Jenny Kane & Jennifer Ash

Valentines Day- It’s All Chaucer’s Fault

On February 12, 2014

If it hadn’t been for Geoffrey Chaucer, then it is unlikely that we would connect the celebration of St Valentines Day with romance and love.

In 1382 Chaucer wrote the Parlement of Foules to honour the first anniversary of the engagement of King Richard II to Anne of Bohemia, when they were both only 15 years old. The poem contained the lines…

For this was on seynt Volantynys day, Whan euery bryd comyth there to chese his make.

[“For this was on St. Valentine’s Day, when every bird cometh there to choose his mate.”]

Prior to the publication of Chaucer’s poem, Saint Valentine’s Day had been a religious celebration of a martyr (either Valentine of Rome or Valentine of Terni), and held no romantic links at all. However, writing at a time when romance and courtly love was at its most fashionable, Chaucer’s work quickly caught the public imagination.

Despite February being an unusual month for Chaucer to have written about birds mating, he wasn’t the only medieval author to have positioned such Spring-like antics so early in the year. Three other medieval authors centered their love poems on the allegory of birds mating in connection with St. Valentine’s Day around the same time; Otton de Grandson from Savoy, a knight called Pardo from Valencia, and the English poet John Gower.

Although it is unclear which of these other early Valentine poems came first, they were all widely read, and the connection between St Valentine’s Day on 14^th February, and the joys of chivalrous romance strengthened and grew so much, that soon, the martyred saint himself was all but forgotten.

By the Eighteen century in England, the 14^th February had firmly evolved into an occasion when partners express their love for each other by presenting flowers, chocolates, and other gifts.

In the Nineteenth century, the sending of Valentines cards was so popular that they were becoming a mass produced item; especially in America and Europe, where the tradition continues to expand to this day.

How you’ve enjoyed this very potted history!!

Happy Valentine’s Week,

Jenny xxx

Comfort Reads – What’s Your Book Chocolate?

By Jenny Kane

On February 10, 2014

In Blog, News

I’ve always been a big reader, and it is rare for me to have fewer than four books cued up on my bedside table ready for me to get stuck into.

My literary tastes are wide and diverse- I adore Terry Pratchett. I love Scarlett Thomas, Katie Fforde, Judy Astley and Lisa Jewell. I can’t miss a Colin Dexter or an Elizabeth George, and Arianna Franklin’s work fascinates me- and all for very different reasons.

Sometimes though, rather than tackling a brand new read, you just need some book chocolate. A story, which perhaps you’ve read twenty times before, but which is guaranteed to make you feel better. A book to curl up with on a cold winter day, after a bad day, or when you just need to read something that you don’t have to think about, because you already know everything is going to be okay!

My number one- “Oh hell it’s been a crap day I need to feel better book”- is The Rose Revived by Katie Fforde. My copy is in a pretty poor state of repair, and several of the pages are stuck back in with sellotape! I know exactly what is going to happen- and I love that fact. I love that I can read the pages with the feeling that I’m indulging in a coffee and an extra bar of chocolate with friends.

When I was a child my book equivalent of a comfy pair of slippers was Winnie-The-Pooh, and as a teenager it was The Hooded Man (Robin of Sherwood) by Anthony Horowitz (a fact that won’t surprise you in light of my current WIP- Romancing Robin Hood!!)

When I decided to take the leap from writing erotica to contemporary romance, my main aim was to produce a book that would make people feel better. To write a story that would sit on a bookshelf, ready to be pulled out in a ‘I need cheering up’ emergency- but without being twee!

So you can imagine how delighted I was when I braved a look at Another Cup of Coffee on Amazon the other day to find this comment nestled inside a 5 star review- “…its like a hug in a book…” (The full review is available here- http://www.amazon.co.uk/Another-Cup-Of-Coffee-contemporary-ebook/dp/B00EVYZC7M/ref=sr_1_1?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1390980980&sr=1-1&keywords=another+cup+of+coffee )

Whether any copy of Another Cup of Coffee will ever get into such a loved mess as my volume of The Rose Revived remains to be seen- but I hope so!!

Do you have a favourite book to cheer you up, or relax you after a tough day? I’d love to hear about it.

Happy Reading

Jenny xx

Blurb Reveal- Romancing Robin Hood

By Jenny Kane

On February 5, 2014

In Blog, News

I’m delighted to be able to announce that the writing of my next Jenny Kane, Romancing Robin Hood, novel is well under way!

This time I’m taking a step away from the Pickwicks’ Coffee Shop setting in Richmond, that has been the home to my last two works (Another Cup of Coffee and Another Cup of Christmas), and am moving northwards to the Midlands of England- specifically Leicester, Nottingham, and Sherwood forest…

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…

****

Robin Hood Statue – Nottingham

Part contemporary romance, and part historical mystery adventure, Romancing Robin Hood should (I hope!!), raise a smile, warm the heart, and keep you on the edge of your seat all at the same time!!!

More news soon!

Happy reading,

Jenny xx

Towering Moment

By Jenny Kane

On January 28, 2014

In Blog, News

A weekend off work is a rare thing in the Kane household. If I’m not working then my husband is, and the children are forever drowning in homework. So it was a treat to head off bright and early on Saturday morning to London to visit a National landmark I have so far neglected in my quest to visit every castle in the UK.

The Tower of London was built on the instructions of William the Conqueror shortly after his capture of the English throne in 1066.
I thought I knew what to expect when we got there. The White Tower full of armour, ravens and the famous macabre torture devices. What I didn’t expect was the sheer size of the palace and its grounds, slap bang in the middle of the capital city.

The vast amount of armour on display in the White Tower is mind blowing
To see the actual armour worn by King Henry VIII was incredible enough- but never will I forget my daughter turning to me and asking, at the top of her voice, ‘Why did he have penis armour?’ And nor will the bloke who was standing behind us, who choked on the bottle of water he was drinking at the time!

Just standing on the notorious scaffold green, it is so easy to imagine the fear of those waiting to meet their fate at the hand of a sword wielding executioner. The very walls of the Bloody Tower hum with the feel of hopelessness and a stubborn desperation of belief. The figures of Anne Boleyn, Jane Boleyn, and the heart breakingly manipulated Lady Jane Grey, will forever be remembered for going to their deaths there.

It’s no secret that I am passionate about history, and discovering how the actions of our ancestors got us to where we are today- which brings me to why I’m sharing my weekend away with you on my blog. In the Bloody Tower, where many a prisoner was held while their lives were literally held in the balance, the walls are etched with scratch after scratch of graffiti.

Some of these messages are pleas to God for help, others are words of bravado and defiance, while some simply engraved their names and or the dates of their incarceration. One of these names belonged to a man called Thomas Folvill. (The photograph shows a reproduction of the original marks that are too faint to photograph properly)

So what you say?

Well, the Folville family had a long history of violence and criminal behaviour- so long in fact that it can be traced right back to the time of the Robin Hood ballads…

Was this Thomas Folvill part of the same side of the family as the notorious Fourteenth Century? I intend to find out…

And why do you need to know about the Folville family at all?

Well- when my next novel comes out, you’ll find out!

Happy reading,

Jenny x

Author Patrick Whitehurst Gets His Mystery On

By Jenny Kane

On January 22, 2014

In Blog, News

Hi, everyone! Thank you to Jenny Kane for having me on her site to talk about the mystery genre and writing – two subjects dear to my heart.

I think most of us have a special place for mysteries, whether that’s watching “Sherlock” or reading “Gone Girl,” which we’re all hoping will be a kick-ass movie this year.

I got into mysteries in the 1970s as a kid, with “Columbo” and “The Rockford Files,” then “Simon and Simon” and “Magnum P.I.” in the 80s. From there I veered into print mysteries, where I fell in love with Sherlock Holmes and Poirot, then Sam Spade and Phillip Marlowe. Pulp novels quickly became a fascination with me, from Tarzan to The Shadow, and later with modern pulps like The Executioner, The Destroyer and the Nick Carter: Killmaster series.

These days I read nearly everything I can get my hands on, including favorites like Stieg Larsson and James Ellroy, and many, many others. And, while I get turned on by all of them, I’ve found many recent works lack a certain element of fun and, on top of that, a thrilling sense of adventure. I decided to change that when I sat down to write the Barker Mysteries.

Barker is sort of a blend of characters: Holmes meets Tarzan in a way – but he is a man with no memory of his past. He lives with a pack of dogs under Old Fisherman’s Wharf in Monterey, California, and ends up in various situations, from kidnappings to murder plots and everything in between. More than anything, I wanted “Monterey Noir” and “Monterey Pulp” to bring readers into a world of adventure and intrigue, with a little romantic flair thrown in, and not leave them too “heavy” when it’s over.

I also chose to make my lead character a homeless man in the hopes that I could present that segment of our population in a way that might surprise readers. I created a strong, handsome detective who lives on the fringes of society. He’s a homeless man, but not someone to pity.

Both Noir and Pulp hit Amazon and other digital novel sites in 2013. Currently, “Monterey Confidential,” the third entry in the series, sits on my desktop as a work in progress. Unlike the first two, which contain a number of short mysteries that connect to the larger story, Confidential will be a single, longer story that brings Barker face to face with a man from his cloudy past. He’ll also leave his comfort zone of California, for the hot desert of Arizona.

And that’s the great thing about mysteries, whether fun or heavy, the genre is wide open – and as popular as ever – something I should probably thank Benedict Cumberbatch for providing!

****

About Patrick Whitehurst

Patrick Whitehurst is an award-winning journalist, artist and author of the Barker Mysteries, first released in 2013 by Deerstalker Editions – a small press publisher based out of San Francisco.

Besides Monterey Noir and Monterey Pulp, he’s written two regional non-fiction books for Arcadia Publishing in their Images of America series. His books, “Williams” and “Grand Canyon’s Tusayan Village,” focus on the rich history found in the two Grand Canyon gateway communities. His fiction has appeared in various anthologies and newspapers around the country.

Over the years, Whitehurst has served as president for the Northern Arizona Authors Association and worked as a book reviewer for Kirkus Discoveries.

Visit Patrick online at www.patrickwhitehurst.blogspot.com for his thoughts on writing, writers, excerpts, and more.

*****

Many thanks for coming to visit today Patrick!! I love that you love Columbo (one of my earliest TV memories) and Sherlock!! Gotta love a bit of Benedict!!

Happy reading,

Jenny xx

Why Robin Hood?

By Jenny Kane

On January 20, 2014

In Blog, News

Once upon a time, when the world was young, I was a very shy teenager.

I was also a bit- shall we say unusual? I suspect the words ‘odd’ and ‘eccentric’ would be more accurate, but I’ll let you make your own mind up on that!!!

I never did the pop or film star crush thing. Never had pictures of Duran Duran or Wham on my wall. Adam Ant didn’t look up at me from my pencil case, and I did not wake up to see a life sized poster of Morrissey’s backside complete with gladioli (or whatever flower it was) sticking out of his backside!!

Nor was I into the Pac Man craze (I am so giving my age away here!), and the background to Manic Minor drove me nuts! I didn’t buy Jackie, or indulge in spending my money on Cosmopolitan.

It wasn’t that I didn’t like music or playing the odd game of tennis on the Atari- but I had a different sort of fascination.

Cast of Robin of Sherwood

Robin Hood!!

I know what you’re thinking- you’re thinking that I had a crush on Jason Connery or Michael Praed- but nope. Sorry- neither of those lovely boys are my type at all.

It all started because I was ill for ages and ages when I was 14. I missed a lot of school. But as always in life, timing is everything- and I was saved by an instant and unshakeable love for the series of Robin of Sherwood that was being aired on ITV at the time. It was the third series- I hadn’t seen either of the first two. (I have now- lots!) As I was at home so much, my parents rented one of those new fangled video recorders from Radio Rentals so I could record stuff and watch it when I liked. (Thanks Mum and Dad- still grateful for that!!)

The VCR arrived the same day as the episode of Robin of Sherwood called Adam Bell was aired- I recorded it and watched it 8 times the next day- and then again, and again and again. Now- over 20 years later- I can still quote the script!! (Okay- that’s nothing to be proud of- see- I’m a bit odd!!)

It wasn’t the tight tights that had captured my heart though- it was the story. The whole story. All of it. I wanted to know everything- EVERYTHING- that could possibly be known about Robin Hood. No film, book (nonfiction or fiction), was safe from me.

Errol Flynn- The Adventures of Robin Hood

My walls disappeared under posters of RH- any posters- from Errol Flynn, to Richard Greene, to the statue up in Nottingham, to the gorgeous Ray Winstone who played Will Scarlet (Okay- you have me there- I had – still do- have a ‘thing’ for Ray Winstone- there is such a twinkle in those eyes!!!)

The interest became an obsession (In RH not Ray Winstone). When I was better my parents took me to Sherwood- I learnt archery, I read medieval political poems and ballads- I wanted to know the truth- did he exist or didn’t he?

I did a project on RH for my A’ level History. Then I went to university and did a specialist course in Medieval Castle and Ecclesiastical Architecture…I was a medieval junky!! It seemed only natural to do a PhD on the subject- and that is exactly what I did!

Robin Hood Statue- Nottingham

By this time of course, I was pretty certain how and why the RH legend had begun- but I wanted to know who had influenced it into the form we know today, and how the real recorded crimes and daily life of the thirteenth and fourteenth century had affected those stories… (forget thinking RH was around with Richard I or King John- it ain’ happening!!)

It was my PhD that taught me to write- (a tome of epic proportions that is still knocking around my old Uni library gathering dust, while e-versions of it are scattered around many American Universitys). Rather than finish off my love of RH- my PhD polished it to perfection!! (Although nothing could make me like the latest BBC series or the Russell Crowe film- both just made me want to scream they were so bad.)

Ray Winstone

I guess it was only a matter of time before I decided to write a novel about a Robin Hood obsessed historian…you have been warned!!!

Happy reading

Jenny

xxx

My Writing Process – Blog Tour

By Jenny Kane

On January 13, 2014

In Blog, News

I’m delighted to have been invited to take part the “My Writing Process Blog Tour”

Many thanks to Jane Jackson ( www.janejackson.net ) for asking me along to answer a few questions about my writing life.
1) What am I working on?

I have just- literally moments ago- started work on my second romance novel- Romancing Robin Hood.
2) How does my work differ from others of its genre?

I’ve been told that my romance differs from others as it is “romantic without being sweet, and lovely without being twee.” I hope that’s right!

Romancing Robin Hood is different to most of the romances out at the moment because it covers 2 time periods at the same time- today, and fourteenth century England. Here’s an exclusive bit of background…

Dr Grace Harper is a researcher and lecturer in Medieval History- obsessed about the legend of Robin Hood from an early age, she is in the process of writing her magnum opus- a book all about a real medieval criminal gang, who Grace firmly believes, gave birth to the Robin Hood legend. However, she is also writing a novel about the same subject- but so far only her best friend Daisy knows what she’s up to. If her Head of Department finds out Grace isn’t spending her non-teaching time entirely on her text book, he will not be pleased.

Life, students, and Daisy’s unexpected wedding – for which Daisy has ordered Grace to be bridesmaid- keep getting in the way of Grace’s research into the life of her fourteenth century protagonist – Mathilda.

To add to her distractions, Dr Robert Franks, a new lecturer at a rival University has asked Grace to be an examiner for one of his PhD students. Grace reluctantly agrees- but only because he has access to some original documents that she hopes will take her deeper into Mathilda’s world…

3) Why do I write what I do?

My main rule when it comes to choosing what to write is that I must be fascinated by the subject. Although I rarely follow the old adage that a writer should write about what they already know, with my first romantic novel, Another Cup of Coffee, I did just that. Focusing on my student life as an archaeologist, and my massive addiction to coffee stops, it was great fun rewriting my own past with ‘what might have been’!!

For Romancing Robin Hood I have again decided to dig into a bygone part of my life. Once upon a time I used to teach medieval history…

I should hastily add, that when I am writing erotica as Kay Jaybee, my real life is well and truly left alone!!
4) How does your writing process work?

I have a strict routine when it comes to my writing. Every day I set off to my local coffee shop. I write there for the 2 hours, before coming home and concentrating on my ‘real’ job until one o’clock, before heading back to the café for more writing.

Although it’s a rather old fashioned practice, I write a rough draft of all my novels on paper first, before expanding them on the computer. Then I print out what I’ve produced, and rewrite it! It’s a long process, but it helps me polish my work as I go.

Next Monday you’ll be able to read all about the writing processes of Laura Wilkinson, Primula Bond and Rachel Brimble! Enjoy!!

Laura Wilkinson-

Laura is a writer, reader, wife and mother to ginger boys. She grew up in rural Wales. After hedonistic years in Manchester and London, she winged her way to sunny Brighton. She describes herself as two writers in one body: writing general fiction as Laura Wilkinson and erotic romance as L. C. She has published short stories in magazines, digital media and anthologies, and two novels, with another two scheduled for publication this year: hot romance, All of Him, and contemporary fiction, Public Battles, Private Wars – the story of a young miner’s wife set against the backdrop of the 1984/85 strike. As well as writing fiction, she works as an editor for literary consultancy, Cornerstones. www.laura-wilkinson.co.uk

Primula Bond –

Primula Bond has been writing erotic novels and short stories for 20 years for Black Lace, Xcite Books and Mischief as well as offering editorial advice to aspiring writers for Writers Workshop and at the York Writing Festival Her Unbreakable Trilogy, an erotic romance involving Serena Folkes and Gustav Levi published by Avon at Harper Collins, is currently in the Amazon charts. www.primulabond.blogspot.com

Rachel Brimble-

Rachel lives with her husband and two young daughters in a small town near Bath in the UK. She writes contemporary romance and romantic suspense for Harlequin Superromance and Victorian romance for eKensington. She likes nothing more than connecting and chatting with readers and fellow romance writers. She would love to hear from you! http://www.rachelbrimble.com/

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Happy reading everyone,

Jenny xx

Temporarily Going Cold Turkey

By Jenny Kane

On January 5, 2014

In Blog, News

I’ve had two weeks off!! Two whole weeks!

Sounds like bliss doesn’t it? And- it was. I had my first full fourteen days off since I started to write 9 years ago this Christmas. It was wonderful to have my little computer stashed away over the festive season and New Year, and to do what I’ve been promising my long suffering, and incredibly patient, family for years- leave my pen and pencil alone.

However, as any writer will tell you, leaving your stories behind for a while isn’t that straight forward. The fingers might not be hovering over the keyboard, the hand might not be gripping the pen, but turning off the imagination is a tougher proposition altogether!

Before the turkey had turned cold my head was at saturation point with new ideas dancing around my brain. I’ve lost count of the nights I have managed to sleep this Christmas without waking up with an idea nagging at my head to be scribbled down.

By Day 6 my fingers were actually itching for movement and the familiar hold of my pen, and I could feel my usual calm temper cracking. I felt a bit like a recently quitted smoker who yearns to hold a cigarette even if they don’t intend to smoke it!

On Day 7 I took action- away I went to the wool shop and bought some wool. I’ve never knitted so fast in my life! Every time I felt the urge to write I knitted a line of something- not sure what- probably a very long wide scarf- possibly a blanket…I’ll see how it looks when the wool runs out…

By Day 12 I was sneaking ideas down in a notebook when no one was looking. By Day 13 I found I’d accidentally written the chapter plan for a novel I won’t have time to write until the end of the year at the earliest!

But thankfully- for the sake of my sanity and my families- today is Day 14- and my beautiful children are back off to school tomorrow. You probably think I’ll be cheering them off as they disappear with their bags and their lunch boxes, but I’ll really miss them. They however have decided that Mum is a lot nicer to have around if she has a pen in her hand!

Next Christmas I am definitely not going cold turkey writing wise- I think a week of slowly writing less and less each day until I take just one week off would be much more sensible!! It’s either that, or I break the world scarf knitting record!!

Coffee time I think- and on with my latest novel…

Happy Reading Everyone,

Jenny xx

Happy New Year!!

By Jenny Kane

On January 1, 2014

In Blog, News

Is it me, or did Christmas come and go with even more lightening speed than usual this year?

I hope you all had a wonderful break, and are kicking off 2014 with good health and wide smiles.

2013 was my very first year as Jenny Kane- and what a start I had!

Another Cup of Coffee spent weeks in the Amazon Best Sellers, and it’s mini festive sequel Another Cup of Christmas hit the Amazon short stories Best Sellers lists!!!

So what does 2014 bring for Jenny Kane???

Well- a new novel is on its way, and I’m planning a few story stories… watch this space…

Thank you for all your support in 2013!!

Happy Reading,

Jenny xx

Merry Christmas!!

By Jenny Kane

On December 23, 2013

In Blog, News

I’ve just dropped my bags of last minute shopping, and am putting off baking yet another batch of mince pies so I can come and wish you all…

I’ve had a wonderful first six months writing as Jenny Kane- and I’d like to thank all of you for your support- especially if you have purchased either Another Cup of Coffee, or its seasonal sequel, Another Cup of Christmas!!

Next year is already looking like it is going to be jammed packed with new books- so watch this space!!

In the meantime, have a lovely holiday, and I hope Father Christmas brings you joy, happiness, books, and lot and lots of smiles.

Jenny xx

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