Letter E The April A to Z Blogging Challenge #AtoZChallenge

 April Author Spotlight 2015

Letter ‘E’ is for Frances Evesham author of An Independent Woman

Why do I recommend An Independent Woman?

An Independent Woman is an entertaining, moving, and exciting, historical romance. The novel is beautifully written with prose that flows smoothly, enticing the reader to turn the pages. There are just enough descriptive elements to submerge the reader comfortably in Victorian England, moving effortlessly from foggy, filthy London to the tranquil countryside. I loved the first chapters, when the heroine was disguised as a young boy in order to escape from London. We are also introduced to other mysterious, demanding, frivolous, and villainous characters, in a gothic mansion with a life of its own, Thatcham Hall. You will enjoy this novel if you are interested in Victorian England, wrapped up in an enjoyable parcel of mystery, action, and romance.

What’s your novel about, Frances?

An Independent Woman is the tale of Philomena; a determined orphan from the slums of Victorian London, with a habit of tumbling from one disastrous plan to another, haunted by terrifying dreams of a man with cold green eyes. Impatient with the social conventions she encounters in the great English country house, Thatcham Hall, she meets and crosses swords with the handsome, widowed Lord Thatcham, complicating life still further by falling for a man with secrets of his own.

When I write, I imagine I’m sitting beside a roaring fire with a glass of wine, swapping stories with someone who, like me, loves the intrigue of Agatha Christie or Ngaio Marsh, the period feel of Georgette Heyer and the tension of Victoria Holt. We enjoy Midsomer Murders and never miss a moment of Downton Abbey.

What are you working on now?

The second book in the Thatcham Hall series is Danger at Thatcham Hall, a murder mystery, due for publication later this year.

Set three years after An Independent Woman, the story introduces Nelson, an embittered ex-soldier and lawyer and Olivia, a poor relation of Lord Thatcham, who dreads life as a Victorian governess and longs to make an unconventional living as a pianist and composer.

Together, they stumble on a body. Is the farmhand’s death a simple accident, or something more sinister? Who attacked the livestock at the Hall and why are the villagers so reluctant to talk? Can Nelson and Olivia overcome their differences and join forces to unravel the web of evil that imperils the Hall?

 What would you like readers to know about you?

I write 19th Century historical mystery romances set in Victorian England, enjoy my growing collection of grandsons (number four due soon) and wish I’d kept on with those piano lessons.

I collect Victorian ancestors and historical trivia, love to smell roses, lavender and rosemary, and cook, with a glass of wine in one hand and a bunch of chillies in the other.

I’ve been a speech therapist, a professional communication fiend, a road sweeper and an intermediary in the criminal courts. Now, when I can tear myself away from the Victorian world of Thatcham Hall, I like to walk in the countryside and breathe sea air in Somerset.

How can we find out more or contact you?

My Website/blog

Twitter

Facebook:

Amazon Author page:

An Independent Woman: Amazon UK  and Amazon US

The Wild Rose Press:

 

I first read and reviewed this wonderful novel some months ago as part of Rosie Amber’s Book Review Team. Check out Rosie’s wonderful blog to find reviews, readers, writers, and much more!

Rosie is also taking part in the A-Z Challenge with great posts on main characters of the books she’s read.

Please take some time to check out some of the other blogs on the A-Z Challenge. There are plenty of interesting and varied topics.