Pam Lecky's Blog, page 18

A Conversation with Author Brook Allen

Today in the Library we have ­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­Brook Allen, who has dropped in to say hello and to share some insights into her life as an author.

You are very welcome, Brook, please introduce yourself:

[image error] Brook Allen

Hi, Pam! Thanks for hosting me. I am a writer of historical fiction and particularly love ancient history. That said, I read historical fiction from all periods and sub-genres. My husband and I live in rural Virginia in the Blue Ridge Mountains and are parents to two extremely well-read and well-heeled Labrador Retrievers who answer to the names Jak & Ali. I recently completed the Antonius Trilogy, three books telling the life story of Roman statesman and general, Marc Antony. It was a fantastic experience, traveling and following his footsteps in Italy, Greece, Egypt, and Turkey. And my first book in the trilogy (Antonius: Son of Rome) won an international award recently; a silver medal in the Reader’s Favorite Book Reviewer Awards for 2020.

Which genre do you write in and what draws you to it?

Historical Fiction is my genre of choice. It offers such fascinating research and travel opportunities. My next project is American History, right here in my home county, and I’m just as excited to dig into this research as I was when I was in Alexandria, Egypt—Cleopatra’s capital city—taking notes. Historical fiction is so full of intrigue and adventure. Truly, when it’s written well, there is NOTHING boring about history!

Are you an avid reader? Do you prefer books in your own genre or are you happy to explore others?

Now that I’m an author, yes—I read all the time. And typically, I stick to my genre, but occasionally I sin and try something new.

A Conversation with Author Emma Lombard

Today, I am delighted to welcome Emma Lombard into the Library.  She has dropped in to say hello and to share some insights into her life as an author.

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Before becoming a historical fiction author, Emma was an editor in the corporate world across various industries—aviation, aquatic ecology, education and the world of academia.

Her blog series Twitter Tips for Newbies is popular in Twitter’s #WritingCommunity for helping writers (new to Twitter) navigate the platform and find their professional voices on social media. She also writes a monthly column for ENVIE Magazine, in which she shares publishing industry resources for authors.

She is the author of the upcoming historical adventure, Discerning Grace.

Are you an avid reader? Do you prefer books in your own genre or are you happy to explore others?

I inhaled books when I was younger—across all genres. My first ‘adult’ book that I read when I was 12-years-old was ‘The Power of One’ by Bryce Courtney. It was the first book that made me sob out loud. I had no idea books had that power! My reading tastes then swiftly moved to Wilbur Smith’s historical Courtney family saga, with my favourite book being ‘The Burning Shore’. Through my teens, I also devoured dozens of Danielle Steele and Joan Collins novels. With an insatiable appetite for reading, I stopped using book covers and blurbs as my attraction to a book, but rather chose books by the whopping size of their spine. This led me to read ‘The Clan of the Cave Bear’ series, ‘Shantaram’, which I absolutely loved, and my latest door-stopper find was Diana Gabaldon’s ‘Outlander’ series. Since I’ve become an author, I spend more time writing than I do reading, but I do still like to squeeze in a book or two here and there.

Who has been the biggest influence on your writing?

I would have to say Wilbur Smith. He writes amazing romantic adventures and sweeping family sagas with unforgettable characters. While writing larger-than-life adventures that span the globe, he always weaves in great romantic elements between his characters. I adore Smith’s descriptions of the African wild (especially after having lived there myself). I wanted to emulate that same romantic adventure feeling with my own books, so you can imagine how tickled pink I was when one of my beta readers said that my early manuscript had a Wilbur Smith feel to it. I hadn’t even let my beta readers know this tidbit of information, so it was the highest compliment of my burgeoning writing career!

Has your country of origin/culture influenced your writing?

Moving to multiple countries has always meant having a new place to learn about. I think, sometimes, when you’re born and live in one place, you don’t always get to know the history of the town or country where you live in as much detail as when discovering it for the first time as a new resident. Moving across the globe has given me an appreciation of exploring new places. I adore travelling! And I’m a sucker for castles and stately homes. A happy day for me is one immersed in a museum, or on a guided tour around a city. Put me in Père Lachaise cemetery in Paris (France), or in South Bridge Vaults in Edinburgh (Scotland), or in the ruins of Pompeii (Italy), or in the Sterkfontein Caves in Muldersdrift (South Africa), or in the goldmining town of Sovereign Hill in Ballarat (Australia), and I’m in my element! Knit this together with my long love of reading historical fiction, and it was inevitable that being a historical fiction author was on the horizon for me.

What was the best piece of writing advice you received when starting out?

To give my main character, Grace Baxter, more agency instead of her being a victim of circumstance. I was pushed to get her to create and direct her own circumstances. This was a bit more of a challenge having a female lead character in the early 1800s because of societal restrictions on women in those days. But I also figured that there had to be pioneering women, even back then, who broke the mould. Since Grace is inspired by my three times great grandmother, who indeed bucked the norm in her day by leaving her well-to-do family in England to elope with an English sea captain and live with him at sea, I felt I had a little more leeway to play with when writing Grace’s character. And besides, what’s a rollicking romantic adventure without a feisty heroine!

If a movie were made of one of your books, who would you like to play the lead roles?

I actually presented this question to my beta readers one time, and we got into a riotous conversation about it—so fun! We ended up agreeing that Keira Knightly would make a fantastic Grace Baxter because she’s small, slim and well-talented to play the part of Grace’s slightly un-gracious London socialite persona, and double up as lad in disguise hiding in plain sight as a ship’s servant. Chris Hemsworth secured himself the role as Lieutenant Fitzwilliam. His height and blond hair are a perfect match to Seamus, and he’d brilliantly portray Seamus as a chivalrous yet unbending Royal Navy Lieutenant whose life is blown to smithereens by an equally wilful lass. I’ve always envisaged the ship sets of Cape Town Film Studios in South Africa being used for my books (cough cough, any film producers, these sets are already built and ready to use … just saying …) These sets were used to film ‘Black Sails’ and the ship scenes for the Season 3 of ‘Outlander’. Since ships play a big part in each book in my series, I would love them to feature prominently in the movie or tv show.

If you could travel back in time, what era would you go to? What draws you to this particular time?

I know I’d have to join a loooong line at the standing stones at Craig Na Dun in the Scottish Highlands to go back to the 1700s to be with Jamie Fraser, but I reckon it would be worth the wait! My Instagram profile doesn’t say, ‘Mentally married to Jamie Fraser’ for nothing. But in reality, I like my creature comforts just a bit too much, so I’m perfectly happy for my body to sit on my comfy couch under the aircon, and let my mind wander back in time instead.

Please tell us about your latest endeavours.

2020 has been a tough year all round for everyone. I began querying literary agents in 2019 and received seven requests for my manuscript to be read, but as 2020 evolved into the year of chaos, I didn’t even have one request, despite querying three times the number of agents. If that wasn’t a sign that things were tougher than ever, then the feedback I got from a couple of agents saying that the publishing climate was at its toughest at the moment just cemented it. While a little disappointed, I’m certainly not undeterred, and I plan to query my first book, Discerning Grace, directly with publishers in 2021, while I continue writing the rest of my series. In the meantime, I have a fun and entertaining monthly newsletter, By the Book, for readers to hop aboard. Or you can find me on Twitter, Facebook or Instagram.

 

Irish Books I love 2020

So delighted to be included in this amazing list! Thanks, Grace.

Wordfoolery

Hello,

To celebrate Irish Book Week, I’ve written a bonus post about books by Irish authors. Readers from outside Ireland can be forgiven for gravitating towards the classics like WB Yeats’ poetry or James Joyce, Jonathan Swift, George Bernard Shaw, Edna O’Brien, etc. but Irish writing is so much broader than those writers. So varied, in fact, that I’ve no hope of including everybody. This is my personal selection from my own bookshelves.

For #IrishBookWeek, I dare you to dabble in the library, bookshop, or online and discover your own taste in Irish writing. It may surprise you.

The books are not ranked because asking me to say which is my favourite is simply cruel and impossible.

The Complete Plays – Oscar Wilde (Amazon.com)

I know I said I wouldn’t cover the classic Irish writers but Oscar is brilliant and my copy of this book is tattered with…

View original post 1,058 more words

Publication Day – A Feigned Madness by Tonya Mitchell

I was lucky enough to be an ARC reader for Tonya Mitchell’s debut, A Feigned Madness. It’s a wonderful and fascinating read which I highly recommend.

A Feigned Madness

Elizabeth Cochrane has a secret.

She isn’t the madwoman with amnesia the doctors and inmates at Blackwell’s Asylum think she is.

In truth, she’s working undercover for the New York World. When the managing editor refuses to hire her because she’s a woman, Elizabeth strikes a deal: in exchange for a job, she’ll impersonate a [image error]lunatic to expose a local asylum’s abuses.

When she arrives at the asylum, Elizabeth realizes she must make a decision—is she there merely to bear witness, or to intervene on behalf of the abused inmates? Can she interfere without blowing her cover? As the superintendent of the asylum grows increasingly suspicious, Elizabeth knows her scheme—and her dream of becoming a journalist in New York—is in jeopardy.

A Feigned Madness is a meticulously researched, fictionalized account of the woman who would come to be known as daredevil reporter Nellie Bly. At a time of cutthroat journalism, when newspapers battled for readers at any cost, Bly emerged as one of the first to break through the gender barrier—a woman who would, through her daring exploits, forge a trail for women fighting for their place in the world.

Buy Link: Amazon




If you would like to know more about Tonya and her work, please check out her links below:

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

Twitter               https://twitter.com/tremmitchell

Instagram:        https://www.instagram.com/tmitchell.2012/

Email:               tmitchell.2012@yahoo.com

Stepping Back into Saxon England Blog Tour

FOLLOW THE TOUR HERE:
https://discoveringdiamonds.blogspot.com/p/follow-tour-and-step-back-into-saxon.html
When I was approached to host a spot on this blog tour I could not resist. Both Annie and Helen are wonderful writers and two of the most supportive authors you could wish to meet. So, it is my absolute pleasure today to host this post on Murder in Saxon England by Annie Whitehead.

I’m delighted to be Pam’s guest today as part of the joint Stepping Back into Saxon England tour with Helen Hollick and, as I know Pam writes great murder mystery fiction, I thought I’d talk about some Anglo-Saxon murders, the mystery being that almost all the ones we know about, weren’t murder. Meanwhile there were plenty of others that would have benefited from a sleuth like Lucy Lawrence on the case…

Murder in Saxon England

Firstly, and sadly, there seem to be a lot of documented cases of child killings and female killers. But as I’ll try to show, they should be taken with a large pinch of salt.

Children

In the seventh century, a Mercian king had two sons who had been baptised by St Cedd. This so offended their father that he ‘killed them both with his own hands.’ The problem with this story is that the boys, if they even existed, had a sister who was allowed to live, and became a holy woman, living as a nun on her father’s estates. It hardly seems compatible with an anti-Christian child killer.

Then we have the strange case of the abbess who paid to have her little brother killed and was discovered when a dove dropped a message on the altar of St Peter’s in Rome, alerting the pope to the crime. To avoid being discovered, she chanted a psalm backwards and her eyes fell out. Now, there is slightly more evidence for the existence of this brother, but he wasn’t a child, he simply pre-deceased their father the king and, tellingly, this abbess had a long-running argument with the Church about her abbey lands, so this might be why she received such a bad press.

There’s another recorded murder of a young man, but there may be some truth in the story. He was killed for objecting to the marriage of his mother to a contender for the Mercian throne, and he may very well have been caught up in a dynastic dispute.

Murderesses

[image error]A murder which certainly happened was that of Edward the Martyr, who was allegedly killed by, or on the orders of, his stepmother. I’m not convinced, because she too was given a rather bad press, but there’s no disputing the fact that her son then became king.

Another woman accused of murder was a Northumbrian princess who was married to the son of her father’s rival and, according to the Venerable Bede, arranged her husband’s killing. We are not told why, or whether she was punished.

We do know of a later murderess who, jealous of her husband the king’s advisers, poisoned one of those counsellors and accidentally killed her husband along with him. She was punished, banished abroad, and was supposedly the reason why kings’ wives in Wessex from that point on were never called ‘queen’.

Assassination attempts

In seventh-century Northumbria King Edwin was establishing his supremacy when an assassin was sent from the south to his court. He had a poisoned blade hidden under his cloak. Lunging forward, he made a rush for the king and was only prevented from killing Edwin by the bravery of Edwin’s thegn, who put himself between the assailant and the king, although Edwin nevertheless sustained an injury. The thegn was somewhat less fortunate.

And this leads me nicely onto the second batch of recorded deaths, which I think warranted more investigation…

Convenient Deaths

[image error]In 946 King Edmund was murdered, supposedly either in a brawl, or by a robber who’d been previously banished but returned, evidently with a score to settle. Investigation by historians though suggests that this was more than likely a political murder arranged by members of a rival court faction.

His sons eventually became kings, one after the other. Trouble was, there were still rival factions at court, so much so that for a while the country was split, with one half supporting one son, the other supporting the other. And then, around two years after the partition the elder son, still only a teenager, died. There’s absolutely nothing anywhere in the records to say how, or where, but it was very timely for his enemies.

This wasn’t the first time the country had been split. Those boys’ father had become king after the death of King Athelstan. When his father died, he left Mercia to Athelstan, and Wessex to Athelstan’s half-brother who, conveniently, was dead within the month. Again, no record of foul play.

[image error]We’re starting to get a pattern though. In the latter part of the period, England endured a renewal of the Viking incursions only this time they weren’t raiding, they were conquering. Cnut had come to stay, and after a series of bloody but ultimately indecisive battles, it was agreed that the country would be jointly ruled by him, and his English adversary, Edmund Ironside. Guess what? Edmund was dead within the month. No record of foul play.

Of course, it is possible that Ironside died from wounds sustained in the last battle, but this wasn’t recorded either. I’m fairly certain that cause and effect would have been understood – you get wounded in battle, you die a short time later, the wounds are probably what killed you.

What I love about studying this period, and writing about it, is that we have two avenues of exploration. The later, Anglo-Norman chroniclers, who tend to over dramatize and exaggerate, giving us sordid stories about child killers and evil women, and the more contemporary sources who give us minimal information and seem to ignore the obvious.

Diving down these paths on the search for the truth is good fun, but often inconclusive. Maybe I should take Lucy Lawrence with me next time?

 

Annie Whitehead Author Bio:

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Annie has written three novels set in Anglo-Saxon England. To Be A Queen tells the story of Æthelflæd, Lady of the Mercians. Alvar the Kingmaker is set in the turbulent tenth century where deaths of kings and civil war dictated politics, while Cometh the Hour tells the story of Penda, the pagan king of Mercia. All have received IndieBRAG Gold Medallions and Chill with a Book awards. To Be A Queen was longlisted for HNS Indie Book of the Year and was an IAN Finalist. Alvar the Kingmaker was Chill Books Book of the Month while Cometh the Hour was a Discovering Diamonds Book of the Month.

As well as being involved in 1066 Turned Upside Down, Annie has also had two nonfiction books published. Mercia: The Rise and Fall of a Kingdom (Amberley Books) will be published in paperback edition on October 15th, 2020, while her most recent release, Women of Power in Anglo-Saxon England (Pen & Sword Books) is available in hardback and e-book.

Annie was the inaugural winner of the Dorothy Dunnett/HWA Short Story Competition 2017.

Connect with Annie:
http://viewauthor.at/Annie-Whitehead
https://anniewhitehead2.blogspot.com/
https://twitter.com/AnnieWHistory
https://anniewhiteheadauthor.co.uk/
https://www.facebook.com/anniewhiteheadauthor/

New Release from Tony Riches – Drake – Tudor Corsair

Today, I am delighted to bring you the news of a new release from Tony Riches. [image error]

 Drake – Tudor Corsair

Book One of the Elizabethan Series

From Tony Riches,

Author of

the best-selling Tudor Trilogy

  New on  Amazon UK ,  Amazon US

Amazon CA  and  Amazon AU

 

[image error]1564: Devon sailor Francis Drake sets out on a journey of adventure.

Drake learns of routes used to transport Spanish silver and gold, and risks his life in an audacious plan to steal a fortune.

Queen Elizabeth is intrigued by Drake and secretly encourages his piracy. Her unlikely champion becomes a national hero, sailing around the world in the Golden Hind and attacking the Spanish fleet.

King Philip of Spain has enough of Drake’s plunder and orders an armada to threaten the future of England.

Drake – Tudor Corsair continues the story of the Tudors, which began with Owen Tudor in book one of the Tudor trilogy.

Author Bio

[image error]Tony Riches is a full-time UK author of best-selling historical fiction. He lives in Pembrokeshire, West Wales and is a specialist in the history of the Wars of the Roses and the lives of the early Tudors. Tony’s other published historical fiction novels include: Owen – Book One Of The Tudor Trilogy, Jasper – Book Two Of The Tudor Trilogy, Henry – Book Three Of The Tudor Trilogy, Mary – Tudor Princess, Brandon – Tudor Knight and The Secret Diary Of Eleanor Cobham. For more information about Tony’s books please visit his website tonyriches.com and his blog, The Writing Desk and find him on  Facebook and Twitter @tonyriches

 

New Release from Mary Grand – The House Party

It is my great pleasure to bring you news of Mary Grand’s new release, The House Party. I have followed Mary’s writing journey with great interest and was delighted to learn recently that she had signed with Boldwood Books.

[image error]Thank you so much Pam for inviting me onto your wonderful blog. I love and admire your novels so much and so it is a real privilege to be invited on here.

Exciting times for you, Mary. Tell us a little about The House Party.

At the intimate house-warming party for her glorious ‘grand design’, Kathleen confides in her best friend Beth that she is terrified of one of their close friends, but daren’t reveal which one. The guests are a tight-knit group, but Kathleen is convinced one of them is dangerous.

The next day Kathleen’s body is found at the foot of a cliff and Beth must face the sickening truth that she may have been killed by one of their trusted friends. With little help from the police, Beth’s decides to seek answers.

All the friends have secrets they are desperate to hide, but only one of them is ready to kill to keep theirs safe…

[image error]The House Party – Setting

These are some of the historical sites referenced in “The House Party”.

The geography of Beth’s village is based on island village of Carisbrooke. She visits Carisbrooke Castle, famous for its prisoner Charles 1st and the medieval church which was once a Benedictine monastery.

[image error]Another important location is Freshwater Bay, where Victorian poet Laureate, Alfred, Lord Tennyson lived. It is the site of a murder and tense cliff top walks.

Close to Beth’s home is the island prison which has a deeply disturbing history as a prison for children. Beth has a dark secret related to the modern prison on this site.

 

Mary Grand is the author of four novels and two anthologies of short stories, and writes gripping, page-turning suspense, with a dark and often murderous underside. She grew up in Wales, was for many years a teacher of deaf children and now lives on the Isle of Wight where her new novel, The House Party, which was published by Boldwood on July 21st, is set.

Buy Link: 

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Woman on Ward 13 – New Release from Delphine Woods

[image error]Delphine Woods writes dark historical fiction, where people are rarely who they seem. She has a deep love for the Victorian period, and for women who are prepared to fight back in any way they can. She lives amidst the rolling hills of Shropshire and dreams of a life filled with far-stretching views and open fires, where she can toast her feet as she flicks through the pages of a Gothic mystery or a gripping thriller. Discover her other books on her website or Amazon page, and get two free historical novellas when you join her newsletter.

[image error]Woman on Ward 13:

‘The first thing they question is your memory. You must hold on to it, at any cost.’

1900

Asylum attendant, Katy Owen, hates the isolation, the bars on the windows, and the way the mad women watch her. She should not believe their delusional tales, but when her charge talks of murder, she is drawn into a story of tragedy and conspiracy that threatens her own sanity.

1957

Iris Lowe is a nurse on the infamous psychiatric ward 13. After one patient receives her first visitor in over 50 years, Iris suspects there might be more to her story than meets the eye.

As she battles against buried secrets, Iris unearths harrowing and heart-wrenching atrocities that span almost a century.

But is it too late to serve justice?

Woman on Ward 13 is a captivating Gothic time-slip novel, the first in the new series, The Iris Lowe Mysteries.

Link to UK Amazon page: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Woman-Ward-13-haunting-Mysteries-ebook/dp/B088RJDHTK

A Conversation with Author Carolyn Hughes

Today, I am delighted to welcome into the Library fellow historical fiction author ­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­Carolyn Hughes.  She has dropped in to say hello and to share some insights into her life as an author.

 You are very welcome, Carolyn, p lease introduce yourself: 

[image error]Hello, I’m Carolyn and I write historical fiction. (Sounds like we’re in a meeting for Writers Anonymous…) I’ve been writing all my adult life, but have come to publication only relatively recently when I am, alas, quite old!

I was born in London, but have lived most of my life in Hampshire. After a first degree in Classics and English, I became a computer programmer, in those days a very new profession. It was fun for a few years, but I left to become a school careers officer in Dorset. But it was when I discovered technical authoring that I knew I’d found my vocation. I spent the next few decades writing and editing all sorts of material, some fascinating, some dull, for a wide variety of clients, including an international hotel group, medical instrument manufacturers and the Government.

It wasn’t until my children flew the nest, many years ago, that creative writing and, especially, writing historical fiction, took centre stage in my life. I have a Masters in Creative Writing from Portsmouth University and a PhD from the University of Southampton.

I have now written four historical novels: Fortune’s Wheel (published 2016), A Woman’s Lot (2017) and De Bohun’s Destiny (2019) are the first three books in my MEONBRIDGE CHRONICLES series set in 14th century Hampshire (in southern England). I am currently writing the fourth book in the series.

My fourth written-but-not-yet-published novel is called The Nature of Things, and is the book I wrote for my PhD. It portrays the lives of seven principal characters across the entire 14th century. I am currently editing it (alongside writing the fourth CHRONICLE), and hope to publish it before too long. I am, by the way, self-published, under my own imprint Riverdown.

Which genre do you write in and what draws you to it?

I write historical fiction, currently set in medieval England. Why? Well, when I had to choose what to write as the creative piece for my Masters in Creative Writing, I sought inspiration among my old scribblings, and rediscovered the fading handwritten draft of about 10,000 words of a novel I’d written in my twenties. Set in 14th century rural England, it was about the lives of peasant families. The novel’s plot wasn’t terribly good, yet I was really quite drawn to its period and setting. I had a light bulb moment and, a few days later, I was drafting an outline for the novel that eventually became Fortune’s Wheel. 

Actually I’d long been intrigued by the medieval period, for its relative remoteness in time and in our understanding of it and also, I think, for the very dichotomy between the common present-day perception of the Middle Ages as “nasty, brutish and short” and the wonders of the period’s art, architecture and literature. The briefest of investigations quickly convinced me that I wanted to know more about the period, and I suppose I also realised that, by writing historical novels, I’d have the opportunity both to find out more about the medieval past and to interpret it, which seemed like a thrilling thing to do.

Are you an avid reader? Do you prefer books in your own genre or are you happy to explore others?

I do read quite a lot. I do of course read a lot of textbook type books, researching the background for my novels. That tends to be my daytime reading. But I also read fiction, and that is my night-time reading! As for genre, well, yes, I do read historical fiction but I’m also pretty fond of modern crime novels, and also some types of psychological thrillers, domestic noir and the like. Very occasionally I might read a romance, as long as it’s not too fluffy (my own novels do definitely include a fair dollop of romance, though there isn’t always a happy ending). What I don’t really like is fantasy in any form.

Are you a self-published/traditional or hybrid author?

As I said, I’ve come to writing, or rather publishing, quite late in life. I’ve written creatively on and off all my adult life, but for years work and family were always my main focus, and it wasn’t until the children flew the nest that I realised writing could take centre stage. Even then, although I wrote some short stories, and one and a half contemporary women’s novels, my writing was rather ad hoc, and my tentative attempts to approach agents met only with rejection.

When Fortune’s Wheel was ready to be published, it met with some interest from the traditional publishing industry but no one wanted to take it on. I had a good friend, also a writer of historical fiction, who was doing very well for herself as a self-published author and she tried to persuade me to do the same. But I was too scared to go it alone, in case I messed it up, and eventually went with SilverWood Books, essentially a publishing services company, who produce very high quality books. SilverWood also published A Woman’s Lot but, by the time De Bohun’s Destiny was ready to go, I was ready for a change. I won’t go into all the ins and outs of why I chose to embrace self-publishing but it was largely about cost and being in control. It was also a steep learning curve. I spent most of 2019 in a state of high anxiety (and a degree of panic) over whether I was doing the right thing, and I have spent the past nine months or so coming to grips with the mysteries of marketing, something I never thought I’d want to do but I do (almost) enjoy. I certainly do enjoy being in complete control of my books, and I don’t skimp on the basics of professional editing and cover design. Becoming a self-publisher was definitely the right choice for me, and now I wouldn’t even consider trying for a traditional deal.

Has your country of origin/culture influenced your writing?

I can’t actually imagine setting my books anywhere else but England. And that’s not because I don’t love other countries—I’m especially fond of France, and Scotland—but because I feel “at home” in England. And I suppose, because I came to serious writing relatively late in life, and because I chose to write historical fiction set in a particular country and region of that country, I have invested quite a lot of effort and emotion in building an understanding of the history and mores of that place, which I feel I will continue to run with, rather than move to any form of “pastures new”. Having said that, for my as-yet-unpublished novel, The Nature of Things, although it is set initially in medieval Hampshire and Sussex, the story does move to France and Italy for a while, and then has a spell in Kent, before returning finally to Hampshire.

What part of the writing process do you find most difficult? How do you overcome it?

In answer to the question—is it original writing that is most difficult? Or the editing? Or something else?—I might answer “all of it”!

As it happens, I’ve found writing this current book really quite a challenge. All my books have multiple point-of-view characters, and several story threads that dovetail together towards the end. The books are very much character-focused, which means I’m having to understand and juggle the motivations, anxieties and transformations of several individuals. I’m also weaving together the different story threads. I find both of these elements of story-telling quite difficult to manage at times.

So, simply writing can be “difficult”. And so it should be really, else why bother to do it at all!

If you weren’t an author, what would you be up to?

I was a technical author (a different sort of writer) for thirty years, and I loved my work. If I hadn’t done that, I might have liked to be something like a curator in a museum—surely handling old and interesting artefacts all day long would be wonderful! But I’m retired now, so writing is essentially “what I do”. If I’m not actually at my desk, you might find me gardening, though my other half does most of that these days. But I enjoy a bit of gentle pruning, and I do have a number of shaped box hedges that require annual clipping. Other than that, I walk most days—we live in the Hampshire countryside, which makes walking a real pleasure, and I like to take photographs of the changing flora I see. And of course I read…

Please tell us about your latest published work. 

Rather than just tell you about my most recent book, I’ll tell you about the three Meonbridge Chronicles, as they are the first three in a series. It’s not essential to read them in sequence but I think it probably helps in order to understand the Meonbridge “world”…

[image error]Fortune’s Wheel, The First Meonbridge Chronicle (2016)

How do you recover from the havoc wrought by history’s cruellest plague?

It’s June 1349. In Meonbridge, a Hampshire manor, many have lost their lives to the Black Death, among them Alice atte Wode’s beloved husband and Eleanor Titherige’s widowed father. Even the family of the manor’s lord and his wife, Margaret de Bohun, has not entirely escaped.

But, now the plague has passed, the people of Meonbridge must work together to rebuild their lives. However, tensions mount between the de Bohuns and their tenants, as the workers realise their new scarceness means they can demand higher wages and dictate their own lives.

When the tensions deepen into violence and disorder, and the men—lord and villagers alike—seem unable to find any resolution, the women—Alice, Eleanor and Margaret—must step forward to find a way out of the conflict that is tearing Meonbridge apart.

[image error]A Woman’s Lot, The Second Meonbridge Chronicle (2018)

How can mere women resist the misogyny of men?

1352: In Meonbridge, a resentful peasant rages against Eleanor Titherige’s efforts to build up her flock of sheep. Susanna Miller’s husband, grown melancholy and ill-tempered, succumbs to idle gossip that his wife’s a scold. Agnes Sawyer’s yearning to be a craftsman is met with scorn. And the village priest, fearful of what he considers women’s “unnatural” ambitions, is determined to keep them firmly in their place.

Many men hold fast to the teachings of the Church and fear the havoc the “daughters of Eve” might wreak if they’re allowed to usurp men’s roles and gain control over their own lives.

Not all men in Meonbridge resist the women’s desire for change—indeed, they want it for themselves. Yet it takes only one or two misogynists to unleash the hounds of hostility and hatred…

[image error]De Bohun’s Destiny, The Third Meonbridge Chronicle (2019)

How can you uphold a lie when you know it might destroy your family?

It is 1356, seven years since the Black Death ravaged Meonbridge, turning society upside down. Margaret, Lady de Bohun, is horrified when her husband lies about their grandson Dickon’s entitlement to inherit Meonbridge. She knows that Richard lied for the very best of reasons—to safeguard his family and its future—but lying is a sin. Yet she has no option but to maintain her husband’s falsehood…

Margaret’s companion, Matilda Fletcher, decides that the truth about young Dickon really must be told, if only to Thorkell Boune, the man she’s set her heart on winning. But Matilda’s “honesty” serves only her own interests, and she’s oblivious to the potential for disaster.

For Thorkell won’t scruple to pursue exactly what he wants, by whatever means are necessary, no matter who or what gets in his way…

If you would like to know more about Carolyn and her work, please check out her links below:

Facebook: CarolynHughesAuthor

Twitter: @writingcalliope

Goodreads: http://bit.ly/2hs2rrX

Website and blog: www.carolynhughesauthor.com

I also post a blog occasionally at http://the-history-girls.blogspot.com

Buy my books at https://amzn.to/2UGOkXm (UK) https://amzn.to/2IqeeZ3 (US)

Why not join “Team Meonbridge”? http://bit.ly/joinmeonbridge

 

Luminous: Blog Tour with Samantha Wilcoxson

Today I’m delighted to host Samantha Wilcoxson on her blog tour for her fabulous new release, Luminous: The Story of a Radium Girl. I recall many years ago seeing a documentary about the girls who worked with radium. It was rather shocking, so I am delighted to see Samantha pick up the mantle to tell their story. The book is now on my Kindle and I am really looking forward to getting reacquainted with the story.

You are very welcome, Samantha, please introduce yourself:

[image error]Thank you, Pam. I am excited to be here to introduce my new novel, Luminous: The Story of a Radium Girl. Until I started writing this book, I had focused entirely upon 15th and 16th century history, so this has been a fascinating change. Researching Catherine Donohue was a very different experience from studying Tudor era historical figures. It has been an amazing experience to hold letters that Catherine wrote, visit her hometown, and even correspond with the son of her lawyer. Catherine’s story is one that I was surprised more people hadn’t heard of, and that was why I needed to write about it.

Which genre do you write in and what draws you to it?

While I have recently jumped into a new era, historical fiction has always been my chosen genre. I was one of those weird kids who read history books for fun, and I have never grown out of it. Writing historical fiction allows me to explore the emotive side of the historical facts. When I am writing, I try to put myself and my reader in the mind of a historical figure and truly experience events as they did. Part of this includes digging into the mindset of other times and looking at events and beliefs from their point-of-view rather than my own. It is a very enriching process.

Are you an avid reader? Do you prefer books in your own genre or are you happy to explore others?

Reading might be the only activity that I love more than writing. I especially love biographies and other historical books, followed closely by late 19th and early 20th century literature. However, I am also happy to pick up an occasional mystery or dystopian novel. The work of my fellow independent authors is always high on my list, because they tend to have an intellectual facet that is not always present in mass marketed novels. I enjoy any book that encourages me to think critically.

Who has been the biggest influence on your writing?

I have several favorite authors who have each, in their own way, influenced my writing. CJ Sansom probably tops the list, because I greatly admire his ability to capture history in an accurate and interesting way while also compelling the reader to feel strongly for the characters. Writers like Edith Wharton and Charlotte Bronte also stir up that emotive feeling in their readers that I admire and strive for.

If you weren’t an author, what would you be up to?

You will often find me distracted by my teenage children, home improvement projects, lake life, and volunteer work. As for another occupation, I can’t imagine doing anything besides writing and am blessed to spend my days doing something I love.

If you could travel back in time, what era would you go to? What draws you to this particular time?

[image error] Radium Girl Memorial

Had you asked me this question more than a year ago, I would have undoubtedly stated that I wished to visit the time of the Wars of the Roses, and I still would love to be able to witness a snippet of that history and answer some burning questions. However, now that I have begun writing early 20th century history, I find that I am enjoying it a great deal and am discovering a wonderful ease of connecting to those who lived lives that were in many ways quite similar to my own. While I had planned a medieval trilogy to work on next, I find that I am drawn instead to another 20th century protagonist. I would love to travel back and experience first-hand the differences in my own life compared to the women who lived a century ago.

You have been chosen as a member of the crew on the first one-way flight to Mars – you are allowed to bring 5 books with you. What would they be?

I hope I may cheat and include series!

CJ Sansom’s Matthew Shardlake series

Villette by Charlotte Bronte

Screwtape Letters by CS Lewis

Hillary Mantel’s Thomas Cromwell series

Now I’ve left myself having to choose between Sharon K Penman’s Welsh and Henry II trilogies! Oh, and A Tale of Two Cities…. Can I just bring a Kindle? [Haha, OK!]

Please tell us about your latest published work.

[image error]Luminous is the story of Catherine Donohue and the hundreds of women like her who were dehumanized by the radium industry in the 1920’s and 1930’s. Catherine worked at Radium Dial in Ottawa, Illinois while in her twenties, and the radium paint she used there caused her to suffer a multitude of serious health problems before dying at a tragically young age. In this biographical novel, I explore her life, her relationships, and her legal battle against Radium Dial. My hope is that more people will learn about the women’s struggle, not only to sympathize with those in the past, but to encourage us all to think more about workplace exploitation and human rights violations that continue in our own time.

Amazon link: https://www.amazon.com/Luminous-Story-Radium-Samantha-Wilcoxson-ebook/dp/B085ZWBFCQ

Luminous on Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/52288751

Samantha’s blog: https://samanthawilcoxson.blogspot.com/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/carpe_librum

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