Interview with Jane Jackson

Jane Jackson says she’s been making up stories all her life. Scolded as a child for her ‘over-active imagination’ now she gets paid for doing what she loves. Married to a Cornishman she has three children, soon-to-be six grandchildren, a canoe, an allotment, and a passion for coastal walks. So tell us what made you want to write and how you got your first break, Jane?

I’ve loved reading books and writing stories since I was very young. At 28, divorced with two small children and an ulcer, I found emotional escape and comfort in reading. One night I had the weirdest dream. I couldn’t forget it and decided to find out if what I had dreamed could actually happen. The result, which took three years to research and write (and I loved every moment of it) was my first book, DEADLY FEAST. It was published by Robert Hale and I knew I had found what I wanted to do for the rest of my life.

Some writers need silence, others prefer the bustle of a coffee shop, TV, or music playing. Or you may need your cat on your lap. What is your favourite mode of working?

I prefer silence and work best in my office/study converted from half of our double garage. There’s no phone line and my desktop computer is purely for word processing. I do internet research and emails on my laptop in the house. When I’m writing I live in the world of the story so I want to be able to hear the characters’ voices and all the other sounds in their world.

Do you have to juggle writing with the day job? What is your work schedule?

Before my self-employed husband retired I did all his paperwork, but I’ve been fortunate enough to earn a living as a writer for over thirty years. I’ve recently become full-time carer for my 96-year-old father and now spend four hours each morning with him. Once he’s washed and dressed and the household chores are done I have an hour or so before it’s time to prepare and cook his lunch. So I’ve started taking my little netbook with me and using that time for writing-related jobs like blog posts. There has been a great deal to sort out, so work on my current book has had to be put aside, though I hope to get back to it soon.

Which authors have most influenced your work? And which do you choose to read for pleasure?

The writers who have influenced me most are Georgette Heyer, Diana Norman (The Vizard Mask - superb) , Mary Stewart, Barbara Erskine, Dick Francis, Elizabeth Chadwick and Terry Pratchett for characterisation and absorbing story-telling; Val McDermid, Michael Connelly, John Connolly and Meg Gardiner for pace and gripping plot twists. Katie Fford, Jojo Moyes and Sue Moorcroft offer wonderful feel-good escapism. When I first began reading Mills & Boon novels prior to writing them, I adored Violet Winspear, Anne Mather, Mary Wibberley, Anne Weale and Sara Craven. Now I include Kate Hardy, Caroline Anderson and Kate Walker among my ‘must-read’s. There isn’t enough space to list the countless others, many of them members of the RNA, whose books I enjoy and whose skills I admire.

What do you enjoy most about being a writer? And which is the hardest part of the job for you? 

What I enjoy most is the opportunity to learn about life in the past. For my historical romances I chose the periods between 1798 and 1865. THE CHAIN GARDEN was set in 1902 because I was featuring the work of plant hunters and the birth of photography.

The hardest part of the job? Making sure my research is accurate so readers can be confident that the world of the story is as close as possible to how it really was, while taking care not to allow the background and research to overshadow the most important element of the book – the characters. It’s also a bit of a juggling act to balance the demands of family life so I have enough writing time. I have huge admiration for authors who can write in odd moments while keeping several balls in the air at once. I work best – and feel happiest – with uninterrupted chunks of three or four hours.

How do you set about creating your characters? If you write historicals, how do you keep them in period yet sympathetic to readers? 

I usually start with a physical background: the roles of the Packet Ships; a granite quarry; plant hunting in India/Tibet. Then I choose my theme. Once I have those, it’s a short hop to deciding on the people who would be involved and why. I develop their backgrounds including events in their pasts that have made them into the people they are. Gripping characters carry a lot of baggage from the past. So their reactions to events and the decisions they make drive the plot as much as the events themselves.

I like writing historical romance because society was far more circumscribed in the past. There were more rules. Women were defined by marriage. They went from being someone’s daughter, to someone’s wife, to someone’s mother. Opportunities outside those roles were few and it took great courage to flout convention. So I ringfence my characters with the rules of the period. But while what is considered acceptable behaviour has changed dramatically in the past 200 years, human needs and yearnings haven’t changed: a roof over one’s head, enough to eat, work to pay for these, someone to love, and after that enough money for extras. Even when marriages were made for property or dynastic reasons, men and women still sought love. Among the lower classes men sought a marriage partner they could rely on to run a decent home and bring up a family. Farmers preferred to take a wife from a farming background because she knew what the life entailed and could be relied on to run the dairy making butter and cheese, and help out with calving or lambing.

How do you relax? What interests do you have other than writing? Do you think it important for a writer to take time off?

My husband and I do a lot of walking. Living in Cornwall we have so many glorious places to walk close to home. We also have a Mad River canoe which we can launch from the Playing Field alongside the village creek which leads out to Mylor marina and The Carrick Roads. My husband fitted it with an electric motor, so we have all the pleasure of being on the water with none of the hard work!

As an avid reader I get through four or five books a week so wet days never worry me. I wouldn’t speak for other writers, but when I’ve been writing hard for several days/weeks, even though I might not want to stop, I know that a break will give me fresh perspective and recharge my creativity. I often find that during these breaks I get ‘light bulb’ moments which solve problems I might be having with a situation or character.

What advice would you give to a new writer? 

There are numerous excellent books available that teach the craft of writing and the techniques required for every genre. I’d advise would-be writers to read several of these and also to study how writers they admire achieve their effects. Taking time to analyse how published writers create realistic and memorable characters, how the character’s choices influence plot development, etc will help enormously when working on your own story.

Write because you must; because you cannot imagine life without writing. Write the best book of which you are capable. Never accept second best from yourself. Near enough is never good enough. When your first book is finished, use everything you have learned while writing it to make the second even better. Write with passion. If you aren’t totally absorbed by your story and characters, how can you expect a reader to be? When I started writing there were very few How To books. I learned by doing it, while reading widely and voraciously – as I still do.

Do you have a critique partner, or share your work with anyone before you submit to an editor?

I’m really fortunate to have three very close writing friends. We have been writing buddies and critique partners for 20 years. Because of the level of trust we have built up we can be totally honest with each other – and we are. Weaknesses are instantly pointed out, over-writing is mercilessly edited. The only rule is that all criticism must be constructive. Saying something doesn’t work is fine provided an alternative is offered. When all three pick up the same fault it’s obvious the plot/character/scene needs work. What is hugely helpful is when all three offer different suggestions. Sometimes one of these is the ideal answer. Or none might appeal. Instead we’ll come up with an entirely new solution that works perfectly for the story, one which we would never have thought of had it not been for the crit.

Are you involved in social networking and blogs? Any tips for other writers?

I post on the http://historicalromanceuk.blogspot.com/ each month. I also have a blog on my website on which I try to post as often as I can. Apart from those, for me, producing a book a year and keeping my website updated seems the most productive use of my time. Others enjoy social networking. It’s a matter of personal choice.

With the increasing popularity of ebooks, how do you think digitisation might change your own career as a writer? 

I hope that it will bring my earlier books to a new readership.

Do you edit and revise as you write, or after you have completed the first draft? What method works best for you? 

I edit and revise as I write, and always end the day’s work in the middle of a scene or chapter. The following day I re-read and re-edit the previous day’s work. This gets me ‘tuned in’ to the story and fires up my imagination. Revising and editing as I write means a lot less editing once it’s finished. Again this is personal choice and what works best for me.

Tell us about your latest book, and what inspired you to write it. 

My latest book, TAKEN TO HEART, published on 31st October, picks up the story of a character who first appeared in DEVIL’S PRIZE. At the end of that book, Jenefer Trevanion had broken off her engagement after discovering that her fiancé had been living a double life. Then her father died in a fire that destroyed her home and with it everything that defined her place in local society. Though I wrote two further books after DEVIL’S PRIZE, one of which – HEART OF STONE - was shortlisted for the RNA’s Historical Prize earlier this year, Jenefer kept coming back to me. I couldn’t stop wondering what happened to her and how – if – she managed to rebuild her life. So I had to write the book to find out.

To learn more about Jane’s books, visit her website at http://www.janejackson.net. I have a blog page within the website and would love to hear from you with any comments. TAKEN TO HEART by Jane Jackson. Pub. Robert Hale Oct. 2011. 

Interviews on the RNA Blog are conducted by Freda Lightfoot and Kate Jackson. If you would like an interview, please contact me at: mailto:freda@fredalightfoot.co.uk

Interview with Alex Beecroft

Alex Beecroft was born in Northern Ireland during the Troubles and grew up in the wild countryside of the Peak District. She studied English and Philosophy before accepting employment with the Crown Court where she worked for a number of years. Now a stay-at-home mum and full time author, Alex lives with her husband and two daughters in a little village near Cambridge and tries to avoid being mistaken for a tourist. Have you always been interested in writing? Tell us how you got started.

I started writing when I was eleven. I think it was about the time when all my friends suddenly became too old to want to play "let's pretend," so if I wanted to go on pretending to be spacemen or Knights Templar, I had to do it on my own. Writing stories down, instead of acting them out, was the solution.

Where is your favourite place to work? 

I've set up a desk with an old but still serviceable computer in the spare bedroom. The computer has no connection to the internet, so I can't email or twitter or whatever on it. All I can do is write. I wouldn't say the spare bedroom was my favourite place to work - it's actually fairly cheerless and full of all the lumber that we don't know where to put elsewhere, but it does provide a space where I can get away from everything else. When I'm there, I know I'm there for one purpose only - to write. That definitely helps.

To plot or not to plot? Are you a planner or do you just dive in?

I wouldn't say I was an extreme case of a planner, but I do like to have a plot plan available before I go in. I decide how many words I want the book to be (say 100,000) divide that number by 1000 (the amount of words I usually write in a scene) and figure out the number of scenes I'll need. Then I think of ideas for each scene and arrange them in an order that makes sense. That gives me a sort of synopsis, with no more than a paragraph of ideas and notes for each scene. Once I've got that, I'll start writing. I don't do all the business with character sheets and three-act structures and figuring out where the black moment is, so I consider myself a mild case. But I am plotting more before each book, so I may get there in the end.

What is the hardest part of the writing process for you?

Because I'm doing more and more plotting, actually deciding that now is a good point to start writing is hard. But I think the hardest part is still pushing through the inevitable slumps where I'm certain what I'm writing is rubbish and that I ought to give up and start something different instead. I've realized that this voice says the same thing in roughly the same places every single time, and that if I ignore it and carry on, I'll get past those places, look back and realize that what I've written is good after all. I know that if I listen to the voice, I will never finish anything. But even so, each time it happens it feels as though this time it's telling the truth. Editing is easy, but the first draft is a long struggle with my own monsters.

How do you develop your characters? In historicals, how do you keep them in period yet sympathetic to readers?

I have to admit that with characters I just start writing and let them come to me as they want to. It does mean that they are a bit nebulous in the first few chapters of the first draft. They begin to firm up as I get to chapter 4-5, and at that point I will browse stockphoto sites to find a face for them (I won't know what sort of face would fit them before that.) Once I've got the face that really consolidates things and I can begin to work out exactly how all this person's differing traits hang together in a single cohesive personality. Then when I've reached the end of the book the first thing I do is go back and fill out the missing detail at the beginning, now that I know what ought to be there.

One thing I've found in researching for my 18th Century books is that attitudes we would consider 'modern' are actually older than we would think. The key for creating historical characters, I think, is simply to immerse yourself in the primary sources of the era until you get a feel for the many different ways a person of that era could be. Then you can use that to create a character in exactly the same way you would create a modern character. I don't think personalities change much, though the way they express themselves might.

What do you think an editor is looking for in a good novel?

I think primarily it's good storytelling - does the story grip you and make you want to turn pages to find out what happens next? Do you care about the characters and want them to succeed against great odds? A nice writing style is good too, but I'm coming to believe that it isn't nearly as vital as a story that hooks you at once and doesn't let go.

How do you relax? What interests do you have other than writing?

I belong to a women's Border morris dancing team called Ely and Littleport Riot, and dance regularly on a Friday and most weekends through the summer. I'm also learning to play the tunes to the dances on my pennywhistle. Apart from that, I do a lot of reading and I'm a member of two reenactment societies - one 18th Century, one Saxon, for which I have to do a lot of sewing. I am only intermittently present in the real world. I have led a Saxon shield wall into battle, toiled as a Georgian kitchen maid, and recently taken up an 800 year old form of English folk dance, but she still have’t learned to operate a mobile phone.

What advice would you give a new writer? 

Don't give up. The only way to finish a book is to keep writing until you get to the end. The only way to get a book published is to keep writing and submitting one book after another until someone finally takes one. The only way not to be a one-hit wonder is to keep writing after that first published book until you've got a track record, and even then you're only as good as your latest. But still, the only way to fail is to give up - just keep going until you succeed.

What draws you to your particular genre? Are you a specialist or do you have another identity?

I accidentally became known for writing historical romance because my first two novels were historicals. But in fact I like to try out all sorts of genres. I suspect I did myself some damage by switching track suddenly to a contemporary and then to a Fantasy, but I think I'd get very stale if I did one genre exclusively. I hope that eventually people will know that my stuff falls somewhere within the overlap of historical, fantasy, mystery and romance (the contemporary was a fluke), but that will only come with more new releases. I think the thing all my genres have in common is that touch of exoticism or escapism - I like to write about worlds which are more interesting than our own mundane one.

Do you ever suffer from writer’s block? If so, how do you cope with it? 

I get it quite badly in between projects. Now that I do the planning thing before I start writing, I don't get it during the process of writing a book, but if I've finished one book and don't yet have a workable idea and plan for another, weeks can turn into months before I come up with one. That first idea/inspiration is so hard to come by. As it happens, I'm stuck with it at the moment, so I'm coping with it by doing lots of reading, hoping that eventually all the stuff I'm taking in will form a critical mass and explode into a new idea. As soon as I've finished writing this, though, I'm going to at least go and attempt to force myself to think up some characters and something for them to do.

Is there a particular period of history that you enjoy writing about? Why is that?

I do love the 18th Century - it's such a wonderful blend of the ancient and the modern, when the farthest reaches of the world were being explored at the same time as new ideas about liberty and equality were setting the West on fire (literally sometimes.) There's a real feeling of discovery and excitement, progress and hope. Oh, and the clothes are great too!

Tell us about your latest book, and how you got the idea for it.

Having said that I love the 18th Century, I do sometimes like to take a break from it, so my latest book, UNDER THE HILL (for which I have an offer of publication but not yet a contract) is a contemporary fantasy, in which Ben Chaudhry comes to the attention of the Faerie Queen, who then attempts to kidnap him for unknown purposes of her own. Ben employs a very amateurish bunch of ghost-busters led by Chris Gatrell to protect him, but Ben and Chris’s romance is complicated by the reappearance, in visions, of Chris’s old flame, who he had thought was dead in a plane crash years ago.

I live in a small village in the middle of the countryside, and so I tend to get a bit fed up of paranormal romances which are set in the big city. I wanted to write a paranormal romance set in a sleepy little English town, where the Paranormal Investigators have to share the church hall with the Flower Club on alternate Tuesdays, and everything stops for the summer fete. I thought of it initially as a sort of Torchwood meets Wallace and Gromit, though it became rather more epic and serious than that before it was finished.

I'm not sure yet when that one is coming out, though I have BY HONOR BETRAYED out from Carina Press this month - that's a historical m/m romance in which Lt. Conroy Herriot has to choose between his career in the 18th Century Royal Navy and his love for his servant, Tom Cotton. He chooses love, of course, which leads both of them into some life-or-death scrapes.

You can find out more about Alex by visiting her website http://alexbeecroft.com 

Interviews on the RNA Blog are conducted by Freda Lightfoot and Kate Jackson. If you would like an interview, please contact me at: mailto:freda@fredalightfoot.co.uk

Lesley Cookman Looks at the Progression of Technology in the Book World

I’ve been a member of the RNA for many years, from the time my husband bought  me Mary Wibberley’s To Writers With Love, in which she recommended joining the Association to any aspiring writer. I joined, submitted to what is now the NWS, got second reads and an interview at M&B’s Richmond headquarters - fairly new, then! - and then gave up. It was several years afterwards I met Marina Oliver when I was speaking at the International Comedy Writers conference, and she persuaded me to rejoin, telling me that they’d just started a new cyber chapter!

And look where we are now. I’m sure the RNA was one of the very first writers’ organisations which embraced “modern technology”, so we adapted to its proliferation throughout our industry better than most. In the US, of course, it spread far wider and quicker, and I remember when I was one of the few online in the dark ages seeing the E-Publishers start up. I, along with several other people, didn’t take them seriously at the time, and, I’m ashamed to say, almost regarded those published by them as little better than vanity published. Indeed, epublished authors weren’t allowed full RNA membership.

But now, not only are digital-first books appearing in the New York Times best-seller lists, but so are self epublished books. And it is these same digital first publishing companies that have given so many opportunities to the writers of romantic and erotic fiction, the genre to profit most from the revolution.

For revolution it is. The old publishing model is under threat and some of the power is being wrested from traditional agents and publishers. However, I don’t think, as so many worry-mongers have pronounced, that epublishing and the ebook sound the death-knell of the printed book. I think, as with nearly all forms of creative media, they will happily co-exist. There will be some jostling for position, but as long as we stay calm, and keep up with all the new developments just as we have done in the past, I don’t think we have too much to worry about. But I would hope that we are all sensible enough to make sure our work is good enough to go out there. Good agents and editors currently do that for us, so let’s not throw those estimable babies out with the bath water.  We may need to adjust our positions, but we still need eagle eyes on our manuscripts, if not the “gatekeepers” of tradition. It’s also good to remember that some of those indie authors who sell in such huge numbers have now signed traditional publishing deals.

In my case, many of my readers would never buy an ebook – I know their demographic! So traditional publishing is essential for me. I, of course, don’t write romance, but I’ve remained a member here because I’ve met so many wonderful people who have become true friends. And just as a little postscript, I had an email via my website this weekend, complaining that I’d spoilt the Whole Point of the books by giving away the fact that one character had married another, when this reader was avidly working through the series following their romance. Ashamed - I changed the website.

Lesley's latest book MURDER AT THE MANOR is out now....

The ninth title in the Libby Sarjeant series....

Libby Sarjeant and her partner Ben are hosting a Writers' Weekend at Ben's family home, The Manor. Surely, nothing can go wrong? But when a strange body turns up in the grounds, it appears that more than one of the delegates could have murderous intentions - and not only on paper!

November New Releases

Novels


Dilly Court
A MOTHER'S TRUST
ISBN 9780099562535
Arrow Books
Hardback £19.99

When her feckless mother dies in childbirth, Phoebe Giamatti is left to raise her baby brother, but she must keep the truth about his birth from his gangster father and from her Italian family, or risk vendetta coming to the streets of London..

Julie Cohen
THE SUMMER OF LIVING DANGEROUSLY
9780755350636
Headline Review
10 November
£19.99 hardback

Wanting to run away from her unhappy past, Alice Woodstock takes a job as a costumed interpreter in a stately home where they are re-creating the summer of 1814. It's all like something out of the pages of Jane Austen or Georgette Heyer, until her real life and her fictional one start to become entwined…

Jen Black
FAIR BORDER BRIDE
ISBN 978-0-9570603-0-2
Orchard Hill Books
13th October 2011
£2.30 or $3 ebook

Harry Wharton runs foul of a reivers' raid and though Alina protects him, her father threatens to kill him. An exciting historical romance set in 1543 in which tensions mount and force Alina into a major decision that will change her life.

JL Merrow
WIGHT MISCHIEF
ISBN: 978-1-60928-550-0
Samhain Publishing
8th November 2011
ebook, $3.85 for limited time, thereafter £5.50

A stranger could light up his world...or drive him deeper into darkness. A camping trip researching ghosts on the Isle of Wight turns into a rollercoaster ride for Will when he meets Marcus, a reclusive author with a mysterious - and deadly - past.

Available from Amazon or from Samhain - see here for excerpt:
http://store.samhainpublishing.com/wight-mischief-p-6530.html

Lesley Cookman
MURDER AT THE MANOR
ISBN: 978-1908192028
Accent Press
November 7th
£6.99

The ninth Libby Sarjeant adventure: Libby and Fran investigate after an uninvited guest turns up dead at a creative writing weekend.

Lynda Dunwell
MARRYING THE ADMIRAL'S DAUGHTER
ISBN 13 978-1-61937-092-0
Aurora Regency, Musa Publishing
November 25 2011
$4.99 ebook

After years fighting the trials presented by the sea, Captain Ross Quentin finds an even greater challenge on land – convincing Bella Richmond to become his bride. But another plans to wed her. Kidnapped, Bella finds herself aboard a sinking ship in a storm. Can Ross save the woman he loves?

Lynne Connelly
LEARNING TO TRUST
Carina Press
£2 ebook

Bellina Mazzanti Forde was the ultimate party girl—until she disappeared with Byron Brantley. Jonathan Brantley tracks Lina to Naples. He vows not to let Lina out of his sight until she agrees to help him find his brother—even if it takes all night. Though he doesn’t trust her, he can’t deny that he wants her—has always wanted her…

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Learning-to-Trust-ebook/dp/B005UPRUCG/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1319473934&sr=8-1

STRANGERS NO MORE
Ellora’s Cave
ISBN – 9781419935220
October 28th 2011
$6.50 ebook - Part of the Skin Deep miniseries

Strangers in the dark, meeting for anonymous, hot and dirty sex. That was the way it was meant to be. But Whitney is increasingly drawn to her Stranger, more than she should be. Even if once he sees her face, he’ll run screaming. Then Whitney receives an offer from the Durban Trust for cosmetic surgery. Although she knows looks don’t matter, they’ve cost her too many promotions. She has to change her face to change her life.

http://www.jasminejade.com/p-9658-strangers-no-more.aspx is the web reference

Maggi Andersen
HOSTAGE TO FORTUNE
ISBN978-1-60394-572-1
New Concepts Publishing
Late October 2011
$5.50 e-book

Viscount Beaumont has buried himself in the country since his wife died. As the French Revolution rages, French actress Verity Garnier is ordered to England to seduce him back to France. She despises men, but she must not fail.

Nell Dixon
CUE ME IN
B005XSEQJU
October 21st
ebook - £2.17

Fae Heath wants to be on TV, but not just any show. She wants to be on Ghost UK. She intends to win the contest to find the next presenter. Tall, slim and blonde and access to a haunted Welsh Castle on Halloween – how can she fail?

Christina Courtenay
HIGHLAND STORMS
ISBN: 978-1-906931-71-1
Choc Lit
1st November 2011
£7.99 paperback

Betrayed by his brother and his childhood love, Brice Kinross needs a fresh start, but when he takes over the family estate in the Scottish Highlands, there’s trouble and he finds himself unwelcome. He discovers an ally in Marsaili Buchanan, the beautiful redheaded housekeeper, but can he trust her?

Link to extract - http://www.choc-lit.com/First___second_chapter_-_Highland_Storms_by_Christina_Courtenay.pdf 

Sheila Newberry
DANCING IN THE STREET
ISBN: 978 184262859 1
Magna/Dales
1st November, 2011
£11.99 paperback, L.P

The In between years, 1942-50. Dip into my memories which include - Dried egg, doodlebugs, Disraeli, Daydreaming, and, of course, Dancing in the Street, which indeed we did on VE night...


Novellas

Chrissie Loveday
TOMORROW'S DREAMS
ISBN 978-1-4448-0892-6
Linford Romance
November 3, 2011
Large Print Paperback £8.99

Nellie is a talented paintress in the pottery industry in 1920s. She is forced to take work where she can to support her parents and 3 siblings. She loses her heart to the wrong man. Can she ever move into his world of wealth and power? (First of the Potteries stories)

WHERE LOVE BELONGS
ISBN n/a
People's Friend Pocket Novels
November 3, 2011
£1.99 Cheap Paperback

The third story set in the Potteries featuring Nellie and her family. The youngest sister is now grown up and has ambitions in journalism. She encounters prejudice and feisty and determined, she forms a plan. Ever the matchmaker, she meets the man she wants to marry ... eventually!


Paula Williams
MOUNTAIN SHADOWS
ISBN n/a
My Weekly Pocket Novels
3rd November, 2011
Cheap paperback. £1.99

Following the death of her mother, Jenna Manning discovers she’s inherited an isolated farmhouse in the Lake District. But she’s shocked to learn she’s joint owner with the man responsible for her mountaineer father’s death some years earlier. Among the shadows of the mountains Jenna is forced to face up to some old fears and long held prejudices.

Short Stories

Annie Burrows
GIFT-WRAPPED GOVERNESSES
ISBN 9780373296637
Harlequin Mills & Boon
November 2011

Paperback - Anthology of Christmas novellas featuring governess heroines.



Please note prices may vary.
To have your new titles included on the RNA Blog, please contact freda@fredalightfoot.co.uk

Author Interview with Fiona Harper

I’m delighted to welcome Fiona Harper to the author interview hot seat today. Fiona writes funny, heart-warming romances for Mills and Boon. Her first novel won the RNA’s Joan Hessayon New Writers Award and since then her books have gone on to win numerous other awards.


Fiona, please tell us how you sold your first book, and if you had any rejections before getting that exciting call?

I sold my first book through the RNA’s New Writers’ Scheme. I joined the RNA in 2005, with one fully-polished book under my belt, and sent it off for my NWS critique, just hoping for some positive feedback. I was both amazed and delighted when not only did the manuscript get a second read, but it was then sent on to Mills & Boon and they offered me a contract a couple of weeks later.

Where is your favourite place to work?

Anywhere without interruptions (the family-related kind and the self-induced kind)! I often find I have to get out of the house and any possible displacement activities so I can hunker down and write. Most of the time I like to write longhand and then type up what I’ve written later, so coffee shops are a favourite. What's not to like? A table all of my own to write at and lattes on tap!

To plot or not to plot? Are you a planner or do you just dive in?

I'm a plotter. Or I am in the sense that I like to have a good idea of where I'm going in terms omy characters and their development. I quite often know the emotional journey my hero and heroine are going to take before I start, and then I dive in and work out what plot elements are going to push them in the right direction.

What is the hardest part of the writing process for you?

The beginning of the second act of the story – you know, that point where you've had fabulous fun setting everything up, and then you have to decide what on earth you're going to do next.

What do you think an editor is looking for in a good novel?

I think editors are looking for the same thing as the rest of us – a gripping story, the kind we continue to think about when we put the book down and can't forget once we've read the last page. Of course, skill with words is important, but I think the ability to spin a good yarn with an engaging voice is probably more essential. We can always learn more about the craft of writing by reading books, going to workshops, attending conferences, but the unique storytelling voice is something we have to develop on our own.

How do you relax? What interests do you have other than writing?

Reading, of course, but I also enjoy cooking, dancing (when I get the time) and good films. I seem to spend a lot of my spare time reading books about writing, or listening to audio recordings of workshops. To be honest, I think I'm slightly obsessed with the subject! My family would wholeheartedly agree. They can't seem to watch anything on the television without me dissecting it and analysing it – even the adverts!

Do you ever suffer from writer’s block? If so, how do you cope with it?

I'm not sure I've ever suffered from a full-on writer’s block, but I definitely have patches where I feel as if I'm wading through treacle. I find the only thing to do is to make myself keep writing. Often it'll only take a thousand or so words before I'm back in the swing again, but sitting down to make myself write those thousand words can take a couple of weeks! If I feel completely dry creatively, I go and do something else for a bit – read a book, watch a film, go for a walk – anything that'll let my creative right brain start to buzz. The solution will often present itself, like the proverbial bolt of lightning, when I'm not actively looking for it.

In what way has the RNA helped you or your career?

As I mentioned earlier, the RNA’s New Writers’ Scheme led directly to my first publishing contract, but since then I've met fabulous people going to RNA events and have learned more than I could ever recount attending some of the annual conferences. I certainly wouldn't be where I am today without the support and friendship of the RNA and its members.

Is there a particular period of history that you enjoy writing about? Why is that?

I love writing about the present day. We live in such a complex society, with so many demands on our time and energy, values and emotions that pull us in opposite directions. There is a wealth of rich emotional material to be found in the everyday challenges of modern life.

Tell us about your latest book, and how you got the idea for it.

My current release, Swept off Her Stilettos, is about a vintage fashion shop owner who thinks her little finger isn't properly dressed unless it's got a man wrapped around it. The heroine, Coreen, had appeared as a secondary character in two other books of mine and I wanted to give her a story of her own. I wanted to write about a woman who was very confident in her own sexuality as it wasn't something I had done before. Coreen seemed the obvious choice, since she demanded the male of the species should fall at her feet and worship. Of course, I gave her a hero who refused to do exactly that and then stood back and watched the sparks fly!

Thank you for taking the time to talk to us Fiona. We wish you every success with your new book, Swept off Her Stilettos.

To find out more about Fiona visit her website at http://fionaharper.com

Or follow her blog at http://fionaharper.blogspot.com

RNA Members Sweep the Board

Hooray! The winner of every author award at the inaugural Festival of Romance was an RNA member.

Sue Moorcroft, Jean Fullerton and Jenny Barden, Awards Organiser

Best Romantic Read Award: Sue Moorcroft, Love & Freedom (Choc Lit)

Best Historical Read Award: Jean Fullerton, Perhaps Tomorrow (Orion)

New Talent Award: Henriette Gyland

Henriette Gyland receives her award from agent Jane Judd

And bestselling author Carole Matthews was inducted into the Romance Reader Hall of Fame.

Kate Allan, Festival Organiser, with Carole Matthews

The Festival took place in a lovely Regency house at Hunton Park, Hertfordshire from 21-22 October 2011, and the awards were presented on the final evening at the sparkling Have a Heart Ball, rounding out a packed programme of workshops, talks, panels, debates and one-to-ones, a chocolate-making demonstration, swimming pool party, cupcake party and an authors’ fashion show, where authors dressed as characters from their books.

Authors' Fashion Show

As just about every sub genre of romantic fiction was catered for, it’s not surprising that an inspired programme and comfortable venue should attract so many RNA members as delegates.

Or that they should have swept the board.

Author interview with Laurie Sorensen

A warm welcome to American author, Laurie Sorensen who writes historical romance. Her road to publication was a rocky one, but her persistence and determination have paid off. Laurie, please tell us how you sold your first book, and if you had any rejections before getting that exciting call?

I spent 5 years writing, polishing and editing my first book, Ravenwood: Night’s Salvation. I had no intention initially to seek out publication. I let friends and family read the book, and every one of them told me that I should go for publication. So I submitted my book to a whopping 329 agents who worked with Historical Romance. I hadn’t a clue what I was doing, and that sending it to so many agents was basically a set up for disappointment.

I got my very first envelope in the mail from one of the agents and I was so nervous I refused to open it. It sat on my kitchen table for almost a week until my husband came home for the weekend, and found it. He asked why I hadn’t opened it. I told him that I was afraid of what it would say. So he opened it. I will never forget what it said if I live to be 100 years old, I will always remember the heart wrenching words the man had to say to me. He told me that I had wasted his time and my own time in sending such c*** to his office. He told me that I shouldn’t quit my day job because writing was not my forte. I was so devastated by his words that I gathered all my notes, floppy discs and files and threw them away. I wanted no more of this hurt in my heart. Later that day, several of my writer friends, some published, some not, convinced me to retrieve the materials I had thrown away so I could put them away for a few weeks and try again. All in all, I got 179 rejections within a years time. None of them as harsh or mean as the first. Many of them actually gave me advice to improve.

My husband suggested that I didn’t need an agent, and to try to submit to publishers outright, so I did. I queried 13 publishers. I was offered two contracts from two different publishers. One was for an E-book and the other for Print. I wanted so much to see my name in print, so I turned down the e-book contract and signed the print book contract with Light Sword Publishing which later turned their name into LSP Digital instead. I now had a print book and was very excited about it. But the sales of it were mediocre at best. The publisher did nothing in way of advertising or promoting their books, it was left up to the authors to do that. I was new to the fray, and unsure about anything dealing with promotion, and consequently sales on my book were minimal. I tried, but I just didn’t have the flair it required, nor the computer knowledge to do promotion effectively. Once my contract was up, LSP Digital didn’t renew, and I hadn’t thought they would. I was left with a few copies of my book and a head full of stories in the series I no longer had a publisher for.

A good friend and fellow author suggested that I submit the story to a publisher she was with, using her name as a reference. So I did. They accepted the book, but I had to agree to change the cover, and re-edit the work. I spent the next few years struggling with re-editing and my non-author life intruding upon my editing time. But once it was done, I had a book that was so very different, a new cover, new scenes and scenes taken out to make a much tighter story that is a better story to read. The new publisher, Sapphire Blue Publishing, put out Ravenwood: Night’s Salvation with a beautiful cover in an E-book version, and soon there will also be a paperback version people will be able to buy. I have since written another book through Sapphire Blue Publishing, a Novella in an Anthology called “Ladies of the Jolly Roger.” My story is the first one in the book with the title “The Pirate Princess.”

Do you have to juggle writing with the day job? What is your work schedule?

I am not sure you can call it a day job, I sell Tupperware, and most of the parties I do are during the evening. My writing schedule is haphazard most of the time. I try to write when my husband isn’t home, (he drives truck all week) and when my children are at school. That leaves me with writing from the time I get up until my daughter walks in from school. I also take my son to college three times a week and spend the four hours waiting for him at the nearest McDonalds using their free WiFi to research things for my writing. When I’m not running around doing errands and when no one else is home demanding my time, I use every bit of the extra me time, writing.

To plot or not to plot? Are you a planner or do you just dive in?

I have tried to plot my stories, but my characters usually have other ideas and things never go like I plan them. I tried once to use an outline, it didn’t work. I have been known to write chapters out of sequence, and then put them together to make them work.

Which authors have most influenced your work? And which do you choose to read for pleasure?

I have written to Catherine Coulter most of my romance reading life. She has been the one author that has influenced me in my writing. I have given her a copy of each version of my first book, and she will get a copy of each book I put out. She is the world’s most wonderful romance writer, I adore her historicals and I love the FBI books as well. I have had the pleasure of meeting her in person, and she was everything I had expected and more. When it comes to reading for pleasure, when I have the time to do so, I read Catherine Coulter, Nora Roberts and Diana Gabaldon, each in their own right a tremendous talent and each so very different from the other.

How do you develop your characters? In historicals, how do you keep them in period yet sympathetic to readers?

My characters come from dreams I have had, or from people I have seen or spoken too. I write historical romance, therefore some of the characters in my books are based on actual people in history, although, when it is an actual person in history, their part in my story is minimal. In the case of my novella, The Princess Pirate, Princess Alvilda was real, however, her story had very little real accounts of her life, which gave me license to pretty much make it what I wanted to make it. With historicals, it is difficult to make a hero sympathetic to readers, mainly because the way things were done in history is so very different than what it done in today’s society. An example would be the fact that today’s women are independent, whereas the women in our history were simply viewed as property to be bartered for in marriage. I do my best to make all of my characters likeable, even my villains start out that way, at least for the most part.

How do you relax? What interests do you have other than writing?

Relax, what on earth does that word mean? I think I don’t know how to do it until my body tells me I have had enough, and it forces me to take stock of myself, and slow down. Being the wife of a truck driver, and the mother to 5 children keeps my life moving. I like doing things with my family, and for my family. In my spare time (what little I have of it) I make and decorate cakes, a read and I love watching a few good shows on TV.

What advice would you give a new writer?

The advice I would give to someone else who wants to write would be this. If you have to write because without it you can’t breathe, then do it. Don’t let anyone stop you, don’t let anyone tell you that you aren’t worth their time. Write from the heart, write what you want to write, not what is most popular. There is an audience for every book, you just have to find yours. Most of all, don’t take the horrible things an agent tells you as gospel. Let it be like water off a ducks back, read it, file it, if it’s useable, use it, if not, throw it out.

Do you enjoy writing sequels or series? If so, what is the special appeal for you?

Ravenwood: Night’s Salvation is a book one of a series of what will be five books. I’m not sure at this point if I like to write them or not, I am working on book 2 in the series now. I only brought this out as a series because each of the minor characters in the book seemed to scream out for a story of their own. The stories come to me easily for the series so we shall see if this will be the only series I write or if I will begin another. I can tell you that I like the idea of someone reading my book and then asking me something like “Hey, does Storm get her own story?” It makes me smile as I answer them with “But of course she does.”

Do you enjoy research, and how do you set about it?

I love doing research, and I have been known to be waiting on my librarian to open the library and then get annoyed that I have stayed all day long and they need to close when I am not yet done doing my research. I have used the internet for some research, but I certainly love the feel of old books on my fingers while I browse through all the pages of countless books.

Tell us about your latest book, and how you got the idea for it.

My latest book is the novella inside the anthology “Ladies of the Jolly Roger – Buccaneer Women – “ The story's title is The Princess Pirate, and it follows the adventures and misadventures of Princess Alvilda as she escapes the chains of marriage and becomes the captain of a Pirate ship. She plunders the waters of the Danish seas, trying to deal a crippling blow to the Prince that would have been her husband. Only to get caught by the very same Prince she had escaped before. She is given an option and well, I won’t tell you how it ends…lol. The book is coming out soon, and indeed should be out by the time this interview hits the RNA Blog. You will be able to find it on my publisher’s website, http://www.sapphirebluepublishing.com/.

Can you tell us something of your work in progress?

My current work in progress is Ravenwood: Storm’s Destiny, book 2 of the Ravenwood series. Storm is the sister of the hero Night Ravenwood, from book 1. Her destiny is to help young women who have been attacked by someone, while her loving husband hunts the criminal down. Book 2 will be a stand-alone book as the first one was, however, like the first one, it introduces the character who will have book 3 in the series.

Thank you for talking to us, Laurie. Your determination to succeed is an inspiration. We wish you good luck with The Princess Pirate.

To find out more about Laurie and her work visit her website at http://www.lauriesorensen.com/

Interview with Dee Williams

It is a delight to introduce Dee Williams as she is a great friend of mine. She was born and bred in Rotherhithe, south-east London, where her father worked as a stevedore in Surrey Docks. Having left school at 14 to become a hairdresser’s apprentice, she claims her father accused her of not being able to spell. But here she is, a bestselling writer. So tell us Dee, how you sold your first book, and if you had any rejections before getting that exciting call?

I have been very lucky. I have never had any rejections. I sent my very first M/S to Headline and after a couple of rejigs it was accepted.

Where is your favourite place to work?
My study, it overlooks my lovely garden. When we first moved here after returning from Spain we had an extension added so it was purpose built.

What is the hardest part of the writing process for you? 
The middle. I'm full of enthusiasm at the beginning as I know where the story’s going and how I want it to end, but sometimes I feel the middle lacks a bit of get up and go, so I throw another problem at my heroine or bring in another character. This must all tie up with the story and all be resolved properly by the end.

How do you relax? What interests do you have other than writing?
Reading and gardening. Gardening is great for just going over your story in your mind. It is also helps to keep you fit and get a bit of exercise and it’s cheaper than going to the gym.

What advice would you give a new writer? 
Stick at it. Never leave your work at the end of a chapter. It’s best to leave it when something interesting is about to happen and you can’t wait to get back to it.

What do you think an editor is looking for in a good novel?
A different, thought provoking well-written story. What draws you to your particular genre? Headline only like me to write about the years between 1900 and 1960. This is a wonderful era for writers as there were two World Wars and a depression, so there’s a wealth of stories to draw on. As I lived through part of World War Two, I can use some of my own experiences like in my latest book LIGHTS OUT TILL DAWN, which is about children being evacuated from London. I too was evacuated, although I wasn't as old as Hazel.

Is there a particular period of history that you enjoy writing about?
I love writing about the 1920’s for its fashion and hardship.

Do you enjoy research, and how do you set about it?
I enjoy research very much. I phone people who might help. Go to the library. I’ve been to Tower Hamlet’s and Southwark research library to go through old local newspapers. Be wary of the Internet which can be really great and helpful, but it can be misleading sometimes.

Do you ever suffer from writer’s block? If so, how do you cope with it?
Not really. Perhaps when I’m trying to find an historical fact and rather than hold me up for too long I put a row of XXXs and move on. 

Tell us about your latest book, and how you got the idea for it.
LIGHTS OUT TILL DAWN comes out in paperback in October. It’s about a brother and sister who get evacuated and the things that happen to them. It’s something I know about first hand. Can you tell us something of your work in progress? I’ve gone back to 1924. The fashions and lifestyle of some of the young things of the day were very interesting, and then the depression came which is rather topical at the moment.

You can find out more about Dee Williams by visiting her website:
http://www.deewilliams.co.uk/index.html 

Interviews on the RNA Blog are conducted by Freda Lightfoot and Kate Jackson. If you would like an interview, please contact me at: mailto:freda@fredalightfoot.co.uk

Interview with Anna Jacobs

Anna Jacobs is a prolific writer of historical sagas and modern family relationship novels set in the UK or Australia. Tell us about your latest book, and how you got the idea for it.

THE TRADER’S WIFE had an unusual start. I usually ‘see’ a woman character and follow her story, but this time it was Bram, who appeared in ‘Destiny’s Path’ as a groom. He was such a vivid character, I couldn’t forget him, and in the end I had to give him his own book. So he is ‘the trader’. He’s an Irish groom who’s going to try to make his fortune in Australia, and because he’s stopped off en route in the Middle East and East, in Singapore too.

It’s surprised me that Bram has become one of my favourite, most romantic heroes. Move over, Mr Darcy! Bram isn’t handsome and he’s only of medium height, yet he’s such a warm, loving man, so good at dealing with people that you can’t help liking him.

And having written THE TRADER’S WIFE of course I had to follow it up. THE TRADER’S SISTER is now finished and in production, and I’m planning the third book.


Most of your novels for Hodder & Stoughton are based in the north-west, the story set against a part of the region’s social history. What made you choose this particular place and setting?
My early novels are indeed set in Lancashire, because I grew up there. Strangely, it wasn’t until after I emigrated that I got interested in its social history, not just the mills, but the other facets of northern life. I lived in a mill town and never went into a mill till I went back as a tourist to Wigan Pier.

But there is a lot more to Lancashire than the cotton mills that people associate with it. I also grew to admire my native county, not only for its economic ‘get up and go’ but for it’s social fairness. The first viable Co-operative shop was founded in my home town, Rochdale, and I played in its front yard as a child, because it was five shops up from my grandpa’s barber’s shop. When the government passed a dreadful Poor Law Act in 1834, the people of Lancashire, rich and poor alike, refused to implement it and continued to treat the occupants of poorhouses kindly. They were supposed to live in conditions ‘worse than the worst outside’ but the people of Lancashire defied the government for decades about it. I’m so proud of that.

A common characteristic of your sagas is a strong and feisty woman, do you think that is essential for this genre? 
It’s essential for me in any story I write. Why would I write about someone I don’t like and/or admire? I could never spend months of my life writing about a flawed heroine whom I didn’t like. I do sometimes portray women finding themselves, though, getting their act together as many women do in their middle years in real life. I think readers like to see women/characters triumphing over the misfortunes life throws at all of us.

You seem to be expanding your horizons with your sagas, away from Lancashire. This latest book is set in Singapore. What made you decide to do that?

I was trying to find a slightly different setting for my next historical story. I’ve visited Singapore a few times, so looked into its history. Since I found it fascinating, I felt my readers might enjoy it, too. The series is set partly in Singapore and partly in Western Australia. Most novels set in Australia are in the Eastern States e.g: Sydney or Melbourne. That’s as far away from where I live as Moscow is from London, and I feel the history of the West has not been given its due in books. So for quite a few years I’ve been setting my stories there. We deal a lot with Singapore from Western Australia, which is about the same distance away from its capital, Perth, as Sydney is.

You also write modern fiction. Tell us something about these books, and in what way does the writing experience differ from your historicals?
I’m still writing about people and relationships, but I’m setting the stories all over England. And, obviously, its today’s world that gives the characters their problems. I started writing modern stories for variety and stimulation, to keep myself fresh. I’m always afraid of growing stale and telling the same old story, so I vary it as much as I can. At the time we were house swapping with English families every year or two, as an easier way to visit our families, and I’ve set stories in many of the 11 places we’ve visited that way.

Everything is a potential story to a writer! For example, CHANGE OF SEASON is set in Dorset, our first house swap, with an Australian family following their father/husband to England because he’s working for an international company. I had a friend whose husband was a ‘Chairman’s International Rover’ ie he went trouble shooting for the head of an international company, so I based the heroine’s husband on that. THE CORRIGAN LEGACY is set partly in Cheshire, and has one character with ME (chronic fatigue syndrome). I suffered from that myself for a few years, and always said I’d put it in a book. The heroine of THE WISHING WELL has a mother suffering from Alzheimers, as a friend of mine did at the time. And the scene in the bed and breakfast with the window that didn’t fit its frame was based on what actually happened to my husband and myself. But all my modern heroines get their happy endings, just as the historical ones do. It’s my choice and I choose happiness not tragedy.

I also have another book coming out: SHORT AND SWEET, which is a collection of my short romance stories, originally published in women’s magazines. I was a little surprised at the cover chosen by the publisher, which is attractive, but doesn’t look like a romance cover. See what you think.


How do you begin when you start a new novel? 
I usually have the start-up situation in my mind, often found while researching. I picture my heroine by making her different in height, hair colour, age and temperament from my last heroine. And then I write the first scene. I picture the hero and do the same. I write and rewrite the first three chapters till I know my hero and heroine and have got some sub-plots in place, then off I go, experiencing the events with my characters. Often I dream of the next few scenes as I’m just waking up in the morning. It’s like seeing movie shows.

What craft tip helped you the most when you were starting out?
‘Put your heroine up a tree and throw stones at her.’ It’s still the best advice of all. If there are no problems, there is no story to tell. Big stones, little stones, they’re all in there. I feel sorry for my heroines sometimes, poor things!

What advice would you give a new writer? 
Write several books to learn your trade. One won’t be enough. And don’t self- publish your first stories as ebooks. Wait until you’re much more skilled and then persevere till you find a publisher, because you’ll learn more from the editing and being guided through the process. Slapdash books, or practice books won’t do anyone’s reputation any good. But the early books won’t be wasted because you can rewrite them with your improved skills.

Do you believe writing is a skill anyone can learn?
No, I don’t. It’s not the writing that counts most, it’s the gift for story-telling that makes a novelist. Not everyone has it. I couldn’t have been a sporting person with my faulty eyesight. Nor could I climb mountains when going two rungs up a ladder gives me the collywobbles.

Your home is in Australia but you spend part of the year in England. Does this present any particular difficulties for you? What are the pros and cons of a split life-style?
It takes a lot of organizing and sheer hard work to run two houses. But it gives us both a lot of pleasure. I have food intolerances and can’t enjoy doing holiday tours, as I may not get food I can eat. But I can change countries and keep on feeding myself safely in my own homes. Besides, England is beautiful in the warmer months and we absolutely love living there. I think it’s the most beautiful country on earth. Australia is beautiful too, but in a different way, and I love living there as well. I don’t call myself ‘lucky’ for that, because I’ve worked hard all my life and been careful with money. But I do wish someone would find a way to eliminate jetlag. However hard I try, it hits me for over a week each time we move countries.

Do you find the increasing amount of time a writer has to spend on social networking and blogs a distraction from your writing, or of benefit? Have you any secrets to pass on for coping with the pressure?
Oh, yes. It’s very time consuming and frankly, I’d rather be telling new stories than talking about the books. It’s lovely to meet readers, but I’ve always communicated with readers, ever since emails came into existence, and I’ve been putting out a monthly email newsletter for my readers for many years. Social networks seem to be for entertainment, but I don’t need entertaining. Let’s face it, with my job, I’m an entertainer not an entertainee, and after a day writing and doing business on my computer, I don’t want to spend the evenings on line as well.

I know you are putting up your back list as ebooks. As well as it being good for them to see the light of day again, do you see any other advantages? And how do you see the future for writers?
It’s lovely to see my stories being read again, and I think bringing out my backlist as ebooks has helped my frontlist books too, the ones publishers are still producing. I used to write historical romances and they’re selling really well as ebooks (eg Mistress of Marymoor, Marrying Miss Martha, Replenish the Earth). They’re sweet romances, not sexy ones and there seems to be a demand for this type of story that isn’t always met by some publishers, who have this focus on sex and vampires and violence. I’d like to republish my historicals in paperback – they never did come out in paperback format, only as hardbacks. Maybe one day! But that would take away more of my precious story-telling time. I sometimes feel like a juggler who’s trying to keep too many balls in the air.

Many thanks Anna for sharing your writing methods with us. We wish you every success with the new books. Visit Anna Jacobs at her website: http://www.annajacobs.com/ 

Interviews on the RNA Blog are conducted by Freda Lightfoot and Kate Jackson. If you would like an interview, please contact me at: mailto:freda@fredalightfoot.co.uk
 

Interview with Deborah Swift

Deborah Swift has worked as a set and costume designer for film and TV, and later as a freelance lecturer in theatre arts. She says historical fiction was a natural choice for her as a writer because she has always enjoyed the research aspect of her work in theatre, not to mention the attraction of boned bodices and the excuse to visit old and interesting buildings! She lives in the glorious countryside close to the Lake District, home to the romantic poets Coleridge and Wordsworth, in a house which used to be an old school. I believe THE LADY’S SLIPPER is your debut novel, Deborah. Can you tell us what inspired you to write it?

I was inspired by the flower itself, the extraordinary orchid, the lady’s slipper, which at the time of writing was the rarest wildflower in Britain. A friend and I came across it by chance when we were out on a walk, being guarded by a man from Natural England. I’d never come across a flower with its own guard before! It is a very unusual-looking orchid, with a shoe-like central petal surrounded by more petals like twisted red ribbons. It looks unlike any of our other native species, and because it was so rare there was a sort of plant mafia - the Cypripedium Committee - set up to protect it. It piqued my interest, and research led me to discover it was also over-collected in the 17th century because it was used medicinally, and the seed of the novel was sown (if you’ll excuse the pun!).

I read about the novel on the blog http://historicalbellesandbeaus.blogspot.com/ and was intrigued as it was set in the Lake District where I lived for many years, and have used as a setting in many of my own books. How much is a sense of place important to you in your writing?

I spent many years designing scenery for the theatre, so a sense of atmosphere and accurate period architecture is very important to me. I don’t think of it as a backdrop, more like an interwoven texture to the plot and characters. In THE LADY’S SLIPPER I was able to indulge my love of the natural environment too as it is set in rural Westmorland, with its fells, lakes and rushing waterfalls, and I love the great outdoors.

What do you think most influences you as a writer?

I am an avid reader, so other writers have always inspired me. Not just novelists, but poets and playwrights too, particularly poets as their crafting of words needs to be meticulous. And I owe a big debt to the theatre where I worked as a designer for a large part of my life, so I tend to treat the book as a drama and think in terms of a three act structure. For me it was natural to think of writing period fiction as it allows me to continue the research which I enjoyed so much as a designer, and I am always very concerned with the visual elements of my storytelling.

I found the tribulations of the Quakers, and the historical detail and political intrigue in the book meticulously depicted, how did you set about your research? Is it a pleasure or a chore?

A pleasure, if not an obsession! I used libraries a lot, interviewed orchid experts and made visits to seventeenth century houses. Geoffrey Fisk’s house was based on Levens Hall in Cumbria. For certain aspects of my research, such as life on board a sailing ship, I made use of the expertise of the Maritime Museum, and I spent many days in the Quaker collection at Lancaster University reading old manuscripts and diaries by early Quakers. I sometimes like to sit in a real location to write - I wrote a scene in the Quaker Meeting House at Swarthmoor Hall, the actual home of George Fox, the founder of Quakerism. The main male character is a newly-converted Quaker and it really helped me to see it through his senses - the smell of oak panelling, the quality of light through the windows.

What is it about this particular period of history that makes you want to write about it?

It was a time of great upheaval. The Civil War was the only time when English people have taken up arms against themselves. So after it ended the country was still riven by religious and social divides, and I thought this period would give me great scope for conflict within the book. The natural order in England had been undermined by the fact that we no longer knew how to govern ourselves, did not know if we wanted King or Parliament, and I wanted this to be reflected in the individuals in the novel.

In some ways the orchid is a symbol which embodies our passion for the land, and represents our desire to own our territory. And I also thought it might be interesting if someone who is a sworn pacifist has to choose whether to take up arms to protect the woman he loves.

Your style of prose is quite emotive. I know that you are also a poet. How do you think this has affected your style of writing?

I hope it gives me more rigour when I’m choosing words, but I don’t want it to be too evident to my readers. It would be embarrassing if ‘poetic’ writing took people’s attention away from the story!

Alice is an intriguing character. I wasn’t terribly sympathetic of her at first, in view of what she did, but I warmed to her quite quickly. Did you plan her before you started the novel, or did she develop as you wrote?

I planned her a little, as I needed someone who cared about plants in more than one way for the plot to be believable. So I made her an artist, who is also the daughter of a plantsman. So she has both an artistic and botanical interest in the lady’s slipper which fuel her obsession. Because of the Civil War and personal tragedy she has lost all her family, so she is looking for something to protect and nurture, as well as craving love and affection for herself. Although of course she does not know this at the beginning of the book. She grew as I worked with her, and I found it fascinating to watch her develop through her experiences in the novel until at the end of the book she is much less reserved and much more open to love, and to what life brings.

You’ve said that you often work out in the field, as it were, but where is your favourite place to hideaway and write?

I have an office, which is just a desk surrounded by bookshelves, but it has a lovely view of the garden where I can see my two cats basking in the sun (when there is any, up here in the North.) But I am working all the time in my mind. I keep a pencil in the car because I often get ideas when I’m driving!

Do you have to juggle writing with the day job? What is your work schedule? 

Yes, I have a day job, or rather an evening job. I teach adult education classes in the evenings. So I write in the mornings, five days a week from about nine till about one. That includes quite a bit of fiddling on Twitter and Facebook, things that seem to be a big part of a writer’s remit these days. But it’s quite flexible, so I can juggle the time a bit if I’m researching for example, to fit in with people I might be interviewing.

How much of the story do you plan in advance? Do you plot, or just dive in? No, I just dive in.

When I wrote my second one THE GILDED LILY, I got scared at the thought of producing a book to a schedule, and thought I’d better try plotting to make sure I hit the publisher’s deadline. But in the end the characters developed in other unexpected ways, and I kept finding more interesting sidetracks and ended up jettisoning the original plot! So now I recognise I’m a "seat of the pants" writer, and for me that’s a large part of the excitement , not knowing exactly what will happen. Though I always have a last scene in mind that I set my sat nav towards.

Which authors have most influenced your work? And which do you choose to read for pleasure? 

I think everything I read influences my writing directly or indirectly. Some of my favourite historical writers are Rose Tremain, Mary Renault, Barbara Ewing, CJ Sansom. And I love historical blockbusters such as Ken Follett’s "Pillars of the Earth" and Robyn Young’s "Brethren". For pleasure I’d head to the Richard and Judy shelf in the local bookshop. Some people knock their choices, but I’m a fan because I’ve found some great reads from their lists.

What is the hardest part of the writing process for you?

When I’m about a third of the way through, and suddenly have a crisis of confidence! Was this a good idea? Maybe I should start again with different characters, a different idea... But I’ve found that if I press through that part then I can soon regain enthusiasm for my plot and concept. I also find that the novel seems to sprawl for quite a while and I need to spend time afterwards drawing all the threads together and cutting unwanted material.

I find promoting books an increasingly time consuming activity. How do you go about it, and what tips can you offer other writers? 

I am not a natural marketing type, but I recognise that it has to be done if people are going to get to hear of my books, so I do a lot on-line. Something I have learnt is to not join too many things, because you have more impact if you are truly present, even on-line. And I believe personal recommendation is still the best way to sell books. I am still feeling my way with new technologies like Twitter, but you can follow me @swiftstory to find out what I’m up to and what I had for lunch. I’m currently attempting to make a book trailer. I got my daughter and her friends dressed up in period costume and we had a day "on location" which was great fun and thank goodness the rain held off. If the video turns out to be awful, at least we had a good day out! I sometimes think my attempts at marketing are a little amateur, but hey, you have to start somewhere! I blog about my writing life at http://www.deborahswift.blogspot.com, and have a site to promote historical fiction at http://www.royaltyfreefictionary.blogspot.com

Tell us about your latest book and how you got the idea for it. 

The book which will be out next is called THE GILDED LILY and tells the story of Ella who is a minor character in THE LADY’S SLIPPER. She cheekily demanded her own book. Ella is a character full of contradictions, part bully, part loving, ambitious and brazen, but underneath not nearly as sure of herself as she looks. Just the sort of character that can sustain the reader’s interest, especially when teamed with her timid but stubborn sister, Sadie. THE GILDED LILY will come out in September 2012.

Can you reveal something of your work in progress? 

The one I’m working on right now is a stand-alone historical adventure/romance set in Seville. I’ve just come back from there after a wonderful time getting to know the city. After the wet of Westmorland and frosty London in the other two books, I felt like I needed a bit of sunshine and a change to an earlier time period. Historical fiction is time-consuming to write so I’m only at first draft stage with that and wary of telling you too much, except to say I’m loving it and hope it’s the best yet.

You can find out more about Deborah's books at her website http://www.deborahswift.co.uk. Her contact details are there and if you’ve read THE LADY’S SLIPPER she’d love to hear from you.

Interviews on the RNA Blog are conducted by Freda Lightfoot and Kate Jackson. If you would like an interview, please contact me at: mailto:freda@fredalightfoot.co.uk