It was a fabulous evening and wonderful shoes were out in force!
Monday, July 16, 2012
Wednesday, July 11, 2012
RNA Conference 2012 - Penrith Prep by Laura James
The Penrith Prep.
I’m a firm believer in preparation
– it complements my liking for order.
For those familiar with Douglas
Adams’s The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy, I know precisely where my towel
is and never travel without it.
I am taking a pink one to Penrith.
I also carry a sick bowl in the car
at all times.
Just so you know.
Since I have a
predilection for prepping, I have spent the last few weeks getting organised
for my first RNA Conference – I have written and entered my story for the
Elizabeth Goudge Trophy, tackled a synopsis, pinned it to a first chapter and
sent it to Jan Jones, and visited several BIG shops in search of the Gala
Dinner dress.
I engaged Gajitman (my husband) in planning
the route from Weymouth to Bristol to Birmingham to Penrith, working out times
and places from where I can collect random Romaniacs, (it will be Thelma,
Thelma, Louise and Louise in my red car – shades and headscarves at the ready,
girls), and most importantly, I have chosen which pens and notebooks to take
with me.
It will be a
week of many firsts: first Conference, first one-to-one with an editor, first
student flat-share and first glass of wine.
I do believe I
have just told my first story about Conference.
I’m very much
looking forward to seeing everyone – travel safely and enjoy the weekend. Hoot
three times if you see a red Scenic on the M6 with two Thelmas
and twin Louises. But not if we’re near a
cliff.
Laura x
Monday, July 9, 2012
Katherine Garbera's Five Top Tips For Conference Survival
Top Five Tips for Conference Survival
1.
Be Professional: Kind seems like this shouldn't have to be
said, but it doesn't hurt to remember you are at the conference to make
contacts and conduct business. That
means that even though everyone is hanging out in the bar at night, you
shouldn't forget that a future contact might be there as well and see you.
2.
Keep Calm. Its easy to think that if you blow one
editor/agent pitch meeting that the world might end and you'll never sell, but
that's not true. After my very editor pitch I was shaking so hard I could
barely walk from the room but that didn't matter once I got home and submitted
my manuscript.
3.
Make new friends: This is hard for me since I'm inherently shy
and have a hard time talking to people I don't know. I've come up with a few standard questions
that help me to get the ball rolling.
a.
What do you write?
b.
How long have you been writing?
c.
Tell me about the
manuscript/book you are working on?
4.
Don't Panic: This is my rule
for two different types of workshops.
a.
Craft workshops: More than once I'm sitting in a workshop and
I hear the presenter say something about the craft of writing that isn't my
process and I'll have that bit of doubt in the back of my mind, should I change
my process so I'll be successful like this person? The answer is no. And if you are in a workshop like this that
is making you panic/doubt your own process I recommend leaving. Everyone writes differently and your process
works for you!
b.
Industry Trends: Since I started writing (way back in '93) the
BLANK market has been dying. I am
serious when I say that at every conference I've been too someone has said what
I'm writing is dying and that they won't be publishing it a year later. I just ignore this stuff for the most part
because of something that very wise editor said to me one time (the late Kate
Duffy) publishers are always going to be buying good fiction.
5.
Enjoy Yourself: Its easy to get caught up in making as many
contacts as you can and keeping your mind on business, but writing is a very
solitary endeavor and you should use the conference as a chance to relax and
enjoy talking about what you love to do with others who are like-minded.
Katherine's latest book...THE CASE OF KISS AND TELL
"Be my mistress for a month."
Billionaire bachelor Conner Macafee knows just what he’s worth, and he’s ready to make a deal. Nosy reporter Nichole Reynolds wants him--owner of New York's high-end matchmaking service--to spill his guts for her story? He’ll tell all--when she’s in his bed.
Nichole needs this scoop. But Conner is so arrogant, so cocky...and oh-so-sexy. Surely she can handle a month in the hot bachelor's arms in a cool penthouse suite--for her career. But one kiss from Conner and Nichole knows she's made a huge mistake. Now she wants both the story and the man.
To find out more visit Katharine's website http://www.katherinegarbera.
Friday, July 6, 2012
Interview with Electra Shepherd
ELECTRA SHEPHERD is the pseudonym of an award-winning, best-selling author. She enjoys reading, travelling, and extreme Lego.
You write funny, sexy, sci-fi romance, tell us what gave you the idea.
I believe it came from my childhood obsession with Star Wars. I mean, everyone, at some point, fancies C3PO and R2D2 and makes up romances involving them, right? Er…you mean you didn’t? I believe that in the future, everyone will be writing erotic science fiction romantic comedy. There’s even a name for the genre: Eromscicom. Sort of rolls off the tongue.
So what kind of heroine falls in love with a blue robot?
LOVE MACHINE is set in the near future, and my heroine, Cally, grew up with robots living in her house. They were invented by her genius father to take care of the family’s every need. But Cally, unlike the rest of her family, isn’t a genius. She likes to party, she likes a good time, she likes men. She’s actually a little wary of the house robots…until Blue comes up with a very interesting proposition.
And what about the hero? What has he got going for him if he’s a machine? Can he be programmed, and how important is his colour?
He has vibrating hands, a perfect physique, and a brain the size of a planet. What’s not to like? These days, Blue can’t be programmed. He’s started to think for himself. He’s keen to understand and experience human emotion, and he knows that Cally is the one to teach it to him. All of the house robots are bright colours—Blue, Red, Green—and they were made that way by their creator, Cally’s father Victor Morgenstern, in order to avoid looking too human, and falling into the “uncanny valley”. This sounds a little odd and possibly rude, but it is in fact part of robotic theory.
On a personal level I’ve always found blue quite a sexy colour, so I thought it would be a good name, and skin tone, for my hero. It’s sexier than Puce.
Is your book set in the real world or one you’ve created such as Pratchett’s Discworld?
It’s in the real world, in a near future which I have entirely made up myself, but which obviously still contains all the cool things like internet shopping and Haribo.
I’m a great fan of Star Trek, and my daughters loved Dr Who. What is your favourite Sci Fi show or film?
I loved the new Battlestar Galactica and how it really explored the lines between Cylon and human. But I’m also a big fan of Data from Star Trek: The Next Generation. I’m dying to see Michael Fassbender’s robot David in Prometheus. If you’re a sci-fi fan, you can take the ‘Who’s the Sexiest Robot’ poll on my website: http://electrashepherd.wordpress.com/whos-the-sexiest-robot/
Do you write on a computer, iPad or something even more high-tech?
I write on a laptop but I’m in the process of inventing a device that transfers words directly from my brain onto the screen via the medium of 80s power ballads.
Would you say your work was more futuristic than steampunk?
Definitely more futuristic. If Blue were steampunk, he’d emit a strange whirring sound and have brass cogs scattered over his anatomy. Whereas in truth, he has an MP3 player in his chest, a USB hub in the back of his neck, and a permanent wifi connection.
If the aliens landed which book would you suggest they read first?
The Lord of the Rings. Mostly because I think it would be cool if the aliens all adopted mullets, spoke Elvish and engaged in week-long Dungeons and Dragons marathons.
How do you relax when you’re not writing?
Ms. Pac Man.
So what next? Which world or creature do you hope to explore next?
My follow-up novel, MR ROBOTO, will be about a computer genius who finds herself caught (literally) between a sex machine and a real man. And the third book in the trilogy, SHE BLINDED ME WITH SCIENCE, is about a failed businessman who falls in lust with a disembodied alien. I’ll write them just as soon as I get the 80s power ballad machine up to full functionality.
LOVE MACHINE is an erotic science fiction comedy novella, published by Ellora's Cave.
Good-time girl Cally Morgenstern has never paid much attention to the robots her father built to take care of her family. That is, until one night when her vibrator runs out of batteries. And hey, if you’ve got a six-foot hunky robot offering to relieve your sexual frustration, you’re not going to say no, right? Even if he is sort of, well definitely…blue?
Cally quickly realises that Blue isn’t your average robot. He’s rapidly acquiring a personality, for one thing. And an avid interest in human sexuality, particularly with regards to Cally. Her family don’t approve, but that’s never stopped Cally before. She’s eager to teach Blue all she knows about sexual pleasure, even if they have to build him a few necessary parts in the process. And even if Blue’s explorations of human feelings touch her own, very human, heart.
Thank you for sparing the time from your busy techie schedule to talk to us today. We wish you every success with the book.
To find out more about Electra visit her website:
You can follow her on Twitter as @electrashepherd
Download LOVE MACHINE on Amazon here:
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
Tuesday, July 3, 2012
An Interview with Anne Brear
The genre interests me because I love history and romance, and although I don’t strictly write straight historical romance, my books lean towards being sagas, there is always some romantic element in my books of varying levels. I do enjoy a happy ending, even if it is not an overly romantic ending the kind some readers expect.
You’ve recently started to write under a new name, why is that?
Yes, I’ve started to write under a new name, my maiden name of Brear. As Anne Brear all releases will be historical.
What kickstarts a new novel for you?
It really can be anything at all. A picture, a song, a scene in a movie, information from a reference book, all can set off an idea where I can see the heroine and hero playing out their lives for me. For most of my books though, the story will just come to me and I run with it. I let the characters dictate where the story goes, which keeps me interested.
Your settings are quite diverse, from Australia to Yorkshire, and Scotland too. What is it that you look for in a setting for your stories?
Most of my stories are set in Yorkshire, with a few set in Australia. I find Yorkshire a fascinating place, so diverse from the bleak moors to the coastal cliffs of the east. My ancestors are from there, too, so I feel comfortable writing about the towns and people. There is such a wide interesting history of the areas I set my books in, so that all adds to creating a feeling of setting, flavour of the people and places. I like to ask myself, how did people cope, what must it have been like to live in those times?
How much of a part does your camera play when doing research?
It didn’t play much at all, as I was living in Australia when I wrote most of my books, but now that I have relocated to England, I believe my camera will be used a lot more for my books!
Feisty heroines seem to be your metier. Tell us how you set about creating one. Do you have any little tricks, or does she just emerge on the page?
I like strong heroines. I believe they make interesting characters to read and ultimately to care about. I like the decision makers, those that buck the trend a little but still live within the parameters of their social class and the expectations of the era the book is set in. All my heroines are put through such trials and hardship in some form or another and they need that inner strength and believe in themselves to cope and get through to the other end where happiness lies.
And what about the hero? What turns Joe Public into an alpha-male in your eyes?
Like my heroines, I like strong men as a hero, someone the heroine can respect and admire, but also one who challenges the heroine to be all that she can be. The perfect hero in my mind, is a hero who isn’t perfect! I want him to be flawed, to have a weakness, usually the heroine, to be adaptable yet keep the strengths that attracted the heroine to him in the first place. I try to make my heroes the kind of men women will fall in love with, as I do.
What event in history would you like to have witnessed in person?
There are too many to count, really, but two would be the coronation of Queen Victoria and attend the Great Exhibition, and then perhaps have certain days in a time machine to see other key events in history like the signing of the Magna Carter, Elizabeth I coronation, the civil war, etc.
How do relax when you’re not writing?
I like to watch movies, spend time with family and friends, have picnics when the weather is nice, and of course reading. My reading list increasingly grows!
What was your favourite fashion trend of your youth that would look ridiculous now?
In the 80s I wore leg warmers, the brighter the colour the better, and novelty earrings like frogs and hamburgers, toothbrushes, etc. Ridiculously embarrassing now!
Halifax, 1876. On the death of her mother and sister, Isabelle Gibson is left to fend for herself and her brother in a privately-run workhouse. After the matron's son attempts to rape her, Isabelle decides to escape him and a life of drudgery by agreeing to marry a moorland farmer she has never met. But this man, Farrell, is a drunkard and a bully in constant feud with his landlord, Ethan Harrington. When Farrell bungles a robbery and deserts her, Isabelle and Ethan are thrown together as she struggles to save the farm. Both are married and must hide their growing love. But despite the secrecy, Isabelle draws strength from Ethan as faces from the past return to haunt her and a tragedy is set to strike that will change all of their lives forever.
Thank you for sparing time to talk to us today Anne. We wish you continuing success with your books.
Best wishes, Freda
To find out more visit here:
http://annebrear.blogspot.com
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
Sunday, July 1, 2012
July Releases
Judy Astley - I
SHOULD BE SO LUCKY
Bantam Press
Hardback
£16.99
Viola is a bit
disaster-prone and this includes having had little luck with men. Her first husband (the completely lovely
father of daughter Rachel) was gay and her second was a philandering actor who
was killed in a car accident while leaving Viola for his mistress. She's rented out her house and is
recuperating at her mother's home for a while.
When on her first real night out since the accident, a puncture lands Viola’s car on a traffic
island at midnight and she comes across a man there stealthily planting a
quince tree, she doesn’t expect this to lead to adventures that involve
guerrilla gardening and a summer full of surprises, disasters, fun and flowers.
@judyastley
Facebook.com/Judyastley
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Jill Mansell A WALK IN THE PARK
A Walk in the Park
Headline Books
Paperback
5th July.
£7.99
Romantic comedy set mainly in Bath, a bit in the Lake District...
It's been a while, but Lara Carson's back inBath
It's been a while, but Lara Carson's back in
Kate Lace COX
Arrow Books
Arrow Books
Paperback
£6.99
£6.99
Gorgeous men in lycra, sex, intrigue and nailbiting rivalry set in the glamorous world of rowing in the run-up to the 2012 Olympics
Christina Courtenay
THE SILENT TOUCH OF SHADOWS
Choc Lit
Paperback
£7.99
What will it take to
put the past to rest?
When a professional
genealogist is harassed by a ghostly presence and decides to do some research
on her own family tree, she uncovers a six hundred year old love story.
Amanda Grange PRIDE AND PYRAMIDS
Sourcebooks
Paperback
£9.99
The Darcys get pulled into the Regency craze for Egyptology in this sequel to Pride and Prejudice
Liz Fielding THE
LAST WOMAN HE'D EVER DATE
Harlequin Romance
Paperback and eBook
$4.99
Claire Thackeray:
Hardworking single mom and gossip columnist. Hoping for the inside scoop on
sexy billionaire Hal North, aka her teen crush!
Most wary of:
Gorgeous men who set her heart racing. (Been there, got the T-shirt—and the
baby!)
Hal North: Bad boy
made good. Back in his hometown as new owner of the Cranbrook Park estate.
Determined to put his troubled past behind him.
Most wary of:
Journalists—especially pretty ones, like new neighbor and tenant Claire
Thackeray.
Annie Burrows AN
ESCAPADE AND AN ENGAGEMENT
Harlequin Mills
& Boon
paperback and ebook
Lady Jayne has vowed
only to marry for love. But where is she
going to meet anyone even faintly interesting when her grandfather guards her
so zealously? Cue one pair of breeches
purloined from a junior footman, a makeshift rope and an open bedroom window...
Sheila Newberry
YOUNG MAY MOON
Robert Hale
Hardback
Price £18.99
On the silvery sands
of Westwick, Suffolk, just before her sixteenth birthday, Young May Moon, as
she is known to family and friends, fyulfils the promise made to her late
father and becomes the Punch and Judy lady.
Assisted by her younger sister Pomona, Young May Moon discovers that
performing is in her blood, as four years earler, from this same place, their
fiery mother Carmen, a flamenco dancer absconded with the preacher from the
rival entertainment. The girls are
befriended by the O'Flaherty family, also lodging at The Swan, and May
experiences first love and the pain of parting...
Vanessa Devereaux
I'M ALL YOURS (Book Two of the Perfect Pairing series)
Evernight Publishing
e book
July 16th
Kyle and Evie only
think they hate one another...well, that's according to Sadie Sutton who thinks
with a little casting of a spell and the help of Perfect Pairing, these two
enemies will soon be lovers
Kat Black PLEASURE
BOUND
Ellora's Cave
Novella
$4.45
Sam Tyler is
thrilled to discover that her lover is whisking her away for a weekend of
exotic luxury as a treat for her birthday. As a woman who knows just what she
wants—her man all tied up like a living, breathing present—she’s quick to take
advantage of his generous mood and begins planning a surprise of her own. One
that turns out to be a hell of tough ask for a man who insists on always being
in control. Does Adam had the strength it takes to surrender?
Jane Wenham-Jones
PRIME TIME
Accent Press
Paperback
£7.99
5th July
Laura Meredith never
imagined herself appearing on TV she s too old, too flabby, too downright
hormonal, and much too busy holding things together for her son, Stanley, after
her husband left her for a younger, thinner replacement. But best friend Charlotte
is a determined woman and when Laura is persuaded on to a daytime show to talk
about her PMT, everything changes. Suddenly there s a camera crew tracking her
every move and Laura finds herself an unlikely star. But as things hot up
between her and gorgeous TV director, Cal, they re going downhill elsewhere.
While Laura s caught up in a heady whirlwind of beauty treatments, makeovers
and glamorous film locations, Charlotte s husband, Roger, is concealing a
guilty secret, Stanley s got problems at school, work s piling up, and when
Laura turns detective to protect Charlotte s marriage, things go horribly
wrong. The champagne s flowing as Laura s prime time TV debut looks set to be a
hit. But in every month, there s a "Day Ten" ...
Veronica Henry THE
LONG WEEKEND
Orion
Paperback
£6.99
In a gorgeous
quay-side hotel in Cornwall, the long weekend is just beginning . . .
Claire Marlowe owns
'The Townhouse by the Sea' with Luca, the hotel's charismatic chef. She ensures
everything runs smoothly - until an unexpected arrival checks in and turns her
whole world upside down.
And the rest of the
guests arrive with their own baggage. There's a couple looking for distraction
from a family tragedy; a man trying to make amends for an affair he bitterly
regrets . . . and the young woman who thinks the Cornish village might hold the
key to her past.
Here are affairs of
the heart, secrets, lies and scandal - all wrapped up in one long, hot weekend.
Kate Harrison SOUL FIRE
Orion Indigo July 5th
Trade Paperback
£8.99
It's getting hotter on the Beach: as Alice gets closer to the killer, the killer gets closer to Alice. Watch out: Passion burns.
www.kate-harrison.com
Orion Indigo July 5th
Trade Paperback
£8.99
It's getting hotter on the Beach: as Alice gets closer to the killer, the killer gets closer to Alice. Watch out: Passion burns.
www.kate-harrison.com
Rosanna Ley The Villa
Quercus Original Paperback
July 2012
£6.99
When Tess Angel receives a solicitor’s letter
inviting her to claim her inheritance – the Villa Sirena perched on a clifftop
in Sicily - she is stunned. Her only
link to the island is through her mother, Flavia, who left Sicily during World
War II and cut off all contact with her family. Initially resistant to Tess
going back to Sicily, Flavia realizes the secrets from her past are about to be
revealed and decides to try to explain her actions. Meanwhile, Tess’ teenage daughter Ginny is
stressed by college and filled with questions that she longs to ask her father,
if only she knew where he was. Three
women, all seeking answers. Will Villa
Serena bring them together – or drive them apart?
Desert Breeze Publishing
Multiple E-book formats
$5.99
Charles ‘Black Ash’ Ashton temporarily abandons his jet-setting lifestyle to avoid being blamed for a multi-million pound poker scam and meets quiet, elegant math teacher Emily Worthing but the odds aren’t in their favor. After a disastrous affair cost Emily her heart and prestigious job she prizes honesty above all things. Ash makes his living at the poker table, where a little deviousness and the occasional white lie never hurt. Ash must leave behind his irresponsible past and Emily searches for the strength to forge a new future. Ash puts all his cards on the table one last time and he and Emily prove they’ve an ace in the hand called love.
Arrow
July 19th
Jilly sets up an au
pair business around her kitchen table to make ends meet. Marie-France becomes
an au pair in order to find her English father. And motherless eight year
old Lottie is determined to drive away
one au pair after another – until she finds the perfect match!
Ellora's Cave
ebook
$5.99
The sound of a
saxophone drifting out of a Chicago blues club sends Matt
inside, hoping to
sign the player for his recording studio. Instead he finds
V. Passion drives
them from that moment on, and Matt can’t get enough of her
sweet body and
generous spirit. But as a former drug addict who
spectacularly
crashed out of the rock band Murder City Ravens, he has a lot
to prove.
V thinks she’s happy
with her lot until she receives an offer to join one of
the most innovative
and exciting bands in the world. Joining Murder City
Ravens could sever
her from Matt forever. How can she join the band when
she’s spending her
nights with the man who nearly destroyed everything they
had?
Matt and V have
decisions to make that might give them their life’s dream,
but could split them
apart. Which is more important, personal fulfillment or
love? Is it possible
to have both?
Nell Dixon A NEW
BAY WEDDING
Astraea Press
Ebook
£1.30
Emma has been busy
organizing her older brother’s lovelife but now Noah plans to turn the tables
on his meddlesome match-making sister. But is Ian the best man for this very
particular bridesmaid?
£1.30
Part of the Cornish
Short and Sweet series.
DJ Kirby MY DREAM OF
YOU
Punked Books
Ebook
£1.53
One summer’s day,
Betty let love carry her a step too far. That exquisite sun dappled afternoon
became one of her best memories, but also the catalyst for the worst experience
of her life. Now elderly, Betty has been running from her past since she was a
teenager, and it’s about to catch up with her. Will the experience be as awful
as she fears, or wonderful beyond imagining?
Sheryl Browne
SOMEBODY TO LOVE
Safkhet Publishing
Paperback or ebook
1 July 2012
£ 7.99 ,$12.99, EUR
9.99
Somebody to Love…How
do you tell her?
After a turbulent
marriage to a man who walked off hand-in-offshoot with something resembling a
twig, divorced mum, Donna O'Conner, doubts happy endings exist. She'd quite
like to find herself an Adonis with… pecs …and things. Alas, that's not likely,
when her only interest outside of work is hopping her three-legged dog in the
park, carrying a poop-scoop. In any case, Donna isn't sure she'd know what to
do with an Adonis if she fell on one. When PC Mark Evans comes along,
gloriously gift-wrapped in blue, however, she can't help wishing she did.
Mark, a single
father, is desperate for love. He doesn't hold out much hope, though, that
there is a woman out there with a heart big enough to love him and his autistic
son. Enter big-hearted Donna, plus three-legged dog. And now Mark has a
dilemma. Pretending not to mind her house-bunny chewing his bootlaces, he's
smitten with Donna on sight. Should he tell her his situation up-front?
Announcing he has a child with autism spectrum disorder on a first date tends
to ensure there isn't a second. Or should he skirt around the subject, which
amounts to a lie? When one lie leads to another, can he ever win Donna's trust
back? Admit that he didn't trust Donna enough to let her into his life?
Friday, June 29, 2012
Interview with Viola Russell
Viola, your latest book PIRATE WOMAN is set in Ireland. What made you want to write about this particular place?
I'm of German and Irish heritage, and I've visited the West of Ireland. It's beautiful and rugged country. The people are friendly while the rural setting is peaceful, inspiring, and raw.
It takes place in the sixteenth century. What was going on in Ireland at this time which inspired the story for you?
I love the distant past, and that time in British/Irish history is a fascinating but tumultuous time. Grainne's(Grace) story was especially compelling. This was a time of great change for England and Ireland. The Tudors brought
upheaval to England, an then, great prosperity. Elizabeth, a woman who'd spent a great deal of time in the Tower, rose to power and set the stage for the founding of an empire. She wanted her people to survive and thrive. What I found very interesting is that my pirate queen wanted to do very much the same thing for her clan and family. Like Elizabeth, she defied convention and led her clan during dangerous times. She, not her brother, represented her family's shipping interests. Elizabeth and this pirate woman did meet, and Grainne holds her own with the queen. In many ways, Grainne and the queen are adversaries, but they understand each other. This was a time of great English expansion into Ireland, and Grainne knows how to manipulate, fight when necessary, and compromise when she must.
Tell us something about your heroine and what turns a woman into a pirate?
Grainne was not really turned into a pirate. Her family had long engaged in piracy as well as in legitimate shipping interests. Her father, a powerful chieftain, often took her on his adventures. Legend has it that she cut her long hair and sneaked aboard his ship. I incorporated this into my book. When she married, Grainne became the de facto head of the O'Flaherty clan because of her husband's stupidity and rash behaviour. When she married Richard Bourke, Grainne was every inch his equal and helped him in his enterprises. She built up the fleets of the O'Flaherty and Bourke clans.
What do you think makes for a good romance?
For me, a good romance has intriguing characters, a solid plot, and a locale that is as much a character as any of the other major players. For example, the upheaval taking place in Ireland among the Celtic tribes as well as the political conflicts with England occurring at the time figure prominently in the novel. In LOVE AT WAR, the wartime setting also figures prominently. England, France, and Germany are integral to the plot and enhance the character development.
You live in New Orleans, so research must have created a problem. How did you set about it?
Well, I've travelled to Ireland and the UK. Galway and the Aran Islands are two of my favourite places in the whole world. I also research extensively. My local librarians know me quite well, and I also went online to scour records from the National Archives of Ireland and other sites. IRELAND'S PIRATE QUEEN by Anne Chambers and PIRATE QUEEN by Judith Cook were very helpful. So was UNDER THE BLACK FLAG, the ultimate manifesto on piracy.
If you were starting out afresh what advice would you give yourself as a fledging writer?
I would tell any starting writer to follow his or her heart and not listen to naysayers. Too many people told me that being a writer was unrealistic, and it took a long time for me to find my correct path in life.
So what next? Have you already started work on your next book?
I have started work on a new book set in New Orleans and Europe during the Depression. Red Rose Publishing, www.redrosepublishing.com, has signed two of my contemporary romances, and I'm eagerly awaiting my edits.
Thank you for talking to us Viola. We wish you every success with Pirate Woman.
Best wishes, Kate
Follow her blog at http://www.violarussell.blogspot.com
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