The Story Behind the Story for the Anthology - Spring Paths. Angela Wren & Gianetta Murray of Great Britain.
I have the tremendous, good fortuneto be part of the Seasonal Collective and as a group we are extremely pleasedto have Angela and Gianetta, both fine authors, as part of the Collective.
Together with seven others, we havecontributed to the Anthology, Spring Paths.
Read on my friends and learn more.
Angela Wren is an author, actor, and has worked as a director ata small theatre a few miles from where she lives in the county of Yorkshire in theUK. She has always loved stories andstory-telling – no matter what the media. So, having ditched her full-time and very pressured job in businesschange and project management, it seemed right to try her hand at creativewriting.
Starting with short stories, one ofher earliest pieces was published in an anthology which was put together by themagazine ‘Ireland’s Own’ in 2011. Shehasn’t looked back since, going on to create many more short stories in, theMiss Moonshine, the Dark World, and the Seasonal Paths series of anthologies,along with stories for the UK Crime Book Club Group on Facebook. She also has a successful cosy crime seriesof full-length novels set in the Cévennes and featuring her privateinvestigator, Jacques Forêt.
When she’s not writing, Angela likes to spendas much time as possible each year travelling in France.
Gianetta Murray was a librarian, technical writer, and knowledge manager forover forty years on two continents before she hung up those hats in 2022 tofulfill her dream of being a writer.
SpringPaths was her first publication, followed quickly by a collection of humorousparanormal stories called A Supernatural Shindig. Her first novel, Moved toMurder: A Vivien Brandt Mystery, will be published in June 2024 by TroubadorPress, and she is currently working on a story for a mystery anthology as wellas the second of the Vivien Brandt mysteries (and, of course, a story for theupcoming Summer Paths anthology).
Besideswriting, she enjoys walks in the English countryside when the weather allows,and when it does not (which is often) she binges on TV mysteries, Hollywoodmusicals, and rewatching Buffy the Vampire Slayer. She is also a willing slavefor two very demanding cats.
Title: Spring Paths
Angela’sSynopsis: Madame Beauvary’s Curio Shop is a mystery that is not quitewhat it seems. Set in 1983, The actiontakes place in the village of Beauregard in central France.
Gianetta’sSynopsis: Demeter hashad just about enough of her bossy brother Zeus, but when he reveals her recentactions might very well doom the Earth, she realizes she must once again takean interest in human affairs. Unfortunately, godly affairs always seem to getin the way…
Angela’sInspiration: In spring a couple of years ago I wastaking a few days out in a small town on the Lincolnshire coast. Whilst there I discovered a bizarre antiqueshop - one of those places where every inch of shelving, wall and ceiling spaceis jam-packed with stuff that no-one needs or wants. I jotted down some notes about thelocation. The more I thought about theshop, the more I realised it needed an eccentric and mysterious owner. A couple of months later and Madame Beauvarybecame a fully formed character. Her backstory took various twists and turns before I was happy with it and the mysterystory in the Spring Paths collection developed from that.
That short story is not the end ofMadame B! There is a history to her thathas yet to be fully revealed and I will be letting readers know more about herin the new series of cosy crime mysteries that I am developing. News about that will be on my blog – so watchthat space!
Gianetta’sInspiration: I joined anall-female online writing group and early last year the leader posed the themeof ‘spring’ as a writing exercise. Having adored Greek mythology sincechildhood, I immediately thought of the story of Demeter and how she controlsthe seasons on Earth. I was tickled by the idea of writing a story about godswho were really incredibly human, and maybe also tying in a bit about climatechange—but, you know, in a fun way!
The storythen sat there until a fellow author asked me to join the collective behind thePaths anthologies, and the fact that the next issue was Spring Pathsseemed like, well, a godsend! 😊
Angela’swebsite – please go HERE.
Gianetta’s website– please go HERE.
A questionbefore you go ladies:
Scribbler: Can you tell us about the perfect setting you have, ordesire, for your writing? Music or quiet? Coffee or tequila? Neat or notes everywhere?
Angela: I’m lucky enough to have a writing shed of my own. It’s the smallest bedroom at the back of myhouse. The window looks out over thegarden, which is not massive but is neatly planted and over by the fence at thebottom is a small apple tree that is surrounded by a mass of snowdrops in earlyspring.
When I’m working in there with all my books – and I haveloads and loads of those – the world could explode I wouldn’t know athing! Having spent a lot of time inopen-plan offices, I’ve developed the art of completely shutting out allperipheral noise to focus on whatever I’m doing.
As for sustenance whilst I’m there, I mostly drink waterduring the day. But black coffee isessential for early morning starts and chocolate – in any form be it biscuit,cake, in a mug or whatever – feeds my brain when I run out of words.
Gianetta: A quiet room with a view of the garden, a chai latte at hand, and theday’s housework done, so I can focus purely on the writing! :)
Get you copy HERE.
Thank you both for taking the time toshare your inspiration for Spring Paths.
I know you both hard at work for the nextanthology – Summer Paths – due for publication in August/September.
And thank you dear readers andvisitors for stopping by today.
Feel free to leave a comment and if you do, please add your name in the comment box ifthe silly blog only lets you use Anonymous. (A glitch I can’t fix.)
