Rereading Jane Eyre

Letter K The April A to Z Blogging Challenge #AtoZChallenge

April Author Spotlight 2015

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

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.

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.)

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.

Letter J The April A to Z Blogging Challenge #AtoZChallenge

April Author Spotlight 2015

Letter ‘J’ is for Regina Jeffers author of Captain Frederick Wentworth’s Persuasion

Why do I recommend Captain Frederick Wentworth’s Persuasion?

I loved every minute I spent reading this novel. The author retells, explains and moves Jane Austen’s Persuasion on to the next stage, in a way the original author never did. Regina Jeffers masterfully uncovers the fears, prejudice, and immaturity which led to Anne and Frederick’s first separation, as we are at last able to look inside the characters’ minds, and understand the misery and turmoil they went through during their first separation and second meeting years later. There is plenty of conversation and telling instead of showing, as the tension builds and their relationship slowly unfolds. All the diverse characters also come to life; Wentworth’s crew and his loving family, are portrayed in stark contrast to Anne’s arrogant and conceited sisters and their families. You needn’t have read Jane Austen’s novel to enjoy reading this wonderfully written historical romance, with a compelling plot, and impeccably drawn characters. A masterpiece.

What is your novel about, Regina?

Have you ever read a book and thought, “I wonder what happened when the main characters are apart? Did they think of each other? What kept them apart?” That is what the reader discovers in Captain Frederick Wentworth’s Persuasion. This book takes Jane Austen’s classic “Persuasion” and retells it from Captain Wentworth’s point of view. Wentworth and Anne Elliot were apart for eight years. We know Anne’s tale, but what of the gentleman? How did Wentworth go about forgetting the greatest love of his life? How did his pride get in the way when he encounters Anne again? What happens AFTER the “happily ever after”?

What are you working on now?

It is rare when I am not writing. I carry a notebook with me to doctor’s appointments, book events, etc. Otherwise, the stories claim my restorative sleep, and I am NOT a good person without my sleep. I have 5 stories coming out in 2015. The first is the conclusion to my “Realm” series. “A Touch of Emerald” will bring readers the answer to the missing emerald, as well as showing the Realm members in a new light.

I recently signed a contract with Black Opal Books for my next Regency romance, which will be called “Angel Comes to the Devil’s Keep.” It is a sweet Regency. As soon as I finish reworking the ending of “A Touch of Emerald,” then I plan to start a sequel to “Angel,” which I am tentatively calling “The Earl Finds His Comfort.” I hope that happens soon for the idea for this one is bouncing around in my head and driving me a bit batty.

In addition to the Regency titles, I also write Austenesque novels, which is what Luccia is featuring today. As such, last week, I signed a contract with Pegasus Books for “The Prosecution of Mr. Darcy’s Cousin,” a Pride and Prejudice cozy mystery. This is my fourth such mystery, and they are widely popular in the JAFF community. Luccia will be happy to know that Captain Wentworth makes an appearance at the end of this new novel, and there are plans for a sequel to CFWP.

Finally, I am venturing into the Austen variation model, something I have not attempted before. For those who do not understand the “variation” format, the author changes one event in the original Austen story line, which changes everything. Even so, I still like my Austen characters to act as close to the original as possible and attempt to keep Darcy and Elizabeth “real.”

In “Mr. Darcy’s Fault,” Elizabeth has an accident will walking through Rosings Park after receiving Mr Darcy’s letter. She loses the letter Darcy pressed into her hand, and Mr. Wickham finds it. What will Wickham do with the letter to take more revenge on Darcy?

In “Elizabeth Bennet’s Deception,” Darcy does not approach Elizabeth and the Gardiners at Pemberley when he arrives home early to find them touring his home. Later, when Elizabeth calls a second time asking for Darcy’s assistance in locating Wickham and Lydia, Darcy makes the assumption that Elizabeth’s fondness for Mr. Wickham led Elizabeth into a compromised situation. Can Darcy deliver Elizabeth into Mr. Wickham’s hands or is there another solution?

Question 3. What would you like readers to know about you?

Regina Jeffers is an award-winning author of Jane-Austen inspired novels/mysteries, as well as Regency romances. A master teacher, for thirty-nine years, Regina passionately taught thousands of students English in the public schools of West Virginia, Ohio, and North Carolina. Yet, “teacher” does not define her as a person. Ask any of her students or her family, and they will tell you Regina is passionate about so many things: her son, children in need, truth, responsibility, veterans, history, the value of a good education, words, music, dance, the theatre, pro football, classic movies, the BBC, track and field, books, books, and more books. Regina is an Anglophile who is equally at home with those saying, “Let this be so, and doubt not but success will fashion the event in better shape,” as well as with those who say, “kin’t carry a tune in a bucket” or “Jist because ye find them in the oven, don’t make them biscuits.”

How can we find out more or contact you?

My Website

Blogs “Every Woman Dreams”

“Austen Authors”

“English Historical Fiction Authors”

Amazon

Twitter @reginajeffers

Pinterest Regina Jeffers

Goodreads Regina Jeffers

Also join Regina on Google+, Facebook, and LinkedIn.

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.

Stream Of Consciousness Saturday #SoCS: ‘jour’

All Our Todays

This post was written in response to this Friday’s prompt for Stream of Consciousness Saturday on Linda G. Hill’s Blog: “-jour-“: add a prefix or suffix to complete it or use it as the French word for “day.” Have fun!

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‘Aujourd’hui‘ or ‘What you will’ as long as you do it Today

‘Jour’ is day in French and ‘aujourd’hui’ means today.

I love Today, we should all love Today, because it’s all we have, and yet, it’s enough.

I always tell my students there are only two days in their lives when nothing can be done: yesterday and tomorrow. They are the hopeless days of the year and of your life.

Yesterday is the most hopeless of all, very little can be done yesterday. That doesn’t mean we ignore or forget yesterday, it means we don’t plan to do anything yesterday or lament not having done it, unless we can put it right today.

Remember, yesterday was once today. If you make sure you do the important things Today, you’ll have no regrets about yesterday.

Tomorrow holds the illusion of a possibility, and although I’m all for planning and preparing, if it’s important , do it today, or better still, do it right now, because tomorrow may never come, or we may not do it either.

Stop postponing things you know you aren’t going to do. Learn to say ‘No’. Unclutter your mind of the things you know you won’t be doing, just say ‘No’. It’s liberating. It will give you more time and energy to do the things you really do need to do.

If it’s not worth doing, say ‘No’. if you don’t have time to do it, say ‘No’, you probably won’t have time tomorrow either. Be polite, but firm. Offer excuses and give reasons if it makes you feel better, but say ‘No’ and don’t look back.

On the other hand, if you’re sure it’s worth doing, do it as soon as possible. Don’t let urgent things get in the way of Important things. Your time is limited. If it’s urgent and Important do it at once. If it’s urgent but not Important, make sure it’s done as soon as possible, but not before anything that is Important.

Just in case you’ve forgotten, ‘Important’ is anything related to people, especially friends, family and anyone who needs your help or support, whether you know them personally or not.

Important is also related to things you enjoy and make you feel good, whether it’s praying, or jogging, or writing.

You may not finish doing all the Important things in your life Today, thank goodness! If you did, what would you do on the next Today?

Just make sure all your Todays are full of Important things, and all your yesterdays will bring you good memories.

Of course, I wasn’t the first person to think about Today in this way. All credit for this idea goes to Dalai Lama.

What’s the most Important thing you’re going to do Today?

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Please drop by and read some of the other posts or take part if you like, on Stream Of Consciousness Saturday, just follow the link.

Have a great Saturday!

Letter I The April A to Z Blogging Challenge #AtoZChallenge

April Author Spotlight 2015

Letter ‘I’ is for Ita Ryan author of It Can Be Dangerous

Why do I recommend It Can Be Dangerous?

This is a different type of murder mystery. I loved the funny and feisty heroine, who narrates events in first person revealing how clever, yet naïve she can be, trying to investigate her boss’s murder. She proceeds to interview her eccentric bunch of co-workers and the deceased’s family, leading to some quick, sharp, and often hilarious dialogue, as everyone becomes a suspect, and she’s targeted by the killer. She discovers much more than the police ever could by pestering his employees and family: illicit affairs, theft, embezzlement, etc. Other devious means of investigation include the use of a children’s toy fingerprint detection set! Cynthia’s conversations with Superintendent Foster are priceless! I could imagine Audrey Hepburn and Cary Grant bickering back and forth. The grand finale where all the suspects are called and the killer is disclosed, (or perhaps not?) is reminiscent of classical crime stories. Great fun to read!

What is It Can Be Dangerous about, Ita?

IT Can Be Dangerous is a murder mystery set in the City of London. Computer programmer Cynthia Hegarty finds her unpleasant boss’s body in his office behind her. Feeling like a techie Bridget Jones plunged into a twenty-first-century Agatha Christie, she sets out to find his killer before she’s arrested herself.

If you only read non-fiction or you take your reading very seriously, you will hate this book. Reviewers who loved IT Can Be Dangerous were diverse – men and women from all over the world, some murder mystery fans, some first-time detective-story readers. They all enjoyed a lively page-turner with a contemporary setting and a sense of humour.

What are you working on now?

When ‘IT Can Be Dangerous’ was finished I sent Cynthia off to open a detective agency. Find out what happened next in a free online story ‘The Mystery of the Elusive Fitness Instructor’. In my second novel, which is currently brewing in the pot, Cynthia inadvertently becomes enmeshed in a web of intrigue. Her tangled romantic life isn’t much help. Poor Cynthia, let’s hope she sorts it out. Over the years I’ve written a few short stories. One of them was broadcast on Ireland’s national radio station RTE1. I’d like to publish a collection of them in the next while.

What would you like readers to know about you?

I love reading and include PG Wodehouse, Georgette Heyer, Terry Pratchett, Agatha Christie, Janet Evanovich, Douglas Adams, Richmal Crompton and Marian Keyes among my favourite writers. Looking over this list I notice that they’re all master plotters. Wodehouse used to devise 30 pages of plotting before he started a novel. They’re also all very funny. When I pick up a book I like to be transported into a different, convincing and compelling world where the evil are punished, the good triumph and there’s plenty of laughter along the way. Closing the book I’m already missing the characters, wondering what they did next. That’s the feeling I try to capture when I write, while combining the traditional British pre-war mystery, twenty-first-century life and wry observation with a dash of parody.

How can we find out more or contact you?

My Facebook page

Twitter: @itaryan

Goodreads

Amazon author page:

To buy It Can Be Dangerous

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.

#3lineThursday Week Twenty-Six

You stare back from the deep,

Searching my mind and strumming my skin,

Whispering, ‘I am here.’

Three line Thursday. A weekly picture prompt and you have three lines, maximum 30 words to give your take. Read some more lines here

Letter H The April A to Z Blogging Challenge #AtoZChallenge

April Author Spotlight 2015

Letter ‘H’ is for Elizabeth Hein author of How to Climb the Eiffel Tower

Why do I recommend How to Climb the Eiffel Tower?

How to Climb the Eiffel Tower is an unforgettable and moving novel. It is a hopeful celebration of life, courage, and second chances. It was heart-warming to watch Lara develop from an emotionally scarred, distrustful, and detached loner to a warm and caring person as a result of coping with a physical illness, which heals her mind and soul. I loved the way she learns to own her life and open her eyes and her heart to the world with renewed confidence, because she’s on her way to finding inner peace, friendship, love, and professional satisfaction. I enjoyed the smooth prose and carefully spun plot, which gradually unveils her traumatic past and advances through Lara’s daily routines, workplace, illness, and the life-changing people she meets as a result of her treatment. A joy to read.

Tell me about your novel, Elizabeth –

How To Climb The Eiffel Tower is the story of how friendship and kindness transforms a young woman’s life during what could have been the worst year of her life. Lara Blaine strikes up a casual conversation with Jane on the day she is diagnosed with cancer. Their friendship gives Lara the strength to confront her illness and heal from her troubled past.

How To Climb The Eiffel Tower is different from other novels that deal with cancer, in that Lara’s cancer is more than an illness. It’s a metaphor for her memories. As her friends and doctors help her heal physically, she also heals psychologically. That being said, How To Climb The Eiffel Tower is filled with humor and Lara’s snarky observations about life. Lara Blaine is an unforgettable character that readers embrace and come to love.

What are you working on now? –

Right now I am actively working on two projects and brainstorming a few others. I am editing the sequel to my first novel, Overlook. The sequel is tentatively titled Escape Plan and deals with a group of friends covering up a murder against the backdrop of the changing roles of women in 1970’s. I hope to publish that book later this year.

My other project is the first in my planned series of destination mysteries. The series will feature Midge and Snig, two women who have been friends for 40 years and have supported each other through life’s ups and downs. They’re at the point in their lives where they can travel the world and stumble into murder and mayhem. This first book takes place in the Galapagos Islands. I am sharing bits my research on the islands for my A to Z Challenge posts.

What would you like readers to know about you? –

Before I ever picked up a pen to write my first book, I was a voracious reader. I am fascinated by the stories that form a person’s life. This fascination has led me to be a lifelong student of psychology and observer of human nature. It took a cancer diagnosis in 2002 to finally convince me to stop wasting time and start writing down the stories floating around in my head. When I am not writing my snarky novels, I am spending time with my two adult daughters or traveling with my husband.

How can we find out more or Contact you?

My links-

Facebook author page –

Twitter –

website –

blog –

Goodreads for HTCTET –

Amazon author page–

Amazon page –

Amazon UK

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.

Letter ‘G’ The April A to Z Blogging Challenge #AtoZChallenge

April Author Spotlight 2015

Letter ‘G’ is for Georgia Rose author of A Single Step

Why do I recommend A Single Step?

A single step is an enjoyable contemporary, romantic suspense novel. The intricate plot is smoothly and gradually woven by the flowing prose, which invites the reader to sail through the twists and turns of the compelling narrative. Many surprises await the reader, because nobody is who they seem, even the idyllic location where most of the story develops is an unexpected enigma. I loved the way the tension is gradually built up, until the incipient romance between two complex characters materializes, and part of the mystery surrounding the characters and location is revealed. The unhurried story of Emma Grayson’s transition from trauma and unhappiness to love and excitement will linger in your mind, but fortunately, book two, Before the Dawn, is even more exciting, and I’m impatiently waiting for book three!

What is A Single Step About, Georgia?

My contemporary novel, A Single Step, is a romantic suspense with Gothic undertones and is the first in The Grayson Trilogy. The blurb reads that Emma Grayson was left devastated when her life was torn apart by tragedy and betrayal. Now someone believes it’s time for her to start again and puts an advert for a job through her door which leads her to the Melton Estate. Despite her desire for a solitary existence she finds herself discovering a life she could never have imagined, challenging her independence, her fears and her resistance to love.

This is a standalone, there’s no abrupt cliff hanger ending but enough unanswered questions that I hope will mean you will choose to read the second book. If you like a developing romance along with underlying suspense and writing that brings scenes, settings and characters to life then this might just be for you.

What are you working on now?

I am currently working on the third in the Trilogy which I think will be called Thicker than Water having published the second part, Before the Dawn, last September. I’ve finished the draft, although there are gaps to be filled and layers to be added and I’m toying with putting a little something extra at the end but that will depend on the views of my beta readers who will get their hands on it in a few weeks, after considerably more work has been done on it.

So this summer will be spent hammering this final part of the trilogy into shape for release later in the year. Then I have a couple of other ideas, one which feels like a novella and another novel. Both are taking shape in my head and adding to the mayhem in there so I’m looking forward to eventually getting to work on them.

What would you like readers to know about you?

I do love my readers, of course, every single one of them but what they should know is that I write my books first and foremost for me. It’s the only way I can do it. I couldn’t be told what type of story I had to come up with next, and I couldn’t write to a formula, at least, not at the moment.

I have to feel the characters you see and I hope this comes out in my writing. I live with them for a while, their lives percolating through my brain. I feel what they’ve been through, their sadness’s and passions until I know how they would react in any given situation and for me that then guides how the story develops.

Having said all that I am feeling the pressure of expectation to produce this time around and I never thought I’d be saying that!

How can we find out more or contact you?

Universal Links to my Author pages:-

Amazon UK

Amazon US

My Website and Blog

Follow me on Twitter: @GeorgiaRoseBook

Georgia Rose on Facebook

The Grayson Trilogy page on Facebook

My Goodreads Author Page

Universal link for A Single Step at Amazon

Smashwords

Kobo

Nook

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.

Letter F The April A to Z Blogging Challenge #AtoZChallenge

April Author Spotlight 2015

Letter ‘F’ is for Fran Clark author of Holding Paradise

Why do I recommend Holding Paradise?

Holding Paradise is one of the most powerful and heart wrenching novels I’ve read lately. ‘My mother’s story has taught me how strong women can be’. You must read this novel to meet Josephine, born on a sunny island, displaced to a rainy metropolis, who struggles bravely to make a living and keep her family together through thick and thin. The events portrayed are sad, moving, and infuriating, as deplorable secrets are gradually unveiled. It’s a well-deserved tribute to past generations, which also holds the promise of ‘paradise’ for the future if we are able to learn from our own and others’ mistakes, forgive, and understand. This is not a quick, easy read, nevertheless its pages will lead you on a satisfying and well written voyage, well worth taking.

What is your novel about, Fran?

Holding Paradise is about Angelica and Josephine, two women raised in different times and places but both trying to keep their families together when it looks as though they are losing everything. It’s really a novel for anyone interested in the Women’s Fiction or General Fiction genres, who enjoy a split narrative and are interested in recent history and want to be taken on a journey. I see it as a realistic drama about people learning how to deal with secrets and lies, love and betrayal. It’s settings transport the reader from the green and blues of the Caribbean in the 1930s to a gritty London between the late 1950s to the present day. I hope Holding Paradise can make you laugh and cry. It does me.

What are you working on now?

I wrote a follow-up to Holding Paradise in the way of a short story collection and I hope to publish it soon. I recently finished writing a second novel called When Skies Are Grey and I’m in the process of submitting it to agents. I did a lot more research on this novel than any of my other writing and got lost in the world of jazz music 1950s in London. I created characters who play the sort of music I love and have performed on stage. It’s different from the first novel, it is a rags to riches story and I worked a lot on character this time and on establishing my voice as a writer. I already have ideas for developing a third novel I left on the back burner some time ago, this one is set in modern-day London.

What would you like readers to know about you?

Readers should know that apart from writing as Fran Clark I have also started writing under a pseudonym. She’s my chick lit and romantic comedy writing other self. She appeals to the lighter side of me. The side that likes to joke around and create crazy situations to get my characters into and, hopefully, neatly out of by the end of the story. Under my pseudonym I stick to writing novellas because I have a lot of writing work on at the moment. Apart from also being a ghostwriter of steamy novellas, I’ve started a joint writing venture in which we are developing a series of children’s picture story books. So I guess I want readers to know – I love to write!

How can we find out more or contact you?

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.

Carrot Ranch Flash Fiction: The Day the Earth Turned Brown

I’ve just returned from a family holiday, and by family I mean three generations: Grandparents, my husband and I, our three children, and three grandchildren. It’s amazing how our children and later our grandchildren change our lives.

My outlook on life first changed when I had my children, in my twenties. At that time, I stopped thinking of myself, and started thinking of other people who needed me. I wanted to build a comfortable and secure home for my children. Looking back, I suppose I was a stressed working mum, trying hard to make ends meet and find time for my children.

Now my outlook has changed again after having my grandchildren, in my fifties. I don’t want to get too sentimental, but suffice it to say that when I look into my grandchildren’s eyes, I feel fortunate, stress-free, and safe, because the future is in their hands, and they are surrounded by love and optimism. I feel as if I have a foot in the future, their future, a future I can only imagine.

I also find it easier to make ends meet and make time for my children and grandchildren; one of the advantages of getting older…

Greeny-brown eyed grandson — My greeny-brown eyed grandson

I’m in a romantic and sentimental mood, as you can appreciate, so I’m afraid my 99-word flash is a bit mushy. I hope you enjoy it!

Brown

I used to think blue was the most beautiful colour in the world.

When Tim’s intense blue eyes first looked into mine, I soon realised I wanted to gaze at them forever, and he always said my clear blue eyes were like pools he wanted to sink into eternally.

I assumed our son would have blue eyes, so I was surprised when they were brown; a soft, honey brown. Tim says our son will be tall, dark, and handsome, like his father. Now every time I look into our toddler’s eyes, I remember the day my world turned brown.

This was written in response Carrot Ranch Flash Fiction Challenge.

April 1, 2015 prompt: In 99 words (no more, no less) write about the day the earth turned brown. How did it happen? What else might be going on? It can be dramatic or even humorous. It can be the greater globe or a localized occurrence. It can be an aftermath or a revival. Follow where the prompt leads you.

Respond by April 6, 2015 to be included in the weekly compilation. Rules are here. All writers are welcome! http://carrotranch.com/flash-fiction/

How have your grandchildren changed your lives?

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?

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.

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