Helena Halme's Blog, page 4

Love on the Island Boxset

The Love on the Island Boxset, with Books 1-3 in the series, is out exactly a week from now. Yay! While waiting for the Big Day, I thought I’d let you have some background to how I came to write a set of books about the serenely beautiful Åland Islands and their quirky inhabitants.

A Murder Mystery?

Initially, I wanted to write a Nordic Noir type of title set on the Islands. Having read (and loved) all the books in the Sandham Murders series by Viveca Sten, I felt that a similar set of stories would suit the Nordic group of islands perfectly.

The Åland Islands lie just a little east of the Stockholm, in the outer edges of the Finnish archipelago. It’s a small community, with a population of just 7,000 during the winter. This number more than trebles in size during the tourist season, just like Sandhamn. There would be plenty of opportunity for criminality, with such a fluid population.

But try as I might, I just could not bring myself to write about murder and mayhem (not the blood-curling kind anyway) in my beloved Åland.

A Story of Displacement

Years ago, during my MA in Creative Writing course, I wrote the beginning of a story set on the Islands. A woman, holidaying on the islands, decides to stay on while her English husband and son return to London as planned. Raised on the islands, the woman’s marriage is on the verge of a breakdown.

On the islands, she meets a local blonde, blue-eyed journalists (ring any bells?), and falls madly in love with him.

That’s how far I got in the story before I had to get back to writing Coffee and Vodka, my then-current manuscript.

But the story of this woman refusing to leave the place where she grew up, kept playing on my mind. It was how I myself often felt when having to say goodbye to my home in Finland after a holiday. Even after 35 years in the UK, I still often fantasize about a permanent return. (Now more than ever, but that’s another story.)

When I failed to write a murder mystery set on the Islands, I went back to this skeleton of a story. So you could say that the characters of Alicia and Patrick have been with me for more than ten years!

The Story Behind The Island Daughter

The story behind The Island Daughter is intertwined with my own life. Firstly, there is a family tragedy, mirroring the recent loss of my own father. Secondly, my mother lives in the beautiful Åland Islands, where the novel is set. I’ve spent countless holidays in this stunning archipelago between Finland and Sweden. In some way, I very much feel like the island daughter myself! Lastly, there are the characters, all of them flawed in some way or other, just like my own dear father.

The Island Daughter

Here is a brief description of the story of The Island Daughter:

A family tragedy forces Alicia to return to the islands where she was raised. She leaves behind a new life in Stockholm with a Swedish journalist, Patrick. But when Mia, his ex, and the only daughter of a local property magnate, makes a move to rekindle their relationship, Alicia is torn between duty and her own happiness. Alicia’s world is further upended when deeply buried family secrets surface. How can she face the future when everything she believed to be true about her past is a lie?

The Loss of A Father Figure

The relationship between Alicia and Patrick is central to the story, but the book also deals with the death of a father figure. 

I lost my own dad last October, just as I began writing The Island Daughter, so some of my grief spilt over onto the page. (See my post here on writing about death.) It was extremely difficult to transpose my own feelings to the characters, but it also helped to exorcise the raw pain I felt at the time.

The Åland Islands

One of the main characters in The Island Daughter is its setting on the quirky Åland Islands. It’s where tourists from the mainland flock in the summer to sail in the Baltic. Or they spend their holidays in small simple cottages by the sea, enjoying the peace and quiet and the nightless night of the North.

I’ve spent countless summer and winter holidays on the Islands, where my mother lives. My memories are dominated by the constant presence of the sea wherever you turn. Tourists on bicycles or on sailing boats crowd the Islands in the summer and leave behind a sudden quietness when they all return home at the end of the holidays.

And, of course, there is the delicious food, from freshly caught and home-smoked arctic char to the sweetest strawberries, and cinnamon buns. My mum’s homemade pannkaka (a pancake dish closely resembling the French dessert claufoutis), topped with whipped cream and cloudberry jam is a special treat. There are midsummer celebrations and the end-of-summer crayfish parties, with drinking songs, where too much vodka is consumed. And many, many evenings sitting outside ‘our’ sauna cottage watching the sun, which sets for a matter of hours, low on the horizon.

Photo: Patrik Linderstam

I’ve wanted to set a novel on the islands for many years now, but I didn’t have a story or the characters ready, so I waited until something developed in my imagination. When Alicia, a woman raised on the islands, and wishing to return home, came to me, I knew I had something – or someone – that I could write about. Although the Islands are central to the Love on the Island series, it is the characters that make it sing (in my humble opinion )

Flawed Characters

All of the characters in this novel are flawed in some way. When writing the book, I was thinking a lot about the loss of my father, but also about all of our weaknesses as people. My dad was far from perfect, yet I loved him dearly and miss him terribly. Everybody is lacking in some way, and I feel it’s important to show these imperfections in my characters. 

Patrick, Alicia’s new love, is helpless to the charms of his wealthy ex-wife, who is also the mother of his beloved two daughters. 

Alicia has suffered the loss of a child, and with the death of her step-father, her vulnerability is increased. Just as she’s faced with the possible break-up with Patrick, old secrets are revealed which further unsettles her present.

The story in The Island Daughter also follows Brit, Alicia’s school friend. After a life spent footloose and fancy-free, travelling the world working on cruise ships, she’s both horrified and delighted when she sees the thin pink lines on a test tube. But can she really settle down and have a baby with a man she’s only known for a matter of months?

Another strong, but flawed, character in the book is Alicia’s mother Hilda. After the loss of her loving husband, someone from her past suddenly appears on the islands. She’s forced to confront her own betrayal, which could forever destroy the relationship with her only daughter.  

The Island Daughter is Book 3 in Love on the Island series but it can be enjoyed as a standalone read. It’s perfect for fans of Amanda Prowse, Elin Hilderbrand, and Elena Ferrante.

A shorter version of this blog post first appeared on New In Books Blog.

The post The Story Behind The Island Daughter appeared first on Helena Halme Author.

Five Best Beach Reads 2020

Whether or not you are able to head for the beach this year, summer is the time for so-called beach reads, isn’t it? I have selected a few of my favorites for you to devour on holiday or at home dreaming of sunnier climes. Here are my five best beach reads for 2020.

The Weekend by Charlotte Wood

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Sylvie, Jude, Wendy and Adele have a lifelong friendship of the best kind: loving, practical, frank and steadfast. But when Sylvie dies, the ground shifts dangerously for the remaining three.

These women couldn’t be more different: Jude, a once-famous restaurateur with a spotless life and a long-standing affair with a married man; Wendy, an acclaimed feminist intellectual; Adele, a former star of the stage, now practically homeless. 

Struggling to recall exactly why they’ve remained close all these years, the grieving women gather for one last weekend at Sylvie’s old beach house. But fraying tempers, an elderly dog, unwelcome guests and too much wine collide in a storm that brings long-buried hurts to the surface – a storm that will either remind them of the bond they share, or sweep away their friendship for good.

I haven’t yet read this novel, but it sounds intriguing to me. I also love the cover, and the reviews I’ve read are all favorable. So I’m taking a bit of a risk in recommending this book to you. Feel free to let me know in the comments below if you like it – or not!

The Day She Came Back by Amanda Prowse

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When her grandmother dies suddenly, eighteen-year-old Victoria is bereft. Both of her parents died of drug overdoses when she was a baby, and she has no other family. How will she manage to live in her grandma’s sprawling house on the outskirts of London on her own? Just organizing the funeral takes all her strength and she has to lean on her own best friend, and her family, just to get through the day. The lonely life she sees ahead of her frightens and perplexes her.

As if losing her beloved grandma wouldn’t be hard enough, Victoria is thrown into a heart-rendering situation when a woman turns up at the funeral, claiming to know her by a different name, Victory.

Still a teenager, Victoria has to deal with old deeply buried secrets, which means she has to question everything that has gone before and deal with a totally different future she had imagined for herself.

You may have guessed from the excerpt of my review above that this isn’t a traditional beach read, (you can read it in full on Goodreads) but it’s still a great book for the holidays whether you spend it by the seaside or at home lounging on the sofa in front of a cozy fire.

28 Summers by Elin Hilderbrand

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I cried buckets when reading the latest offering by this US author. I’ve loved nearly every book I’ve read by Hilderbrand, ‘The Godmother of Beach Reads’, but I think this one is now my favorite.

For the past 28 years, Mallory and Jake have met in Nantucket to rekindle a passionate affair they began decades ago. They both have partners, even marriages, still, they keep meeting up on Labor Day weekend, come what may.

Each twelve-month period between the Rendez-Vous, bring fresh challenges separately for the pair. We follow the loves of all the people involved with Mallory and Jake. The reader is kept on tenterhooks whether their secret is revealed, or whether they will miss a year.

I loved the period descriptions as well as the various relationships between the main characters. With several points of view, the reader can delve deeply into the characters’ motivations, likes and dislikes – loves and hates.

You cannot go wrong with picking up any of Elin Hilderbrand’s books for a beach read, and 28 Summers is no exception.

The Woman in the Frame by JJ Marsh

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Those of you who read my blog regularly know that I’m a huge fan of this next author. And as luck would have it, JJ Marsh has written a book set in one of the hugely popular summer destinations in Europe, Mallorca! Perfect for a little escapism …

Crystalline Mediterranean waters lap the rocky northern coast of Mallorca, blessing the town of Deià with blood-orange sunsets, balmy night skies and the legacy of a poet.

This former artists’ colony now attracts the rich and famous looking to party in privacy. It’s the perfect place for a honeymoon until your morning coffee is interrupted by a dead body.

Who would want to murder the muse of a world-famous artist?

Enter Beatrice Stubbs, ex-Scotland Yard detective turned private investigator, who never rejects a job if it involves good food and fine wine.

Someone – an esoteric church leader, a wild-eyed ex-muse, the woman who forgets nothing, the artist’s agent or that covetous neighbour – knows what really happened and why.

But when locals and incomers point the finger at one another, how can Beatrice distinguish between lies, truth and artistic licence?

A little knowledge can be a dangerous thing.

Murder in Avignon by Susan Kiernan-Lewis

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Another author whose books I buy as soon as they are out is Susan Kiernan-Lewis. Reading the latest installment of her Maggie Newberry series, set in Provance, is part of my holiday routine. (If I can wait, and not sneak a read in before we even leave home.)

Susan Kiernan-Lewis’ latest novel, Murder in Avignon, doesn’t disappoint. As well as the obligatory case for the intrepid Maggie, these books also follow the love and lives of her ruggedly handsome French vintner husband, their three children and assorted friends.

With each book, you get to know the characters a little more and in the end, it feels as if you are visiting a set of very good friends while reading the stories. For me, these murder mysteries are just pure escapist relaxation! Who wouldn’t want to live on a vineyard with a handsome Frenchman, while investigating murders in the vicinity?

Every great play needs a drama queen. Preferably alive.

The French city of Avignon is known for many things: its Papal Palace, the annual summer theatre festival, its Medieval bridge of nursery rhyme fame…and now murder.

When a popular actress is killed during Avignon’s famous summer theater festival, all the evidence points to the police needing a fast resolution–regardless of the truth. It will be up to Maggie to find the killer who wanted the city’s most popular actress dead—and before he turns his attention on her.

As Maggie desperately scours this beautiful medieval city for clues to uncover the killer’s identity it soon becomes clear that failing will put her center stage with her most ruthless adversary yet–with the final curtain about to come crashing down on everything she holds dear.

I hope you enjoy traveling through these books to lovely summery destinations, even if you can’t get to the beach or other holiday locations this year! Getting yourself a beach read is the next best thing …

Would you like a free short story?

The Day We Met is a prequel story to my Love on the Island Nordic fiction series.

Bored during a medical conference at Uppsala University, near Stockholm, British doctor Liam skips a lecture in favor of a quiet coffee. When he sees a leggy blond head for his table in the busy student canteen, he’s instantly smitten.

With a migraine hovering at her temples, the last thing Alicia wants is to make conversation. But she can’t resist the English doctor’s charming manner and infectious smile.

Join my Readers’ Group and get a free copy of The Day We Met today!

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My Lockdown Story

You’re a writer so you would spend your lockdown writing a story, right? Well, yes, in theory…

A Good Writing Routine

I have worked from home for quite a few years now, and have a well- established routine for my writing and coaching business.

On the other hand, my husband’s job involves attending meetings, seminars, working from two offices, one in London and one up in the Lake District. That means a lot of travelling. He’d typically be away one or two nights per week, and on top of that have a couple of evening engagements.

Whereas I would perhaps have one meeting or two meetings per week, and the rest of the time you’d find me working from my home office in North London. I don’t even use cafe’s for writing, although occasionally if I get stuck with a story, I’d go to the British Library or a club in town. But that is more the exception than a rule.

In other words, in normal times, I have a lot of quiet time alone in my office. Perfect for writing.

Sharing Is Caring

The lockdown in the UK meant that both of my husband’s offices were closed, all meetings and events cancelled. Instead, he began a daily webinar, broadcasting fives times per week, interviewing industry professionals. It was evident quite soon that he needed a quiet office in order to carry on working… Yes, you’ve guessed it, he took over my space.

Now we’re lucky; we have an office and a spare bedroom, so I took a table that was sitting on the balcony, bought a standing desktop and set myself up in our daughter’s old bedroom. No problem?

Not so fast.

Silence Is Golden

I’d been used to my own company. And silence. Although noise as such doesn’t affect my ability to write; I’ve produced some of my best work in busy cafes, planes or trains. But listening to your husband talk for 8-10 hours (there was the daily webinar, plus all those meetings he used to have face to face turned into loud telephone conversations) is something else.

The walls in our flat are thin. For the first few weeks, I just could not concentrate. I realised the noise of your husband’s voice is totally different from the ambient sounds of strangers talking around you. It was evident that I’d been conditioned to pay attention to what my husband was saying. We have been married for 35 years after all. (If only he’d have the same issue – but that’s another matter and a blog post.)

Instead of getting on with my own work, I’d sit in my new bedroom office, listening to the various conversations my husband had. It was driving me crazy.

Then there was the worry. Worry for family, worry for the world. All of this was making it impossible to write. I know lost of other writers and artist felt the same. Even though they were used to working from home, the quarantine forced upon them, combined with the horror of the international situation, froze their creative brains. Oh, how I could relate to this!

Submarine Patrol Rules

Early on in the lockdown, we both realised that we needed a routine for the weekdays when we’d be working together in the flat. The husband, who’s an ex-submariner, suggested we’d look at the Submarine patrol routine. I was sceptical, but when I saw what it entailed, I realized this is the way we have been living all of our married life!

Still smiling after months in lockdown

Having a routine did help to rein in the constant worry about our nearest and dearest and the longing we had for physical contact with our children and grandchild. It also made us think less about the state of the world. At the height of the pandemic, we decided to limit the amount of news we saw or listened to. This, together with our daily walks or runs, I believe, was vital is us not going down into a rabbit hole of desperation.

But having a routine didn’t help me with the noise issue. The worst time during the day for me was when my husband hosted the webinar, so I began taking a run while he chatted away to his audience.

A few weeks in, I remembered that I’d bought the husband noise-cancelling headphones for his commute on the London tube. Wearing these was a revelation. I couldn’t hear a thing and could be transported to my own world and, finally, I was able to write again.

The noise-cancelling headphones were a revelation

My Lockdown Story

Getting into a routine of writing was wonderful. I could forget about COVID-19, about the politics of the pandemic, and even about the new noisy work colleague that I’d suddenly gained.

Although strange and scary circumstances, to be transported to the beautiful Åland Islands, one of my most favourite places on earth, gave me an escape from the grim realities of the pandemic. I consider myself unbelievably lucky in both remaining healthy, but also because I am able to have a profession where I can spend my time daydreaming.

My lockdown story, The Island Daughter, began taking shape in late March and by the end of May, I had the story more or less written. This sounds rather fast for a 340-page novel, but I had been plotting and charting the story since early January. And the novel is Book 3 in a series, called Love on the Island, so I knew the characters very well. Which always helps.

The Island Daughter

The Island Daughter

One family. Old secrets. New life.

Alicia returns home to the islands after a family tragedy, leaving behind a new life in Stockholm with Patrick. But when his ex, Mia, makes a move to rekindle their relationship, Alicia is torn between duty and her own happiness. Alicia’s world is further upended when deeply buried family secrets surface.

How can she face the future when everything she believed to be true about her past is a lie?

A 48-hour Launch Day Offer

Today is publication day for my lockdown story! What’s more, there’s a rather special offer…

It’s Publication Day!

The Island Daughter is now on a very short Launch Day Offer. This $0.99 promotion ends midnight 18 July (tomorrow) when the price goes up to $3.99. As this is my latest title, it will not be discounted again soon, at least not in the next few years. So if you’d like to get my latest novel at a ridiculously low price, buy the eBook now before the price goes up.

The Island Daughter is also out in paperback today, priced at $9.99, so if you like the smell of books (I love it!), you can order the novel from Amazon today.  It will be available to order via good bookstores and libraries very soon too.

Get THE ISLAND DAUGHTER 0.99 offer now

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Read The Island Daughter Chapter One

The Island Daughter, Book 3 in Love on the Island series is out later this month, but I thought I’d share with you a little sneak a peek from the novel. Read on to find out how you can download The Island Daughter Chapter One today!

The Island Daughter

When past secrets shatter your present, how do you face your future?

After her dear stepfather has a fatal heart attack, Alicia returns home to the Åland Islands to support her mother, Hilda. She leaves behind a new life in Stockholm with her lover, Patrick. 

But when her lover’s ex, Mia, the daughter of the local property magnet, makes moves to rekindle her relationship with Patrick, Alicia is torn between duty and her own happiness.

Alicia’s hopes of a brighter future are further dashed when deeply buried family secrets surface. How can she forge a new life when everything she believed to be true about her past is a lie? 

Meanwhile, Alicia’s best friend, Brit, has her own problems. After a life spent footloose and fancy-free, traveling the world working on cruise ships, she’s both horrified and delighted when she sees the thin pink lines on a test tube. But how can she have a baby with a man she’s only known for a matter of months?

The Island Daughter is perfect for fans of the Neapolitan novels by Elena Ferrante, Everything We Keep by Kerry Lonsdale, and Me Before You by Jojo Moyes. The third novel in Helena Halme’s Love on the Island series, it can also be enjoyed as a standalone read. 

Join Alicia’s small island community for another installment in the “captivating” new series set on the most picturesque of Scandinavian islands. Once you enter her world, you’ll never want to leave.

What The First Readers Say

I like the unpretentious prose and the lack of filler. It is detailed without becoming boring and is atmospheric. The setting again is wonderful, and the characters complex. Helena Halme is very good at writing scenes full of tension.

An intriguing book that keeps you reading. Loved it. Don’t miss out when it’s released!

Chapter One

I can now share with you an exclusive first chapter of The Island Daughter. The action starts immediately from the first paragraph, and I can’t wait to share the beginning of the story with you. One reader said:

I was hooked from the very first sentence. Mia turning up on Alicia’s doorstep instantly set the scene and got my attention. I was wondering how Helena Halme will manage to keep the initial interest alive throughout the book but she did it perfectly. Twists and turns kept coming right till the end.

You can download Chapter One of The Island Daughter by tapping the button below.

Download Chapter One Here

The Island Daughter Pre-Order Offer

The Island Daughter is out later this month, on 17 July 2020, but you can now pre-order the novel for just $1.99 (£1.99/1.99€) until publication day. Just tap the button below or go here to pre-order the book now!

Pre-order The Island Daughter Now

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Writing About Death

I’ve come to learn that bereavement is a strange emotion. I’ve also come to realize that the way I cope with death is by writing about it.

Coffee and Vodka

Many of my books include the death of an important character. A surprising amount for someone who writes stories about family and love, you might say.

I have no explanation for this. I write about what I know, so more often than not death creeps into my stories.

In my first published novel, Coffee and Vodka, the death of Eeva’s grandmother forces her to journey back to her home town in Finland, where she has to face up to a painful past.

When I wrote this novel, I was grieving the loss of a dear uncle. He died suddenly in his bed at night. His poor wife, my aunt, woke up next to his body in the morning. My uncle’s passing came as a huge shock to me. He wasn’t that old, and he was my favorite. Always warm, loving, and extremely funny, he often took me in when I was in trouble. When I met the English Officer at the British Embassy in Helsinki my world was turned upside down, but my uncle hugged me and told me to follow my heart.

Writing Eases Pain

While writing these novels where sometimes out of nowhere, death appears in the plotline, I’ve come to realize that it helps me to examine my feelings through writing about bereavement. This may seem selfish, but I am comforted by the reactions of the readers. Many have commented on the authenticity of my writing on the subject. This is true especially regarding The Island Affair, Book 1 in my new series, Love on the Island. 

Writing about the loss of a child was a new departure for me and I was terrified that I wouldn’t be able to convey the absolute despair one must feel. 

How would such terrible grief affect your relationship with both your partner and with your adopted country? Would such a loss make you want to go back home? Back to where you felt safe, even if you would have to make that journey alone? Or would it be more important to be able to share the sadness with your partner? How strong does love between the parents of the child have to be to survive grief as deep as this?

For me, at least, writing the novel answered some of these questions. Because of the subject matter, The Island Affair wasn’t easy to write. However, I am assured by the many readers and reviewers of this novel that even though there is sadness in the book, it is also full of hope and love.

The Island Affair FREE Offer

If you hurry, you can now read The Island Affair, Book 1 in the series for absolutely free! But please note, this offer ends tonight, 30 June 2020.

After her son’s tragic death, Alicia and her husband travel to the Nordic Islands where Alicia was raised. As secrets are revealed, can she find a way to embrace life and love once more?

Read THE ISLAND AFFAIR for FREE now 

An Island Christmas

It was my dad’s birthday yesterday. He would have been 84 years old. I didn’t get to see him last summer but did manage to be with him a few days before he passed in October.

When I got the call from my sister that my dad was very ill in his nursing home, I was in the middle of finishing An Island Christmas, Book 2 in Love on the Island series. I managed to get the book out before Christmas, which helped me with my grief. I set aside the despair I felt over losing my dad and instead wrote about Alicia’s struggle to give her family and friends the perfect Christmas.

Those of you who’ve read the book, know that things don’t quite go to plan for Alicia…

The Island Daughter

I think writing and editing a novel about a family Christmas was a good distraction from the grief, but once I started writing the next book in the New Year, almost unconsciously, I poured my raw emotions into the new title.

In The Island Daughter, Alicia loses her step-father, only to discover that her real dad is still alive.  

In spite of the sadness of the losses Alicia has suffered in her life, there is also love and laughter in the book. According to the first readers of the unedited copy of The Island Daughter, there are real slapstick moments in the novel.  Just as in life, tears and laughter go hand in hand.  

The Island Daughter Pre-Order Offer

Book 3, The Island Daughter, is now on pre-order. It’s priced at just $1.99, but this goes up to $4.99 on publication. So if you’d like to read my newest title as soon as it hits the virtual shelves, tap here to get it on Amazon or the button below for other online stores to pre-order the novel today.   

Pre-order THE ISLAND DAUGHTER Now

Death is part of life, and I guess that is why a good story needs to describe sadness and despair alongside happiness. I try to end my stories well, however tragic the circumstances. Even though I write a lot about death, I’m an optimist at heart.

Free Nordic Love Story

Would you like to read a free Nordic Story? The We Met is a prequel to The Island Affair and introduces you to the two main characters in the book: budding journalist Alicia and trainee doctor Liam. Just add your email to the form below and sign up for my mailing list. I will never, ever spam you and, naturally, you can unsubscribe at any time. 

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How Ruth Ellis inspired my latest novel by Jane Davis

Jane Davis, a prize-winning author, is about to publish her ninth title, At the Stroke of Nine O’Clock. The novel is inspired by Ruth Ellis, the last woman to be hanged in the UK.

Jane is a writer friend, but she’s also one of my favourite authors, so I’m delighted that she agreed to tell you and me a little about what inspired her latest novel!

“Platinum blonde ex-model shoots racing-boy lover”

In 2018 I read three biographies back to back. Each book was about a woman who had lived through the 1950s. The subjects came from very different backgrounds, but all three had a connection with Ruth Ellis, the last woman to be hanged in Great Britain.

My fascination with Ruth Ellis stems from my teens, when I first saw the same photographs that graced the front pages of the newspapers the day production resumed in 1955 after a month-long strike. Fleet Street had a four-million-pound loss to recoup. They needed eye-catching headlines and imagery to fight back with, and Ruth was nothing short of sensational. ‘Platinum blonde ex-model shoots racing-boy lover.’ By the end of the day, in every pub and Lyon’s Corner House, around every dinner table, on front doorsteps and over garden fences, the talk was of one subject and one subject only.

It’s Complicated…

The reason for my initial fascination with Ruth Ellis is almost as complicated as she herself was. It’s difficult to accuse those who paid £30 for a seat in the Old Bailey’s public gallery for treating the personal tragedy as entertainment, without acknowledging at least something of the same ugly motivation. But there’s more to it than that.

I turned to my bookshelves for a yellowed paperback that has been in my possession for over thirty years. Ruth Ellis: A Case of Diminished Responsibility? I’d forgotten that the book begins with a foreword by co-authors Laurence Marks and Tony Van Den Bergh in which they reveal how, during their research, they both discovered that they had various links to players in the story of Ruth Ellis, if not Ellis herself.

One of David Blakely’s other lovers. The partner of a psychiatrist who had treated Ruth Ellis. The brother of the manageress of the Steering Wheel club who had thrown Blakely and Ellis out for having a drunken fight on the premises just days before the shooting. The Catholic priest who, while serving as a prison chaplain sat on the Home Office committee tasked with deciding if Ellis was fit to hang. The list went on. But even those who had never met Ellis had an opinion about her, and all were affected by her demise, if only because it helped to bring about a change in the law.

1950’s Dual Standards

That Ruth led a blighted and messy life is apparent. In post-war Britain, dual standards were the order of the day. Not only were property and titles inherited by men, but women were punished for daring to step outside the restricted confines dictated by society. Sex outside marriage, divorce, and children born outside wedlock were huge taboos, but behind closed doors, there’s no doubt that these things – together with domestic abuse and more – were happening.

Work-wise, few options were available to women. Having risen to the challenge of the running industry and keeping the economy afloat once again during the Second World War, they were expected to hand their jobs back to returning men. And from this black and white palette of post-war austerity stepped Ruth Ellis, then a young single mother, who had occasional work as a photographer’s model and a walk-on part as a bathing beauty in the Diana Dors film, Lady Godiva Rides Again. Later she would dare to leave a violent husband, but instead of hiding away (as all battered women should), she would pick herself up, dust herself down, and become the youngest manager of a private members’ club in the West End. Ruth Ellis wasn’t only the jealous neurotic woman portrayed in the film Dance with a Stranger. She was also gutsy and ambitious, but that side of her doesn’t make headlines. It wouldn’t sell.

Fiction Not Fact

The recent past is tricky. To me, it would have felt strange, possibly even disrespectful, to put words into the mouth of someone who still has living relatives. If facts are what readers are looking for, there are several excellent accounts of Ruth Ellis’s life to choose from. Besides, what I wanted to show was how women of Ruth’s day reacted to her fate. And so I took my lead for my main characters from the biographies I had read, making each as different in terms of class and background as I could.

The Characters

My character whose trajectory most closely follows Ruth’s is seventeen-year-old Caroline Wilby. Like most working-class daughters, she’s expected to help support her family and for her, this means leaving the family and everything she knows behind. Alone in a strange city, she must grab any opportunity that comes her way, even if that means putting herself in danger. She is our direct route into the world of afternoon drinking clubs, where hostesses must rely on powers of persuasion and feminine wiles to part male customers from their money.

Then we have star of the silver screen Ursula Delancy, who we meet when she’s just been abandoned by the man she left her husband for. Already hounded by the press, it won’t be long before she’s making headlines for all the wrong reasons. Like Ruth, is pre-judged by those who think they know her because they’ve read about her in the press. And, like Ruth, Ursula appreciates all too keenly that it’s impossible to tell your side of a story without hurting those you love.

Making up the trio is Patrice Hawtree. Once the most photographed debutante of her generation, she is now childless and trapped in a loveless marriage, and her plans to secure the future of her ancient family home are about to be jeopardised by her husband’s gambling addiction.

I allow my characters to experience some of what Ruth went through, so that when they learn of her fate, each will be in a position to say, ‘There but for the grace of God…’

Prize-Winning Author

Hailed by The Bookseller as ‘One to Watch’, Jane Davis is the author of nine novels.

Jane spent her twenties and the first part of her thirties chasing promotions at work, but when she achieved what she’d set out to do, she discovered that it wasn’t what she wanted after all. It was then that she turned to writing.

Her debut, Half-truths & White Lies, won the Daily Mail First Novel Award 2008. Her 2015 novel, An Unknown Woman, was Writing Magazine’s Self-published Book of the Year 2016 and was shortlisted for two further awards. In 2019, her novel Smash all the Windows won the Selfies (best independently-published work of fiction) award at London Book Fair.

Jane lives in Carshalton, Surrey with her Formula 1 obsessed, star-gazing, beer-brewing partner, surrounded by growing piles of paperbacks, CDs and general chaos. When she isn’t writing, you may spot her disappearing up a mountain with a camera in hand. Her favourite description of fiction is ‘made-up truth’.

You can find Jane online on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, and her website, https://jane-davis.co.uk.

At the Stroke of Nine O’Clock is out 13 July 2020. If you pre-order it today, you can get it for just £1.99/$1.99. The price goes up to £4.99 upon publication.

Would you like a free Nordic love story? Just pop your email below and I’ll send you a copy of The Day We Met.

Leave this field empty if you’re human:

The post How Ruth Ellis inspired my latest novel by Jane Davis appeared first on Helena Halme Author.

Happy Midsummer!

Midsummer is an important celebration in my home country Finland, as it is in the rest of the Nordic countries.

Nordic Midsummer Traditions

At Midsummer we Nordcs leave the cities behind and escape to the country. We consume a lot of good food, including soused herring, gravadlax, dill scented new potatoes, and strawberry cake. With, you guessed it, quite a lot of alcohol. Vodka shots, accompanied by drinking songs are enjoyed by many.

Afterward, the Swedes sing about frogs while they dance around a Maypole while we Finns swim in lakes and light fires. You may notice that the Finnish customs are by far the more dangerous, especially when enjoyed while inebriated…

Nightless Night

The point of the Midsummer celebration is the nightless night. The sun doesn’t set at all near the Arctic Circle. Further south, in places like Helsinki and Stockholm, it dips behind the horizon for just a few moments. Here the night never really grows dark.

Traditionally, young women pick up wildflowers and place them under their pillows before they go to bed. This is supposed to make them dream about their future husbands. In reality, many children are conceived in the Nordic countries over the Midsummer weekend, so rather than dreaming, my guess is that many are rather more active during the magical midsummer night!

The Young Heart

One of my books, The Young Heart, the prequel to my Nordic Heart series of books is set at Midsummer. It’s a story of Kaisa when at 14, she’s seduced by the 21-year-old Matti. This bittersweet story, dubbed “The Finnish Lolita” is partly based on my own life, as is the rest of the series. If you sign up for my mailing list, you’ll get a free copy of this emotional novella.

The Nordic Heart Boxset $0.99

I hope you have a wonderful Midsummer weekend. If you’d like to read more of my fiction set in Finland, The Nordic Heart Boxset is just $0.99 this Midsummer weekend. This compilation has four full-length novels and 700 pages, so this offer is quite unbeatable, really.

Kaisa has her future planned out – until a chance encounter with a naval officer changes her life forever. Follow Kaisa’s journey in this sweeping boxset filled with secrets, love, and second chances.

Hurry, the price of the boxset goes up to $5.99 on Monday 21st June 2020. Tap here to start reading The Nordic Heart series now!

Get Your Copy of The Nordic Heart Boxset

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Limited Time Book Offers!

Whether you go away this year or not, now is a good time to stock up on summer reading. Below you’ll find several limited-time book offers, including an unbeatable price on my Nordic Heart Series Box Set.

BookBub 

If you subscribe to BookBub mailing lists, you’ll find The Nordic Heart Books 1-4 on their email on 13th June. If you haven’t yet discovered BookBub, check it out by tapping the button below.

BookBub is one of the best sites for bargain books of high quality. They promote only titles that have gone through a rigorous selection process and you can often find some literary gems as well as well-written popular fiction titles in their daily listings.

This is why I am so thrilled that the guys behind BookBub have chosen to promote The Nordic Heart Books 1-4 compilation!

So do take a look at BookBub more book offers. While you’re there, you might want to follow me. Just tap the box below and you’ll get notifications of any book offers as well as all the new releases from me. 

The Nordic Heart Books 1-4

She is a student from Finland. He is a dashing British Navy Officer. Can their love go the distance?

The Nordic Heart Box Set includes Books 1,2,3 and 4 in the Finnish and British contemporary fiction series.

The English Heart: When at 20, Kaisa is invited to the British Embassy cocktail party in Helsinki to celebrate a Royal Navy visit to Finland, she’s not looking for romance. Enter dashing Navy Officer Peter. Kaisa falls head over heels in love and the two embark on a long-distance relationship. But at the height of the Cold War, while the Englishman chases Russian submarines, Kaisa is stuck in Finland, a country friendly with the Soviet Union.

The Faithful Heart: In Britain, Kaisa finds herself jobless, lonely, and shunned by the other Navy wives. Her ambitions to pursue her own career are repeatedly crushed by her foreignness and her marriage to the Navy. Enter rich, charming and clever Duncan, who seems to have all the answers to Kaisa’s problems. Can Kaisa resist his advances?

The Good Heart: Kaisa knows she’s to blame for the break-up and flees to her native Finland. Peter doesn’t care one way or the other. He’s angry at everything and everybody. He’s about to lose the one thing that means the most to him: his Navy career. All because he fell in love. Can Peter and Kaisa find their way back to each other and reignite their love?

The True Heart: Kaisa’s relationship with Peter is blighted by childlessness, but worse is to come when she learns of a close friend’s illness that could wreck her happiness. And then life takes another heartbreaking twist … Can love conquer all? 

If you enjoy Nordic fiction, or like a true love story, you’ll adore this stylish series of books by the Finnish author Helena Halme. 

Books 1-4 compilation, representing some 700 pages of “perfect holiday reading”, is now just $0.99! (Normal price is $5.99)

This $0.99 offer ends on 21 June, so hurry!

Get The Nordic Heart Books 1-4 for $0.99

Summer Romance Reads

Summer Love Starts Here! Looking for your perfect beach read? These bestselling authors have teamed up to offer a delightful selection of melt-your-heart, curl your toes, second chance summer romances.

This promotion includes The Island Affair, Book 1 in the Love on the Island series as well as other unputdownable summer reads.

The promotion runs until the end of June. Just tap the link here: https://books.bookfunnel.com/secondchanceromance/3zv8nqeps2 to find out more. 

The Island Daughter

Finally, my latest title, The Island Daughter, book 3 in Love on the Island series is out soon! This novel, which can also be read as a standalone story has received some rave reviews from early readers. (Phew!)

Early Reviews

The Island Daughter has a very good storyline and I loved the characters with the surroundings. Thank you for letting me read it ahead & give you feedback.

Wow that was great! Now I need to know more about Leo, Britt, and baby. Oh, the list goes on…

Keep up the great work!

I think this book will easily sell to a lot of people and they will love it. I loved everything about it!

Set on the stunning, quirky Åland Islands, the book is now out on pre-order at only $2.99 until 30 July when the price goes up to $4.99. So if you want to have my new book at a special launch price, get it now!

The Island Daughter is now available on pre-order from the stores below. Just tap the image to get the $2.99 offer now!

And here’s that link to THE NORDIC HEART BOOKS 1-4 $0.99 OFFER again.

Happy reading and keep safe and well!

The post Limited Time Book Offers! appeared first on Helena Halme Author.

It’s Book Cover Reveal Day

Here it is, the brand new cover for Book 3 in Love on the Island series! What do you think?

I obviously love it! I’m eternally grateful for the talented Jessica Bell for the design. She is brilliant at interpreting my ideas and comes up with an image that works well in a paperback and eBook format.

I hope the cover also conveys the theme of the book. The Island Daughter is a novel about love, daughters, fathers and long-held secrets from the past.

The Island Daughter

When past secrets shatter your present, how do you face your future?

After her dear stepfather has a fatal heart attack, Alicia returns home to the Åland Islands to support her mother, Hilda. She leaves behind a new life forged in Stockholm with her lover, Patrick. 

But when her lover’s ex, Mia, the daughter of the local property magnet, makes moves to rekindle her relationship with Patrick, Alicia is torn between duty and her own happiness.

Alicia’s life is further dashed when deeply buried family secrets surface. How can she forge a new life when everything she believed to be true about her past is a lie?

Meanwhile, Alicia’s best friend, Brit, has her own problems. After a life spent footloose and fancy-free, traveling the world working on cruise ships, she’s both horrified and delighted when she sees a thin pink line on a test tube. But how can she have a baby with a man she’s only known for a matter of months?

The Island Daughter is the third novel in Helena Halme’s Love on the Island series, but it can also be enjoyed as a standalone read.

Join Alicia’s small island community for another installment in the “captivating” new series set on the most picturesque of Scandinavian islands. Once you enter her world, you’ll never want to leave.

The Island Affair $0.99

There’s some good news if you wish to start reading my new series today.

Book 1, The Island Affair is now just $0.99! What’s more, you can get 20% off if you buy the book directly from me and recommend my shop to a friend.

This sensational novel of love and a hopefulness to mend a heart that was once so damaged, written by its exemplary author, Helena Halme is a must-read for any romantic looking to get a pull at their heartstrings. Along with some plot twists, and wonderment, that keeps you guessing, I would most certainly suggest this book and cannot wait to read the next, Love on the Island Series! Remarkably entertaining, and just an all-around likeable and amusing read! – 5* NetGalley

The Island Affair by Helena Halme is an engaging, entertaining and compelling, 5-star novel and highly recommended! – 5* Chicklit Cafe

Naturally, this 20% discount is valid on all of my titles. Just go here to see them on Payhip site (which means you are buying directly from me).

Want to Learn More?

If you’d like to be first in the know about new book releases, read exclusive sneak peeks from my novels, and get the latest book offers (including free reads from me and other similar authors), sign up to my Readers’ Group now!

You’ll also get a free copy of The Day We Met, the prequel short story to the Love on the Island series!

Here’s the link or tap the image below.

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