Caroline James – When I Decided I Wanted to Write and Why
I love nothing more than featuring friends on my blog. Today I have Caroline James talking about when and why she decided she wanted to be a writer. Over to Caroline …
Huge thanks to Morton for inviting me onto her lovely blog.
I knew from a very early age that I wanted to be a writer. From the moment I first started to read I clearly remember wanting to write stories myself and hold a book in my hands that I had written. When I was a little girl, my dad used to read to me. Generally, poetry or something that he too had read as a boy, such as J Milton Hayes, Mark Twain, or Rudyard Kipling. I was both fascinated and hooked.
Dad and me
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But my school days were unhappy and the writing bug went on a back burner. I went to an all girl’s grammar school in Cheshire and absolutely hated it. I was bullied at school and couldn’t wait to leave and instead of going to university, my life went in a very different direction.
I went to college in Bournemouth and studied Hotel & Catering and the hospitality industry became my life. I worked on the front desk of a five-star hotel in London in the 80s and it was an exciting time. Famous guests stayed at the hotel because it offered rooms on a high security floor and I met politicians, film and music stars on a daily basis.
Later on, I owned a pub in Cumbria and a beautiful country house hotel and for many years I was an agent representing celebrity and TV chefs, a fabulous job that took me to many exotic places.
My hotel in Cumbria
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A hotel or restaurant is a revolving door and you never knew who was going to step through. I often felt like I was on a stage and each day a new play would be acted with the variety of people that I met and looked after. Perfect research for an author.
So, the years passed.
But my writing dream had never left me and one day I had an epiphany. I ran a business and had a hectic life but I knew that if I didn’t glue my rear to a chair and write a book, I would go to my grave wondering, and so my debut, Coffee Tea the Gypsy and Me, was born and I’ve never looked back. I am both self-published and traditionally published and enjoy the journey with both, I try to inspire and enable authors at the start of their writing journey too.
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Seven novels later and my latest book is called Boomerville at Ballymegille which will be published on 6th October 2020. Boomerville is a retreat exclusively for guests of a certain age, wishing to stimulate both mind and body and is described as, “Britain’s answer to the Marigold Hotel”. The book takes readers to a new ‘Boomerville’ – this time in Southern Ireland with a different cast of whacky and eccentric characters. It is available for pre-order now.
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Happy reading everyone and thanks again to Morton xx
About the author:
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Best-selling author of women’s fiction, Caroline James has owned and run businesses encompassing all aspects of the hospitality industry, a subject that often features in her novels. She is based in the UK but has a great fondness for travel and escapes whenever she can. A public speaker, which includes talks and lectures on cruise ships world-wide, Caroline is also a consultant and food writer. She is a member of the Romantic Novelist’s Association, the Society of Women’s Writer’s & Journalists and the Society of Authors and writes articles and short stories, contributing to many publications. In her spare time, Caroline can be found walking up a mountain with Fred, her Westie, sipping raspberry gin or relaxing with her head in a book and hand in a box of chocolates.
To contact Caroline James you can use the following links:
Website : www.carolinejamesauthor.co.uk
Twitter : @CarolineJames12
Facebook : Caroline James Author
Amazon Author Page : Amazon Author Page
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To order Boomerville at Ballymegille you can use the following Universal Link:
Books by Caroline James:
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Thank you, Caroline. How lovely to learn more about you! I’ve recently read The Best Boomerville Hotel and have added my review below. Mx
5.0 out of 5 stars Loved This, Love Hattie!
What a delight! It took me a couple of chapters to get to grips with the cast of characters, but when I did, I loved every minute! Love irreverent, unpredictable Hattie – I wish I was more like her. This book has a touch of everything – love, mysticism, pathos, humour, dark elements, real life scenarios. When I retire I want to live somewhere like Boomerville and be more like Hattie…
Thank you for visiting my blog – Morton S. Gray – Author. I hope you enjoyed this post. You can also find me on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
New Book Sunny Days at the Beach is now available as an eBook – Amazon Kindle, Apple iBooks, Kobo, Nook Books, Google Play and at Choc Lit.
Christmas at Borteen Bay is available now as both an eBook and audio download – Amazon Kindle, Audio, Apple iBooks, Kobo and Choc Lit for other buying options.
The Truth Lies Buried is available now from all eBook platforms – Choc Lit, Amazon Kindle, Kobo, Apple iBooks and also a s a paperback and audiobook.
The Girl on the Beach published by Choc Lit is available as a paperback and from all eBook platforms – Amazon Kindle, Apple iBooks, Kobo, Barnes and Noble and Google Play.
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