Twenty Six Years Living a Lie by Gina Cheyne - #authorQ&A #authorinterview

I am super pleased to be welcoming the author of Twenty Six Years Living a Lie, Gina Cheyne, to the blog today. Gina is going to be answering some questions about her book. 

First, a little about the book...

The Blurb

In 1997, high in the alpine resort of Tignes, Cecily celebrates her third wedding anniversary with a night of passion. But in the morning her  happiness turns to misery and shock when she find her husband Nick dead in the bed beside her, the victim of a sudden heart attack.

Six weeks later, Cecily learns she is pregnant.Twenty-six years later, her son Charlie takes a DNA test alongside his uncle Adam, Nick’s identical twin. The results shatter everything he thought he knew: Charlie is not related to Adam. If Nick wasn’t his father, then who was?Cecily insists she was faithful, and the timing points only to that single night in Tignes. Desperate for answers, she turns to the SeeMs Detective Agency. Could someone have entered her room that night without her knowing? And if so—who? And why?As the detectives dig deeper, they uncover a web of conflicting memories, buried secrets, and dangerous lies. Slowly they discover other people are in danger and if they don’t find out very soon what really happened in that wonderful night in Tignes two, or maybe more, lives will be lost.

Welcome to the blog Gina. It's lovely to have you here.

Thank you for much for giving me a chance to appear on your blog. I enjoyed answering the questions and I hope you enjoy reading them.

Q  What is your favourite part of writing a book?

A  Developing the idea into a novel. With this one, Twenty-Six Year Living a Lie, I had the idea and it developed speedily and was extremely enjoyable to write. I was awake in our completely dark room in Tignes with the balcony door open and the wind blowing the curtain and I thought, someone could climb into my bed, we could have a night of passion, and I would never know it was not my husband. And the book was born.

Q  Are some books harder to write than others?

A  Yes, most definitely so. With some, like this one, I had an inspiration and I had to stop everything I was doing write it down. The book was finished in 3 months, which is fast for me. However, there are some other books where I think the idea is good, but when I sit down to write inspiration deserts me, the idea turns turgid and I limp slowly along. Occasionally, I get a second wind, if that is the right description, and suddenly I re-find excitement and can write fluidly again. This happened with Murder in the Cards, my second book. But sometimes, for example the book I am currently writing about countryside crime, inspiration has been replaced by hard graft and I seem to be progressing very slowly. 

Q  Why do you write books?

A  This is a question asked me very often by my more financially orientated friends. Why do you write books when writing makes so little (if any) money. But, at least for me, writing is not about making money it is for enjoyment and the thrill of being able to express what you think about various events or happenings in words. Of course I love it when readers buy my books and it would be fantastic to make a living from writing, but I have always had another job which gives an income and allows me to write freely.

Q  Would you consider writing in a different genre in the future?

A  Yes, I am already thinking about a historic novel which may or may not have a who dunnit in it. My idea is about someone from the Victorian era who arrives in the twenty first century and how she processes the shock of such a different world. A sort of time travel experience with hopefully lots of humour involved. However, I do often have lots of ideas about books I would like to write which do not come to fruition, so let’s hope this one soars above the crowd. 

Q Which of the characters in Twenty-Six Years Living a Lie stand out as fun?

A  One of the Beta readers highlighted Boy, Cecily’s brother, as being a particularly charming character. His lazy young boyish attitudes contrast well with his sister’s more anxious and needy personality and his wife’s down-to-earth hard working character. He and his wife have had four children despite having almost no money between them. However, he says, it will all be OK in the end, just wait and see, while she says, don’t worry my little charmer, you look after the baby but I’ll get a job!

Q Do you write for yourself or for the reader?

A  There was a time when I would have said for myself, but as I write more books, read the reviews, and think about the comments of readers, I have changed. All my stories and their inspiration are written from my experience and knowledge, so in that way I am writing for myself, but I have also become much more aware of how a reader digests information. 

 I write in an English, rather than a USA style. English writing tends to be slower and more thoughtful whereas US writing has more excitement and punch. Oddly, most of my readers are from the USA. I don’t know if this is just because the population is larger or because a lot of American readers like the British writing style or because they are more curious and experimental. Whatever! I have become aware that I probably need to make my writing more exciting and less thought based, so in that way I am changing, if not what I write, but at least the style to adapt to the reader.

Thank you so much for being on Left on the Shelf today Gina. It has been a delight to have you.

Book Details

ISBN:  978 1915138255

Publisher: Fly Fizzi Ltd

Formats: e-book, hardback and paperback (currently available on Kindle Unlimited)

No. of Pages:  284 (paperback)

Series:  Book 7 of the SeeMS Detective series

Purchase Links

Amazon UK

Amazon US

About the Author

This is Gina Cheyne’s seventh novel in the SeeMs Detective series (the agency that looks behind what seems to be true). Gina’s family are keen and dedicated skiers and this book was inspired by a holiday in Tignes in France. 

Gina has worked as a physiotherapist, a pilot, freelance writer and a dog breeder. 

As a child, Gina's parents hated travelling and never went further than Jersey. As a result she became travel-addicted and spent the year after university bumming around SE Asia, China and Australia, where she worked in a racing stables in Pinjarra, South of Perth. After getting stuck in black sand in the Ute one time too many (and getting a tractor and trailer caught in a tree) she was relegated to horse-riding work only. After her horse bolted down the sand, straining a fetlock and falling in the sea, she was further relegated to swimming the horses only in the pool. It was with some relief the race horse stables posted her off to Thailand... after all what could go wrong there?

In the north of Thailand, she took a boat into the Golden Triangle and got shot at by bandits. Her group escaped into the undergrowth and hid in a hill tribe whisky still where they shared the 'bathroom' with a group of pigs. Getting a lift on a motorbike they hurried back to Chiang Rai, where life seemed calmer. 

After nearly being drowned in a fiesta in Ko Pha Ngan, and cursed by a witch in Malaysia, she decided to go to Singapore and then to China where she only had to battle with the language and regulations. 

Since marrying life has been calmer. She became a writer because her first love was always telling a good yarn!

You can also find Gina at:

Instagram

Substack

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(media courtesy of Rachel's Random Resources)

(all opinions are my own)

Celebrations at the Beach Hotel by Francesca Capaldi - #blogtour #author #guestpost

I am absolutely delighted to be welcoming author, Francesca Capaldi, onto the blog today. Francesca's latest book, Celebrations at the Beach Hotel is publishing in the UK today. Here she will be talking about changing times for men and women, and I can't wait to hear what she says.

The Blurb

Sisters Alice and Annie have always been close but will a man come between them?

Annie and Alice love their life working at the Beach Hotel together and each is thrilled to have finally found a sweetheart. Yet the path of true love never did run smooth, and they soon find themselves facing conflict and strife. Could love come between them and the bond they share?

Meanwhile, as men start to come home from the war, the women have to work out how to keep their jobs, although they are delighted to be back with their beaus. Soon, wedding bells ring out in Littlehampton.

Will everything be made right in time for Christmas?

Welcome to the blog Francesca. Over to you.

Let me introduce you to characters Annie and Alice Twine, two sisters in their early twenties who work in the scullery at the Beach Hotel in Littlehampton during World War 1. They’re looking forward to all the men coming home from the war, but two men in particular.

Once the war was over, the men who’d been fighting didn’t return immediately but did so over the next few months. This is reflected in Annie and Alice’s story. Although the sisters remained working in the scullery during the war, quite a few of the women at the hotel had taken over the men’s jobs as porters and waiters, and even as manager in Helen Bygrove’s case. This would have been the case all over the country in factories, offices and on the land. 

This was a period when women must have started to feel a real sense of freedom, doing jobs normally reserved for men.  While I’m sure most women would have been missing their fathers, husbands etc, there must have been some sense of relief for them, now they could make their own decisions.

In Celebrations, the men at the hotel return in dribs and drabs, and it’s not until March that the two men Annie and Alice like get back to the hotel. Lorcan and Jasper were in a battalion whose part in the battles had ended in October 1918, but they were required to stay another five months for a clear up and salvage mission, which is what their battalion did in real life. Other men at the hotel came home after them, having been sent to the Russian/Finnish border where trouble had been breaking out.

A lot of men, although relieved to return, must have wondered what they were coming home to. They were now years behind the cultural fashions. Music had changed, as had dancing. The women would have looked very different in their shorter, straighter, less fussy outfits, more practical for the jobs they’d now taken on.

Women’s football, already around for a long time, had really taken off during the war, due to the Football Association stopping men’s matches after the 1914/15 season. After this time, more men went to war and were conscripted in 1916. In the Beach Hotel books, Gertie Green is a keen football player and joins a team. This encourages derision from some of the men when they return, especially as the media at the time declared it an unhealthy pastime for women. The men’s football league resumed in August 1919. Worried by its popularity, the FA finally banned the women’s league in 1921, so women were no longer allowed to play on their grounds, instead having to go to parks. The ban wasn’t lifted until 1969.*

When the men return to the hotel in Celebrations, there is naturally some resentment against the women who took on their jobs, especially as some retain them, like Gertie as head porter (or portress, as they would have been called). In reality, not many women did keep these jobs. A minor character, Amanda Lovelock, is sacked by the police and returns to work at the hotel, and it was the case that many women were dismissed from the police force after the war.

Overall, women who had gained freedoms during World War 1, lost them. However, proving their worth at this time went a long way to them gaining something important – the right to vote, if, for now it was only for women over 30 who owned property.

Let me finish with some words from the usually stern housekeeper, Mrs Leggett, who surprises the female staff in a discussion with the men by siding with the women…

‘I agree with Miss Green and Miss Twine, and the rest of the women who would like to see women’s football continue. If the war proved anything, it is that women are equal to men in skills, even if they are still not equal in law.’

‘But they have the vote now,’ Stanley persisted.

‘How many women around this table are able to vote yet? Hands up,’ said the housekeeper. ‘There you are: none… And I, for one, hope that the women’s football goes from strength to strength.’

‘Thanks, Mrs Leggett,’ said Gertie, looking genuinely touched.

Annie gave Mrs Leggett a big smile, to show she approved of the housekeeper’s words, and Mrs Leggett smiled back.

*You can read more about women’s football and the impact of World War 1 on it here: https://www.bbc.co.uk/bitesize/articles/zjxywty )

Thank you for being my guest on the blog today.

Book Details

ISBN:  978 1804368497

Publisher:  Hera

Formats:  e-book, audio and paperback

No. of Pages:  384 (paperback)

Series:  Book 6 in the Beach Hotel series

Purchase Links

Bookshop.org

Amazon UK

Amazon US

About the Author

Francesca Capaldi has enjoyed writing since she was a child, largely influenced by a Welsh mother who was good at improvised storytelling and an Italian father who loved history. She is the author of historical sagas, short stories and pocket novels. 

The first novel in the Beach Hotel series, A New Start at the Beach Hotel, won the Romantic Saga Award at the Romantic Novelists' Association Awards in 2024. The first novel in the Wartime in the Valleys series, Heartbreak in the Valleys, was shortlisted for the Historical Romantic Award in the RoNAs in 2021. 

Francesca was born and brought up on the Sussex coast, went to London to do a history degree, but has lived for many years in Kent with her family and a cat called Lando Calrission.

You can also find Francesca at:

Author Website

Facebook

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Instagram

Tik Tok

(media courtesy of Rachel's Random Resources)

(all opinions are my own)

(Bookshop.org affiliated)

The Players - Act 1: All the World's a Stage by Amy Sparkes - Q&A #blogtour #authorinterview

I couldn't be more thrilled than I am to be welcoming author, Amy Sparks onto the blog today.

Amy kindly agreed to answer some questions about her new book, The Players - Act 1: All the World's a Stage. 

 The Blurb

How far would you go to save what you truly love?

England, 1715.When society doesn’t understand you, and your family is out of the picture, a strolling theatre company could be your perfect home…

Ambitious lead actor Thomas is determined to reach Drury Lane and prove to his father that he is not a failure.Fierce Caroline has a traumatic past and is determined to protect the company which saved her.

Kind-hearted Annie just wants to look after her found family.So, when their heartbroken manager Robert is injured and decides to fold the struggling company, the players are resolved to change his mind, whatever the cost. Unfortunately for them, the odds are stacked against them. They’ve lost their stage, they still haven’t got a skull for Hamlet, and flamboyant ex-member Piero is hunting them down, with a spot of revenge on his mind...Is it time for the final bow?

The Players Act 1: All The World’s A Stage gives voice to the forgotten strolling players of the 18th century in this fun, uplifting, and page-turning read.

WHAT TO EXPECT:

Energetic, accessible historical fiction

Working-class characters

Found family

Comedy and tragedy

Shakespeare

LGBTQ+

Neurodiversity

Mental health issues

Multiple POV

Heart and hope

The Interview

Q Welcome to the blog Amy. Can I start by asking you What was the inspiration for this story? 

A  Ideas can start in different ways. Often when I write, characters appear first. Sometimes it’s a theme, occasionally a title, sometimes the concept. My children enjoy drama, so I’ve spent a lot of time watching shows and being around a stage. This is perhaps why it was the concept of The Players which dropped into my head first – all the fun you could have with a motley troupe of players who were always on the move. There would always be variety, new experiences, new places, new characters. It had a lot of potential.   

After the initial ‘zing’ of an idea, I like to ponder the different directions it could go in. I think about the tone that I like, the themes I enjoy exploring, and the type of characters who interest me and I’d want to spend time with. All of these things feed into developing the idea. 

Q  What are the key themes in the story? 

A  The tagline offers the main thematic question: How far would you go to save what you truly love? I think this is a fascinating question – and one that we personally may not know the answer to until we find ourselves in a situation that truly poses it. At what point do moral principles rein in desire? At what point does desire override morality? What would you be willing to sacrifice to get what you want? And how much do you really love something or someone, when push comes to shove? All of these questions twist in and around the narrative, explored through the different characters’ perspectives and problems, as they attempt to discover their own answers. 

Alongside this main thematic question, there are general themes of love, sacrifice, friendship, grief, self-awareness, resilience, forgiveness, courage and hope, as well as an exploration of the importance of the arts, and the relationship between comedy and tragedy.

Q  The Players Act 1 is your adult debut novel. Why did you decide to write historical fiction?

A  I’ve always enjoyed reading historical fiction. When I was 12 years old my mum gave me a copy of Philippa Gregory’s Meridan (part of the Wideacre trilogy). I was utterly smitten and became absorbed in historical fiction and epic family sagas. As well as reading, history was an important part of my early life – from exploring ancient castles and graveyards to visiting archaeological digs as a child to studying History at A-level. I am still fascinated by historical sites, architecture and the way people thought, behaved and lived in the past. It was only a matter of time before I started writing about it. 

The process of world-building is very fun, which is why I also enjoy creating magical and fantastical worlds. There is something lovely about escaping the real world for a while and absorbing yourself in another time and place. 

Q  How did you research the historical aspects?

A  I started by reading books on strolling players and theatre to help shape the idea. I wanted to include women in the troupe, so I knew it would be after Shakespeare’s time. A lot of research I found was concerned with established companies and theatres, and there is very little documented about the small, more informal companies who existed, barely scraping a living. They were here and they mattered, but they mostly just disappeared out of knowledge and memory as time passed. However, understanding the way more established companies worked gave me pointers for how they went about their business, and I loved the freedom that came with creating a troupe that had to be a little more creative with their methods, surviving hand-to-mouth. 

 As well as reading books, I watched videos, scoured the internet, contacted historians and studied old maps to find out what I could about working classes, 18th century theatre and wider society in 1715. The majority of the story takes place in Devon, where I live. It’s a beautiful part of the world and I visited Bampton several times, studying architecture, researching the layout and combining that with anecdotal evidence, maps and local history sites. I shifted some buildings around mentally, added a few, altered the building dates here and there, and elongated the road a little, but it was wonderful to use it as a launchpad. I also visited Andover for a sense of the place, again studying architecture and the town’s history. Visiting these two key locations helped establish the place firmly in my mind and I hope that comes across in the world-building.

Q   Why did you decide to write with multiple POV?

A  I decided that rather than featuring major historical events, the series would instead focus on local setting, the world of theatre and character. I love the fact that fundamentally, people are the same now as they always have been, and as they will continue to be. To me, that’s what really brings historical fiction alive – that connection. So it was important to have a deep dive into the minds of the characters, really understanding their longings, their fears, their flaws, their humanity. Using multiple points of view allowed me to explore that more fully, and go deeper into different interpretations and answers to the thematic question. 

Q  Which character are you most like? 

A  I think there is a little bit of me in almost every character, but that nugget goes off and spins in a different direction, grows, mutates, finds their own voice, and becomes a new character. There is probably most similarity between me and Thomas because we share a similar outlook on life. He’s passionate about his art, very optimistic, and determined to see the bright side and encourage those around him. He will look for ways to make the impossible possible. He also has the tendency to hurtle around somewhat chaotically from one thing to the next, and Caroline’s frustration of, “For Heaven’s sake! Didn’t that man ever stand still?” definitely has echoes of my mother’s voice. 

It can feel oddly intrusive to bestow modern terms upon historical characters – even imagined ones – but I understand Thomas to have ADHD, like me, which can be both a blessing and a curse. Neurodiversity has always been around and although the players wouldn’t understand it as such, it’s been wonderful to explore it authentically in historical fiction with a neurodiverse main character. 

Q  There is a lot of humour in the story. Why did you choose to write with this tone?

A  There are many reasons why this felt the right tone to use. My voice naturally brings an element of comedy, so it felt an authentic way to write this story, especially one which examines the concept of comedy and tragedy. 

Humour and neurodiversity are similar in the sense that they have both always existed but we don’t see much in historical fiction. People had a good laugh, and needed to, just as we do today. By using a lighter tone and including comedy, I’m hoping to help break down the assumption that historical fiction needs to be deadly serious all the time. 

Humour is a great way of dealing with difficult issues, making it easier and more bearable to examine those areas which challenge us. It can also help make fiction accessible to readers, and I’d love to see more readers embracing stories, worlds and characters from the past. It’s my hope that including the humour in this story brings a warmth and connection, helping you feel like you are hanging out with a group of friends, sitting around the campfire together by night and travelling along the road beside them by day. 

Thank you so much Amy. That was fascinating and it's been my pleasure to have you on the blog today.

Book Details

ISBN:  978 1068327919

Publisher:  Sword and Fiddle Publishing

Formats:  e-book and paperback

No. of Pages:  326 (paperback)

Series:  Book 1 of The Players Series

Purchase Link

Amazon UK

About the Author

Amy was born in Eastbourne, England, where the sea and South Downs encouraged her love of the outdoors and nurtured her wildness. Her childhood was filled with folk music, caravans and imagination, and she was always dreaming up stories and characters – usually when she was meant to be doing something else. 

She enjoys stories that explore both comedy and tragedy. She is a New York Times bestselling author and her work includes THE HOUSE AT THE EDGE OF MAGIC series, and the picture books for BBC’s THE REPAIR SHOP. THE PLAYERS is her debut novel for adults. 

Amy now lives in Devon with her husband and six children. When she isn’t writing, Amy enjoys drinking tea, climbing trees and playing the piano, although disappointingly she is yet to master doing all three at once.

You can also find Amy at:

Instagram

Bluesky

(media courtesy of Rachel's Random Resources)

(all opinions are my own)

The Leap Year Proposal by Susan Buchanan - #blogtour #authorQ&A #giveaway #authorinterview

 

I am delighted to welcome the author, Susan Buchanan onto the blog today. Susan was kind enough to agree to answer some questions about her latest book, The Leap Year Proposal. She has also been generous in offering a signed copy of her book to giveaway. Information on how to enter is at the bottom of this post.

But first, let me give you some info about the book.

The Blurb

Three women. One crazy hen weekend. 

A life-changing decision.When three women meet on a mutual friend’s hen weekend on the Scottish island of Arran, they get more than they bargained for when one of them has the genius idea of proposing on 29 February, like the age-old Irish tradition.

High-flying businesswoman Anouska and boyfriend Zach are deliriously happy and madly in love. If only they had more time together. But now she’s pregnant and doesn’t know how to tell him since having kids hadn’t featured in their plans.

Dog walker Jess lives with her childhood sweetheart, but they’re already like an old married couple, without the romance, or the wedding, or the ring. When Mark doesn’t propose on New Year’s Eve, Jess is gutted and decides to take matters into her own hands.

Ellie and Scott still live apart after six years, and his lack of commitment is a sore point. She’s up for a huge promotion which involves moving country. It’s make-or-break time. She needs to know he’s worth turning down the job for.

The women meet weekly, helping each other with decisions big and small, becoming each other’s support system in the run-up to ‘the big ask’.

Will love conquer all or will their hopes and dreams come crashing down around them?

***

Welcome to the blog Susan.

Thanks for inviting me.

Q. Intriguing concept – leap-year proposals. Are you a feminist? And do you think the concept of leap-year proposals still resonates today?

A. Am I a feminist? I’m a feminist in so much as I’ve never thought, not even for a second, that I don’t have as equal a right as a man to do something, simply because I’m female. I think whether the proposal idea will resonate or not depends on the person. You’ll have those who rail at the idea of women having to wait until 29 February every four years to propose, and then you’ll have people like me who like the uniqueness of the date and the fact that 29 February only exists every 4 years, and will just roll with it.

 Yes, I proposed on 29 February – although that morning I had no plans to!

Q. How many drafts of your books, and particularly this one, did you do?

A. Nowadays I usually do 2-3 drafts, then more after edits. This one went through a lot more edits as so many things changed based on feedback. I’ll never know which was the better version. I loved both, but clearly I’m biased! 

Q. So, does that mean you cut characters and scenes? Do you delete scenes or keep them? I’ve heard writers should never throw anything away.

A. Yes, I cut both characters and scenes, and that’s not something I usually do. But in traditional publishing, you often have to fit exactly what they’re looking for, so I did that for this book. I keep all versions of my books, so those scenes may be used as a little extra for my newsletter subscribers at some future point. 

Q. What to your mind is the most romantic scene in the book?

A. Hmm, that’s a toughie, but I guess I’d have to say the penultimate one with Zach and Anouska (not including the epilogue). If it doesn’t get the readers rooting for them, I’ve done something wrong! 

Q. What would you say the themes are in the book? Obviously romance, but I get the impression female friendship is a key one.

A. Absolutely it is. The three women end up spending a lot of time together – time when their partners, for various reasons, aren’t around. It works in their favour in one way as they’re trying to craft these proposals in secret. The strength and bond of female friendship is definitely one of the main themes in the book. Betrayal, second chances and forgiveness also feature heavily.

Q. Did you have any actors or people in mind for any of the characters in the book as you wrote it? If not, who would you like to take the lead roles if The Leap Year Proposal was made into a film?

A. Not as I wrote it, no, although interestingly I did for the book I wrote after this one! I don’t tend to normally. Perhaps Claire Foy for Ellie, Emilia Clarke as Jess and Gemma Arterton as Anouska. For the love interests, perhaps Taron Egerton, Theo James and Nicholas Hoult, but I’m not telling you who is who!  

Q. What can we expect from Susan Buchanan in 2025 and 2026?

A. Well, quite a lot, I think! I released the third in my Christmas Spirit series in November 2024 after a gap of almost ten years! I know! And it was so well received, and I’ve had so many ideas for future books in the series, I can confirm there will be another Christmas Spirit book in 2025 and probably again in 2026. However, before that there’s You Can’t Hurry Love, my romance set in Costa Rica, and heavily featuring a sloth sanctuary – if you’ve never been, you really have to go. Sloths are so cute! You Can’t Hurry Love will be out in May and is already up for pre-order: https://books2read.com/u/mKG0p5

Thank you so much for coming onto the blog today Susan. It's been wonderful to have you and I'm sure the book will do brilliantly.

About the Author

Susan Buchanan writes romantic comedy, contemporary romance and women’s fiction, usually featuring travel, food, family, friendship, community – also Christmas!

Her books are Sign of the Times, The Dating Game, The Christmas Spirit, Return of the Christmas Spirit, A Little Christmas Spirit and Just One Day – Winter, Spring, Summer and Autumn. 

As a freelance developmental editor, copyeditor and proofreader, if she’s not reading, editing or writing, she’s thinking about it.  

She is a member of the Romantic Novelists’ Association, the Society of Authors and the Alliance of Independent Authors. 

She lives near Glasgow with her husband, two children and a crazy Labrador. 

When she’s not editing, writing, reading or caring for her two delightful cherubs, she likes going to the theatre, playing board games, watching quiz shows and eating out, and she has recently discovered a love of writing retreats.

You can also find Susan at:

Author Website

Instagram

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Blue Sky

Giveaway

To be in with a chance of winning a signed copy of The Leap Year Proposal click on the link below. UK only.

Good Luck!

Enter Giveaway

*Terms and Conditions –UK entries welcome.  Please enter using the Rafflecopter box below.  The winner will be selected at random via Rafflecopter from all valid entries and will be notified by Twitter and/or email. If no response is received within 7 days then Rachel’s Random Resources reserves the right to select an alternative winner. Open to all entrants aged 18 or over.  Any personal data given as part of the competition entry is used for this purpose only and will not be shared with third parties, with the exception of the winners’ information. This will passed to the giveaway organiser and used only for fulfilment of the prize, after which time Rachel’s Random Resources will delete the data.  I am not responsible for despatch or delivery of the prize.

(media courtesy of Rachel's Random Resources)

(all opinions are my own)

The Blossoming of Truth by Susan Gray - #Q&A #authorinterview #blogtour

I am thrilled to bits to have author, Susan Gray here on the blog today to answer some questions about how she writes and what inspires her. Her latest book release, Blossoming of Truth was published earlier this year.

But first, here is a little bit about the book.

The Blurb

A tragic accident…   A bitter betrayal…   A baffling mystery.

When an attractive young woman seeks refuge in his home during a blizzard, Tom Smallwood is convinced they have met before. As their friendship develops, her persistent denial of their previous connection threatens to shake the bedrock of Tom’s ‘life code’.

A tragic accident robs Tom of his beloved brother, leaving him devastated.

His world implodes further when he is arrested…

HIS ONLY CRIME WAS TO FALL IN LOVE.

Can Tom’s strong pillars of truth and integrity hold fast and enable him to win the heart of the woman he adores?

ISBN:  978 1916572720

Publisher:  UK Book Publishing

Formats: e-book and paperback (currently available on Kindle Unlimited)

No. of Pages:  365 (paperback)

***

Q  What inspired you to begin writing?

A I think I always wanted to write. As a child, I made up stories in my head on long car journeys. I grew up in northeast England, and the house I lived in was built in the style of a Spanish hacienda. It was a magical place, with a large garden, summerhouse and stream. I felt there was a story behind this setting, but it was sixty years before I put pen to paper. When the global pandemic struck, I decided to write my debut novel based fictitiously around my childhood home. Once started, I haven’t stopped – I’m currently editing my seventh book. It has been a’ late onset career’, but I am enjoying it!

Q  Do you write using pen and paper or on a computer?

A  I begin with an A5 notebook and pen and write scenes – some I use, others I discard. Then I use A4 paper and a pen and start to join the dots. I get a ‘feel’ for a suitable chapter length - usually five doubled sided sheets which I staple together...these form my longhand chapters. Then it’s typed up onto the computer. After that it’s edit, edit, edit and edit!

Q  Who are your favourite writers - and are you influenced by them?

A  As a child it was Enid Blyton, and I loved the book ‘Heidi ‘by a Swiss author Johanna Spyri. As a teenager I was hooked on Agatha Christie books. In later years I’ve been a fan of Josephine Cox, Lucinda Riley, Nicholas Sparks, Victoria Hislop and more recently Jojo Moyes and Lorna Cook. I love Twentieth Century Historical Fiction, mystery and romance – so yes, they have influenced me.

Q  How do you do your research? Did you enjoy it?

A  Mostly internet, sometimes Travel Guides, often my local cemetery. I use old photographs particularly those from the area where I live and set my books - I write in the 1920’s era. Sometimes I draw on memories of places I have visited and conversations with elderly relatives. I do a little research before a novel, but try not to do too much initially, as it affects my ‘flow’. After that I do it as I go.

Q Do you enjoy editing?

A I regard editing as literary housework. I iron it - to wrinkle out the creases so it flows smoothly; I dust it - to find the typos and grammar mistakes; I polish it – adding descriptions to make it sparkle. I vacuum it to suck up the fluff (padding). Sometimes I put it through the literary washing machine - to spruce it up (on the wash cycle); tighten it up (on the spin cycle) and occasionally I take the literary scissors, needle and thread – cut bits out and stitch it up again! I’m not a lover of housework!

Susan, I love your likening of editing to house work. Thank you so much for being on the blog today. I have really enjoyed hearing about your approach to writing and research.

About the Author:

 ‘Never too old to follow your dreams’ has become Susan Gray’s mantra since beginning to write novels after celebrating a significant birthday. Susan endeavours to entwine the genres of mystery and romance and sets her novels in the early Twentieth Century. She lives with her husband in northeast England – setting her books in this picturesque area. She has a son and daughter, both married, two granddaughters and a grand dog. When not writing she loves to spend time reading, puzzling, walking and catching up with friends over a coffee. She enjoys travelling and tries to include many of the places she has visited in her books. Her plots are inspired by ‘life’ and how her characters navigate the waters. She loves to ‘people watch’ and creates her characters based on the many strangers she has observed. She has written six novels. SPANISH HOUSE SECRETS was her debut novel and is now joined by BLOSSOMING OF TRUTH.

(media courtesy of Rachel's Random Resources)

(all opinions are my own)

Homecoming Chaos by D.W.Brooks - #blogtour #authorinterview

 

I am delighted to be bringing you an interview with the author of Homecoming Chaos today and, I would like to welcome D.W. Brooks. But first, a little about the book.

The Blurb

Jamie Scott’s life fell apart four years ago when she broke off her engagement, turned down a dream job, and went overseas to run away from her life. Now she’s back, but the reunion is not without problems. She arrives home just in time to attend the soiree her mother planned, but she’s not prepared for what she finds—a dead employee in the parking lot.

Detective Nick Marshall is assigned to the murder case at the forensics lab owned by Jamie’s family. He meets the headstrong Jamie, but he has a job to do. And his attraction to her… well, he’s a professional.

Jamie knows the stakes are high. She has to face the past and save her parents’ business while dealing with her family drama and an uncertain future. She also has to deal with Nick, who wants her out of the way of his investigation. But fate keeps throwing them in one another’s paths… and into chaos that they both want to avoid, but neither can seem to escape.

***

Welcome to the blog. 

Q How did you come up with the idea to write your book?

A I came up with the idea for the main character Jamison quite a while ago. A brief history: I am a physician (ophthalmologist) by training, and I pursued an MBA while working at the ophthalmology department at the University of Alabama in Birmingham. After graduating, I left medical practice to work at WebMD. My leaving medical practice set off a lot of concern and confusion with my family and friends. I wanted to write a book about my main character leaving practice and how that affected her and everyone around her. People used to find leaving medical practice after “spending all that time to get there” strange. But by the time I started writing the book, I had decided that the experience of switching careers like that would be part of her life, but not the primary goal of the book. And I went from there, though Jamison has much more drama in her life than me!

Q  What have been some of the responses you have received regarding your book?

A  So far, so good. I have received a lot of positive feedback from my novel, as well as excellent reviews, including a glowing write-up from Midwest Book Review. Most reviewers have said that Homecoming Chaos was a fun read. Several readers have asked me to write a follow-up about some of the supporting characters or to write more about the romance between Jamison and Nick. And I am working on it!

Q  What’s one fact about your book that might surprise people? 

A  I am an only child. I have had a lifetime of listening to and observing sibling interactions including those of my cousins. I think I did a good job of conveying the sometime easygoing sibling relationships and the more fraught elements that can exist between siblings.

Q  What other books are you working on and when will they be published? 

A  I am trying to establish a rhythm of writing a novella, novel, novella, novel, and so on. I currently have a prequel novella to Homecoming Chaos (titled I Do CHAOS) that I have been giving away for free on my website, but I plan to move it to Amazon in 2024. I am now working on a novella about Nick and Jamison’s date (which could change) and novel #2 in the Chaos/Model MD Series. I would also like to have a Christmas novella for the 2024 holiday season. The plan is to publish all three in 2024; I am being aggressive!

Q  Is there a message you’re trying to get across with your book?

A  D.W.: You can go home again, but home (and the people who live there) may not be the same as when you left. Be ready to adapt!

Thank you so much for coming on the blog today. It's been fantastic and the book looks great. 

ISBN: 979 8218150501

Publisher: The Reboot LLC

Formats:  e-book and paperback

No. of Pages:  448 (paperback)

(all media courtesy of Pump Up Your Book)