally felt right.
9. If you could spend the day with another author?
I would choose Jodi Picoult.
I love how fearlessly she tackles emotional, complex stories. Her attention to detail is incredible, and I think I could learn so much from her, or honestly just fangirl for a day.
10. Would you be friends with your characters?
Absolutely.
People who know me often say I’m very similar to Elana. We’d probably spend most of our time riding horses, feeding horses and talking about horses.
And we’d definitely pretend we weren’t falling for any of the Johnson boys, even though one smile would probably make our knees go weak.
11. A message for aspiring writers?
Don’t give up.
If you’ve written countless drafts and feel like none of them are good enough, keep going. The right story will find you, and when it does, you won’t be able to stop yourself from sharing it with the world.
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