Tag: Romantic Novelists Association

Romantic Suspense at Christmas

Meet Evonne Wareham

Are you ready for a Christmas novel with a difference? Having heard about Evonne’s Christmas romantic suspense novel, I had to ask more questions about What Happens at Christmas.  We grabbed a corner of the café in Waterstone’s, and Evonne intrigued me with the promise of lots of twists and turns in the narrative.  It is time for a Christmas book with a kidnapping from Evonne.  Don’t worry, I think Santa is safe!

Jessie:  I love to listen about the stories you are developing.  You always get so involved with the characters and the research. Tell me about your Christmas book, What Happens at Christmas.

What Happens at Christmas is a festive themed romantic suspense

Evonne: What Happens at Christmas is a festive themed romantic suspense – so as well as the traditional things, like mince pies, carols and snow, it also has kidnapping and some nasty villains. Some of the festive things – a particular carol that is sung at a crucial moment, and the freak snow storm that I organised for the Brecon Beacons, are components of the plot – if you are looking for something a bit different in a Christmas read, it might be for you.

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

Evonne: It’s always a bit of a wrench to finish a book, even when you know you have left your characters in a good place – all except the villains, of course. You have spent many months with them and you know all their secrets. I especially enjoyed keeping company with Lori and Drew, and I do have a sort of idea for another plot that would involve them. As they now have their HEA, it would need another couple for the developing love story though, so we shall just have to wait and see on that.

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

Evonne: Always. They talk back, they refuse to do what you expect them to do, they do things that are totally incomprehensible and only make sense fifty pages later, they complain about the plot … Some of my more alpha heroes refuse to talk at all. I’ve got used to it now. At least no-one has yet refused to fall in love with the right person. Yet.

You will find yourself transported to this setting. It is the Brecon Beacons in Wales.

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

Evonne: you are looking for something a bit more edgy for a seasonal read, What Happens at Christmas has suspense and danger along with the love story. The hero, Drew, is a writer who has a dare-devil streak. It gets him into some serious trouble, which Lori, the heroine, helps him out of, with the assistance of her four year old niece. A large part of the book is set at Christmas, but the story travels over the space of a year, during which time the character’s lives change considerably. I like to think Drew learns that he shouldn’t throw himself into things quite so recklessly. There are actually two very different Christmas celebrations in the book. Two lots of Christmas magic, and Lori finds that in between, some of dearest dreams have come true.

Jessie:  Two lots of Christmas magic is perfect.  It’s sound as if you have the story all wrapped up and ready for the readers.  I am intrigued about your next project.  What is the last sentence written in your writer’s notebook?

Evonne: It’s not exactly a sentence in a note book, it’s a post-it note, and it’s a time line for the names and ages of a set of characters. I love time lines. I always have to work out the ages of everyone who features significantly in the book, and how they relate to each other. One of my writer’s quirks. This one was a bit of a mystery when I found it, but I have now worked out that it relates to the hero and his two older brothers, in a novella that I hope will be out for Christmas 2020.

Jessie:  I notice you’ve written four books and have lots of experience of writing. What is the biggest challenge for an author?  

Evonne: For me, it’s keeping up the quality of the work. I want to give the reader the best possible experience inside the covers of a book that I can manage. I want each of the stories to be different, but all of them exciting and enjoyable. If I can create a page-turning book, that the reader can’t put down, then my work is done. That’s the aim, anyway.

Peek inside the world of Evonne’s writing world.

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

Evonne: ‘Keep going!’ A lot of other writers will say the same. You need stamina and persistence, when the rejections pile up. It was a long time, and many experiments in genres, before I found out what I really wanted to write, and finally got a publishing deal. During that time I learned a lot about the craft of writing, and I have to thank the Romantic Novelists’ Association for the help and encouragement I received. Once you have a deal, you also learn a lot from having a professional edit. It’s flattering and scary to have the attention of an expert focussed on your work.

Evonne writes romantic thrillers and romantic comedies. Her first published novel, Never Coming Home, won the Joan Hessayon award for the best debut novel of the year, presented by the Romantic Novelists’ Association.  She likes writing about romantic locations, food, art, architecture, pretty clothes, shoes, nasty villains, brooding heroes and independent heroines.  You can find out more about her books and her writing on her website.

Contact details and book links

You can find Evonne at Her blog  http://evonneonwednesday.blogspot.com  where she talks about writing and books and history and life and interesting places and research and anything else that comes into her head, every Wednesday.

On Twitter  @evonnewareham
On Facebook as evonnewarehamauthor
Or you can contact her through her website www.evonnewareham.com

 

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

Celebrating Burns Night with Lizzie Lamb

Lizzie Lamb is a bestselling  author with six novels under her belt. She is a wonderful friend and author.

Lizzie Lamb is one of my writing fairy godmothers and it was a dream come true to meet her at the Romantic Novelists’ Association Tea in York. We chatted about her latest novel – Harper’s Highland Fling. I am thrilled to share this exclusive interview on Burns Night. Let’s raise our glasses to Scottish story telling.

How would your friends describe Lizzie Lamb, the author?

Friends would describe me as enthusiastic, loyal, funny, highly motivated (if slightly driven!) I hope they also see me as someone who likes to help others, especially rookie authors.

You have soared to the top of the charts with your novels for over ten years. How have you achieved this success?

As the song goes: I get by with a little help from my friends.’ Put yourself out there, make friends with readers and other writers; be generous, buy, read and review their novels. Embrace social media: Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and start a blog. When I published Tall, Dark and Kilted (2008) indie publishing was a new phenomenon and it was easy to stand out from the crowd but it’s become much harder. Luckily, I’d built up a following on Facebook and Twitter before becoming a published author and my friends/followers are usually the first to buy my novels. It’s important to interact with your followers on a daily basis and not bombard them with ‘buy my books’ posts. If you get this right, they will become friends who interact with you and generously spread word of your novels.

My mantra is: RESPOND. RECIPROCATE. RESPECT.

Do you fall in love with your heroes and is your husband jealous of them?I know it sounds cheesy but my husband is all my heroes wrapped up in one. My love of dialogue/banter stems from our interchanges and, even after these years, we still have the ability to make each other laugh. When he read Harper’s Highland Fling he recognised some of the things Harper said to Rocco regarding his collection of ‘classic’ vehicles (code for: rusting old hulks) because I’ve had similar conversations with him over his ‘fleet’ of motors.

I have a couple of signs which sums up our relationship and, besides, he is too much of a grown up to feel jealous of my fictional heroes.

Lizzie knows the art of planning a gripping novel and is always willing to share writing tips.

Tell us about the essential ingredients of a great romance?

I believe it is vital that I fall in love with your hero from the get-go. That enables me to see him through the heroine’s  eyes and respond accordingly. In Harper’s Highland Fling I’ve used Male Point of View for the first time, perhaps this is why readers have declared the novel my ‘best one yet’. It is essential to establish the ‘spark’ between hero/heroine from the beginning, light the blue touch paper, stand back and wait for the fireworks happen. The  author has place obstacles in the way of the h/h which prevent the romance developing, then half way through the novel drop ‘something new’ into the mix which makes the protagonists see each other in a different light/revise their opinions of each other. Then they can start to fall in love. But keep something back so that in the last quarter of the novel you can turn everything on its head and make the reader wonder how it’s all going to work out. That is the Page Turning Quality an author needs to evoke in order to carry the reader through to the end of the novel when, hopefully, she will close the book with a satisfied sigh.

Don’t cheat your reader by not delivering that happy ever after/happy for now ending. They won’t forgive you for it because that’s what you’re genre promises them. Remember Sanditon – what a let-down.

How has your writing changed since your first novel?

I think I’m prepared to take chances because I have learned what readers like/dislike. Readers enjoy sparky dialogue and some description of time and place, but don’t overwhelm them with it. An author should edit her finished novel as though she was a reader, cutting out those scenes which don’t work or slow the action down. Oh, and, I’ve learned to keep my hero/heroine together on the page as much as possible because that’s what I like in a good romance.

What are the benefits of indie publishing and how is it changing the world?

The main benefit of being an indie author is that you can write to your own schedule. I aim to publish a novel am every 18 months. Indie publishing suits my lifestyle and I suspect that, if I wanted to become a contracted author, I’d have to stop writing Scottish-themed romance and write WWII, Cornish Cottage romances, sagas, dark psychological crime instead. So  not my bag. I’ll stay an indie for now, but who knows what the future holds?

Explain the classic mistakes of rookie indie publishers?

Looking back, here are the classic mistakes I made as a rookie author. Didn’t work out a plan for the novel before I started it. Spent far too long polishing the first three chapters without seeing the novel as a whole and plotting out where the high and lows. I also spent too much time listening to contradictory advice, not understanding the importance of developing my own ‘voice’ (that comes with experience. I believe). Believing that what works for other authors will also work for me; one size does not fit all.

Let Lizzie take you to Scotland with Harper’s Highland Fling. You are invited to celebrate Burns Night with Rocco and Harper. Cheers!

I love, love, love the dynamic dialogue in your books. Can you give us a peek into a moment in Harper’s Highland Fling?

My favourite bit of dialogue in HHF.

‘Wh-where did you learn to kiss like that?’ Rocco asked.

‘Well, not at Sunday School, that’s for certain,’ Harper quipped.

‘Behind the bike sheds?’

‘I couldn’t possibly comment. More evidence is needed before I can reach a proper conclusion.’

‘Of?’

‘You as a great kisser.’

‘Indeed?’

‘There is a precedence, I believe. The accepted rule that scientific fact should always be subjected to further experimentation, to eliminate the chance of a fluke occurrence.’

‘You think that kiss was a fluke?’ Rocco asked.

‘I’m simply saying it could be. Best of three?’

‘Very well,’ he sighed.

What some reviewers have said about Harper’s Highland Fling.

A thrilling, entrancing, full on romantic adventure. Hang onto your hat, it’s a 5 Star trip all the way! – Adrienne Vaughan

Written with Lizzie’s customary blend of warmth, wit and ‘will they, won’t they’ drama. Her best romance yet. I loved it! – Janet Brigden

Another smart, funny, romantic read from Lizzie Lamb. – June Kearns

An exciting armchair road trip to Bonnie Scotland, a gripping romance and a set of characters you’re not going to let go. Lizzie Lamb is back! – Isabella Tartaruga

So – get your motor running and fasten your seatbelt, you’re in for a bumpy ride

Feast your eyes on Lizzie’s beautiful novels.

I love Lizzie Lamb’s books and always know I’m in for a great read. Harper’s Highland Fling is not just any romance, it’s a scorching hot romance, full of surprises and glorious page turning tension. It is great getting to know the two characters and Lizzie Lamb’s lovely turn of phrase sparkles throughout the novel. She is currently writing her seventh novel: Dark Highland Skies.

Lizzie Lamb is a bestselling author with six novels under her belt. She runs the Leicester RNA Chapter, Belmont Belles, with June Kearns and is regularly invited to give presentations and workshops around the UK.

I dare you not to fall in love with Lizzie’s books.

About Lizzie:

After teaching her 1000th pupil and working as a deputy head teacher in a large primary school, Lizzie decided to pursue her first love: writing. She joined the Romantic Novelists’ Association’s New Writers’ Scheme, wrote Tall, Dark and Kilted (2012), quickly followed by Boot Camp Bride. She went on to publish Scotch on the Rocks, which achieved Best Seller status within two weeks of appearing on Amazon and her next novel, Girl in the Castle, reached #3 in the Amazon charts. Lizzie is a founder member of indie publishing group – New Romantics Press, and has hosted author events at Aspinall, St Pancras and Waterstones, Kensington, talking about the research which underpins her novels. Lizzie romance Take Me, I’m Yours, set in Wisconsin, also achieved BEST SELLER status >travel>USA. Her latest novel – Harper’s Highland Fling – has been declared her ‘best one yet’ by readers and reviewers. In it, two warring guardians are forced to join forces and set off in hot pursuit of a runaway niece and son. She has further Scottish-themed romances planned and spends most of the summer touring the Scottish Highlands researching men in kilts. As for the years she spent as a teacher, they haven’t quite gone to waste as she is building a reputation as a go-to speaker on indie publishing, and how to plan, write, and publish your debut novel.

Lizzie lives in Leicestershire (UK) with her husband, David.

She loves to hear from readers, so do get in touch . . .

 

Please  see all my author interviews in Author Chat Room and my website and blog at JessieCahalin.com.

Raising a Glass to Readers with Lynda Stacey

I received a warm welcome from Lynda at Merchant Taylors’ Hall, York

 At the Merchant Taylors’ Hall in York, Lynda greeted me with a warm smile.  When I mentioned Books in my Handbag, she beamed at me.  We stood next to the glowing warm fire to chat about Lynda’s new novel.  Lynda has a special place in my heart, as she is one of the very first authors to present a book in a handbag at the beginning of my journey.

Jessie:  What a pleasure to finally meet with you, Lynda.  Thanks so much for inviting me to the RNA Tea. 

Lynda: Jessie you’re so very welcome, and I hope you’ll feel at home.  We started this event three years ago to ensure there was an RNA event in the North.  I really wanted to create a friendly, informal event where everyone could get together, catch up and have some lovely food.   Before we begin, here’s a glass of wine.  I’d like to raise a toast to my lovely readers.

Lynda Stacey’s The Fake Date

Jessie:  A little tweet tells me you just released your new novel, Fake Date.  It’s a dramatic title.  What’s the novel about?

Lynda: Ella finds herself beaten and broken, yet somehow, she finds the strength to survive. Determined to put the past behind her, she vows to find the person responsible for hurting her, no matter how difficult that might be, but during the novel she meets Will Taylor, an editor for a rival newspaper. He’s moved into the house next door and Ella finds herself becoming more and more attached to her cheeky neighbour, while all the time searching for the person who attacked her.

Jessie:  It sounds like a gripping and powerful novel. Your books are grip lit and seem to be love with a gritty edge.  Why do you write in this genre?

Lynda : I love the gritty side of things. I really don’t think that everyone has a straight forward, lovely life and I’m positive that there’s always someone out there trying to ruin your day…. And okay, I don’t think most people live with serial killers, or people who are trying to murder them, but I do think it happens and I do think it gives the book the gritty edge that I love.

Linda raises a glass to all the lovely people who have bought her book. Cheers!

Jessie:  How have the reviewers responded to your latest book?

Lynda:  I have been absolutely blown away with the reviews.  Anne has just stopped me to tell me she liked the book, I could seriously bounce around the room with happiness.  Reviews like this mean so much to me – she is such a well-respected blogger and her opinion means such a lot.

‘I’ve read and enjoyed all the books Lynda Stacey has written, but this really is the one I’ve been waiting for – the one I always believed she could write.’
Welsh Annie

‘This is a great psychological thriller and one where I thought I knew what was going on and then the plot thickens, and I started doubting myself! I would thoroughly recommend this book as it certainly keeps you on your toes from start to finish!’ Boons Book Case

‘From the start to the end I was gripped, in fact I couldn’t put the book down and read it in a day.’ Mrs C Isle

Jessie:  What great reviews, Lynda.  Now, I’m intrigued.  Can you read me an extract?

Lynda: 
Nine hours and eleven minutes …

That’s how long it’s been since Ella Hope was beaten and left for dead. She lies, unable to move and praying for somebody to find her, as she counts down the minutes and wonders who could have hated her so much to have hurt her so badly.

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

I always go through a roller-coaster of emotions. I’m relieved that I finally got to the end, and albeit they’ll always be with me, I get a little disappointed that my characters won’t be a part of my daily life anymore.

Jessie:  I know exactly what you mean.  I missed my characters, but they’ve started to hassle me with other tales. I’m ignoring them for now.  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.

Lynda: I’d love for my mum to read my books. We lost her quite several years ago, but I’m just certain that she’d have been my biggest fan.

Jessie: It’s such a shame your mum didn’t get to enjoy your books.  Did she know you intended to write them, and what do you think she’d say about your books?

Lynda: She’d always been aware that becoming an author was a dream for me. She was the one that had to sit and listen to the sound of my typewriter tapping away for hours and hours and now that I am published, she’d most probably drive everyone nuts by continually talking about the books.

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

Because it has a really pretty cover lol..! Besides, I’d like to think that you’d need to keep it close by, purely because you wanted to keep reading until it was finished.

Jessie:  That’s a great response and you know how to tempt me with a book. What is the last sentence written in your writer’s notebook?

I don’t tend to keep a notebook. But if I did, it would probably say, ‘Go back to the beginning of the story and double check all your research’

Jessie:  Have you started to write the next book?  If yes, are there any words you can share with us.  I won’t tell anyone.

Lynda: My next novel is based in my home town of Doncaster and has the backdrop of the famous Sand House. A house that had been carved out of sandstone in the late 1800’s. But it wasn’t the house that people were most interested in, it was the catacombs that were carved and led off from the house. The tunnels were vast and had the most intricate of carvings which are now ‘in reality’ lost forever. But being a Doncaster girl, I want to preserve their memory, bring them back… and allow the world to see The Elephant and his Mahout, the most famous of the carvings.

This is the office that I insisted on having. I needed one. I had to have one and I got one at considerable expense. And now… now I still sit outside in the sun, or on the corner of the settee with the laptop on my knee. Ooops x

Jessie: What is the biggest challenge for an author?

Lynda: My biggest challenge is to make the next book better than the last. I’m always striving to do better, to get more 5 star reviews and to ensure that the reader takes a great journey.

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

Lynda: To never give up writing. To keep going, even when times are tough and to believe in yourself. There are a lot of days when you could easily stop. But then, something happens, something lovely like an unexpected email from a reader, or just a lovely comment from another author. It’s on those days that you sit back, you smile, you take the advice, and you get to work.

Jessie:  How do you feel about being an author?

I’ve always loved getting lost in a story, my childhood was spent in libraries. So, to find myself writing my own books and getting consumed by my own stories, is like a dream come true. I never, ever thought I’d be in a position to call myself an author and still look at, stroke and smell my books with a look of disbelief all over my face.

Here’s Millie, (the puppy that Ella’s parents bring for her as a gift) In real-life she’s the puppy that belongs to my friend, Kathy. It was her cottage became the back drop to Ella’s home.

I received a warm welcome from Lynda and her modesty charmed me to download her novel.  The invitation to the RNA York Tea made me fall in love with the Romantic Novelists Association.  Like Lynda, the people I met were kind, generous and fun.

More about the Author:

Lynda grew up in the mining village of Bentley, Doncaster, in South Yorkshire. Her own chaotic life story, along with varied career choices helps Lynda to create stories of romantic suspense, with challenging and unpredictable plots, along with (as in all romances) very happy endings.  She now lives in a small hamlet, near Doncaster with her hero at home husband, Haydn.

Lynda’s contact details:
Twitter: @Lyndastacey
Facebook: Lynda Stacey Author
Web: www.Lyndastacey.co.uk

 

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

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.

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.

 

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.