Chris Penhall's Blog, page 6

Chris and Lizzie’s Marketing Adventures – or how just chatting can be inspiring

When my friend, author Lizzie Chantree and I get together, we always have a rough plan of what we are going to do (i.e. where we are going to meet, drink coffee, and eat), but everything else comes as a result of the way our minds work. We basically go off on rather interesting, funny and creative tangents, fuelled by the fact that, whilst we are both romantic fiction writers, we see things in slightly different ways, and therefore, although our books may have some similar themes they are written from entirely different perspectives, driven by our experiences, point of view and individual character traits.

And because of that, we get loads of ideas and bounce off each other a lot! Lizzie brings her business head with her when talking about books and marketing and I bring my media head with me, and it’s a really useful way of thinking about things. For instance, Lizzie has a new website, and gorgeous new business cards – and I’m going to use them as inspiration to change mine too. They are a perfect way of marketing your books. Here they are (and here’s Lizzie checking out the wine fridge in the cafe..)

I have an idea to write a self-help writing book, and using my experience of writing articles for magazines many years ago to guide me, plus gathering my contacts to help contribute to it. So I mentioned it to Lizzie and she’s going to write something for it. We’re also planning seminars and magazine articles too. The ideas when we start talking just flow. And not only that, our catch ups are hugely enjoyable!

So, although when you’re writing you are very much living in your head, you aren’t alone. And just being around people can trigger all sorts of positive ideas, whether they are for the book, future plans, or how to get your name out there. And it doesn’t have to be planned…

For instance, I’ve just come back from a rather gorgeous holiday in the sun. My friend and I had a room right on the beach and shared a terrace with another room. The people who were there when we arrived had been going to the same hotel for around 20 years and loved it so much they told us all about their favourite places so we could enjoy them too. When they left and another couple moved in, we were also captivated by Barbados by then and so gave them the same tips. They were interested in screenwriting, found out I was a writer, and so, now I’ve got all this information about scriptwriting networking groups and courses from them that I was not expecting.

Here are some very inspirational views from that holiday in Barbados…sigh…(they aren’t particularly relevant, they just make my smile when I look at them!).

Plus, on a Catamaran trip (Thank you Cool Runnings 2). I was talking to someone over lunch who when they asked what I did, I said, I’m a writer. And when they found out where my novels were based, it transpired they had connections to where they were all set, so we had a lovely chat about those places too.

I’m a very sociable person, and can only cope with sitting at my computer alone for short period of times. I tend to go out and write, or just go out and be around people, because being around people and their energy gives me a lift. Chatting, coming up with ideas and collaborating about all sorts of things motivates me. And that always happens when Lizzie and I meet – we want to show that writing books is accessible and fun.

So, writing can be as sociable as dancing, or going for a meal with friends or going to a gig…life, as they say, is just what you make it….

And here’s a Tik Tok I made earlier of our last ‘meeting’ in Southend

http://www.chrispenhall.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/video-1646144548.mp4

Check out what Lizzie has to say here https://lizziechantree.com/lizzies-blog/

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Published on March 01, 2022 06:31

It Started with a Wedding – Kirsty Ferry

Tell us about the new book

It’s the fifth book in the Schubert the Cat series. Schubert’s a mystical, magical cat with his very own quirks, and his owner Nessa McCreadie, is getting married. Nessa has asked her twin brother Alfie to organise the wedding – with Schubert, of course – so chaos and romance ensue. It’s a feel-good, laugh out loud book in my opinion. Well – I felt good writing it and laughed out loud when I was editing it…

It’s part of a series isn’t it – can you tell us about that and how the books are connected?

Yes, it is. The first book, Every Witch Way is about Nessa and Ewan. In it, we are introduced to Schubert and Nessa, and Nessa’s four brothers are mentioned throughout it. Each brother has his own story now, and each McCreadie has a special gift – from seeing ghosts to seeing the future and more. It’s definitely a series where you have to suspend your disbelief, but it’s very popular and people fall in love with Schubert, so what can you do?

It’s set in Edinburgh – what draws you back to writing about the city?

I love Edinburgh. I always have. I graduated at Usher Hall, so it’s really special for that reason, and it’s a beautiful town. The Royal Mile is gorgeous, and there is so much history around the place. I love that it has things like a Museum of Childhood to visit and so many little nooks and crannies to explore. It’s about an hour and half by train from where I live, so it’s great for a day trip. My favourite restaurant The Witchery crops up in the books, as well as the Christmas Market which is something quite extraordinary, if you get the chance to go and visit that.

What’s your writing routine? You must be very organised to produce so many books!

I’m lucky in that I work at my day job three days a week, which leaves me four days to fit writing in. I find I’m best at writing for a couple of hours in an afternoon, but I must say my output has decreased significantly now we’re coming out of the pandemic a bit. I filled much of my lockdown time writing – although I did continue working throughout the lockdowns, and in the second big one I was classed as a key worker as I work in higher education. I need to get myself back into gear. I promised myself I’d do more over the winter before I got back in the garden, but I’m doing a two year art course which is filling my time up so I’m drifting more towards that than my writing at the moment. I need a clone! I was much more prolific when my son was doing swimming classes and guitar classes and scouts and stuff, as I’d take my laptop to a café and wait for him to finish. He’s at Uni now, so I don’t take him to his activities any more – ironically, though, I seem to have less writing time!

How do you feel when you finish writing a book and let someone else read it for the first time?

I hate anyone looking at my work when it’s in progress. I will close my laptop lid if my husband comes too close. I did used to send them to trusted friends to look at before I submitted, but I’m more confident in my work now and know what I’m doing with it, so I just clean up the manuscript, save and submit. I figure that I get really good feedback from Choc Lit and the Readers Panel and they know what they want so I’m happy for them to give the feedback.

Which writer or writers have inspired you the most?

Victoria Holt, Mary Stewart and Emily Brontë are the ones I always err towards for my timeslips and dual timelines. However, I find my contemporary, chic-lit sort of ones are inspired by people like Trisha Ashley, Annie Darling and Harriet Evans. Sometimes I send a book off, get it published, and read one of theirs and I’m like oh crikey that’s so like mine! But I honestly don’t plagiarise – and they don’t plagiarise mine! I think there are certain tropes that crop up in the genre, and the more you read, the more you find them. If it makes my books popular, I’m good with that.

Have you anything new in the pipeline?

Well, I’ve deliberately had a huge long break since the end of September when I submitted next Christmas’s novella (I know – how horrifying). I knew I had Schubert coming out in February, the next Padcock in the summer and the Christmas 2022 one (all lockdown books!) so I decided to kick back. However, I did start jotting down a story using one of the minor characters in this latest Schubert one. I started writing it in a notebook with a lovely ink pen my friend bought me. And I’ve used a couple of other nice fountain pens in there too. Unfortunately, I tend to edit as I go along so that’s a bit difficult when you’re handwriting it. Also, I can’t read my handwriting. Also, it’s getting quite big, but I’m not sure of my wordcount, so I really need to try and start typing it up. Also, Schubert is demanding an appearance in this one and he wasn’t supposed to be in it. But his insistence now means a lot of editing earlier on in the book if he gets his own way – what a dichotomy it’s proving to be: Schubert or no Schubert….oh dear! And so – I procrastinate further….

About the Book

It’s one thing to be asked to plan your sister’s wedding; it’s quite another when your sister is Nessa McCreadie …
Alfie McCreadie wants his twin sister Nessa to have the best wedding ever, but he’s not happy at being roped in as wedding planner – especially as, unbelievably, his main assistant seems to be Nessa’s cat, Schubert. Anyway, Alfie is a scientist. He might know his protons from his neutrons, but what does he know about weddings?
It’s Nessa who points him in the direction of Bea’s Garden, just outside Edinburgh, where he’s tasked with picking a “very-relevant-bouquet”. It’s there he meets Fae Brimham, who might be prettier than any bouquet bloom but doesn’t seem impressed by Alfie’s sensible, scientific side.
But when Nessa and Schubert are involved, surprises are bound to happen and, despite less-than-perfect first impressions, perhaps something new and beautiful can still blossom for Alfie and Fae …

Buying links

Kirsty Ferry (choc-lit.com)

About Kirsty Ferry

Kirsty Ferry is from the North East of England and lives there with her husband and son. She won the English Heritage/Belsay Hall National Creative Writing competition in 2009 and has had articles and short stories published in various magazines. Her work also appears in several anthologies, incorporating such diverse themes as vampires, crime, angels and more.

Kirsty loves writing ghostly mysteries and interweaving fact and fiction. The research is almost as much fun as writing the book itself, and if she can add a wonderful setting and a dollop of history, that’s even better.

Her day job involves sharing a building with an eclectic collection of ghosts, which can often prove rather interesting.

For more information on Kirsty visit:

www.twitter.com/kirsty_ferry
https://www.facebook.com/kirsty.ferry.author/
www.rosethornpress.co.uk

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Published on February 25, 2022 02:17

Escape to Little Bluewater Bay by Joanne Boden

I love chatting to other authors, and when it’s for their debut with Choc Lit, that’s very special. So, welcome Joanne Boden, who’s first published novel with Choc Lit is Escape to Little Bluewater Bay!

Hello. I would like to thank Chris for inviting me on her blog to celebrate the publication of Escape to Little Bluewater Bay, my debut novel with Choc Lit!

Escape to Little Bluewater Bay is a contemporary romance, but of equal importance is the relationship between Willow and her grandmother, Annie. I thought it would be fun to highlight and discuss with you why I wanted to explore the relationship between grandmother and granddaughter in a contemporary romance.

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The strength of women

Escape to Little Bluewater Bay features many strong and independent women. One of them being Annie Clarkson. She is a widow, a grandmother and one of the kindest and strongest women Willow has ever known. Willow travels to Little Bluewater Bay to be with Annie after the death of her grandfather, Annie’s husband, Albert. She goes to offer her strength and support at this difficult time. She wants to help Annie sort through Albert’s belongings and to be a listening ear. But what quickly becomes clear is that Annie is also a tower of strength for Willow at this time. Willow has lost her way a little bit, but with the love and guidance of Annie, she’ll soon find her way back.

I very much wanted to highlight the strength that women have, and especially older women. Annie is an amalgamation of my two Nanas, both of whom have sadly passed away. Very often older women are depicted as frail or in need of help. I wanted Annie to smash these stereotypes. I hope I achieved this.

Much needed humour

The story tackles some serious issues, especially those around loss and bereavement, and I needed to find the right balance. I didn’t want the book to be dark with no laughter or funny moments. After all this is what makes the world go round. When thinking about how Annie and Willow would nteract, and the foundations for their relationship, I quickly came to realise that they are two incredibly funny women and that they would make each other laugh, whether this was intentional or not. There are some touching and funny moments between these two characters.

Celebrating grandmothers

I wanted to celebrate grandmothers and the important role they play within the family, especially when the mother is absent from family life.. Annie is a sounding board for Willow. She’s that safe person who Willow can confide in. Annie offers her advice, but more than anything she is that safe person who Willow can talk to without judgement. They also share lots of hot chocolates and slices of cake while putting the world to rights.

I had so much fun writing the scenes between Annie and Willow. I wanted to show their special bond and the love they have for each other. I hope it shines from the page.

About Escape to Little Bluewater Bay

Start the new year in Little Bluewater Bay …

New year, new Willow Jenkins? All Willow knows is that she needs an escape. So, she takes an extended break from her PR job and retreats to her grandmother’s cosy cottage by the sea in Little Bluewater Bay, where a limitless supply of hot chocolate will soothe her broken heart and a limited wi-fi connection will prevent her workaholic tendencies.

Willow is soon made to feel welcome by the friendly locals – although grumpy artist Noah Atkinson doesn’t seem to like her very much. Just what is his problem?

But then Willow is asked by her grandmother to approach Noah with a very special commission, only to discover that he hasn’t painted people for a long time – and with good reason. Will he make an exception, and in doing so usher in a hopeful and healing new era for them both?

About Joanne Boden

Joanne lives in Lancashire with her husband and their two sons. When she is not busy writing, she likes to take her boys to the local museums, cafes, and walks in the countryside.

Joanne has published 4 non-fiction works aimed at parenting children on the Autistic spectrum, based upon her experiences as a mother of an autistic son. She has also self published a contemporary romance novel, Picking Up the Pieces.

Joanne writes contemporary romances with gorgeous heroes. Escape to Little Bluewater Bay is her debut novel with Choc Lit.

Social media

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

Twitter https://www.twitter.com/JoBodenAuthor

Amazon link

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Escape-Little-Bluewater-Bay-hopeful-ebook/dp/B09M4337G2/ref=sr_1_1?crid=2W01J8P64498Q&keywords=escape+to+little+bluewater+bay&qid=1641396897&sprefix=escape+to+little+bluewater+bay%2Caps%2C191&sr=8-1

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Published on February 14, 2022 02:29

The Talking to My Friends About Books Podcast: Gina Hollands on The Fall and Rise of Ronni Fairweather

I love chatting to people about books. And talking to an author about their latest project is always fun.

Fellow Ruby Fiction author, Gina Hollands has a new book out.

So, wee caught up on Zoom and she told me what it’s about.

Click here to listen

Gina Hollands- The Fall and Rise of Ronni Fairweather

The fall and rise of Ronni Fairweather

When going back to your roots is the only way forward …

Raegan Kent-Walters is living the high life. Thanks to her husband’s salary, she enjoys the elite Surrey housewife existence of luxury holidays, exclusive gym memberships and skinny lattes.

But then the high life comes crashing down, and, whilst reeling from the discovery that her husband wasn’t the man she thought he was, Raegan is also confronted with the reality that she and her daughter, Sabrine, will have to make some major life changes.

So, out goes the state-of-the-art Range Rover, and in comes the beat-up old Transit van to take them away; back to Raegan’s roots in Yorkshire and the life she abandoned.

But perhaps by embracing who she used to be, Raegan can find the strength she never knew she had, building something unexpected – but truly special – to get her and Sabrine through to a brighter future.

About Gina Hollands

Originally from Yorkshire, Gina Hollands now lives by the sea in West Sussex with her husband and son. When she’s not working in her job in marketing and PR, or writing her latest book, Gina can be found dancing everything from lindy hop to salsa, shopping (she loves clothes far too much for her own good), eating out (she hates washing up far too much for her own good), or relaxing, which generally involves reading a book someone else has written or indulging in her new hobby of learning to play the piano. She has a sneaky suspicion she may be a musical genius in the making, but isn’t about to give up the day job just yet.

www.ginahollands.com

The Fall and Rise of Ronni Fairweather published by Ruby Fiction is available on Amazon as an ebook (£2.99) or in paperback (£9.99) https://amzn.to/3nWWoR8.

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Published on January 26, 2022 08:47

Write Like There’s No-One Watching (or write because it makes you feel good)

I’ve just finished writing my fourth novel, and now I have three already published books under my belt – two written in the last two years, and the first written over a much longer period of time – I have taken a step back and asked myself – why do I write? Or why on EARTH do I write?

And the simple answer is – good question!

There are many reasons I feel the need to put pen to paper. I mean, when I was writing my first novel – The House That Alice Built – I spent many years writing it, re-writing it, doing a course, doing workshops, sending it in to agents, getting rejected, sending it in again, getting rejected, working with a mentor, sending it in etc…until one day, I won the Choc Lit Search for a Star Competition, got a three book deal, and here we are!

So, given that over that long period of time, no-one was actually asking me to sit on my own, make up a story about people who don’t exist, and write it down, what pushed me on.

It was more than the desire to be a published author. It was a need to escape into another world and create something that was entirely mine. And although i started dabbling in writing many years ago, it really only came into its own when my life had become very difficult and I needed a focus that wasn’t about the problems we were facing.

I was widowed many years ago and when my late husband was ill, i enrolled on a correspondence course to help me write articles – yes it was long before the advent of online courses!. We had two very young children, regular visits to the hospital and the constant pressure that people who have been in this situation will understand. So, for a while, this course, was something I could work on that made me feel there was a life outside of it.

I did begin to get articles published in local papers and magazines as a result of doing the course, and although i didn’t get to the fiction section of it, it gave me confidence that I actually had some skill. When I finally started to write the novel that became The House That Alice Built, I set it in Cascais near Lisbon where we had lived many years before and I escaped into it – retracing my steps in my mind, almost feeling I was there in person. I would pick up the manuscript when I could and just disappear for a while into the imaginary world I was creating. It would calm me down and make me concentrate on the present, and I would forget my responsibilities, even for half an hour.

I have been an enthusiastic (i.e. – not that good, but not really caring..) salsa dancer for a long, long, long time and many of us used to say that when we started to think about the count – 1,2,3, 5,6 7 (there is a 4 but here is not the time or place to explain….!), and the steps ,our minds forgot everything else but that moment. And it’s a wonderful feeling – the kind you get when you’re swimming, or playing sport, or knitting, or painting, or doing almost anything you love.

Writing is a bit like that for me – I love it, it sometimes overwhelms me, but just doing it is good for my mental health.

So, I think that whether you want to be published or not, if you want to write do it! I mean, I love my salsa and tap, but when I took them up It wasn’t because I wanted to do it professionally. When i sing, I do it as its’ good for my soul (if not anyone else’s). Who knows, once you put pen to paper – to write a novel, a short story, a poem, some lyrics, an essay, a diary entry – whatever it is – you may get it published. But you could also approach writing the way I approach dancing and singing – do it as if there’s no-one watching, because if you’re going to do it, do it because it makes you feel good.

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Published on January 10, 2022 09:33

Strictly Christmas Spirit – Helen Buckley

My Spotlight Series is all about fame and love, with characters who are singers, actresses, dancers, sports stars and reality TV performers. The stories can all be read as stand-alones, and you can be sure they’ll have dramatic twists and turns!

The Series contains three books at the moment

Strictly on Ice
Celebrity SOS: Love Survives
Strictly Christmas Spirit

I have great fun researching for my books – reading gossip pages and watching reality TV shows. All my characters are fictional, but a lot of my stories are born from “what ifs” – when I’m watching a reality TV show I just think to myself…

What if these characters fell in love on camera?
What if these characters already knew each other and have a shared history?
What if these characters are thrown together on a show but they really dislike each other?

The shows that inspired the Spotlight Series include Dancing on Ice, I’m a Celebrity…Get me Out of Here!, Celebrity SOS, Strictly Come Dancing, Made in Chelsea, and The Great British Bake Off, to name but a few. Some of these shows are linked to the current three books, and some are inspirations behind the books to come in 2022.

But in Strictly Christmas Spirit, there’s another real-life inspiration behind the story, that didn’t come from reality TV. It comes from the year I spent working for the Salvation Army in London. Like the character of Emily, I was also a community centre manager, running services for the homeless, at risk, and marginalised in the local community.

I never had a Hollywood Superstar like Blake Harris come to do community service at the centre, but I did run a homeless lunch drop in, an arts and crafts session, and a winter night shelter.

It was hard work. Like Emily, I worried about the service users, wondering if they were ok on the streets that winter. I worried about budgets, about safety, about funding, and about staff. It was a challenging experience that I learnt a lot from and I will never forget it. Likewise, I will never forget the appreciation and admiration I gained for Salvation Army workers. They work tirelessly to help those most at need all year round, not just at Christmas.

I hope that Strictly Christmas Spirit touches people’s hearts with its message about how it’s possible to change your life, and touch the lives of others. I loved writing it and I hope you enjoy it too.

About Helen Buckley

Helen Buckley lives in Bedfordshire with her husband and two sons. After working in the charity sector in the UK and abroad, she turned her hand to writing stories of fame, romance, and happy ever afters.

Apart from being addicted to writing and enjoying soft play with her sons, she’s an avid reader, action-movie fan, and chocolate addict.

About Strictly Christmas Spirit

From disco balls to Christmas baubles …
Ex-dancer Emily Williams turned her back on the sparkle of popular dancing show Strictly Dancing with Celebs to help those in need. Now the only dancing she does is teaching lonely pensioners to waltz, and the closest she gets to disco balls is making baubles with the homeless people in her Christmas crafts class.
She’s certainly not star-struck when Hollywood heart-throb Blake Harris is sent to her at short notice for community service, and has no desire to babysit the arrogant actor with his bad boy antics and selfish ways. Christmas might be a time for miracles, but Blake seems to be a lost cause.
But Emily’s reasons for abandoning her dancing passion means she understands the Hollywood wild child more than she’d like to admit. Could their time together, coupled with a dash of Christmas spirit, lead to a miracle change of heart for them both?
Book 3 in Helen’s Spotlight series but they can all be read as standalone stories.

https://mybook.to/StrictlyChristmas
www.buckleybooks.org
Facebook: Helen Buckley Author
Twitter: HelenCBuckley
Instagram: Helencatherinebuckley

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Published on November 05, 2021 02:59

Chris and Lizzie’s Book Marketing Adventure – What’s Under Your Nose

When I meet up with my friend and fellow author, Lizzie Chantree we often have an idea of what we want to talk about. What actually happens is that we veer off in all sorts of different directions both verbally and when we are actually physically moving around! Personally, I have come to realise that writing is like that, at least for me, anyway. My characters take on a mind of their own, which means the plots sort of go with them and evolve in ways I don’t expect.

On our most recent catch up we decided to meet in a cafe (or cafes I should say) in Chelmsford, and I suggested we do a sort of Scavenger Hunt which would lead us to various blue plaques in the city centre. That’s because unless you know them well, places like Chelmsford aren’t renowned for their history or their architecture particularly. There are also a lot of cafes which of course is hugely important to myself and Lizzie.

So, we started off at one cafe for brunch, an impromptu debut appearance by myself on Tik Tok – Lizzie’s. She also gave me a quick lesson so I’m on it too now. Hurrah! Then we went off on the Scavenger Hunt…you can download it from the Chelmsford City website….without giving too much away, there are more blue plaques than you would probably expect, with connections to radio – Marconi – of course, and the founder of Connecticut, amongst others. Also, our scavenger hunt took in a couple of book shops, and of, course, John Lewis, plus another coffee, and an amble along the river to see a block of flats which has a kind of tiny marina – in my mind its a marina – it isn’t, but having been unable to visit of one of my favourite seaside places which has many boats, and is, in actual fact, a marina, this lockdown find briefly was a welcome find during one of my urban ambles. And I have a vivid imagination…oh wait, that’s why I write! These weren’t part of the scavenger hunt per se – just interesting detours, just like our conversations, our walks, our characters and our plots etc etc…

We also of course, talked about writing, and the possibility of running some seminars together next year. Then we had another coffee…

Writing is just like a box of chocolates, you never know what you’re gonna get….hang on , I’ve heard that before….and it wasn’t about writing. Although it could be. I’ve written three books – 2 set in Portugal, one set in Wales – and I’m writing another one based in Lagos in the Algarve. These are places I know well, and because I’m not in any of them all the time, the experiences I have whilst I’m visiting are very vivid, and the scenery, soundscape and smells very evocative, which makes it easy for me to write about them. However, there is plenty around me here that also feeds into my writing – just because it’s under my nose, it doesn’t mean it doesn’t inspire me. It’s just more subtle. But it’s there.

Lizzie Chantree

Hi everyone. On to our next marketing adventure! As Chris mentioned, we take book marketing very seriously, but it also has to involve coffee, food, sometimes dancing and a lot of fun. This month, Chris took me on a scavenger hunt around Chelmsford, which saw us climbing over fences to examine ancient bridges, rushing outside pubs (with information plaques) and looking longingly inside, squeezing into tiny old streets with Chris practically standing on my shoulders to read one sign and finally walking around some breathtaking gardens and discovering a secret boat dock in the middle of town!

We did of course do some work too (after breakfast). We talked about TikTok and the huge ready and writer community there, about running a seminar together about writing romance books and got some great book launch ideas for my upcoming book release, The woman who felt invisible. The book is about a 41 year old woman called Olivia, who is fed up of being ignored by everyone and decides to make the world ‘see’ her again.

Chris is writing a new book and so am I, so we often end up chatting about how we write, where we write and who inspires us. Having a writerly friend to meet up with, chat about books and have some adventures with, is a lot of fun. We both love spontaneity, so every meeting ends up with something different to what we planned. This time we found a rose adorned swing seat that was placed to connect local people on social media, by sharing photos on it with the #. We also found time to visit a beautiful big bookshop and try out some Tiptree jam. Win, win!

for more on all of Lizzie’s books visit https://lizziechantree.com/

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Published on November 02, 2021 02:44

Christmas of New Beginnings – Kirsty Ferry

Christmas is not far away, and there’s a little bit of festive sparkle in the air, plus it’s the time of year when some fabulous Christmas reads are published.

Kirsty Ferry’s new book is called Christmas of New Beginnings and it’s a perfect story to get you into the Christmas spirit. She’s popped onto my blog to talk about the book, and also how she manages to write so many books!

Where did you come up for the idea for this book?

I wanted to do a contemporary chic lit style book, as I’d read loads of them over the summer and of course started to think that I could do the same. They were light and fun, and just what I needed to read. I wrote one for summer 2022, and as I was writing, I started to see how I could make a separate book for a couple of the characters, and as I had nothing written for Christmas 2021, I decided to make the Christmas book ‘theirs’. I didn’t really have any ideas for it beyond it being Christmassy, so I’m quite pleased I managed to write it really!

It’s your first Ruby Fiction book with Choc Lit – what’s the difference between this and your previous books?

This one is written purely from the heroine’s point of view, which is different from my Choc Lit ones, as we always have a hero’s point of view in those. I’ve done fun, contemporary books before for Choc Lit, but never one where we saw everything from one person’s perspective, so that was quite fun to do and I could allowmyself to get really into the mind of Cerys, the heroine. A lot of my Choc Lit books are dual timeline or timeslip, and I find myself narrating from the point of view of about four characters, so it was nice to keep one ‘voice’ going and helped me write the story quite quickly I think. Also, there are no ghosts or paranormal activity in this one – and there’s often something to do with that in my Choc Lit ones!

You are a prolific writer – where do you get all those ideas from?

I think I look more prolific than I am. Quite a lot of books have been in the system a while, and I actually wrote nothing for a good two years as life got in the way. I find it’s best to go with it if I’m in the mood, and as a few of the books are novellas, they don’t take a lot of writing. If I’m on a roll, I can do one of those in about a month to six weeks. I find the ideas come quite easily during a series, as I already have characters created and there’s generally a theme. I’ll find ideas everywhere – places I’ve visited, or things I’ve seen in museums or read about. Padcock, for instance, where this new series is set, is based on Lacock village in Wiltshire. If anyone ever sees me out and about and looking furtive, I’m searching for inspiration, so watch out! One horrible character in the summer book, for example, was originally named after a school bully, but I’m going to have to change it during edits as I’ve since encountered someone nice with that name…

Writing books takes a lot of discipline – you produce them regularly – how do you organise your time to do that?

I’m lucky enough to work part time in my day job, so I try to use some time in my days off to write if I can. If I am reaching a deadline, I can be quite disciplined and start working in earnest at 9pm and put in a good couple of hours before bed. It also helps that my husband often works away and my son is at uni, so I have time to myself. I wrote quite a bit during lockdown as, although I worked from home all the way through, I still had four days a week to fill in as I was completely on my own during both the big ones and, when my son was small, and I had to sit at the baths for an hour, or in a coffee shop waiting for him to finish an activity, I’d take my laptop and just crack on.

Tell us about how you felt when you got your first book published

It was fantastic. To hold my first printed book in my hands was just the best feeling, and to see my words on the pages was as if I was reading something someone else had written! The fact I had a publishing deal from a traditional publisher like Choc Lit also validated it in some way that I was actually good enough to write a book and have people read it.

What are you working on next?

Believe it or not, nothing! I have just submitted my Christmas 2022 book, and am having some downtime. I’ll wait a bit until I get some more ideas and some more characters and some more inspiration, then start again. But whether it’ll be a new series or a continuation of my Padcock series, I don’t really know. Watch this space, I guess, and you’ll know when I know

About Kirsty Ferry

Kirsty Ferry is from the North East of England and lives there with her husband and son. She won the English Heritage/Belsay Hall National Creative Writing competition and has had articles and short stories published in various magazines. Her work also appears in several anthologies, incorporating such diverse themes as vampires, crime, angels and more

Kirsty loves writing ghostly mysteries and interweaving fact and fiction. The research is almost as much fun as writing the book itself, and if she can add a wonderful setting and a dollop of history, that’s even better.

Her day job involves sharing a building with an eclectic collection of ghosts, which can often prove rather interesting.

About Christmas of New Beginnings

Not all festive wishes come true right away – sometimes it takes five Christmases …

Folk singer Cerys Davies left Wales for the South Downs village of Padcock at Christmas, desperate for a new beginning. And she ends up having plenty of those: opening a new craft shop-tea room, helping set up the village’s first festive craft fair, and, of course, falling desperately in love with Lovely Sam, the owner of the local pub. It’s just too bad he’s firmly in the clutches of Awful Belinda …

Perhaps Cerys has to learn that some new beginnings take a while to … well, begin! But with a bit of patience, some mild espionage, a generous sprinkling of festive magic and a flock of pub-crashing sheep, could her fifth Christmas in Padcock lead to her best new beginning yet?

Buying links:

Amazon UK: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Christmas-New-Beginnings-warming-uplifting-ebook/dp/B09G38ZTV3/

Apple Books: https://books.apple.com/gb/book/christmas-of-new-beginnings/id1586450033

Kobo: https://www.kobo.com/gb/en/ebook/christmas-of-new-beginnings

Nook: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/christmas-of-new-beginnings-kirsty-ferry/1140157522

You can follow Kirsty Ferry on Twitter @kirsty_ferry

and on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/kirsty.ferry...

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Published on October 29, 2021 10:19