22 July 2013

Natalie Gayle


Happy Monday! Today's guest is Natalie Gayle, author of  Finding Judgement, who's gracing us with a character interview. Enjoy!

An Interview with Rory and TJ

Hi everyone, Natalie Gayle here.  Today I’m interviewing Rory Southall, who you’re all getting to know as the incredibly sexy and caring lead from Finding Judgement.   (He’s just about busting a gut laughing at how I’ve described him.)  And his gorgeous wife, TJ Walsh or is it Southall?  (she’s giggling and waving her hand assuring me she’s good with either.  Rory’s telling me very firmly it’s Southall.  – Okay message received!)

Well I can say getting an interview with Rory and TJ was a damned sight easier than what I had to go through with this team mate and good friend Brayden, who you may know from Finding Trust.  For that Rory, I’ll be eternally grateful. Thank you, thank you.

We’re sitting out on the back deck of Rory and TJ’s new beach house, and when I say beach people I mean beach.  You can walk down the back stairs pass to the side of the plunge pool and through the back gate and you’re on the hot golden stuff.  Well let’s dive in and see what they’ve been up to.

NG:  Wow this house is awesome – how on earth did you find it?

(TJ looks up at Rory and nudges him slightly.)

RS:       Oh you want me to answer this one?
TJ:        Well der, you did find this place.
RS:       Well actually it was me and the kids if I’m being totally correct. Katie and Marcus spotted it from the road and then I just charmed the previous owners out of their beach pad.
TJ:        They didn’t stand a chance! (she says turning to grin at me – we have one of those female connection moments)

(I can totally understand what she means, Rory just oozes genuine charm and you just want to please him.            She’s right – the previous owners didn’t stand a chance.)

RS:       Well that’s not totally true Pixie, I did pay them a very big fat wad of cash to sweeten the deal. 
TJ:        No doubt it helped Surfer Boy, but you know as well as I do they would have struggled to say no to you. 

(Mmm, I’m going to have to agree with TJ on this one).

NG:      So speaking of the kids, how are they settling in?  They’ve been through a lot in the last few months. 

TJ:        To be honest the kids are doing much better than I thought. I really expected that we’d have more issues with them.  Sure they have their days, but overall they’ve settled in really well.
(TJ turns to Rory and gives him a little smile and nod encouraging him to go on).
RS:       Yeah they’re good kids but that’s hardly surprising given what a great older sister they have. 
(Rory gives TJ a cheeky grin and squeezes her thigh playfully)
TJ:        Flattery will get you everywhere as you know!

(Oh wow, it’s getting hot around here already.  That got me to thinking.)

NG:      So how do you two manage to carve out some privacy given that you’re realistically still very much newly weds?

(Rory cleared his throat and smirked at TJ – she just shrugs and flutters her eyelashes playfully back at him)

RS:       Well one of the attractions with this house is that the master bedroom is on the top floor at the back and the kid’s bedrooms are on the bottom floor down the front.  The house is also constructed of suspended concrete slabs to cater for the harsh salt elements so it’s actually quite soundproof.  Even I have trouble at times hearing through it. 

(Well that was revealing and also gives us a great insight into the construction of the house!)

NG:      Come on guys – our readers need a bit more than that.  They want to know if it’s still hot and steamy between you two. 

TJ:        Ah Nat you can see okay can’t you? ……….My husband is every woman’s dream.  He’s smart, caring, considerate, funny and he has the body of an Adonis. And he’s not full of himself.  What’s not to love and get all hot and bothered over?  Maybe your question should have been how do I keep my hands off him?

(Mmm excellent point TJ – always knew the girl was smart!)

RS:       Pixie’s too kind.  I’m just a guy that’s very happy because I’ve managed to find myself an amazing woman that totally understands my idiosyncrasies  and what it means to be with me.  The fact that she’s a blonde goddess and comes with a family are just bonuses to me.  I’ve always said the universe loves me and she does. 

(I look between them letting them know their answers were all well and good but seriously they dodged the question.)

(TJ huffs a little)

TJ:        Oh all right – the sex is off the charts smoking hot.  That’s what you wanted to know wasn’t it?

NG:      Yes thank you – that will do nicely! 

(We all just laugh at that one.  And I can tell just by looking at them, how close they’re sitting and casually touching, it’s the truth. The chemistry between them is blatantly obvious). 

NG:      So what are you both up to work wise?

RS:       Well I’ve just been finishing off some of our mandatory annual training but the boss gave me a heads up that I’m about to get assigned to a new case. 

NG:      Oh anything interesting?

RS:       Yeah, I think it will be. Dylan’s taking the lead on this one.  I don’t know many of the details just that it’s something to do with illegal drugs in sport.

(Well that does sound interesting).

TJ:        So will I get to meet any famous sports people? 

(Rory turns to TJ in mock horror)
RS:       What am I just a means for you to meet famous rock stars and sports people?

TJ:        No, but I’m just curious.  Brayden is so normal I was just wondering if sports stars are the same? (she shrugs)

RS:       Well I guess you’ll just have to wait and find out.  Besides you’ll be too busy with school to get too involved with what I’m doing.

(he’s teasing her something shocking people – you just know Rory will do anything to make her happy and she’s no different with him.)  

TJ:        That’s true but you know how these things seem to play out;  somehow we all seem to get involved.  And I’ve only got a couple of weeks left before I graduate.

NG:      So how are the rest of the gang?

RS:       Why don’t you just say what you really mean – which is what are Jazz and Quade up to?

NG:      Because I didn’t want to make it so damned obvious that I was curious as to where these two have got up to.

(Rory and TJ both just laugh at this)

TJ:        Well that’s what we all want to know.  Something’s going on or has happened but neither are talking. 

(Rory nods confirming this.)

RS:       Yep – Big Time.  If anything it’s got worse between them.

(Wow people, that’s interesting and hard to believe all at once. Guess I need to go grill Brayden and Rihanna a bit to find out what’s going on).

NG:      Okay guys final question for this part of the interview, and yes I know it’s the question that newly weds always get asked so why should you two be any different?  When can we expect little Rory and TJ’s running around?

(both of them look at each other and burst out laughing and share some sort of private exchange)

NG:      Right – what am I missing here?

RS:       Ah – nothing that’s just our prearranged response to that question.  We figure if you think you its okay to ask it, we think its okay to respond like that. 

(Have I just been politely put back in my place?)

NG:      Seriously guys – please give me something?

TJ:        How about this Nat – when it happens you’ll be the second to know.

(I smile and agree)

NG:      I can live with that.  Anyway thanks so much for letting me come and visit with you both. 

RS:       Thanks for telling our story and you know we don’t mind if you drop back in soon to see what we’re up to.  (He gets a very devilish look in his eye and TJ blushes).  You never know what we might be up to. 

NG:      I’ll take you up on that Rory. 

Till next time. 


You can read Rory and TJ’s story, Finding Judgement for yourself at:



Book Blurb—Finding Judgement

Rory Southall’s dreams have been haunted by the beautiful blonde pixie he’d helped three months ago.  Imagine his surprise when his next assignment is to investigate none other than the very same woman.  

TJ Walsh is holding on to her family’s trucking company by a thread.  For the last two and a half years, she’s been trying to keep the debt-ridden business afloat and her family fed.  She’s driven and desperate to make ends meet. But she remembers every detail of a chance meeting three months ago with a handsome stranger. 

What happens when a simple supply chain investigation morphs into a deadly web of lies and deceit and TJ finds herself squarely in the middle of it? It seems that very same handsome stranger has rescued her again, but how could that be?   And how exactly does the illegal genetically modified products he’s investigating have anything to do with her? 

How will she cope with knowing the danger is much closer to home than she thought? When everyone seems to be gunning for them, can she find love and salvation with Rory before it’s too late?

 About the Author


I recently discovered those school vocational assessments are really interesting and probably correct!  Who would have thought hey?  You see I clearly remember taking one of those in Year 11 (for my US friends I think that equates to junior year in high school).  Anyway semantics.  Well the results came back indicating that I should pursue a career in writing and something else.  What that something else was I can’t remember but the writing thing stuck in my mind.

Sure I’d always liked English and had already developed a ravenous appetite for romance novels by the age of sixteen – but who becomes a writer straight out of school?  So to cut a long story short I went to Uni and studied Business and ended up managing large scale IT projects shortly after. 
I can’t complain it’s been a great career and I’ve done some awesome projects and meet some incredible people and I won’t be giving it up anytime soon.  Anyway I’ve messed around with a couple of “secret” novels over the years and I finally decided to get serious and finish one.  Hence “Finding Trust” came about.  And about twenty years later I’ve finally proved a vocational assessment correct, because I love writing! 

As to some other stuff about me, I live on the Gold Coast, Australia.  I love spending time with my family and friends.  When I’m not sitting behind a screen playing with IT or writing you might find me down the beach playing in the waves on a jet ski or a bogey board (both are uber cool).  When the weather turns a bit cooler (doesn’t really happen on the Gold Coast), we like to head for the snow.  I’ve discovered I have two kids that are kamikaze skiers – they must take after their father. He’s always at me to “release the handbrake.”  Apparently I’d ski so much better.  I call it a healthy understanding of self-preservation and gravity!  

I like to think I can fit in a few workouts and martial arts classes each week.  This tends to be a figment of my imagination more than reality unfortunately.  I am trying to remedy this, but those damn characters just keep demanding to have their stories told and well – there’s always another good book to read!

I hope you enjoy mine. 

Please drop me a line I’m active on FaceBook, Twitter and of course here!  I’d love to know what you think of my books and well let’s be truthful – I love talking about books whether they’re mine or someone else’s.  Fiction is just so much more fun than reality!!!

Happy Reading
Natalie Gayle

No comments: