Anna Jacobs: Turning Seventy!

 We have a treat for blog followers today as Anna Jacobs tells us about her writing career.

In January 2015 I had my 70^th novel published. I’m in my 70s too, so it seems a lucky number for me.

 When I got my first novel accepted in 1992, I sat and thought about my future career. I was 50 then, so I figured I might manage to get 10 novels published before ‘the end’. After all, it’d taken me ten years and six books written to get to this stage.

I smile now at that naïve analysis, but in the days before the Internet it was far harder to get information. I was very wrong about the numbers. The years before 1992 had been spent learning my craft; the years since have been spent using and developing my skills – and learning to write far more quickly.

It wasn’t that I knew everything about writing novels by the time that book was accepted, but that I knew enough to write to a professional standard. Those are the two key words. I’m really glad I’m not starting as a writer now, particularly glad I wasn’t able to rush to self-publish when no publisher wanted my first ‘darling’. Because that made me work even harder to hone my skills.

My first story is the only one of those six books that I haven’t rewritten and had published. Why not? Because it doesn’t deserve it. Writing that story taught me so much and it was an incredibly valuable exercise. But oh dear, it has an extremely trite plot and a lot of errors in how it was told. RIP.

One of the best things about being a novelist is that you never know it all. There’s always something you can do better next time. I absolutely love that.

My agent said I seem to have moved to a different level with my latest series, which starts with ‘A Time to Remember’. That remark from an expert made me beam with delight all day.

So, to sum up, I’m in my 70s, I’ve just had my 71st novel published and I’m still learning. What a wonderful job this is!

Oh, and I’ve revised my estimate of how many novels I plan to write. I have so many ideas that I’ll need to live to at least 120 to tell all those stories. What fun!

 

Anna’s two ‘70s’ books so far:

 

‘A Time to Remember’ is set just after World War 2. It’s a historical novel, they tell me. It doesn’t feel like that to me, because I remember those times with a child’s eye. It’s the first of four novels set in Lancashire. Mayne is about to lose his family’s ancient home because his father has lost the family money. Esherwood was requisitioned during the war and is in a mess. All Mayne can do to save it is convert the old house into flats. Judith’s brutal husband is about to return from his posting overseas and she needs to get away. Both of them discover secrets that will tear their lives apart and yet, may offer hope for the future.  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

‘Legacy of Greyladies’ is the third and final in the series, set on the Home Front during WW1. Phoebe Latimer is holding the fort at Greyladies while her husband is serving in the army. But someone is targeting the old house—and Phoebe—in order to get rid of the German internees. Her life is at risk, and that of her unborn baby. Olivia is helping found the new Women’s Institutes in Wiltshire and loves the old house on sight. Can Alex help the two women save the old house and the friendly ‘enemy aliens’?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

About Anna:

Award-winning author Anna Jacobs writes both historical and modern romantic novels about families and relationships, producing three novels a year. January 2015 saw her 70^th novel published and she’s the 6^th Most Borrowed Author of Adult Fiction in the UK, and is similarly popular in Australia.

You can find out more about Anna’s books on her website. Each of them has a separate page, where you can read the first chapters and find about what gave her the ideas for the various stories. Go to:

You can also read the latest news on her Anna Jacobs Books page on Facebook

Thank you, Anna, for such an interesting insight into your writing life. We both agree that a writer never stops learning.

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TODAY WE ARE TALKING WITH MARY NICHOLS

Mary is the author of sixty books, all but one of them novels. She writes historical romance for Mills & Boon and longer sagas for Allison and Busby, alternating them to give her a change of genre.

Escape by Moonlight is the story of two girls, Elizabeth de Lacey and Lucy Storey, from a Norfolk village, the one wealthy and privileged and the other the daughter of the local stationmaster, linked by war and the men they love.

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

I read a lot of World War 2 books because it is an era that fascinates me and one I can remember. It is a mine of good plots. Once I had established the main premise of how war brings together people who would not normally associate, like Topsy, Escape by Moonlight sort of grew. It took me about six months to write the first draft and perhaps a month more checking and polishing.

Escape by Moonlight is a lovely title. How do you decide on titles for your books?

With difficulty! Very often the first title I choose is not the one we go with and I spend an inordinate amount of time agonising and writing lists and sending them to my publisher. Together we somehow manage to hit the right one. 

How did you carry out your research?

Reading, reading and more reading. For every book I write I usually need about a dozen reference books. I read them straight through at first without taking notes, just to get the 'feel', then a second time making notes of the bits I am going to need. I also ask questions of experts (including RNA members, who are a knowledgeable lot) and I have found people very helpful, over questions of fact. Sometimes I'll visit a place but I find that places change so dramatically over the years, it isn't much help for a historical novel. Maps, pictures and contemporary descriptions are more useful.

You set your novels in East Anglia. How important is that to you?

East Anglia is where my roots are and Norfolk is where I spent my most formative years during World War 2. I think where you were happy as a child sticks with you throughout your life and is easy to recall. I live in Cambridgeshire now, where the fens are as flat as a pancake and the skies are glorious. With the weather we've been having lately I am beginning to think the landscape is returning to what it was before the fens were drained in the 17^th century!  

What do you do to relax when you aren’t writing?

Believe it or not, I read and I do crosswords, word puzzles and sudoku, anything to keep my ageing brain active. Until a couple of years ago I played golf but have given that up now and exercise and walk instead. When I have time, that is!

What is next in your writing life?

I have a new book for Allison and Busby, A Different World, coming out in hardback on February 20^th, the same day as the paperback of Escape by Moonlight, I have a new Mills & Boon book coming out in April and I am three quarters of the way through my next Allison and Busby book. After that another Mills & Boon.

Amazon UK:  Escape by Moonlight

Publisher: http://www.allisonandbusby.com/

Website: http://www.marynichols.co.uk/ 

My blog can be found on my website.

Thank you for joining us today, Mary. 

Compiled by Natalie and brought to you by the blogging team of Elaine Everest, Natalie Kleinman and Liv Thomas

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