This Writer’s Life: RED FOR...RASCAL, RIOT AND RIBBON

Christina Hollis is a writer and broadcaster living deep in the Gloucestershire countryside. When she isn’t writing, she is cooking or pottering around the garden, hindered by varying amounts of livestock.

 I’ve been writing all my life, and one of the most important tips I can pass on is to remember the words of Norah Ephron’s mother: “Everything is copy”.

This was brought home to me when I was studying eighteenth-century European history, and finding the course heavy going. It was only when I read through the notes I made while on a potentially disastrous holiday to Paris that the subject came alive for me. My then-boyfriend booked a week’s holiday in the city of romance for us - and his mother came too. His excuse for this passion-killer was because she had always wanted to see Paris, and he couldn’t bear to disappoint her. Luckily the holiday wasn’t too bad - considering the circumstances - and it made me think how a cuckoo in the family nest might have livened up all those starchy pre-revolutionary French aristocrats.

I used my notebooks as a source for Lady Rascal, which was brought out in print by Harlequin Mills and Boon as part of their Masquerade Historical Romance Line. Madeleine is a penniless Parisian who dresses in stolen clothes during the French Revolution and is mistaken for an aristocrat. “Rescued” by Philip Adamson, a genuine and gorgeous English gentleman, she lives in fear of discovery. The tension mounts as their attraction for each other is hampered by her guilt at living a lie. Then disaster strikes - and only Madeleine’s street-smart skills can save the Adamson family fortunes.

I’ve now released Lady Rascal as an ebook on all platforms, including
Amazon
iTunes
Waterstones

I love the bright red of the cover - I think it suggests the danger of Madeleine’s situation as well as her feelings, and at this time of year it adds a festive touch.

I assumed I’d have loads more free time when I started working from home rather than commuting. That hasn’t turned out to be the case! Work expands to fill the time allotted to it, and spills over into everyday life, too. I always used to produce a traditional rich fruit cake for Christmas, covered in marzipan and royal icing - all made by hand. With the pressures of writing to deadlines, editing and publicity work, time is now at a premium so a Chocolate Mincemeat Cake is the new centre-piece of our Christmas tea. It can be made quickly, a day or two before the main rush. To decorate, I simply tie a red ribbon around it, and add a spring of (non-edible) holly from the garden.

CHOCOLATE MINCEMEAT CHRISTMAS CAKE
150g softened butter
150g soft brown sugar
2 eggs, lightly beaten
185g self-raising flour
40g cocoa powder
400g mincemeat (I use my own recipe)
80g sultanas
80g raisins
20g quartered glace cherries
50g blanched almonds, chopped
100g of white chocolate dots (you really need white chocolate - ordinary milk-chocolate dots would be virtually invisible in the finished cake)

METHOD:
Pre heat oven to Gas Mark 3/Electric 160 deg. C, Fan 140 deg C.
Line a 20cm/8” tin with a couple of layers of greaseproof paper.
Place all ingredients in a large bowl and beat for 1- 2 minutes, until well mixed. Spoon into the prepared tin and bake in the oven for between 90 minutes - 2 hours, or until a skewer inserted into the middle of the cake comes out clean. You’ll probably need to cover the cake with tinfoil toward the end of the cooking time, to stop it browning too quickly. Leave the cake to cool in its tin for a while before turning out onto a wire rack to cool completely.

This cake doesn't freeze and is unlikely to keep for as long as a traditional rich fruit cake, but this doesn’t matter as it’s always eaten up in a very short time.

Finally, be careful what you wish for when it comes to Christmas presents. Look what my sister got...triplets!

What is the most unusual Christmas present you’ve ever received? There’s a signed book from my Mills and Boon backlist for a comment picked at random.

Christina

Find out more about Christina
Her website is http://www.christinahollis.com
Blog  http://www.christinahollis.blogspot.com
And you can contact her at christinahollis@hotmail.co.uk

Compromising the Marquess

Today we have Regency writer Wendy Soliman writing about her latest book. Wendy was brought up on the Isle of Wight, which she says explains her love of history because of historic buildings littering the landscape at every turn. She now lives in Andorra with her husband and a rescued dog of indeterminate pedigree, dividing her time between there and the west coast of Florida.

Welcome to the RNA Blog, Wendy.

Hi, my day job—no, make that my life—revolves around writing Regency romance. My latest, Compromising the Marquess, is the first in a four-book series charting the fortunes of the Forster dynasty. Leah Elliott writes gossip for a scandal sheet to support herself and her sister. When she moves to the coastal town of Denby she doesn’t expect to find much that will interest her readers, until she meets Hal Forster, Marquess of Denby, whose activities intrigue her, and excite her suspicions.

This is how I imagine her diary would have read:

July 14th, 1814 

I accompanied Mrs. Wilkinson and some other ladies to The Hall today. Mrs. Wilkinson was keen to see the marquess and demand an explanation for the unruly behaviour at The Boar’s Head. I, too, was keen to make his lordship’s acquaintance, but was disappointed. He was not at home. Instead we were received by Lord Gabriel, the marquess’s youngest brother. He’s a handsome gentleman in his final year at Cambridge, but no match for Mrs. Wilkinson when she’s on her high horse. I felt quite sorry for him.

Actually, I believe the marquess was at home. As we were entering our carriage I chanced a backward glance to admire the magnificent building and saw a tall gentleman with dark blond hair tied back in a queue watching us from an upstairs window. I am sure it must have been he since he’s reputed to wear his hair in such a fashion. I wish I could have met him.

July 15th, 1815

There’s no help for it. ‘Leon’ will have to put in an appearance at The Boar’s Head tonight. Mrs. Wilkinson is convinced something unusual will happen and I can’t afford to pass up an opportunity to report the event. I shall don my usual boy’s clothing and take young Jonny with me for protection, along with Pickle. He isn’t much of a guard dog, but he still makes me feel safe.

When we arrived there was a large gathering of men congregated in a clearing behind the tavern. My heart lurched when two men, stripped to the waist, appeared in their midst and I realized we’d happened upon a bare knuckle fight. I looked away when the men started hitting one another, feeling slightly sick but unwilling to admit as much to Jonny. Not that he would have noticed. He was totally taken up with the spectacle, face shining as he cheered loudly each time a blow landed. I directed my gaze round the clearing, seemingly the only person present not entirely focused on the fight. If someone was using the event as cover for something illegal, I ought to be alert to that possibility rather than following the action, willing the smaller man to succeed.

“Have you seen anything suspicious?” I asked Jonny.
“Only that chap’s left hook,” Jonny replied, his gaze still fastened on the fight.
“Oh, my goodness, the small man’s got up again.” I felt extreme agitation. “Surely he ought to stay down. We must do something to stop this!” I dashed forward. “He’ll be killed if we don’t.”
Jonny grabbed my arm, showing a surprising amount of strength for such a thin youth. “You’ll be the one killed if you try that.”
“Maybe, but this is barbaric—”
“The small chap knows he has to fight on. There would be a riot if he gave in so easily.”
“So easily? He just—”

Another loud cheer, Jonny contributing to it as enthusiastically as anyone. “Did you see that, miss? I told you the little guy wasn’t finished. He just planted the big chap a right facer.”

I blinked, hardly able to believe my eyes. The larger man was now the one prostrate on the ground. His smaller opponent stood over him on swaying legs, blood covering his torso, ready to strike again if his foe was foolish enough to stir. It seemed that he wasn’t. The fight was over.

Men started to move and I suddenly had a clear view of the men standing across from me. I gasped when I noticed a tall man in well-cut clothes, blond hair tied back in a queue, looking directly at me as though he could see straight through my disguise...

The Forsters Book 1, Compromising the Marquess by Wendy Soliman Available now from Carina Press  for just $1.99 Amazon  and Barnes and Noble

Wendy

Interview with Henriette Gyland

I am delighted to welcome Henriette Gyland to the blog today. Henriette grew up in Denmark and studied Modern Languages at University of Copenhagen. However, she was always attracted by London's bright lights, and after graduating decided to try her luck in England. But only for a short while. That was the plan. Then she met Him Indoors, and that plan was shot to pieces. Instead she set herself up as a translator and linguist, before turning to writing.

Henriette writes dark, romantic suspense novels and loves giving troubled characters a happy ending. She also assists with the annual RoNA Awards, and is a member of the Historical Novel Society. Welcome to the Blog, Henriette, do tell us what was the first thing you ever wrote, and did it launch your career?

As a child I was always making up stories, to the extent that I sometimes didn't know where reality ended and fiction began. This got me into a lot of trouble, so my mother suggested I write down my tall tales instead. The result was a 12 page picture book about two orphans girls who run away to Egypt but just happen to be adopted by a lovely new family they meet on the Orient Express. And, er, no, it didn't launch my career.

Were you in the NWS before getting published, and did you find it helpful?

I was in the NWS for about 12 years before I found a publisher, and the advice and support has been invaluable. The lovely readers taught me that even made-up stuff needs to have a beginning, a middle, and an end, not to mention believable characters, good dialogue, and proper spelling and punctuation. Perhaps this sounds a bit like Creative Writing 101, but one thing is knowing this, another is when a helpful person points you in the right direction. I'm eternally grateful.

So what do you think was the special ingredient of your new novel which caused it to be picked up?

Hard to say. Because I write romantic suspense, my work is a hybrid of the crime and romance genres, but I also throw a few other elements into the mix – social topics, political comment, difficult personal issues. Plus, my characters tend to be quite secretive. I'm hoping that these aspects combined make up that literary umami which may appeal to readers!

Writers are always asked where they find their ideas. Would you like to share any tips with us on how you find your inspiration?

Henriette's Ideas Box

In a word, everywhere. I live in a multi-cultural suburb of London, so there's a lot happening, but more remote areas also capture my imagination. I like to start with a setting, a what-if scenario, plus some sort of issue that needs to be dealt with, and work from there. Then there's magazines, TV programmes, snippets of conversation overheard on the bus, old stories, proverbs... the list is endless. I write it down on slips of paper, put them in a box, then go through it from time to time if I need a fresh idea. There's always something in that box.

How would you describe your book? What did you enjoy most about writing it? And which part created the most problems? 

As I mentioned above, my book is part crime, part romance, and what I enjoyed most about writing it was the North Norfolk setting, which almost became a character in its own right. The most difficult thing to write were the emotional scenes because I became deeply affected by the characters' feelings. This surprised me – I thought I could separate myself from my characters, but clearly not.

What advice would you give to an aspiring writer?

Don't give up. Believe in yourself, even when people tell you to get a proper job, and that you're just “throwing good money after bad”. You're pursuing a dream. So what if they' think you're a saddo just because you haven't been published yet? You'd be far more of a saddo if you didn't even try.

Which character from your book would you most like to trade lives with? 

None of them! I make it my mission to keep my characters in the crucible for as long as possible, so I really wouldn't want to be in their shoes.

What should every good writer avoid? 

Mmm, lots of things, I suppose. Not take ourselves too seriously, perhaps...?

Have you ever won or been short-listed in any competitions or awards, and do you think they help with a writer’s success?

Henriette's FoR Award

In 2011 I won the Festival of Romance New Talent Award, which was fantastic. About a month later I signed with Choc Lit. The same year I was also Commended for the Yeovil Literary Prize, and in previous years I've been placed in various competitions, including being on the long-list for the CWA's Debut Dagger twice, and receiving the Katie Fforde Bursary. Winning or being short-listed doesn't necessarily lead to publication, but it does give your confidence a massive boost.

So what next? Can you tell us a little about your work in progress?

My next book, entitled THE ELEPHANT GIRL, which will be published in July 2013. It's the story of a woman who, as a young child, witnessed the murder of her mother. 20 years later she begins to question what she actually saw and whether she might have been an unreliable witness.... Oh, and there's a smashing hero in it!

Too close for comfort…

When Dr Lia Thompson’s grandmother dies unexpectedly, Lia is horrified to have to leave her life in America and return to a cold and creaky house in Norfolk. But as events unfold, she can’t feeling that there is more to her grandmother’s death than meets the eye.

Aidan Morrell is surprised to see Lia, his teenage crush, back in town. But Aidan’s accident when serving in the navy has scarred him in more ways than one, and he has other secrets which must stay hidden at all costs, even from Lia.

As Lia comes closer to uncovering the truth, she is forced to question everything she thought she knew. In a world of increasing danger, is Aidan someone she can trust?

Thank you for sparing time to talk to us today Henriette, it’s been fascinating. We wish you every success with your book. 

Best wishes, Freda

Henriette’s Website: http://henriettegyland.wordpress.com 

Twitter: https://twitter.com/henrigyland 

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/henriette.gyland

Interviews on the RNA Blog are for RNA members, although we do occasionally take guests. If you are interested in an interview, please contact me: freda@fredalightfoot.co.uk 

Interview with June Francis

I am delighted to welcome June Francis for an interview today. June was born in Blackpool but grew up in a working class area of Liverpool, and began her writing career with articles in various magazines including My Weekly, and stories broadcast on Radio Merseyside. But her first love was the novel and encouraged by a published member of her writing group, she sent off an historical romance to Mills & Boon. After much rewriting she was offered a contract for the two books she had written. She went on to write family sagas, as well, and to date she has had thirty-two books published.

Welcome to the RNA Blog June, do tell us what made you want to write and which author influenced you in making that decision?

When my father came home from WW2 I was four years old and he took me on his knee and told me from memory stories by Hans Christian Anderson as we had no books in the house. The ones that stuck in my mind were "The Little Match Girl, The Tinder Box and The Ugly Duckling. They so grabbed me that I wanted to be able to write stories, too.

Is a sense of place important to you in your writing? How do you set about the research?

Yes, it certainly is. The majority of my books have been set in Liverpool where I grew up. I still live within five miles of the city centre. One would think that meant I knew all there was to know about my home city but that is not so because a number of my sagas are set before I was born and the characters needed to be set in their historical context. I walked the streets of areas I wasn't familiar with but also read old Liverpool Echos, books about Liverpool, Kelly's Street Directories which also give information about people's occupations, as well as talking to people who experienced the depression and WW2. For my books set elsewhere I have visited the Republic of Ireland, France, Madeira and numerous places in the UK

Of all the characters you've created, which one holds a special place in your heart? 

This is a real difficult choice. Can I have two - one from a saga and one from an historical romance? The first is Harry Peters from A PLACE TO CALL HOME and he is the widower father of the heroine, Greta. Maybe it's because I'm not very brave myself, I admire courage tremendously and Harry is one of those men who rescued people from bombed buildings during the blitz in Liverpool.

My other character is the hero, Philip Hurst of MAN BEHIND THE FACADE He's a travelling player and playwright as well as being involved in political intrigue. He is good looking with a sense of humour and heroic in that despite having a fear of heights he has to control it to go to the heroine's rescue.

This last title was one of your historical romances for Harlequin Mills & Boon set in the 16th Century, I believe. Tell us what it is that attracts you to that particular period?

June exploring Ludlow Castle

To tell you the truth I arrived in the 16th Century after starting in the 13th Century in the mid 1980s when I wrote my very first book. I knew nothing about those times and wanted to find out more. I wrote five historical romances, the last being during Henry V's reign - before writing my first saga. I wrote sagas for at least ten years before writing for HMB again, as well. I jumped to Henry VI’s reign and the War of the Roses which naturally led on to Tudor times. I just wanted to discover more about what happened next in history and it's been an enjoyable ride so far.

What was the best craft advice you ever had in writing for Mills & Boon?

You have to get your historical background as correct as possible but don't forget you're writing mainly about the relationship between a man and a woman and the woman reader's fantasy. How long on average, does it take you to write a book?

How much editing do you do?

Six to nine months. Lots of editing. I do some as I go along but I do at least three complete drafts before my agent sees the ms. I never write a detailed synopsis but go with a few plot ideas but I generally do have some idea of the ending.

Which three books would you take on a desert island with you and why?

‘This Rough Magic’ by Mary Stewart because I can lose myself in her stories. I read this one again and again because I like the characters and the setting and the plot. ‘Christmas at Fairacre’ by Miss Read. This is actually several stories in one book but again it is one of those books I return to time and again because I can lose myself in it. I find it relaxing and although my upbringing was very different to the characters in the book, in a way it reminds me of the Christmases of my childhood. Thirdly, ‘Waterloo Sunset’ by Martin Edwards. This is a crime novel and is set on Merseyside the year Liverpool was Capital of Culture. I know Martin and I've read several of his novels and enjoyed them. I've read this only once and I'm sure I'd gain from reading it again and again.

You are very involved with a writing group near Liverpool. Do you feel this is a support to you in your writing?

I reckon that I wouldn't have made it as a published writer if I hadn't joined Crosby Writers Club way back in the eighties. These days I attend the club to support those would-be-writers by giving encouragement and helpful criticism, as well as hopefully keeping them up to date with the publishing world as it is now.

It's lovely how writers so support each other. Can you tell us something of what you are working on now?

I have recently finished an HMB called THE MADONNA AND THE ADVENTURER which is with my editor but in the meantime I am getting on with a saga. I am nearly 9,000 words in and it is the third in a trilogy set in the fifties on Merseyside and up in the Whalley area in Lancashire. The first two are IT HAD TO BE YOU and MEMORIES ARE MADE OF THIS. Its working title is IT'S NOW OR NEVER which might need changing as Elvis didn't have a success with it until 1960/61. My regular readers will have met the main characters before but will know little about two of them. I generally get into the heads of several of the characters. I enjoy writing about how the past reflects on the present and in this story, one of my main female characters has a secret that no one suspects. Whilst another discovers the truth about her father and it means the future she had planned won’t turn out the way she dreamed.

The paperback of the THE PAWNBROKER'S NIECE will be out on the 26th November 2012.

MEMORIES ARE MADE OF THIS will be out in hardback with Severn House on 27th December 2012. 

June's website is: http://www.junefrancis.co.uk 

Thank you for sparing time to talk to us today June. We wish you continuing success with your books. 

Best wishes, Freda 

Interviews on the RNA Blog are for RNA members, although we do occasionally take guests. If you are interested in an interview, please contact me: freda@fredalightfoot.co.uk 

December Releases

Henriette Gyland UP CLOSE

Choc Lit

Paperback

£7.99

7^th December 2012

Too close for comfort…

When Dr Lia Thompson’s grandmother dies unexpectedly, Lia is horrified to have to leave her life in America and return to a cold and creaky house in Norfolk. But as events unfold, she can’t feeling that there is more to her grandmother’s death than meets the eye.

Aidan Morrell is surprised to see Lia, his teenage crush, back in town. But Aidan’s accident when serving in the navy has scarred him in more ways than one, and he has other secrets which must stay hidden at all costs, even from Lia.

As Lia comes closer to uncovering the truth, she is forced to question everything she thought she knew. In a world of increasing danger, is Aidan someone she can trust?

henriettegyland.wordpress.com

Lindsay Townsend  TWELVE KISSES

Muse it Up Publishing

Ebook

December 14th

$2.00

She has twelve days to win his heart.

He has twelve nights and twelve kisses to prove his love.

  

Website: http://www.lindsaytownsend.net/

Lynne Connolly, BORN ON THE BAYOU

Ellora's Cave

ebook <<...>>

7th December 2012

$7.50

When Jace Beauchene, guitarist for Murder City Ravens, goes home to confront his unhappy childhood, he finds instead the sexiest woman in the world. Seeing the broken-down old plantation house all gussied up and new makes him realize he can’t go back, and Beverley Christmas makes him want more for his future. She lights up his nights, dazzles his days, makes him want more than he has a right to. But he’ll take it.

Beverley didn’t realize men like Jace existed. Rampantly, unashamedly sexy, he shows her how to live, how to open up to new experiences. She’s spent most of her life learning her trade in the great kitchens of the world; now Jace shows her what bedrooms are for. And every other room in the house. But their paths lie in different directions. Unless they can find a way to combine what they both want, their red-hot affair will leave them both burned.

 http://www.jasminejade.com/p-10538-born-on-the-bayou.aspx

Margaret Mounsdon, SECOND TIME AROUND

Thorpe

1 December 2012

£8.99

Widowed Elise Trent is forced to re-think her life when her mother in law accepts a marriage proposal, her daughter gets involved in an action group and she is implicated in a spate of country house burglaries.

www.margaretmounsdon.co.uk

http://margaretsromanceworld.blogspot.com

Freda Lightfoot, THE DUCHESS OF DRURY LANE

Severn House

Hardback

29 November

£19.99 recommended price.

Passion, jealousy, scandal and betrayal - a true-life Regency Romance of the rise and fall of an extraordinary woman born into extraordinary times. Growing up in a poverty-stricken, fatherless household, Dorothy Jordan overcame her humble beginnings to become the most famous comic actress of her day. It was while performing on Drury Lane that Dorothy caught the eye of the Duke of Clarence, later to become King William IV. Her twenty-year relationship with the Duke was one of great happiness and domesticity, producing ten children. But ultimately, Dorothy's generous nature was her undoing and she was to be cruelly betrayed by the man she loved.

http://www.fredalightfoot.co.uk

Sally Quilford A CHRISTMAS MOON

Siren Bookstrand
ebook
12th December 2012
When Evie Price’s brother goes missing for years, she sets off on a journey to Eastern Europe to find him. Engaging the help of Professor Raphael, Evie must try to undo an age old curse. Along the way she learns about a supernatural life that she never knew existed. Can she and Raphael shed light on the dark? Or will the darkness destroy them both?

http://quillersplace.wordpress.com/ 

Wendy Soliman THE FORSTERS Book 1/ Compromising the Marquess

Carina Press

E-book

10^th December 2012

$5.99

Leah Elliot sells society gossip to a London scandal sheet. When she spreads rumours about Hal Forster, the Marquess of Denby, he’s almost forced into an unsuitable marriage by default. To make amends, Leah offers to pose as his paramour, with life-threatening consequences…

 www.wendysoliman.com

Vanessa Devereaux VANILLA FREE CHRISTMAS 

Evernight Publishing
ebook
3rd December

This Christmas, the best gifts are waiting for those who have been naughty…And the toys under the tree are not for children. Sexy Santas, naughty elves, and dominant shifters are ready to spread some very kinky Christmas cheer. It's a good thing the ladies in our stories are looking for anything but vanilla.

www.vanessadevereaux.com

Vanessa Devereaux NAUGHTY NOELLE
Evernight Publishing
ebook
14th December
$2.99
While heading home on Christmas Eve, CEO Shaun Cullen notices that the lights on the main floor are still on and decides to turn them off. There he finds a slip of red paper and upon reading it learns it’s a dirty letter to Santa and signed by someone called Naughty Noelle. He discovers she’s the alter ego of employee Ellen Nelson, and the letter is not only her confession about everything bad she's done at work, but also her lust for him. Will he fire her or will he visit her dressed as Santa and hand out some of his own form of punishment?
www.vanessadevereaux.com