Jenny Kane & Jennifer Ash

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

Tag: novel Page 11 of 17

Interview with Rachel Dove: Competitions and Beyond

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On April 25, 2016

In Blog, Contemporary fiction, Contemporary Romantic Fiction, Fiction, Interview

I’m delighted to have Rachel Dove popping for a cuppa today- maybe some cake- and a chatter about her new writing adventure.

Over to you Rachel…

coffee and cake

What inspired you to write your book?

At the time, my husband owned a sunbed shop next to a dog groomers, and one day while I was helping out there, the idea of two shop owners came to me. I had just seen the competition in Prima, so I took pen to paper right there and started writing.

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

Grace and Marlene, two of the characters in The Chic Boutique are the real names of my grandmothers, and parts of them are incorporated in the characters. Other than that, I make up my characters from scratch.

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

I love small villages and have been to Haworth lots of times, and even where I live is quite rural, so I had a head start creating Westfield, but I did have to do a lot of research on chickens, birthing calves and general vet knowledge, which was fascinating!

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

I am a bit of a rogue that way, I tend to play with the pieces in my head away from the computer, till they fit, then I draw up character profiles and plot plans, so a bit of both really.

What is your writing regime?

I recently took a year off from teaching to write, but I wrote Chic Boutique in three months, over the summer holidays too, when both of my boys were home, so Chic Boutique was pretty much a full on writing adventure. These days, I tend to aim for 500 words minimum a day, but aim for more. I also enter competitions regularly, and read a lot of books and magazines. I have a clippings file where I keep things that could be made into stories, writers tips etc, and I have done this since my twenties, so I have a fair few ideas!

 What excites you the most about your book?

Where to start? I am really excited for people to read it, to get to know my characters, and hopefully they will love them as much as I do. I think the moment I see my book out there, on shelves in shops, will be something I will remember forever.

If you were stranded on a desert island with three other people, fictional or real, who would they be and why?

I would have to say my husband Peter and our two boys. I just don’t work without them.

***

Links

https://racheldoveauthor.wordpress.com/

https://www.facebook.com/Rachel-Dove-Author-373524896089079/?ref=bookmarks

Twitter: @writerdove

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Chic-Boutique-Baker-Street-Mills-ebook/dp/B018DKIWTE

Rachel Dove

Bio

I am a wife, mother of two boys, degree student, avid reader and writer of words. I sometimes sleep, always have eye bags and dream of retiring to a big white house in Cornwall, with 2 shaggy dogs and a load of chickens, drinking wine on my seafront balcony whilst creating works of romantic fiction. All done with immaculate make up and floaty dresses. In the meantime I nearly always remember to brush my hair, seldom have time to look in a mirror and write many, many to-do lists.

The Chic Boutique on Baker Street is my debut novel from Mills & Boon, and the winning entry of the 2015 Prima Magazine and Mills & Boon Flirty Fiction Competition.

***

Many thanks for stopping by today Rachel. Congratulations on such a terrific win!

Happy reading,

Jenny x

From Coffee to Champagne: The End of the Pickwicks Saga

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On April 17, 2016

In Blog, Contemporary fiction, Contemporary Romantic Fiction, Fiction, Romance

As I finish proofing the final rounds of the type-set copy of Another Glass of Champagne (pre-order now available), I can’t help wonder what life is going to be like without Jack, Amy, Kit and Megan to keep me company.

Another Glass Of Champagne

The crew from Pickwicks Coffee House and their friends have lived in the back of mind for a very long time.

It took me 13 years before I had the courage to develop the story of Amy Crane, from her journey as self-imposed recluse in Scotland, to a braver person, prepared to face the demons she’d once run away from, in Richmond, London.

Originally Another Cup of Coffee– which was published by Accent Press in 2013- was entitled Coffee Stops. It went through many incarnations before it turned into the fully formed novel it is today. At the time I believed it was a one off novel. I never dreamt it would lead to one Christmas themed sequel- let alone three. (Another Cup of Christmas, Christmas in the Cotswolds, Christmas at the Castle). I have been incredibly lucky!

The Pickwicks regulars have proved more popular than I could ever have imagined. After the first book in the series it turned out to be bad boy Jack who was the character who the majority of readers wanted to hear more about. So, in Another Glass of Champagne, it is Jack who takes centre stage…although Kit, Amy and the others are all engaged on their own adventures as well…

Blurb

A warm-hearted, contemporary tale about a group of friends living in a small corner of busy London, by bestselling author Jenny Kane.

Fortysomething Amy is shocked and delighted to discover she’s expecting a baby – not to mention terrified! Amy wants best friend Jack to be godfather, but he hasn’t been heard from in months.

When Jack finally reappears, he’s full of good intentions – but his new business plan could spell disaster for the beloved Pickwicks Coffee Shop, and ruin a number of old friendships… Meanwhile his love life is as complicated as ever – and yet when he swears off men for good, Jack meets someone who makes him rethink his priorities…but is it too late for a fresh start?

Author Kit has problems of her own: just when her career has started to take off, she finds herself unable to write – and there’s a deadline looming, plus two headstrong kids to see through their difficult teenage years…will she be able to cope?

A follow-up to the runaway success Another Cup of Coffee.

***

Another Glass of Champagne will be released on 9th June! You can pre-order it on from all good book retailers, including-

http://www.amazon.co.uk/s/ref=nb_sb_noss?url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=Another+Glass+of+Champagne+Jenny+Kane

http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss/188-7813436-7626710?url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=Another+Glass+of+Champagne+Jenny+Kane

Another Cup of Coffee - New cover 2015

It isn’t vital to have read the previous four stories (especially the Christmas novellas), but if you want to read the very beginning of Amy, Jack and Kit’s story, you can find it here-

Another Cup of Coffee –mybook.to/cupcoffee 

Happy reading,

Jenny xx

Novel Progress 11: Almost there….

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On April 9, 2016

In Blog, Contemporary fiction, Contemporary Romantic Fiction, Fiction

The end is in sight…

From the initial notes in my notebook, through to the first draft, edit, re-edits, editors proofs, and now- with the pre-order option available on Amazon, I am at the penultimate stage of the production line for my latest novel- Another Glass of Champagne.

Stage 11 is triple checking the typeset proofs.

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However hard a writer or editor works, there will always be errors in a novel. How can there not be when there are (usually) over 90,000 words involved? It’s impossible to catch every single typo- although I wish we could! Checking through the typeset version of our work is the very last chance to spot those errors.

I’m about halfway through at the moment, and have found about a dozen little mistakes- misplaced comma, a ‘be’ where there should be a ‘me,’ etc…

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Once I’ve read the typeset then that’s it- there is nothing I can do! My novel is out of my hands. It is a weird feeling-  to no longer have control over all the words my imagination conjured up for my fingers to reproduce on my laptop screen. It is also a touch frustrating, because I know that somehow, during the printing process, new mistakes will appear that have nothing to do with me or my editor. The computer involved with printing will just ‘correct things.’ It happens- and we have to accept it- but it is annoying!

However! Printer errors aside, this is an exciting time- because the only stage left is number twelve – publication!

Roll on 9th June!! I can’t wait to see the final episode of Amy, Kit, Jack, Peggy and Megan’s story reach the world.

AGOC

If you’d like to pre-order the book/download, then you can via all Amazon sites, including-

http://www.amazon.co.uk/s/ref=nb_sb_noss?url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=Another+Glass+of+Champagne+Jenny+Kane

http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss/188-7813436-7626710?url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=Another+Glass+of+Champagne+Jenny+Kane

Happy reading,

Jenny x

 

 

Guest Post from Jeff Gardiner: Pica

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On April 7, 2016

In Blog, Contemporary fiction, Fiction

I’m delighted to welcome Jeff Gardiner to my site today to talk about his brand new novel, Pica, which is to be officially launched next week at the London Book Fair!

Over to you Jeff…

Pica Final

Hi Jenny. Thanks for having me on your blog – I really appreciate it. I’m really excited about my new book Pica, published by Accent Press. The book is already out but it gets its official launch at the London Book Fair on April 12th.

Pica is a novel about our relationship with the natural world. I’ve always been inspired by nature, wildlife and the great outdoors, and assumed that everyone feels the same way. It seems they don’t. We are in fact destroying our planet due to our consumerism, overpopulation, pollution and greed. Leonardo DiCaprio reminded us in his Oscar speech not to take planet Earth for granted. There’s lots in the news at the moment about deforestation occurring due to the over-reliance on palm oil. In the UK we are considering our membership of the European Union, and this may well affect future environmental policies, which probably need countries to work closely together.

Early humans had a closer relationship with nature, animals and plants. What if we could rediscover that relationship in our modern world? Luke meets Guy who seems to have the ability to draw animals towards him. What is this strange boy’s secret? As Luke learns more, he realises that the natural world can unlock a special magic that gives people powers he could never have imagined.

I was also keen to make this novel – the first in the Gaia trilogy – a fantasy. Fantasy literature allows us to use our imaginations in our understanding of reality. Luke discovers powers that many of us can only dream about, so there is also a sense of wish-fulfilment alongside the serious environmental message.

I even have a cover quote from fantasy author, Michael Moorcock, who read it and wrote, “One of the most charming fantasy novels I’ve read in years. An engrossing and original story, beautifully told. Wonderful!”

picanewrel

Extract

The snake moved its head, flicked its long tongue over Guy’s hand and unbelievably slithered its head voluntarily over it, allowing him to lift its whole body off the ground. I couldn’t believe the size of it: it must have been about a metre long.

“Grief! He’s a monster,” I said, aghast.

“It’s a female,” Guy replied, matter-of-factly.

“I didn’t know we had snakes that big in this country.”

“Oh yeah. She’s a grass snake.”

I started to feel less nervous as Guy handled the creature like a pet. He tickled its throat and allowed the snake to dart its tongue all over his face.

“Ah, it just licked my eye!” Guy giggled with delight.

“Are you okay?”

“Course. It’s not actually licking me. It uses its tongue to smell and sense things.”

I looked on, stunned. The image before me of this odd, shy boy holding a massive snake made my head spin. What the hell was going on?

“Can I hold her? I mean, do you think she’ll let me?” I couldn’t believe I was saying it.

“I’m not sure.” Guy’s forehead wrinkled somewhat. “She might dart off suddenly, or even —”

“What?”

“Give it a try,” Guy slowly passed over the serpent. I tried to copy what he did. I placed one hand behind the snake’s eyes and put the other hand under the heaviest part of its body. It wasn’t slimy at all. Its skin was smooth and silky. It shifted and I could feel the tightening of muscles as it moved. I got concerned when the snake began to thrash about as if struggling to escape my grip, and I had visions of giant fangs engulfing my face and of venom being stabbed into my eyes, when the creature suddenly went limp and fell from my arms into an inert pile on the floor.

“Oh God! I think I’ve killed it! What the hell happened? I didn’t do anything. What’s going on?”

I looked at Guy who was studying me intently. I expected him to attack me and accuse me of murder, when I realised he was holding his stomach with laughter.

“What’s so funny?”

“Thanatosis.”

“What?”

“Classic grass snake behaviour. It’s a predation defence mechanism. It’s playing dead.”

“What? Pretending?”

“Yeah. It saw you as a threat and to avoid being eaten it’s now playing dead. Any sensible predator will give up and find something fresh to eat. Get closer and try smelling it.”

Without questioning him, I bent down and took in a big whiff. Big mistake. The snake smelt worse than a stink bomb.

“Oh man! That is rank.”

“It’s very clever.” Guy gazed on with admiration. “It smells like a rotting carcass. Perhaps we should leave her now and she can go back to her nest.”

“I hadn’t realised such amazing things were happening all around us every day.”

***

Blurb

Pica explores a world of ancient magic, when people and nature shared secret powers.

Luke hates nature, preferring the excitement of computer games to dull walks in the countryside, but his view of the world around him drastically begins to change when enigmatic loner, Guy, for whom Luke is reluctantly made to feel responsible, shows him some of the secrets that the very planet itself appears to be hiding from modern society.

Set in a very recognisable world of school and the realities of family-life, Luke tumbles into a fascinating world of magic and fantasy where transformations and shifting identities become an escape from the world. Luke gets caught up in an inescapable path that affects his very existence, as the view of the world around him drastically begins to change.

***

Jeff’s website

Accent Press

WHSmith

Barnes & Noble

Amazon UK

Amazon US

Amazon Australia

JeffGardiner1

About Jeff

Jeff Gardiner is the author of four novels (Pica, Igboland, Myopia and Treading On Dreams), a collection of short stories, and a work of non-fiction. Many of his short stories have appeared in anthologies, magazines and websites.

“Reading is a form of escapism, and in Gardiner’s fiction, we escape to places we’d never imagine journeying to.” (A.J. Kirby, ‘The New Short Review’)

For more information, please see his website at www.jeffgardiner.com and his blog: http://jeffgardiner.wordpress.com/

***

Many thanks for such a great blog Jeff.

Happy reading,

Jenny x

Guest Post from Rachel Brimble: The Victorian Era…Why I Love It

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On March 18, 2016

In Fiction, Historical fiction, Romance

Today I’m delighted to welcome my friend, and fabulous romance writer, Rachel Brimble, to my blog to talk about her new novel.

Over to you Rachel…

Rachel Brimble- cover

The Victorian era…why I love it

Her One True Love is my fourth Victorian romance with eKensington/Lyrical Press. I adore the Victorian era because so much more than the potential for romance inspires me from that time.

All my Victorian romances are set in and around the famous city of Bath, England––which is just a short thirty minute drive from where I live. During the late 19th century, there were many social, economical, industrial and even sexual changes happening. The first whispers of the women’s revolution had begun to circulate…not that many men noticed until around 1903 when The Women’s Social and Political Union was founded.

The leaders and supporters of the group began to cause a stir––marching and petitioning for their right to vote. This is marked as a hugely significant and respected time for women. Men had no choice but to sit up and take notice.

But the actual change in women and how they were viewed started years before the press and public were forced to listen to what they had to say.

The battle for young women to have a happy home, work and social life was a hard one and it is the dilemmas they faced that I love to explore. Each of us is faced with temptations (or decisions) every day and I, for one, am guilty of too often making the easy, expected, even socially acceptable, choices.

My books tend to be about the women who do the exact opposite. What better way to earn a living than to create a woman you would like to be? Someone whom you admire and want to see succeed in her chosen vocation, romance or spiritually satisfying path?

Her One True Love centres around Jane, whose story began in my third Victorian romance, What A Woman Desires. Even though both books can be read stand-alone, whenever Jane appeared on the page, I knew she deserved her own story.

Jane has been a dutiful daughter to her overbearing parents for many years, but when the story opens they have both passed and the family’s estate is being ran by Jane’s sister and her husband.

The time for Jane to finally break free is now. With a raw, unrequited heartbreak fuelling her need to leave her small village of Biddestone, Jane heads to Bath to seek her true destiny…

Royal Crescent

I love writing flawed, complex but ultimately, deeply emotional women striving for more. I hope you like to read about them too!

Her One True Love Blurb:

She Can’t Forget Him…  Jane Charlotte Danes has loved the squire of her idyllic country town for as long as she can remember. He is good, kind, and alluring beyond words… and he chose to marry another. Tired of dwelling on her futile longings, Jane plans a move to Bath, where she dreams of a new beginning. But the man who has so imprisoned her heart is only a few steps behind… He Can’t Let Her Go… Until now, Matthew Cleaves has endeavoured to meet the responsibilities of his position with dignity and good spirits–including his dutiful marriage. But when his wife leaves him for another man, Matthew is at last free to pursue his one true love. Only one vital question remains: will the captivating, stubborn, beautiful Jane allow him the challenge, and the pleasure, of winning her back?…

Buy Links:

http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B010JYVX66

http://amzn.com/B010JYVX66

http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/her-one-true-love-rachel-brimble/1122226549?ean=9781601832771

https://store.kobobooks.com/en-us/ebook/her-one-true-love

Rachel Brimble - Mar 2013

Bio:

Rachel lives with her husband and two teenage daughters in a small town near Bath in the UK. After having several novels published by small US presses, she secured agent representation in 2011. Since 2013, she has had five books published by Harlequin Superromance (Templeton Cove Stories) and recently signed a contract for three more. She also has four Victorian romances with eKensington/Lyrical Press.

Rachel is a member of the Romantic Novelists Association and Romance Writers of America, and was selected to mentor the Superromance finalist of So You Think You Can Write 2014 contest. When she isn’t writing, you’ll find Rachel with her head in a book or walking the beautiful English countryside with her family. Her dream place to live is Bourton-on-the-Water in South West England.

She likes nothing more than connecting and chatting with her readers and fellow romance writers. Rachel would love to hear from you!

Links:

Website

Blog

Twitter

Facebook

Facebook Street Team – Rachel’s Readers

***

Thanks Rachel- great blog. I love Bath!!

Happy reading,

Jenny x

 

 

Novel Progress 9: Not quite finished….but…

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On March 9, 2016

In Contemporary fiction, Contemporary Romantic Fiction, Fiction

You may remember that early last year, I wrote a series of blogs about the progress of the novel I was writing at the time- Another Glass of Champagne.

I finished the series with the warning that- although the novel was written- it wasn’t actually complete. http://wp.me/p75ZD9-o7

Since I wrote that last ‘Novel Progress’ blog, I have edited and published Abi’s House, and written and published Christmas at the Castle…the book trade stops for no man!!

But now- all these months later- it’s time to turn my attention back to the final novel in the ‘Another Cup of ‘ series- and I’m currently neck deep in the publishing edits for Another Glass of Champagne- which I am delighted to say, will be released this coming June!

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When any writer gets an editor’s edits back on their manuscript it is a rather nerve wracking experience. The first fear is that your editor will have hated your story! Then, you have to brace yourself for the list of suggestions for changes your editor will have made- then you have to take the bravest step of all, and open up the document to see how many red marks there are across your lovingly crafted lines.

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I have to admit, I am very lucky. I have one of those rare editors that actually does their job properly, and double and triple checks everything. Bless him- this time he had to grapple with my novel’s timeline in a very detailed way. As I have added 3 Christmas novellas into the time gap between the release of Another Cup of Coffee, and Another Glass of Champagne, far more years have passed than I had originally planned. So all the characters are rather older now than I had written them to be!

Fear not- adjustments have been made- and the coffee is once again flowing at Pickwicks Coffee House in Richmond…and perhaps the odd glass of champagne…

If you’ll excuse me I’d better crack on. This is only round one of the editors edits…the polishing process of this novel continues…

Happy reading,

Jenny x

 

Interview with Rebecca Hall: Girl Gone Greek

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On February 22, 2016

In Contemporary fiction, Contemporary Romantic Fiction, Fiction

I have a brand new visitor to my blog today, the lovely Rebecca Hall. Not only is Rebecca a travel writer, she has also written a novel about her adventures in Greece.

Why not grab a cuppa, pull up a chair, and put your feet for five minutes, and join in our chatter…

coffee and cake

What inspired you to write your book?

I lived in Greece for a while, teaching English. Now I divide my time between this beautiful country and the UK.  At the time (about 2010), Greece was going through a lot of negative press (and still is, to a certain degree).  It made me angry because what was being represented was not the Greece I knew, and not a true representation of the people I knew.  It insulted me to hear my adopted countrymen being accused of being lazy, insolent and the root of all the problems in the E.U. And so I set about writing, in novel format, my experiences of the Greece and her people.  I wanted to make it humorous and bring the characters to life, for people to see another side to Greece…one very much absent from the press.

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

Absolutely! Girl Gone Greek is ‘faction’ really (fact in fiction format) and is based on my first year living in a remote Greek village as an EFL teacher.  The head of the school, the other teachers and the protagonist’s best friend all have character traits of people I’ve met, interacted with and developed friendships and relationships with.

Kaliopi, the best friend, was certainly modeled on my best Greek friend. And the real Kaliopi doesn’t mind at all.  She actually thanked me for highlighting elements of her character and psyche she never realized existed! (I hurriedly told her it was fiction so an element of poetic license was involved, but she seemed pleased nonetheless).

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

Much of Girl Gone Greek was taken from my own personal experiences.  I also included historical references to Greece’s past, especially about the (only quite recent) dictatorship in the 1970’s, a couple of references to specific events in Athens during World War II and recent events during the current troubled economic times.

For recent events, I was in Greece myself so I could ask my Greek friends to help me understand. The specific Dictatorship and World War II references are common knowledge to all Greeks, young and old so first hand accounts were quite easy to come by, luckily.  I was lucky to be able to get primary research.

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

Definitely the latter – just go with the flow. I am not a ‘rigid’ person generally and find following strict guidelines and rules in general in life very restricting (hence why I love the semi-chaos of Greece). Although maybe I should actually try to set myself a timeline and plot in advance because it took me a long time to write, learn about and then self-publish Girl Gone Greek.  And it’s also taking me a long time to get into the groove of writing my follow up novel.  Maybe if I had a deadline, this’d help me to discipline myself.

What excites you the most about your book?

The fact that it seems to excite others to want to come and experience another side to this wonderful country, with its aesthetic beauty and kind hearted people.   Lovers of Greece had left me reviews and / or emailed me personally to thank me for what I’ve written and for showing the humane side.  Greeks have thanked me for showing their country in a different light and for understanding their quirks.  It excites me to feel I can offer this to my adopted countrymen: make a difference to the way people view Greece, at least to the small percentage of people who read and like my book enough to want to explore more.

Anything else you’d like to share with us?

Girl Gone Greek is a humorous fictional, yet honest account of one woman’s experience in a small Greek village. The Greek people encountered every day in this country are enough to write a novel in itself! Drama is originally a Greek word – and there is enough drama in Greece to write many novels, even non-fiction!  But the Greeks know how to survive, and with it, offer philotimo (not a word, but a concept, meaning offering friendship to strangers).

I hope you’re encouraged to visit Greece and create your own Greek story.

***

Links

Website: www.lifebeyondbordersblog.com

Facebook: www.facebook.com/AuthorRebeccaAHall

Facebook: www.facebook.com/LifeBeyondBordersBlog

Twitter: www.twitter.com/BeyondBex

Instagram: www.instagram.com/BeyondBex

Google +: https://plus.google.com/+BexHall

Pinterest: www.pinterest.com/BeyondBex

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Bio

Girl Gone Greek is Rebecca Hall’s debut Contemporary Women’s Fiction Novel – available on Amazon.

After extensive global travels, Rebecca left the UK to return to the country she fell in love with—Greece, where she teaches English, writes and wryly observes that the chaotic nature of her adopted country actually suits her personality very well. All travel experiences, & particularly living in versatile cultures, have helped to shape who she is today. She is a Rough Guide co-author (Greece & The Greek Islands and Portugal) and has contributed to numerous publications including Apollo Business Class Magazine for Cyprus Airways and Let’s Go for RyanAir, the Daily Telegraph Travel Section and her container ship voyage from Athens to Hong Kong caught the eye of NPR National Radio in the United States, where she was interviewed twice.

When not writing, you’ll usually find her drinking coffee with friends, or sourcing a new place to eat baklava.

***

Many thanks Rebecca. Excellent interview.

If you are in the South West, and want to meet Rebecca in person, she will be talking at this year’s Tiverton Literary Festival (8th-12th June)- details coming soon.

Happy reading everyone,

Jenny x

 

Interview with Cheryl Rees-Price: The Silent Quarry

By

On February 9, 2016

In Contemporary fiction, crime, Fiction, Interview

It’s put your feet up time. Why not grab a cuppa and join crime writer, Cheryl Rees-Price, and myself for a cake break and a chat?

coffee and cake

What inspired you to write your book?

The inspiration for The Silent Quarry came from walking the dog up a footpath that runs alongside a disused quarry. It can be quiet, shadowy and eerie along this route and more often than not you don’t pass a living soul.  Like most writers I have a vivid imagination and as I walked I would start at every snap of a twig, glancing around to see if anyone was lurking behind a tree. I wondered what would happen if I didn’t arrive home. Would my family know where I was? Would they send out a search party? From this spark of an idea I began to formulate different scenarios in which a woman out for a walk alone could disappear. From this I developed the plot for The Silent Quarry.

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

Yes, I quite often use people I know as a basis for a character. I inflate their personalities and give them a different career and family life. I also get requests from family members to write them into a book. This isn’t always easy as I write crime and someone has to be the victim or killer. I do try to disguise people’s identities but it doesn’t always work. It is my mother’s favourite game to guess the true identity of the characters in my book.

The Silent Quarry (2)

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

As The Silent Quarry is my first crime novel I had to do a lot of research into police procedures. This proved quite difficult as most of the information available applies to the larger forces such as the Met and not to a small market town stations. While the procedures are fairly standard the resources available differ greatly. Next I had to research the grisly details of the post mortem and the ways in which to kill a person. I dread to think what would happen if someone saw the search history on my computer! My favourite part of the research was going back to the 80’s, it was my teenage era and lots of fun to be reminded of the songs in the charts from that time period and the news articles. Not all the research was used in the book but it helped to set the scene in my mind.

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

I prefer to plot a story before I start the first draft. I start with the cast and each character is given a profile including description, career and family background. Some of the information is superfluous but it helps me to get to know the character. Next comes the research which is filed into easy reference. The longest process is the chapter outlines, this is where I work out the plot, timelines and suspects. I use a red font to highlight information that must be conveyed in each chapter. Quite often I come up with a plot twist when I’m over half way through the process and have to start again. When all this is done, it is printed and becomes my guide for the first draft. Even after all the preparation I still find the story takes a different direction when I write.

If you were stranded on a desert island with three other people, fictional or real, who would they be and why?

I would choose someone who made me laugh, some eye candy, and a girly friend. I think Billy Connolly would be a great companion. He has travelled extensively and would have some wonderful stories to tell as well as making me laugh until I cry. The eye candy would have to be Sam Winchester (Supernatural); tall, strong and good looking. Very handy to fight off any threat and I’m sure he could build a great tree house. For the girly friend I would take Samantha (Sex in the City). I think she would provide hours of gossip. But all fantasy aside I would take my husband and two daughters as they are the people I couldn’t be without.

***

Here’s the Blurb to The Silent Quarry-

The Silent Quarry is the first in the DI Winter Meadows series by Cheryl Rees-Price.

In 1987 a quiet Welsh village was devastated by a brutal attack on two schoolgirls, Bethan Hopkins and Gwen Collier. Only Gwen survived, with horrific injuries and no memory of the attack. The killer was never caught.

Now, nearly thirty years later, Gwen has gone missing and DI Winter Meadows is assigned to the case. Charismatic and intuitive, he has an uncanny gift for finding the truth. But in this small and close-knit community, the past is never far away, and those who have secrets will go to any lengths to keep them. Tensions run high as old feelings and accusations are stirred. And DI Meadows has to battle his own demons as he uncovers a truth he wished had stayed in the past …

Links

The Silent Quarry Amazon

Website

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Bio

Cheryl Rees-Price was born in Cardiff and moved as a Young child to a small ex-mining village on the edge of the Black Mountains, South Wales, where she still lives with her husband, daughters and two cats. After leaving school she worked as a legal clerk for several years before leaving to raise her two daughters.

Cheryl returned to education, studying philosophy, sociology and accountancy whilst working as a part time book keeper. She now works as a finance director for a company that delivers project management and accounting services.

In her spare time Cheryl indulges in her passion for writing, the success of writing plays for local performances gave her the confidence to write her first novel. Her other hobbies include walking and gardening which free her mind to develop plots and create colourful characters.

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Many thanks for dropping by today Cheryl,

Happy reading,

Jenny x

 

 

 

 

SALE! Another Cup of Coffee ONLY 99p/99c

By

On February 7, 2016

In Blog, Contemporary fiction, Contemporary Romantic Fiction, Fiction

jkcoffee

What better way to celebrate the fact that the final novel in my ‘Another Cup of…’ series, Another Glass of Champagne, is coming out in the Summer, than by offering you the first in the series, Another Cup of Coffee, at a BARGAIN price!

ONLY 99p/99c

Another Cup of Coffee - New cover 2015

Blurb-

Thirteen years ago Amy Crane ran away from everyone and everything she knew, ending up in an unfamiliar city with no obvious past and no idea of her future. Now, though, that past has just arrived on her doorstep, in the shape of an old music cassette that Amy hasn’t seen since she was at university.
Digging out her long-neglected Walkman, Amy listens to the lyrics that sound tracked her student days. As long-buried memories are wrenched from the places in her mind where she’s kept them safely locked away for over a decade, Amy is suddenly tired of hiding.
It’s time to confront everything about her life. Time to find all the friends she left behind in England, when her heart got broken and the life she was building for herself got completely shattered. Time to make sense of all the feelings she’s been bottling up for all this time. And most of all, it’s time to discover why Jack has sent her tape back to her now, after all these years…
With her mantra, New life, New job, New home, playing on a continuous loop in her head, Amy gears herself up with yet another a bucked-sized cup of coffee, as she goes forth to lay the ghost of first love to rest…

coffee and cake

You can pick up this cup of coffee, for les than a real cup of coffee via this link- mybook.to/cupcoffee

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Happy reading!

Jenny x

Special Announcement: Abi’s House is to have a sequel!

By

On January 6, 2016

In Blog, Contemporary fiction, Contemporary Romantic Fiction, Fiction

It is with great pleasure- and several celebratory cups of coffee- that I can announce that Accent Press have commissioned me to write a sequel to my bestselling novel, Abi’s House!

Set in the beautiful Cornish village of Sennen in the Penwith Peninsula, Abi’s House tells the story of Abi Carter and her emotional and geographical journey from an unhappy life as a young widow in London, to a new life in search of her dream home in Cornwall.

Abi's House new cover

Thanks to all you wonderful readers, Abi’s House has proved so popular that a couple of months ago, a sequel was requested by my publisher. Since then I have been working out what sort of storyline I could weave next against the backdrop of Cornish sunshine, cream teas and fish and chips.

After much thought, and a chat with a local Abi’s House fan (thanks Jo), I developed a new plotline and the words were soon flowing.

It is with great excitement therefore, that I find myself already 50,000 words into the first draft of Abi’s Neighbour.

Obviously I don’t want to give too much away, but I can tell you that Abi Carter is about to get a brand new next door neighbour…and there is a very real worry she has bought the Stepford Wife style London City attitude that Abi had fought so hard to escape, along with her…

House for Abi- Sennen

And when will Abi’s Neighbour be ready and waiting for you to read? Well, I’m afraid it won’t be until Summer 2017!! However, I do have another coffee based novel almost ready to be released in June 2016…so watch this space for more news…

Happy reading,

Jenny xx

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