How Has Writing Changed Me? by Victoria Cornwall
Pleased to welcome my good friend, Victoria Cornwall back to my blog this week. Victoria has recently published book number eight, The Paris Affair for Choc Lit an imprint of Joffe Books. For this visit to my blog she is going to tell my readers how writing has changed her.
Thank you for having me on your blog this week, Morton. For those who don’t know, Morton and I have been writing buddies for years so it really does feel like I’m visiting a friend for a coffee and a chat when I pop on here. How has writing changed me? It’s a great question! It’s changed me in many ways; however, I’ve chosen the two biggest changes to chat about here…. the first relates to how it has changed how I see myself, the second relates to a specific change in my behaviour. Intrigued? Then read on…
Morton and Victoria on their last meet up in Summer 2023So, how has writing changed me?
I started writing in my late 40s and was lucky enough to have my first manuscript published. The achievement surprised everyone who knew me as I’d kept my writing a secret. At the time I saw myself as middle-aged, going grey and past my “prime” so I think I just felt a little embarrassed I was indulging in my dream to write a book. The day I finally held the published book in my hands was a turning point as I had written a complete novel… and I’d achieved it all by myself! Yes… little ‘middle-aged, going grey and past my prime’ me.
It made me question if middle-age was all that bad after all and that perhaps I was still firmly in my “prime” phase! I now see each decade of life as the next gateway to an exciting new chapter in my life. I’ve had eight books published now. No one can take that achievement away from me. To achieve something, whether it’s small or big, alone or with someone, is good for one’s confidence, can help change how others see you and… most importantly how you see yourself… which is probably why it was around the same time of my first few releases I stopped hiding my grey hair under dye and now proudly show off my silver locks!
The second way writing has changed me is increasing my interest in history. I write historical fiction, which requires a lot of research that can lead you down numerous rabbit holes! I’ve lost count of the number of interesting facts I’ve discovered, but never end up in the book I’m writing! Needless to say, I’m now hooked on researching any question that arises in conversations, any additional details gleaned from listening to history podcasts or issues raised in documentaries. The research for my latest release, The Paris Affair, took me to the Special Operations Executive Museum on the Beaulieu Estate.
There are so many colourful characters, courageous moments and unbelievable surprises to discover in our history. It was a crazy place to live, yet everything we do now becomes history in a blink of an eye. We can learn so much from what has gone before. If people were more willing to learn from our past mistakes and successes, I think that we would have a less turbulent world now.
About Victoria Cornwall
Following a career in nursing, a change in profession finally provided Victoria Cornwall the time to write. Her books have subsequently reached the finals of the NEW TALENT AWARD at the Festival of Romantic Fiction, the RNA’s JOAN HESSAYON AWARD and the 2021 RNA’s Goldsboro Books HISTORICAL ROMANTIC NOVEL AWARD. Her books have also been twice nominated for the RONE Best Indie or Small Published Book Award by InD’tale magazine.
Victoria grew up on a farm in Cornwall and can trace her Cornish roots as far back as the 18th century. It is this background and heritage which is the inspiration for her Cornish Tales series, but it is her strong belief that we should learn from our past that is the inspiration for her Love in War series. Her latest novel, The Paris Affair, will be released on the 14th November, 2023. She likes to read and write historical romances with a strong background story, but at its heart is the unmistakable emotion, even pain, of loving someone.
To keep in touch with Victoria, you can use the following links:-
Newsletter http://eepurl.com/cFrw0D
Website https://victoriacornwall.com/
X (Twitter) @VickieCornwall https://twitter.com/VickieCornwall
Facebook https://www.facebook.com/victoriacornwall.author/
Instagram @victoria_cornwallx https://www.instagram.com/victoria_cornwallx/
YouTube https://www.youtube.com/@victoriacornwall8361
Amazon Author Page https://www.amazon.co.uk/Victoria-Cornwall/e/B01N1YETJ4?ref=sr_ntt_srch_lnk_1&qid=1627128668&sr=1-1
About The Paris Affair
The Paris Affair
Born to a French mother and an English father, Charlotte Bray has always felt like an outsider in her small Cornish fishing village. She spends her days on her father’s fishing boat, helping to feed a nation at war.
But the war brings devastation, and it’s not long until it reaches Charlotte’s front door. Her world is rocked and forever changed by tragedy.
With nothing left to lose, she accepts a mysterious invitation to work for the War Office as a spy. Nothing is as it seems, and she finds herself in Nazi-occupied Paris with a new identity.
Charlotte begins working under the sombre but handsome Frenchman Pierre Lesieur. But do his allegiances lie elsewhere?
With the Gestapo at every corner and networks falling all around her, Charlotte feels danger closing in on her.
And nothing is more dangerous than her growing feelings for Pierre.
Charlotte has been taught how to defend herself from the enemy. But not how to protect her heart . . .
To Buy The Paris Affair you can use the following links
Amazon UK https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B0CHFMV9ZW
Amazon USA https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0CHFMV9ZW
Other books by Victoria Cornwall
The Cornish Tales Series
The Love in War Series
Morton’s Review of The Paris Affair – Five Stars
I really enjoyed this book and felt as if I was actually Charlotte, the heroine as she negotiated the sadness, excitements and uncertainties of her life and relationship with Pierre.
The Parisian scenes, particularly the characters’ visit to The Sacre Coeur took me right back to a long ago visit to Paris.
Victoria Cornwall is a skilled storyteller who makes you care about her characters and root for them as they tackle dangers and challenges.
I have always wondered how I would have coped in times of war and hope that I would step up to the challenge of helping with the war effort just as Charlotte, Pierre and their colleagues did in the book.
A thoroughly enjoyable read that made me reflect on the war experiences of members of my family.
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Published by Choc Lit an imprint of Joffe Books
