Category Archives: Writer Interviews

WRITERS ON THE ROAD: CHRISTINA COURTENAY

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I write stories about the Vikings, and being half Swedish, it would have been easy to just set all of them in Sweden as it’s a place I know well. But where would be the fun in that? The Vikings were intrepid travellers and explorers, and journeyed far and wide. I had a wealth of places to choose from, and as I’ve been working on a series, I decided early on that each book would feature a different location. That hopefully makes it more fun for both the readers and myself!

Book five, Promises of the Runes, (out this month) is set in Norway, and I’d previously used Sweden, Russia, Iceland and England. For book six, therefore, which I’m working on at the moment, I turned my sights on the Orkney Islands. It was a place Scandinavians had traded with for centuries, and no one really knows exactly when they began to settle there rather than just visit occasionally. By the 9th century, when my book takes place, they were well established and had integrated fully with the previous occupants, the Celts. Most of the islands have Norse names – any that end in ‘ey’, for example, as that means ‘island’.

There is nothing better for an author than to actually visit a place we are writing about. It helps with descriptions, catching the essence of a place – its scents, sounds, nature and people. So I dragged my husband along on an epic road trip. A twelve hour drive up to Scrabster, followed by 90 minutes on a ferry, and suddenly there they were – the gorgeous Orkney Islands.

We were incredibly lucky with the weather and had beautiful sunshine and blue skies interspersed with fluffy clouds. The air is so clear and I found myself wishing I could paint the landscape just because the light was so brilliant. There’s a huge amount of history, going back to Neolithic times, but I was concentrating on anything remaining from the Viking era. We headed first to the Brough of Birsay, a tidal island that can only be reached by a causeway during low tide. Here are the remains of a large Viking settlement, the outlines of the houses clear on the grassy site. I could definitely see why they’d wanted to live in such a beautiful location! It was also perfect for use in my story.

We visited several other Viking sites – one at Orphir called Earl’s Bu and another at Deerness. To reach the latter, we had to walk along spectacular cliffs that were part of a nature reserve. The Vikings had a settlement on top of a 30 metre high sea stack on a promontory sticking out into the North Sea – an isolated place, but again, stunning. Nearby was a beach and cove, perfect for longships.

In Kirkwall, the main town, the historical museum had lots of Viking items, among them a bear tooth carved with runes. It might have been worn as protection against magic or to imbue the wearer with a bear’s strength.

The most poignant reminder of the Vikings, however, was in the Neolithic tomb at Maeshowe. Shaped sort of like a beehive buried inside a huge earth mound, it is reached via a 10 metre long tunnel only a metre high. A thousand years ago a group of Vikings had apparently taken shelter there and scratched graffiti all over the walls. There were more than 30 messages written in runes. It really made these people come alive for me and I could see them sitting in there, bored and restless. The connection was almost visceral and I was so pleased I got to experience this.

If you get the chance, do visit the Orkneys!

Buy link for Promises of the Runes – https://geni.us/ExsdDss 

 

 

Spotlight | Author and Podcaster Georgina Scull

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I’m very excited to introduce a new series to Frost. Spotlight does just that, it finds people, or things, that deserve to have a light on them. Launching this is Georgina Scull who I’m a huge fan of. Her book, Regret’s of the Dying, is a wonderful, life-affirming book. Georgina is such a talented person, and also a thoroughly decent human being. Grab a copy of her book now. You won’t be disappointed.

Georgina Scull

Tell us a bit about you.

I’m originally from Central London, but live in Cambridge now. My family is small; English on my mum’s side and Romani Gypsy and Norwegian on my dad’s. I have one daughter and I’m happily separated.

You work in different mediums. Which one is your favourite?

That’s like asking someone who their favourite child is! Honestly, they’re all great. I work in podcasts, radio, and books, and am forging into film. Really the story dictates where it should be told. Sometimes you get an idea that you can hear and is more dialogue-based, so it’s natural home might be audio. It’s just different ways of storytelling and they’re all brilliant.

Have you always wanted to tell stories?

No. I’ve always loved stories, and always loved English at school, but to be honest it never occurred to me that someone might get paid to write, or that it might actually be a job you could choose, but I knew I wanted to do something creative. I started when I was 19 – and had no idea it would take me this long!

How do you come up with ideas?

I think I’m pretty lucky, because I always have more ideas than I can work on. Where do they come from? Just living, and listening to people, and connecting the dots. Lots of the time it might come from one central question you want to answer – with Regrets it was ‘if you only had one year to live, what would you do with it?’. Sometimes it’s an image you imagine or something you see in real life. And then it becomes – what if that couple who look like they’re in an embrace are actually arguing, and vice versa. I think it’s about finding a question or moment you want to explore; and I’d say that’s true of both fiction and non-fiction.

You started Regrets of the Dying as a podcast. How difficult was it turning the idea into a book?

It wasn’t hard, because most of the people that feature in the book weren’t on the podcast so it felt very new. The most difficult thing was finding people who wanted to talk, and being worried about upsetting them when we did sit down together. That, obviously, would never be my aim. Luckily, from what the interviewees told me afterwards, the experience seemed to be a cathartic one.

What’s your favourite thing about becoming a published author?

Probably receiving messages from readers, telling me that my book helped them. That, to me, is really amazing. I’m not sure if this’ll make any sense, but when the hardback came out last year I was 48. I’d been plugging away for so many years, mainly writing fiction, but really didn’t have much to show for it. I’d made a podcast series, and created a radio play which was well received, but really hadn’t achieved much for the amount of years I’d been working. I felt completely invisible. So to write a book that may have helped others was a very special thing, and something I am really proud of.

Tell us about your creative process.

When I start a new project I always buy a new pad, always A4 and always lined. I usually come up with the title very quickly and then do a bit of a one-two sentence blurb just to keep me focused on the main story and my reason for wanting to tell it. If I can’t come up with that blurb quickly, chances are the idea isn’t ready yet. Then, if it’s a podcast or a book, I’ll sketch out the cover art. This is purely for me: it helps to see it as a finished thing. Then I brainstorm the characters, the basic beats of the story and then make a schedule to write it. I then try and write most days but don’t really do set hours. It always takes me longer than I hope. Always. But if I try to do too much each day I end up doing nothing. I have a small office, but I tend to write in bed, or in cafes. And if I get stuck I go walking. It’s strange how a plot point or problem can seem impossible, then you go walking, listen to a podcast about a completely different subject, and by the time you sit down for a cup of tea that impossible thing seems weirdly obvious.

What is the highlight of your career so far?

Probably going on Woman’s Hour, mainly because I remember my mum listening to it on the radio when I was growing up.

What advice do you have for people who want to have a career like yours?

It’s important to be practical: to have another stream of income because making a liveable income from writing is incredibly hard; to not wait for some magic moment to write, and to crack on in the little pockets of time you do have; to have a clear idea of what you want to achieve; and to send your work out – if you’ve written something it serves no purpose sitting in a bottom drawer. You have to remember, like finding love, it’s a bit of a numbers game: not everyone will like/love your stuff, but you don’t need everyone to love it. You just need one or two people on your side that will open the gates wide enough for you to sneak in.

But I think probably the biggest thing I wish I’d learnt a lot sooner is to have a few people around you who believe in you. People who can cheerlead and help you keep the faith when you’re consumed with doubt and drowning in rejection (because it can feel like that sometimes, unfortunately). For years I was in a relationship with someone who wouldn’t read my work, wouldn’t listen to my podcasts, and really didn’t want me to talk about it at all. And in those moments of doubt, when I needed reassurance, all I had was myself. I now have that mutual support from my new partner and a small group of lovely friends and writers. I just wish I’d realised my need for it sooner because we all need support. Even those of us who are used to being the ‘strong one’.

What are you working on now?

I’m working on my next book, and have a couple of audio projects that are in the pipeline; one factual and one fiction. I’m a bit superstitious so I won’t say any more than that!

The paperback of Regret’s of the Dying is available on March 30th. Other formats are out now.

WRITERS ON THE ROAD: LIZZIE LAMB

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People often talk about Castles in Spain however the inspiration behind my novels comes from an entirely different source – castles in Scotland. We visit Scotland every year with our caravan and I spend part of the day writing on my MacBook and the rest researching/exploring castles, researching ideas for my next novel. My favourite castle is Castle Stalker on Loch Linnhe, the castle featured in Girl in the Castle, although I’ve renamed it Tearmannaire, meaning guardian or defender in Gaelic. We stumbled upon it almost by chance as we were driving from Oban to Ft William and it loomed at us out of the Scotch mist. It was like something out of a film set – grey, imposing and sitting squarely in the middle of the loch.

Catching a sign advertising a café, Castle Stalker View, we pulled in for a better look. There we discovered that the owner gives guided tours of the castle. Even better, he collects potential visitors from the shore and ferries them across to his home in his launch. That later used that in a scene from in Girl in the Castle where the heroine arrives on the shore,  shrouded in an autumn mist, and rings a bell for the ferryman to take her over to the castle.

The following year we discovered Bioran Dubh Caravan Site overlooking the castle and have stayed there in subsequent years. The thrill of seeing the castle every morning when we open the blinds never palls. We’re booked ourselves in there this summer on our way south after touring the highlands. A word of warning, there is no toilet block at the site, only water and electricity so your caravan needs to be pretty much self-contained if you fancy staying there.

Anyway, I’m getting ahead of myself. . .

The tour of the castle revealed details which I subsequently used in Girl in the Castle. How the RAF practices low level flying along the loch using the castle as a marker and dip their wings as they fly past. How Castle Stalker became Castle Argg in Monty Python and the Holy Grail, including the scene where John Cleese hurls abuse at King Arthur from the ramparts. I learned how canny landowners were reluctant to dine at the castle in the past because there was a good chance it would be their last meal; all very Game of Thrones. (I later used that detail in Dark Highland Skies my current novel).  I also learned about heiresses being dragged to the altar to secure their dowries, the groom who was murdered by a rival before the ceremony was over and the Jacobite gold allegedly hidden there after the 1715 uprising.

They’re still looking for that!

As a nice touch, I was able to give the owner current a signed copy of Girl in the Castle as my thanks for him sharing his iconic home with us. And, as an extra, you can dine on the pub on the shore which was a notorious haunt of Jacobites back in the day.

We’re really looking forward to our tour of Scotland this summer, who knows what gems we’ll uncover and how that will influence what I write next?

https://viewAuthor.at/LizzieLamb

 

EMMA BENNET ON RUNNING A SUCCESSFUL AUTHORTUBE CHANNEL

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For anyone not familiar with it, Authortube is the little corner of YouTube with writers producing videos. Not only is Authortube full of writing advice, but there are author life vlogs and lots of opportunities to take part in live writing sprints, which definitely make the writing process less isolating.

I loved watching Authortube videos and felt I could add something to the community. I wanted to offer support to writers as well as tips and tricks which could help them in their writing careers. I also figured I would learn an awful lot myself while researching for my videos. Becoming a proper part of the Authortube community also really appealed, they all seemed very supportive of one another, sharing one another’s videos, co-hosting live streams, and shouting out about each other’s books. I discovered this to be true very early on, and it’s made such a difference to my writing to have this wonderful group of cheerleaders.

I mulled over starting my own channel for more than a year before I finally took the plunge in March 2022. The time commitment to running a channel being a major hurdle as well as my complete lack of equipment. I didn’t even have a lovely, quiet place to film: I share a house with five boys and two large dogs!

I began filming on an iPhone 5s one afternoon when all my family were out. I had to prop the phone up on a stack of books because I didn’t have a tripod. The lighting was dreadful, and the video quality wasn’t great. Oh, and I’d made the mistake of filming in portrait instead of landscape. I also didn’t make a thumbnail for it. But, I had officially had a video available. This is definitely how I would advise anyone interested in starting any sort of YouTube channel to start (although maybe get the camera the right way round!): use what you’ve got and try it out to see if it’s for you before committing to buying a load of equipment.

The first few months were a very steep learning curve! I’ve never been very interested in technology and suddenly I found myself on a crash course in filming and editing as well as graphic design for thumbnails. I watched numerous YouTube videos to teach me what to do and cannot recommend Canva enough for thumbnails and putting your videos together!

Almost a year on, I’m on track to be monetised this year, which would be amazing. I upload two videos and at least one short (a video less than a minute long, like a TikTok) a week, as well as hosting at least two live writing sessions a week. I’ve also been able to collaborate on videos and live streams with other authors, and will be taking part in the Authortube Writing Conference later this year.

Running a YouTube channel is definitely hard work and isn’t for the faint hearted, but I absolutely love it. I’ve learned so many new skills, not least becoming confident speaking to a camera, and I’ve made lots of new friends who all share my passion for writing and sharing our skills with others.

The resources available for writers on YouTube now, and all completely for free, are just astounding, and I would advise anyone who hasn’t yet to check it out, whether you’re very new to writing or a seasoned veteran.

 

Find Emma on YouTube at: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCKJKt8kmDXrWQAGkTV1VHMQ

The author of seven romances, Emma’s YouTube channel is full of tips and tricks for writers, book recommendations, author life vlogs, and live writing sprints.

WRITERS ON THE ROAD: ELAINE EVEREST

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Little did I l know that my first Saturday job at the age of fifteen and three months at the Dartford branch of Woolworths would lead me to write a series of historical sagas over fifty years later, or that the home I lived in for twenty years when first married would provide me with such a wealth of happy memories. Those memories still feature in my books today, in fact I’ve just filed my tenth book set in and around Woolies during the early 1950s.

I was born and brought up in Erith, Kent, growing up listening to my parents and family members talking about ‘the good old days’ even there were times when life wasn’t so good. The history of the small town on the south bank of the Thames has a rich history not only of its involvement during the two wars, but also of family life which fascinated this young child – and still does to this day. With my mother passing away at the age of forty I hung onto the stories she told me about growing up in the war and what happened to her family members. I would need to write many more books to cover all her memories and what I’ve discovered since she died. Even though I’ve moved away from the area I only have to close my eyes and I’m back there in the street where I had such happy memories and, in my mind, walk through the old Erith which was, in my childhood very much as it was during WW2.

As I explain to new writers, memories are fine, but writers must ensure stories we’ve grown up with fit in with the history of that time. Use archives and read, read, read as much as you can about your subject. Believe me if we get anything wrong our readers will soon correct us. One of the joys of being an author and setting my books in and around North-West Kent is being able to chat with local people and hearing their family stories and memories of the town and Woolworths; there is a large community of ex Woolies employees, and they love to share their stories.

When I wrote that stand-alone book – yes, The Woolworths Girls was originally commissioned as one book – I become so interested in the history of that well-known store and started to collect old copies of The New Bond, the Woolworths monthly staff magazine. I have copies from as far back as the 1930s and they hold a wealth of information about the different stores, staff celebrations, employment anniversaries as well as advertisements from those times; I lose hours reading through my stash!

Of course, local history and store information is important, but this author needs to know what is going on in the outside world away from the town and Woolworths, and importantly how it plays a part in my ‘girls’ lives. Hours spent at the local archive centre as well as having my nose in a non-fiction book means I glean information that may just appear in my stories.

Do I envy authors who set their stories in exotic locations? Of course, I do! However, the joy for me is knowing I only need to close my eyes and step outside the front door of number 13 Alexandra Road to see again my characters and hear their stories.

 

Elaine’s website: www.elaineeverest.com

 

 

 

 

PUBLICATION DAY SPECIAL: THE FOREVER GARDEN BY ROSANNA LEY

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I’m a big fan of Rosanna Ley’s books and this was no exception; in fact, it’s one of my favourites. The characters are instantly believable, the descriptions sumptuous and the whole story is perfectly tensioned between three viewpoint characters and two timelines.

The story is told from the points of view of Lara (in the 1940s and present day), her daughter Rose, and her granddaughter Bea, and it revolves around two very special gardens. The first is in Dorset, created by Lara’s mother based on the principles of the Arts and Crafts movement. It is this garden that Lara promises her mother to protect, which is the starting point for the drama that follows. The second garden is one that Lara later creates in Puglia.

The relationships between the women – and their gardens – are beautifully drawn. That Lara left the Dorset garden behind is evident from the outset, but in the hands of such a skilled storyteller, my desire to find out the whys and wherefores made it hard to put the book down. The Forever Garden will not only transport you from Dorset to Italy and back, it’s a journey you cannot fail to enjoy.

I was so entranced by the gardens that I asked Rosanna what her inspiration for them had been, and what her own Dorset garden is like:

 

I’ve always loved gardens. My parents were both keen gardeners and I have happy memories of running around our back garden as a child, playing out imaginary stories, dodging amongst my mother’s washing pegged out on the line and my father’s precious raspberry canes and gooseberry bushes.

Our own garden here in Dorset is not large but it wraps around the house and so I feel cocooned and sheltered – which is good as we live near the sea and it can be very windy! Because of the sea air I have plants that can withstand these conditions such as lavender, rosemary, thrift, hollyhocks and erigeron daisies. I am a fan of the cottage garden and of fragrant plants that attract insects, butterflies and bees – natural gardens and wild gardens. The garden also has two bird baths, two tamarisk trees, a pergola of clematis, honeysuckle and roses and a couple of places to sit and write or think in. And we are very lucky because it also has a sea view…

I was inspired to write about an Arts & Crafts garden after I visited Barrington Court in Somerset. The gardens there were laid out in the 1920’s to a structured design influenced by the famous Arts & Crafts garden designer Gertrude Jekyll. She believed passionately in the beauty of the natural landscape and – like me – valued the ordinary plants familiar to gardeners today, such as hostas, lavender and sweet-scented old-fashioned roses.

I immediately loved the Arts & Crafts concept of the garden being a continuation of the house, and of that garden being made up of several small rooms – each one with its own character and flavour. After all, when we go into a garden, we don’t always want to do the same thing. We might want to grow vegetables and be in the mood for some hard-core digging, or we might want to sit quietly in a soft and beautiful space that enables us to reflect, read a good book or just watch the birds go by.

In an Arts & Crafts garden, plants are sometimes chosen for their colour. A white garden, for example, can create a sense of tranquillity through the green of the foliage and the white flowers which are often considered healing for the mind and spirit. Or they might be chosen according to season. In ‘The Forever Garden’ there is a spring garden full of early bulbs such as daffodils and tulips which represents hope and new beginnings; this symbolism becomes very important to Lara in the story.

I like to think of the ‘Forever Garden’ as an important character in the book. For Lara it is both prison and sanctuary. The garden saves her and it also sets her free.

 

 

 

 

 

 

WRITERS ON THE ROAD: CHARLIE COCHRANE

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Imagine a castle. A castle that was confiscated by Henry VIII after he’d chopped off the owner’s head. A castle that may not have been “knocked abaht a bit” by Cromwell, but which went seriously downhill after the civil war. One that was restored in the 19th century and may—rumour has it—have been where they hid the crown jewels during World War Two. Sounds interesting, doesn’t it? Better still, it’s a place where you can stay because it’s now a hotel, so it provides a tremendous venue for an author who writes historical novels and who wants both inspiration and an opportunity for immersive research. That’s my story about why we’ve stayed there several times and I’m sticking to it.

There’s nothing better than experiencing the era you write about, albeit at several removes. Work a sash window and see how tricky—and draughty—they can be. Trot up and down a spiral staircase and discover how that fight scene you had in your mind could physically never work. Stand next to a thick stone wall and see how much cold the thing radiates. While none of the detail might make its way into your story, it’ll give you a clearer idea of what your characters experienced in their everyday lives and why, for example, people wore bed socks and night caps, because their rooms would have been so flipping freezing.

Research is little use unless it turns into or backs up a story, so inspiration for what that story will be is the other factor writers can find when on the road. The Cochrane family first stayed at Thornbury Castle back in 2006, which was just before I started work on my first murder mystery. I needed a family home for Jonty Stewart—one of my pair of amateur sleuths—and it was obvious that Thornbury had to provide the template for it. I could so clearly see the characters occupying the place in its new guise as The Old Manor, especially the glorious walled garden which is a little jewel of colour and tranquillity. That garden was the setting for some significant scenes, and the strange grey cat we encountered there had to be incorporated, especially when the staff said he didn’t belong to the hotel or to any of the local houses. This mysterious moggy became a ghost cat who had inhabited The Old Manor since the time of Shakespeare and may just have been the “harmless, necessary cat” the Bard refers to in The Merchant of Venice. A small thing, maybe, but the kind of element that can enrichen a story and provide a useful thing for your characters to chat about while you’re fleshing them out.

Real life occurrences can spark a fictional equivalent, too. That rumour about the crown jewels being stored at Thornbury Castle…where would you hide such valuables? In a hidden vault, surely. What else could you hide there? A body. All of a sudden there’s a story up and running. In my case, it inspired the cosy mystery The Case of the Undiscovered Corpse, which is part of my 1950s Alasdair and Toby series. (Imagine two actors who play Holmes and Watson onscreen and off and you’ve got the idea.)

I’d always advise aspiring authors to keep their eyes and ears open and their imaginations ready to be launched, whether they’re on their travels or simply in the local supermarket. So often I hear fellow authors talk about the tiny seeds—a snatch of conversation overheard, an interaction observed or a place visited—which have subsequently developed into full-grown stories. Be alert!

 

Link: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Undiscovered-Alasdair-Cambridge-Fellows-Mystery-ebook/dp/B0BHLN5HB8

 

 

 

 

WRITERS ON THE ROAD: SUZANNE FORTIN

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When I first started out writing, my novels were all contemporary, so I didn’t need to do a great deal of research as most of the things I wrote about were within my own experience. However, when I moved into writing historical fiction and, in particular, the Second World War, research became one of the key elements. With so much information out there, it was important that I got my facts right.

Prior to this point in my writing, I had never been much of a historian. I moved into historical fiction by accident really, when my editor wanted me to expand on the backstory of one of my characters. I wasn’t sure if I could do it at first. Researching the Second World War seemed a huge task but the internet, friends, family, colleagues and the local library/bookstore have all been my assistants in helping me in this area.

Most of my novels have been partly set in France – a country that has been close to my heart for many years. Me and my husband first started visiting France in the early 90s and fell in love with the country and culture, so much so, that in 2003 we bought a cottage of our own to renovate in the Morbihan department of Brittany.

Little did I know back then how the area would influence and inspire my writing. Since then, I have found a wealth of information, a lot of which is widely known and many things that are smaller more personal stories of events during the occupation and the efforts of the local French Resistance who fought to disrupt the German war effort as much as possible, proving invaluable in the lead up to D-Day and beyond.

One of my research trips in Brittany took me to the Musée de la Résistance Bretonne in Saint-Marcel. It is, in fact, built of the very site that was once woodland where the local resistance group lived, trained, organised their attacks from and saw actual fighting as Brittany was liberated after the D-Day Landings.

Some of the displays within the museum have recreated scenes of the fighting as well as what every-day life was like under the occupation. All the displays are very detailed. There are some personal accounts, and these helped greatly to the authenticity of what I was writing, rather than just relying on well-documented war facts.

As with so many villages and towns within the area, memories of the war are never far away. On the edges of a village near to our cottage, is a small stone cross on the side of the road with the names of three local men engraved who were captured and executed by the Germans for being part of the Resistance. I have always felt a great sadness when I pass this memorial and initially it was hard to find out any information about the local men but over time this has become recorded online. Their personal stories have stayed with me and although not directly recounted in my writing, I hope I have managed to include the sentiment and acknowledge the sacrifice made by so many men and women in Brittany during the occupation.

 

 

Book link: https://bit.ly/3Z0ECxk