The gentle sun glowed on the Spanish Steps and caressed the nude tones of the buildings huddled together.
The gentle sun glowed on the Spanish Steps and caressed the nude tones of the buildings huddled together. I paused. The silhouettes shuffled in the streets below. Ancient bells chimed and clattered in a duel with electronic beeps.
I rested on the steps and shared the moment with the strangers.
I rested on the steps and shared the moment with the strangers. Removing my sunhat, I retrieved my notebook from my rucksack. The shining steps bathed in orange light tempted me to rest my legs.
‘Madam stand up please,’ demanded a woman dressed in a yellow jacket.
Words had dissolved into the shadows so I stood up to snap some photographs and hoped the light wouldn’t hide from the frames. Part of the crowd, I waited for a space to capture impressions of the moment.
‘So sorry,’ I apologised when I nudged a couple of British women with my rucksack.
The women turned their back on me, closed the gap for my camera and removed phones from their pockets. ‘For goodness sake, why does everyone try to steal our view?’
Ancient bells chimed and clattered in a duel with electronic beeps.
I grabbed their words before re-joining the scene. And then a siren clawed at noise of lives tuning up for play.
Whispers fluttered playfully amongst the languages flowing down the steps towards the fountain. A moped grumbled. Previously, I complained about the incessant noise of Rome but here it softened into a symphony. Words now loitered on the shining cobblestones, so I picked them up with my pen. I synchronised with the heartbeat of Rome and connected with the romance of the city.
A tunnel of perfume and the clomp of footsteps announced a woman with brownish orange hair coiffured tightly to her head like a helmet. The shadow of her late husband followed her. Lovers sighed. There were touches, glances and giggles. No one bought thorny red roses from the men trying to sell romance.
Ancient bells chimed and clattered in a duel with electronic beeps.
An arm moved around me. ‘When we came here twenty years ago, you raced me to the top of the steps,’ said my husband, now tired of waiting for me to make notes.
We joined the silhouettes in the streets and searched for a restaurant.
I love to celebrate authors who have connected with me over the years. Jo Lambert lives east of Bath, and she has written an impressive seven books. Books are a destination for readers, and Jo creates a powerful sense of place in her romantic suspense novels. I invited Jo to tell me about the inspiration for the sense of place in her writing.
A SENSE OF PLACE – Pure imagination, reality or a little of both – what’s best for you?
Inspiration for the Black Bull
As an author it’s not only about developing the plot and creating the characters, it’s also getting the setting right. Whether you are writing a psychological thriller or contemporary romance set in the city or the suburbs – or maybe like me, using a rural/small town community – creating the perfect backdrop can occasionally throw up some problems. That is why personally I’ve always found it easier to base my fictional locations on actual places.
My first novel When Tomorrow Comes was set in rural West Somerset. For this I used my own experiences of village life. Of course it’s not just using familiar places, it can also include buildings such as houses, pubs and hotels. They can all be used to help the writing process. In Summer Moved On and Watercolours in the Rain, set in South Devon village of Lynbrook, The Bull Inn is actually based on a local village pub I still visit. Similarly Lynbrook Hall is a real place about five miles away from the pub. It was for sale while I was writing and the on line estate agent’s photographs were a bonus in helping create my fictitious manor house.
Set in Cornwall Shadows on the Water is a story of family ties, lost love and tangled loyalties
My current novels are set in Cornwall. For A Cornish Affair, I used a hotel I’d seen while staying in Richmond. It was totally right for the one central to the book which sat on a cliff overlooking a small coastal fishing village. And for my latest novel, Shadows on the Water, I’ve taken parts of Fowey and Dartmouth and blended them into the estuary town of Kingswater.
Inspiration for Tarwin House Hotel
Another useful aid is Google Map. In one of my novels my character was in Verona, a place I had visited several years before. During her stay she had gone on walkabout in the city. Apart from The Arena and Juliet’s Balcony I had a very hazy memory of our day trip there. Luckily Google Map came to the rescue. It enabled me to ‘walk’ in her footsteps and describe the things she was seeing, giving the whole scene a far more authentic feel.
In the end, of course, it depends very much on individual preference. Some writers are happy to use their imagination while others set their stories in real places. And then there are those like me who ‘borrow’, taking reality and remoulding it to suit the story they are writing. It’s all about what works best for you really.
I also enjoy the freedom to create a new village based on places I have encountered in my travels. The place wraps itself around my characters and listens to their hopes, dreams and sadness. Jo Lambert has recently released Shadows on the Water. Set in Cornwall Shadows on the Water is a story of family ties, lost love and tangled loyalties. I look forward to visiting Jo’s destination.
Jo Lambert is a member of the Romantic Novelists Association and the Society of Authors. She has been writing since 2008
After the tragic death of her fiancé, Ava Warren is slowly rebuilding her life. She has a supportive family, great friends and a job she loves, managing holiday letting company Estuary Escapes in her home town of Kingswater. Another relationship is the last thing she wants or needs. Until one evening she meets Alex Penhaligon.
Alex’s father Sam owns Heron’s Gate Vineyard and Alex has recently returned from California, where he has been working for the past five years. A case of mistaken identity gets them off to a bad start. But discovering his error, Alex is anxious to make amends and soon persuades Ava that he’s not quite as arrogant as she thinks he is. As their friendship begins to turn into something much deeper, Ava wonders whether she can at last put the past behind her and make a new future with Alex.
But someone is watching. A man who not only thinks Ava should be his but also holds a long term grudge against Alex. And he’s determined to get his own way irrespective of the lengths he has to go to or who gets hurt in the process.
For me, the thrill of chasing ideas is the most exciting element of the writing process.
Words can take us to any place and any time. I was delighted to discover words I wrote in my notebook during a summer holiday in Devon. My thoughts were scattered on the page, so I picked them up, revisited my photo album and returned to a time when I suffered a creative drought.
Words let us travel to any place, any time and any season.
The heat stifled ideas and frazzled my creativity. I complained the holiday cottage was too dark for me to write. After a few days, I worried my ideas had taken leave. I blamed the environment because small windows trapped the darkness in the room, and I seemed to have reached a dead end with the story.
I found the ideal house for an author.
Entering A la Ronde, created by Jane and Mary Parminter, confirmed that the correct environment is essential. My creativity opened again as soon as I wandered around the eighteenth century house. I found the ideal house for an author. Imagine a sixteen-sided house that allows you to follow the light around the house. Perfect!
In this house, I would be able to chase my ideas around and around in circles until I found the correct room to write. Ideas travel around like the wheels of a windmill until I get them on paper and stop them circling. Sometimes, I release ideas too early and they must be abandoned. For me, the thrill of chasing ideas is the most exciting element of the writing process.
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.
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.
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).
I am honoured that Angela wrote a letter to explain the inspiration behind Tuscan Girl. Sit back and enjoy a writer’s tour of Italy.
Bestselling author, Angela Petch, released ‘Tuscan Girl’ last week. I started to read the novel on a stormy Saturday night and awoke at dawn to finish the book. Lost stories of war, hidden treasure and buried memories gripped me. As a writer, I wanted to learn how this talented author manages to weave such captivating stories. I am honoured Angela wrote a letter to explain the inspiration behind Tuscan Girl. Sit back and enjoy a writer’s tour of Italy.
In the Tuscan Apennines, where I spend six months of every year, I can step out of our front door straight into wild countryside. Our area is less populated after post war exodus, when people left for work abroad and in big cities and so I come across many ruined houses along the mule tracks that crisscross our hills and valleys.
Each abandoned dwelling holds a potential story and my imagination goes into overdrive, trying to guess what might have gone on within these walls, now strangled with weeds.
Many of the old houses are being eaten up by old man’s beard
When I was seven years old, my father accepted a job in Rome as deputy head of the Commonwealth War Graves Commission. They were formative years and I picked up Italian like a little sponge. I’ve wheedled out stories behind these houses by chatting to elderly friends and through my research. We are lucky to have the national archive of diaries in nearby Pieve Santo Stefano and I’ve spent hours poring over handwritten resources.
Bruno sitting outside the house owned by his son, who had just returned from collecting wild mushrooms.
One of my friends is Bruno Vergni, one hundred years old last January 13th. I met him seven years ago on one of my hikes. I stopped to chat as he pruned an apple tree and, to my huge surprise, he responded in English. He explained that he had been a POW in Nottingham, having been captured in Libya early in the war.
I researched more about Bruno’s war and he is now one of the main characters in “The Tuscan Girl” (albeit tweaked with my own ideas). He now lives with his son, but in my story I have placed him in one of the semi-deserted hamlets called Tramarecchia.
Pieve Santo Stefano holds Italy’s collection of diaries – a wonderful resource
A favourite walk is up to the beautiful Alp of the Moon, (1,400 metres). We stopped to picnic by a pile of stones and read a sign posted by the local partisan association. Up here, in the summer of 1944, a group of young men planned their resistance missions. After researching and meeting a local historian, Alvaro Tacchini, more ideas for my book were gleaned.
An abandoned chapel, two houses on the outskirts of the village, empty because of a brothers’ squabble, the outline of a Medici fortress… all ruins waiting to be written about in future books.
Angela’s explanation connected me to Alba who treks around the remote Tuscan villages and rebuilds the ruins in her paintings. She discovers ‘The paths…like arteries leading to the heart of new stories.’ I enjoyed treading these paths with Alba and look forward to more stories.
It is almost 2020 and I have discovered I do not have twenty twenty vision. I can see clearly now the blurring has gone. It turns out that my Kindle companion was a way of coping with my less than perfect sight, and I have astigmatism. Joy of reading a physical book has been revived for me. To look at the front cover, blurb and mark my favourite pages is a luxury I had forgotten.
I will take a step at a time and negotiate the paths no matter how difficult they are.
I am currently drinking in the stories of the books but without picking up my review notebook. Maybe this is because I can see the words now and don’t need to break from the strain of reading. It is wonderful not to suffer the terrible migraines that previously impacted on my day. And I know why I was constantly complaining about the way the light reflected on my book or keyboard.
Now I have clearer vision, I intend to reread a printed version of my work in progress. I will read it without a review pen in hand and think about weaving in some secrets. I am attempting to consume my work in progress as a reader viewing the novel for the first time. Whilst on handbag leave ideas have been popping and bubbling, and I hope they come into focus.
For the time being, I am abandoning the kindle for the book so will need a considerably bigger bag.
I must admit I also rather like my glasses as a new accessory. Books in Handbag with Glasses could be a new direction for me. I’ve also spied an opportunity to shop for snazzy glasses cases. For the time being, I am abandoning the kindle for the book so will need a considerably bigger bag. However, I must confess I am not getting along very well with the varifocals as they make me a little dizzy. I need to focus on one thing at a time.
I will take a step at a time and look forward to the destination.
My vision for 2020 is to write, write, write and to look ahead. I have no specific resolutions. Adventures will come into focus as the year unfolds. I will take a step at a time and negotiate the paths no matter how difficult they are. I look forward to you all joining me on my adventures and feel privileged to have your company.
“The horizon leans forward, Offering you space to place new steps of change.” -Maya Angelou
Wishing you all a Happy New Year, and the strength to let your dreams unfold and surprise you. I will leave you with Maya Angelou’s advice:
“The horizon leans forward, Offering you space to place new steps of change.”
The Tryo must have spent a lifetime perfecting their art and teasing out every single note.
Enchanted by a musical trio, we joined a crowd as they danced, swayed and tapped their feet to the beat. The international language of joy spread across everyone’s face.
Situated next to the Roman Forum, musical notes suspended us in a moment. The entertainers beamed at their audience’s response. As I tapped my feet, I realised how few people placed money in the guitar case, and no one would part with ten euros to buy the compilation. Many people expected the impromptu entertainment to be free.
The Trio must have spent a lifetime perfecting their art and teasing out every single note. I tried to imagine their stories. Who were the loves of their lives? How did they manage perform the music with such soul? As a gesture of kindness from a writer to musicians, I decided to pay the ten euros for the CD. The trio smiled again but looked a little surprised. My action prompted a few others to buy the music.
I believe people had forgotten that we can’t always expect to be entertained for free. Alas, other people continued to record the music on their phones and never looked up. However, I did hear the happy clang of coins hitting the guitar as I walked away.
Which songs did Jo enter into her writer’s jukebox to evoke the emotions and inspire the tension in A Cornish Affair, her debut novel with Ruby Fiction?
Author, Jo Lambert, celebrates music in her regular blog feature Life Playlists. Music is an inspiration for Jo, and during the writing process music helps Jo to tease out the emotions in her romance novels. I imagine a vintage jukebox playing in the corner of her writing room. Which songs did Jo enter into her writer’s jukebox to evoke the emotions and inspire the tension in A Cornish Affair, her debut novel with Ruby Fiction?
At its heart A Cornish Affair is romantic fiction but it’s also wrapped around a modern day saga. Alongside the ‘will they-won’t they’ going on between Cat and Luke there’s a host of other things – murder and a cantankerous great aunt to mention just two. But this book could never have been written without the music. Like Jessie music has always been a huge part of my life and it’s played an important role in all my writing. With two exceptions, all my books have had their titles taken from songs. And to help the writing process, I create a playlist of tracks; a musical backdrop to writing different scenes.
But Carrenporth is about to experience far bigger scandals than the return of Luke Carrack – and the secrets unearthed in the process will shake the sleepy seaside town to its core …
So this is in Jessie’s words a ‘Books in my Handbag Jukebox’ post. A taster of the music I used for this particular novel.
Jo’s playlist offers a clear insight into the narrative and the emotion. I wanted to discover more about this author.
In June 2018 Jo signed to Choc Lit. Her debut A Cornish Affair, set on the North Cornish coast, was published in June under their Ruby imprint.
Jo Lambert lives on the eastern edge of the city of Bath. In 2008 she published her first novel When Tomorrow Comes. This was the first of five books which became known as the Little Court series, following the lives and loves of four girls growing up in the 1960/70s in the West Country. In 2015 she published Summer Moved On, a contemporary romance set in South Devon. A sequel, Watercolours in the Rain followed in 2017.
In June 2018 Jo signed to Choc Lit. Her debut A Cornish Affair, set on the North Cornish coast, was published in June under their Ruby imprint. She is currently working on her next coastal romance.
When Jo isn’t writing she reads and reviews. She also has an active blog – A Writer’s Journey. She loves travel, red wine and rock music and takes the odd photograph or two. Jo is a member of the Romantic Novelists Association and the Society of Authors
In the close-knit community of Carrenporth in Cornwall everyone knows everyone else’s business. Luke Carrack is only too aware of this. He’s been away for two years but nothing has changed – from the town gossips who can’t see past the scandal of his childhood, to the cold way he is treated by some of his so-called family.
The only person who seems to understand is local hotelier’s daughter Cat Trevelyan, although even Luke’s new friendship with her could set tongues wagging.
But Carrenporth is about to experience far bigger scandals than the return of Luke Carrack – and the secrets unearthed in the process will shake the sleepy seaside town to its core …
Jenny Kane is the author of several contemporary fiction novels including, Romancing Robin Hood (Littwitz Press, 2018), Abi’s House, (Accent Press, 2015), and the Another Cup of Coffee series (Accent Press, 2013). As Jennifer Ash she writes the medieval mysteries, The Folville Chronicles, as well as audio scripts for ITV. Jenny is a self-proclaimed accidental author. She is also a former archaeologist and medieval historian.
Jessie: Tell us more about Jenny Kane/Jenny Ash.
Jenny: I am workaholic, coffee drinking, author who writes her books from the corner of my favourite coffee shop, in Devon.
Jessie: How have you managed to build your brand as an author and sustain your success?
Jenny: The first genre I wrote was erotica. I didn’t mean to, and I certainly didn’t see that career coming, but for some reason I found myself composing scenes of smut.
After five years of kinky thinking, I decided to have a go at writing a story where everyone kept their clothes on. It was most liberating! To my surprise, that novel, Another Cup of Coffee, was well received.
With the writing market changing all the time, I’ve always been wary of putting all my eggs in one basket, and so, after writing eight granny friendly novels, I had a go at writing about my personal passion – medieval crime. Oh- and I write children’s picture books too. I have three pen names.
Jessie: Do your pen names have different identities?
Jenny: As Jenny Kane I write contemporary fiction and romance, as well as children’s picture books.
As Jennifer Ash I write medieval murder mysteries (The Folville Chronicles) as well as audio scripts for ITV and Spiteful Puppet.
My first pen name was Kay Jaybee- only investigate her if you are over 18 and enjoy erotica.
Jessie: How did you manage to become the resident writer in Costa Coffee shop How wonderful!
Northmoor House: the writers’ residential retreat rub by Jenny and Alison
Jenny: I’ve always been a coffee shop writer. I get too distracted by things that need doing around the house if I attempt to write at home. When a Costa opened in Tiverton, I started to write in there. I didn’t tell anyone what I was doing, but after I’d turned up every day for several months, the staff started to enquire, and soon I was part of the furniture. So much so, that they offered to hold a book launch for me when Another Cup of Coffee was published.
When I turned up for the launch, I found that I had a new table in the far corner of the cafe with a plaque on the wall, stating it was Jenny Kane’s Corner! I was speechless. I had corner- just like Winnie the Pooh!
I’ve sat and worked in that corner every day since. It’s lovely. Mostly I’m left alone to write, but it’s not unknown for folk to pop by for a chat or to have their books signed.
So far I’ve written 12 full length novels, 4 scripts and countless workshops and short stories at that table.
Jessie: Tell me about the writing workshops you offer. How do you balance the workshops and writing?
Jenny: I’ve been teaching creative writing on and off for the past twelve years. However, 2 years ago, my friend and fellow writer, Alison Knight and I, pooled our resources and set up the creative writing business, Imagine.
We provide workshops for beginners and cover every element of fiction writing from character development to location building, plotting, short story writing and the skills you need to get your butt on a chair and make yourself write.
Our most popular courses are our life writing masterclass and the Novel in a Year workshop series. These run over a year, and take people from their first word, to preparation for submission to an agent or publisher.
I split my working day between writing (7am- 12pm) and prepping for workshops (12.30pm and 3pm). After that I go to work, before editing/proofing my students work in the evenings.
Jessie: Summarise your latest release in two sentences.
Edward’s Outlaw by Jennifer Ash is a murder mystery set in Rockingham Castle during the fourteenth century
Jenny: Edward’s Outlaw by Jennifer Ash is a murder mystery set in Rockingham Castle during the fourteenth century. Placed in the castle for her own protected, Mathilda Folville, finds herself playing detective in order to save her husband’s life and her family’s reputation.
Jessie: List a maximum of three quotes from the reviews that you have had.
Jenny: For The Folville Chronicles by Jennifer Ash – “Ellis Peters meets Jean Plaidy… via Robin Hood.” (Review from Goodreads)
For Abi’s House by Jenny Kane – “Reading a Jenny Kane book is like opening a journal by a much loved friend. I’m spirited away into a world of warm, friendly and interesting people. To places that I not only want to visit but actually live in. Shops, cafés and pubs that I want to be my locals and life that I want to experience and be a part of. Abi’s House gives you all of these feelings and left me with a huge smile on my face and a glowing in my heart. More of this wonderfulness please!!” (Review from Amazon)
For Another Cup of Coffee by Jenny Kane – “‘This book is definitely my cup of coffee
Gosh, where to start with this review?! The characters: you laughed with them, cringed, hated, wanted to shout at the book because you cared so deeply. Every character had their own story, and I loved that this was intertwined with Amy’s story, waiting to see how it panned out. Big round of applause for Kane for the characters on its own….Another Cup of Coffee itself: very realistic and a delight from start to finish. I felt like I was sitting on the outside looking in all the time, and I’d known this group of people for my entire life…. A timeless piece and one worth picking up big time. This book is definitely my cup of coffee (sorry, I had to). (Review from Bookmark That)
Jessie: Present an extract from your latest novel that will tempt a reader.
A young woman of my build, with similar hair, has suffered a violent death in the room allocated to me.
“…A young woman of my build, with similar hair, has suffered a violent death in the room allocated to me. A room in which I was intended to be trapped under lock and key….”
Jessie: How did you feel when you had finished writing your book, and did you miss any of the characters?
Jenny: I also feel a little bereft when I finish a novel. It’s such an intense process. The character’s live in your head 24/7 for months. When I finished Edward’s Outlaw it felt particularly strange as it bought me to the end of an intense three book writing experience- (The Outlaw’s Ransom, The Winter Outlaw and Edward’s Outlaw – the first 3 books in The Folville Chronicles) The lead character, Mathilda, is someone I’m very fond of- I miss her now that I’m writing a different series (as Jenny Kane- name a secret as yet!)
Mathilda will be back however, as there is another story coming as part of The Folville Chronicles in 2020.
Jessie: What is the last sentence written in your writer’s notebook?
Jenny: Check about the vinegar.
Jessie: What is the biggest challenge for an author?
Jenny: Not losing heart. It can take a long time to succeed, and even then the financial rewards are feeble. It can be very hard to stay positive when you’re surrounded by celebrities getting paid a fortune to write (often poorly) simply because they can cycle fast or once ate bugs in the jungle.
Jessie: What is the best advice that you have received as a writer?
Jenny: Cut down on your adverbs. My work was awash with them at first. I hadn’t realised how much they were slowing my plots down.
Jessie: How do you support other writers and what common mistakes do fledgling authors make?
Jenny: Always be positive. Writers are usually full of self doubt (I know I am), so we need to encourage and support with time and kind words.
New authors often make the mistake of rushing the editing process- usually because they are so keen to get their work out into the wild. If in doubt- edit once more- and if you can afford it- pay a professional to do that last check for you.
Jessie: Tell me about the writers’ retreats you have organised.
Jenny: As well as workshops, Imagine runs a residential retreat at Northmoor House on Exmoor every October. This year the event runs from 7-11th October.
The week involves as much private writing time as you like, one-to-one mentoring from Alison Knight and myself (on request- no addition charge) and an evening with guest speaker, Kate Lord Brown.
The retreat price includes all meals and accommodation in an original Victorian house- complete with the original free standing baths! (Bring your own bubbles!)
Book soon – we’d love to see you there- but there are only 3 rooms left for 2019.
Imagine also provides day long Location Inspiration Days. These take place in a variety of stunning locations, where you are encouraged to use the setting to create your works of fiction.
Our next events are on 19th June and 11th Sept at the Old Farmhouse and Chapel, in Ashcott, Somerset. You can find details at www.imaginecreativewriting.co.uk
