Letter K The April A to Z Blogging Challenge #AtoZChallenge

Posted byLucciaGrayPosted inApril Author Spotlight 2015Tags:, , , ,

April Author Spotlight 2015

Letter ‘K’ is for June Kearns author of The 20s Girl, the Ghost, and all that Jazz

k Why do I recommend The 20s Girl, the Ghost, and all that Jazz?

I really enjoyed this wonderful novel. It draws you in from page one with the settings, writing style, love story, and hint of humour. It’s set in the emotionally and financially challenging post WWI years, and you will experience the fertile, green and rainy English countryside, with its polite and quaint inhabitants, as well as a hot and dry, Texan ranch, with its rough cowboys!

I loved the unusual romance, with its drawn-out courtship, ups and downs, transatlantic twists and turns, and of course, the ghost who is cleverly, and convincingly, wound into the story from the beginning. I was so worried about loveable Gerry, who was almost compelled to marry the wrong person out of desperation, and so in love with Coop, the unforgettable Texan hero, who is as mysterious, moody, undecipherable, intense, rich, and magnanimous as any Byronic hero ever was!

It’s a delightful novel that will make you laugh, and fret, and believe in mischievous ghosts, and of course, love.

Jazz Who would enjoy The 20s Girl, the Ghost, and all that Jazz? books, June?

Well if like me, you’re a sucker for romance, threaded through with history and humour – plus a splash of drama and angst – my books might appeal! They’re probably best described as historical romantic comedy. Why the 20’s Girl? Even before the remake of Gatsby and advent of Downton, there was just something in the air about the 1920s – the music, style and fashion.

The story was also partly inspired by a 1920s newspaper headline: ‘A million women too many! 1920 husband hunt!’ – about that generation of surplus women in England after the First World War, who were left with little hope of love or marriage. They were given advice: ‘If you’re hoping for a husband – be warned. Nice young men have no time for jazzing flappers.’ And: ‘Cheer up, dears. Cupid’s arrows aren’t waiting for everyone. Why not concentrate on good works.’

What are you working on now?

At the moment, I’m writing another novel, my third, set in London in the 1960s – based (loosely!) on my experiences as a young photographer at that time. My main memories of the era are the fashion (shopping at Biba and Mary Quant! Why didn’t I keep all those clothes!), ironing my hair, (this was well before straighteners and I’ve always had serious frizz!), and my beautiful best friend, (she looked like a young Elizabeth Taylor, sigh – a serious drawback for me when meeting men.) image1

What would you like readers to know about you?

My star sign is Cancer, and it’s probably telling that my favourite position has always been behind the shell, peeping out. I’ve fond memories from childhood of sitting under the kitchen table, hidden by fringes of the chenille cloth and hearing teaspoons clink as my mum and her sisters, whispered and laughed at gossip. The onlooker, the observer. The writer in training?

How can we find out more or contact you?

My Amazon Author Page  

My Website  

My Twitter: @june_kearns                        

@newromantics4

My Facebook      

New Romantics 4

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 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. 

Published by LucciaGray

Writer, blogger, teacher, reader and lover of words wherever they are. Author of The Eyre Hall Trilogy, the breathtaking sequel to Jane Eyre. Luccia lives in sunny Spain, but her heart's in Victorian London.

41 thoughts on “Letter K The April A to Z Blogging Challenge #AtoZChallenge”

  5. Nice one, ladies – and I’ve just noticed that I interpreted the last question the wrong way and just gave you my blog links, Luccia!!!! Should I re-write?

    June, I am so looking forward to your 60s book!!!

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  18. So glad that you came out from under the table, June. You’ve been a great help and support to me on my writing journey and its great to see you finding new readers and admirers. Great blog, Luccia.

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  19. I’m a fan of June’s work! My favorite book is “An Englishwoman’s Guide to the Cowboy.” It’s like she writes of my two favorite cultures. I think while she was watching westerns I was watching Masterpiece Theater and Benny Hill. 🙂 I like her response to hiding under the table as a child, the observer, writer in training!

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