Karen Aldous: Under a Tuscan Sun

We welcome Karen Aldous to the RNA blog as she celebrates publication of her fifth book.

Karen this is your fifth novel. Can you tell us something about your path to publication?

Number five, since 2014. I still can’t believe it! My path to publication however began in 2012. I’d

begun The Vineyard, the novel that had been in my head for years, whilst I was sat with Mum during her chemo in 2011 when she would nod off, and with that time, I began the first chapters. As it grew, I made a conscious decision to attempt the RNA New Writer’s Scheme which luckily I got on to in January 2012; a great impetus! The following day, I saw in Writer’s News, a local creative writing class, The Write Place, and immediately phoned and joined. Both organisations provided so much expertise and encouragement, perfectly syncing with my journey, that it wasn’t long before I found the confidence to start sending my work out. At the same time I sent my partial for critique with the RNA NWS, I also sent it to a novel competition, and although I didn’t win, I was contacted and got the opportunity to meet an editor who asked me to send it once complete. I did so a year later and eight weeks later, received a two-book contract. Mum had passed three months earlier to that offer, but having the chance to chat about the fact that she had followed her passion for dancing, I’m so grateful that she inspired me to follow mine.

You have such beautiful settings for your books. Are these based on your holidays or your dreams?

Both actually! I absolutely adore Europe and travel inspires me enormously. The stunningly beautiful French Riviera, and Provence inspired both the first The Vineyard, and third, which is titled, The Riviera, but in-between, I wrote The Chateau, which was inspired by a dream. I saw a woman repeatedly being dunked in deep water by a guard in a medieval doorway. Although the dream didn’t indicate the actual location, I instinctively knew why Montreux in Switzerland was constantly calling me. The Chateau de Chillon was the perfect setting for Agnes-Francescia, the unsettled spirit.

The main character in One Moment at Sunrise I met when I arrived at a beautiful villa close to the Canal du Midi, again in southern France. Her sadness prompted me to ask her questions and her story tumbled from her mouth and into my notebook. And, similarly with Under a Tuscan Sky, Elena, my main character’s nonna, voiced her troubles to me when I was on a recce for my daughter’s wedding - we stayed at a medieval farm with a beautiful villa and, the character Elena introduced me to her daughter Roz and her abandoned granddaughter, Olivia. Imagination is a wonderful tool that can take you anywhere, I happen to love immersing myself in beautiful locations – as long as I have a notebook in my hand!

How do you plan your books? Do you start with your characters or the plot?

Definitely characters - as you gather from the last answer, but once I have that character’s problem firmly fixed in my head, the other characters emerge to help and I begin to get create the outline. Once I’m happy that I have an interesting story, or plot if you prefer, I begin my character profiles and plan my scenes.

Tell us about your writing day.

Rarely do I have a typical writing day. I run a small business which I mainly only service now, but am blessed to be in a position to also care for my grandchildren, so my writing gets done on my days off mainly. If I’m not planning or researching, I like to shut myself away to get into the zone, starting early and walking the dog in-between which is great thinking time as well as much needed exercise when sitting all day.

Have you thought about writing in a different genre?

I’ve begun two dual-timeline novels which I’ve researched and aim to pursue, I love reading this genre and the way two lives can become so interwoven. It’s a difficult genre to do because you want your reader to fall in love with both characters from two eras, so yes, it’s my new challenge.

Have your readers met the character’s from Under a Tuscan Sky before and can you see yourself returning to this lovely part of the world in your writing?

Some readers may have met a few of the characters in a short-story I wrote recently for My Weekly magazine. It was published at the beginning of June. However, Under a Tuscan Sky is a stand-alone book. Having said that, I would love to write another story set in Tuscany, it’s such a beautiful region.

If we could jump forward five years where would you like to see your writing life?

Bearing in mind just how quickly the last five years have flown, five years are not so far away in the publishing industry. Of course I would love to keep writing, improving as I go and entertaining readers. I would love to hold my own paperback in my hand, but if I wrote a novel that readers loved and recommended to friends and, more ambitiously, it hit the Sunday Times Bestseller List, that’s where I’d love to be in five years.

Links

AmazonUK: Under a Tuscan Sky

Twitter: KarenAldous_

Facebook: KarenAldousAuthor

Website: KarenAldousAuthorWebsite

Book blurb:

When Olivia Montague’s grandmother passes away, she decides it’s finally time to make some changes in her own life. So she breaks up with her ‘going nowhere’ boyfriend and embarks on a journey to her nonna’s home in Tuscany.

Until now, Olivia has always believed that she’s incapable of love, after being abandoned by her parents as a baby. But with each day spent at the gorgeous villa nestled in the rolling Italian hills, she feels her heart begin to flutter …

And when handsome antiques dealer Hugh St. James arrives on the scene, she realizes things might be about to change forever!

About Karen:

Karen Aldous enjoys village life on the edge of the north-downs in Kent with easy access to the buzz of London. Not only does she love the passive pleasures of reading and writing, she also craves the more active pursuits with her family and friends such as walking, cycling and skiing especially when they involve food and wine!

Thank you, Karen and good luck with your book.

If you wish to be featured on the RNA blog please contact us on elaineeverest@aol.com

Joan Hessayon Award contender 2016: Sophie Claire

Today we welcome Sophie Claire, another of the talented contenders for this year's Joan Hessayon Award and graduate of the RNA New Writers' Scheme. Thank you for answering our questions, Sophie.

How long have you been writing? Is this your first published piece?

Her Forget-Me-Not Ex is my first published novel, and I’ve been writing seriously for about ten years. Before that it was a hobby which I squeezed in around looking after my children who were babies/toddlers at the time. I used to write while they napped, and my mother-in-law would babysit once a week so I could go to my local writing group. Once the children were both at school things became a lot easier and I realised that writing wasn’t just a hobby, but a compulsion. That’s when I started thinking of it as my profession and I began attending writing courses and submitting my work for critique. It was on one of those writing courses that I heard about the RNA and the New Writers’ Scheme.

How many years were you a member of the NWS and did you submit a manuscript each year?

I was a member of the NWS for 8 years and submitted 7 novels – so almost one each year. Being part of the scheme was an invaluable experience for me and I learned so much from it. I blogged about it here. I also met many friends and mentors along the way, and I recommend the scheme to all aspiring romance writers.

What came first, agent or publisher?

Publisher. I’d love to find an agent – fingers crossed!

How did you find your publisher?

I booked a one-to-one with Accent Press at the RNA conference and sent them the first chapter of Her Forget-Me-Not Ex. They then asked to see the full manuscript, and contacted me within a fortnight to make an offer. I’d never had such a speedy response from a publisher before – I was really impressed.

When was your book published?

It was published in May 2015, which was great timing because it’s a very summery book, set mainly in sunny Provence.

Tell us something about your book

Natasha has consigned her wealthy French ex-husband Luc to the past, so she’s horrified when he turns up at her village florist’s shop out of the blue, pleading for help. He never dared to tell his family about the divorce, and when he asks her to come to France and pretend they’re still married for a couple of weeks to please his sick father, she’s not sure she can say no. She certainly isn’t prepared for the warmth of his family’s welcome, or the attraction that’s still simmering between her and Luc.

But it’s just two weeks in a vineyard, no strings attached, right?

What are you currently working on?

I’m working on my next book which is set in a picturesque fishing village in the south of France. One of the perks of my job is that no matter what the weather here in Manchester is like, I can escape to the sunshine and heat of Provence with my characters.

What piece of advice would you give current members of the NWS?

Believe in yourself and keep writing. It can be so hard to keep faith in your work when the rejections are rolling in, but they’re inevitable I’m afraid. So get support wherever you can get it – be it from a writing group or a critique partner – and listen to the positive feedback you get about your work as well as the parts you need to work on. I’m lucky enough to have the most supportive critique partner as well as the group, Novelistas Ink, who are always on hand if I need support or advice. I couldn’t do without them.

Links:

Amazon:      

Facebook: www.facebook.com/sophieclairewriter

Website: www.sophieclaire.co.uk

Twitter @SClaireWriter

Thank you, Sophie, we hope you have a fabulous evening at the RNA Summer Party and good luck with your writing career.

The RNA blog is brought to you by

Elaine Everest & Natalie Kleinman

A Taste of France

Today we are delighted to welcome Marie Laval. Originally from Lyon in France, Marie studied History and Law at university there before moving to Lancashire where she worked in a variety of jobs, from PA in a busy university department to French teacher in secondary schools. Writing, however, was always her passion, and she spends most of her free time dreaming up stories. She has published two historical romances with MuseitUp Publishing, ANGEL HEART  and THE LION'S EMBRACE. A SPELL IN PROVENCE her first contemporary romance and is published by Áccent Press.

When did you decide to write your first book and how long did it take?

I wrote my first novel, ANGEL HEART, in just over six months. That was four years ago. I was so engrossed in the story that I spent all my free time working on it. I did have to rewrite and edit it extensively, so altogether it took me about a year. It was the same for A SPELL IN PROVENCE, my contemporary romantic suspense shortly to be released by Áccent Press. When I first got the idea for the plot during a family holiday in the South of France, I was working as a part-time teacher and had more time to write than I do now so I could complete the first draft quickly.

Have you always wanted to be a writer?

Yes. For as far as I can remember, writing was always my passion. As a teenager in France, I used to write the most ridiculous plays, poems and love stories with my best friend, some of which we would then perform and record on a cassette recorder. We were very silly but we had a lot of fun. To this day we still remember lines from our great dramatic masterpieces!  

How do you fit your writing around your home life?

I write in the evenings, after planning lessons and when my young daughter is in bed. Unfortunately it's often quite late when I start so I sometimes fall asleep on my keyboard. My favourite time to write is very early in the morning at weekends or during the holidays when everybody is still in bed and the house is quiet. I make myself a cup of tea and 'steal' a couple of hours at the computer. It feels like heaven.

How do you plan to promote your book?

I am not very good at promoting myself and I must say that it is the aspect of publishing a novel I enjoy the least. For A SPELL IN PROVENCE, I have contacted several author friends who have very kindly offered me a spot on their blog, and I may organize a tour and a couple of special events as well after the book is published. 

Did you find it difficult to move from historical to contemporary romance?

Not really. People often think that historical romances require a lot more research and are more tricky to write than contemporary novels, but I find both genres equally exciting and challenging. For example, I am really bad at understanding and using the latest technological gadgets and I had to do some research into mobile phones in order not to make any mistakes.

In the end, whether the novel takes place nowadays or in the nineteenth century, my aim is the same - to write a love story between two appealing characters.

How good are you at planning your work? Do you prefer to wing it?

I am hopeless at planning. Although I usually have an idea about the main plotline and can visualise the final scene when I start the story, I tend to just get on with it and let things happen - or not! I would love to be better at plotting because I waste a lot of time exploring a storyline, only to backtrack and delete entire chapters a few weeks later.

Do you enjoy research?

I love it. In fact, I love it far too much and often have to restrain myself and get back to writing the story.

What did you enjoy most about writing your novel?

I enjoyed finding out about the ancient history of Provence, which is fascinating, and I loved even more surrounding myself with photos of hill-top villages, of old fountains and of lavender and sunflower fields. I spent many holidays in the South of France as a child and writing A SPELL IN PROVENCE brought back fond memories of sitting in a fragrant garden in the sunshine, breathing in the scents of flowers and grasses, and listening to the cicadas.

If you could rescue only one book from your burning home what would it be?

Just one? I think I would take a book of poems by Jacques Prévert or Victor Hugo.

What is next for Marie Laval?

My next historical romance, DANCING FOR THE DEVIL, will be published by Áccent Press in the New Year, and I am currently working on another contemporary romance which I hope to finish by Christmas.

It's been lovely chatting with you Marie. Thank you for joining us today

Links:

Facebook

Blog

A Spell in Provence is currently available from Accent Press

and will be available on Amazon from 19^th December 2014

The RNA Blog is brought to you by

Elaine Everest and Natalie Kleinman.

If you would like to write about the craft of writing or perhaps be interviewed about your writing life please contact us at elaineeverest@aol.com

I'll Drink to That!

Today we meet Karen Aldous 

Karen lives with her husband and dogs in the beautiful Kent countryside where they brought up their three children. She enjoys activities which can be shared with family and friends walking, cycling and skiing.

Inspired initially by Jilly Cooper, Karen continues to adore great stories and writers. She attributes her passion for writing to three Ps - People, Places and Property. Her career allowed her to indulge in them all, providing useful material for her debut novel, The Vineyard.

What gave you the idea for your book and how long did it take you to write?

Provence and the Riviera and imagining how lovely it would be to live there, but I didn’t want my main character to inherit a vineyard in France. That would have been too easy for her. I wanted her to be a completely independent single mum who was inspirational, creative and determined to provide for her child. It took me ten months to write altogether if I count the time actually writing and editing but it was in my head for about ten years.

Why did you decide on that particular location?

I chose the location simply because Provence is stunning and I would love to own my own vineyard there.
Cannes has a cosmopolitan and glamorous appeal, not only for my character but also to readers. I know I would want to escape there in a book. I actually used Meopham, my home village in Kent, as my setting. It has a vineyard, it's beautiful and one of my favourite walks goes down through a lovely valley. 

How did you carry out your research?I used the information I gathered whilst in Provence and revisited Cannes staying in the apartment which became Lizzie’s home. It was perfect because it was located within a community rather than the touristy areas. I also did a week-long Wine Growers course at Plumpton College in Sussex. The Internet too is an invaluable research tool; if there is anything it can’t answer, it will lead you to the experts that can.

How did you learn your craft?

I read a lot and over the years I’ve been writing on and off, starting novels or short stories but never really sending anything out. I completed a BSc Hons majoring in Psychology with literature because there were very few creative writing courses around at that time but I subscribed to Writing Magazines and read books on writing. There are so many more nowadays. However, in the last two years I’ve been much more focused on my writing, joining the Romantic Novelists’ Association New Writers’ Scheme (NWS) and a novel class at The Write Place Creative Writing School, both of which have been invaluable. My weekly class improved my skills and motivation and the critiques I received from the NWS guided me to the professional standards I needed to attain. Both have been huge contributors to my writing confidence too; the helpfulness and friendliness of fellow writers has made learning my craft a real pleasure.

If your book was turned into a film who would you like to play the main characters?

Jessica Brown-Findlay or Emily Blunt as Lizzie, Jude Law as Cal, Sheridan Smith as Sophie and Emma Thompson as Lizzie’s mother Caroline.

Can you tell us something about your next book?

My next book is set both in London and, the beautiful Lake Geneva, the Swiss Riviera. Gina is fascinated by the Chateau de Chillon and its past haunting inhabitants. As she discovers more from one in particular, her life begins a path she could never have imagined.

If you were to take part in Desert Island Discs what would be your choice of book?

I would probably take the largest notebook I could to write in and write as small as I could because I wouldn’t know how long I would be there. But I know that’s not the point. I think it would have to be Pride and Prejudice. Jane Austen provided the best template for women writers and it never fails to entertain as well as teach me

Thank you for sharing with us today, Karen

Amazon UK: The Vineyard

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If you wish to have a book featured or contribute a craft item please contact us on:elaineeverest@aol.com