Behind the Book – Forest Dancer

Published on March 9, 2018March 6, 2018 by Anne-Marie Ormsby1 Comment

Forest Dancer - Susan Roebuck(1)

Sticking with my look at romance novels, and how woefully ill informed I am on them, I had the great pleasure to chat with author Sue Roebuck about her latest novel, Forest Dancer, a romance set in Portugal (somewhere I’ve always wanted to visit).

Tell us the basic premise of your novel?

It’s about overcoming self-doubt and having the courage to take life by the horns if necessary.

This is a short blurb: Forest Dancer is set in the magical forests just outside Lisbon, Portugal. Classical ballerina with a London company, Flora Gatehouse, has just recently lost her father, but she has also suffered a devastating blow in her career: her failed audition that sees her moving to a small cottage in Lisbon, Portugal, the only inheritance left to her by her father. She embraces the life of a small village with its dark secrets, and falls for the forest ranger, Marco. But the questions are can she totally become part of this little hamlet and can she ever reconnect with her dream to become a principal ballerina?

What was your main inspiration for the story?

I live close to Sintra (which is about twenty kilometres south west of Lisbon). ( Find out more about this gorgeous locations here ) Being British, I’ve always appreciated how cool and green Sintra is in the boiling hot summers of Lisbon and I’ve often been to ballets and concerts which are held on summer evenings at one of the many monuments in this magical place. Mind you, it was so misty one night that the ballerinas kept slipping about all over the damp stage.

I also love trees and forests (Sintra has its own national park) and I wanted to portray the beauty of them – and their mystery.

I have a thing about trees too…..(endless scary forest scenes in Purgatory Hotel)

When did you know you wanted to be a writer?

The answer’s going to be what all writers say: Always! When I was fourteen I entered a writing competition and won! Goodness knows what was going through my head but the little novelette was set in World War II (of which I knew nothing) in a small village in England. The inhabitants hated the fact that the army had built a training barracks on their land and were trying all sorts of ways to get rid of them. Sounds quite ambitious, doesn’t it? One day I’ll have to read it again. I think my brother gave me a bit of help – he gave me names for the characters, one of which was called Willy Wormtongue.

I’d love to read that!

If you could spend an evening in a Portuguese cottage drinking wine and eating good food, with any famous people – alive or dead- who would you choose?

Well, Byron visited Sintra and I think he would have to be one of the guests. We’d have a riotous time, I think, and drink all the wine that was on offer. Another guest would be Vasco de Gama who was the first explorer to navigate from Europe to Asia. I might have a go at him about his treatment of the natives he came across. Then I’d invite Saint Anthony of Lisbon because I like him and I think he and Byron would have a great discussion. And, also for Byron, I’d invite one of Portugal’s most famous poets and writers. I’d eavesdrop on their conversation for hints.

Ah Byron, I’d love to meet him, can I come too?

What are you working on next?

On another in the Portuguese series (the first one was called “Rising Tide” and set in the Alentejo region of Portugal – which is between Lisbon and the Algarve – in a small fishing village that time and most of Portugal has forgotten). “Forest Dancer” is the second. The next one is called “Joseph Barnaby” and takes place in Madeira. Joe is a farrier who prevents the favourite steeplechaser to run in the Grand National because he believes the horse isn’t fit enough to race. The aftermath of hate-mail, death threats and blackmail send him whirling into a deep depression and all he wants is to go to the end of the world. He finds just the place in Madeira.

Thank you so much for stopping by Sue!

You can get Forest Dancer from Amazon here

Keep up with Sue online and find out more about her here:

Links:

blog: http://www.susanroebuck.com

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SusanRoebuckauthor/?ref=bookmarks

Twitter: https://twitter.com/sueroebuck

Behind the Book – Topaz Eyes

Published on February 12, 2018February 9, 2018 by Anne-Marie Ormsby1 Comment

new TE(1)

It gives me great pleasure to welcome the the lovely Nancy Jardine to my blog today. Her book Topaz Eyes caught my eye and I wanted to get the background inspiration for such an amazing adventure!

Welcome Nancy, thank you so much for taking the time to chat with me!

Hello, Anne-Marie. Thank you for the opportunity to visit your blog. I aim to ‘get out’ a lot more this year so your invitation is much appreciated!

Tell us the basic premise of your novel?

Topaz Eyes has been called a ‘fabulously dangerous quest for a precious collection of emerald jewellery’ that once belonged to a Mughal Emperor. It’s also been called ‘ a deep plot of intrigue across Europe’ and beyond. The novel centres on a fictitious European family of third generation cousins. In their hunt for hugely expensive missing jewellery that the family once owned, some cousins are nice but others are downright nasty, even murderous.

Why did you choose the locations you chose and do they hold any real life significance to you?

All are personally significant in some form. The story begins in the beautiful university town of Heidelberg, Germany, chosen because my daughter spent a year at the university and I visited her there. Keira Drummond, my main female character, also spent time at Heidelberg University – isn’t that an amazing coincidence (*wink, wink*)? Some of the action takes place in Amsterdam, Holland, because I lived in Holland for three years and adore the country. I won’t give away any spoilers but one of the complex relationships in the story mirrors a situation I found myself in when I lived in Holland. Vienna features just because it’s a fabulous place to be a tourist. I decided that one cousin had to be American so I used locations in Minnesota, USA, which I’ve also been to. Keira Drummond is an Edinburgh lass because I wanted a ‘Scottish’ element in the story.

What inspired this exciting adventurous novel?

Topaz Eyes is my second contemporary mystery that revolves around an ancestral theme. The first ‘Family Tree’ I invented for my mystery Monogamy Twist was a fairly simple one but when I started Topaz Eyes I wanted to create a much deeper mystery with a bigger cast of related characters who had a common purpose linking them together. I then had to think up an exceptionally absorbing reason for a bunch of third generation cousins to be on a murderous quest, family members who are essentially all strangers at the outset of the novel. The 1880s matriarch of the family is from an Amsterdam family who own a prestigious jewellery business. This meant I could have lots of contemporary action happen in different worldwide locations since her descendants end up scattered around after the Second World War. I mainly used my memories of the locations which meant only some up-to-date fact checking was necessary. I remember having a lot of laughs when I was creating the family tree and the incidents that happen in the story!

Did it take a lot of research to come up with the story behind the jewellery once owned by a Mughal Emperor?

My main research for this novel was about emerald collections, especially those originally owned by Mughal emperors. I’m fascinated that a piece of jewellery designed for a Mughal Emperor in 1580, 1680 or even 1780, could be completely different by 1880! I hadn’t really appreciated that designs created for a particular woman (wife or one of the many concubines) were rarely appropriate for another woman and that it was commonplace for the gems to be reset into new jewellery. That cemented a really deep mystery because if you don’t have many clues about what an item might currently look like, then how difficult is it to bring that collection together? Topaz Eyes ended up being a mystery within a mystery but you’ll have to read the story to uncover that connection!

If you could go on a global adventure with anyone (alive or dead) who would you choose?

I’m cheating here because although I write contemporary mysteries, I also write historical fiction. In Book 4 of my Celtic Fervour Series (unpublished), my main characters are mainly Celtic but there’s also General Gnaeus Julius Agricola. Agricola was the commander of the Ancient Roman army which marched all the way to north east Scotland in c. A.D. 84 and then they left without properly absorbing the area into the Ancient Roman Empire! The only reason we know this happened is because Agricola’s son-in-law – Cornelius Tacitus – wrote about Agricola’s military campaigns. I’d love to journey back to c. A.D. 95 and spend time in Rome because that’s probably when Tacitus was writing about Agricola’s exploits in northern Britannia (The Agricola was published in A.D. 96). That way I might get the true version of what happened! And…I’d love to describe to Tacitus what Rome is like today having visited there in 2016.

What are you working on next?

The big plan is to have Book 4 of my Celtic Fervour Series published in the spring (2018). After that I’ve got two projects already started that need a lot of work. The first is Book 2 of my Rubidium Time Travel Series- a Victorian adventure. The second is a family saga that begins in Scotland c. 1850 – Book 1 (of 3?) being another Victorian setting. Then in the fullness of time I’ll get back to Book 5 of my Celtic Fervour series…or maybe I should write that next? Who knows (**smiley face here**)

Nancy Jardine is a member of the Romantic Novelists Association, the Scottish Association of Writers, the Federation of Writers Scotland and the Historical Novel Society. She’s published by Crooked Cat Books and has delved into self publishing.

You can find her at these places:

Blog: http://nancyjardine.blogspot.co.uk Website: www.nancyjardineauthor.com/

Facebook: http://on.fb.me/XeQdkG & http://on.fb.me/1Kaeh5G

email: nan_jar@btinternet.com Twitter https://twitter.com/nansjar

Amazon Author page http://viewauthor.at/mybooksandnewspagehere

Goodreads https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/5139590.Nancy_Jardine

Behind the Book – The Cocktail Bar

Published on February 5, 2018February 2, 2018 by Anne-Marie Ormsby1 Comment

coctail bar

So very happy to be welcoming author Isabella May back to my blog today. Her new book The Cocktail Bar will be out on the 13th February and I love the front cover! So apparently there’s more than just cocktails on the menu here and a mystical undercurrent that has caught my attention…..

Welcome back Isabella!

Thank you so much for inviting me again, Anne-Marie! I come bearing gifts (well, one gift): a Tor In The Mist… one of the uniquely created cocktails found in the pages of my new book, The Cocktail Bar – created by author Vanessa Couchman. Enjoy. Just watch the dry ice (fog)… it creates a beautiful effect but is enough to induce frostbite…

Tell us the basic premise of your novel?

Rock star, River Jackson, is back in his hometown of Glastonbury to open a cocktail bar… and the locals aren’t impressed.

Seductive Georgina is proving too hot to handle; band mate, Angelic Alice, is messing with his heart and his head; his mum is a hippie-dippy liability; his school friends have resorted to violence – oh, and his band manager, Lennie, AND the media are on his trail.

But River is armed with a magical Mexican elixir which will change the lives of the Three Chosen Ones. Once the Mexican wave of joy takes a hold of the town, he’s glad he didn’t lose his proverbial bottle.

Pity he hasn’t taken better care of the real one…

Tell us a bit about why you used Glastonbury as a location? Is it anything to do with the area’s magical reputation?

I have long thought that the UK’s (arguably) most mystical town isn’t featured as a backdrop in mainstream novels anywhere near enough. So, yes, Glastonbury popped up in my first book, ‘Oh! What a Pavlova’… and here it is again in ‘The Cocktail Bar’. There’s nowhere quite like it, and, having grown up on the ley lines of Avalon, I can (hopefully) offer a unique perspective in terms of scene setting and characters!

What inspired you to write this story?

Honestly, a distinct lack of cool places to hang out as a late teen (ie. an official drinking age teen) and an early twenty-something. I was still living in the town during that period of my life and a night out on the town consisted of scarpering north, east, south or west to somewhere more ‘happening’… frequenting the local working men’s pubs… or putting on a pair of fairy wings and engaging in tantric yoga.
In other words, Glastonbury’s high street has been screaming out for a delectable cocktail bar (such as River Jackson’s) for a very long time.

Are your lead characters based on anyone?
River Jackson is loosely based on any one of the indie singers who hail from the town and its surrounding areas. Very loosely though… for his rival in the book is Gary Stringer from local-band-gone-global, Reef. Gary actually went to my high school!

I’m a big fan of cocktails – mine’s a Pina Colada by the way – what’s your favourite cocktail and did you do a lot of research for the drinks on offer at the Cocktail Bar in your story?
You and me both. I love a well-made Pina Colada. It really is hard to beat. But just like a Tiramisu… or a Carrot Cake, the mixology of said tipple can be very hit and miss. I do recommend the Waldorf Astoria’s version in NYC though.
But I digress.
Yes, I had to do a fair bit of research to write The Cocktail Bar because River, as a mixologist, is the antithesis to all things Sex on the Beach and Screaming Orgasm. Rather he’s all about the unusual and sophisticated. If I had to choose one of the cocktails gracing his menu (other than the unavoidable lure of the ‘Magical Mañana), I’d plump for the Frisky Bison; liquid alcohol apple pie in a glass. It sounds delectable.

If you could throw a cocktail party who would be on your guest list?
What a great question… hmm. This requires a cuppa and some thought. Okay, I’ll go for a handful of different personalities who could fast create a party atmosphere:

Prince would be in a number one on that list. I know that would require something of a miracle, but he just has to be there. Then I reckon we’d need Nigella to make sure we were getting some decently exciting drinkies. Janet Street Porter because I love her wit and sarcasm and we need some good (heated) discussion. Leonardo DiCaprio for the eye candy. And Lee Evans for the comedy. Yeah, I think that would make the perfect mix.

What are you working on next?
I’m just finishing off the first round of edits for ‘Costa del Churros’ (trying not to eat too many of them in the process), and that will be released in the autumn. It’s an exciting year.

You can follow Isabella May on her website and social media here:

www.isabellamayauthor.com

Twitter – @IsabellaMayBks

Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/IsabellaMayAuthor/

Instagram – @isabella_may_author

Behind the Book – The Soulweaver

Published on January 29, 2018January 26, 2018 by Anne-Marie OrmsbyLeave a comment

Final Cover Soulweaver

This week I’m very excited to be talking to Australian author Heidi Catherine about her new novel The Soulweaver.

I’ve always had a fascination with the afterlife and the concept of reincarnation, and they are major themes that I have kept coming back to in my own writing. Everyone feels differently about the idea of an afterlife and everyone has a different idea of what it might be like. (If you have read Purgatory Hotel you will know my own vision is a bit unpleasant for those that deserve it.)

When I read the synopsis of Heidi’s novel I was instantly intrigued – I had found a kindred spirit! So I was quite eager to pick her brains about one of my favourite subjects and learn more about her own thoughts that had inspired the novel.

Tell us the basic premise of your novel?

The Soulweaver is a story about a girl who’s haunted by memories of having lived before. As these memories sharpen, she has to choose between the man she loved in her past life and the man she loves now. I was fortunate enough for this book to win the Romance Writers of Australia’s Emerald Pro award, which was a huge honour.

What or who inspired you to become a writer?

My mum has always loved to write and had a children’s book published when I was in my early twenties. This was great inspiration for me to turn my own love of writing into something more, as I could see what was possible with hard work and persistence. Mum is now my biggest fan and reads all of my first drafts. Her very unbiased opinion is that they’re all brilliant…

Are your locations based on real places?

The Soulweaver is set in Australia, Hong Kong, London and New York, which are obviously all real places. But there are also scenes that are set in ‘the Loom’, which what most people would call heaven or hell. It’s described in the book as “a place where reward and redemption are rolled into one”. If we do go somewhere after we die, I’ve always thought it would be the one place. I can’t see how it’s possible for the universe to be so black and white that one soul is considered good and another evil, when there are so many shades of grey. I really enjoyed being able to explore this concept as I wrote the novel.

Did it take a lot of research for your locations and do they hold any real life significance to you?

The story is told in parts, with each part taking place in a different city from the point of view of a different character. I’m Australian so the scenes set there didn’t require too much research and I’ve spent time in Hong Kong and London so could also draw on my experiences there. I’ve never been to New York, so those chapters required a little more research. Google is a writer’s best friend! I really liked how changing the setting gave each part of the book a distinctive feel. As for the Loom, that required a whole lot of imagination rather than research, which I always find far more enjoyable.

There’s a supernatural feel to the story, and obviously a lot of it is based around reincarnation, is this something you believe in?

The idea of reincarnation has always fascinated me and I would very much like to believe it’s real. I’ve heard some incredible (and very convincing) stories about children remembering their past lives, with these memories fading as they’ve grown older. I’ve also met people who I’ve been certain I’ve met before. In the first chapter of The Soulweaver, Hannah sees Reinier for the first time and is overwhelmed with the feeling she’s seen him a million times, yet she’s seen him never. It’s a feeling I’m sure many readers will relate to. Reincarnation makes a lot of sense to me, and although nobody can be completely certain as to what happens to us after we die, I’m positive that something happens. The Soulweaver is just one of a billion possibilities.

Tell me an ideal set up for a day of writing – where are you, is there any music etc?

I mostly write at home when my kids are at school. We moved house about a year ago and I claimed one of the living spaces as my writing room. I’ve filled it with books and have a desk in the corner near the window. Usually I’ll light a candle, put on some music and read my angel cards. Then I’ll get stuck into it. If the words don’t flow, then I’ll take my dogs for a walk and try again. My dogs are big fans of writer’s block.

What are you working on next?

I’m working on Books 2 and 3 of The Soulweaver series, which follow my characters into their next lifetimes. I also have a couple of crime novels and a middle grade novel sitting on my computer, which I’d like to revive. And I’ve recently published a prequel novelette to The Soulweaver series, which is called The Moonchild and available for free on Amazon.

The Soulweaver is out now on Amazon – Buy The Soulweaver on Amazon

Book 2 of the Soulweaver series The Truthseeker is out through Crooked Cat Books on 19^th March 2018.

You can keep up with all of Heidi’s news here!

Behind the Book: Heathcliff

Published on January 24, 2018January 23, 2018 by Anne-Marie Ormsby3 Comments

Wuthering Heights Pictured: Heathcliff (Tom Hardy) photographer Matt Frost For further Picture enquiries please contact: Tracey Whitton: 0113 222 7115 Picture Editor 07767 247688 This photograph is (C) ITV Plc and can only be reproduced for editorial purposes directly in connection with the programme or event mentioned above,or ITV. Once made available by ITV Plc Picture Desk, this photograph can be reproduced once only up until the TX date and no reproduction fee will be charged. Any subsequent usage may incur a fee. This photograph must not be syndicated to any other publication or website, or permanently archived,without the express written permission of ITV Plc Picture Desk. Full Terms and conditions are available on the website http://www.itvpictures.com

Back in 1992 when I was a moody, misunderstood teenager, desperate to read all the literature I could lay my hands on, I bought a cheap copy of Wuthering Heights after seeing a poster for the movie adaptation starring Ralph Fiennes. I loved the book and not long after watched as many tv/movie adaptations as I could.

I studied it later for my GCSE’s and re read it countless times over the years that followed.

I was in love with the supernatural element of the love story, the fierce bond between Cathy and Heathcliff that seemed to survive beyond death, her childish rejection of him tying their souls together forever. It’s fair to say it influenced my own novel in part, just because I could never get past the drama of the fiery love affair.

When I heard that my fellow Crooked Cat Books author Sue Barnard was releasing a spin off novel I was intrigued, and very excited to learn more. And also to have a bit of a geek off about Heathcliff with a fellow fan.

Tell us the basic premise of your novel?

In the original Wuthering Heights, Heathcliff disappears from the story for three years and returns as a rich man. What might have happened to him during that time?

Wuthering Heights is one of my favourite novels. I recall being very affected by the relationship between Cathy and Heathcliff. How would you describe it to someone who has never read the book?

In a word: complicated! She loves him (or claims to), yet she marries someone else – then expects her husband to welcome her old love back into their lives! Result: anger, frustration and heartache all round.

What inspired you to take on the story and create a backstory for Heathcliff’s missing years?

It was a chance remark by a former school friend. More years ago than either of us care to remember, we studied Wuthering Heights for English Literature O-Level (as it then was), along with Shakespeare’s Julius Caesar. The latter went on to provide the setting for my third novel, The Unkindest Cut of All (a murder mystery set in a theatre). My friend commented on the connection, and asked jokingly if my next writing project would also be based on something we’d done at school. I replied, equally jokingly, “How about Heathcliff?” At the time I laughed off the idea, but somehow it just wouldn’t go away.

Many people feel very negatively about Heathcliff; I have always had a sort of sympathy for him. How would you describe your feelings towards him?

When I started writing the book I promised myself that I would try to portray Heathcliff in a sympathetic light. I think he’s a very troubled soul, and I’ve tried to explore the possible reasons why. Pivotal to the story, of course, is that he never gets over Cathy’s decision to marry Edgar Linton.

To be honest, I’ve never really liked Cathy. She starts off as a spoiled little brat, grows into a spoiled big brat, and ends up as a spoiled dead brat. Heathcliff and Edgar are both devoted to her (in their different ways), but in my opinion she isn’t worthy of either of them.

One interesting discovery I made during the course of my research is that Heathcliff is only about sixteen or seventeen when he disappears. Having seen him portrayed several times on screen by actors who are in their twenties or thirties, I hadn’t previously appreciated how young he was.

Did it take a lot of research for your locations and story line?

Yes. It’s always important to get your facts correct, but even more so if you’re writing anything historical. You can be sure that if you get even the tiniest detail wrong, some eagle-eyed reader will pick up on it, and it will come back to haunt you for ever.

The dates in Wuthering Heights are very precise (Heathcliff’s missing years are 1780-1783), which proved to be extremely constraining. I originally wanted him to have spent those years as a pirate, or possibly to have made his fortune in the American or Australian gold rush. But when I started my research I soon discovered that I couldn’t use either of those ideas; the heyday of piracy was too early, and the gold rush years were too late. So I had find something which did fit with those exact years, and work my story around that. As to what that turned out to be, you’ll have to read the book to find out!

What is your writing environment like? Where is it etc?

It’s all over the place. My computer (where I do my main writing) is set up at a desk in the front room, but I have notepads and scraps of paper in just about every room in the house, because I find that inspiration can strike at any time. My smartphone, which lives in my pocket, is particularly useful if I need to make notes when no other option is available.

If you could sit down and have drinks with any famous writers (alive or dead) who would you choose?

I’d start by inviting all my fellow-authors at Crooked Cat Books. Then I’d invite Shakespeare (having written two novels and several poems inspired by his work), and Emily Brontë (though with some trepidation, in case she doesn’t like what I’ve done with her most famous creation!). Then I’d add some great crime writers, such as Agatha Christie, Dorothy L Sayers, Josephine Tey and Val McDermid, plus some comedy writers, such as Ronnie Barker, David Renwick, Tony Robinson, Ben Elton, Stephen Fry, the Horrible Histories team and the Monty Python gang. And no writers’ gathering would be complete without Terry Pratchett and J K Rowling.

At this rate, I think I’m going to have to hire a whole pub.

Well that sounds like a great night out! I will definitely be there!

Big thanks to Sue for giving me a sneaky early interview about Heathcliff, I am very much looking forward to reading the book and returning to the world of the brooding anti-hero again.

Until then you can follow her on all the links below and read her other books while you wait to find out what became of the mysterious man during his missing years…..

Blog Facebook G+ Twitter Instagram Amazon Goodreads

Romance with a twist(2)

NOVELS:

The Ghostly Father: Amazon, Smashwords, Kobo, Nook, Apple iBooks, GooglePlay

Nice Girls Don’t: Amazon, Smashwords, Kobo, Nook, Apple iBooks

The Unkindest Cut of All: Amazon, Smashwords, Kobo, Nook, Apple iBooks

Never on Saturday: Amazon

Heathcliff: coming in 2018

Behind the Book – The Last Plantagenet

Published on December 27, 2017December 22, 2017 by Anne-Marie OrmsbyLeave a comment

TLP-FinalCover(1)

For my final author interview of the year, I had a chat with Jennifer Wilson, author of the Kindred Spirits series; paranormal fiction set in the Royal Court of the 1400’s – so clearly my love of all things spooky mean I had to have a chat with the lady herself!

Her most recent book is slightly different but again returns to the era of Richard III. Ive always been fascinated by this period of history and Jennifer really knows her stuff so this interview has been a real pleasure.

Tell us the basic premise of your novel?

The Last Plantagenet? is a timeslip historical romance, following history-lover Kate as she gets transported back in time from 2011 to the travelling court of Richard III in 1485. That would be difficult enough to acclimatise to, but then she also catches the eye of the King of England himself – how will she cope?

As the book is historical fiction – did you have to do a lot of research for accuracy?

I was really keen that even though it’s a bit of a fantasy, with the timeslip element, that the facts were still correct. So yes, I did do my research, in particular to make sure that the court was in the right place at the right time, and that people who shouldn’t have been there weren’t there. I had a really good book which went into a lot of detail about the last 100 days of Richard’s reign, and that was a great resource, to track each day’s activity. Happily, having one of the main characters as an entirely fictional individual, there was a little leeway in where I could go with her.

As it was also my first go at self-publishing, I was keen that it was in good shape, and didn’t accidentally detract from my Kindred Spirits series, so I checked everything at least twice!

Where do you go to get inspiration for your locations and storylines?

For TLP, it was all desk-based, although I have been to the site of Nottingham Castle, where the book is mostly set. Most of the time, I do need to go somewhere to really write how I want to about it. For example, for the third Kindred Spirits novel, I had written a whole scene about Anne of Cleves’ tomb, only to discover that you couldn’t physically see what I had my characters seeing from a particular spot, and I had to rewrite the whole thing.

I found especially with places like Westminster Abbey or the Tower of London, they do have a very specific atmosphere, and I like to capture that. Plus, I love visiting historical sites anyway, so it’s not that much of a hardship.

Do you have a favourite author?

I’m always torn here between three, but I think Philippa Gregory is still the author I look forward to a new release from. It was reading The Other Boleyn Girl on the insistence of a colleague that introduced me to the Tudor world, and inspired me to get back into writing historical fiction again, so I feel I owe that book a lot.

I also love the writing of Elizabeth Chadwick and Anne O’Brien, who both manage to capture strong central female characters, without falling into that trap of having their heroines too modern in their attitudes and thoughts.

What/who inspires you most as a writer?

For me, it’s places. There’s nothing better for me than visiting historical sites or buildings, and just mooching about, getting a feel for the place, and who might have spent time there in the past. That’s where my inspiration comes from. I’ve been wanting to set a story in an abbey (other than Westminster!) for years, but couldn’t get a good enough grasp on it until this summer, wandering around Glenluce Abbey, when the whole thing magically fell into place. By the end of the day, I had the whole synopsis, ready to go.

Which historical figures would you most like to sit down to dinner with?

Well, I hate to be obvious, but I would, of course, enjoy sitting down and sharing a cup of wine with Richard III. He was king for such a short time, but involved in so many events and situations important to British history. Also, who wouldn’t want to hear his side of the story regarding the Princes in the Tower? Although, I think I would leave that until the end of the meal, in case he refused to speak to me again after that…

What are you working on next?

I’m thrilled to bits that the third Kindred Spirits novel, set in Westminster Abbey, will be released by Crooked Cat in summer 2018, so I’m looking forward to getting stuck into the editing process for that in the new year. I find self-editing so hard, but love receiving critique and feedback from others, so that’s part of the publishing process I really enjoy.

As for new writing, I have a couple of ideas for other timeslip, like the abbey tale I mentioned above, and one with a more local flavour, inspired by a reservoir we used to visit when I was little.

JenniferCWilson-HolyroodPalace

About Jennifer

Jennifer is a marine biologist by training, who spent much of her childhood stalking Mary, Queen of Scots (initially accidentally, but then with intention). She completed her BSc and MSc at the University of Hull, and has worked as a marine environmental consulting since graduating. Enrolling on an adult education workshop on her return to the north-east reignited Jennifer’s pastime of creative writing, and she has been filling notebooks ever since. In 2014, Jennifer won the Story Tyne short story competition, and also continues to develop her poetic voice, reading at a number of events, and with several pieces available online. She is also part of The Next Page, running workshops and other literary events in North Tyneside, including the prize-winning North Tyneside Writers’ Circle.

Jennifer’s debut novel, Kindred Spirits: Tower of London, was released by Crooked Cat Books in October 2015, with Kindred Spirits: Royal Mile following in June 2017. She can be found online at her website, on Twitter and Facebook, as well as at The Next Page’s website. Her timeslip historical romance, The Last Plantagenet? Is available for download from Amazon.

Meet the Publisher – Crooked Cat Books

Published on December 22, 2017December 22, 2017 by Anne-Marie OrmsbyLeave a comment

2017 has been a great year in may ways for me – one of the reasons for that was finally finding a publisher for my novel Purgatory Hotel. After publication I have had the great fortune to come into contact with a great many writers who I have been busy chatting to about their own books which has been an amazing experience.

In a bonus interview I was able to get an audience with the mysterious Crooked Cat. In a rather surreal turn – the publishing house known as Crooked Cat Books agreed to an interview. But it turns out that the reason I am now a published author is because of an actual cat. A talking one….

Welcome to my blog!

Thanks so much for inviting me. And may I say what lovely wallpaper you have here. Not sure about the lampshade though.

The lampshade? Its not from Ikea…is that a problem?

Who are Crooked Cat Books?

I are Crooked Cat Books and I are six years old. I’m based in France, but I used to live in Great Britain, and I’m a Cat, albeit a bit Crooked. I have around 220 books to my name (well, I didn’t write them), and about 90 authors. And I have rather a following across social media.

What inspired you to start an independent publishers?

I wanted to give really good storytellers an opportunity to have their voice heard, and being independent helps that. I’ve seen lots of stunning stories over the years and am proud that these are now being read by hundreds of thousands of people across the world. I embrace two things – that authors are the best people to talk about and promote their books, and that they sometimes feel they just want to hear it – to get advice – from other authors.

What is your favourite genre to read?

I love a bit of crime, me, though there are days when something chick-litty doesn’t go amiss. Having said that, we all like a bit of fantasy, don’t we? Oooh – I’m not sure I have a favourite.

Do you have a favourite author?

Always the next one I meet!

Crooked Cat has a variety of genres in its catalogue, what is it that you look for in a story that hooks you?

A really interesting and engaging person writer behind it. Knowing the story is only half of…er…the story, and we’re not only looking for a great hook, well-written, but someone that is a bit of a self-starter, confidence in engaging with their readers, willing to learn and share. If this isn’t you, you’re not going to do well as a published author these days.

What do you do when you aren’t publishing books?

I eat. I sleep. I chase mice and things.

If you could have a night of drinks and literary discussion with any writers (alive or dead) who would you choose?

Evelyn Waugh and David Hasselhoff, authors of Brideshead Revisited and Making Waves: The David Hasselhoff Autobiography, respectively.

Many thanks to you for chatting with me, and agreeing to appear on my blog, I hope you have enjoyed it as much as I have.

That is my pleasure. I’m sorry about your lampshade.

You can enter the world of Crooked Cat Books and its cattery of authors here;

Crooked Cat Books Website

Facebook

Behind the Book – Winter Writerland

Published on December 22, 2017December 22, 2017 by Anne-Marie OrmsbyLeave a comment

Winter WQriterland cover Beatrice

Continuing my conversations with authors and the inspirations behind their work, I had the great pleasure of chatting with Beatrice Fishback. Beatrice hails from New York and lived for 20 years in the UK where she picked up a love of all things British. She now lives in Carolina but still uses the UK as a setting for her work. Her most recent novel Winter Writerland takes place here so I decided to pick her brains on the subject matter.

This is also a perfect choice for something to read over the Christmas holidays – as long as you don’t mind a spot of murder with your mince pies…..

Tell us the basic premise of your novel?

Daisy McFarland is an American spinster who has retired to England after teaching elementary school for thirty years. An aspiring novelist, Daisy looks forward to attending the Crime Writer’s Conference in Branick for the third year in a row during the Christmas holidays. What she doesn’t anticipate is finding a body floating in the frozen lake and who could have possibly committed this dastardly deed.

The story features a murder at a writers Conference -Did you take any inspiration from any real life crimes?

I can’t say I took any inspiration from a real life crime but I love to watch Midsomer Murders, Lewis and a selection of other U.K. dramas. In fact, I’m hooked on all of them to include Father Brown.

Why did you choose the setting you chose and do the locations hold any real life significance to you?

Last summer I attended the Swanwick Summer Writing School. There I met some wonderful new friends. Chatting over a glass of bubbly we thought the place was the perfect Agatha Christie setting for a cosy. We began to brainstorm and by the time I left the conference I had the skeleton idea for this tale.

Is your sleuth Daisy based on anyone?

I seem drawn to writing about mid-life women. Maybe because when I began my writing career I was approaching this season of life. My character in “Dying to Eat at the Pub,” another cosy mystery, is also about a woman who now faces life married to a retired man and she’s anything but ready to sit in front of warm fire and die in her recliner.

What/who inspires you most as a writer?

When I read stories that bring fiction alive, I’m inspired to give writing another try in the hopes that the next attempt will be that much better than the last. I especially enjoy Alan Bradley’s series about a much younger sleuth named Flavia de Luce. I love his attention to detail and descriptive settings.

Do you have a favourite author? Besides Alan Bradley, I enjoy Sir Arthur Conan Doyle and never tire of his Sherlock character.

What are you working on next? My challenge is whether to start another novel, or finish the one that’s nearly completed. I love beginning a new story with fresh characters. But I have half of the sequel to “Dying to Eat at the Pub” and I’d like to see that published in the New Year.

You can catch up with Beatrice here;

www.beasattitudes.net

www.facebook.com/Beasattitudes

And treat yourself to a copy of Winter Writerland for some cosy Christmas reading material;

Winter Writerland on Amazon

Behind The Book – Social Anxiety Revealed

Published on December 14, 2017December 14, 2017 by Anne-Marie Ormsby2 Comments

Very excited with this week’s author chat as I got the chance to interview Miriam Drori – who actually was my editor on Purgatory Hotel. Herself an established writer, her most recent release was non-fiction looking at the subject of Social Anxiety. Mental health and the study of it has always been an interest of mine, and indeed features in my own work and life and I was very pleased that Miriam was willing to discuss the background to writing her book.

SAR Cover

Tell us the basic premise of your book?

Social Anxiety Revealed explains all the different aspects of social anxiety. It makes extensive use of quotes from many people who have experienced social anxiety and who agreed for me to use their words anonymously. This enabled me to show how, despite the similarities, we’re all individuals and that social anxiety affects each of us in different ways.

The book is intended for everyone – sufferers and non-sufferers, because everyone knows or will come across someone who has the condition.

The reviews call it a no-nonsense book that’s well-written and easy to read. I’m glad, because that’s how I meant it to be.

You have previously written fiction – what inspired you to move to this subject?

Ah, it only seems as if this is what I did. In fact, I wrote this book before any of the fiction. The book was inspired by two discoveries: that social anxiety is much more common than many people think, and that most people are unaware of its existence. I became passionate about putting this right by raising awareness of it. If more people knew and understood it, many more sufferers would get the help they need to tackle it.

After I tried and failed to get the book published, I turned my attention to writing fiction and eventually got a romance (Neither Here Nor There) accepted by Crooked Cat Books. That was followed by the historical novella, The Women Friends: Selina, the first in a series and co-written with Emma Rose Millar. When Crooked Cat began to publish non-fiction, I proposed my book about social anxiety and it was published, after being revised by me, in August 2017.

Were you inspired by any personal experiences?

Certainly, and some of those experiences appear in the book. I think it’s what makes this book unique. There are many self-help books that claim to show how to overcome social anxiety and are written by experts. Some of these have proved very helpful for some sufferers, while others have been unable to gain any benefit from them. I approach the topic from the other side of the patient/therapist divide and hence appeal to a wider audience.

How did you research for this subject?

For several years, I belonged to an online forum for social anxiety sufferers. All the topics in the book came up in discussions on the forum. One or two were topics I specifically raised on the forum so that I could include opinions on them in the book.

Do you have a favourite author?

That’s a hard question, as my favourite author changes frequently. I know I particularly like reading stories in which I (the reader) understand more than the narrator. Such stories include The Remains of the Day by Kazuo Ishiguro, The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time by Mark Haddon and Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine by Gail Honeyman.

Who would you most like to sit down to dinner with to discuss social anxiety?

My sixth form (years 12 and 13) teachers, who wrote on my school reports that I needed to change my behaviour, making me feel that I was to blame for my problems. I would explain to them, if they listened at all, that I wasn’t capable of changing all by myself at that stage in my life, and that they should have seen to it that I got help, although I expect that would have been asking for too much in the 1970s.

What are you working on next?

I’m back in the world of fiction, but still with social anxiety, as my main character suffers from it. He is overwhelmed, to say the least, when he finds himself on the way to Japan to try and sell a computer system. And that’s not all. Karaoke is also on the agenda!

Wow that sounds fun! Looking forward to reading Miriam’s next book – big thanks to her for letting me interview her.

You can follow Miriam on the links below, and get yourself a copy of Social Anxiety Revealed.

Miriam

Links

Social Anxiety Revealed The Women Friends: Selina Neither Here Nor There

Miriam Drori can be found on Facebook, Twitter, Goodreads, Pinterest, Wattpad and on her website/blog and social anxiety blog.

Behind the Book – The Silence

Published on December 6, 2017December 6, 2017 by Anne-Marie Ormsby3 Comments

The Silence

This week I was very fortunate to get to speak to Katharine Johnson, author of thriller The Silence. Ever since my early obsession with the Agatha Christie novel Sleeping Murder I have had an interest in stories about secrets and repressed memories, and this book fits that bill perfectly.

Naturally I wanted to get behind the book and find out where Katharine got her inspiration from for this dark tale.

Tell us the basic premise of your book?

Doctor Abby Fenton has a rewarding career, a loving family, an enviable lifestyle – and a secret that could destroy everything. When human remains are discovered in the grounds of an idyllic Tuscan holiday home she is forced to confront the memories she has suppressed until now and relive the summer she spent at the villa in 1992. A summer that ended in tragedy. The nearer she gets to the truth the closer she comes to losing her sanity. In order to hold onto the people she loves most, she must make sure they never discover what she did. But the reappearance of someone else from that summer threatens to blow her secret wide open

What made you choose the location of Tuscany and do the locations hold any significance for you personally.

I chose Tuscany because I love its multi-layered character. Beautiful locations often harbour a gruesome history. I wanted the backstory of The Silence to take place somewhere beautiful so that in Abby’s memory it would have a dreamlike quality, making it hard for her to decide if the events were real, and also somewhere hot so that as the temperature rises so do the tensions among the dysfunctional family she’s staying with.

I also felt that because many of these tiny mountain villages are so remote and the vegetation so fast-growing that it would be easy for a crime to remain hidden for many years. But with the trend for foreigners to restore old houses and turn them into holiday homes it was inevitable that the secret would be uncovered at some time.

Tuscany does have a personal significance for me. I’ve lived in Florence and have had a house near Lucca since 2003 where I wrote much of The Silence.

The book deals with secrets and the effects they can have on a person – did you find it difficult at all getting into the mind of your lead character?

The main character in my previous book was a 21 year old man with a violent temper living in the 1930s so by comparison writing Abby was a breeze! The thing about Abby is that because she’s very good at compartmentalising, her adult life is very normal – she could be any mum you see at the school gates and she has two little girls so I can relate to that. The dark secret obviously required imagination as my life is far less interesting but that’s what I love about writing – putting myself inside someone’s head and thinking, how would I deal with that situation?

What made you want to become a writer?

I’ve loved writing since childhood and wrote my first book aged nine about the adventures of a naughty chimp, probably influenced by Paddington stories which I loved. I’ve written for a living all my adult life but mostly as a magazine journalist. I’ve written about yachts, planes and automobiles but my favourite subject is houses. I’ve visited so many intriguing places with stories to tell although often these stories couldn’t be included in the feature, including a house that was haunted by Katherine, wife of John of Gaunt, one where a horrific suicide took place and one which the police interviewed me about because they were investigating the owner.

Do you have a favourite author?

So many! Overall it would have to be Barbara Vine. I love the way most of her characters are people on the outside of things and much more interesting than they appear

Who would you most like to sit down to dinner with to talk about books and solving crimes?

Patricia Highsmith – she could really get into the mind of a criminal

What are you working on next?

I’m really excited that my next novel The Secret will be published by Crooked Cat Books in 2018. Like The Silence it is about a secret harboured by Villa Leonida in the fictional mountain village of Santa Zita but this secret goes back to wartime. It’s about two girls growing up in Mussolini’s Italy. Their paths diverge after one of them marries into the family living in Villa Leonida where she discovers nothing is as she imagined, leading to a secret which has devastating consequences…

Well I am loving reading The Silence so I cant wait for the next book Katy! Thanks for chatting with me, look forward to another chat about your journey back to the sinister Villa Leonida……

Katharine Johnson