Letter X The April A to Z Blogging Challenge #AtoZChallenge

April Author Spotlight 2015

Letter ‘X’ is for Faith Mortimer author of On Christmas Hill

Why do I recommend On Christmas Hill?

I love Christmas, and I love the way seasonal literature and films enhance our experience of this ancestral need to believe that good can and will conquer evil. I like to believe good people attract good luck, so good things happen to them, eventually, in spite of the difficulties they encounter. On Christmas Hill makes us believe in the magic of Christmas, at least for a few wonderful hours.

It has all the ingredients for a great romantic and suspenseful read, such as a lost love letter delivered much later, but not too late, an unfaithful husband, a cruel jealous girlfriend, a cheating boss who sacks ex-mistress, a negligent and miserly landlord, parents who abandon their child in need, a Byronic hero, a single mum with many worries, and a fatherless child who writes a letter to Father Christmas asking for a father for Christmas.

I loved the positive, endearing characters who were generous, honest and gullible, while I disliked the bad ones, who were selfish, scheming, and cruelly intolerant. I enjoyed the gradual unveiling of the plot, as the characters grew in depth, while the twists and turns led to an ending Father Christmas would approve of.

I enjoyed On Christmas Hill because it’s so easy to love, so delightful to read, and so hard to forget, that I’m sure I’ll be rereading it next Christmas.

What’s your book about, Faith?

Firstly, before I answer your questions, may I just say how nice it is to be featured on your blog today? I am indeed honoured and appreciate it immensely. Thank you.

On Christmas Hill is primarily a romance, but I like to think it is more than just a ‘boy meets girl and happy-ever after’ scenario. All my regular readers and followers know that I write in three genres: psychological thrillers, mystery suspense and finally, romance which is usually unsettled and antsy in some way. Such is the case as with On Christmas Hill, and because of this I believe a good cross-section of readers – both male and female – enjoy the story.

Yes, we have a hero and heroine, a ruthless ex-lover and dire circumstances which I believe all makes for an interesting and gripping read. But because life isn’t a bed of roses, catastrophes and difficulties are constantly being thrown at us, and subsequently, our destiny is usually out of our control.

In, On Christmas Hill, the heroine is in trouble. Distressed, desperate and with no one trustworthy to turn to, when help does arrive (our hero) she cannot bring herself to believe someone is as nice and honest as they appear. The results are surprising.

What are you working on now?

My editor and I are in the middle of editing my latest suspense thriller. Entitled, A Brutal Trade. This novel is the 7^th in my Diana Rivers series, (all standalone books).

Set on the Mediterranean island of Cyprus, author and sleuth, Diana Rivers and old flame Adam, a Chief Superintendent in the UK police force; team up again in a fight against money-laundering. Only this time calamities escalate tenfold when they become involved in a horrific battle involving human trafficking and the illegal sale of body parts – real dark fiction.

I became interested in this subject after learning about the plight of real-time women who have been trafficked through Cyprus. I realize slavery has always been in force throughout the world since time began, but with international media we are seeing and hearing about it daily. Once published, I plan on giving a generous portion of my royalties towards charities aimed at stopping these dreadful crimes against humanity.

What would you like readers to know about you?

I like to think I’m an ordinary person, with a loving husband and family. I have travelled extensively ever since I was five years old, and because I enjoy learning about foreign countries and customs I often share my discoveries in my novels.

After school I trained as a Registered nurse, learned to sail and have the proud distinction of being a Yacht Master! Apart from sailing, I enjoy skiing, reading, hashing, walking, acting and cooking.

I took up writing seriously after sitting a Science degree when I was forty(ish!) Now I am lucky enough to have retired from ‘real work’ and happily write as often as I can. I consider myself a very lucky person as I now have the best job in the world!

You can find me on:

Facebook:

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Goodreads page:

Amazon Author Page:

Amazon UK Author Page:

All my books can be found on:

Amazon US:

Amazon UK

Nook:

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Thank you so much for your visit, Faith, it’s been great to have you featured on today’s Author Spotlight. I look forward to reading your psychological thrillers and mystery suspense novels.

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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.