RoNA Awards 2017: Historical Shortlist

This year’s shortlisted novels cover a wide variety of periods in history from the Regency through to WW II and the 1950s.

Incognito by Caitlyn Callery is the story of governess Grace who’s been in hiding from her family for three years when someone threatens to expose her. Luke unexpectedly becomes heir to an earldom. Uncomfortable with this, he does not make it widely known. They fall in love, but can their feelings survive their secrets? 

We asked Caitlyn where the idea for Grace’s story came from:

I read a book about a duke who fell for a governess and I got cross because, in the time it was set, the marriage could not and would not have been accepted by either his class or hers. Without social acceptance, it was doomed. While I am happy with a little poetic licence in historical novels, such glaringly obvious errors spoil the story for me.

It got me thinking about how such a match could become acceptable to a society where class was rigidly observed, and Grace’s story arrived. Then I realised she would need a hero who would interact with her when she was a governess, and at the same time, be eligible to marry a baron’s daughter. So Luke’s story came into being.

Helen Carey’s London Calling, set in World War Two, follows the lives of a number of people living in one perfectly ordinary London street. But in wartime ordinary people sometimes find themselves doing extraordinary things, and nurse Molly Coogan and actress Jen Carter are about to take on their biggest challenge yet.

We asked Helen where the inspiration for this novel came from:

The original inspiration came to me during a holiday in Sicily when my aunt asked us to visit the grave of her brother, Basil Beazley, who was killed during the airborne invasion of 1943. It took us seven hours to get there and when we did we found a beautifully maintained cemetery with lines of white memorial stones stretching in all directions. Uncle Basil was in the front row. He was twenty-nine when he died and had amazingly survived the disastrous glider landings but died later defending a bridge. We put flowers on his grave, cried for twenty minutes, and then we drove the seven hours back again. And that night I decided I wanted to write a novel which in some small way would touch on his story.

It Was Only Ever You by Kate Kerrigan is set in late 1950s Ireland and New York; this is the story of three women and the charismatic man with whom their lives are interwoven.

Patrick Murphy has charm to burn and a singing voice to die for. Many people will recognise his talent. Many women will love him. Rose, the sweetheart he leaves behind in Ireland, Ava, the heiress he marries, and tough Sheila Klein, hungry for success as a music manager.

But in the end, Patrick Murphy’s heart belongs to only one of them. Which one will it be?

Kate worked as editor of Just 17 magazine in the early 90s, we asked her if the character of Patrick bears any resemblance to any of the pop stars she interviewed:

 It was part of my job to promote heartthrob pop stars to keep our young readers happy. The nicest of these was undoubtedly Take That – whose first big gig was a Just 17 road-show in the Hammersmith Odeon. I did their first interview and the passion and talent each of those lads had back then did help to inform the main character of the book, Patrick Murphy.

The Reckless Love of an Heir by Jane Lark tells the tale of Lord Marlow, a character for whom no wager is too risky – until he is injured. Susan has always thought Henry arrogant. But an injured, vulnerable Henry brings out her natural compassion and a stolen kiss leads to a forbidden passion. Then Susan knows what it’s like to be as reckless as he is.

We asked Jane how she felt on hearing she’d been shortlisted:

 At the age of eight I was told by a teacher I’d write a book one day. At thirty when I hadn’t done it yet I put it on my “to do before I’m forty list”, and now in the year that I’m fifty I’m shortlisted for an award!

I still work full time as well as write and live with a daily struggle with Ankylosing Spondylitis and Chronic Fatigue and so this achievement feels even more special to me as it’s more evidence that things can be overcome and you can still fulfil dreams when you have a disability even though it can be hard.

Map of Stars by Catherine Law is set in wartime Kent in 1940 with heroine Eliza torn between loyalty to her husband and passion for her lover Lewis. With the enemy waiting across the Channel, a spy in their midst and a secret document missing, danger is closer than she imagines. When Lewis disappears, Eliza must wait twenty years to discover his fate.

Readers commented on the location of this novel and we asked Catherine why she chose Kent as the setting:

Thanet and the countryside around Canterbury always seemed like a second home for me, having spent the past twenty-five years travelling from London to visit friends here. Kent’s historic roots and landscape of orchards and hop gardens, not forgetting the vibrant coastline, intrigued and inspired me so much that I finally caved in and moved to Margate in 2014.

Emily Kerr: My route to publication

It is always a delight to feature new authors and today is no exception as we introduce Emily Kerr to the RNA blog.

My name is Emily Kerr and my debut romantic comedy ‘Who Does He Think He Is?’ is published by

Crooked Cat Books. I live and work in Yorkshire, and my day job is as a journalist for regional TV. So I basically spend work hours writing factual news scripts and then squeeze in the fiction writing during any spare time I can find!

I’ve always wanted to be an author, and some of my earliest memories are of sitting in the back of the car on the way to primary school asking my mum to spell out words for the stories I was writing. Ever since then, I’ve tended to have several writing projects on the go at once. I also confess to having a terrible habit of writing thousands of words of one book, then moving onto a shiny new story and not finishing it.

I wanted something to help me find my focus, and so a couple of years ago, I joined the Romantic Novelists’ Association New Writers’ Scheme. The NWS encouraged me to concentrate my efforts on one particular story, which became my debut romantic comedy ‘Who Does He Think He Is?’

The book is set in the beautiful Yorkshire Dales, and is all about Lady Aurelia Osbourne-Lloyd whose stately pile is actually more of a pile in a state.  She’s trying (and failing) to turn the family fortunes around by welcoming tourists to the house. When a Hollywood production company chooses the estate as a location for a Regency movie, a whole new level of chaos enters Aurelia’s life, especially as it seems the leading man may have an ulterior motive for wanting to get close to her.

I’m a big fan of the movies and find what goes on behind the scenes really interesting. I’m lucky enough that the newsroom where I work shares its home with the studios of a popular TV soap. This means that I keep on getting tantalising glimpses of the crazy world of television drama production. It also means that sometimes I’ll pop to the canteen and there’ll be six “police officers” and three “hospital patients” queuing for coffee because they’re filming some kind of disaster scene! The world of make-believe looks fun, but it also seems pretty full-on and definitely rather hectic at times. I started wondering what it must be like to have a film unit appear at your home and take over, and ‘Who Does He Think He Is?’ evolved from there.

The August deadline of the New Writers’ Scheme definitely appealed to my journalist side and gave me something to aim for. The advice and support from my reader was invaluable. I tightened up the manuscript, plucked up my courage and started entering writing competitions. I was absolutely thrilled when ‘Who Does He Think He Is?’ was named runner up in the Festival of Romance New Talent Award, and was shortlisted in Choc Lit’s Search for a Star competition. Those successes spurred me on and I started submitting my book to publishers.  Putting your work out there is quite a daunting and scary process, so it was really great to feel I had the support of RNA friends met through ROMNA, the RNA conference and the York tea party. When I finally got The Call offering a publishing contract, I was so thrilled I did a little dance, much to my colleagues’ amusement!

My road to publication has so far been a really exciting journey. I’m already at work on book number two, and I can’t wait for the next stage of my life as an author.

About ‘Who Does He Think He Is?’
Lady Aurelia Osbourne-Lloyd has long wished her bank balance was as big as her name. But her home, Leydale Park, is more of a pile in a state than stately pile, and with her father off ‘finding himself’ in Thailand, it’s up to her to turn the family fortunes around by entertaining demanding tourists.
When – thanks to her father’s interference – a Hollywood production company chooses the estate as a location for a Regency movie, a whole new level of chaos enters Aurelia’s life. Her quiet days shattered and privacy non-existent, she has no choice but to go with the flow and let them take over.
Never mind the added distraction of dishy leading man, Xander Lord, who may have an ulterior motive for wanting to get close to her…
Can Aurelia keep her cool in light of all the upheaval?

About Emily:

Emily Kerr has been scribbling stories on bits of paper all over the place since she learnt how to write. She earns her living as a journalist and loves the interesting variety of people she gets to talk to on a daily basis.

She can generally be found with her nose in a book, or hunched up over her laptop typing away, though she has been known to venture outside every so often to take part in various running-based activities. She is also learning Greek for the day when she finally does a Shirley Valentine and swaps her home in Yorkshire for sunnier climes.

Her debut romantic comedy ‘Who Does He Think He Is?’ was named runner up in the Festival of Romance New Talent Award.

Links:

Amazon:

Facebook

Twitter: @EmilyKerrWrites

Website

Thank you, Emily, and good luck with your book.

If you would like to write for the RNA blog please contact us on elaineeverest@aol.com

Rosemary Morris: An Author’s Life!

It is always a pleasure to welcome multi published author Rosemary Morris to the RNA blog. Rosemary’s writing life has been most interesting and will show our newer members how an author’s life is never straightforward.

I am fortunate. Unlike many people, whose dreams are never fulfilled, my dream of becoming a

traditionally published historical novelist is a reality.

From childhood, I enjoyed fictional worlds. (In my imagination, the lime tree at the end of the road was a princess in disguise, so I curtsied to her every day. Not surprisingly my ritual led to someone remarking, ‘I pity that strange child’s mother.’

Since I began reading at the age of five, I have continued. Past times fascinate me so I prefer historical fiction and non-fiction.

In my early twenties, while living in Kenya, I wrote several novels. Delighted when a mainstream publisher sent me a contract, I signed it and accepted the advance. Unfortunately, I didn’t know that because a date of publication was not specified, for various reasons, my historical romance might not be published. It was not. From then on, my path to holding a paper back that I wrote in my hand was rocky.

Settled in England, our nest emptied of five children, my late husband encouraged me to follow my dream. I wrote without success until, after he left his body when my books were accepted by a small press that subsequently declared bankruptcy. I was then published by another small press. Sadly, in spite of five star reviews on Amazon and Goodreads, my sales were negligible.

My good fairy appreciated my determination. She waved her magic wand. My previous publisher agreed to terminate my contracts, after which Books We Love accepted me as a client.

In a short space of time, Books We Love have republished most of my backlist and published my two new novels.

My romantic novels, rich with historical detail, and in which my heroes and heroines are too shy to open wide their bedroom doors, are set in the reign of Queen Anne Stuart, 1706-1714, and the ever popular Regency era.

A frequent question is: “Where do you get your ideas from?”

“From the supermarket.” A famous novelist, whose name I can’t remember, replied when asked the same question.

To answer it, I’ll explain that when I read non-fiction an idea for a novel germinates. For example, I read that many noblemen refused to swear oaths of allegiance first to Queen Mary and then to Queen Anne, while their father, James II, lived. Some of those honourable gentlemen joined James in France. ‘What,’ I asked myself, ‘would happen to their children?’ In my novel, Tangled Love, the heroine, daughter of a Jacobite, goes from riches to rags to riches.

The themes in my novels are problems which have affected people in the past and continue to. For example, in The Captain and The Countess, set in Queen Anne Stuart's reign 1706 - 1714, most women were controlled first by their fathers and then by their husbands. They were vulnerable, and at risk of physical and mental abuse. Today, women still suffer from abuse, but are entitled to legal protection. My readers might not have suffered personally, but are probably aware of the problem.

The hero in The Captain and The Countess is Captain Howard, an artist, who serves in Queen Anne’s navy. He is the only person to see behind the Countess of Sinclair’s fashionable façade, discover the cause and help her.

I have written three novels about heroines born during the Regency era on different days of the week. Sunday’s, Monday’s and Tuesday’s Child are connected by a single character; and so will the next one in the series, Wednesday’s Child.

While writing a novel, I enjoy research that includes visiting places of historical interest as well as reading historical non-fiction. Although I have eight large bookcases, another one would be welcome. A new addition to my library is the 639 page-long The Tears of The Rajas. Mutiny, Money and Marriage in India 1805 by Ferdinand Mount. I anticipate many happy hours reading about the Low family ‘who ‘survived mutiny, siege, debt and disease everywhere from the heat of Madras to the Afghan snows’ William Dalyrymple’s ‘White Mughals’ inspired my novel Far Beyond Rubies, which Books We Love will publish in the near future. I look forward to being inspired by The Tears of The Rajas.

Links:

Website

Facebook

Novels available as e-publications and paperbacks from: www.amazon.com and http://www.amazon.co.uk

Set in Queen Anne Stuart’s reign: The Captain and The Countess. Tangled Love.

Pending Publication: Far Beyond Rubies.

Set in the Regency era: Sunday’s Child, Monday’s Child, Tuesday’s Child

Thank you Rosemary and good luck with your future writing ventures.

If you would like to be interviewed for the RNA blog please contact the team on elaineeverest@aol.com

en Captain Howard, an artist, who serves in the navy meets the Countess of Sinclair, a widow, for the first time, he is the only person who sees the pain behind her fashionable facade. Although she is not a weakling, from then on he is determined to help her.From then on he is determined to help her.en Captain Howard, an artist, who serves in the navy meets the Countess of Sinclair, a widow, for the first time, he is the only person who sees the pain behind her fashionable facade. Although she is not a weakling, from then on he is determined to help her.From then on he is determined to help her.

Romance AND Suspense with Vonnie Hughes

Today we welcome Vonnie Hughes - all the way from the Antipodes. Vonnie was born in New Zealand and now lives in Australia.

As a child she won several writing competitions. She won a pony once but her parents encouraged her to take the substitute prize. After all, there’s not a lot of room in utopian suburbia for a pony. 

After attending teachers’ training college where they encouraged her writing, Vonnie began writing in earnest – poetry and short stories mainly. Now she writes novels and novellas in the Regency and contemporary suspense genres. She will, she says, probably write until the day she dies. Like many writers, some days she hates the whole process, but just cannot let it go.

I asked Vonnie a few questions:

I believe you haven’t always been a career writer. Can you tell our readers what brought about the change in your career?

I’ve always been a writer, just not a full-time writer. As a seven year old I won a writing contest to name a pony and I’ve been writing ever since. At first it was mainly articles and poetry. In my early fifties when I became a self-employed researcher with a houseful of overseas students, I needed a break from real life and began to write Regencies. As the Regency market has become more and more crowded, my stories are seguing more into the Victorian era. (I’ve been reading in that era since I was eleven years old and I love the sense of order and responsibility). But my preference is for writing contemporary suspense novels where I can indulge my love of convoluted plots and forensic clues.

I see from your website that you’re a ‘panster’. How does this work in conjunction with writing suspense? Don’t you need to know beforehand where your story is going?As for being a pantser and knowing where my plots are going – I think about my books for some weeks. Then I do a very small outline of the story generally, about five or six sentences. But the real planning comes from the characterisation. I spend a lot of time working out the characters’ backgrounds, motives and the likely consequences of their behaviour. Then I jump into writing the book. But I never do chapter plans or story arcs. Just go where it leads me.

Writing any period novel must entail considerable research. Is it something you enjoy and do you have any methodology?

As for the research for my historicals, I have to admit I have a LOT of hard files which I’ve compiled over the years. They contain things like bridge building in Britain, the slums near the Thames, maps of old roads etc. Also I belong to Beaumonde, a chapter of the Romance Writers of America and their archives are amazing.

Do you have a typical day?

I have no typical writing day. I write every day, but sometimes for no more than an hour. Sometimes I get restless and bored so I relax by walk/jogging with the dog, going to the gym and reading, reading, reading.

Innocent Hostage was published in December 2014. Is its successor in the pipeline?

At present, although I am part way through another New Zealand set book about a negotiator with one of the Armed Offenders’ squads, I also got started on an idea put forward by The Wild Rose Press about a mythical town in Maine called Lobster Cove. Since I’m not American I had to do some intensive research.  At the request of the Carmichael family’s accountants, their son takes over a lobster packaging business to investigate the reasons behind a consistent drain on the company resources. At the same time he is coming to terms with the fact that he is adopted and that at least one of his natural parents comes from the little town of Lobster Cove.

Innocent Hostage is published by The Wild Rose Press in both paperback and e-book form. In an Alice in Wonderland world where everything is tipped upside down and every value questioned, how do you save the innocent? Two years ago, Breck Marchant handed his son, Kit, over to his ex-wife, Tania, even though it tore him apart. She knows all about kids. Thanks to his own upbringing, he hasn’t a clue. But when the boy is held hostage, Breck steps up to the plate.

Links:

Website:  www.vonniehughes.com

Blog:

Amazon:

Facebook:

It's been lovely talking to you, Vonnie. Thank you. 

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