What books did you love growing up?
Enid Blyton's Famous Five books and Adventure books, I still have some of my bookshelves. I loved fairy tales and fantasies, but by the time I was ten I was reading in the adult section. Leslie Charteris, Agatha Christie, Jules Verne, HG Wells, then onto the Brontë sisters, Dickens, Jane Austen and Georgette Heyer. In between the adult books I was addicted to pony stories, Lorna Hill was a particular favourite.
Who is your favourite author?
Bernard Cornwall (historical) and Lee Child (thrillers).
What books should everybody read at least once?
Shakespeare and Dickens, Jane Austen and the Brontes, after that it's entirely a personal choice.
Are there any books you really don't enjoy?
I cannot, and will not, read any book written in the first person present tense. I also don't read erotica or books with excessive violence and torture. Although I don't read a lot of contemporary fiction, I will give any genre a try it’s recommended.
What do you hope your obituary will do say about you?
I've not given this any serious consideration – I doubt I would warrant an obituary anyway.
When did you first know you could be a writer?
I was writing stories and plays as soon as I could hold a pencil. I wrote a play that was performed in the Infant School and a pony book when I was about twelve. I didn't write anything again until in my mid-20s and was trapped in a country cottage, miles from anywhere, with a small child and no car. I decided then that one day I would be a published writer.
What inspires you to write and why?
I don't think it would be correct to say I'm inspired by anything or anyone to write. The drive comes from within, I am a writer, this is how I define myself, and published or not, I will always write as long as I can sit in front of the computer and dictate.
What genre are you most comfortable writing?
I write romantic fiction, mostly historical. I was told once to write what I read – I rarely read contemporary fiction but always have either a historical or thriller on the go. That said, I have written the first in a trilogy of young adult fantasy and hope one day to complete this series.
Who or what influenced your writing once you began?
I write Regency romantic adventures because of my love for Jane Austen and Georgette Heyer. I have always been a voracious reader and I'm certain that Dorothy Dunnett, Bernard Cornwall and others like them, have shown me what a good book looks like.
What is hardest – getting published, writing or marketing?
An interesting question – which will produce a different answer from every writer you speak to.
Twenty years ago getting published was much easier, a writer could send directly to a publisher and there were dozens of major publishers, rather than just five. Publishers were prepared to stick with an author, build their career, which is not the case today. I know many excellent writers who have been dropped by one of the big five because their sales were not high enough or they couldn't get their books into the supermarkets. Nowadays unless you are a celebrity, or have written the book of the century, you are unlikely to get an agent to represent you. Without an agent you cannot get to a book to one of the main five publishers.
This is why I am a hybrid writer – I am traditionally published as well as indie publishing. I would never go back to writing exclusively for a mainstream publisher, I love being in control of everything from the writing and editing, proofreading and cover design. I buy these services; if I don't agree with my editor then I'm not forced to go with their suggestions. I get 70% royalties, I know exactly how much my royalties will be, and I'm paid monthly.
Writing, for me, is the easy part. When I have a story to tell, the book more or less writes itself. As I write historical fiction there is a great deal of research involved in order to get the book accurate, but that is part of the joy of writing.
Marketing has to be done whether you are traditionally published or indie published. I am ambivalent about the benefits of social media. I have a website which I update regularly, and a blog which I try and post on several times a month as well as being a guest and various other blogs. I interact with readers and friends on Twitter and Facebook, I also have a Good Read and a Linkedin account, and belong to several writing loops. I try and limit my time on these things, but I could write twice as much if I didn't participate. Although publishers insist that their authors have a strong Internet presence, I'm not sure how many extra readers and sales all this faffing about actually produces.
World War II brings divided loyalties and tough decisions in this page turning drama from Fenella Miller.
Hannah Austen-Bagshaw’s privileged background can’t stop her falling in love with working-class pilot, Jack, but Hannah has a secret. Torn between her duty and her humanity, she is sheltering a young German pilot knowing she risks being arrested as a traitor. Hannah’s worst fears are realised when Jack finds out what she has done and their love begins to unravel.
Will her betrayal be too much for Jack to forgive?
Will her betrayal be too much for Jack to forgive?
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Genre – Historical fiction
Rating – PG
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