Category: Author Interviews

Hello! magazine in my handbag

Pamela Francis

 

 

 

 

Pam Francis is a freelance journalist who over the years has interviewed hundreds of celebrities for Hello! Sunday Express Magazine, and many other women’s magazines.  She thought it was about time she wrote a novel set in that very world, and used her experiences to create characters and storylines.

Jessie:  I love the front cover of your book.

Pamela:  I take Lottie with me for company.  She laughed.

Jessie:  What is ‘Someone Like Me’ about?

Pamela: ‘Someone Like Me’ is a modern love story which tells the story of Lottie, 39, a chef in a vintage cafe whose life changes when superstar Daniel French walks in one day for lunch. It asks the question, what happens when your secret affair becomes front page news.

Jessie:  How has ‘Someone Like Me’ been received by reviewers?

Pamela:  I am delighted with the positive reviews.  I’m thrilled that everyone seems to like the story.

‘Funny, intriguing and page-turning. Ideal for a rainy day or holiday read as you won’t want to put it down.’

‘I ended up sitting up to 2am to finish it in one sitting.’

‘A well-written, intriguing and believable storyline, with people I cared about, and an important plot twist I really didn’t see coming.’

Jessie:  The reviews highlight the humour and the compelling narrative.  In a nutshell, what’s ‘Someone Like Me’ about?

Pam: It’s about an ordinary small town girl who falls in love with a big time star and discovers that life and love in the spotlight of fame is a more dangerous and painful path to happiness and love than she could ever have imagined.  She ends up shamed on the front page of every tabloid in the land, stalked by the paparazzi, and threatened with the most gruesome forms of torture by Twitter trolls.

Jessie:  Presumably you got your inspiration from your line of work.  Are you afraid that celebrities will recognise themselves?

Pam: The characters are all compilations of people I’ve met. So no, there’s no danger of that.

Jessie: How did you feel when you had finished writing your book, and did you miss any of the characters?

Pam: Lost, but pleased with the result. And yes, I did miss my characters. Especially the main character Lottie who made me laugh.

Jessie: Who would you like to read your book and why?  This could be another author, someone famous, a friend or a member of your family.  

Pam: My mum, who is sadly not alive. She was the one who read to me as a child and inspired my love of books, and I know she would be so proud.

Jessie: Why should I keep your book in my handbag?

Pam: Lots of us think that exciting life-changing events would never happen to someone like us. This book will give you hope that they do.

Jessie: What is the last sentence written in your writer’s notebook?

Pam: Help! What is my next book going to be about?

Jessie: What is the biggest challenge for an author?

Pam: Writing every day when life gets in the way.

Jessie: What is the best advice that you have received as a writer?

Pam: Don’t outline and plan too far ahead. You are the first reader of your book and you need to be surprised about what happens.

Jessie: I have to ask about your life as a journalist.  What was it like writing for Hello?  Did you meet the celebrities in person? Did you have a favourite interview?

Pam: Writing for Hello! Usually meant going on a photo shoot. So yes, you get to meet them in person. It was usually features to celebrate engagements, pregnancies, new babies and weddings. But not necessarily in that order! One of my favourite features involved travelling to Ireland to meet dancer Michael Flatley who showed us round his stately home. I also loved covering Russell Watson’s engagement and wedding.  One of my favourite interviewees is Joanna Lumley.  She always makes you feel as though you are the most special person in the room. And I’ve also had the opportunity to interview Fergie the Duchess of York a couple of times, and some legends such as Joan Collins and Barbara Windsor and Sir Bruce Forsyth.

My barrage of questions had been fuelled by the lovely champagne.  Pam smiled and called the waiter to bring more champagne.  Out of her bag, she pulled a few magazines to show me the kind of thing she writes.

Pam:  Well, here’s a random example of an interview with Patsy Kensit which has nothing to do with the book.  I was interviewing her for the ITV drama Tina and Bobby. Viewers expect celebs to be full of confidence, and rarely nervous when they are being interviewed. And that couldn’t be further from the truth. Many actors I’ve interviewed suffer with low self-esteem, which vanishes when they become someone else in a drama. As you will discover in the book, it doesn’t matter how famous they may be, everyone has their insecurities.

It sounds as if Pam’s novel is fast paced, and her characters even shocked the author. 

Best of luck to Pam with, ‘Someone Like Me’.  This page-turning novel, by the showbiz journalist, sounds like a blast.

For more about Pam go to Pamfrancis.co.uk

Email: pam@pamfrancis.co.uk

Twitter: @PammieFrancis

 

Please see all my interviews at My Guests and my blog at jessiecahalin.com

Some ‘Joyful Trouble’ from South Africa, with puppy love…

Patricia Furstenberg

 

 

 

 

 

Born in Romania, living in South Africa, Patricia Furstenberg is the author of ‘Joyful Trouble’. ‘Joyful Trouble’ is a children’s book about a dog in World War II.  However, readers have stated that this heart-warming tale appeals to all ages and would make a great film.

Jessie:  I love the title of your book, ‘Joyful Trouble’ and the picture of the dog.  What is the book about?  Can you capture the essence of the book in two sentences?

Patricia: When a Great Dane arrives at a Navy base nobody expects him to win everybody’s hearts, although breaking some human rules along the way; he is named Joyful Trouble.

We hear all about this gentle giant’s adventures by listening to Grandpa’s stories, the one in charge with Joyful Trouble during WWII, as he tells them to his grandchildren, thoughtful Ana, age 9, and always hungry and busy Tommy, age 5

Jessie:  As the title suggests, the book sounds like fun.  What did the reviewers say about the book?

Patricia placed the wine glass on the table and retrieved some reviews.

“Being a dog person myself, I absolutely loved this book. I laughed with this book and shed a tear or two as well. Overall this was a quick and very delightful read. Even though this book is tagged as a children’s book, I would recommend it to all.

“Well written! In an age where we often struggle to get children to read this is a wonderful book!”

“A book that feels like a movie. A book written for all the senses: tactile information, kinaesthetic, auditory….a strong auctorial voice explains every situation, making it possible for the reader to live it as a film.”

Your readers can find out by themselves as Joyful Trouble is on a FREE special today and tomorrow (2nd and 3rd of September).

Jessie: Can you read an extract that will tempt me to read the novel?

“I couldn’t believe my eyes. And all the time I said to myself: this is not a dream, this is not a dream. For I have heard my Commander’s voice from behind this door just seconds before.”

Jessie: Tell me a little more about this extract.  What is happening?

Patricia: laughs This is one of my favourite parts in the book.  As humans, we often assume we know exactly what to expect based on our perceptions. But hearing can often be deceiving. I think that animals and dogs in particular have this amazing advantage over us, because their smell is so much more developed than ours. Did you know that digs have 50 times more olfactory receptors in their noses than we have and that the part of their brain responsible for analysing smells is 40 times bigger than ours?

To return to Joyful Trouble, at this moment in Grandad’s story we find out more about his youth and about how he felt as a fresh Ordinary Seaman in the Royal Navy. He is proud of his bell bottom trousers, white shirt and flat bottomed blue hat and eager to help and prove himself. So when he is summoned by his Commander-in-Chief he makes sure his uniform is spotless and presents himself without delay. He is nervous, about to knock at the Commander’s door; he braves himself, knows he did nothing wrong. He hears his Commander’s voice inviting him inside but when he opens the door and steps inside the Commander’s small office (we are inside a WWII war ship here, no space for Oval Offices) – what he sees behind his Commander’s desk is not the man he expects. And it isn’t another Officer either; actually, what he sees siting at the Commander’s desk, straight up on the Commander’s seat isn’t a human being. To find out what was it, simply download Joyful Trouble.

Jessie: How did you feel when you had finished writing your book, and did you miss any of the characters?

Patricia: Do you know that feeling you get when looking back on your children’s toddler years or on your pet’s time as a puppy? Children are big now; they have their own lives and dreams and don’t seem to need you all that much. Surely not to hold your hand or seek your body for comfort. Your dog might even take over your favourite chair at times, forcing you to seek comfort elsewhere as you have a sudden flashback of this clumsy puppy fitting perfectly in your lap, while still leaving space for a book and a coffee mug

I felt just like that, suddenly missing my characters, realizing that they are big now and ready to go out into the world on their own; they don’t need me anymore

I wished I could have spent more time with them, when they were just emerging in the corners of my mind. My heart ached, missing already the busy, loving Tommy, always hungry and ready to fetch and share a bite to eat, anything that would fit in his small hand. Loving his trusting nature, “ask and you shall receive” was his motto

My warmest thoughts follow Ana, so mature, on her way to becoming a Young Lady. So protective towards her little brother, so thoughtful and caring towards Grandad. I wish her a life of happiness and I hope that her tender, loving heart won’t know any ache, for she does care about anything and everything alive under the sun

And Grandad; I was happy for him, it is a great gift being able to share your life stories the way he did, in a fun and loving way, as much joy in giving as in receiving them. He is a great storyteller and I was grateful for him lending me his voice

And, of course, Joyful Trouble. How amazing and unselfish must a dog be to search all of his life for that one special person? Never loosing hope, sharing love and laughter along the way, day after day. I felt happy for him, knowing that he was appreciated and loved in return for just being himself.

Jessie: Who would you like to read your book and why?  This could be another author, someone famous, a friend or a member of your family.

Patricia: I would like my book to be read by children and adults alike; by people seeking a story to uplift them or to amuse them. I would like it to be enjoyed as a bedtime story and shared by parents and children, or grandparents and grandchildren because it is a book filled with love, love and appreciation between generations as well as for animals. And I would like my book to be read by boys and girls in a bookshop, by themselves; choosing it for the dog on its cover, paging through it at first, then reading a bit, and a bit more, until they have to find out how it ends. And so they lose themselves in its pages, laughing with Tommy and cheering for Joyful Trouble.

Jessie: Why should readers choose this novel?

Patricia: Joyful Trouble is a cheerful, heart-warming story based on true facts that is sure to brighten up your day. It is an easy read with lively dialogue, touching on the meaningful relationship between dogs and humans, but also between grandchildren and their grandfathers. It is a look at life through a child’s eyes, but also through those of a dog.

Jessie: What is the last sentence written in your writer’s notebook?

Patricia: “The right friend will come; have faith and wait.”

It is from a series of three children’s stories in rhymes based on true, unusual friendships between animals. They will be published later in 2017 on Amazon.

Jessie: What is the biggest challenge for an author?

Patricia: As an Indie Author, my biggest challenge is finding time to write. There is so much else to do, book related, but away from the writing desk! From promoting my other two books to being active on social media; from writing my Sunday column for mypuppyclub.net owned by lovely fellow author Susan Day to coming up with fresh ideas for articles on literature for the South African Huffington Post. I love doing Guest Posts and I thoroughly enjoyed promoting Joyful Trouble when it came out, just in time for the 2017 Kindle Storyteller! I found the world of Book Reviewers and Book Bloggers wonderful and extremely supportive, I am truly grateful to each and every one of them; yet finding the time to write those guest articles was a challenge.

I wish I would have known all this when my first book, Happy Friends, came out in 2016.

I mostly wish I could duplicate myself or need no sleep at all; then I could finally put on paper all the other ideas buzzing in my head!

I am ever so grateful to my alarm clock and my hubby for making sure we have a never-ending supply of coffee!

Jessie: What is the best advice that you have received as a writer?

Patricia: Write every day and have a writing routine. If you work on a big project, set yourself a daily target, word count wise, and don’t get up until you’ve reached it. Push yourself; no one else will do it for you.

Finish that first draft.

Be organised, especially if you work with other people. And be supportive of those who help you.

Read a lot.

As long as you love what you are doing it will never, ever feel like a chore.

Jessie:  Tell me a little about your new book.

Patricia:  My new book is called “Puppy:12 Months of Rhymes and Smiles”.  It is about a puppy’s first year. It is filled with findings, wiggles and bursts of laughter. I thought it would unique to explore what goes through a puppy’s mind during his first days in a new home.  It is aimed at children between the ages of three and six.

Jessie: Sounds like great fun!  Can you read out an extract?

Patricia:

“I love new mornings

In my new home.

Each day I get something,

Today I’m getting a name.

 

Yesterday it was lots of cuddles

And a tea party too.

I got to sit on my bottom

And drink milk from a tiny cup.”

Jessie:  It is so sweet!  I can imagine children learning the words and reading them again and again.

Patricia:  Yes, it’s an auditory feast for children, a fun read-aloud for parents, and a treat for dog-lovers, young and old.

Jessie: I feel honoured that you have decided to launch the book at the same time as this interview.  It is a privilege to be able to present the reveal of your front cover.  I am impressed with the way that you have overseen your entire book, including the illustrations – you are very dedicated to your writing. 

“Puppy:12 Months of Rhymes and Smiles” is available for pre-order right now from Amazon, for £0.99.

Thank you so much, Jessie! You made me feel at home and I have thoroughly enjoyed your company and our chat.

More about Patricia…

Patricia is always spinning out a tale or thinking about one and they are mostly about animals, as she believes that each animal has a voice and a story to tell, if only we stop to listen. When she is not writing Patricia loves to spend time with her husband, their two children and dogs, baking, playing cards or enjoying a movie and popcorn together. One day, when she will be big and her dreams will come true, Patricia will most probably have a contract with a reputable publishing house that will take a huge load off her shoulders and she will, finally, be writing her dream book based on the plot she already worked out; a historical novel set in medieval Romania, her home country.

I am sure that Patricia’s books will give hours and hours of fun to children around the globe.  The theme is timeless and these books will become an important part of childhood experiences.  It is great to read books that entertain and educate.  I’m sure that generations of parents will thank Patricia for her work, you can find out more on her author website and via social media – links below. 

The best of luck to Patricia with her new book, “Puppy:12 Months of Rhymes and Smiles”.

Website: Alluring Creations, http://alluringcreations.co.za/wp/

Twitter: @PatFurstenberg, https://twitter.com/PatFurstenberg

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/PatriciaFurstenbergAuthor

 

 

Please see all my interviews at My Guests and my blog at jessiecahalin.com.

Get Packing for a Summer in Santorini

Meet the author, Sandy Barker

Time to pack my bags and meet Sandy Barker in Greece to discuss One Summer in Santorini.  The story and setting of One Summer in Santorini are magical and perfect for anyone seeking an escape.  Indeed, this charming novel started life as a love letter to Sandy’s partner and all will be revealed in the interview. 

Jessie: Sandy, tell us what One Summer in Santorini is about. 

Look at this delicious book cover

Sandra: When Sarah Parsons takes her broken heart to Greece, the last thing she wants is to meet someone new, so what happens when she meets, not one ‘someone’, but two? Ten days, two men and one big decision.

Jessie: What have the reviewers said about your novel?

I have been blessed with wonderful reviews. Phillipa read the novel and said, ‘Made me want to pack my bags for the Greek islands this instant.’ I couldn’t be more delighted with the response to my debut novel.  Other readers have also been so generous, and it has lifted my heart. Here are two wonderful reviews:

‘I absolutely loved this book. The descriptions of the islands and Greece made you feel like you were there — like you could smell the sea, taste the food and feel the sun on your face.There was a lot to love about this book. I loved the message that we can find happiness in the ordinary! This was a super cute beach read! There is also a lot of flirty and fun times as well! I will be checking out other books by Sandy Barker!’ ‘One Summer in Santorini by Sandy Barker is an irresistibly charming read set in the stunning Greek Islands, and I found myself transported to the idyllic locales in every single page. This is simply a lovely book that I just devoured in a single afternoon.  Full of flirtation, sun-kissed beaches, and plenty of cocktails, what is not to love?’

Here is Sandy swimming in Greece.

Jessie:  Read me an extract to tempt the reader.

Sandy:  I know the perfect scene to tempt you.

“Hello,” I said.

“Hi,” he replied. So far it was an excellent conversation.

My witty repartee had completely dried up, so I figured I’d get straight to the point. “Are you on the sailing trip?”

Jessie: How did you feel when you had finished writing your book, and did you miss any of the characters?

Sandy: I cried when I finished the first draft of this book — full on sobbing, ugly crying. It was relief and pride and a sense of ‘Oh my, I just wrote a whole book’. I didn’t really have time to miss the characters, though, because I started editing almost immediately — and after that, I started writing the sequel.

Jessie: Who would you like to read your book and why?  This could be another author, someone famous, a friend or a member of your family. 

Sandy: I started writing this book as a love letter to my partner, Ben, who I met on a pier in Santorini as we were about to embark on a sailing trip. When I handed it to him to read, I was a little nervous, but he loved that it was inspired by our real-life love story.

And I’m excited that two of my favourite authors, Paige Toon and Lindsey Kelk, have said that they’re looking forward to reading it. They’ve both inspired me with their incredible writing.

Jessie: Why should I keep your book in my handbag?

Sandy: It will make you laugh out loud and we all need a little bit of laughter to take with us wherever we go.

Jessie: What is the last sentence written in your writer’s notebook?

Sandy writing in Bali

Sandy: “I can’t remember the last time I saw you in the light of day without a face full of makeup.”

This is from my fourth book, which is set in Bali. It’s tentatively titled, One Summer on Sabbatical.

Jessie: What is the biggest challenge for an author?

Sandy: Beyond getting the words on the page — you can’t edit an unwritten manuscript — I’d say it’s finding the best way to get your work out there and in the hands of readers.

Jessie: What is the best advice that you have received as a writer?

Sandy: Never, ever, ever, ever, ever give up. Perseverance is just as important as the writing. A few weeks before I was contacted by Avon Books to say that they loved my book and wanted to publish it, I had a rejection from a publisher which knocked me sideways. You never know when the ‘yes’ will come.

Jessie: Before you go, tell us a little about yourself:

I’m a writer and traveller with a lengthy bucket list and cheeky sense of humour. My aim in life is to go, see, taste and do – and then write about it.
As an author, I write the heart – what makes it sing, what breaks it, and how it mends – and many of my travel adventures have found homes in my novels.

It was a treat to meet the author, Sandy Barker, who is a traveller with an adventurous spirit with an endless bucket list. She is curious and funny and finds pleasure in the small things. She’s also been known to ‘steal’ anecdotes and travel tales and find a place for them in her books.

Your contact details:

sandybarkerauthor@gmail.com
https://sandybarker.com/
https://twitter.com/sandybarker
https://www.facebook.com/sandybarkerauthor

 

Please see all my author’s interviews at My Guests and my website and blog at JessieCahalin.com.

A copy of my novel is available here.

Living with Imagination

Leslie at work

Leslie Tate

 

 

Epicure Cafe, Berkhamsted greeted me with the fragrance of coffee and creativity “ a perfect place to meet author, Leslie Tate. While waiting for Leslie, I explored the art gallery. Haunting photographs of dream sequences were  hanging in battered frames. In one retro print, there was a  grey haired man, wearing a black suit and pencil thin black tie; but he looked uncomfortable. The solitary man sat in a dilapidated room.

He wore a long colourful blouse that fluttered and floated as he walked.

Jessie: Wow! The photographs are mesmerising. I was lost in the haunting disequilibrium.

Leslie: The photographs are stills taken from a film trailer. My novel, Heaven’s Rage, has been made into a 15 minute film. Look here (he pointed to an eighties style TV screens). You can tap the various icons to get information and to view the trailer.

Jessie: Tell me about your novel, Heaven’s Rage.

Heaven’s Rage, Leslie Tate: ‘A well penned story of a fascinating life.’

Leslie: Heaven;s Rage is an imaginative autobiography. Reporting on feelings people don’t usually own up to, it explores addiction, cross-dressing and the hidden sides of families, discovering at their core the transformative power of words to rewire the brain and reconnect with life.

Jessie: Intriguing! Tell me about the book that had the power to inspire a film made by an ex-Hollywood Director.

Leslie: It began with a dream where I found myself alone in the woods. I’d been captured by a gang on the way to school and tied to a tree in what people called the wasteland.

Leslie Tate’s memoir is by turns an elegy for a lost childhood, a tribute to the power of literature and a demand for the right to identity in a world that turns too easily on those who differ from the conventional. “ Jonathan Ruppin, Judge for the Costa Novel Award, the Guardian First Book Award, the Geoffrey Faber Memorial Award and the Desmond Elliott Prize.

I found the beautiful descriptions of Leslie’s journey of discovery and transition from a young boy, terrified of his thoughts, differences and uniqueness, into a man who is happily married and comfortable in his own skin to be very emotionally satisfying.

The style of this book reminds me of the ocean, continuously moving and shifting, changing colour and physical presence continuously. There are conversations, poems, extracts from other novels, reflections and memories which all merge and blend into a well penned story of a fascinating life.’ -Robbie Cheadle as a member of Rosie’s Book Review Team.

Jessie: How did you feel when you had finished writing your book?

Leslie at home

Leslie: I knew that publishing the book would take my cross-dressing with friends and family into the public arena. I didn’t know that it would, little by little, lead me into going everywhere cross-dressed. So my feelings combined relief, excitement and release with a quiet sense of trepidation.

Jessie: Who would you like to read your book and why? 

Leslie: Myself at the age of 15 when I believed I was the only person in the world with my weird compulsion. I felt there was something so wrong with me that I’d never have a successful relationship. Heaven’s Rage would have made me see that being trans is a gift rather than a curse.

Jessie: Why should I keep your book in my handbag?

Leslie: Because it’s good to read about people who may appear to be different to you and to share our common humanity.

Jessie: What is the last sentence written in your writer’s notebook?

Leslie: Everything I’ve written stops for this.

Jessie: What is the biggest challenge for an author?

Leslie: It’s hard to continue writing authentically and originally in a genre-driven market, and being isolated can compound the problem. I’m lucky that I’m married to another writer, Sue Hampton, and we support each other.

Jessie: What is the best advice that you have received as a writer?

Leslie: Love words, agonize over sentences. And pay attention to the world. -Susan Sontag

More about Leslie Tate

Leslie Tate studied Creative Writing at the University of East Anglia and has been shortlisted for the Bridport, Geoff Stevens and Wivenhoe Prizes. He’s the author of the trilogy of novels Purple,Blue and Violet, as well as his transmemoir Heaven’s Rage, which has been turned into a film. On his website, he posts up weekly creative interviews and guest blogs showing how people use their imagination in life, in many different ways.

‘The thing is to free one’s self: to let it find dimension, not to be impeded.’
Virginia Woolf.

‘I will go on adventures, changing, opening my mind and my eyes, refusing to be stamped and stereotyped. The thing is to free one’s self: to let it find dimension, not to be impeded.’ Virginia Woolf  

Heaven’s Rage Official Trailer

Heaven’s Rage has been made into a 15 minute film by ex-Hollywood Director Mark Crane. The film is being shown at a film festival in Stuttgart, Germany and is up for several awards.

Signed copies of ˜Heaven’s Rage

https://leslietate.com/shop/heavens-rage/
Publishers http://tslbooks.uk/product/heavens-rage-2/

 

 

Meet the author who created a piping hot novel in her Paris kitchen

Ally Bunbury 

Born in 1976, Ally Bunbury was brought up with her three sisters, and a menagerie of animals, in County Monaghan. Following a serendipitous encounter at a dinner party, Ally landed a dream internship with a PR agency on New York’s Fifth Avenue, which, in turn, led to a flourishing career in London and Dublin. Ally now runs her own PR company and continues to create dynamic media campaigns for her clients. She lives in County Carlow with her husband, the historian, Turtle Bunbury and their two daughters, Jemima and Bay. From their house, overlooking the foothills of the Wicklow Mountains, Ally wrote her debut novel, The Inheritance .  She is currently working on her second novel.

The Inheritance  is a celebration of romance, country houses, inheritance and celebrity. It a perfect book for the readers who like to indulge in Jackie Collins and Jilly Cooper.

Jessie: Tell me about your glamorous book

Ally: The Inheritance is about an Irish girl named Anna Rose, who goes to work in London for the fabulous “PR Queen” Gilda Winterbottom. At an absurdly opulent party hosted by the Hollywood actress, Sofia Tamper, Anna meets George Wyndham, a dashing art dealer and heir to his ancestral estate in Scotland. Anna and George very quickly fall in love only to find themselves cornered into an impossible situation involving the ravishing but utterly spoilt Sofia, and with his inheritance under threat, George is forced to make a terrible choice. The story takes place in London, Paris, Ireland, Scotland and LA.

Jessie:  Capture your review with an extract from the novel.

Ally: ‘Turning away, Anna felt deflated at having lost what she thought might have been a chance with George. Then, seeing crystal photograph frames on a sideboard, documenting Sofia’s life, sun- kissed on a super-yacht, looking divine in a slinky dress at some sort of debutante ball, she had a reality check. Sofia was famous for being an IT girl who partied around the world; Anna couldn’t even begin to compete.’

Jessie: Your book is an entertaining peek into another world.  The story narrative sparkles with surprises and mischief.  I enjoyed writing the review but what have the reviewers said about The Inheritance ? 

“Pitched as The Devil Wears Prada meets Bridget Jones this sparkling debut novels embodies the best of both.”

“A rollicking yarn.”
– RTE Guide

“With threads linking the London party scene, Anglo-Irish family life and a sprawling Scottish estate … there are private jets and Porsches pitted against old money and family tradition. The elite are up to their usual tricks, with sex, booze and back-stabbing aplenty.”
– The Irish Times

“Delicious escapism.”
– The Irish Examiner

“Jane Austin spiked with a dash of Made in Chelsea.”
– The Irish Independent

“This is a perfect indulgence read.”
– Sue Leonard

Jessie: Why did you start writing? 

Ally: Sometimes the best moves are sporadic, and stepping off the London treadmill to live in Paris during my late twenties was one of them. My father had been ill for many months and when he died at home in Ireland, I needed head space that I couldn’t possibly have found if I had stayed in my PR job, no matter how much I loved it. A close friend suggested I should move to Paris and rent her apartment and I jumped on the opportunity, even though I had no idea what I would do there. And it’s hard to explain, but when I walked into my pretty Parisian kitchen, bright yellow with tall windows, I was felt utterly compelled to write. I sat down at the rustic wooden table and began writing, and as the days went on, I played the saddest possible music, from La Boheme to soulful jazz, and I can remember tears pouring down my face as characters discussed their lives, made choices, had dramas and found love. It was purely therapy and that was how The Inheritance began.

Jessie: Do you have a special writing place? 

Ally: At the kitchen table in my house, looking out onto the Irish Wicklow Mountains.

Jessie: Do you feel different, now that you are a published author? 

Ally: I feel like the stars aligned, whilst I wrote The Inheritance, and a number of conversations with my close friends (which includes my husband) made my book happen. The feeling of people being behind you, holding you up, really can make good, and even great things happen. I had always known the power of friendship was strong, but before The Inheritance came to be, I hadn’t realised just what a difference self-belief, due to others belief in you, can make. After ten years of marriage, and the arrival of two gorgeous daughters, now that I have started writing again I feel as if a strong flame has been lit inside me and I couldn’t be happier about it.

Jessie: How do you manage to find the time to write when you run a PR business? 

Ally: The major difference between writing in Paris, and County Carlow, where we now live, is that I am now a mother, and I also run my own PR business, so writing a book in ‘my own time’ is certainly challenging – especially when a room of one’s own is the kitchen! However, having worked in a large open plan office during my PR agency days held me in good stead, as I find I can sit down and write when the children might play Twister or built an obstacle course for their hamster, Mr Nibbles. And if there is one piece of advice I’d like to pass on about writing a book, it is this – ‘If you want to write a book, don’t watch television.’ And it does require discipline, as sinking into a deep sofa to indulge in Netflix after a long day, can be unbelievably tempting, but once you get into the habit of instead settling in behind your lap top with a glass of wine or a mug of steaming tea, it is another form of relaxation.

Jessie: Where did you get the idea for the new novel and did you plan the entire narrative before commencing? 

Ally: I begin with a central character and build the bricks from there.

Jessie: Do the characters ever surprise you and take over the story? 

Ally Bunbury

Ally: Gilda wrote herself … literally … the works sprang from my fingertips before I could even give them any proper thought. She is such a fast, pacy character. I am currently working on my second novel and really enjoying it. I’m at the delicious stage of creating character detail and as it is a love story, I am feeling quite dreamy on a daily basis. The title is yet to be decided and it will come out in June of next year.

It was a delight to spend a gloriously sunny afternoon with Ally in the beautiful hotel. Ally was completely at ease in the glamorous environment and smiled at me when I insisted on capturing the setting in a photo.  Ally didn’t have time to stay as she had to get back to another celebrity party to rescue one of her clients.

 

 

#1 author Sue Moorcroft doesn’t have time for airs and graces

Sue Moorcroft 

 

 

Sue Moorcroft is an author who has worked hard for success. Her last novel, The Christmas Promise, rose to #1 in the Amazon Kindle chart and her latest, Just for the Holidays, has just been released. She likes reading, Formula 1, dancing and sunshine.

It was an honour to welcome Sue Moorcroft.  She came to visit on a Sunday afternoon when the sun was indeed shining, as it does in her latest novel. She’d dressed for the weather in cut-offs and a T-shirt and was carting along her usual over-sized bag that she calls ‘half handbag and half briefcase’. As well as her personal stuff it accommodates her iPad and/or Kindle, bookmarks, cards and a battery and leads in case any of her devices need charging. I opened the French doors and we sat on sun loungers that I had placed under my vine terrace.

I poured us both a glass of Crémant d’Alsace and we made a toast to Leah and Ronan from Just for the Holidays.  Inspired by Leah, I prepared a simple, refreshing salad.  Sue had brought some strawberries as she had promised to make some of her strawberries and cream mug cakes. It was like a scene from Just for the Holidays as the ‘shimmering heat of the garden’ welcomed us. I had planted the pots with ‘white petunias and red geraniums’ to set the scene and we chatted about the novel.

Jessie: I know what happens in the novel and thoroughly enjoyed the exciting sequence of events and the sparkling humour.  Can you capture the narrative in fifty words?

Sue: Just for the Holidays is about Leah, who doesn’t want a husband or children, ending up looking after her sister’s husband and children in France, where she doesn’t speak the language. Luckily, there’s a helicopter pilot next door who does – until he receives an unexpected guest of the embarrassing kind.

When asked to read a tempting extract from the novel, Sue opened her book and instantly found the perfect introduction to Ronan.

‘You’re not French!’ Leah exclaimed.

‘No, indeed.’ If anything, she could detect a touch of Irish in his voice.

‘But you spoke to me in French!’

He grinned disarmingly. ‘I’m a big fat show off.’

J: You have had many, many sparkling reviews.  Can you provide a snapshot of some of the reviews?

https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/0008175551/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1634&creative=6738&creativeASIN=0008175551&linkCode=as2&tag=jesscaha-21&linkId=586e2f05c8043ef2278ece2b51174256

 

J: It is evident that you care about your characters – it was difficult for me to say leave Leah behind. How did you feel when you had finished writing your book, and did you miss any of the characters?

S: Whenever I finish a book I always feel a heady mixture of triumph and relief. Yes, I do sometimes miss characters and I particularly missed Leah and Ronan from Just for the Holidays … but I know I’ll meet them again during the various edits. By then I’ll be keen to be with them again and will greet them like old friends.

J: Who would you like to read your book and why?  This could be another author, someone famous, a friend or a member of your family.  

S: I suppose ‘As many people as possible’ is the answer! There are few things that please me as much as people liking my books, so the more people who read them, the more likely that is.

J: Why should readers choose this novel? 

Sue Moorcroft

S: Entertainment and food for thought. My books usually have issues bubbling under the surface and in the case of JFTH they are: the changing shape of families, women being voluntarily child free, independence, bankruptcy and homelessness, and the problems of taking a relationship to an intimate level with teenagers around to thwart you.

J: What is the last sentence written in your writer’s notebook?

When she realises Levi has been her guardian angel, initially she’s furious. But the homeless guy tells her not to knock it. This relates to the book I’m currently writing for publication in Summer 2018.

J: What is the biggest challenge for an author?

S: For me, doing my accounts. Being an author is like any other business and I don’t enjoy the paperwork.

J: What is the best advice that you have received as a writer?

S: Don’t make enemies. This was from Margaret James, who was then the New Writers’ Scheme Organiser of the Romantic Novelists’ Association.

J: How does a best-selling author manage to stay so down to earth?

S: I work hard. I don’t have the time for airs and graces and my family and friends would probably point them out if I did.

Sue made the strawberries and cream mug cakes and they were deliciously gooey.  Her recipe is on her Facebook page and she agreed to share the link to my Timeline.  Although she’s cut right back on teaching in order to accommodate her publishing schedule of two books a year, Sue was incredibly generous with her time and passed on to me a few nuggets of practical advice about the world of publishing. She feels lucky to be writing full time and able to live her dream and it was a privilege to listen to her wisdom about the professional world of writing.

Before Sue could drive off, she had to remind herself of how to start the shiny new car. In common with Leah, Sue loves cars with a bit of power.

Sue’s links:

Website: www.suemoorcroft.com.

Blog: https://suemoorcroft.wordpress.com/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/sue.moorcroft.3

Facebook author page: https://www.facebook.com/SueMoorcroftAuthor

Twitter @suemoorcroft

Google+: google.com/+Suemoorcroftauthor

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/suemoorcroft

Instagram: suemoorcroftauthor

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/862993.Sue_Moorcroft

Take Five Authors: https://takefiveauthors.wordpress.com

 

 

Men Can Write Romance

The 2016 Joan Hessayon Award finalists. Guess which one is me.

Love makes the world go round.  However, it is a truth universally acknowledged that romance fiction authors tend to be women.  I am delighted to introduce you to a male romance writer, R. J. Gould, and let him tell you why men can write romance.

I suppose I am a rarity, a man writing in the Romance genre. There aren’t many of us; less than one percent of the membership of the Romantic Novelists’ Association are male. How did I fall into that genre and sign up to that organisation? Well, a fellow member of the local Cambridge Writers suggested that what I wrote was “sort of” romance and that I should put my novel forward for the New Writers’ Scheme. I got in, received a positive review, was a finalist for the Joan Hessayon Award (yes, the only male), and was taken on by an indie publisher after our RNA annual conference meeting.

Covers for one of my first novels. They’re OK but they’re not me.

At the next annual conference I played the ‘I am a rare male’ card and presented on ‘The Man in RoMANce’, this followed by a commission to write a feature for Writing Magazine. Meanwhile Part One, my publisher was going flat out to produce ChickLit/Romcomesque covers that I have never been comfortable with. Meanwhile Part Two, having fought off an agent’s suggestion that I use a pseudonym to attract my predominantly female target readership, I did adopt the cowardly compromise of using ‘R J’ in place of Richard.

“This tale of self-doubt, adultery and forgiveness is shot through with humour and compassion.”
David Lister, The Independent

I appreciate why I was placed in the Romance genre: I write about relationships. Based on many conversations, I can see why there aren’t more males writing, and for that matter reading, Romance – it’s the word itself and often the book covers that put men off. What a pity because this diverse genre can offer deep insights, thought-provoking takes on life and top-rate humour in addition to escapism.

My writing covers second-chance relationships, the tragi-comic journeys of the protagonists impeded by having to carry cartloads of baggage. For Mid-life follies starting point is a man taking early retirement and excited by the opportunities this presents. By contrast, his wife, several years younger, panics and flees the family home. One question stayed with me as the essence of the novel as I plotted their contrasting responses to ageing: ‘When you look in the mirror, do you see someone young and vibrant like you used to be,’ Liz asks her husband, ‘or old and decrepit like you’re going to be?’

The serene beauty of night time Cambridge

I decided to set the novel in Cambridge, the place where I now live. It was a good choice, not least because it got me walking around, notebook in hand, to check on the old haunts and new places that my lead characters visit. This picturesque and serene city seemed the ideal location for my solidly middle class protagonists to discard rationality and academia and compete for who can have the most embarrassing midlife crisis.

 

Please see all my author interviews at My Guests and my website and blog at JessieCahalin.com.

A copy of my novel is available here.

A Day in Provence with Carol Drinkwater

Carol at home, at the olive farm, in the garden

Having parked the car, in Tourrettes sur Loup, I grabbed my multi-coloured handbag and huge sunglasses.  Carol Drinkwater had spotted the frantic tourist trying to manoeuvre the oversized BMW, and waved at me from the other side of the road. She was dressed in jeans and a T shirt. Her handbag was a chic bright mauve sporting a Giorgio Armani label.

Tourrettes sur Loup

Strolling along the cobbled streets, I admired how the weather and time had sculptured each building in the medieval village, perched on the hilltop.  We realised the streets would have looked identical post World War Two; one of the eras presented in The Lost Girl.  Our conversation moved to Carol’s novel, The Lost Girl.

Jessie:  I am looking forward to reading The Lost Girl, but I am saving it for the winter months, back in Wales. Can you capture the essence of the novel in a few sentences? 

Set in a changing Paris by Julien Klenz

Carol: The Lost Girl is a heart-rending story of loss and enduring love. November 2015: Kurtiz, an English woman in her forties, is searching for her missing teenage daughter who she believes is living in Paris. In a café on the right bank Kurtiz falls into conversation with an eighty-year-old actress, Marguerite, who, when the terrorist attacks of that weekend begin, takes Kurtiz under her wing and together, through shared stories of their past, they find what they are both looking for.

Jessie:  I can’t wait to immerse myself in the narrative. Can you tempt me with a few sentences?

We stopped outside of a terracotta house where every stone seemed to have been artfully placed. Carol retrieved the novel from her designer bag.

Carol:  This tiny section is set very close to where we are now, just outside Grasse. It is the young Marguerite with a young man at her side, an ex-British soldier. He is about to buy the plot of land where they were lazing in the grass, and about to ask her to marry him.

‘… The afternoon was silent save for the humming insects. She heard a cart’s wheels turning in the distance, the bray of a donkey, but there was no one in sight, just the two of them and the perfumes emanating from the hills around them.  …’

As Carol read aloud, she attracted an appreciative audience.  The audience applauded, and we decided to seek sanctuary in a café.  Carol bowed her head graciously then smiled at the group of people.

Jessie:  You paint the scene beautifully with your words.  Tell me, how do find inspiration for the language choices?  Does it take you a long time to shape the choices?

Carol: I work through the text of my books over and over. I need to feel the language and sometimes after having made a ‘clever’ choice I go back to a simpler edition. As I grow older and have been at my desk for more and more years, I find the direct approach is better. Clean simple text usually paints the best pictures.

We found a bistro in the main square. An elderly, French lady, resplendent in her finery, was about to leave and presented her table to us.  Her theatrical manner was reminiscent of Marguerite Courtney, in the Lost Girl: such a contrast to the elegant, kind and unassuming Carol Drinkwater. I ordered a mineral water and Carol ordered a citron pressé.

The Lost Girl by Carol Drinkwater

Jessie:  The spontaneous positive response of your appreciative audience, earlier, speaks tomes about the quality of your work.  How has your book been received by the reviewers?

 Placing her glass on the table, Carol then searched on her phone for a link to The Lost Girl, on Amazon.

Carol:  OK.  Here are some reviews:

‘wonderful story, beautifully told, and with a great ending!!!’  -Reader review on Amazon

‘Mesmerising, haunting and extraordinarily relevant.  The Lost Girl is one of Lovereading’s novels of the year.’- Lovereading

‘A brilliantly told story set against that dreadful night. The characters are superbly written . . . I couldn’t put it down.’ – NetGalley Reviewer

Jessie:  As the reviewers indicate, the characters in your novels are always so real and engaging – it is obvious that you become attached to them. How did you feel when you had finished writing your book, and did you miss any of the characters?

Carol: I missed both of the two principal female characters. I felt as though they had both become my close friends and I longed to spend more time with them. I still talk to them, one of them in particular.

Jessie:  I’m intrigued and wonder if that means another book.

Carol:  I am writing a new novel now. Also set in France and also moving between two time frames.

Carol Drinkwater The Lost Girl

Jessie:  I am delighted to hear about a new project.  Let’s get back to The Lost Girl. Who would you like to read The Lost Girl and why? 

Pausing for thought, Carol laughed aloud before speaking.

Carol: The brilliant lovely producer who sees The Lost Girl as a film and makes it happen.

Jessie: You write scenically and draw the audience into the tension. And in The Lost Girl, you have captured a bleak event, through your imagination forever – it is a story that must be told. 

Carol: Yes, I agree, it is a story that needs to be told though I also appreciate that for some the events are too new. Having witnessed the real thing, I needed to recount those events giving them flesh and blood…

Carol Drinkwater

Jessie: The Lost Girl is safely stored in my handbag. Why should I keep your book in my handbag?

Carol: Because it is a story with a miracle at its heart and, from time to time, we all need one of those. Through the bleakest of days, though we may not be aware of it, hope and redemption are always present. The light always returns. The sun always rises.

Jessie:  Beautiful, inspirational message.  You are so blessed with your ability to craft words: your books will be a legacy to generations of readers. What is the last sentence written in your writer’s notebook?

Carol: It has nothing to do with The Lost Girl. It is for the novel I am writing now. Here goes:

‘N B and R B were lovers for fifty years.’

 Jessie:  You have intrigued me yet again.  There are so many delicious possibilities in this sentence.  You have told many stories, work so hard and have success that many aspiring writers can dream of. What is the biggest challenge for an author?

Carol: To keep going, to write every day, to keep the faith during the slow and arid patches, to believe in oneself. (I wish I could follow my own advice sometimes!)

Jessie: What is the best advice that you have received as a writer?

Carol: Turn up at your desk every morning. No one else is going to write your book for you.

Jessie:  It must also be a challenge to combine your writing with the work on your olive farm.  Having devoured your wonderful memoirs from the Olive Farm series, I am curious if your olive crops have survived the terrible drought.

Carol: Olives are not too susceptible to drought because it is a drought resistant tree. Our biggest challenge is to remain organic, and so far we are winning that battle.

Jessie:  Your memoirs indicate you have survived tough times.  What have your learnt along the way?

Carol: I have found that life can be heart-breaking. I have known emotional rejection and loneliness. Through the journey of so many ups and downs, I have come to realise that kindness and laughter are two of the richest gifts I can share and enjoy.

Carol Drinkwater is one of my all time favourite authors, and I suggest you check out her work – you won’t be disappointed.  I am currently reading The Lost Girl and will blog my review in the future. My reviews of some of Carol’s other novels can be found at:  Books in Handbag

Carol shares her thoughts and dreams

About Carol Drinkwater:

Carol is an award-winning actress and Sunday Times bestselling writer. She was probably most famous for her role of Helen Herriot in the fantastically popular TV series, All Creatures Great and Small. She lives on an olive farm in the south of France with her husband, Michel, and several dogs.

 

Carol’s Contact Details:

olivefarmbooks@gmail.com
agent: Jonathan Lloyd at Curtis Brown
website: www.caroldrinkwater.com
Twitter:  @Carol4OliveFarm 

 

Please see all my interviews at My Guests and my website and blog at JessieCahalin.com.

 

Rosemary Noble insists on a daily dose of realism and compassion

Rosemary Noble 

After four decades teaching students how to research in the day job as an education librarian, Rosemary began her own research into her family and discovered stories that begged to be told.

It was a pleasure to welcome, historical novelist, Rosemary Noble to Wales to discuss her novel – Ranter’s Wharf.

Rosemary Noble

Jessie: Your novel is well-researched and rich with historical references.  You have developed strong characters that one cannot fail to empathise with.   I can rant on and on about the merits of your book as I did in my review. Can you summarise the book in a few words?

Rosemary: It’s a moving family saga about love, loss and betrayal set in 19th century England. It follows three generations as they attempt to find a way to live honourably in tumultuous times.

Jessie:  Your novel has been a very popular download on Kindle.  I have noticed an impressive number of reviews.  Can you retrieve some reviews that capture the essence of your book? Always modest, Rosemary hesitated a little until I insisted that we read the reviews.

Rosemary: Maybe like any author, I dread the first reviews because you wonder if anyone will get what you are trying to do, especially when the subject matter is unusual. But I have been overwhelmed with the kind words people have written. For example:

“The wonderful characterisations in this novel make light of a challenging theme and transport the reader through the harsh times of Victorian Lincolnshire in a roller-coaster of emotions A little masterpiece of its genre” John Broughton – May 26 2017

“The joy of this book is that it is absolutely gripping. Because of the sympathy with which the characters are portrayed, you find yourself really caring about what happens to William – adopted as a bewildered child by his rich maiden aunt – and his heirs who carry on the fight for social justice into the next generation.” Perdisima May – 15th 2017

“Delightful and informative. An intriguing story with a wonderful insight of the times.” Amazon Customer – April 15th 2017

Jessie:  Can you tempt the reader with an extract from the novel?

Rosemary: “Her passionate nature freed itself from the reserve she showed the world, allowing her whole body to respond with joy to his smiles, with misery to his tears and a fierce desire to protect him.”

Jessie: How did you feel when you had finished writing your book, and did you miss any of the characters?

Rosemary: In some ways, relieved because it was a hard story to write. It’s based on my 3x great grandfather who was an ordinary farmer until he was converted.  I wanted the book to be engrossing and relevant but I had to keep the reader interested while dealing with the difficult subjects of poverty, politics and religion. Religion has featured strongly in all three of my books only because it was so important in the 19th century but it is not my natural element. My next book set in the 20th century will not be influenced by religion but will have its own problems for me to overcome as a writer and storyteller.

I always miss the characters in my books. As an author, they inhabit my mind constantly. Because the subject has relevance for today with Brexit and the Trump vote, I wonder what my characters would have felt and how they would react. I can hear William saying to his son,’ education is key’ and his son and nephew replying, ‘No, every man should have a vote if they contribute to the wealth of the country.’ I found myself quite conflicted when writing the final chapters.

Jessie: Who would you like to read your book and why?  This could be another author, someone famous, a friend or a member of your family.  

Rosemary: People like my hairdresser’s receptionist who said to me ‘your book makes me realise I should always use my vote.’

If I can move someone sufficiently to learn how hard life used to be and then become more active in demanding the voice of the poor and dispossessed are heard today, then I will be happy. I am no Dickens or Hardy but am conscious of the impact they had on 19th century society. Our current times are troubling and I see the hard-fought-for Welfare State crumbling through cut-backs. Let’s not go back to those times, please.

If there was one famous person I wish would read my books it would be the director, Ken Loach. I am in awe of his work such as Cathy Comes Home and I Daniel, Blake.

Jessie: Why should readers select your novel?

Rosemary: For a dose of realism and compassion. Allow yourself to be transported to a time where life was a struggle not just in a material way but also in a spiritual and political way. I want to know how you would react to ‘the undeserving poor’. Would you turn your back, cloak yourself in respectability or would you act to mitigate the poverty around you?

Rosemary Noble

Jessie: What is the last sentence written in your writer’s notebook?

Rosemary: A solitary gull glides and swoops in the azure sky below a trio of swifts cavorting and darting as though playing tag but in the far distance a black speck appears, a harbinger of death.

This is a note for my next book, working title, Sadie, which will link all my books together.

Jessie: What is the biggest challenge for an independent author?

Rosemary: Getting noticed which means learning about marketing on social media. The key for me is the relationships you forge with other indie’ writers. In any walk of life, you learn so much from other people and you’re stronger together in a team. In our case, a virtual team of authors from around the world as well as close to home.

What is the best advice that you have received as a writer?

Rosemary: Learn the craft but write the book you want to write. Stay true to yourself. I am in the lucky position that I don’t need to earn my living from writing which frees me to write what I want.

Rosemary is driven to give a voice to our ancestors, to those who never had a voice in real life. “I like to pose questions, encouraging readers to think for themselves, ‘what would I do in that situation, how would I cope’? The stories history sends us, have relevance for today and I like to tap into that because I am quite a political person though it’s only this year that I joined a political party.”

Spotlight on the Lovely Anne Williams

Meet lovely Anne Williams in 1958

Anne Williams is a shining light in the bookish community and is a best friend to authors, bloggers and readers.  Her kind and generous spirit is remarkable, and it is no wonder she has won many awards.  I was intrigued to know more about Anne and what inspired her love of reading.  Having invited Anne to my Bloggers’ Café, we settled down for a good chat about her childhood memories, reading and her life in Cardiff.  We shared a pot of tea for two and a generous plate of Welsh cakes.  We chatted for hours and she gave me some tantalizing facts about her life.

Jessie: Anne you work tirelessly to support authors, and we don’t know what we would do without your support.  I’d like you to relax, have a cuppa and tell us more about yourself.  Tell us about your childhood in Bangor and your fondest memories.  Do you speak Welsh?

Anne: Lovely of you to say so, Jessie – while it’s lovely to be able to give authors my support and a bit of exposure, it’s got more to do with the fact that I just love books and reading, and love talking about them whenever I get the chance!

The view from her parents’ house in Port Dinorwic

I actually come from a small village between Bangor and Caernarfon: in those days it was called Port Dinorwic (it’s where they used to load and ship the slate from the quarry), but it’s now been renamed Y Felinheli. I don’t speak Welsh, sadly – although my dad came from the village, my mum was from Swansea and an English-speaker, so we never spoke Welsh at home. I can understand conversations though, translate things into English and watch the occasional programme on S4C.

My memories are all about family really. We lived in a converted schoolhouse until my O-level year (that’s what people took before GCSEs!), when we moved to mum and dad’s new-build dream house, overlooking the Menai Straits. I had a brother, Nigel, who was eight years younger than me – and was the constant pain little brothers often are (very sadly, he died a few years ago from a heart attack – by then, we were friends again). After we moved house, all I can really remember is an awful lot of studying – I desperately wanted to read English at university (I got there!) and to spread my wings a little.

Jessie: Did your parents inspire your love of reading?  If not, who did inspire the beginning of your reading journey?

Anne loves the quote from Maya Angelou – “People will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.”

Anne: My mother’s always been a reader and taught me to read and enjoy books before I started at the village school aged 3 (maybe I was a bit of a prodigy!). I remember us having floor to ceiling bookshelves in the alcoves in the lounge: I read the books, my brother used them as a climbing assault course. And then I had my library ticket and can remember looking forward to choosing my five books a week into my late teens. I was always the child who preferred to sit in the corner with a book rather than get involved in the rowdy stuff – I was also painfully shy, and I think the books were a bit of an escape (and they probably still are!).

Jessie: You told me you lived in Cardiff thirty years ago.  What was Cardiff like three decades ago.  Where did you like to go? Were there lots of bookshops? What advice would you give to your younger self living in Cardiff?

This is the Cardiff that Anne remembers

Anne:I went to university in Hull, did my growing up and really didn’t want to go back to a small village – and I didn’t have to because I joined the Civil Service and they posted me to Cardiff. I was in my twenties, remember – reading took a bit of a back seat (the need to dissect and analyse had dampened my book enthusiasm a little) while I got on with having fun with friends and discovering the opposite sex. I don’t remember book shops – at that time, I was keener on music and searching out vinyl, and there was a great shop on the Hayes (long gone) where I spent many happy hours. I spent a lot of time in and around the Chapter Arts Centre in Canton – at that time it was a pretty amateur set up, but a great place to see obscure art-house films, wander the gallery, eat vegetarian food (rather exotic at the time!) and to meet friends in the bars. There were the many clubs and bars too, of course – a couple of hours’ sleep was plenty then, and the hangovers weren’t as bad. It was the era of the New Romantics, and I do remember a few outings to the Casablanca in the Docks – and the many places where you could get happy hour cocktails (not a modern phenomenon). Advice? I wouldn’t have listened anyway…!

Jessie: You visited Cardiff recently.  How has Cardiff changed?

Anne sat in this coffee shop in Cardiff Bay. This place is very different to her memories of the Docks in the era of the New Romantics.

Anne: While all the landmarks are still there, it’s really changed beyond all recognition. The city centre I remember is no more, totally swallowed up by that enormous shopping centre – but it was nice to see that the quirky arcades have been cared for and are still full of those fascinating little shops and cafes. Docklands was a bit of a no-go area back in the 80s, and that’s certainly changed – and I very much liked the new waterfront development. They always say you shouldn’t go back though, don’t they?

Jessie: Do you miss Wales now that you live in Yorkshire?

Anne: I haven’t lived in Wales since the mid-80s – I lived in Wigan, worked in Manchester, for over ten years before I moved here. I visited North Wales regularly when my parents still lived there, but never had a hankering to return. I guess home is anywhere you can be happy, and I haven’t regretted for an instant making Yorkshire mine.

Jessie: I am in awe of the number of books you read and the quality of your reviews.  How do you balance reviewing and blogging with the rest of your life? How long does it take to review a book?

Anne: Thank you! When I was still working, I’ll admit it was difficult – I have the greatest admiration for bloggers who can balance life, work and blogging – and I only took things up a gear after I retired. There was a time when it seemed to have become my new full-time job: I’ve eased off a little with the need to care for my mother, and three or four posts a week now feels about right. My reviews take ages, if I’m honest – I’m a bit of a perfectionist and want every review to be as good and complete as I can make it. I probably spend four mornings a week writing posts, and then a little more supporting others on Twitter, being sociable on-line, and doing the necessary admin. The reading’s no hardship – I’m not really much of a TV watcher so I read in the evenings and in bed and can sometimes manage an occasional treat of an afternoon.

Jessie:What makes a good review?  Do you have a review structure, or does it depend on the book and your inspiration?

Anne:I don’t really know what makes a good review, but I do seem to have accidentally landed on a shape that works for me, and hopefully for others. I rarely tell the story – I get annoyed when I find myself doing so, because the author does it so much better. And I’m quite paranoid about spoilers – totally unforgivable, and not really that difficult to avoid. My reviews are really just my personal reaction to a book: I’ll mention whatever I particularly liked (and sometimes things I liked less), but the emphasis is always on how a book made me feel. And the only reviews you’ll ever see on Being Anne are of books I’ve enjoyed – I don’t enjoy everything, but then I stop reading and pick up another.

Jessie: You must receive lots of books in the post.  Where do you store all the review copies you receive? 

Anne: Do you know, I actually don’t receive that much book post these days – I’ve asked the publishers I work with to stop sending them. My eyesight is worsening with age, and I find it so much easier to read on my kindle – but don’t ask me how many books are in my kindle library! Although a lot of the books I read are gifted or downloaded from netgalley, I can’t resist buying even more – probably at least twice as many as I receive. I had my bedrooms decorated last year, and decided I needed to do something about my 4000+ unread books, spread over half a dozen bookshelves. Most went to the library, and some to charities, and it really didn’t hurt (much) – I now have just one (large) bookshelf for my signed copy collection.

Jessie: Besides reading, what other hobbies do you have?

Anne: To be honest, I don’t really have other hobbies. I enjoy theatre, cinema, concerts (of all kinds, with a newly found love of classical), museums and galleries, and visit as often as I can – but everything else I do tends to be book and reading related, including running a real-life book club. For the last couple of years, I became an almost full-time carer for my mum, who has vascular dementia: now she’s being far better cared for in a home, I visit or take her out every other day, but I’m just getting used to the idea of having “spare time” again, and really must do something about revitalising my social life! I also always used to go on two major holidays a year – US, South America, Africa, the Far East – but that’s been just impossible recently. For now, I’ve decided to explore the UK a little – three book-related stays already planned for this year, and a few more I need to get round to sorting out.

Jessie: If you wrote a book what genre would you write in?  Have you got any characters hassling you to tell their story?  What names would you give you the leading characters?

Anne: I did have plans, didn’t I? I don’t think it’s ever likely to happen – and if it doesn’t, I don’t think I really want it enough. Genre-wise, I think it’d be women’s fiction – maybe romance, perhaps with some travel included, and definitely with older characters. But I’ve never really come up with a story that’s made me enthusiastic to develop it further – and I’ve definitely never got anywhere near coming up with names!

Jessie: Finally, is there a famous quotation about reading that resonates with you? 

For instance, I often quote C.S Lewis:

‘We read to know we are not alone.’

Anne: Not really about books and reading, but I do love the quote from Maya Angelou – “People will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.” And that works pretty well for books too, doesn’t it?

Anne has been nominated for an award at the Annual Bloggers Bash Awards.  Voting closes on 24th April at 9pm.
https://annualbloggersbash.com

Anne’s Blog
http://beinganne.com/

 

Please see all my author interviews at My Guests and my website and blog at JessieCahalin.com.

 

Meeting historical novelist and his scoundrel ancestors

John Jackson

 

 

 

 

My phone guided me through the ancient streets of York to meet, historical novelist John Jackson. Instantly, John greeted me with his warm smile and welcoming manner.  He was looking very relaxed in his cords and checked shirt.

John:  Welcome to York!  I have taken the liberty of buying you half a pint of Shambles Tavern Stumbler.

It was a straw coloured beer with a pleasant hoppy finish.  It was served cool but not cold.  We also had a complementary plate of sandwiches and crisps.

Jessie:  Thank you, John. It is great to be back in Yorkshire.  Sorry, I’m a little late but I got distracted with Shambles Market. 

John:  No problem, it is so easy to get lost in the history of York.  The Shambles is rumoured to be the best preserved medieval street in the world.

Jessie: I didn’t know that – thank you.  You certainly do adore your history.  I was reading about your historical novel on the train and it looks so tempting.  It was fascinating to discover your novel is based on your family history.

John:  Ah yes, I started to research my Family Tree fifty years ago.  I was lucky to find transcribed letters from my great, great grandfather on one side of the family, and on the other I found that my great great grandmother was related to the Rochforts of Belvedere, in Ireland.  I had to research this treasure and along the way, I came across some juicy relatives – and a story that was crying out to be told.

I found a booklet titled ” Some Celebrated Irish Beauties of the Last Century”, and the first chapter was about my book’s heroine. I couldn’t pass this story by. In my eyes it was crying out to be told, even though the original story would need a very different treatment.

I ended up writing the story of what I would LIKE to have happened.

John saw me looking at his novel peeping out of a rucksack.  He held up the front cover with pride.

John:  It was a great moment for me when I received the physical copies of the book.  I am totally delighted with the front cover. It’s a portrait of Robert Rochfort, and it hangs in Belvedere House in Mullingar. The management of the house (an Irish National Monument) were extremely helpful in allowing me to use the image.

Jessie:  It is like the front cover for a classic, historical novel – perfect for the genre.  Can you capture the essence of the book in a couple of sentences?

John:

You can’t choose who you lose your heart to!

Love can be the only thing that keeps you alive.

Jessie:  Wow!  You have already hooked me into the novel.  The blurb says, ‘Based on real events, Heart of Stone is a tale of power, jealousy, imprisonment, and love, set in 1740s Ireland.’ Please tell me more about this captivating story.

John: I don’t want to give too much away, obviously. Fortunately, it is a time that is past. We behave better now – or at least differently. I can reassure you, though – you really WILL be captivated by the story.

Jessie: I can see that there has been an awful lot of interest in your book online.  Everyone seems to love the fact that the story is based on your own family.  What do the reviewers say?

John:  For me, the fact that my wife loved the book was such a great reward.  Here are some of the reviews from Amazon:

‘A brilliant book, found it hard to put it down!’ By Mum’s the word

‘I thoroughly enjoyed reading Heart of Stone. I found it hard to put down from the first pages onwards.’ By Rebecca H Stevens

And from Goodreads: ‘Utterly loved the book, fantastic read and loved it very much…’ by Gwessie Tee.

Jessie:  I am impressed with the way that you are tempting me to read the book – very clever.  Come on now, can you read an extract.

John took a sip of his beer then picked up his book.  He had already marked some passages and took a couple of minutes to select the extract.

John: Mary felt the warmth of his lips on her fingers; the sensation caused her to feel a glow deep within her. She looked up and into his eyes. They seemed deep enough to drown in.

Jessie:  Well, I wasn’t expecting that level of intrigue in such a short passage.  Who is Mary, she sounds as if she is in trouble?

John: She is, but doesn’t know it! She is my 5 x Great Grandmother, Mary Molesworth and the daughter of an Irish peer. She is Robert’s new wife.

Jessie:  How did you develop the characters in your novel.  Did you have clues about the characters’ personalities in your research?

I started with what was actually known about them and worked from there. I found that easier than I expected, possibly because they are – initially – “broad brush” characters.

Jessie:  It must have been quite a journey to write this book, and it must have been difficult to leave the characters behind. How did you feel when you had finished writing your book, and did you miss any of the characters?

John: Writing “The End” was both the best and the worst of sensations. I was delighted to finish the work; but it was also like saying goodbye to some old friends.

I would like to have written more about the enigmatic Mr Stafford. He knows everything.

Jessie: Who would you like to read your book and why?  This could be another author, someone famous, a friend or a member of your family.  

John: Most of all, I would like my friends to read it. There is a lot of “me” in Heart of Stone.  My wife has already read it, and, happily, loved it.

Jessie: Why should I keep your book in my handbag?

John: It entertains (I hope), and it reaffirms the old tenet of “Never give up! Never lose faith!”

What is the last sentence written in your writer’s notebook?

From my next book: (Working title “Strange Bedfellows”. He never felt the blow that felled him, but, as his assailant kicked him viciously in the ribs and back, he could feel himself slipping into unconsciousness. A disembodied voice spoke into his ear as he lay there. “Stay away from here. We don’t want your kind.”

Jessie: I have just read a wonderful blog post from you where you explain how you have marketed your book.  It was thorough and I have shared it with others. What is the biggest challenge for an author?

John: For a NEW author, realising that you might have a good tale to tell, but you really need to learn how to tell it! Writing is a craft, and it behoves us to do it well, if we believe in our story.

Jessie: What is the best advice that you have received as a writer?

John:  Don’t give up!

Jessie:  You certainly don’t seem like the sort of person to give up.  Your novel sounds like a labour of love. It must be wonderful to get an insight into your ancestors.  I searched for Belvedere House, one of the settings, it looks magnificent.  I was intrigued by the Jealous Wall.  Does this feature in the novel? Tell me, did you visit Belvedere House in Ireland? 

John: We did indeed. I HAD to check to see if I had made any major mistakes in my draft. Fortunately, I hadn’t. Belvedere and the Wall are impressive. They both feature heavily in the novel.

As expected, John was great fun to interview.  He is such a warm character and very clever at presenting clues about his book.  I wish him the very best of luck with his debut novel.

About John…

After a lifetime at sea, I am now retired, and have turned to writing fiction. An avid genealogist, I found a rich vein of ancestors, and suddenly realised just how much material there was for any number of books. Most people throughout history have led boring, humdrum and frequently brutally short lives, but on my family tree, there were a good number of real characters. Some were total scumbags, and lots did “interesting things.”

A chance meeting with some authors led me to turn his efforts to setting down some amazing stories. John is a keen member of the Romantic Novelists Association and the Historic Novel Society and an enthusiastic conference-goer for both organizations.

I was brought up on Georgette Heyer from an early age, and, like many of my age devoured R L Stevenson, Jane Austen, R M Ballantyne, and the like. These days my tastes run towards Bernard Cornwell, Simon Scarrow, Liz Fenwick, and Kate Mosse.

Contact details:

Website:  john42hhh.blogspot.co.uk

Twitter: @jjackson42 

Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/johnjacksonauthor/

 

 

Please see all my interviews at My Guests and my blog at jessiecahalin.com.

 

Summer on a Sunny Island with Sue Moorcroft

Ideas come from all over. I began my new book, Summer on a Sunny Island, after visiting Malta with my brothers and sister-in-law for a service kids’ reunion.

To celebrate three years of Books in my Handbag Blog, I invited a special guest to join me. Sue Moorcroft was the first guest on my blog three years ago and is renowned for her captivating escapist fiction. I asked her about her latest novel, Summer on a Sunny Island, and where she finds her stories and characters. Get the kettle on, join us for a chat and let’s indulge in a short break to Malta where sparks are flying.

Jessie: When did you get your big break in writing?

Sue: Securing my agent Juliet of Blake Friedmann. She sold two books to Avon, HarperCollins and they got the first, The Christmas Promise, to #1 on UK Kindle in December 2016.

Jessie: Did you dream of becoming an author when you were a child?

Sue: Yes. I was six or seven when I realised someone created what went between a book’s covers and decided I’d like that to be me.

Jessie: Have you ever been tempted to chat to readers if you see them buy your book in the supermarket? 

Sue: I was once in W H Smith in St Pancras Station, talking to a friend where A Christmas Gift stood on the shelf. A lady picked up a copy. I froze but my friend said, ‘Would you like to meet the author?’ We chatted and took photos and members of staff joined in and another guy came up and said he knew me from columns I wrote for Writers’ Forum. It was a lovely experience. Ideas come from all over. I began my new book, Summer on a Sunny Island, after visiting Malta with my brothers and sister-in-law for a service kids’ reunion.

Jessie: You have written an amazing number of novels.  Where do you get your ideas from?  Are you constantly searching for characters?

Sue: I made Rosa’s mum and Zach’s dad army kids who’d lived on the island. Another spark was a sweet anecdote I heard about a celeb cook, which made me make Rosa’s mum a food writer. Zach’s troubled past comes from my memory of a guy at school. Part of Rosa’s from something that happened when I worked in a bank. I’m lucky to have a plotty head that weaves together things I remember/hear about.

Jessie: How many times do you draft a book before you send it to your editor?  How many rewrites do you go through before the book is ready to release into the wild?

Sue: Two or three drafts before I send the book in. Then comes a structural edit (probably another two drafts), a line edit and a copy edit. Sometimes two of these edits are combined into one.

An uplifting, happy read that will raise your spirits and warm your heart!

Jessie: Your novels always have distinctive settings.  Did you visit Malta before you wrote the latest novel, Summer on a Sunny Island?

Sue: I was brought up there for several years and return whenever I can. Last year, with Summer on a Sunny Island in progress, I visited four times! I wrote about a quarter of the first draft there, which was an enriching process.

Jessie: What are the themes and contemporary issues in Summer on a Sunny Island?

Sue: Characters standing at a crossroads in their lives; online gambling; young people pulled into the wrong crowd; family dynamics; negative equity traps; responsibility.

Jessie: The opening lines of your novels always hook me.  Please share the opening lines of Summer on a Sunny Island.

‘Rosa twirled her wine glass, trying to choose her words over the chatter and clatter of Gino’s pavement café and the rumble of traffic along the seafront road. Here in the busy area of Sliema, old buildings outnumbered the new and the promenade was filled with people selling harbour cruises to tourists. Rosa preferred Ta’ Xbiex, where she was staying, about a mile along the coast, with its traditional stone villas. Sliema’s air was punctuated by the sound of car horns but in Ta’ Xbiex you could sometimes catch the mellow sound of church bells rising into the blue sky above the boats bobbing on the sparkling sea.’

Jessie: I am so grateful to you for writing such great escapes.  What do you read when you want to escape? 

Sue: I read in the area I write – authors such as Jules Wake/Julie Caplin, Kathryn Freeman, Rhoda Baxter, Christina Courtenay – and romantic suspense such as Toni Anderson, Suzanne Brockmann and Linda Howard. I also love books on Formula 1!

Sue Moorcroft is a Sunday Times and international bestselling author and has reached the coveted #1 spot on Amazon Kindle.

Jessie: What message would you like to give to your dedicated group of readers?

Sue: THANK YOU. There are few things give me more pleasure than readers enjoying my books. And thank you, Jessie, for inviting me onto Books in my Handbag!

As an international bestselling author of escapist fiction, Sue Moorcroft is the perfect writer to visit my blog.  As I can’t travel, I fancy an escape to Malta because we need an ‘uplifting happy read’ at the moment.

Sue Moorcroft is a Sunday Times and international bestselling author and has reached the coveted #1 spot on Amazon Kindle. She’s won the Goldsboro Books Contemporary Romantic Novel Award, Readers’ Best Romantic Novel award and the Katie Fforde Bursary. Sue’s novels of love and life are currently released by publishing giant HarperCollins in the UK, US and Canada and by an array of publishers in other countries.

Her short stories, serials, columns, writing ‘how to’ and courses have appeared around the world.

Born into an army family in Germany, Sue spent much of her childhood in Cyprus and Malta but settled in Northamptonshire at the age of ten. An avid reader, she also loves Formula 1, travel, time spent with friends, dance exercise and yoga.


Website [www.suemoorcroft.com]
Blog [http://suemoorcroft.wordpress.com]
Facebook profile [Sue.Moorcroft.3]
Facebook author page [https://www.facebook.com/SueMoorcroftAuthor
Twitter  [@suemoorcroft]
Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/suemoorcroftauthor/] @SueMoorcroftAuthor
LinkedIn [https://www.linkedin.com/in/suemoorcroft]

Please see all my author interviews at My Guests and my website and blog at JessieCahalin.com.

A copy of my novel is available here.

Escape to a Medieval Castle with Ella Matthews

Ella Matthews lives and works in beautiful South Wales.

Do you fancy a trip to medieval Britain and an encounter with a warrior knight? If you do, then let me introduce to Ella Matthews who has just released Under The Warrior’s Protection. Ella is a member of my local Romantic Novelists’ Association writing group. I was keen to discover more about how her role as a commissioning editor prepared her to become an author for Mills and Boon.

Did you dream of becoming an author when you were a child?

When I was a child I wanted to be an actress. There are two problems with this: I’m very shy and I’m a terrible actor. I thought that writing books is what other people did, so although I loved reading it never occurred to me that I could be an author too.

You were a commissioning editor for many years.  Was it difficult to make the transition from editor to writer? What were the key pointers you had in mind when you started to write?

There is quite a lot of cross-over with my editor role and writing and because I was so immersed in the publishing world it was quite easy to transition from one to the other. As a commissioning editor you are always thinking of the commercial appeal of the books you work on and that was one of my focuses when I was putting my first manuscript together. I’d love to say that my experience as an editor made getting rejection letters easier because I know it’s not personal but sadly, that’s not the case.

‘A story filled with drama, danger and fabulous characters that had me hooked.’
Anna’s Book Blog

Under the Warrior’s Protection is set in the medieval period.  Why did you select this period in history and how do you research the era?

I find it quite hard to research the medieval period. There is so much that’s unknown so I try and make an educated guess based on the research I do (mainly visiting castles and reading lots of books). My biggest concern is that I miss something and a reader picks it up.

I picked this time period because I’ve always wanted to live in a castle and this is the closest I’m going to get.

How many times do you draft a book before you send it to your editor?  How many rewrites do you go through before the book is ready to release into the wild?

I go through a lot! I would say that, on average, I draft individual scenes about eight times before I’m happy with them. When I’ve finished the manuscript I will probably go through it another four times before I send it to my editor. Victoria will then get back to me with any changes she wants before it’s sent to a content editor who makes sure I haven’t written something crazy, like eating pizza at a medieval feast. After that, it’s the proofs and then finally it’s released into the wild.

The hero of Under the Warrior’s Protection is an influential Earl and his fortress is based on Caerphilly Castle.

Where do you get your ideas from?  Do you find perfect medieval heroes and heroines walking our streets when you are out and about? If yes, then please give us a delicious example.

Gosh this is a hard question! I had the idea for the first book in the House of Leofric series so long ago that I’ve forgotten where the idea came from. All the other ideas for my medieval books have come from writing the other books. So, I had the idea for Under the Warrior’s Protection when I met the heroine, Katherine in my first book. She was a minor character, who caught my attention. Her story unfolded in my head as I was standing by the photocopier at work.

I’m terribly unobservant and I sort of walk around in my own bubble, so I never get my heroes and heroines from real life. Quite a few of my heroes seem to have Chris Hemsworth’s physique though!

Your novels always have distinctive settings.  The latest book is set in a medieval castle.  Is it based on a real castle and did you visit medieval castles to inspire you?

The castle, which features in all the House of Leofric books, is based on Oystermouth Castle in Mumbles (well worth a visit when Swansea opens back up again!). The hero of Under the Warrior’s Protection is an influential Earl and his fortress is based on Caerphilly Castle. I’m lucky to live in Wales where there are a range of medieval castles to visit.

What is the biggest challenge when writing a historical novel? 

It has to be finding out the correct information. The medieval period lasted for several hundred years and so what was true at the beginning was not necessarily the case by the end. My novels tend to take place in the middle and I’m very nervous about the fiction not matching up with reality. That’s why my locations are fictitious and there are no real people from history in my novels. I might be braver in my next series!

What clothes do your characters own and are there any interesting, unfamiliar garments?

Clothing is another big challenge when writing medieval novels. When I started researching this time period I was surprised at just how colourful their clothing was. I think the women’s outfits aren’t wildly different to modern day women’s maxi dresses. My heroes tend to wear knight’s clothing because their everyday outfits were similar to the women’s and I don’t want to cause confusion.

Is your heroine, Katherine, a modern woman?  Introduce us to Katherine and tell us what she would think of the way women dress and behave today.

Until the start of my novel, Katherine has led a very restricted life under the confines of an increasingly violent mother. She craves adventure and stability. I think she would be thrilled by how women behave today. She’d particularly love the freedom to travel anywhere in the world. If she lived now I think she would be a marine biologist! I do think she would be shocked by the mini skirt, though!

Your novels are presented as wonderful romantic escapes.  What should readers expect to find in your novels?

Strong, confident alpha males and feisty, forward-thinking women who experience adventure and romance.

What do the readers say about your novels? 

‘A story filled with drama, danger and fabulous characters that had me hooked.’

Anna’s Book Blog

‘This story…is full of angst, humour, and passion. Prepare to be romanced by another great author who is going on my favourites list.’

The Eclectic Review

‘This couple’s story kept me entertained, engrossed and I loved them more, the further I read.’

Goodreads review

Ella Matthews lives and works in beautiful South Wales. When not thinking about handsome heroes she can be found walking along the coast with her husband and their two children (probably still thinking about heroes but at least pretending to be interested in everyone else). Ella Matthews lives and works in beautiful South Wales. When not thinking about handsome heroes she can be found walking along the coast with her husband and their two children (probably still thinking about heroes but at least pretending to be interested in everyone else).

 

Please see all my author interviews at My Guests and also my website and blog at JessieCahalin.com.

A copy of my novel is available here.

Enigmatic Dual-Time Guernsey novel in my handbag 

Anne Allen

 

 

 

 

 

 

Having departed from a grey, rainy day in London, it was a thrill to arrive in Guernsey. A blue sky greeted me in Guernsey, and the cool breeze was refreshing. A taxi took me to the quaint St Peter’s Port. I met Anne at The Old Government House Hotel, a cosy homely hotel with spectacular views. Looking around, I tried to imagine how the building may have been used by the Germans, during World War Two.

We sat in two comfortable brown leather armchairs, near a beautiful piano.Grabbing Anne’s latest novel, The Betrayal, from my handbag, I asked Anne to tell me more.

Jessie: This is a beautiful place and it is difficult to imagine how Guernsey when it was occupied by the Germans. Tell me more about your novel.

Anne: The Betrayal  is two intertwined stories; the first focusing on Leo, who loses everything in the German Occupation of Guernsey. The second concerns Fiona, who sixty years later, becomes caught up in what happened to Leo after the mysterious find of a Renoir in a Guernsey basement.

Jessie:Where did you get the inspiration for your narrative in The Betrayal?

Anne: From two historical events that took place in Guernsey. The first was Renoir’s visit in 1883, when he stayed for a few weeks and painted numerous local scenes; in particular Moulin Huet on the south coast. These paintings are quite well-known and at least one is in a major museum. The second event was the forced deportation of Jews from Guernsey and Jersey – by the Germans to concentration camps during WWII.

Jessie: German occupation must have been terrifying for the inhabitants.  I look forward to reading your novel to capture a sense of the atmosphere. Can you read an extract from the novel?

Anne removed her novel from the coffee table and selected a passage instantly.

Anne: His heart lurched, hating to see her like this. Before he could say anything, she went on, ‘I can’t leave you here on your own, Leo. Anything might happen to you if the Germans do come.’

Jessie: Great choice! You build up the tension and make me want to read more. How does The Betrayal fit into the Guernsey Series?

Anne:All six books in The Guernsey Novels series are standalone stories but they share characters who featured in previous books. It’s like reading about a small town, when people know each other and turn up when needed. Each book has fresh main characters to add to the mix and to prevent readers becoming bored! My fans tell me they love recognising characters from previous books in the series, making them feel at home

Jessie: How did you feel when you had finished writing The Betrayal and did you miss any of the characters?

Anne: Relieved and exhausted! It had taken me months longer than anticipated to finish but I was pleased with the result. Characters do get under your skin and I miss Fiona and Michael in particular. The joy of writing books in a series is that characters can pop up again, so it might be au revoir not goodbye.

Jessie: Who would you like to read your book and why? This could be another author, someone famous, a friend or a member of your family. 

Anne: I would be honoured if Barbara Erskine, the writer of so many wonderful time-slip books, would deign to read my humble offerings. Any words of advice and/or encouragement from her would be gratefully received.

Jessie: What is the biggest challenge for an author?

Anne: Getting noticed by potential readers. There are millions of books available to choose from these days making it almost impossible for an unknown writer to be noticed in the crowd. Now I have a series of six books to my name, it’s becoming a little easier.

Jessie: What is the best advice that you have received as a writer?

Anne: To write as if for myself, not to worry if anyone will ever read my words.

More about Anne

Anne is a retired psychotherapist who finally got the chance to write when her three children flew the nest. She loves history and exploring old houses, visiting places of archaeological interest on her travels.

Please see all my interviews at My Guests and my blog at jessiecahalin.com.

 

When Dreams Came True for Jan Baynham

Jan hard at work in her writing room in Wales.

When people follow their dreams, I must find out more.  Having retired from a career in education, Jan Baynham recently gained a publishing deal with Ruby Fiction.  I am delighted she agreed to chat to me about her writing adventure and offer the benefit of her experiences.

Jessie: When did you first dream of becoming a writer?

Jan:  I came very late to the party! It wasn’t until I retired that I thought about writing fiction. As a teacher and latterly as a Teacher Adviser for English, I’d always enjoyed teaching writing and taking part in Shared Writing but had never thought seriously about writing for myself. To start, I joined a small writing group at a local library and from there I took a short story course at Cardiff University run by a published author. I began submitting my stories to competitions and several are published in anthologies and on-line.  A themed anthology of those early stories, “Smashing the Mask and Other Stories’, will be launched by Black Pear Press on October 10th.  Back then, unless they were Flash Fiction pieces – a genre that I love! – I found it harder and harder to keep to the word counts required for some of the competitions. It soon became clear that I preferred to write much longer stories with multi-layered characters, detailed settings and more involved plots. I undertook a novel writing course with the same tutor and that was when my dream of becoming a published novelist began. That was five years ago and enrolling on Lynne Barrett-Lee’s course was the best decision I ever made.

Jessie:  Wow!  I am impressed you retired from one successful career to embark on another challenge. How did you feel when you secured a deal with Ruby Fiction?

Jan: At the beginning of May, I accepted and signed a contract with Ruby Fiction for three books. The first, ‘Whispering Olive Trees’, will be published in digital and audio in 2020. I was – and still am! – thrilled and still can’t quite believe it. I know there’s a lot of hard work ahead but working with my editor at Ruby is something I’m looking forward to very much. I shall give it my all.

Jessie: What is Whispering Oliver Trees about?

The view over the sapphire sea from the fictional island of Péfka where the novel is mainly set

‘Whispering Olive Trees’ started out as a short story that did quite well in competitions by being long-listed. After re-tweaking, it was eventually published as ‘Whispers in the Olive Trees’ on Alfie Dog Fiction. But I knew there was a longer, more involved story there and my characters were begging to tell me more. The novel is now completely different. Mainly taking place on a fictional island, Péfka, in southern Greece, in 1965 and 1987, the dual time-line novel explores the relationship between a mother and daughter, forbidden love – due to cultural differences – and a search for true identity. Alexandra, known as Lexi, is a young woman grieving after the untimely death of her mother, Elin who has bequeathed her diary to her. Through reading the diary, Lexi discovers secrets in her mother’s past and a part of her life she knew nothing about. She travels to Greece to find out the truth, and then understands why tension has always existed between her and her father. Once she knows who she really is, she can move on with her own life and find true happiness. I’m hoping the novel will appeal to female readers who enjoy family sagas and reading about relationships, the dynamics of family life, secrets, romance and a touch of crime. Having a Greek uncle and having made many visits there, I am passionate about novels set in Greece and the country itself. I hope that will come across to my readers.

Jessie:  Intriguing to know you have a Greek uncle and this inspired the story.  I adore stories with secrets.  The novel sounds like a great escape and it is no wonder you wanted to write the novel.  You have been determined to secure a publishing deal. I knew you would manage it.  What process did you go through before you were successful?

Olive trees grow everywhere on the island. The whispering of the leaves in the
breeze remind Lexi she is not alone.

Jan: Thank you for your confidence, Jessie. Yes, I was as determined as I could be. I think the main reason for the determination was that I didn’t have the confidence to self-publish and I am full of admiration for those writers who do so successfully. The first thing I did was to apply for a place on the RNA’s wonderful New Writers’ Scheme. I cannot praise the scheme highly enough. The three reports I have received from my readers so far have been very constructive, encouraging and detailed with helpful advice. Before submitting to any publishers, I have considered the points made and given my novels another thorough edit.

Wherever Lexi goes, she is met by an abundance of vibrant bougainvillea, tumbling over garden walls.

I took note of those publishers to whom you may submit directly without an agent. As each rejection came back, it was noticeable that instead of a standard ‘Thanks, but no thanks’ I soon started getting positive feedback with comments about what they liked about the writing and why they couldn’t make an offer. It was at this stage, the ‘nearly but not quite’ stage as one editor put it, I knew that if I took on board the advice I was getting, that maybe I would get published. A glimmer of hope! I hoped that each new submission was better than the previous one because of the help I was getting. That’s not to say I didn’t have self-doubt and wondered how long I should keep trying. That was where my group of writing friends, Sue, Catherine and Vanessa came in and gave me the kick start to begin submitting again!

Jessie: What advice would you give to fledgling authors seeking their first publishing deal?

Jan: Keep going! Get yourself a pair of wide shoulders, preferably with 80s style padding! I tell myself it’s a rejection of the writing and not of me as a person. I’m a ‘bottle half-full’ person and whenever I receive any written feedback, I have a little ritual. Especially with my NWS readers’ reports, I highlight all the positive comments and compliments in one colour and then do the same for the suggestions for improvement, criticisms, flaws etc. in another highlighter pen. We are notoriously bad at just focusing in on what’s wrong with our writing, aren’t we? If I agree with the points to correct or improve, I make them into a list and tick them off as I edit.

Choose to submit to publishers who are accepting submissions without an agent and who are accepting novels in your genre. Make sure you read the submission guidelines ‘to the letter’. They all vary. The same applies to the query letter. If you are submitting to an agent, however, maybe look for those who are building a list.

Even very experienced writers will say they are still learning. I can’t tell you how much I’ve learned, and hopefully improved as a writer, from attending conferences, training days and workshops. Lancaster 2019 will be my fourth RNA Conference and as well as the organised lectures, workshops, the 1-to-1 industry appointments, the camaraderie of the other delegates, I’ve always come back enthused and ready to start writing again.

My last piece of advice would be to build your social media presence before you start submitting to publishers. It is often a question they ask and want to know how you will be able to promote yourself and your novels. My blog is now five years old and I started it when I started novel writing. It’s a way of sharing my writing journey and also supporting fellow authors by promoting their books and hosting guest interviews. On Twitter, for example, I’ve ‘met’ lots of supportive writers and we like and re-tweet each others’ news and books. It’s even better when we meet in person.

Jessie:  You give lots of valuable advice, and I have now experienced the value of the Romantic Novelist’ Conference.  I agree that social media is a wonderful way to communicate -it’s where I met you.  Why is it important for new writers to meet up with other writers rather than only communicating on social media?

Jan: Although I’m an advocate of building up a presence on social media, nothing beats meeting up with other writers, face to face. Writing can be a very lonely occupation and I think it’s so important to get away from the computer to mix with other writers. I still meet up with two writing friends I met on the short story ‘Telling Tales’ course. We meet for lunch every few weeks and bring along Flash Fiction pieces to share and critique. Our Cowbridge Cursors ‘group of four’ meets up less regularly than we used to due to family, work and other commitments, but when we do it’s as if we’ve never been apart. Our RNA Chapter meets every month and through that I’ve met some lovely writers. It’s been so good to share a Writing Retreat Day and a Writing Workshop with them this year. We talk about our WiPs and I always come away feeling better about my writing.

Jessie: The Chapter meetings also give me a great writing boost.  I am so pleased to be part of the South Wales and West Chapter. Aside from writing, I know you have a very interesting hobby.  Can you tell me more about Eddie Stobard?

You’ve asked about my unusual hobby. It’s not something I broadcast for fear of being judged as a bit of an ‘anorak’. It all came out when I was coming home from my first Conference with my four writing buddies, the CCs. The M6 is a haven for Eddie Stobart spotters like me. Every time we came alongside one of the green, red and white beauties, I was busy making notes on my phone ready to transfer to my Eddie Stobart Spotter’s Handbook when I got home. Imagine the disbelief and ribbing I got! This year, I now have a brand new Eddie Stobart truck named after me – ‘Janet Eleanor’, H8529, Registration No. PX68ZKE.

Jan offers honest advice for authors seeking that first publishing deal, and I am sure her story will resonate with all authors.  I look forward to the finished novel.  Best of luck, Jan! 

Jan’s contact details:
Twitter – @JanBayLit
Facebook – Jan Baynham Writer
Blog – www.janbaynham.blogspot.co.uk

Please all my author interviews at My Guests and my website and blog at JessieCahalin.com.

 

Ian Wilfred’s Latest Novel Paired with Greek Wine

Ian looked so relaxed as we chatted, soaked up the sun and enjoyed the sea view.

Shirley Valentine made me giggle in my twenties, and now I am old enough to be Shirley.  I still dream of sipping wine, seated at a table, with a sea view, in Greece.  Imagine my delight when Ian Wilfred invited me to Greece to discuss his new novel.  I joined him on his island of Holkamos.  We drank wine and ate a marvellous picnic of feta cheese olives, tomatoes and stuffed vine leaves.   Ian looked so relaxed as we chatted, soaked up the sun and enjoyed the sea view. He wore shorts polo shirt and flip flops, and his new novel, Secrets We Left In Greece, was stored in a black bag.

 

Jessie:  Ian, it is great to finally meet you.  You provided the very first photograph for my Handbag Gallery.  You have written two books since then.  Please tell me about your latest book Secrets we left in Greece.

Norfolk is wonderful but holidays in Greece, with my husband and family, inspired the setting of the latest novel.

Ian:  It was a pleasure to make the connection via the Handbag Gallery.  My photograph was on a local Norfolk beach, as I just love the sea.  Norfolk is wonderful but holidays in Greece, with my husband and family, inspired the setting of the latest novel.  It is a story of old secrets and new memories on the Greek island of Holkamos.

Miriam had something on her mind and it needed sorting. What she had planned wouldn’t go down well with her daughter Heather and Granddaughter Amy, but there was no going back; the tickets were booked she had to face the island again.

Jessie:  It sounds like a fabulous escape.  Why should your readers be tempted to buy this novel?

You only get one chance to live your life. Escape to my Greek island Holkamos with Miriam, Heather and Amy; support them on their journey of self- discovery

Ian: You only get one chance to live your life. Escape to my Greek island Holkamos with Miriam, Heather and Amy; support them on their journey of self- discovery. Pack your passport, settle down in the sunshine and listen in to their secrets. My characters learn life is not a rehearsal, and it’s time to move on.  Sometimes, you need to escape to a paradise island in order to remove the rose-tinted glasses.

Jessie: What do the reviewers say?  Were they intrigued to find out the secrets?.

Ian:  Have a look at the reviews here in Netgallery.

‘Solid chick lit…it doesn’t take itself too seriously.  You’ll laugh, you’ll cry and say, ‘Oh no! Definitely a fun weekend read.’ Shirley Anne, Reviewer

‘Love fiction set in Greece. This was a light, enjoyable read.’ Anita T, Reviewer

‘Amusing, believable characters on a voyage of discovery.’

Jessie:  Please can you read an extract from Secrets We Left In Greece?

*** Ian retrieved the novel from his black bag.  The vibrant front cover looked so inviting.

Ian: ‘Paul they were happy times-  no one died, and I have lots of special memories of my holidays on Holkamos, I just don’t want to go back, I’ve moved on from that’.

‘What’s that, Amy?  Why do you need to move on from something that brings back happy memories what happened?’

Jessie:  How did you feel when you had finished the novel?  Did you miss any of the characters?

We drank wine and ate a marvellous picnic of feta cheese olives, tomatoes and stuffed vine leaves

Ian: Jessie, I loved writing it and I felt really good. Once I finished, I couldn’t wait to send it off to my editor, Nancy. I sort of missed the character Cleo. In all my other four books, my main characters have been over fifty, but Cleo was only twenty. I wanted to take her story further. You never know, I might revisit Cleo one day if she invited me back to the island.

Jessie:  Who would you like to read your book and why?  This could be another author, someone famous, a friend or a member of your family.  

Ian: Just someone who chooses to read it. I don’t give my books to family or friends to read, but if they want to that’s lovely but very scary. I shout and promote them on Twitter but have never asked a blogger to read because that’s even scarier.

Jessie:  Why should I keep your book in my handbag?
Ian: This book is an essential edition to a British handbag as it will give you sunshine on a grey day. Travelling to Holkamos will chase away those rainy-day blues, and you’ll be in the company of great friends.  Each time you read this book, you’ll be tempted to open a bottle of Greek wine.

Jessie:  What is the last sentence written in your writer’s notebook?

The last sentence in my notes for Secrets We Left In Greece is – take out the middle H from Holkhamos and call the island Holkamos as that sounds better. On Sunday, I wrote: ‘Olive Sarah or Billy ?’

Jessie:  What is the biggest challenge for an author?

Ian: My biggest challenge is TIME.  I write and work full-time. Family and friends are fed up with me saying I would love an eight day week. Have you got an extra day of the week in your handbag?

Jessie:  Very funny!  I probably have more than a day’s worth of junk in my handbag.  What is the best advice that you have received as a writer?

Ian: This is easy. Write every day even if it’s only 200 words, as this keeps the story fresh in your head. Read and watch everything Milly Johnson has to say about writing.  Milly Johnson’s Author Tips are the very best.

Ian Wilfred is 50+ but in his head he will always be 39. He lives on the Norfolk coast with his husband and west highland terrier. His perfect day would be to walk the dog on the beach, drink lots of coffee and write, but in real life after walking the dog, Ian goes off to work.

His debut novel ‘Putting Right The Past’ was published in 2013 and set on the island of Tenerife. ‘The Little Terrace of Friendships’ was published in March 2017, and Ian’s third book ‘A Secret Visitor to Saltmarsh Quay’ was published in November 2017.

You can follow Ian on Twitter at @ianwilfred39 (he will always be 39).

Chatting to Ian made the sunshine.  If you fancy an escape then buy his latest book. Are you ready to find out some secrets?  Promise you will leave the secrets in Holkamos. 

 

Please see all my interviews at My Guests and my website and blog at JessieCahalin.com.

 

A Wee Dram with the Girl in the Castle – Lizzie Lamb

Lizzie wore a very glamorous blue and white blouse and jeans.

Lizzie Lamb’s blue VW camper attracted admirers at Urquhart Castle in Scotland.  The engine purred obediently as Lizzie expertly manoeuvred the vintage beauty into a parking space, overlooking Loch Ness.  

Lizzie emerged from the van and invited me inside. She wore a very glamorous blue and white blouse and jeans.

Lizzie Lamb’s blue VW camper parked at Urquhart Castle.

While she prepared some tea in the compact kitchen, I opened a tin of Scottish shortbread. A copy of Lizzie’s novel, ‘Girl at the Castle’, invited me to peer inside.  Lizzie’s books are always so beautifully designed and presented in a distinctive lilac colour.   

Jessie: What is ‘Girl in the Castle’ about?

Lizzie: Fate takes Henriette Bruar to a Scottish castle where the laird’s family are in mourning over a tragedy which happened many years before. Cue a phantom piper, a lost Jacobite treasure, and a cast of characters who – with Henri’s help, encourage the family to confront the past and move on. As part of the healing process, Henriette falls in love with the laird’s son, Keir, and they achieve the happy ending they both deserve.

Jessie:  The plot and setting sound thrilling.  I know you write in a very natural and witty style.  Can you tempt us with a couple of words from ‘Girl in the Castle’?

A beautifully designed novel in a handbag.

Lizzie: ‘Giving a superstitious shiver, Henriette acknowledged there were subtle forces at work in this ancient castle. Forces which wanted her and Keir to be together, forever.’

Jessie:  This is delicious!  I know you have been longlisted for the Exeter Novel Prize. What did the reviewers say about The Girl in the Castle?

Lizzie opened up a folder on her laptop and read some reviews. I was sure I heard the distant sound of bagpipes, but Lizzie didn’t comment. 

Lizzie: Ah, here they are. I’ll read three reviews.

Can you see Nessie?

‘I loved all the many elements in this novel: The location, history, slightly paranormal atmosphere, love lost and found, and a missing treasure. Not to forget gorgeous Keir MacKenzie, a hero to swoon over.’

‘This convincing romance beginning in conflict and distrust is set in stunning scenery which comes to life through Henri’s experiences and Keir’s enthusiasm for his birth right. A great read!’

‘Girl in the Castle is romantic, witty, interesting and you don’t want it to finish. I enjoyed all the characters – and the storyline. I laughed, gasped, and wished I were Henriette! I love the way Lizzie is knowledgeable about Scotland and shares this with the reader in a heartfelt way. A romantic novel with substance and wit – hurry up and write us the next one, please.’

Jessie:  As expected the reviews wax lyrical about your writing. Having read one of your novels, I get the sense that you are very attached to the characters and this brings them to life so beautifully.  Did you miss the characters of ‘Girl in the Castle’ when you had finished writing the novel?

Lizzie: When I finish a novel it’s always hard to say goodbye to the characters. Many of my readers feel the same and often ask for a sequel. However, although I miss the characters and the setting ,once I type THE END, that’s it for me. I leave the novel so that readers can imagine what would happen next . . . I think it has been hardest to say goodbye to Henri and Keir. And – mad writer alert – I still have conversations with them in my head and I know exactly what they’re doing now. I felt the same about Charlee and Rafa in Boot Camp Bride and Fliss and Ruairi in Tall, Dark and Kilted.

Jessie:  Did a particular place inspire ‘Girl in the Castle’?

Lizzie Lamb viewing Castle Stalker: the inspiration for Girl in the Castle.

Lizzie opened a collection of photographs in a gallery.  She left me to scroll through the images while she refilled the teapot. I was sure I heard the bagpipes again as I studied the photos.

Lizzie:  We spend a month each year in Scotland. Castle Stalker on Loch Linnhe, near Oban is the inspiration behind Girl in the Castle.

Jessie:  Of course, I have seen this iconic image on the front cover. I’d love to visit the castle and read all your novels. Who would you like to read your novels?

Lizzie: I would choose Jilly Cooper. I adored her earlier books: Emily, Prudence etc. and her bonk busters: Polo, Riders et al. I would like Jilly to read my books because that would be my way of saying: ‘thank you for inspiring me to become a writer, and for making it all seem possible’. If I’m allowed a second, more practical choice, I would thank Amazon for giving indie authors the means of getting their books ‘out there’ to a wide audience of readers.

Jessie:  As an independent author, I notice your wealth of images and campaigns.   Where do you get the photos from?

Lizzie: As a writer and blogger I am very aware of infringing copyright so I have subscribed to a couple of websites where I pay and download images: https://www.123rf.com https://www.dreamstime.com https://unsplash.com Other than that, I take my own photos with my iPhone wherever I go. A word of warning, don’t assume that images you see on Pinterest etc. are copyright free, always double check before uploading anything onto your sites. If in doubt, credit the artist/photographer.

Although, it was drizzling and grey outside, we decided to enjoy the Scottish weather.  Meandering along the shores of Loch Ness, we both joked about meeting up with Monster. 

Jessie:  Tell me, why should I keep your novel in my handbag?

Lizzie: My book would be the ideal companion when you’re feeling at a low ebb because I write feel good books, set in wonderful locations, with humorous secondary characters and, most importantly, a hero to fall in love with. If you want a break from the usually run of the mill romances, try one of mine. Oh, and bring a large handbag, my paperbacks are 9”x5” and need lots of space.

Jessie:  Don’t worry, I am always hunting for a new handbag. I think a tartan handbag is called for, after this trip. What is the last sentence written in your writer’s notebook?

Lizzie: Dialogue between the hero (Logan) and his grandfather written as bullet points (which is how I generally write dialogue in my first draft).

  • do you love the girl?

  • I guess I do, but . . .

  • then what are you waiting for. Go get her. As the poet said: faint heart never won fair lady.

While Lizzie read her dialogue, I noticed a mysterious shadow in the water, and the skirl of bagpipes sounded closer.  I think a certain Nessie may have been listening to the story.  Neither of us commented because we just knew… Lizzie removed a delicate whisky flask from her handbag and we celebrated with a wee dram. Slainte!

Jessie: What is the biggest challenge for an author?

Lizzie: Writing books has never been an issue, my head is teeming with ideas for future novels. The hard bit is getting my books to the notice of a wider public and finding new readers. I would love to get my books in supermarkets etc. but I know that won’t happen without my being a contracted author. If I was contracted to one of the ‘Big Five’ publishers I’d probably have to write books in genres I wouldn’t enjoy. So, its Catch-22 for me. I would like more time to write and spend less time on social media, but without social media I wouldn’t have achieved the sales I have.

Jessie: What is the best advice that you have received as a writer?

Lizzie: Stop endlessly polishing the first three chapters and a synopsis to send to agents and publishers. You might find that once the novel is completed you jettison the first few chapters in any case. Finish the whole novel, edit it and then polish it to send out to agents/publishers (if that’s the route you want to take). Failing that, publish it yourself – but remember, time, tide and the whims of publishers/agents wait for no man. By the time you write that great novel of yours, trends will have changed and your novel won’t be what agents/publishers are looking for.

Jessie:  This interview has inspired me to plan a trip to Scotland, but my Scottish neighbour is always warning me about the midges. 

We discussed Girl in the Castle, drank tea and ate Scottish shortbread.

Lizzie: The received wisdom is that you are ‘pretty safe’ in late May/ early June but the wee beasties are bad in July and August. Having said that, if May is very warm, the eggs hatch and they come early. We’ve never been bothered by them and I’ve received worse bites in our garden in the summer.

Jessie:  That’s reassuring.  Where’s the best place to begin a tour?

Lizzie: Edinburgh or Inverness make great centres to tour from if you’ve never been to Scotland before. Fewer midges on that coast, too. We love the west coast but it is much wetter (and more midges). Stirling is also a good centre as you can have some fantastic days out exploring the Trossachs. When you get a feel for those parts of Scotland you can head for the ‘wilder parts’ on another visit.

Lizzie showed me collection of photos.  Ardvreck Castle, Assynt Geo Park Nth West Scotland, Achnasheen nr Kinlochewe, island in middle of Lake Maree, Argyll and Bute 

Jessie:  Thanks for the advice.  I am going to stock up on your novels then plan another trip to Scotland.

About Lizzie

Lizzie: If you have a dream – go for it. Life is not a rehearsal After teaching my 1000th pupil and working as a deputy head teacher in a large primary school, I decided it was time to leave the chalk face and pursue my first love: writing. In 2006 I joined the Romantic Novelists? Association’s New Writers? Scheme, honed my craft and wrote Tall, Dark and Kilted (2012), quickly followed a year later by Boot Camp Bride (2013) and Scotch on the Rocks (2015) – finalist, The Exeter Novel Prize.

Lizzie is hardworking, creative and focused on writing the best book she can. She loves sharing her stories and ideas with readers, new and old. She gets a real buzz when readers tell her that when they turned the last page of her novel they feel bereft and she should hurry up and write another.

I first stumbled on Lizzie’s books when searching for another great reading escape. Thrilled at Lizzie’s ability to inspire comedy, I downloaded all of her novels.  Her Scottish books motivated me to plan a holiday in Scotland.  Lizzie is great fun and her love of writing shines through her novels.

Lizzie says: “when I’m not writing – I’m dreaming”

 

Lizzie’s Links
https://www.amazon.com/author/lizzielamb
Amazon author page: viewAuthor.at/LizzieLamb
www.facebook.com/LizzieLambwriter
www.facebook.com/newromantics4
lizzielambwriter@gmail.com
website: www.lizzielamb.co.uk
blog: www.newromanticspress.com
Linked in: uk.linkedin.com/pub/lizzie-lamb/18/194/202/
Goodreads http://tinyurl.com/cbla48d
Pinterest: http://www.pinterest.com/lizzielamb/
https://twitter.com/lizzie_lamb
https://twitter.com/newromantics4

 

Please see all my author interviews at My Guests and my website and blog at JessieCahalin.com.

 

Alison May: Romance Fiction Rocks

I want the RNA to continue to be brilliant in all the ways it already is – supportive to new writers, friendly, welcoming and a real voice for professional commercial authors.

As a Leeds lass, I had to discover more about the dynamic Yorkshire woman who is Chair of the Romantic Novelists’ Association.  I invited Alison May to chat about the RNA and her writing. 

Jessie:  It is wonderful to finally meet you.  Tell me, who is Alison May, the writer?

Alison:  I’m a total control freak (which is helpful for writing novels – you basically get to invent a whole world and be god of it). If it was socially acceptable, I would live on toast and chocolate the whole time. And I have an uncontrollable tendency to take on one thing more than I have time to do – at the moment that one thing is ‘being Chair of the RNA’ so quite a big time-consuming thing!                             

Jessie: Chair of the RNA is a prestigious role and such an honour. What does your role as Chair of the RNA involve?

Alison: Essentially everything that goes wrong is my fault, and everything that goes well is down to the brilliant and inspirational management committee and volunteer team I have around me. On a practical level being Chair involves, hosting RNA events, chairing management committee meetings, representing the RNA at industry events and meetings, and, responding to whatever crises come up unexpectedly. And the start of 2020 has brought more crisis that any of us was expecting, so at the moment I’m mostly working on ways that we can respond to the Covid-19 outbreak and lockdown and support our members virtually.

And I also write collaboratively with Janet Gover under the penname, Juliet Bell. Juliet writes stories inspired by misunderstood classics…

Jessie:  What is your vision for the RNA?

Alison:  I want the RNA to continue to be brilliant in all the ways it already is – supportive to new writers, friendly, welcoming and a real voice for professional commercial authors. I want to see us develop the education and professional development opportunities we provide for our members. I want the RNA to be a critical friend to the publishing industry – it’s great for us to build close ties with romantic fiction publishers, but it’s also vital that we remember that we’re an author focussed organisation and authors’ interests and publishers’ interests overlap but aren’t always precisely the same.

I’d also like to see us become more inclusive. At the moment, like much of the publishing industry, we can be a bit white and straight and middle class. It’s really important to me that writers who have been under-represented in publishing know they have a place within the RNA.

Mostly though I want authors of romantic fiction to be proud of their genre and of what we create. There can be snobbery around commercial fiction, especially around commercial fiction that is often written and read by women. I am simply not at home to those sorts of attitudes. Romantic fiction rocks.

All That Was Lost is my most recent title writing solo as Alison May though.

Jessie: What are the essential ingredients of a great romance?

Alison: People who want to be together and a really good reason they can’t be.

Jessie: Why did you join the Romance Novelists’ Association and what has it offered you?

Alison: I joined the RNA in 2011 as a member of the New Writers’ Scheme. The NWS gives unpublished authors a critique on their novel in progress, but also means that you can attend RNA events as a member. In that first year I went to conference and the Winter Party and joined my local chapter. The conference was a two day whirlwind knowledge dump of a huge amount of stuff about how publishing works that would have taken years to learn without the RNA. Since then the RNA has become my village. Writing is incredibly solitary. A support network of people who get the emotional ups and downs of writing and publishing is essential. And I think the RNA provides the very best support network there is.

Jessie:  It’s obvious you are a perfect ambassador for the RNA.  I love the fact that it has become your village as I feel the same way.  I am impressed you have written six books.

Alison: I’ve actually written 8 (I think!) – some of them were novellas though so are published separately and together which makes counting tricky! And I also write collaboratively with Janet Gover under the penname, Juliet Bell. Juliet writes stories inspired by misunderstood classics – most recently, The Other Wife, which was inspired by Jane Eyre. All That Was Lost is my most recent title writing solo as Alison May though.

Jessie:  Capture All That Was Lost in one sentence.

Alison: One lie – told for a lifetime. What would that do to the girl you used to be?

Jessie: Can you tempt me with an extract from the book?

Alison: She’s stylish, but never threatening. She could be other mother of the bride at an elegant country wedding … but she’s not. She’s Patrice Leigh, the woman who’s built a fifty year career on the claim that she can talk to the dead.

Jessie:  Wow!  The final sentence evokes mystery.  What did the readers say about the novel?

Alison:  I am delighted with the responses.  Readers really connected with the subject and the characters and loved the humour.

‘I love the touches of humour Alison writes into what is, in essence, a very sad tale.’

‘I am not going to forget Patience/Patrice any time soon. She is one of the most original characters in any novel I’ve read recently.’

‘I loved this book – couldn’t put it down. It was thought provoking and I am still thinking about it many weeks later.’

Jessie: How did you feel when you had finished writing your book, and did you miss any of the characters?

I think the characters, especially Patrice, from this book have stayed with me more than any other book that I’ve written. I don’t miss them exactly. I definitely don’t think I’ll ever write a sequel but they’re all still there inside my head.

Jessie: Who would you like to read your book and why?  This could be another author, someone famous, a friend or a member of your family.  Perhaps it could even be a friend or family member that has passed away.

Alison: The person I most want to read this book is Jack Thorne. He’s a playwright and screenwriter and I’m a huge fan of his work from The Cursed Child to National Treasure and lots of other things beside. I have a recurring fantasy where he reads All That Was Lost and adapts it for TV and I believe that if I mention this enough in interviews and online it might one day happen! (If I’m allowed a second person I also have a very similar recurring fantasy about Lin Manuel Miranda and a Broadway hip hop musical version.)

Jessie: What is the last sentence written in your writer’s notebook?

Alison: ‘If you change Alice back to Anna you can reuse the Annabel line.’

And it’s true. I can.

Jessie: What is the best advice that you have received as a writer?

Alison: ‘Work out what your dream is and follow it.’ Once you get to the point of having a completed manuscript there are a lot of people who will tell you that you ‘must have an agent’ or that ‘looking for an agent is a waste of time and you should self-publish’ or whatever else might have worked for them. And that’s fine but the right option for them might not be the right option for you, so work out what you really want and pursue that first.

Jessie: What do you when you are not writing?

Well at the moment a lot of my time is spent on RNA projects, but asides from that and writing, I also run a novel-writing tutoring and mentoring business. That means I work one-to-one with authors and also offer manuscript critiques and teach group workshops and lead residential retreats. I LOVE teaching. It’s basically my happy place. And I’m super-proud like a mother hen of all my past students. I have three shelves above my desk. One has my own published books on it, but the other two have books by former students. Those shelves are my absolute pride and joy!

When I’m not teaching, writing or working on RNA stuff, I love baking and reading and sleeping. Sleep is really excellent.

Alison joined the RNA as a member of the New Writers’ Scheme in 2011 and won the Elizabeth Goudge Trophy in 2012.   All That Was Lost is the sixth novel, but she also writes as Juliet Bell, in collaboration with Janet Gover.  Alison also runs writing courses and is currently offering virtual Book Doctor appointments on a ‘pay what you choose’ basis.  I am impressed with her innovative approach to supporting others at this challenging time. 

Contact details and book links:

You can find out more about me at www.alison-may.co.uk, on twitter and Insta @MsAlisonMay and on facebook – www.facebook.com/AlisonMayAuthor

You can find all my books at www.alison-may.co.uk/books and buy All That Was Lost.

 

Forgotten Dutch history concealed in my handbag

Imogen Matthews 

Imogen Matthews was born in Rijswijk, Holland, to a Dutch mother and English father, the family moved to England when Imogen was very young.

Jessie: How is Dutch culture different to British culture?

Imogen: The Dutch have a word “gezellig” that is an emotion we don’t have a word for. So you can make your house “gezellig” by having lots of table lamps and tealights (strictly no overhead lights). A sociable meal with friends and family is also “gezellig”. My mother also used to say it was “gezellig” whenever I used to pop over for coffee. The Danes have stolen a march on this idea with “hygge”, but I can assure you that I’ve been using “gezellig” long before “hygge” became fashionable!

Jessie: Tell me about The Hidden Village

Imogen: Set in WW2 Holland, deep in the Veluwe woods, The Hidden Village is a story about survival, hope, despair, and ultimately, love, as a community pulls together to build a purpose-built village to shelter those persecuted by the Germans. The lives of young Sofie, Jan and Liesbeth become entwined with devastating consequences for their futures.

Jessie: Tempt me with an extract from the novel

Imogen: “It was the smell of a cigarette that stopped him in his tracks. A man wearing a grey belted coat stepped out from behind the tree. ‘So’, he said, grinding his cigarette with his boot.”

Jessie: Why did you decide to digress from your usual genre of novel?

Imogen: This was a story I felt I had to get down, so when I’d finished I felt pleased I’d told a story that so many people won’t have known anything about.

Imogen Matthews

Jessie: What do the reviewers say about your novel?

Imogen: Sensitively written. “From the first chapter you are engaged with the characters and I even found myself warning them when they were due to be raided – OUT LOUD! Sensitively written, with a page-turning plot, this is a wonderful new book from Imogen.” Ms E. Holmes-ievers

I couldn’t put it down. “This skillful blend of fiction within the factual events happening to many at those times, holds you till the end. I couldn’t put it down, nor did I want to until the final page.”  Gilly Cox

Highly recommended. “Though the subject matter is tough, there are lighter moments and the book rattles along at a good pace. The varied cast of characters, especially the younger ones, keeps your interest. Highly recommended.”  Clarky

Jessie: How did you feel when you had finished writing your book, and did you miss any of the characters?

Imogen: It left a big hole as I’d spent so long on the book and I realised just how attached I’d become to my characters.

So yes, I miss my characters lots! I miss Sofie’s feistiness and determination not to let her life change by hiding away from the Germans. And I miss her best friend Liesbeth, who sticks by Sofie through thick and thin, even though she also has to make her own big sacrifices. I even miss the enigmatic Henk, the head woodman, who’s instrumental in getting the hidden village built, but struggles with his loyalties. I particularly miss Jan, who’s always getting into scrapes but is only trying to help others and do good. He goes through so much that I just want to give him a big hug and tell him that everything will turn out alright.

Jessie: It is obvious that you are genuinely attached to your characters and care about them – this always bodes well for the reader.

Who would you like to read your book and why?  This could be another author, someone famous, a friend or a member of your family.  

Imogen: I’d love Anita Shreve to read my book as I’m a great fan of her writing. She has a great ability to say so much in so few words. Her book Resistance, set in German-occupied Belgium, is brilliant and inspired me when I started working out the plot for my book.

Jessie: What is the last sentence written in your writer’s notebook?

Imogen: I’ve been writing for years and have notebooks all over the place, so that’s a hard one. I guess it’ll be something along the lines of “to be continued.” That sums up how I feel about writing -I’ve always got something more to say.

Jessie: What is the biggest challenge for an independent author?

Imogen: Getting noticed. You have to work really hard to get people to find your book as the competition is increasing all the time. I self-published my first book Run Away by Alex Johnson (my pen name) in 2012 and got a great response quite quickly and lots of reviews. Then in 2014 I published the sequel The Perfume Muse and it was already much harder. For The Hidden Village I was fortunate to find Amsterdam Publishers, who have been enormously helpful in helping to navigate the many pitfalls when launching a book.

Jessie: What is the best advice that you have received as a writer?

Imogen: A writing tutor once said that you should write every day, however little and however bad you might think your writing is. She also recommended writing before doing anything else first thing in the morning as it’s so easy to get distracted by other things and then never get down to it. I took her advice to heart and sometimes I only write 100 words a day, but these words do add up and eventually you can see you have written a book. Of course, that’s when the hard work starts, but you’ve built the framework which gives you the confidence to keep going.

Tell me a little more about yourself.

I live with my husband in Oxford and love to go on runs, walks and cycle rides in the beautiful surrounding countryside. I love cooking Moroccan and Middle Eastern inspired food, particularly Ottolenghi and Persiana recipes. A favourite is lovely crumbly tahini cookies.

Tahini Cookies (from Jerusalem) by Yotam Ottolenghi and Sami Tamiimi

130g caster sugar

150 unsalted butter, at room temperature

110g light tahini paste

1/2 tsp vanilla essence

25ml double cream (you can sub this with milk)

270g plain flour

1tsp cinnamon

200 degree C/180 degree C Fan/Gas Mark 6

Put sugar and butter in mixer bowl and with a beater attachment work for 1 minute at medium speed. Add tahini, vanilla and cream, then the flour and work for a minute till a dough comes together. Transfer to a work surface and knead till smooth.

Pinch off 20g of dough and roll between your palms into a ball. Squash down onto a baking sheet (no oil necessary) and use the back of a fork to flatten and make a prong pattern. Sprinkle each cookie with cinnamon. Make sure the cookies aren’t too close together as they do spread a bit.

Into the oven for 15-17 minutes till golden brown.

Turn onto a wire rack to cool and try and resist eating them when hot! Yum!

Norwegian Summer Island with Natalie Normann

Meet Natalie in one of her favourite coffee shops.

I met the ancestor of a Viking and she is very friendly.  Alas, she didn’t arrive in Cardiff in a longboat, but she did have stories to tell me about her beautiful Norway.  It is my pleasure to introduce you to Natalie Normann, a member of the Romantic Novelists’ Association (RNA), who resided in the South Wales and attended the local writers’ group.  Natalie will release Summer Island in September and it is set in Norway.  I always love travelling to other countries via books and wanted to discover more.

Jessie:  Natalie, I’m sad you have returned to Norway and won’t be in the local RNA meetings.  It’s nice to have some time to chat.  Tell me, have you missed Norway and what did you love the most about Wales?

Natalie: I fell in love with Wales and Cardiff the first time we were here which was two years before we moved. There’s so much fascinating history – even Norwegian history! I’ve already used some of what I learned, in my current historical romance series, by moving the characters to Cardiff in 1919. I had great fun with that. Also, I was surprised and pleased at how friendly people are in Wales. I’ve made great friends and I hope to get back. Next time I’ll either drive myself or hire a driver so we can explore more of Wales.

Jessie:  I’m so impressed you have secured a publishing deal with One More Chapter. What is Summer Island about?

Natalie: Summer Island is about taking the time to find out what makes you happy in life.

Summer Island is about taking the time to find out what makes you happy in life.

Ninni is recovering from a bad break-up and the island is her favourite place in the world. It’s where she goes when she needs to take a break.

Jack is a chef at a posh restaurant in London. He finds out  that his biological father has left him a farm on a Norwegian island. At first he thinks it has to be an internet scam, he’s never met his father, but when he quits his job over an argument with his boss, he decides to go and see what this is all about.

Jessie:  What inspired you to write this book?

Natalie: I have a thing for islands. I love them. Norway is always praised for the fantastic mountains and the gorgeous fjords, but we are actually one of the countries in Europe with most islands. People have lived on them for generations and it’s a way of life.  I wanted to see if I could capture some of what makes summers in Norway special and the island is perfect for that.

Harbour view at Utsira island, outside Haugesund. ‘I wanted to see if I could capture some of what makes summers in Norway special and the island is perfect for that.’

Jessie:  Give us an insight into the setting and why you think we should all visit Summer Island?

Natalie: Summer Island is the kind of place you wish you  could go to when your heart is broken. A place to heal, even. Everything is so busy these days and on an island things slow down. You have time to think and just be. Right now, when we all have to isolate and we are more or less in lockdown everywhere, an island seems like the place you want to be. I wouldn’t mind, myself.

Present a 35 word extract from your novel that will tempt a reader.

‘And here I was thinking Norwegians were so hospitable,’ Jack said, clearly enjoying himself. He made no sign of leaving.

‘You’ve read the wrong guidebook, I’m afraid.’ Ninni pulled the computer closer to her.

Jessie: Which characters would you like me to meet the most on Summer Island and why?

Natalie: That’s a tough question. I’m fond of all of them. Maybe Alma. She’s the heart of the island, the one who keeps everything together. She grew up in a time when the men; the fathers, husbands and sons, went away at sea for months at the time, even years, and women stayed home to take care of the homestead and the family, handle the finances and whatever challenges they had to face.  Alma is tough and kind, she doesn’t put up with anything, and shows her love by feeding people she cares about. I like her.

Traditional pier and buildings at Utsira.

Jessie: Did any of your characters misbehave when you were writing the book?

Natalie: Not misbehaving, but some of them certainly surprised me. I didn’t have them all ready before I started to write, so some characters was unexpected. Like the hippies, for example. They just showed up one day while I was writing something else.

Jessie: Who would you like to read your book and why?  This could be another author, someone famous, a friend or a member of your family.  

Natalie: Family and friends have mostly read it already,. I would love if it Milly Johnson read it. I picked up her book «The perfectly imperfect woman», to read on the train to my very first Romance Novelist Association conference. This was my first Milly Johnson book and I decided to read it because there was a Norwegian in it. I loved it, and when I met her in the lunch line at the conference we chatted, I asked her to sign my copy, and she was funny and friendly. Made me less nervous about the whole conference. And also, I know she loves Norway.

Jessie: Why should I keep your book in my handbag?

Natalie: I think if you want a break from the stress and worries, it can give you that. I hope so.

Jessie: What is the last sentence written in your writer’s notebook?

Natalie: I have several of those, usually one for each project. On the most recent it says: research Foundation doctors.

Jessie: What is the biggest challenge for an author?

Natalie: To finish that first draft, so that you have the confidence of having a whole story. Then what you need is perseverance. Stick with the writing. And when I say that, I mean finish the manuscript, do the revisions, the editing, the submissions and even when it seems there’s nothing happening, keep going. There are some writers who write a book, gets it published and becomes an overnight success. For most writers, it’s a long game. And the only way to be writer and to be a better writer, is to write.

Jessie: What is the best advice that you have received as a writer?

Natalie: My first editor told me this. She bought my first short story and wanted me to polish it, rewrite, actually. She told me that what I feel when I write is what the reader will feel when they read it. I try to remember that, so that if I’m bored when I write, I know readers will be too. It also helps when I really don’t want to ‘kill my darlings’, but I know I have to.

Natalie used to be a translator of fiction and non-fiction. She studied literature and history at Uni, and used to read romance novels in the hallways. It was frowned upon by her professors and the other students, of course. She loves to travel and she has lived in Spain, England and Wales – and hope to go back soon. I really do hope she can return to Wales very soon as the Cardiff group of writers ( Cariad Chapete) miss her and her lovely sense of humour.  I can’t wait for the release of her novel Summer Island and have already preordered it. 

Your contact details and book links

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/NatalieNormannAuthor
Twitter: @NatalieNormann1
Instagram: natalienormann
Pinterest: https://no.pinterest.com/natalienormann3