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Celebrating: The Romantic Saga Award shortlist!

Published on March 4, 2021February 28, 2021 by valerieholmesauthorLeave a comment

Every author has their own unique story to tell about how and why they came to be a novelist. Read on to find out the stories behind the talented authors shortlisted for the prestigious award, as they reveal them, and the inspiration behind their lovely novels.

The Romantic Saga Award

The Girl from the Tanner’s Yard – Diane Allen

Pan

How I became an author.

I always had a love of reading and was always found with a book in my hand when growing up. Once married and my children grown, I found my niche in life working for a large print book firm. It was then I found that I also had the skill of writing. Bored one evening I decided to put pen to paper and now ten years later I have had fifteen books published.

My inspiration for The Girl from the Tanners Yard

My inspiration came when we were visiting an elderly aunt that lived above Haworth. We always passed a pub called THE FLAPPIT and because I have a love of Yorkshire history, I started looking into its past life and the moors around it. Finding that it used to be used by the tannery workers that worked nearby and that thriving industries were based all around that area. With the wild moors as a background and a good base the rest is history.

The Variety Girls – Tracy Baines

Ebury

The inspiration for The Variety Girls stems from my passion and my experience. I love theatre and live entertainment and was surrounded by it when I was growing up. The setting is my childhood playground – the beach, the pier, the theatre. I am fascinated by the way performers leave their worries and heartbreak in the wings when they step out on stage – and by entertaining the audience, allow them to do the same.

The Ops Room Girls – Vicki Beeby

Canelo

I’ve always loved old Battle of Britain films, and often wondered about the WAAFs you’d see in the background, placing blocks on a map using long poles. When I started my research, I discovered they were mapping incoming enemy aircraft. I immediately knew this was the perfect role for my maths-loving heroine, and so THE OPS ROOM GIRLS was born—a story of WAAFs serving in an RAF fighter station during the Battle of Britain.

Bobby’s War – ShirleyMann

Zaffre, Bonnier Books UK

My parents’ wartime romance provided the inspiration for ‘Lily’s War’ and then, because I hadn’t asked enough questions, I raced around the country to talk to service women, already in their 90s to make sure my books were authentic. One of those women was Mary Ellis, the ATA pilot. Once I’d met her, I was hooked, and ‘Bobby’s War’ is a reverential acknowledgment of what these amazing women did. I hope their legacy now lives on.

The Orphan’s Daughter – Sandy Taylor

Bookouture

I believe that it was my love of reading that led to me becoming a writer.

There were no books in my house growing up as I was the only one who could actually read but I found a little library and read everything I could. My family are from Co Cork in Southern Ireland and that was my inspiration for The Orphans Daughter. Money was scarce but love and laughter more than made up for that. I love the Irish humour and use it a lot in my books.

Secrets of the Lavender Girls – Kate Thompson

Hodder & Stoughton

I started writing because I fell in love with a woman named Kate Thompson. Finding out I shared a name with this woman led me on a quest to discover more about my namesake. The other Kate Thompson was a tough mum-of-nine who lived in two rooms of a slum in Bethnal Green, East London. She fought heroically to improve living standards, led a successful rent strike and cared for the women and children of her buildings. She was crushed to death in an entirely preventable accident during WW2. Since then, I’ve discovered that in the 20th century, the East End was full of Kate’s. Resilient, irreverent, subversive, crafty, kind and courageous women. All my wartime novels are a kind of a love letter to these women and discovering the richness and complexity of their lives is what keeps me writing.

The winner will be announced on the 8th March 2021.

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Celebrating: The Libertà Books Shorter Romantic Novel Award shortlist!

Published on March 3, 2021February 27, 2021 by valerieholmesauthorLeave a comment

Liberta shorter

The Libertà Books Shorter Romantic Novel Award

Libertà Books is a light-hearted website (libertabooks.com) where readers and authors share their experience, discoveries, favourites and occasional oddities. Run by four multi-published authors, it has evolved to cover advice on writing and, in the real world, well-received workshops for both experienced and aspiring writers. Limited to the virtual world in 2020, Libertà offered visitors a huge variety of blog posts, including a multi-part mystery serial set in today’s Covid world. Expect more interesting material in 2021.

A Will, A Wish and a Wedding – Kate Hardy

Mills & Boon True Love

I’ve been fascinated by butterflies since I was tiny and saw the Margaret Fountaine collection in Norwich Castle, so I wanted that as a background for my heroine. I also love glass buildings, so my heroine had to be an architect specialising in glass. Add an unusual will, a tragic past and an Iron Age hill fort (not far from me!) – and there was the inspiration for A Will, A Wish and a Wedding.

The Warrior Knight and the Widow – Ella Matthews

Mills & Boon Historical

Oystermouth Castle, in the fishing village of Mumbles, sits on top of a hill over-looking a wide bay. Since childhood, I’ve made up stories about the people who lived there in times gone by. The castle appears in The Warrior Knight and the Widow as the home Lady Ellena wants to protect at all costs. Sir Braedan is the knight who could take it all away from her. I hope I’ve done it justice!

The Day that Changed Everything – Catherine Miller

Bookouture

The main inspiration for The Day that Changed Everything came from a dream. In that dream, I moved into a bungalow and because it was to help care for foster children, I named it the Bunk-A-Low because it would be filled with bunk beds in the future. That was how Tabitha’s story began and the Bunk-A-Low came to exist in this story about all the loves we might experience in a lifetime.

Second Chance for the Single Mom – Sophie Pembroke

Mills & Boon True Love

Second Chance for the Single Mum was actually inspired by my lovely editor, Megan Haslam. When we started working together we quickly bonded over a love of Welsh rugby, and I promised her that one day I’d write her a rugby romance. Several years later, she held me to it. We met up at the RWA conference in New York and brainstormed the characters and the conflict – one of the most fun working lunches ever!

The Return of the Disappearing Duke – Lara Temple

Mills & Boon True Love

The Return of the Disappearing Duke started with a childhood fascination with Egyptian history that deepened when I spent several months travelling and studying there. It was a matter of time before Egypt infiltrated my historical romances and one day I found the perfect hero and heroine for the job — a scarred mercenary-duke on the run from his past and a Shakespeare-loving heroine on the run from her present. I added a couple of opinionated camels, temples, hammams, and a ton of sizzling romance. The result is The Return of the Disappearing Duke — I hope it gives readers as much joy as it gave me to write it.

Cinderella and the Surgeon – Scarlet Wilson

Mills & Boon Medical

The winner will be announced on the 8th March 2021.

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Celebrating: The Romantic Comedy Novel Award shortlist!

Published on March 2, 2021February 26, 2021 by valerieholmesauthorLeave a comment

Romantic comedy

The Romantic Comedy Novel Award

The Garden of Forgotten Wishes – Trisha Ashley

Bantam Press

After several years of writing domestic satire to increasingly rave rejections, I had two short novels in a different genre published in the early eighties. But then I reverted to what I really wanted to write and, after several more years in the wilderness I met my wonderful agent, Judith Murdoch, who made me see that I was really writing romantic comedy…without enough romance.

Someday at Christmas – Lizzie Byron

Coronet, Hodder & Stoughton

I wrote this for all the fat people out there who are so often relegated to the funny best friend in stories. Or, worse, have to lose weight to get what they want. I hope Someday at Christmas shows them that they don’t have to have everything figured out yet and can still love and be loved without having to change a thing about themselves.

Christmas at the Island Hotel – Jenny Colgan

Sphere, Little, Brown

One Winter’s Night – Kiley Dunbar

Hera Books

The inspiration behind One Winter’s Night (and its prequel, One Summer’s Night) is my love for Shakespeare and beautiful Stratford-upon-Avon, my happy place. Like Kelsey Anderson, my main character, I moved to the town to work as a tour guide in my twenties, and like Kelsey I met my own leading man there. Stratford will forever be linked in my mind with adventure, romance and stunning scenery – the key ingredients in my stories.

Sunny Days and Sea Breezes – Carole Matthews

Sphere, Little, Brown

I won a short story competition in Writing Magazine and did the most sensible thing I’ve ever done. I spent the prize money on a writing course. The tutor told me that my work-in-progress was good enough to send to an agent. He took me on straight away and sold the book within a week which became Let’s Meet on Platform 8. I never imagined that it would launch a career that would last twenty-four years and see me write thirty-four books.

The Switch – Beth O’Leary

Quercus

My fierce, funny grandmother inspired me to write The Switch, which is about a grandmother and granddaughter swapping lives. But my inspiration to first start writing is harder to pin down… as it was so long ago! I have loved to write stories since I was old enough to hold a pen. I used to write stories about fairies on the back of printouts my mum needed for work (she was always very understanding!

The winner will be announced on the 8th March 2021.

Please feel free to leave a comment or like the post.

Celebrating: The RNA’s Fantasy Romantic Novel shortlist!

Published on March 1, 2021February 26, 2021 by valerieholmesauthorLeave a comment

RNA fantasy

Fantasy Romantic Novel

Every author has their own unique story to tell about how and why they came to be a novelist. Read on to find out the stories behind the talented authors shortlisted for the prestigious award, as they reveal them, and the inspiration behind their lovely novels.

ECHOES OF THE RUNES – Christina Courtenay

Headline Review

The story was inspired by a Viking style ring I own, an exact replica of one displayed at the Historical Museum in Stockholm. When I went to the museum to compare the two, I was struck by the germ of an idea for this book. My agent just happens to be Swedish as well and she encouraged me to explore our mutual heritage, so it seemed like it was meant to be – serendipity!

The Start of Us – Hannah Emery

One More Chapter, HarperCollins

The Start of Us was inspired by the idea that small moments can change everything. The main character Erica is able to see another version of her life and decide which one she wants to live. This huge choice prompts her to explore something else that fascinates me: how love and grief often go hand in hand. Is it better to never experience pain, if you also have to forfeit love?

The Reluctant Witch – Amelia Hopegood

Independently Published

I come from a working – class background and not only read but scribbled stories throughout my childhood. I’ve still got the manuscript I wrote when I was sixteen – full of teenage angst and funny for all the wrong reasons! I concentrated on my career, but a hospital admittance made me reassess. I write Regency Romance and Paranormal Cozy Mystery and by indie-publishing I’ve been able to write full-time which overwhelmingly readers seem to enjoy!

The Cornish Connection – Amanda James

Independently Published

My inspiration came from reading, I think. But I can’t remember a time when I didn’t write, I suppose it’s in my blood. I was a voracious reader as a child – first Enid Blyton and Marguerite Henry, then in my teens, I became lost in the world of Tolkien. I loved words, stories and going off on virtual adventures. I asked for a typewriter for Christmas when I was eight, and never looked back!

Someday in Paris – Olivia Lara

Aria, Head of Zeus

The Someday in Paris manuscript was a wedding anniversary gift for my husband: a magical love story inspired by our own, set in Paris and Colmar—our favourite French towns— and centered around art, which we both love. While I hoped he’d like it, I didn’t expect his immediate, powerful, and emotional reaction while reading it, which ultimately emboldened me to follow my lifelong dream of becoming a published author.

The winner will be announced on the 8th March 2021.

Please feel free to leave a comment or like the post.

Celebrating: The Katie Fforde Debut Romantic Novel shortlist!

Published on February 28, 2021February 26, 2021 by valerieholmesauthorLeave a comment

unnamed (4)

The Katie Fforde Debut Romantic Novel

Bestselling author Katie Fforde lives in the beautiful Cotswold countryside with her family and is a true country girl at heart. Each of her books explores a different profession or background and her research has helped her bring these to life. She’s been a porter in an auction house, tried her hand at pottery, refurbished furniture, delved behind the scenes of a dating website, and she’s even been on a Ray Mears survival course. She loves being a writer; to her there isn’t a more satisfying and pleasing thing to do. She particularly enjoys writing love stories. She believes falling in love is the best thing in the world, and she wants all her characters to experience it, and her readers to share their stories.

Cow Girl – Kirsty Eyre

HarperCollins UK

Cow Girl was inspired by my mum, my friend and a herd of cows. Billie’s voice came first (my friend), then the setting (the smells and sounds of a dairy farm in Yorkshire), then the battle (my mum, like Billie’s dad, had a brain tumour). Misogyny. Romance. Homophobia. Charity pantomime cow races. The story is as much about female friendship as it is about romance, the herd a silent, reassuring feminist ally.

Eyre - cow girl cover Eyre cow girl author

The Bookshop of Second Chances – Jackie Fraser

Simon & Schuster

I’m usually inspired by a place – sometimes a building – or the idea of a particular kind of character or relationship. I started writing The Bookshop of Second Chances while on holiday in Dumfries and Galloway in the Scottish Lowlands, inspired by the little towns strung out along the A75. This gave me my setting, and I knew I wanted to write about older people and the challenges and opportunities of starting again in your forties.

Fraser bookshop second chances cover Fraser - bookshop second chances author

The Silent Treatment – Abbie Greaves

Century, Cornerstone

Like many authors, I’d always wanted to write a novel, but the problem was finding a story with the legs to walk 80,000+ words! When I read a newspaper article about a man who hadn’t spoken to his wife for twenty years, I became fascinated with the idea of a silence settling at the heart of a relationship and I knew there was enough there to sustain a whole book. THE SILENT TREATMENT was born.

Greaves silent treatment cover Greaves silent treatment author

This Is Not A Love Story – Mary Hargreaves

Trapeze

I have always found writing easy – that sounds pretentious, but I don’t mean it to; for me, putting the contents of my brain into written words is always easier than speaking them aloud. I spent my childhood and teenage years daydreaming and weaving new worlds in my imagination, and decided to finally bite the bullet and write This Is Not A Love Story when I was 23. It’s the best thing |’ve ever done!

Hargreaves not a love story cover Hargreaves not a love story author

A New Life for Ariana Byrne – Liz Hurley

Hera Books

Why I write? Well, oddly enough because someone asked me to. Or rather they asked if I knew anyone that could write a lifestyle column for the local newspaper. I own a bookshop so presumably they thought I knew loads of authors. I did, but not anyone suitable. So, I volunteered. And I loved it. I have always written letters and diaries, this was just an extension. From there it was an inescapable slide into fiction! And I’m loving the ride.

Why I wrote Ari

The idea for a story came fully formed with a whole series of adventures for each sister. I wanted something that just pushed the boundaries of everyday life but still actually plausible. It had to be happy and uplifting and I felt that inheriting a great big old house, a title and loads of money would be just the start. And of course I had to set it in Norfolk, the happiest place in the world. But then I’m a Norfolk dumpling, so I would say that.

Hurley new life for AB cover Hurley new life for AB author

The Authenticity Project – Clare Pooley

Bantam Press

My life, six years ago, appeared idyllic. In reality, I was grappling with a self-destructive addiction to alcohol.

I knew I had to quit drinking, and as therapy, started a blog into which I poured out the truth.

That act of authenticity transformed my life, and the lives of thousands of people who read it. Which made me wonder: what would happen if other people told their innermost truths to strangers?

And that was the inspiration for my novel: The Authenticity Project.”

Pooley authenticity project cover Pooley authenticity project author

The winner will be announced on the 8th March 2021.

Please feel free to leave a comment or like the post.

Celebrating: The Goldsboro Books Historical Romantic Novel shortlist!

Published on February 27, 2021February 26, 2021 by valerieholmesauthorLeave a comment

Goldsboro Books is the UK’s leading independent bookshop, specialising since 1999 in first editions, signed, collectable and exclusive books. Situated in Cecil Court in London’s West End, and – as of December 2020 – Brighton’s famous Lanes, it has gained a reputation for championing debut authors, as well as creating the UK’s largest book collectors’ club, and is influential in selling large quantities of hard-back fiction.

The Goldsboro Books Historical Romantic Novel

Heartbreak in the Valleys – Francesca Capaldi

Hera Books

The idea for Heartbreak in the Valleys came from a document I discovered on Ancestry.com. It was the WW1 record for my great grandfather, Hugh Morgan. It revealed that he’d enlisted into the Rhondda Pals but was discharged on medical grounds eight months later, with tachycardia, while still training. Wondering what he must have felt, with his pals off to war, and how it affected those around him, I came up with the basis of the novel.

The Coming of the Wolf – Elizabeth Chadwick

Sphere, Little, Brown

I wanted to write a story about how people of every culture coped after the Battle of Hastings in 1066 and The Coming of the Wolf is the result, with a Cambro-Norman hero and an English heroine. I wrote the novel long ago, but dug it out to edit and put a few chapters online. My readers immediately demanded the rest and it was their encouragement and push that ultimately led to the novel’s publication and subsequent shortlisting.

Chadwick - coming of the wolf author (1)

Spirited – Julie Cohen

Orion Fiction

Daniel’s Daughter – Victoria Cornwall

Choc Lit

Daniel’s Daughter tells the story of a character who appeared at the end of one of my previous novels in the Cornish Tales series, The Captain’s Daughter. I always wondered what would happen to Grace should she discover a secret that would destroy her trust in everyone she loves. The books in the Cornish Tales series are stand-alone stories and can be read in any order, however writing Daniel’s Daughter brought closure to me as a writer.

The French Wife – Diney Costeloe

Head of Zeus

Encouraged by my publisher father, I have written stories all my life. In 1980 I entered Woman’s Hour’s romantic novel competition, and though I didn’t win, I was shortlisted and so I submitted my novel to Robert Hale. It was the beginning of my published career. I wrote ten romances for them and others before moving on to historical fiction, 19th century, WWI, WWII but always with a romantic element. That’s where I am now.

People Like Us – Louise Fein

Head of Zeus

As a child, I always had my nose in a book. I think I wrote my first story aged around six. It wasn’t until my youngest daughter’s illness forced me to give up work that I began writing seriously. I took a master’s degree and began working on a novel. That novel, the first I ever wrote, became People Like Us. It is beyond my wildest dreams to be published and shortlisted for this award!

The Lost Lights of St Kilda – Elisabeth Gifford

Corvus

The Lost Lights of St Kilda was inspired by the last families to live in Scotland’s most remote island who had to abandon their beloved home in 1930.

I was able to visit St Kilda with its magnificent scenery, and the abandoned village. I combined this with a story of a WW2 Scottish soldier who stays on the island as a student, and falls in love with an island girl. He is captured during the Dunkirk evacuations. His escape to get home to Chrissie was inspired by our grandparents’ stories of helping escapees to escape Nazi-held France.

Rags-to-Riches Wife – Catherine Tinley

Mills & Boon Historical

In Regency Romance, there is an emphasis on the world of high society. My own ancestors though would not have been aristocrats. We were farmers, tradespeople, servants. This was my chance to delve into the life of a regency servant. Jane is a lady’s maid, and is invited to stay with wealthy relatives. How will she manage as she wears silk dresses instead of cleaning them, as she is mocked for her chapped hands and lack of schooling, as she finds herself falling in love with a gentleman – someone above her social class?

The Skylark’s Secret – Fiona Valpy

Lake Union Publishing

I was travelling in the far north of Scotland and I came across the Russian Arctic Convoys Museum. I was astonished – it was a WW2 story that I’d known nothing about. Loch Ewe was chosen as the

muster point for ships braving the Arctic seas, running the gauntlet of Nazi U-boats and air strikes to keep the Russians supplied with food and armaments. The idea of this peaceful, remote crofting community suddenly becoming such a strategic focal point in the war inspired The Skylark’s Secret

The winner will be announced on the 8th March 2021.

Please feel free to leave a comment or like the post.

Celebrating: The Goldsboro Books Contemporary Romantic Novel Shortlist!

Published on February 26, 2021February 26, 2021 by valerieholmesauthorLeave a comment

RNA Contemporary

The Goldsboro Books Contemporary Romantic Novel

Where We Belong – Anstey Harris

Simon & Schuster

It has been a goal of mine, for a long time, to write a novel featuring someone with a learning disability whose disability doesn’t define them and whose story arc isn’t connected to that disability. Wrapping that up in a love story made it even more valuable thing to write about – love is the thing that binds us, that makes the world go round, and something we all have a right to experience.

Harris -where we belong cover Harris - where we belong author

My One True North – Milly Johnson

Simon & Schuster

I never wanted to be anything else but a novelist. Even when the sensible part of me was saying, ‘Get a proper job. Girls like you don’t become them,’ I never stopped dreaming. But such dreams need hard work behind them to come true so I gave it my all. I wanted to write books that made readers feel the way I did when reading the best ones: a willing prisoner trapped in the pages.

Johnson- one true north cover Johnson- one true north author

One Day In Summer – Shari Low

Boldwood Books

One Day In Summer was inspired by every woman I’ve ever known who put their own dreams to one side to take care of their family. The main character, Agnetha, wakes on her 40th birthday, having spent the last twenty years caring for her parents, her daughters, and the husband who left her for her best friend. It’s her time now. And Agnetha, just like all those other women, deserves another shot at life and at love.

Low- day in summer author Low- day in summer cover

Eudora Honeysett is Quite Well, Thank You – Annie Lyons

One More Chapter, HarperCollins 

Eighty-five-year-old Eudora Honeysett is inspired in part by my mum. She also lived through the Second World War and they share that ‘dig for victory’ resilience. The irrepressible Rose, who befriends a reluctant Eudora, is inspired by every ten-year-old I’ve ever known bringing sparkle and relentless curiosity about life, death and everything in between! Their adventures with the recently-widowed Stanley help Eudora to reconsider this ‘noisy, moronic world’ and come to terms with her past.

Lyons Eudora honeysett - author Eudora Honeysett (1)

Christmas For Beginners – Carole Matthews

Sphere, Little, Brown

I won a short story competition in Writing magazine and did the most sensible thing I’ve ever done. I spent the prize money on a writing course. The tutor told me that my work-in-progress was good enough to send to an agent. He took me on straight away and sold the book within a week which became Let’s Meet on Platform 8. I never imagined that it would launch a career that would last twenty-four years and see me write thirty-four books.

Matthews - christmas for beginners cover

The Little Shop in Cornwall – Helen Pollard

Bookouture

I always want my books to provide an escape from everyday life for my readers, transporting them to somewhere special. Since I love creating fictitious places set within a real region, what could be more fun than to dream up my very own pretty coastal Cornish village for The Little Shop in Cornwall? Beach, harbour, wooded cliffs, fishermen’s cottages… Perfect. As I was writing, I would sometimes forget that Porthsteren only exists in my imagination!

Pollard- shop in cornwall cover Pollard shop in cornwall - author

Mix Tape – Jane Sanderson

Bantam Press

I’ve always listened to and loved music, but the idea for this novel actually arrived in a eureka moment; a waking thought one morning, that I should write a novel which harnessed and celebrated the power of song to speak to the heart. A girl and a boy lost to each other, then finding their way back, through music – that was the central premise, and it was pure joy for me as a writer to capture those heady, heart-hammering emotions inspired by the perfect song.

Sanderson mix tape author Sanderson mix tape cover

The Spark – Jules Wake

One More Chapter, HarperCollins

Normally my books are about couples who gradually fall in love over the course of a book. With this story I wanted to explore those lovely falling in love moments from the outset but of course if they fall in love straight away, there is no story. The Spark was born when I thought about what conflicts might spoil that early happiness and how the characters will overcome them.

Wake the spark author Wake the spark cover

The winner will be announced on the 8th March 2021.

Please feel free to leave a comment or like the post.

Catching up with award winning author Janet Gover!

Published on February 22, 2021 by valerieholmesauthorLeave a comment

Welcome back, Janet.

How time flies by. You were my guest back in 2014!

Wow – is it really that long? It’s great to be back chatting to you again.

Since then a lot has happened – how have you found working during lockdown? Has it been a challenge to stay focused; mentally and physically?

2020 was a tough year for everyone. This year hasn’t started too well either, but I am holding on to hope that things are getting better – even if it’s a bit slow. The big change for me has been my husband working from home. Luckily we’ve managed to make him a small office at the other end of the house, as far away from my office as possible, so we don’t disturb each other too often when we’re working. But we do miss our Sunday walks that seemed to always end with a nice lunch at some pretty rural pub.

It has been hard to stay focussed, although writing is a great escape for me. And deadlines are a great motivator. I have kept to my schedule, but it’s been slighter harder work than in the past.

How much has changed in your writing world since we first chatted?

So much… it’s hard to know where to start. I’ve just had my 14^th book released. Close To Home is a story of two strong matriarchs in one small country town. I think it’s my favourite book. But I say that about every new book.

I have given up my ‘day job’ and am now a full time writer and writing tutor, which is the achievement of a long held dream.

And I’m now contracted to Harper Collins (Harlequin) Australia, who are just the best publishers I’ve ever worked with.

What have been the highlights?

So many highlights…. some of them are as simple as suddenly having that lightbulb moment when I’m struggling with a scene or a book. The big ones? Let’s see…

In 2017 I won the RNA’s Epic Romantic Novel of The Year award for Little Girl Lost. To receive such an award from an organisation that means so much to me was a real honour – even if Prue Leith did pronounce my name wrong when she announced it.

Finally writing the Wuthering Heights re-imagining I’ve always wanted to do. Heathcliff’s story set against the Thatcher years and the miners’ strike. I co-wrote this with my friend Alison May and I remain so very proud of it.

Meeting and signing with my agent, Julia Silk – who has turned my writing world around. And in the same breath, signing with my Australian publisher, and meeting my editor Rachael Donovan. Only virtually so far, but one day we will get to meet in person. There will be cake.

You are now the organiser of the RNA’s amazing New Writers Scheme – please share what a challenging and yet rewarding experience this is?

For those who don’t know about it, it’s a scheme which gives 300 unpublished authors a chance to have a manuscript read by a experienced published author, who will offer some guidance on how to become a better writer and achieve that goal of publication. I graduated from the scheme more than a decade ago, and have been a reader for many years. Now I organise it. It’s very time consuming, but I love doing it… its nice to give something back for the help I received.

The hardest part is matching a new writer with the reader who can help them the most. And the very best part is when I get an email from a new writer who had been offered a publishing deal. That means so much to me and to the readers.

What are you working on now?

I’m deep in edits for book number 15. The working title is The Librarian’s Daughter and it’s scheduled for release in 2022. It’s based around a mobile library in rural Australia… just like the one that used to call on my little community. And in some ways, it’s also a tribute to all the books I read and loved as I was growing up.

It’s a complex book, structurally. I’m trying to ensure that, for the reader, it doesn’t seem complex at all – but flows smoothly from one moment to the next.

What is next for Janet?

Hopefully, soon, a trip back to Australia. More books of course. I have been playing with a couple of ideas for very different books to my rural stories. I’ll always write those rural stories of course, because I love them so much. But maybe there’s room for something else too.

And one of these days – a long Sunday walk followed by a nice pub lunch.

Congratulations on your many successes and best wishes for all your future projects!

Thanks for stopping by again, Janet.

Meet Ian Logan and Jonathan Glancey, authors of Logomotive – Railroad Graphics and the American Dream.

Published on February 14, 2021February 17, 2021 by valerieholmesauthorLeave a comment

Meet Ian Logan and Jonathan Glancey, authors of Logomotive – Railroad Graphics and the American Dream; a delightful visual tribute to the heyday of US railroad graphic.

Welcome, Ian and Jonathan,

Your careers to date are as colourful as the posters in your beautifully crafted book. What was the spark that ignited your passion for this project?

Jonathan:

Ian’s photographs of US trains – their logos, liveries, if sometimes dishevelled appearances – before so many American railroads were either closed or swallowed up by less characterful corporate giants from the 1970s.

Ian:

I have had a love for visual decoration for as long as I can remember. When I was very young I would stand outside the tobacconist’s shop in my village admiring the wonderful designs on the cigarette packs and cards. I still have a large collection of the cards.

Then when I first went to the US and saw “Americana” and my first US train with “Rock Island” on the side I was in heaven!

Did your love of the marketing designs, created to sell the dream image, capture your interest first or did that come out of a passion for trains and the history of the railroads?

Jonathan:

A fascination with trains, their looks, sounds and their habitat – stations, goods yards, viaducts, distant hills and engine sheds – before uncovering the history of railways themselves and how their services have been created for and sold to the public over the generations.

Ian:

I have always loved machinery, especially steam locomotives. I was an apprentice in a company that made parts for the railways. I also have a love of old aircraft. For me it is the power, colour, speed, and visual excitement that is the passion.

3. Was it your mutual love of design, or for the actual locomotives and the networks, that brought you together on this project?

Jonathan:

Design, yes. I hadn’t known that Ian was quite so keen on trains and railways as I am. I was a regular customer of the delightfully eclectic design shop he ran near Smithfield Market in the City of London.

Ian:

Design is the inspiration, without doubt. I had read and knew about Jonathan from his articles and he used to come into my design store. He was the most obvious person to collaborate with.

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4. Do you still travel extensively on the networks and do have a favourite older locomotive that still operates in the US?

Jonathan:

I would love to travel again post-Pandemic! My favourite operational US steam locomotive is No 611, a very powerful, very fast and ultra-reliable glossy black, Indian red and gold-lined streamlined J-class 4-8-4 built in 1950 to pull Norfolk and Western Railway long-distance passenger trains like the Powhattan Arrow from Norfolk, Virginia to Cincinatti, Ohio. No 611 is as muscular as a heavyweight boxer yet as lithe as a marathon runner.

Ian:

I have travelled on the network and would love to travel again. It’s a sensational way to view the country.

I loved the designs of the GM. E and F unit diesel locomotives and their paintwork and liveries of the different railroads. I also have a love of the design functionality of modern US freight locos.

5. Do you have a bucket list of ‘must see, visit, or find’ regarding the trains, lines or graphics?

Jonathan:

I’d really like to ride with the engineer and fireman on the footplate of the Union Pacific’s “Big Boy” No 4014, as, freshly restored to service eighteen months ago, this compelling black and anthracite liveried mobile thunderstorm tackles the mountainous route between Utah and Wyoming, its mournful whistle resounding through twisting passes, its train ideally at least a mile long.

Ian:

I would love to ride in the cab of Union Pacific’s 600 ton 4-8-8-4 “Big Boy”.

I flew to LA before lockdown to see Big Boy while it was touring the western states for the Centenary of ‘The golden spike’. You could not but be in awe of the sheer size and power.

6. Do you have a favourite design – or designer’s work, that stands out for you?

Jonathan:

Henry Dreyfuss’s design of the New York Central’s peerless 20th Century Limited overnight express that ran from New York to Chicago from 1938, a masterpiece of cocktail-era Streamlined Modernism, and Paul Kiefer’s design of the cinematic silver and grey Class J3a locomotives that speared this supremely glamorous train between the two great American cities.

Ian:

There are a bunch of designers, illustrators and artists that I have admired over the years. Milton Glaser is way up there for originality and sheer inspiration. Pentagram design group for their original philosophy.

Raymond Loewy for his design styling of the Pennsylvania railroads S1 steam loco. And his design for the beautiful Greyhound Scenicruiser bus and logo.

7. How much has your own work and designs been influenced by this golden age?

Jonathan:

I’ve written about US locos and trains in my books Giants of Steam (2012) and The Journey Matters (2019). I show them in talks and lectures about architecture and design, too.

Ian:

Within the design group I had during the 60s to the late 90s it has always been there in the background.

8. Since John Bull trains have come a long way, do you find they have lost or gained appeal to you?

Jonathan:

Most contemporary trains, however efficient, are anodyne and all but generic in terms of design. They could belong anywhere. There is no sense of place about them. Steam locomotives, whether shunting wagons in small yards or racing with restaurant car expresses are never less than alive. They have an elemental quality, a rhythmical one, too, that has never been replaced, much less bettered by later machinery. They belong to the townscapes and landscapes they inhabit.

Ian:

There was a time when the competition created all different trains and that excited thousands of young boys taking their numbers on stations all over the country but now they all look the same!

9. Are there any designs that you have not managed to track down that you would like to collect? Do you collect originals?

Jonathan:

I’m not a collector. Over to Ian!

Ian:

I have a collection of English railway posters from the 1920s and 30s and love this period of art and illustration. There is one poster I would love to own. It’s part of a WW2 series illustrated by the great Frank Newbold titled ‘Your Britain fight for it now’. It shows a shepherd walking over a hill with his sheep and dog with the farm and sea in the distance. I also love the Batsford book jackets by Brian Cook depicting English country scenes.

10. This book is a first, like the first railroad it is a pioneering work. Will there be a ‘Logomotive 2’?

Jonathan:

I think this depends on how many people buy a ticket to ride with Logomotive 1!

Ian:

Jonathan’s answer!

Logomotive

Logomotive: Railroad Graphics and the American Dream by Ian Logan and Jonathan Glancey, published by Sheldrake Press.

Thanks for sharing your enthusiasm and insights for this beautiful project. I wish you both every continued success for Logomotive and all your future projects.

Thank you for being my guests!

Meet prolific author, Paula R C Readman!

Published on February 3, 2021February 3, 2021 by valerieholmesauthor5 Comments

Paula R C Readman 300520 (1)

Welcome, Paula

What are you currently working on?

At the moment I have two projects in the pipeline. A follow-on novel to my novella, The Funeral Birds, a tale about a failing detective agency run by Dave Cavendish and his side kick, a sixteenth century witch called Granny Wenlock who’s his ancestor.

The follow –on novel, As the Crow Flies I’ll be exploring more of Granny’s background as well as giving the characters a new case to solve. The novel allows me to bring together two interesting timelines. My problem at the moment is how to make the flow of the plot work as the timelines shift.

My second project is a 7k short story for Black Hare Press Alice 13. It is thirteen different stories, in thirteen different genres all featuring Alice from Wonderland. I’ve written the plot idea, a synopsis and the first four pages. The deadline is allowing me plenty of time to think about it.

As my new novel is flowing nicely I want to focus on that for a little while before finishing my Alice story.

That sounds fascinating! Your work crosses different genres. Which came first?

I’ve always loved a good mystery. I think my love of mysteries comes from my love of history. At school I loved learning about ancient history. We can only imagine how different the world must have been to our ancient ancestors. We know how most things work as science has shown us the key to all life, but to the people in the past it was a real mystery.

A mystery in fiction can cover a wide range of genre from romance to crime novels. I don’t write romance, but I do enjoy writing a wide range of genre from gothic ghost stories to Sci-fi tales.

Do you switch from one project to another to stay fresh?

All the time. When one deadline appears on the horizon I will stop and focus on that one and complete it. It gives you the break you need to see any typos, plot failures or weaknesses as well as sparking fresh ideas. When I return to a project I re-read the whole of it before writing more.

Do you plan out a story first with a detailed synopsis or work organically, allowing the plot to develop on the page.

A bit of both really. I normally have an idea of the beginning and the ending, so it’s a case of getting from A to B in the most interesting way. With books, I tend to create a paragraph of the overall plot and work out who is the best person to tell the story. My synopsis is written once I’m half way through writing the first draft. You can’t know your full plot until you’ve written the first draft because everything is very fluid when you initially start.

Do you begin with an idea of the plot, a character, a setting or does it vary depending upon genre?

I normally write a rough plot idea down, and then work out who my main character will be, along with the setting, timeline whether it is a short story or novel. Once I have the opening paragraph then I’m up and running. As the plot line develops so I add new characters and write up their background. I keep adding important information to a file like the type of car my main character is driving, hair and eye colour etc. I don’t spend time writing a detailed background sheet before starting because none of it may be of relevance to my storyline. Do I really need to know what school my serial killer went to in my 5k word short story before writing it unless it is relevant to the plot?

What is your work schedule like when you’re writing?

My best time for writing is just after I’ve woken up. My mind is fresh and sharp and I can get quite a bit written. New ideas flow easier and I can pick up typos too. My husband is normally up early for work, so I’m at my keyboard at 4.00 in the morning.

That is really impressive! Do you ever write real life experiences into your work?

All writers do through their emotions. No experience whether good or bad is wasted as it all feeds into our writing whether we like it or not. For our characters to be three dimensional we need to use all of our life experiences, which have made us rounded people to create them.

What was your hardest scene to write?

I wrote a short story called The Meetings which tells of two people meeting in a park. The narrator is the park keeper. Through him we learn about the couple, but there’s a twist. It touched a real nerve with me as I wrote it not long after my father passed away.

The story was rejected by People’s Friend Magazine but went on to become an overall winner in a writing competition.

How long on average does it take you to write a book or novella?

Oh goodness, how long is a piece of string? Too long in some cases, right? I have eight novels sitting on my computer in various stages of completion. Since I have been writing over 18 years and have only had three books published I’m not 100% sure how long each novel has taken to write. Stone Angels took me six years in total and then another eight months of editing. In those six years, I lost my mum and life got a little crappy too. My novella took a week to write but sat on my computer for a long time until the right submission call out came along.

How have you coped with life in the pandemic?

Quite well. I was already in self-isolation as I was busy editing. So I’ve just continued doing what I was doing. My husband and I are missing travelling to Whitby for the Goth Festivals and I didn’t get my book launch I always dreamt of doing. Unfortunately, I lost two dear friends last year which dampened my excitement at seeing my work published.

I so miss travelling in North Yorkshire and Whitby in particular. I wish you every success, Paula, with all of your projects and look forward to learning of your next publishing deal.

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