Interview with Author Jenny Kane

This week I’m delighted to introduce Jenny Kane, Author of Romancing Robin Hood.

How old were you when you first heard the story of Robin Hood?

I honestly can’t remember! I feel as though I’ve always known them. My parents were
great bedtime storytellers, and I have vague recollections of them reading me Robin
Hood in its Ladybird book format as an under 5- but to be honest, that could be
something I just think that happened, rather than something that did happen.
I can tell you that I was 14 years old when I fell in love with the legend. I had
been off sick from school for a number of weeks, and was getting fairly bored. My
parents rented one of the- at the time- brand new video recorders from Radio
Rentals. To get used to how to use this new fangled device, they recorded the first
programme that was on. It was an episode of Robin of Sherwood. In seconds I was in
love- not just with that programme, but with the entire legend.
I began to watch every film and TV show about the outlaws from each and any era. I
read every book I could find and began to collect any Robin Hood merchandise.
Overnight, I became a Robin Hood junkie!

Tell us about your book Romancing Robin Hood.

I have written a number of contemporary fiction/ romantic comedy style novels over
the years, but I’d always to want medieval crime. Romancing Robin Hood gave me the
opportunity to do both in one go! It also gave me the chance to indulge in sharing a
bit of Robin Hood love!!

Blurb-

Dr Grace Harper has loved the stories of Robin Hood ever since she first saw them on
TV as a girl. Now, with her fortieth birthday just around the corner, she’s a
successful academic in Medieval History, with a tenured position at a top
university.

But Grace is in a bit of a rut. She’s supposed to be writing a textbook on a
real-life medieval gang of high-class criminals – the Folvilles – but she keeps
being drawn into the world of the novel she’s secretly writing – a novel which
entwines the Folvilles with her long-time love of Robin Hood – and a feisty young
girl named Mathilda, who is the key to a medieval mystery…

Meanwhile, Grace’s best friend Daisy – who’s as keen on animals as Grace is on the
Merry Men – is unexpectedly getting married, and a reluctant Grace is press-ganged
into being her bridesmaid. As Grace sees Daisy’s new-found happiness, she starts to
re-evaluate her own life. Is her devotion to a man who may or may not have lived
hundreds of years ago really a substitute for a real-life hero of her own? It
doesn’t get any easier when she meets Dr Robert Franks – a rival academic who Grace
is determined to dislike but finds herself being increasingly drawn to…

If you ‘d like to read Romancing Robin Hood you can buy it as an eBook on Kindle,
Nook and Kobo, and as a paperback from all good retailers, including Amazon-
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Romancing-Rob...11?ie=UTF8&qid=1407428558&sr=8-1&keywords=romancing+robin+hood

How far have you gone in the name of research?

My love of the Robin Hood legend led me to do a PhD on the real life medieval crimes
and criminals of the fourteenth century. I spent five years working part time on
researching comparisons between the medieval ballads and political songs (including
those concerning Robin Hood, Adam Bell, Gamelyn etc), and the documentary records of
the day to see just how closely- or not- the ballads and songs reflected the truth
of criminal situation of the day.

It was this research that I used when writing the medieval crime part of Romancing
Robin Hood. This section, which features a kidnapped girl called Mathilda of
Twyford, is based around the real criminal gang known as the Folvilles. Many believe
it was the Folvilles, and others like them, who inspired the original Robin Hood
stories.

Is there any interpretation of the Robin Hood legend you particularly
liked or disliked and why?

I seriously disliked the latest Russell Crowe film. I can’t give you a deep
meaningful reason why, apart from the fact I am not a fan of Mr Crowe. It just
didn’t sit right with me.

There is a debate among many authors of historical fiction as to whether
accuracy when portraying historical events and characters should be
sacrificed in the spirit of entertainment. Where do you stand?

I hate reading fiction that feels like reading a text book. If I want to read
nonfiction I will. Stories should be just that. A story. Of course, it’s not good to
stretch historical data too far. Kings and queens birth, death, and reign dates
can’t be moved around, but smaller matters- the use of a sword style ten years too
early for example- shouldn’t be a matter for sleepless nights. Fiction is fiction
after all.

Do you have any advice for aspiring authors?

Don’t give up!! The road from wanting to be a writer, to writing, to writing
something that finally gets published is a long one- but if you want to write, then
hang onto that dream.

Any upcoming books or projects?

I’m thrilled to say that my latest novel, Another Glass of Champagne , will be out
in June. Then work begins on my first full length historical crime novel! All the
details are top secret for now- but it’s very exciting.

I can also announce that I will be selling copies of Romancing Robin Hood at this
year’s The Hooded Man event at Chepstow from 291th April to 1st May.

Details of the event can be found at –
http://www.thehoodedman.co.uk/

Bio

With a background in history and archaeology, Jenny Kane should really be sat in a
dusty university library translating Medieval Latin criminal records, before writing
research documents that hardly anyone would want to read. Instead, tucked away in
the South West of England, Jenny Kane writes stories with one hand, while working
for a Distance Learning Company with the other.
Jenny spends a large part of her time in the local Costa, where she creates her
stories, including the novels Abi’s House (Accent Press, June 2015), Romancing Robin
Hood (Accent Press, 2014), the best selling contemporary romance Another Cup of
Coffee (Accent Press, 2013), and the novella length sequels Another Cup of Christmas
(Accent Press, 2013), Christmas in the Cotswolds, (Accent Press, 2014), and
Christmas at the Castle, (Accent Press, 2015).
Her next full length novel, Another Glass of Champagne, (Part 5 of the Another Cup
of… series), will be published by Accent Press in June 2016.
Jenny Kane is also the author of quirky children’s picture books There’s a Cow in
the Flat (Hushpuppy, 2014) and Ben’s Biscuit Tin (Hushpuppy, 2015)
Keep your eye on Jenny’s blog at www.jennykane.co.uk for more details.
Twitter- @JennyKaneAuthor
Facebook –
https://www.facebook.com/JennyKaneRom...