Jenny Kane: Coffee, cupcakes, chocolate and contemporary fiction / Jennifer Ash: Medieval crime with hints of Ellis Peters and Robin Hood

Category: Contemporary Romantic Fiction Page 51 of 56

Bookshop Loving: “There’s a Cow in the Flat” Goes Walkabout

One of the very best things about my job is meeting the lovely people who read my books- especially the children.

I’ve been writing stories for children for far longer than I’ve been writing for adults, although I’ve only invested effort in getting one of them published so far- others are on the way!

cow in flat cover

This week I was extremely flattered to be invited to the Books Yule Love bookshop in Moreton-in-the -Marsh, Gloucestershire. I was there to read my children’s picture book, There’s a Cow in the Flat, to three groups of very well behaved school children from the nearby St David’s Primary School.

As well as reading to the children, I had the pleasure of chatting to them, and sharing in their vivid imaginations. It is wonderful, in this age of 2D entertainment, to see that the imagination of children is alive and well and as delightfully abstract as ever! When I asked them all how they thought the cow had got into the flat in the first place, the answers ranged from the common sense replies of “the cow came through the door”, to “she beamed in from space”, was sent “via remote control”, and flew in through the window via “airplane” or “jumped in with the aid of a trampoline”. Wonderful!!

Not only was I made very welcome my Mike and Richard of Books Yule Love, but I was overwhelmed with the number of happy faces, the number of books sold, and – the icing on my cake- to see a copy of my contemporary romance, Another Cup of Coffee, popped neatly on the bookshop shelf!!

So, I’d like to extend a big thanks to the people of the Cotswolds, for making me so welcome last week – I look forward to seeing you all again on World Book Day!!

Happy reading everyone,

Jenny x

Guest Post from Lisa Tenzin-Dolma – Lainey’s Lot

Happy Valentine’s Day!!

I have another fantastic guest visiting today. I am delighted to welcome Lisa Tenzin-Dolma (a.k.a Lisa Ryan), to talk about her YA book, Lainey’s Lot.

Over to you Lisa…

Lisa-Lainey cover

Thanks very much for inviting me as a guest on your blog, Jenny!

Last autumn Accent Press published my Young Adult book, Lainey’s Lot, on Kindle and in paperback. The Swan Lake, under my contemporary women’s fiction name, Lisa Ryan, has just been published by Accent on Kindle and is about to come out in paperback. Both books were a lot of fun to write, though the styles are very different.

In Lainey’s Lot the central character, Lainey Morgan, is a fourteen year old girl whose life is turned upside down at the worst possible time. She’s just met Kieran, the Boy of her Dreams, and is diving deep into the exhilarating waters of first love in Bath, Somerset, when her eccentric mother decides to up sticks and take Lainey to live in an isolated commune in deepest Nottinghamshire. Lainey has a truly horrible time there, and her trials and tribulations are intensified when Kieran’s band wins a TV talent show and he suddenly becomes famous. The story follows the ups and downs of their relationship under the spotlight of the paparazzi, further undermined by the vindictive Dorm Demons, the young people in the commune. Lainey’s lot is not an easy one, but I really enjoyed shifting into her sparky character while I was writing the book.

My daughter, Amber, was a teenager when I first started writing Lainey’s Lot, and although I have to say, hand on heart, that Lainey is not modelled on her (and I’m definitely not like Lainey’s mother, thank goodness!), Amber reminded me of how it felt to be a teenager – the sheer emotional intensity, the agonising insecurity and uncertainty that comes with groping blindly through the uncharted territory of burgeoning hormones, first love, friendships and betrayal, and that feeling of powerlessness when subjected to the unwise decisions of adults. It was very easy to revisit how I felt at that age and see how Lainey’s character would negotiate the challenges in her life.

The Swan Lake cover Lisa Ryan

The Swan Lake begins in England but is set in County Clare, Ireland. The landscape and the lake in the story are loosely based on the area in East Clare where I lived for 18 months; a magical place that was steeped in myths, legends and superstition. Astarte Weaver, the central character, has spent all her life seeking security after growing up reluctantly roaming the world with her hippy parents, Rainbow and Leaf. As the story opens she thinks she has the life she always dreamed of, but the abrupt ending to her long-term relationship prompts her to take a vow to never have another relationship and to start afresh in a new place. She moves to Ireland, buys a pile of stones, formerly a cottage, and rebuilds this with the help of Flynn, the attractive local builder. To his chagrin, Astarte views Flynn solely as a working partner, and tongues start wagging when Eden, a rock star in the throes of a nervous breakdown, returns home to the Swan Lake and Astarte helps him through the recovery period.

As Astarte settles into her new home she becomes deeply involved in the small, close-knit community. Flynn and Eden; John and Siobhan, the estate agent and his wife; Seamus and Mairie, pensioners who are determined to carry on the neighbourly war that has carried on between their families for five generations; Ned, her closest neighbour, who hates incomers and tries to drive Astarte away; and Jamie and Sinead, teenagers in the throes of first love. When tragedy strikes the community and drives a wedge between old friends, Astarte is forced to confront the demons of her past and find a new way to live her life.

Although none of the characters are based on real people, the story emerged from a boozy evening with a friend who was an Intensive Care nurse. We were playing a “What if?” game in which she, a city person, moved to the depths of the country. I woke the next morning with a slight hangover and the entire story in my mind, and couldn’t stop writing until it was all on paper. Ireland holds a special place in my heart, and it was a joy to set the story there.

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Amazon link to Lainey’s Lot: http://www.amazon.co.uk/Laineys-Lot-Lisa-Tenzin-Dolma/dp/1783753528/ref=sr_1_11?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1422638241&sr=1-11&keywords=lisa+tenzin-dolma

Amazon link to The Swan Lake: http://www.amazon.co.uk/Swan-Lake-Lisa-Ryan-ebook/dp/B00SLD5BMU/ref=sr_1_1_twi_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1422638320&sr=1-1&keywords=lisa+ryan

Lisa Charlie Skye by Kerry

Facebook page for The Swan Lake: https://www.facebook.com/TheSwanLakeBook

Lisa’s website: http://www.tenzindolma.co.uk

Author bio: Lisa Tenzin-Dolma has had 22 books published, fiction and non-fiction, about a variety of subjects. She’s also a qualified canine psychologist and is principal of The International School for Canine Practitioners.

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Many thanks for a lovely blog Lisa,

Happy reading everyone,

Jenny x

 

 

A Pre-Valentine’s Day Romantic Taster…

Happy Almost Valentines Day!!

Valentine's hearts

 

I thought, as it’s almost Valentine’s Day I’d share a romantic extract from Another Cup of Coffee with you today!

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…Amy was nervous, more nervous than when she’d caught up with Rob on her arrival in London.

Paul was late. She examined the inside of the intricate medieval stone work opposite her. The doorway to St Martins-in-the-Fields wasn’t easy to spot, Amy had walked past it by mistake before she’d come in, and she’d been here before. Maybe the British Museum would have been a better place to meet, or the Victoria and Albert? Amy glanced at the entrance for the tenth time in as many minutes. Paul might not even recognise her; after all, it had been a long time since they’d seen each other.

Her drink was already half gone. Amy checked her phone again. No messages. Giving up, she dug into her bag, bringing out the ever present novel.

Paul had spotted Amy as soon as he’d manoeuvred his six-foot-two frame through the low stone doorway. He’d been confident she would be in the café’s furthest corner, and sure enough, there she was. Amy had always adopted a position where she could hide. As he watched her, Paul wondered if it was even something she was conscious of.

There was a coffee cup by Amy already, and the book her nose was stuck into was a paperback of the more ponderous variety of classic. Most of the girls he met these days wouldn’t even have considered picking it up.

Another Cup of Coffee - New cover 2015

 

She was definitely a bit slimmer than he remembered, and her hair was sleeker, tethered back into two shoulder-length bunches that made her look younger than she was. Amy hadn’t managed to get them level, and one bunch was noticeably higher than the other. Paul found he was dying to straighten them out for her.

Her clothes were the same as in the old days, though; knowing Amy, Paul thought with a grin, they might well be exactly the same. Jeans and a stripy blue jumper, probably with a T-shirt beneath, very probably a black one. The only really noticeable difference between now and then was that she was wearing knee-length boots with a wedge heel rather than trainers.

Rob was right. Essentially, Amy Crane hadn’t changed a bit.

Suddenly aware that she was being observed, Amy looked up from her book.

‘Hello!’

Her face broke into a welcoming beam. ‘I thought you might have got lost.’ She stood up and found herself smothered in a massive bear hug. Paul smelt nice; all warm and clean without the overpowering scent of the male perfumes Amy so despised.

‘Tube delays. I couldn’t get a signal down there to let you know.’ Paul felt awkward, not quite sure what to say next, having held her slightly longer than perhaps was normal for a couple of friends. He’d engineered this opportunity to get her alone, and now he was here, he was tongue-tied.

Amy unwittingly came to his rescue. ‘You getting a coffee then?’

‘Yes, sure. You want a top-up? Black I assume?’

‘Yes please.’

‘Any cake?’

‘No thanks.’

coffee cups

Amy watched Paul flirt with the Polish girl behind the counter as he placed his request. He was taller than she remembered. His black hair was still cropped very short, but it wasn’t as severe as the shaved style he’d favoured as a student. His jeans were blue rather than black, and his shirt, although crumpled, was smarter than the off-white T-shirts she’d always associated with him. Smarter. He was definitely smarter. A huge brown overcoat, which probably weighed a ton, covered the back view of him almost completely, the heels of his Doc Martens only just visible below the hem.

How come she hadn’t noticed how attractive he was back then? Amy felt taken aback at the alien notion, and abruptly pushed the idea away. Yet that hug …

Amy reined in and dismissed her wild flight of fancy as Paul returned with their refreshments. After they’d covered a wide range of comfortable reminiscences and laughed heartily at their past selves, Amy brought the conversation back up-to-date.

‘So, is anyone special waiting for you back on site?’

Paul pushed his cup aside. ‘No. No one’s twiddling their trowel and pining for my return.’

‘That’s not like you.’

Paul regarded Amy as if she was nuts. ‘I’m not stuck in a timewarp, Amy. I’m thirty-four. That pretty much makes me the father figure. I’m the oldest guy on site by at least five years. It’s the twenty-something’s that have the trowel-twiddlers waiting for them these days.’

‘But surely …’ Amy was genuinely shocked. She was so sure that things would have been just as she’d left them. ‘You must meet heaps of nice people.’

‘Sure I do. I have many friends, both male and female, right across the world.’

Amy wasn’t quite sure why she pushed further, ‘But no one special?’

‘Not since uni.’ Paul sighed, not sure if he was ready to go where this conversation might take them.

‘Uni?’ Amy couldn’t believe it. This was Paul. The guy every girl had wanted to date back then. Well, every girl bar her. Yet none of the string of young women he’d dated had ever lasted more than a fortnight, and for the life of her, Amy couldn’t remember if Paul had especially liked any of them. ‘Who was that then? You never said at the time.’

Paul hesitated, before taking the easy way out, ‘You never met her. Let’s go and explore. Gallery, museum, or a walk in the park?’ …..

***

hearts

If you fancy finding what finds out next, or how much had to happened before Amy and Paul caught up with each other after years of being apart, you can buy Another Cup of Coffee as an e-book or a paperback from…

 

 

Happy almost Valentine’s Day,

Jenny xx

Guest Post from Sue Moorcroft: What use is Social Media to Writers?

I’d like to welcome Sue Moorcroft to my site today. Sue, a fellow Accent author, who has written a huge selection of wonderful novels, is addressing a question I am often asked myself.

Over to you Sue…

Sue Moorcroft

I’m frequently asked by writers who use social media very little or not at all ‘What use is social media? Wouldn’t the time you spend on Twitter and Facebook be better spent writing?’

Social media works well for me. I do keep a close watch on how much time I spend on it and the more under pressure I am the less you’ll see me online. But …

1 What use is social media?

  • Readers can contact me. I feel privileged to be writing in an era where someone can read one of my books then, in a couple of clicks, tell me that they enjoyed it. It’s not just that there are few things that give me more pleasure than readers enjoying my books, it’s that the reader can get into conversation with me if they wish. They can feed back about what they think of the book compared with another or ask me questions created in their minds by reading my book.
  • Promotion. I can tell readers about special offers or when a new book’s out. This is, obviously, not just a service to readers – it helps my book sales.
  • Increasing traffic to my blog. Whenever I post on my own blog a link automatically appears on Twitter, Facebook, Google+, LinkedIn etc. Others share the information. (Likewise when I publish my newsletter.)
  • Information. I read social media as well as contribute. I pick up interesting articles about writing, publishing or world events.
  • Research. Some of my research isn’t so much about facts as about public opinions and feelings. The zeitgeist. On social media I can ask, ‘If you’re in your thirties, would you expect to split the bill on a first date?’ The resulting conversation arms me with a view of modern manners in this particular area. Or I can ask for help from someone with a particular job, condition or experience, to learn how it feels to be that person.
  • Networking. Via social media I have been invited to appear at literary festivals, give talks, run workshops, do appraisals, write guest posts on blogs (including this one) and submit my work.
  • Profile. Visibility. Discoverability. Presence. Utilising social media I can, to some extent, promote and influence all of these.

Sue Moorcroft covers

2 Wouldn’t the time you spend on Twitter and Facebook be better spent writing?

No, not in my opinion. See above.

Supplementary notes

    • Publishers and agents have never asked me questions 1 or 2!
    • Publishers and agents are often keenly interested in the visibility, of otherwise, of a writer’s social media platform.
    • I limit my time on social media but usually work on it at intervals throughout a day.
    • I enjoy it. Not every writer does enjoy it and not every writer does it.

 

  • Google+: google.com/+Suemoorcroftauthor
  • Facebook sue.moorcroft.3 and https://www.facebook.com/SueMoorcroftAuthor
  • Website: www.suemoorcroft.com (where you can sign up for her newsletter)
  • Sue’s latest book: The Wedding Proposal
  • Sue also writes short stories, serials, articles, writing ‘how to’ and is a competition judge and creative writing tutor.
  • Award winning author Sue Moorcroft writes romantic novels of dauntless heroines and irresistible heroes. The Wedding Proposal, Dream a Little Dream and Is this Love? were all nominated for Readers’ Best Romantic Read Awards. Love & Freedom won the Best Romantic Read Award 2011 and Dream a Little Dream was nominated for a RoNA in 2013. Sue received three nominations at the Festival of Romance 2012, and is a Katie Fforde Bursary Award winner. She’s a past vice chair of the RNA and editor of its two anthologies

Sue Moorcroft- wedding

Thanks, Kay, for inviting me onto your lovely blog.

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Many thanks for sharing such and excellent blog Sue.

Happy reading,

Jenny xx

Guest Post from Georgina Troy: The Graduate

I have another wonderful guest visiting my site today. Please welcome Georgina Troy, an amazing writer, and graduate of the New Writer’s Scheme.

Over to you Georgina…

Georgina Troy - Author Pic

Thank you very much for inviting me to your blog today.

I’ve been a member of the Romantic Novelists’ Association New Writers’ Scheme for a few years and as well as the support I received from more experienced authors, being a member of the New Writers’ Scheme means that each year I could submit a manuscript for a detailed report. These reports were invaluable, they helped me see how I could improve my manuscript and taught me lessons that I continue to use. I believe it was thanks to suggestions from my Reader – always anonymous – and other authors who I met through the Romantic Novelists’ Association that I felt encouraged enough to initially self-publish A Jersey Kiss. This book is a romance set in Jersey about love, loss, refusing to give in, and a mysterious legacy.

Last August I realised a dream to be traditionally published when I signed with Accent Press for the first four books in my Jersey Scene series. It also meant that I graduated from the New Writers’ Scheme to become a full member of the Romantic Novelists’ Association, another dream realised.

A Jersey Affair by Georgina Troy

The second book in the series, A Jersey Affair, will be published by Accent Press soon and earlier this month I delivered, A Jersey Dreamboat, the third book in the series to my wonderful editor. I’m now working on book four.

The blurb:

People say that it’s hard not to fall in love living in the ‘Sunny Isle’ of Jersey, but for Bea Philips, still reeling from a divorce and the loss of her beloved godmother, she’s not sure she can find the time. Between her soon-to-be-ex-husband trying to take away the home she grew up in, surly but attractive builder Luke renovating the house, and her old flame Tom re-appearing at work, she’s worn out!

Is life going to give Bea a break for once…and maybe let her fall in love?

A-Jersey-Kiss-800 (2)

Amazon Link: http://www.amazon.co.uk/Jersey-Kiss-Scene-ebook/dp/B00NSL8DX4/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/GeorginaTroyAuthor

Twitter: https://twitter.com/GeorginaTroy

Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/georginatroy/

Website: http://www.georginatroy.co.uk/

Blog: http://georginatroy.blogspot.co.uk/

Bio: Georgina Troy believes her love of writing was influenced by Father Christmas giving her a typewriter when she was seven. It probably wasn’t the present she was hoping for at the time, but on reflection, maybe it helped focus her imagination while giving her parents a break from her constant chatter. She bases her Jersey Scene series on the island where she lives and when she isn’t daydreaming about gorgeous men or plotlines while walking on one of the many beaches, she’s working on her next book.

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Many thanks for dropping by today Georgina,

Happy reading everyone,

Jenny xx

 

New Novel- Stage 2: Chapter 1-5 and Cover Reveal

Even though I’ve only just started writing the fourth part of the Another Cup of…series, I’m pleased to be able to share the cover of Another Glass of Champagne with you already!!!

Another Glass of Champagne_edited-1

One of the biggest challenges I face when starting a new novel, is actually finding the time to settle down and write those vital first few chapters.

It isn’t that I ever put off writing, or that I am prevaricating. It’s that, like many writers, I’m not working on only one project at a time. I always have a couple of books, all at various stages, on the go- if I didn’t, there would only be one or two new stories a year.

So while I have been cracking on at full throttle with the introduction chapters of Another Glass of Champagne, I’ve also been editing my latest Kay Jaybee book, The New Room, and setting up some marketing promotions for the novel I wrote before Christmas- Abi’s House. You may think this is a hardly unorganised situation, but believe me, it’s totally normal!!

Over the last fortnight, my mornings have been spent drafting out chapters for AGOChampagne, and my afternoons editing New Room- as well as going to work of course.

The introductory chapters of a novel, especially of a sequel, are the ones I find the most difficult to write. It is tricky to get the balance right when you are reintroducing previously established characters for those readers who have read the earlier books in the series, while getting lots of information across about the characters to new readers- without boring the former! (I’m not sure that made sense- but you know what I mean!!). At the same time, it is also vital to move the story along. These factors make writing the first 5 chapters a touch challenge- once they are done however, life is so much less stressful!

Today I hit that wonderful 5 chapters into the novel draft mark (and I finished editing The New Room!)

Tomorrow I can’t wait to crack on with the Chapter 6!!

Happy reading,

Jenny xx

 

 

Accidental Murder – Romancing Robin Hood

The last thing I expected I’d be doing during the drafting of my novel, Romancing Robin Hood was plotting my first murder- and yet, that is exactly what happened.

RRH- new 2015

Perhaps, with a legendary outlaw in the title, it isn’t so surprising that I have found myself sorting out the finer points of a murder mystery- and yet I didn’t see it coming. My intention was to write a ‘feet up on the sofa read’ style modern romance, with an accompanying medieval romance. What I ended up with was a modern romance and a medieval murder mystery!

Romancing Robin Hood’s  secondary story is centred around a real life fourteenth century criminal gang- the Folvilles. This family was based in Ashby-Folville in Leicestershire, but ruled a larger area of the country, which also included Rutland, Northamptonshire, and part of Derbyshire, with a fearful reputation. It was quite fun drawing an easy read map of the Folvilles’ territory to go into the front of Romancing Robin Hood.

Map test run

The Folvilles were one of the criminal family gangs that I researched in-depth when I was a student many moons ago. They were members of the lower nobility, who took crime (both violent and otherwise), as a way of life.

My novels fourteenth century protagonist, Mathilda, has to get to know the Folville family rather better than she would have liked… (you’ll see!!) As well as living with them, she suddenly finds herself under a very frightening type of suspicion…

history-of-ashby-folville I must confess, I’m rather enjoyed weaving this sub plot around the main romance of the modern part of Romancing Robin Hood. I had no idea killing someone off could be so much fun!! It’s like doing a jigsaw from in the inside out, while having no idea where the corners are…

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Blurb

What happens when your love is stuck in the past…
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…

Buy links

Amazon UK – http://www.amazon.co.uk/Romancing-Robin-Hood-Jenny-Kane-ebook/dp/B00M4838S2/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1407428558&sr=8-1&keywords=romancing+robin+hood

Amazon.com – http://www.amazon.com/Romancing-Robin-Hood-love-story-ebook/dp/B00M4838S2/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1409936409&sr=8-1&keywords=romancing+robin+hood

Accent paperback link- http://www.accentpress.co.uk/Book/11599/Romancing-Robin-Hood.html

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Happy reading,

Jenny xx

An Interview with Caroline Dunford- The Euphemia Martins series

I’m welcoming the brilliant Caroline Dunford, author of Euphemia Martins Series, to my site today. Why not grab yourself a cuppa, and sit down for five minutes, and check out this great interview!

 
What inspired you to write your book?

The Euphemia Martins series is one of those ideas that arrived all in a rush but still continues to unfold. The stories are set in a time that I love but with which I also have a very personal connection.

The heart of my novels is inspired by a family legend. My great-grandmother came from a very wealthy background but, after a falling out with her father, was forced to make her own way in the world. Euphemia is forced by the death of her father, and her mother’s estrangement from her own father, an Earl, to also go into service.

CD2

My great-grandmother had the choice of becoming a ‘fallen woman’ or going into service so she chose to enter service as a maid. However, a life of luxury had not prepared her mentally or physically for any kind of work. Her story led to her meeting a handsome tobacconist and a marriage that saw her eventually escape from service and go on to have thirteen children, all of whom survived to adulthood. She never reconciled with her family and stayed poor all her life, but I like to think she was happy. I also think she was an enormously brave woman, and while Euphemia has not (yet) escaped service by marriage, her central characteristics are her bravery, her wits, her innate sense of justice and, of course, the most potent weapon of any virtuous young woman, her scream.

The Euphemia Martins Mysteries are set between 1910 and 1918. It is a time I have long been fascinated by. So much happened and so much changed. Not least the breakdown of the class system and the rise of the Suffragettes. In the decade before WWI the majority of the British population had no idea what was about to happen but, behind the scenes, all the pieces were being lined up for war. During the war itself people at all levels were challenged in terrible ways and certainly the beginning of the end for most of the Great Houses of Britain.

Do you model any of your characters after people you know? If so, do these people see themselves in your characters?

No. My life, and the people I meet, inspire me, but generally the people I know are far too complex and far too odd for any reader to ever believe in them! Euphemia is the only person who has a figure of real world inspiration although, of course, I never met her.

What type of research did you have to do for your book?

I spend a lot of time visiting the Great Houses of Britain (sadly, as a visitor buying a ticket at the door rather than as a guest). I also investigate the major historical incidents and societal shifts that took place during Euphemia’s life. I want to keep my heroine rooted in events of the time. She is not always at the heart of things, but when major incidents, like the sinking of the Titanic, take place it has an effect on her. And then, of course, there is that sneaky spy Fitzroy who has made his way more and more into the novels and led to me investigating the many elements espionage of the time.

Which Point of View do you prefer to write in and why?

I write entirely from Euphemia’s point of view. She is caught between the worlds of upstairs and downstairs and so has a very unique perspective. While she is intelligent, Euphemia is also very naïve and this may mean the reader sees more in her narrative than she herself understands. This is hopefully intriguing, but also often comical. Euphemia is also uniquely placed to comment on what she sees, especially as her deceased father has gifted her with an innate and unshiftable sense of justice in world where the rich can overrule the legal system and the servants (and the poor in general) do not expect to receive justice. Euphemia is an outsider, an unusually modern voice for her time and someone who regularly challenges the rules, not to mention the people around her. However, just because she challenges, it does not always mean she is necessarily successful in her desire to bring justice.

Do you prefer to plot your story or just go with the flow?

I always know the murder mystery at the heart of the novel. I often make reference to historical events, which I have to plan how to weave into the novel. However, as the series develops the characters are taking on much more of a life of their own, and side plots (romance, conflicts, passions etc.) often develop as I am writing the stories. I have to keep the mystery on track, but at the same time allow for the organic development of my somewhat headstrong characters. Bertram, Euphemia, Rory and the slippery Fitzroy are all rather persistent and stubborn characters that push for more and more time in the limelight!

What is your writing regime?

When I am writing a book (which is most of the time) I aim for at least 2,500 words a day. I like to write earlier on in the day, so I know my main work for the day is accomplished. As well as writing I spend a fair amount of time on publicity and social media, as well as research. Writing is often the fun and easy part of my day.

Euphemia Martins Books available

Currently there are six Euphemia books available. In chronological order these are

A Death in the Family

A Death in the Highlands

A Death in the Asylum

A Death in the Wedding Party

A Death in the Pavilion

A Death in the Loch

(A Death for King and Country is will be published very shortly.)

All books are available in both ebook and print form.

Thank you Jenny, for the great interview. I love being able to reach out to my readers.

Links

http://www.accentpress.co.uk/Contributor/10221/Caroline-Dunford.html

https://www.facebook.com/CarolineDunford

Find me on twitter as @verdandiweaves

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Bio

After time spent as a journalist and a psychotherapist I became a full-time author and playwright in 2002. I write murder mysteries, contemporary Scottish romance and YA. My plays cover a variety of subjects from the life of Burke and Hare to what can happen to you if you are an over dedicated Elvis fan!

How we interact as human beings has been a life-long fascination for me, and even led me to do a second degree is psychology. I believe that stories are at the heart of the human condition. We need to tell them to help understand the world and others around us.

I live in a cottage by the sea with my partner, my two young sons and an awful lot of on-going building repairs. I love reading, cooking, chatting with friends and learning.

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Many thanks for such fantastic interview answers Caroline.

Happy reading everyone,

Jenny xx

 

NEW COVERS!!

Not only have I been blessed with a lovely cover for my forthcoming novel Abi’s House, but the team at Accent Press have updated all my other book covers!!

I love them!!

Check these out for my Another Cup of series…

Another Cup of Coffee - New cover 2015ACOChristmas- New 2015CITC- New cover 2015

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

And this new look for Romancing Robin Hood!

RRH- new 2015

Just in case you missed it- here’s the cover for the forthcoming novel, Abi’s House

Abi's House_edited-1

Hope you like the new look for my work as much as I do.

Happy reading,

Jenny xx

 

COVER & BLURB REVEAL- Abi’s House

It’s not long now until my next novel, Abi’s House, will be ready to hit the shelves!

Here is the first glimpse of the cover and blurb!!

Abi's House_edited-1

Blurb

Newly widowed at barely thirty, Abi Carter is desperate to escape the Stepford Wives-style life that Luke, her late husband, had been so keen for her to live.

Abi decides to fulfil a lifelong dream. As a child on holiday in a Cornwall as a child she fell in love with a cottage – the prophetically named Abbey’s House. Now she is going to see if she can find the place again, relive the happy memories … maybe even buy a place of her own nearby?

On impulse Abi sets off to Cornwall, where a chance meeting in a village pub brings new friends Beth and Max into her life. Beth, like Abi, has a life-changing decision to make. Max, Beth’s best mate, is new to the village. He soon helps Abi track down the house of her dreams … but things aren’t quite that simple. There’s the complicated life Abi left behind, including her late husband’s brother, Simon – a man with more than friendship on his mind … Will Abi’s house remain a dream, or will the bricks and mortar become a reality?

 

Pre order links coming soon!!

Happy reading,

Jenny xx

 

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