This book is set in Dartmouth where I
lived and where my children were born. I love the town and the
history of the surrounding area. Anybody who knows the town and the
area will be able to recognise familiar places – some are named and
some are hinted at. During World War II, the area around Dartmouth,
Slapton Sands and Torcross was evacuated and the beaches used to
train the troops for the D Day landings. It is the far-reaching
events of 1943 that are the cause of shadows in the 21st century.
2.
Your stories are about relationships, what is the particular appeal
of this genre for you?
I
write the kind of book I enjoy reading, and I find contemporary
woman's fiction that deals with relationships of all sorts, family,
couples, siblings, mixed marriages etc., the most interesting to
read. I prefer emotional conflict in a story as opposed to crime or
gung ho conflict.
 |
| Littl'un knows how to get comfy |
3.
Which author has most influenced your work?
Difficult
to answer. I am in awe of writers like Erica James, Marcia Willett
and Jill Mansell. They produce the kind of books I love to read, and
aspire to write, time after time – particularly Erica James.
4.
In what way does living in France influence your writing?
Before
we came to France fourteen years ago, I'd written mainly non-fiction
features and had my own column in the South Hams Group of Newspapers
in Devon. But I'd always wanted to write fiction and finally had
time. Living in France, particularly down south, gave me first hand
knowledge of locations like Antibes, Cannes, and Monaco. People are
always intrigued by what is perceived to be the glamour and luxury of
such places, and here I was, living a very ordinary life but with the
opportunity to eavesdrop and observe how the other half lived and
spent their vast wealth. There is also another, poorer, side to these
places too.
5.
Do you edit and revise as you write, or after you have completed the
first draft? What method works best for you?
I
tend to edit and revise as I go so that the first 'dirty' draft isn't
too horrendously dirty before I fine-tune edit at least twice. I have
to say a big thank you to Nell Dixon for sharing her method of
editing – going backwards page by page! I now do this as my final
edit and also on the copy edit as it really helps in picking up
typos, missing words etc.
6.
What do you think makes for a really strong romance novel?
I
think with any book, romance or mainstream, it's all down to caring
about the characters and their lives and wanting a good outcome for
them.
7.
With the increasing popularity of e-books, how
do you think digitisation has helped or changed your own career as a
writer? Have you self-published anything?
So
far digitisation hasn't really helped or changed my writing life. I
have self-published on Kindle my first two books that were published
in Large Print by Ulverscroft and FRENCH LEGACY is slowly selling.
Hale have also started to e-book publish titles but it's early days
for them. For a little known author I've found it very difficult to
get the necessary reviews and publicity to market a book
successfully. Marketing my books is still a very steep learning curve
but hopefully I'll master it!
8.
If
SHADOWS OF
CONFLICT were
ever filmed, who would you choose to play the hero and heroine, and
why?
Because of the storyline there would
have to be two heroines and two heros. I'd love Brenda Blethyn as the
older heroine Mattie – I think she's a brilliant and under-rated as
an actor. Her hero Henri would have to be the French actor François
Cluzet (“The Untouchables”). Carey Mulligan as Katie, and Rupert
Grint as Leo her hero. I think he'd play a Devonshire farmer
brilliantly.
9.
How do you
relax? What interests do you have other than writing?
I love the theatre but rarely get to go
these days. In Brittany the only theatre available is in French, and
despite living here for so long my language skills are sadly not good
enough. I buy a lot of romantic comedies on DVD - “Midnight in
Paris” is a current favourite! I love cooking and having friends
around for a meal – usually a lunch which runs into supper time!
France is a fun place like that.
10.
Do you have an itch to write a completely different sort of book?
Not really an itch but I'd quite like
to write a trilogy based around the jazz age of the 1920s and set in
the South of France. There were so many different, eccentric
characters living down there in those days.
Thank you, Jennifer, for taking the
time to talk to us today. We wish you every success for the future,
and happy writing!
Henriette
SHADOWS OF CONFLICT tells the stories
of Katie and her god-mother Mattie. When Katie, redundant from her
media job, accepts Mattie's offer to take over her shop, A Good Yarn,
in Dartmouth, she expects her life to be busy and unexciting. But
with an American film crew in town intent on uncovering buried
secrets from World War II, a disgruntled relative, and Mattie herself
still refusing to face up to the lingering shadows of an unhappy
childhood, life is neither simple nor quiet. When Patrick, her
ex-boss, offers the chance of her dream media job Katie has to decide
whether accepting it is worth turning her back on everything and
everyone in Dartmouth - including Leo, a friend from the past who
plans to be a part of her future. Will Katie make the right decision?
And as the Americans uncover a secret from her past, will Mattie
shake off a lifetime of regrets and shadows from the past to finally
find happiness with Henri, her new ami?
Find out more:
http://www.halebooks.com/index.asp
http://www.jenniferbohnet.com/
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