Meet Bree Lenehan.

Bree Lenehan is an Australian radio personality, singer, and author. Her passion for creativity and mixing magic with transformative morale through the power of words flows through all of her work. She may not have found the wardrobe to Narnia, the Bridge to Terebithia or received a letter from Hogwarts, but she did fall upon the passage to Moa’s Rock. The world inside Bree’s first novel Pembrim: The Hidden Alcove came to her many years ago, in the backwoods of her grandparents’ property, where she stumbled upon a secret waterhole that became her daily escape from the real world.

Social links:
Website – http://www.breelenehan.com
Instagram – http://www.instagram.com/breeelenehan or http://www.instagram.com/pembrimthebook
Goodreads – https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/40012317-pembrim

The Interview.

How did you use the death of the parents trope to really shape and strengthen your main character Halia?

Having lost both parents so young and growing up without them around creates a hole in Halia’s life that she fills with her curiosity for adventure. That curiosity is the very thing that leads her to a hidden world she’s always been destined to find… In the end, losing them brings her closer to finding her true self.
What was the hardest scene, line or character to write for Pembrim: The Hidden Alcove?

Oooh, this is a good question! I’ll have to replace one of the character’s names with ‘——’ for now to save giving too much away, but the hardest line/scene to write was: ‘“She’s gone…” whispered Halia, scooping ——’s hands into hers and cradling her tightly, as if love was powerful enough to bring —— back. But that’s exactly it, love was already more powerful than death, for death could take away the one you cared about, but it could never take away the love you have for them. Halia forced her fists away, and as she did, ——’s fingers unlocked to display a grey stone engraved with one last message: The forgiver.’ — The reason I struggled to write this scene was because 1. The death of a well-loved character is always heartbreaking, and 2. The message behind the engraved stone is one Halia needs to hear, but it’s not something she can take in lightly, so I myself even struggled to come to terms with the fact that this well-loved character’s dying wish was for Halia to forgive someone who did something unspeakable to her.

What is your favorite and least favorite part of the writing, editing, or publishing process?

My absolute favourite is seeing the world inside my imagination truly blossoming and evolving into something even bigger than I first anticipated it to be. Writing also gives me a reason to explore and dive deeper into how my characters are feeling, so if my MC’s are running through a forest, I too will go for a walk through the closest forest and take in all of the senses: sight, smell, sound, touch, taste… So that hopefully readers will feel the same cool breeze brush their hair from the nape of their neck, or the smell of sandalwood and dewy grass surrounding them. My least favourite (Australian spelling, hehe) part of the process is the never-ending rounds of formatting that I must undergo before it is finally perfect. But beauty is pain! Or so I’ve heard…
I loved that you mentioned your debut novel’s backstory in your bio. Have you visited the waterhole since finishing Pembrim?

You know what, I actually haven’t. But that’s a fantastic idea! I’ll have to take Pembrim down with me, it’ll be like a new-born baby meeting their father for the very first time! Hahaha. Too weird?
Share a character fun fact!

Sure thing! Each member of the water clan are born with a spirit companion, a creature that lives alongside them every day, a creature that hunts with them, a creature to protect them, a creature bonded to them so strongly that nothing could ever break it. Not even in death do they part, for if a spirit companion is killed, the warrior their spirit is connected to dies the same death, and if a warrior is injured, their companion of the spirit will share their pain. The coolest part about having a spirit companion is that if you close your eyes and focus on the bond between you and your spirit companion, you are able to see through their eyes. Should you find yourself in danger, your spirit companion has the power to see where you are and come to your rescue. I have lots more where that came from, all on my website under the ‘Sneak Peeks’ tab!
Is there anything else you’d like to share with the readers today?

I do, indeed! Firstly, I’m giving one lucky reader the chance to jump inside a future dystopian world and become a character in my upcoming series of books! Enter via the pop-up box on my website! And secondly, Pembrim: The Hidden Alcove is being released June 4th! The countdown is on!

Happy book birthday to Pembrim: The Hidden Alcove!

Find out more on Lenehan’s site now!