Pam Lecky's Blog, page 30
May 8, 2017
Jenny Kane Blog Tour
Today in the Library we have Jenny Kane, who has dropped by as part of her blog tour to say hello and to share some insights into her life as an author.
Jenny’s Bio:
[image error]Jenny Kane is the author of the full length romance novels Abi’s Neighbour, (Accent Press, 2017), Another Glass of Champagne (Accent Press, 2016), Abi’s House (Accent Press, 2015), the contemporary romance/medieval crime time slip novel Romancing Robin Hood (Accent Press, 2014), the best selling contemporary romance novel Another Cup of Coffee (Accent Press, 2013), and its novella length sequels Another Cup of Christmas (Accent Press, 2013), Christmas in the Cotswolds (Accent, 2014), and Christmas at the Castle (Accent Press, 2015).
Keep your eye on Jenny’s blog at www.jennykane.co.uk for more details.
Jenny also writes erotica as Kay Jaybee and historical crime as Jennifer Ash.
Did you read much as a child? Are you an avid reader now? Do you prefer books in your own genre or are you happy to explore others?
From almost as soon as I could read I was rarely seen without a book in my hand. I was an incredibly shy child and reading was my way to escape from the world. I had firm favourites, such as The Owl Who was Afraid of the Dark by Jill Tomlinson. I couldn’t get enough of the story of Plop the Owl. I knew the book word for word and could recite chunks of it at will.
In my teens I fell in love with the television series, Robin of Sherwood. As a result I started to read anything and everything to do with Robin Hood, medieval England, and outlaws in general. I don’t think there was a novel or factual book on the subject that I didn’t read in the late 80’s and early 90’s.
I remain an avid reader, and very much enjoy reading detective fiction, Victorian crime and contemporary fiction. I like to read a book that makes me think as well as entertain me. I will read any genre except for horror – I scare far too easily!
Are you self-published or traditionally published?
As both Jenny Kane (contemporary fiction) and Jennifer Ash (medieval crime) I have a traditional publisher (Accent Press). I started my writing career prior to self publishing being an option, so for those two genres I haven’t considered self publishing so far.
As Kay Jaybee, however, (erotica), I am a freelance author, and have a mixture of traditional publishers and self published volumes. Since Fifty Shades crashed the erotica market, many traditional erotica publishers have fallen by the wayside. There are very few quality publishers left who are willing to embrace the genre in a form in which it is well written.
What part of the writing process do you find most difficult? How do you overcome it?
For me, the most challenging part of the writing process is getting my novel manuscripts (which are usually between 85-110,000 words in length), from the 10,000 word mark to the 25,000 word mark. I don’t know what it is about that particular part of a novel that makes it so hard to get the words down on paper. Perhaps it’s because the initial idea is mapped out, but the end of the story is so far away.
To get through this I don’t add page numbers to my work until I’m a long way through my story. I also write each chapter as a separate document; only compiling them into one complete working draft once the book is written. This way the word count seems to climb much faster, and I don’t get bogged down only a tenth of a way into my manuscript.
Do you have a favourite time of day to write?
My most creative time is first thing in the morning. I am always at my desk in the corner of a local coffee shop at 7.45 in the morning.
I’m hopeless at writing at home. There are just too many household tasks that need my attention, so I have to go out. As soon as I have a black coffee and a pile of toast and marmalade at my side, I’m away! I’ll write until about 11am. After that I edit, write promotional blogs, and work on any writing courses I might be due to teach that week.
What is the best thing about being an author? And the flipside – what is the worst?
The very best thing about being a writer is being able to play with your imagination all day. You can literally make up anything about anything and it’s OK. It is so much fun! I love it – but like with anything wonderful- there’s a price.
That price is the flipside – the writing process and making up stories is only a small part of an author’s job. A great percentage of time is taken up with book promotion, social media, and taking on lots of freelance work to pay the bills (very few writers earn more than 6k a year).
If you weren’t an author, what would you be up to?
If I wasn’t an author I would either have gone back to tutoring Medieval History or being an archaeologist. I was lucky enough to do both jobs before I had my children. In fact, the only reason I am not doing one or other of those things now, is that not long after I gained my PhD and began to teach at the University of Leicester, my husband was offered a job in Aberdeen. I took a career break so we could go to Scotland; then my family came along, writing found me, and somehow I never went back.
It’s the last day and the earth is facing oblivion – what book would you read?
The Hooded Man by Anthony Horowitz
(Once a Robin of Sherwood fan, always a Robin of Sherwood fan!)
I was delighted to see the setting for your new book, Jenny – I spent a day at Sennan Cove, many years ago and I thought it was one of the most beautiful places I’d ever seen. Please tell us about Abi’s Neighbour.
My latest novel, Abi’s Neighbour was published on 4th May 2017. Set in the stunning Penwith area of Cornwall, it is the sequel to the bestselling Abi’s House (although it can be read as a standalone story).
[image error]Blurb: Abi Carter has finally found happiness. Living in her perfect tin miner’s cottage, she has good friends and a gorgeous boyfriend, Max. Life is good. But all that’s about to change when a new neighbour moves in next door.
Cassandra Henley-Pinkerton represents everything Abi thought she’d escaped when she left London. Obnoxious and stuck-up, Cassandra hates living in Cornwall. Worst of all, it looks like she has her sights set on Max.
But Cassandra has problems of her own. Not only is her wealthy married lawyer putting off joining her in their Cornish love nest, but now someone seems intent on sabotaging her business.
Will Cassandra mellow enough to turn to Abi for help or are they destined never to get along?
Complete with sun, sea and a gorgeous Cornwall setting, Abi’s Neighbour is the PERFECT summer escape.
Buy links
If you would like to know more about Jenny and her work check out the links below:
Website / Twitter / Facebook / Amazon Author Page / Goodreads
April 30, 2017
Historical Fiction Cover Winner April 2017
Do you love historical fiction? What makes you choose one book over another? For most of us, the cover is the first thing that attracts our attention. For me, the cover has to look professional and must convey genre and a hint of what the story is about.
Each month I will be taking a look at historical fiction covers and choosing my ‘Pam’s Pick’ for the month. Hopefully, you will be intrigued enough to look beyond the covers I feature and find your next favourite author. If a cover interests you just click on the image to learn more about the book and buy if you wish.
And the not so small print: the judge’s decision is final (that would be me!) and is highly subjective.
Please note this is a cover competition only and does not constitute a review of any of the books featured. It’s up to you to explore. Happy Reading!
My April winner is: The Finish by Angela Elliott
I was drawn to this cover by both the individual images and the way they were beautifully combined and the rich and vibrant colours. If I saw this in a book shop I would definitely investigate it. And it’s the first in a series – congratulations to Angela.
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The Finish by Angela Elliott
It is 1769 and these are violent times. London’s Covent Garden has long been a centre of hedonistic pleasure. Kitty Ives, an alluring whore, takes a man to her bed and wakes to find him dead. Scared she will end up on the gallows, Kitty decides to uncover the identity of the murderer. The Finish is the first terrifying and mysterious episode in the Venus Squared series, comprising The Finish, The Surety, The Debt, and The Trade.
As ever, there was stiff competition this month for the top spot. Here are the runners up.
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The Yankee Years by Dianne Ascroft
The Yankee Years Series: During the Second World War Northern Ireland hosted American, British and Canadian troops. County Fermanagh welcomed Air Force squadrons hunting U-boats and defending shipping convoys in the Atlantic Ocean and Army battalions training and preparing for deployment to Europe’s Western Front. After the Allied troops arrived, life would never be the same again. The Yankee Years novels and Short Reads weave thrilling and romantic tales of the people and the era.
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Fire & Steel by C.R. May
Britannia 523A.D.
Chaos sweeps the land as rival warlords fight for control of its riches. Into this toxic brew a small tribe clings to its new colony of Anglia as war rages along the frontier. But Britannia is not the only land in flux and powerful enemies covet the homeland of Engeln itself. As Danish raids increase in daring and ferocity, a momentous decision is reached as the English king prepares to lead his people on the greatest campaign in their nation’s history. A hero, Eofer king’s bane lands the first blow. Leading a lightning-fast raid he burns Heorot, the heart of the Danish kingdom. Before the Danes can recover Eofer leads an army north, laying waste the lands of the Jutes as the war of fire and steel begins. Fire & Steel is the first in a major new series which chronicles the migration and settlement of the first English people, the Angles.
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Scars from the Past by Derek Birks
An unwelcome legacy. An impossible love. A relentless enemy.
By 1481, England has been free from civil war for ten years. The Elder family have found a fragile peace after their part in the bloody struggle for the throne, yet scars from the past remain with them all. Given time, they might heal, but when did the Elders ever have enough time? Close to home, in Ludlow, trouble is stirring.
Born out of the carnage of the Wars of the Roses, young John Elder is now the heir to his father’s legacy, but he finds it a poisonous one. Driven from the woman he loves, John abandons his legacy and flees the country to become a mercenary in Flanders.
In his absence, the other members of the Elder family must face a ruthless outlaw family. When the young heir to the throne, Edward, Prince of Wales, is caught up in their bitter struggle, his very life hangs in the balance. To save a prince, all other lives must be put at risk, but only if the Elders can leave the scars of the past behind them, is there any hope of survival.
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A Duke’s Wicked Kiss by Kathleen Bittner Roth
While on a secret mission for the Crown, a proper duke falls for an improper daughter of an Indian royal and British noble.
Miss Suri Thurston knows the pain of abandonment. Intent on confronting the grandmother who tossed her to the lions, she travels from England to her birthplace in India. Her plans run afoul when she encounters the man who, ten years prior, left a mark on her soul with one stolen kiss. But he is a duke, and far beyond the reach of even her dreams.
The Duke of Ravenswood, secret head of the British Foreign Service, has no time for relationships. His one goal is to locate and eliminate key insurgents involved in an uprising against the British East India Company before it’s too late. But when Suri appears in Delhi, his resolve is tested as he finds his heart forever bound to her by the one haunting kiss they shared once upon a time.
With Suri’s vengeful Indian family looking for her death, and insurgents intent on mutiny tearing their world apart, can their love rise above the scandal of the marriage they both desperately want?
Watch out every month for the next featured selection of great covers, and don’t forget, if you read a book and love it, post a review and make an author very happy.
April 22, 2017
A Conversation with Author Nancy Jardine
Today in the Library we have Nancy Jardine, who has dropped in to say hello and to share some insights into her life as an author.
Hello Nancy, you are very welcome. Please introduce yourself:
[image error]Hello! I’m Nancy Jardine. I live in Aberdeenshire, Scotland, a fabulous place for anyone who adores history as much as I do. My week vanishes in a blur of reading, writing, marketing, blogging, news and politics. I’m a fair weather gardener and like thousands of retired people across the UK, I officially (unpaid for government statistics) look after my grandchildren about two and a half days a week. Since they stay next door to me, the rest of the week can be ad hoc minding or just happy interruptions from the 3 and 5 year olds. Any time left during the week is for general living, breathing and sleeping. Many Saturdays, and some Sundays, from April to December I can be found at Craft Fair venues around Aberdeenshire. I sell paperback versions of my novels at these events and get bookings for doing local author talks to various types of groups. I’m a member of the Romantic Novelists Association, the Scottish Association of Writers and the Federation of Writers Scotland.
Did you read much as a child? Are you an avid reader now? Do you prefer books in your own genre or are you happy to explore others?
I was a copious reader from the moment I could read at five years old. I devoured everything I could lay my hands on and particularly loved Enid Blyton, the Chalet School Series and my weekly comics like the Bunty, Judy, Beano and Dandy. I’m still an avid reader and need my fix of fiction every day. During my career as a primary school teacher, I tended towards historical fiction and easy-read romantic fiction, mainly due to being brain dead by 9 p.m. However, since being published by Crooked Cat Books in 201,2 who publish across many different genres, my reading is much more eclectic.
Are you self-published or traditionally published?
[image error]I’m both. I’ve six novels published by small independent publisher Crooked Cat Books. In 2016, The Taexali Game was self published. This is a time travel historical adventure for age 10 and above. The whole process of getting my self-published novel onto Amazon Kindle, and Createspace for the paperback version, made me realise how excellent Crooked Cat Books are at organising the editing and formatting of the work they publish. The formatting process for The Taexali Game took me a month, given my other domestic commitments, but it was eminently worth it since The Taexali Game was placed second in Barbara Hammond Award for Best Self Published Book (March 2017).
Which genre do you write in and why?
I write across different genres.
[image error]The three novels in my Celtic Fervour Series are historical romantic adventures set in first century Roman Britain. This is essentially a pre-historic era and for the greatest accuracy in my writing, I have to delve deeply into the archaeological record.
I also have three stand-alone contemporary romantic mysteries published. The contemporary work was intended to give me a break from heavy historical research. I cheated, though, because two out of three of the mysteries have strong ancestral themes binding the plot. My love of history sneaked its way in!
I’ve mixed the genres even more in my Rubidium Time Travel Series for early teens because my contemporary kids time travel back to third century Roman Scotland in Book 1.
Who has been the biggest influence on your writing?
I’m not consciously aware of any one particular overriding influence. During most of my teaching career I was only interested in writing for teaching purposes and never aspired to be a fiction writer. However, in 1999 and later in 2005, I was nominated by teacher friends to voluntarily write two non-fiction historical books (arm twisted behind back). The first was a teaching pack for Aberdeenshire Primary schools; and the second was a complete History of Kintore School, Aberdeenshire, dating from c. 1500 to 2005. I thoroughly enjoyed the research and the whole writing processes. This made me believe I could write fiction and get it published – though it only happened after I stopped teaching in 2011.
Has your country of origin/culture influenced your writing?
Definitely. Whenever appropriate I’ve included some aspect of Scotland in many of my novels.
[image error]Books 2 & 3 of my Celtic Fervour Series of historical adventures are set in Roman ‘Scotland’ in the first century AD. The Taexali Game is set in AD 210 when the Ancient Roman Emperor Severus descended on the Taexali tribes of ‘Aberdeenshire’. In Take Me Now, a humorous contemporary mystery, my hero Nairn Malcolm is at the outset a ‘slightly battered’ highland laird. The settings are his island castle near Oban on the west coast of Scotland and various other world-wide cities, including his London work base.
The Scottish connection in Topaz Eyes, a contemporary mystery which was a Finalist in The People’s Book Prize 2014, is my heroine Keira Drummond from Edinburgh. Some of the action takes place in her home city; the rest is set in fabulous world-wide locations.
What part of the writing process do you find most difficult? How do you overcome it?
I started off as essentially a ‘pantser’ who initially created a very short outline plan and then plotted more as the story developed. That worked for my first couple of manuscripts but as my stories became more complex I found I had to make much more extensive initial plots. My time lines are laid earlier in the creative process now and my planning folders get thicker for each new story. Creating the ‘middle section’ can be a slow process. However, since I’m presently becalmed in the doldrums, I guess I’ve not yet overcome my current problem which is finding enough time to write continuously! Being disciplined about setting aside time for new writing has been a problem during the last few years, my grandkid minding duties a continuous interruption. I’m pragmatic enough to know that I wrote a lot more before they were born, and I’m sure I’ll have more writing time after both enter official schooling. It’s a matter of patience since I’m not willing to miss being part of their growing up.
Do you have a favourite time of day to write?
Not really. Sometimes I find I work better in the late evening but not when it’s been a hectic day! When I’m really tuned in any time of day can be productive.
What is the best thing about being an author? And the flipside – what is the worst?
The best is probably the feeling that I’ve accomplished something worth doing when I look at the little row of paperback copies of my own novels on my bookshelf. It’s also a huge buzz when I have a return customer for my novels at one of my Craft Fair venues. That face to face endorsement of my work is as uplifting as a 5 Star review on Amazon. The worst part of being an author is common to most (I believe) and that’s the time sucking and often repetitive marketing aspects.
Is social media an essential chore or something you enjoy? Which forum do you prefer?
I’m on Facebook far too much so I must enjoy it! I’ve never got the hang of using Twitter properly so that tends to be more of a chore. I love putting images on to Pinterest but that’s often another massive time waste if I digress. I really enjoy blogging: writing for my own blog, and for others as a guest author or interviewee.
If you weren’t an author, what would you be up to?
A Great question! I’d read a lot more novels and I’d be a much more successful gardener. Money permitting I’d maybe travel more, though I’ve been fortunate to do a lot of travelling over the last five decades. When my daughters were young I did a lot of embroidery and wool tapestries so I’d maybe go back to that. I’d definitely have to find something engrossing since I rarely watch TV except for news and watching historical series.
It’s the last day and the earth is facing oblivion – what book would you read?
The Lord of the Rings trilogy (one volume) or a Complete Shakespeare with his poetry included.
Please tell us about your latest published work.
I’ve been working on three different projects since mid 2015: Book 4 of my Celtic Fervour Series; Book 2 of my Rubidium Time Travel Series; and the first book of a family saga which begins in Victorian Scotland. By the end of this year I’m determined to have something completed!
Thank you for inviting me today, it was a pleasure being here.
If you would like to know more about Nancy and her work, please check out the links below:
Blog Website Author Facebook Page The Taexali Game Facebook Page Email Nancy Twitter Amazon Author Page
March 30, 2017
Fireballs & Lighthouses!
Uncle Billy
I have very happy memories of visiting my mother’s family in County Mayo when I was a child. My Uncle Billy was a great character, famous for his singing and playing the saxaphone. But he was also a terrific storyteller. Unfortunately, he was rather fond of telling ghost stories of an evening. As a young child, unused to country ways and the absolute darkness of a country night, whenever he told one of his eerie tales, I was absolutely terrified. I’d go to bed shaking with fear and would lie there for hours trying to convince myself there was nothing to be afraid of and jumping at the slightest noise in the old house. He probably never realised the effect his stories had on me, and, although at the time I wasn’t too happy about it all, those stories still resonate with me to this day.
One of his tales was about James Knight’s field and the mysterious light that was seen to float just above the reeds and move around, as though propelled by an evil force. Now, I don’t know if Billy made this up, or if indeed methane gas from the wet and boggy Mayo field was to blame, but the story stuck in my head. It thrilled and scared me and probably was the basis for my life-long interest in the paranormal and the Gothic (reading Jane Eyre at a young age may have contributed to this as well!).
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Hook Head Lighthouse, Ireland
My other (guilty) pleasure is lighthouses and I have always wanted to live in one. I just think they are fascinating from an architectural point of view, not to mention the dramatic locations they tend to have. The variety of types, shapes, and colours is astounding. The lives of the people who manned them over the centuries interests me too; I’m sure it was often a lonely and thankless job.
I have always wanted to write a story about a lighthouse. I was also very keen to write a ghost story. Somehow the two seemed to fit together beautifully and inspired me to start writing my latest short story. The Lighthouse Keeper is a contemporary ghost story which indulges my interest in both the supernatural and those beautiful buildings which have guided seafaring folk to safety for centuries.
I like to think my story would have sent a shiver down Uncle Billy’s spine.
THE LIGHTHOUSE KEEPER: Sally and Alex are on their first holiday together and romance is on Sally’s mind. But Alex is acting strangely. When unsettling things start to happen, Sally begins to wonder if they are truely alone in their coastal getaway …
Buy Link
March 26, 2017
New Release from Author Catherine Kullmann
[image error]This evening I have a special guest in the Library. Catherine Kullmann, my good friend and fellow Irish historical fiction author, has settled down for a chat about her new release, Perception & Illusion, which will be available on Amazon (ebook and paperback) on Tuesday.
Firstly, Catherine, can you tell us a little about the story?
Lallie Grey, who has been cast out by her father for refusing the suitor of his choice, accepts Hugo Tamrisk’s proposal, confident that he loves her as she loves him. But Hugo’s past throws long shadows as does his recent liaison with Sabina Albright and soon Lallie begins to question his reasons for marrying her. As she struggles to find her feet in the haut ton, Hugo feels ignored by his new wife and before long they are embroiled in a tangle of jealousy and resentment. Small misunderstandings lead to greater ones as Lallie’s rejected suitor stirs the pot. Hugo’s smouldering resentment finally erupts. Is all lost, or can they find their way to a new beginning?
Perception & Illusion charts Lallie’s and Hugo’s first year of marriage, taking us from country houses to the London Season and the gaiety of Brussels as Europe celebrates the defeat of Napoleon in 1814. Nicola Cornick describes it as “Deliciously romantic with wonderful characters, elegant writing and perfect period detail. Hugely enjoyable.”
Perception & Illusion will be available worldwide on Amazon as e-book and paperback from 28 March 2017and is now available for Pre-Order.
What prompted you to write this book?
[image error]I have spent many hours imagining continuations of my favourite books, wondering what happened next, as if the characters somehow carry on with their lives in secret chapters that vanish when the book is opened. In historical or period novels, the happy end comes very early in a developing relationship. Today a couple starts dating, then commits to an exclusive relationship and frequently live together even before there is a formal engagement and a wedding.
Compare this to previous centuries: Almost all of the young couple’s interactions would have been within a public, chaperoned framework. They had very little opportunity to get to know one another before they were married, to discover their compatibility, not only sexually but also on a practical, everyday basis. There were no pre-marriage courses then and no couples’ counselling. While the Anglican marriage service exhorted husbands ‘to love their wives as their own bodies……he that loveth his wife, loveth himself’, wives were adjured to ‘be in subjection to their own husbands, even as Sarah obeyed Abraham, calling him lord.’ This religious doctrine was reinforced by the legal doctrine of coverture which suspended a wife’s legal existence, incorporating and consolidating it into that of her husband.
Is it any wonder that a new wife might be reluctant to question her husband, preferring to raise her defences and hide her unhappiness? It can only be a rejection in spirit, for she has been taught that she may not deny him her bed, but this makes it even more difficult to combat. Or that her husband might feel and resent her subtle rejection? And this could lead him to become ever more hostile towards her while at the same time longing for an intimacy he cannot be sure is possible.
All of this takes place after the conventional happy end. But, even today, a happy end does not guarantee a happy ever after. Social mores may have changed but the dynamics in many relationships today are the same as they were two centuries ago and communication breakdown is not unknown. However, the gulf between courtship and the intimacies of marriage was much wider then. As so much of public life in regency society was regulated by formal or unspoken rules, and private life was just that—private, young people had few opportunities to observe happy and loving relationships, especially as the concept of marrying for love rather than for position or status was relatively new.
I hope readers will enjoy following the twists and turns of the plot as Hugo and Lallie voyage through a sea of confusion and misunderstanding. Will there be a happy ever after for them? Well, I think that where there is a willing disposition on both sides, Love can conquer all.
Thanks for taking the time to tell us about your new book and I wish you all the best with it.
Pam
Historical Fiction Cover Winner March 2017
Do you love historical fiction? What makes you choose one book over another? For most of us, the cover is the first thing that attracts our attention. For me, the cover has to look professional and must convey genre and a hint of what the story is about.
Each month I will be taking a look at historical fiction covers and choosing my ‘Pam’s Pick’ for the month. Hopefully, you will be intrigued enough to look beyond the covers I feature and find your next favourite author. If a cover interests you just click on the image to learn more about the book and buy if you wish.
And the not so small print: the judge’s decision is final (that would be me!)
and is highly subjective.
Please note this is a cover competition only and does not constitute a review of any of the books featured. It’s up to you to explore. Happy Reading!
My March winner is The House at Zaronza by Vanessa Couchman
I was instantly transported back in time to wonderful holiday strolls through old streets in ancient towns in France and Italy when I saw this cover. Such an evocative image. The story sounds wonderful and I have to admit, I have it waiting on my Kindle for my hols.
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The House at Zaronza: A Tale of Corsica by Vanessa Couchman
The past uncovered.
Rachel Swift travels to Corsica to discover more about her forebearers. She comes across a series of passionate love letters and delves into their history.
The story unfolds of a secret romance at the start of the 20th century between a village schoolteacher and Maria, the daughter of a bourgeois family. Maria’s parents have other plans for her future, though, and she sees her dreams crumble. Her life is played out against the backdrop of Corsica, the ‘island of beauty’, and the turmoil of World War I.
This is a story about love, loss and reconciliation in a strict patriarchal society, whose values are challenged as the world changes.
Love gained and lost.
There was stiff competition for top spot this month, with the following being close runners-up:
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And Then Mine Enemy by Alison Stuart
A family ripped apart in a country divided by war . . .
England 1642: Hardened mercenary, Adam Coulter returns to England sickened by violence, seeking only peace, but he finds England on the brink of civil war. He has seen first hand what that will mean for every man, woman and child and wants no part of it.
King or Parliament? Neutrality is not an option and Adam can only be true to his conscience, not the dictates of his family.
Having escaped a violent marriage, Perdita Gray has found much needed sanctuary and the love of a good man, but her fragile world begins to crumble as Adam Coulter bursts into her life. This stranger brings not only the reality of war to her doorstep but reignites an old family feud, threatening everything and everyone she holds dear.
As the war and the family tensions collide around them, Adam and Perdita are torn between old loyalties and a growing attraction that must be resisted.
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The Beltane Choice by Nancy Jardine
AD 71: Banished from the nemeton, becoming a priestess is no longer the future for Nara, a princess of the Selgovae tribe. Now charged with choosing a suitable mate before Beltane, her plan is thwarted by Lorcan, an enemy Brigante prince, who captures her and takes her to his hill fort. Despite their tribes fighting each other, Nara feels drawn to her captor, but time runs out for her secret quest.
As armies of the Roman Empire march relentlessly northwards, Lorcan intends to use Nara as a marriage bargain, knowing all Celtic tribes must unite to be strong enough to repel imminent Roman attack. Nara’s father, Callan, agrees to a marriage alliance between Selgovae and Brigante, but has impossible stipulations. Lorcan is torn between loyalty to his tribe and growing love for Nara.
When danger and death arrive in the form of the mighty Roman forces, will Nara be able to choose her Beltane lover?
The Beltane Choice tells a tale of war and love in Celtic Britain.
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Angel Heart by Marie Laval
Devonshire, January 1815.
Marie-Ange, the young widow of an English officer, accepts an inheritance in France only to find that everything in Beauregard is not as it seems. Why is the sinister Malleval so obsessed with her family? And could her darling Christopher still be alive? Marie-Ange finds herself trapped in a dangerous web of lies, intrigue, and mystical possession, and the only person to whom she can turn for help is Capitaine Hugo Saintclair. Yet the enigmatic Hugo represents a danger of a different kind …
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A Warrior’s Pledge by Emma Prince
Her Warrior…
To forge an alliance between the English and the Scots, Lady Rosamond must marry a Lowland stranger. But when a mysterious attacker threatens the engagement and her life, Robert the Bruce assigns one of his most trusted warriors to protect her. Finn Sutherland’s brooding gaze is almost as dark as his heart, yet Rosamond finds herself captivated by her Highland bodyguard. Now she must choose between responsibility and the searing need Finn ignites within her.
His Pledge…
Finn is honor-bound to swallow his hatred of the English and serve as bodyguard to Lady Rosamond. He never expects his charge to touch his scarred heart with her warmth and kindness. Worse, her honey hair and violet eyes bring him to his knees with lust. When the threat to Rosamond spirals out of control, Finn does the only thing he can think of to protect her—he stands in for her betrothed as a proxy husband. As desire clashes with duty, Finn’s pledge will be tested like never before.
Watch out every month for the next featured selection of great covers, and don’t forget, if you read a book and love it, post a review and make an author very happy.
March 16, 2017
When Family History Inspires
Many writers draw on their family history, or indeed history in general, when putting pen to paper. For anyone involved in researching their family tree, it can be quite frustrating trying to pin together their ancestors’ lives. For many years, I relentlessly dug around in Irish and UK records, trying to hunt down and piece together the lives and times of various characters from the past. It was a challenging business, as many irish records were destroyed in the War of Independence, leaving very few sources. I was often lucky. Through various contacts I made, some progress was achieved or I came across a clue buried deep in a library or an on-line source.
So ironicially, the inspiration for the short story, In Three-Quarter Time, didn’t actually come from my research at all. An off the cuff remark by my uncle, sparked it all. ‘Did you know,’ he said, ‘your grandfather was originally dating your great-aunt and when she died he hooked up with your granny.’ My writer’s nose began to twitch!
Unfortunately, we have no other details but from my own research I did know some of circumstances of my grandparents’ lives. For instance, I knew my grandfather had gone to America for a few years during which time his girlfriend, my great-aunt, died of TB. The rest, as they say, is ‘history’!
The story is 99% fiction but the inspiration is very much from my family history.
In Three-Quarter Time is available as a FREE download this weekend only (to celebrate St. Patrick’s Festival). I am delighted to say that it has reached the Number 1 spot in its category on Amazon.
Click on the Image Above to Download for FREE from Amazon
February 26, 2017
Historical Fiction Cover Winner February 2017
Do you love historical fiction? What makes you choose one book over another? For most of us, the cover is the first thing that attracts our attention. For me, the cover has to look professional and must convey genre and a hint of what the story is about.
Each month I will be taking a look at historical fiction covers and choosing my ‘Pam’s Pick’ for the month. Hopefully, you will be intrigued enough to look beyond the covers I feature and find your next favourite author. If a cover interests you just click on the image to learn more about the book and buy if you wish.
And the not so small print: the judge’s decision is final (that would be me!)
and is highly subjective.
Please note this is a cover competition only and does not constitute a review of any of the books featured. It’s up to you to explore. Happy Reading!
My February winner is I Stopped Time by Jane Davis.
This cover immediately caught by eye. A beautiful and intriguing image, conveying everything you need to know about this book.
I Stopped Time by Jane Davis
Edwardian Brighton. A wide-eyed girl enters Mr Parker’s photographic studio and receives her first lesson about the brand new medium that will shape her future: “Can you think of a really good memory? Perhaps you can see it when you close your eyes. Now think how much better it would be if you could take it out and look at whenever you wanted to!”
2009: Disgraced politician Sir James Hastings is resigned to living out his retirement in a secluded village in the Surrey Hills. He is unmoved when he learns his mother has died at the age of 108. In his mind, he buried her when she abandoned him as a child. Brought up by his father, a charismatic war-hero turned racing-driver, the young James, torn between self-blame and longing, eventually dismissed her as the ‘villain’ of his childhood. But now he inherits her life’s work – an incredible photography collection spanning six decades – and is forced to confront the realisation that his version of the past isn’t even half the story.
Journey across a century of change as one man explores the world through this mother’s eyes and reassembles his own family history.
There was stiff competition for top spot this month, with the following being close runners-up:
Waltzing with the Earl by Catherine Tinley
A wallflower’s time to shine…
The Earl of Shalford needs to marry into money to save his estate. Wealthy and beautiful Henrietta Buxted should be the perfect candidate. So why does his eye keep wandering to her quiet cousin Charlotte Wyncroft?
Charlotte watches Henrietta’s games of courtship with wry amusement. That is, until a stolen dance reveals a hidden side to the earl. Penniless Charlotte knows she’s far from a suitable match yet, in Adam’s arms, she can dream of the happily-ever-after she’s always wanted!
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Always Have and Always Will by Stella McLeod
Reincarnation is easy until you have to face being murdered a second time. In this latest book by Stella McLeod the pace is fast and the Romance delicious, with the paranormal twist of Immortals, ancient Greek warriors and their families kept young and alive by a secret discovered in antiquity. American, Ana Black, thinks a summer holiday on a fabulous Greek Island is going to turn her life around and wipe away the sadness of her past but she hasn’t counted on meeting Alexander nor remembering Anastasia. A love interrupted 2000 years in the past, ancient families torn apart by betrayal, the secret to Immortality hidden in an ancient sunken temple and a rogue Immortal intent on murder. Set in the wonderful Greek Islands of Monemvasia, Samos and Pylos, you will fall in love with McLeod’s wonderfully crafted characters and their quest for love. With a past she cannot escape and a future he cannot accept, will they find a way or are they both out of time?
A Knightsbridge Scandal by Anita Davison
1903 London is bustling and glamorous. With troubling secrets simmering and worrying signs of war Flora Maguire must solve a deadly mystery which leads right to the heart of the corridors of power. Flora Maguire has escaped the country to enjoy some time in fashionable Knightsbridge, London. Extravagant shops, exuberant theatres and decadent restaurants mean 1903’s London is a thrilling adventure, but there are dark secrets threatening from the continent. When the body of a London socialite, and leading light of the burgeoning women’s movement, is found outside The Grenadier public house, Flora can’t resist investigating. Mysterious letters are discovered in the victim’s belongings, strange links to the foreign office and why do the clues keep coming back to the assassination of a Baltic king? As Flora closes in on the killer, it soon becomes clear she is no longer safe in London, but will her husband Bunny be able to get to her before it’s too late?
Watch out every month for the next featured selection of great covers, and don’t forget, if you read and book and love it,
post a review and make an author very happy.
February 24, 2017
Waltzing to the Tune of the Past: A Guest Post by Author Pam Lecky
This week I have the pleasure of author Pam Lecky, who has written a beautiful piece about the story and the inspiration behind her latest release, In Three-Quarter Time, a historical WW1 romance.
If you have ever spent time digging around in your family history, you will know how addictive it can be. Like Sherlock Holmes, you start to chase down the tiniest clue you find. Unfortunately, Irish records are notoriously difficult to find back beyond 1880 or so. Our census records were destroyed by fire during the Irish Civil War and although we were technically still part of the British Isles at the time, no copies appear to have been kept in the UK. Every time I think about it I want to cry.
So it was a very lucky break when my only surviving uncle casually dropped a gem of information. My grandfather had first dated my great…
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A Conversation with Author Juliet Greenwood
Today I am delighted to have Juliet Greenwood in the library for a chat. Juliet’s beautiful cover for The White Camellia was my very first monthly historical fiction cover winner. (See: Historical Fiction Cover Competition January 2017)
[image error]You are very welcome, Juliet, please introduce yourself:
After living in London and near Birmingham, I now live in a small traditional cottage halfway up a mountain in Snowdonia, in North Wales. I write stories and serials for magazines as ‘Heather Pardoe’, as well as novels under my own name. My books have reached #4 and #5 in the UK Amazon Kindle store, while ‘Eden’s Garden’ was a finalist for ‘The People’s Book Prize’ and ‘We That are Left’ was completed with a Literature Wales Writers’ Bursary. I have a passion for gardening and walking, as well as for history – and my camera goes with me everywhere!
Did you read much as a child? Are you an avid reader now? Do you prefer books in your own genre or are you happy to explore others?
Books were my life as a child. We didn’t have a TV, and my parents loved going on camping holidays in an old VW van, so I used to lose myself in books. I loved the Brontes and Dickens, the kind of books that you could absorb yourself in for hours on end. I still love reading, and the one thing I regret at the moment is not having time to read more fiction – even though I’m loving my research books as well. There’s nothing better than curling up in my garden on a sunny day and disappearing into another world. I like to try books in all different genres (apart from horror). It’s anything that grabs me and makes me identify with the characters. I once spent weeks lost in the pre-history of ‘Land of the Cave Bear’ series, and the brilliant ‘Reindeer Moon’. It made me really appreciate having hot water and food, and not being a hunter-gatherer always on the edge of hunger and freezing cold.
Are you self-published or traditionally published?
I’m traditionally published by Honno Press, a small press celebrating its thirtieth birthday this year. Honno focusses on developing and publishing women writers from Wales, and I’ve learnt an incredible amount from the editing process and the experiences of my fellow Honno writers. I also write stories and serials for magazines as ‘Heather Pardoe’, which I enjoy, although I have less time for that now I’m concentrating on writing and promoting my novels.
Which genre do you write in and why?
I write historical fiction, primarily set in Victorian and Edwardian times, although I’ve also written a time-shift, ‘Eden’s Garden’, and would love to write another at some point. I enjoy writing about an era that is both very different from our own, but has many of the similarities and dilemmas. I’m most interested in the lives and experiences of women, and the struggle of the women in these periods to gain the freedoms we tend to take for granted today – including the right to earn money and for it not to go directly to a husband, even after a divorce! So much of women’s lives remains invisible, and I’ve found while researching that women did so much more, even when they had no legal existence of their own.
Until I began researching for ‘We That are Left’, I had no idea that women were working right on the front line in the First World War, nursing under fire and bringing food to the men in the trenches, as well as working as spies, not to mention setting up and running their own field hospitals. When I began researching for ‘The White Camellia’ I discovered years of campaigning from the suffrage movement, who gained women legal rights – including a legal existence – and battled for the right to vote through badgering and outwitting the political elite for years before the suffragettes. I also hadn’t realised that so many men couldn’t vote either, which was why so many men supported their wives in fighting the cause, and that it was both men and women who finally gained the vote in 1928. Writing about such women is not only putting the record straight, but I feel passionately that it’s important in how we see ourselves as women – not as passive victims straitjacketed in the home while the men went off and did the interesting things, but as passionate and incredibly clever and courageous determiners of our own lives.
It also wasn’t just the middle class women; with some of the early suffrage campaigners being women in factories who risked all to improve conditions and gain a living wage, and the equal pay for equal work that we are still fighting for today. And don’t get me onto the shenanigans women had to put up with to be accepted as doctors and other professionals …
What part of the writing process do you find most difficult? How do you overcome it?
I find the first draft the most difficult, because it’s working everything out in a terrifying void. I enjoy the freedom of knowing no one will ever see this, and anything can change, but getting everything down takes so much time and I never know if I’ve got enough story to fill 100,000 words. At that point, I’m also aware of just how long the process is to get to the finished book, and it can feel overwhelming.
I overcome it by just hammering on the keys and getting those words down. For days it can be rubbish, or at least feel like rubbish, but that always leads to a breakthrough. I also don’t stop and go back. Even if a character changes from heroine to wicked step-mother halfway through (or, indeed, changes sex) I just carry on. Once I’ve got a rough draft, then I can really get to work. What I’ve learnt is that until that book goes to the printers it keeps on changing and improving, being refined again and again, with the help of editors, and just reading through again, until it reaches its final form. Writing a book is definitely not for wimps.
Do you have a favourite time of day to write?
I have a day job as an academic proofreader, which often has strict deadlines. The great thing is I can work from home, so I like to get up at six, and get that out of the way. I then take my dog for a walk, which is both social, but also when I work out any plotting knots and the next chapter I’m working on and get my head into writing. When I come back, I settle down with a large cup of coffee and get stuck in. I try to work until late afternoon, and do research and reading in the evening.
What is the best thing about being an author? And the flipside – what is the worst?
The best bit for me is the final stage, the final edit, when – at the very point you loath this creature that has taken over your life for months, and your friends are checking you are still breathing – the book finally falls into place, and you have a book. That’s still for me the biggest buzz ever. I’m always amazed when it happens, and the feeling is the best. Even better than chocolate. The flipside is there never being enough hours in the day to get everything done. I seriously need to get out more …
Is social media an essential chore or something you enjoy? Which forum do you prefer?
I enjoy social media, so I have to be very disciplined about it, or I’d be on there all the time! I love meeting people from all over the world and chatting to them. I like the quick-fire conversations of Twitter, but I think Facebook is my favourite, it feels more like having a proper conversation. I live in a beautiful area in Snowdonia and I love sharing photos, and seeing other people’s photos from where they live too, and having on-going conversations. There’s nothing quite like a face to face chat with friends, but it’s great to be able to meet my readers and people I wouldn’t normally meet – especially since moving from London to live in a cottage halfway up a mountain in Snowdonia!
If you weren’t an author, what would you be up to?
I used to run story-telling and puppet workshops for adults and children – so I have a feeling that’s what I’d be doing. I used to love it. We would make the puppets and create plays, which we performed in all sorts of places, from giant puppets in theatres to hand puppets in castle grounds. It was definitely what got me back into my love of writing! It was fascinating seeing how children, in particular, would work out their own dilemmas, quite unconsciously, through the stories they created. Naturally, a great deal of glitter was involved.
It’s the last day and the earth is facing oblivion – what book would you read?
It would have to be ‘The Shield Ring’ by Rosemary Sutcliff. It was the first ‘proper’ book I read, and then read over and over again. It was the book I loved so much it made me want to make up stories of my own. I think, if it was the end of time, I’d like to go back to a book that was the beginning of firing up my imagination – and hopefully be able to lose myself again so deeply in another world I wouldn’t notice the finally big bang!
Please tell us about your latest published work.
[image error]My latest book is ‘The White Camellia’, set in Edwardian London and Cornwall. It’s about two very different women, caught up in a family feud, and their different struggles for freedom and to find love. It’s partly set against the struggles of the suffrage movement, with the younger heroine, Bea, becoming an early photojournalist, photographing women’s protest marches through London. There’s also a crumbling old house on the Cornish cliffs, and a family mystery to be resolved …
Buy Link for The White Camellia Amazon
If you would like to know more about Juliet and her work, please click on the links below:
Website Blog Facebook Twitter Pinterest
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