New Foreign Editions

 Hello Everyone, especially Swedish and German readers!

 

I am delighted to announce that Ring of Lies has been translated into Swedish thanks to the hard work of Miriam Hagglund   Available in paperback and eBook formats from Amazon, Apple, and Kobo

En Ring av Lögner

En regnig engelsk natt dör Daniel Elliott i en bilolycka. Hans fru, Grace, är förkrossad. Även om deras äktenskap inte var perfekt ser inte Grace, en kvinna skyddad från verkilgheten, inte fram emot att tillbringa framtiden ensam.

Hon inser snabbt hur lite hon faktsikt kände Daniel. Det finns så många hemligheter: Ett alias, en märklig nummerlista, ett hem i Florida - och en älskarinna som som ser ut precis som Grace.

Skräckslagen men beslutsam flyger hon till Florida. Den undre världen förföljer henne...liksom den andra kvinnan. Till hennes förvåning tar den stilige mannen Jack West vid FBI sig an fallet. Grace och den sinnestyngde mannen har historia tillsammans. Trots hennes bästa ansträngningar finner hon att hon på nytt faller för honom.

 

Med fara runt varje krök navigerar Grace och Jack södra Floridas kriminella värld i sitt sökande efter sanningen bakom En ring av lögner.

 

My thanks also go to Jenny Roemer for translating Ring of Lies into German.  It is also available in eBook format from Apple, Kobo, and Barnes and Noble and will shortly be published on Amazon in print and eBook formats.

 

Ring der Lügen 

In einer verregneten englischen Nacht kommt Daniel Elliot bei einem Unfall mit einem Auto ums Leben. Seine Frau Grace ist außer sich vor Trauer. Obwohl ihre Ehe unvollkommen war, sieht die behütete Grace die Zukunft nicht gerne allein.

 

Bald erfährt sie, wie wenig sie über Daniel wusste. Es gibt Geheimnisse: einen Decknamen, eine seltsame Liste von Nummern, ein Haus in Florida - und eine Geliebte, die Grace zum Verwechseln ähnlich sieht.

 Verängstigt, aber entschlossen, fliegt sie nach Florida. Figuren aus der Unterwelt stellen ihr nach ... und auch die andere Frau. Zu ihrer Überraschung übernimmt der gut aussehende FBI-Mann Jack West den Fall. Grace hat eine Vergangenheit mit dem gestörten Agenten. Trotz ihrer Bemühungen verliebt sie sich immer wieder in ihn.

Die Gefahr lauert hinter jeder Kurve und Grace und Jack navigieren durch die kriminelle Welt Südfloridas, um die Wahrheit hinter dem Ring der Lügen zu finden.

It has been a pleasure to work with Miriam and Jenny and I admire their skill in translating my words in to their respective languages.

 

You can find out more about these editions of my novels on my Amazon Author page or by visiting my website.

 

Breaking News .... New Foreign Editions

Hi everyone,

I am delighted to announce that my three novels, The House on the Shore, Ring of Lies and Three Weeks Last Spring have some new foreign editions.  They can be download as ebooks or purchased in paperback formats in Italian, French and Norwegian and are available from Apple, Amazon, Barnes and Noble and Kobo.

I want to say a BIG t'thank you to Angela Bulone. Isabelle DeRose, and Berit Hurst for their hard work in translating the books.  I has been a pleasure to work with you on the translations, which I know must not have been easy, especially when faced with the Gaelic terms in The House on the Shore!  

LA CASA SULLA SPIAGGIA

La paura incombe su una vallata scozzese

Reduce da una delusione d’amore, Anna MacDonald decide di abbandonare Edimburgo e di trasferirsi sulle sponde di un fiordo scozzese.

Lontana da tutto e da tutti, nel tranquillo cottage della sua defunta nonna, può finalmente guarire le sue ferite e gettarsi a capofitto nella stesura del romanzo che, per anni, aveva lasciato in un cassetto. La pace non durerà a lungo. Quando a bordo del suo yacht Luke Tallantyre, un noto artista, rimane bloccato nel loch, va in cerca di aiuto e bussa alla porta della prima abitazione che incontra: quella di Anna. Lei è infastidita da quella presenza. Lui, sin da subito, trova quell’eremita uno schianto, ma eccessivamente irritabile.   

Nel frattempo, al villaggio, affiorano tracce inconfutabili della presenza di un assassino. Sarà Anna la prossima vittima? E cosa nasconde Luke per mettere ancora di più a repentaglio la sua vita? Controvoglia, uniranno le forze e si imbarcheranno in un’avventura incredibile che consentirà loro di trovare… il vero amore.

 

 

ALLIANCE DE MENSONGES

Par une nuit pluvieuse comme l’Angleterre en connaît tant, Daniel Elliott trouve la mort, seul au volant de sa voiture. Grace, sa femme, est anéantie. Et même si leur mariage n’était pas parfait, Grace ne se résout pas à affronter l’avenir sans lui.
Elle découvre bientôt qu'elle connaissait mal son mari. Des secrets sont révélés : un nom d’emprunt, une étrange liste de chiffres, une maison en Floride, et une maîtresse qui est la copie conforme de Grace.
Terrifiée mais déterminée, elle s’envole pour la Floride. Elle est traquée par la pègre… et par cette autre femme. A son grand étonnement, le bel agent du FBI, Jack West, accepte de se charger de l’affaire. Grace et lui ont autrefois vécu une histoire. Et bien qu’elle s’y refuse, elle tombe à nouveau amoureuse de lui.
Le danger les guette à chaque tournant tandis que Grace et Jack naviguent dans les eaux troubles du crime du sud de la Floride pour découvrir la vérité qui se cache derrière l'Alliance de mensonges.

 

 

LA MAISON SUR LA COTE

Anna MacDonald, en pleine déception amoureuse, quitte Edimbourg pour trouver la paix au bord d'un lac écossais. Cloîtrée dans le cottage de feu sa grand-mère, elle peut enfin cicatriser ses plaies et écrire le roman qui brûle en elle depuis des années. 

 

Sa tranquillité n'est que de courte durée. Quand le yacht du bel artiste Luke Tallantyre reste bloqué sur le lac, il part demander de l'aide dans la maison la plus proche. La maison d'Anna. Elle le trouve agaçant. Il déteste immédiatement la belle mais néanmoins revêche ermite. 
 
Très vite, la preuve est faite qu'un tueur à gages rôde dans le village. Anna est-elle sa cible ? Et que peut bien lui cacher Luke qui pourrait augmenter le danger ? Contre leur gré, tous deux unissent leurs forces et s'engagent dans une aventure qu'ils n'auraient jamais imaginée - et qui pourrait bien les mener vers un amour absolu. 

TROIS SEMAINES AU PRINTEMPS DERNIER

 Friday Harbor, un village pittoresque du Nord-ouest Pacifique, est le lieu de rendez-vous incontournable des pêcheurs et des plaisanciers. Pour Skye Dunbar, c’est l’endroit où elle peut surmonter la douleur de son cœur brisé et remettre sa vie sur les rails. Elle loue donc un bungalow sur la plage. Mais la dernière chose à laquelle elle s’attendait, c’était d’être accusée de piratage informatique.

Jedediah Walker enquête sur la mort d’animaux marins retrouvés échoués sur les plages de l’île. Il découvre que les poissons contiennent une forte concentration de produits chimiques et envisage la possibilité que quelqu'un les déverse délibérément dans Puget Sound. Hâtif dans ses conclusions, il soupçonne la femme aux cheveux auburn qui lui loue son bungalow d’y être mêlée de près ou de loin.

Skye tente de l’ignorer mais les circonstances les réunissent et, ensemble, ils feront tout pour découvrir les responsables de cette abomination écologique. 

RING AV LØGNER

Daniel Elliott blir drept når han krasjer bilen sin en regnfull, engelsk natt.  Hans kone, Grace er tynget av sorg. Ekteskapet deres var ikke perfekt, men skjermede Grace gruer seg til en fremtid alene.  You can 

Hun finner snart ut hvor lite hun egentlig visste om Daniel.  Hemmeligheter, et dekknavn, en merkelig rekke med tall, et hus i Florida – og en elskerinne som kunne være Graces dobbeltgjenger.

Livredd men allikevel målbevisst, flyr hun til Florida.  Forbrytere i underverdenen følger etter henne og det gjør også den andre kvinnen.  Til hennes forbauselse, tar den kjekke FBI mannen Jack West saken.  Grace har en fortid med den problematiske agenten.  Til tross for at hun kjemper imot, faller hun nok en gang for Jacks sjarm.  

Med fare rundt hvert hjørne, må Grace og Jack navigere den kriminelle verden i sør Florida for å finne sannheten bak Ring av Løgner.  

You can find out more about these editions of my novels on my Amazon Author page or by visiting my website.

¿Hablas español? - Do you speak Spanish?

 If you do, then you might be pleased to know that two of my novels, Ring of Lies and The House on the Shore now are available in Spanish.  Translated by Ailin Denoya, they are available in ebook and print formats.

Here for my Spanish readers is a look at the lovely new covers designed by the very talented Mae Phillips at Cover Fresh Designs and the translated synopsis for each book.

Anillo de Mentiras/Ring of Lies

Cuando Daniel Elliott, el contador inglés, muere en un accidente automovilístico en una noche lluviosa, su viuda, Grace, es superada por el dolor... y el pánico. Daniel era controlador, y en su matrimonio no había amor, pero él siempre cuidaba de la protegida Grace. 

 O eso pensaba ella.

Pronto descubre que Daniel tenía secretos: un alias, lazos con la mafia, una lista de números, una misteriosa casa en Florida... y una novia que se parecía a Grace. 

 Tragando su miedo, ella tomó un vuelo a Miami para reclamar la casa que Daniel le dejó. Pero el precio de su curiosidad es el peligro. Figuras del inframundo la persiguen. La otra mujer ha dejado un maldito sendero de evidencia que apunta hacia ella. Y el buenmozo y fastidioso agente del FBI, Jack West, había cruzado caminos precarios con Grace anteriormente. Él podía ser su salvación o su condena. Todo lo que ella sabe con certeza, es que anhela estar en sus brazos. 

 Con casi nada para seguir y peligro a cada paso, Grace debe depender de Jack para ayudarla a navegar el mundo criminal de Florida sur, y encontrar la verdad detrás del anillo de mentiras.

 Sales Links:

Amazon eBook

Amazon Print version

Apple

Barnes and Noble

Kobo

Scribd

La Case Sobre La Orilla/The House on the Shore

Anna MacDonald, con el corazón roto, deja Edinburgh para encontrar la paz al final de un lago escocés. Instalada de forma segura en la cabaña de su difunta abuela, finalmente puede sanar su corazón y escribir la novela que ardió dentro de ella por muchos años.

Su paz es de corta duración. Cuando el yate del elegante artista, Luke Tallantyre, se queda varado en el lago, él busca ayuda en la residencia más cercana – la cabaña de Anna. Ella, lo encuentra irritante. A él, le disgusta la maravillosa pero fastidiosa ermitaña. 

Pero hay una evidencia indiscutible de que un sicario está al acecho en el pueblo. ¿Está buscando a Anna? ¿Y qué es lo que Luke le está ocultando que podría agravar el peligro? Contra su voluntad, unen fuerzas y se embarcan en una aventura jamás imaginada… dando la oportunidad al verdadero amor.

Sales Links:

Amazon - available shortly

Apple  

Barnes and Noble

Kobo  

Scribd - available shortly

Welcome Pam Robertson

I'm delighted that Canadian author Pam Robertson has taken time out of her busy day to be the guest on my blog today. 

Pam has worked as a teacher, soldier, and celebrity chutney chef. She gets her kicks writing about fearless characters, some with supernatural tendencies, despite being afraid of walking through the woods in the dark. Pam has had short stories, several chapters in best-selling self help books, magazine articles, a series of three journals, and books published. If she disappears from the internet occasionally, it’s probably because she is making a mess of the kitchen, or working on a large number of partially completed quilt projects. 

Pam's latest novel, Border Pieces - a Morgan Winfield Novella is due for release on the 30th October and if the synopsis is anything to go by, it is definitely one to add to your 'to be read list.'

 "As a 40ish Canadian Spy, Morgan may not be exactly what people expect, but she is who she wants to be and doing work she is good at. From her beautiful apartment in Halifax, she is assigned to work with an Irish spy she hasn’t seen in a few years, Jake Rory. Morgan is attracted to Jake, there is no question about it, and she has to remind herself more than once to stop looking at him so closely. 

They set to work, putting a stop to assassins in Nova Scotia, and then heading to Fort McMurray to find that there are more than just embers of discontent after the raging fire of 2016. 

Morgan is not a movie style spy. She doesn’t show up for work in 4-inch heels or Spandex. She prefers jeans and t-shirts. She’s a good shot in a firefight. She is serious about getting the job done, and doesn’t do well when there is a lot of down time, especially when she is forced to rest after a serious incident. 

While Morgan is recovering, she visits Wales and her cousin to explore her family tree and uncovers the source of her uncanny intuition. She is just getting the hang of being back at work when a terrible shock sends her into a tailspin and she suddenly retires, with plans to write a book. But, with her publisher saying her book is not quite ready, an unexpected offer for her apartment and a call from the agency pleading for her to return, she soon finds herself in a renovated bunker in London, England ready to help covert operators around the world. 

This is the first book of Morgan’s adventures with two more stories currently planned." 

Pam was kind enough to answer some questions about her writing process and offer some advice to budding writers.

Does writing energize or exhaust you? 

Depends on the day, honestly! When I first started writing Border Pieces, the novella introducing Morgan Winfeld, it just came out of me like crazy. I wrote 10,000 words over a long weekend and it really set the foundation for the book, and that level of progress also spurred me on to keep going. However, writing is cognitively demanding to me, too so I can feel physically drained after a long session, or several sessions over several days in a row. 

What are common traps for aspiring writers? 

There are lots. Thinking that your friends will buy your book, and that they are the only people you need at a book launch…people posing as publishers or agents when they are in no position to claim that and have no experience in the industry…writers thinking they can edit their own work…and being convinced that writing a book can be done for free. 

Did you ever consider writing under a pseudonym? 

Yes. My first novel and short stories were published under a pseudonym because I thought I needed to keep my writing separate from the other work I do. It’s much more difficult, of course, to be an indie author writing under a pseudonym because you’ve got to build a brand under that name and absolutely nobody knows who that person is. 

Do you aim to be original or deliver a story that readers want? 

It’s an interesting balance. Certainly when you are writing fiction and want a large readership, an author better deliver what readers want. At the same time, I’m not interested in recreating what other authors have done…so my goal is to be original, and create a story that once readers hear about it, they can’t wait to get their hands on.

What was your hardest scene to write? 

Without giving something away here, the hardest scene was a turning point with Jake. I wrote it, and then took it out of the book because I felt like it took away too much from Morgan’s story to leave it in there, but I needed it available as a reference and part of the backstory. So, the scene is on my computer and firmly implanted in my head, but it’s not in the book.  

Finally, do you believe in writer's block?

I know people who are absolutely convinced they have writer’s block, and yet when you dig down there are usually one of two things going on: either they aren’t clear on what they want to write about (they’ll write to a certain point and then not know what should happen next), or they start to doubt their abilities as a writer. The first is remedied by getting clear on the message, and deciding where the book should go. To help, you can try writing from a different character’s perspective; or write about the end and then work backward to the middle; or “interview” the characters and get them to help you as a writer. These exercises don’t necessarily make it into the book; they are simply meant to get the writer writing again. 

If a writer is stuck because they are doubt their abilities then there are lots of things they can do, but they’ve got to apply discipline to make it happen. They might need to address issues around self-esteem, or they might need to confront the fear that is cropping up (fear of failure, fear of embarrassment, fear of being publicly acknowledged as a writer). Or, maybe it’s true that their writing really is not up to snuff. Joining writing groups and associations can help a writer assess their own writing and see what others are doing. Those groups can also be a safe place to test your writing, though you’ve got to find the right group. I’ve seen groups try to totally change the way someone writes because they have this “ideal” about what writing is, even though not everyone wants to sound like, say, Margaret Atwood. 

Border Pieces - A Morgan Winfield Novella is available from Amazon in both print and ebook formats. 

Canada: https://www.amazon.ca/Border-Pieces-Morgan-Winfeld-Novella-ebook/dp/B07JFDRGSL/

USA:  https://www.amazon.com/Border-Pieces-Morgan-Winfeld-Novella-ebook/dp/B07JFDRGSL/

UK:   https://www.amazon.co.uk/Border-Pieces-Morgan-Winfeld-Novella-ebook/dp/B07JFDRGSL

Welcome Rosemary Kind ...

I am delighted to welcome Rosemary Kind as a guest on my blog today.  

On Facebook Rosemary describes herself as having ‘A discomfiting habit of taking on projects that other people consider to be verging on the insane.’ She says that sums her up rather well. Whether developing the Entlebucher Mountain Dog Breed, or maintaining a blog which has run every day for thirteen years, she relishes a challenge. She ran the short story download site Alfie Dog Fiction for six years, building it to be one of the largest in the world, before concentrating solely on book publishing to give her more time for her own writing.

She has written ten books so far, covering both fiction and non-fiction. Her most recent novel, New York Orphan has firmly established her historical fiction credentials and will form the start of a series. She is currently writing both the second in the series as well as a prequel, the latter of which will be available as a free introduction.  New York Orphan is available to purchase from Amazon.

Rosemary has had a passion for books and writing since her first memories. She cannot imagine a life without both.

For more information about Rosemary and her books visit her website: www.rjkind.co.uk or her author page on Amazon by clicking on the links.  Rosemary is a member of Promoting Yorkshire Authors. You can find her publishing company at Alfie Dog Fiction.

Welcome Rosie and Stuart Larner

I'm delighted to welcome Rosie and Stuart Larner onto my blog today.  Together they write under the pen name of Rosy Stewart.  They have just released their novel, Hope; Stories from a Refuge.

Rosie is a retired social worker and lecturer in Health and Social Care.  She was co-leader of a West Yorkshire Drama Workshop that welcomed participants of all ages and abilities.  She has directed and performed at the Edinburgh Fringe, and writes prose, poetry and plays. 

Stuart is a chartered psychologist, and worked in the National Health Service, and was mental health expert in XL for Men magazine.  He writes plays, including The Dilemma Advice Show, What Matters is What Floats, poetry and stores. 

Hope tells the stories of diverse individuals and their triumph in the face of adversity, and is  told through the eyes of Sue Barlow, the manager of a women's refuge.  Sue has learnt through experience that conventional support systems and policing are not always enough to prevent a tragedy. 

Following a brutal attack on one of her recent residents, Sue joins forces with Jade, a young police sergeant, and Nine a reclusive Russian I.T. expert to track down the abusers. 

Hope: Stories from a Women's Refuge is available to purchase from Amazon. 


Stuart's previous novels includes the novel Guile and Spin, a compelling and unforgettable story of cricket.  He has also written a Young Adult epic poem, Jack Daw and the Cat, and The Car, a sonnet sequence with illustrations, describing the human condition in terms of the mechanical components of a motor car. 

More information about Rosie and Stuart and their novels can be found by visiting their websites:

http://stuartlarner.blogspot.com/

http://slarner5.wixsite.com/hope

http://twitter.com/StuartLarner

Sales Links:

Hope:
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Hope-Stories-Womens-Rosy-Stewart-ebook/dp/B01BJ5Q6H0/

 Guile and Spin:
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Guile-Spin-Stuart-Larner-ebook/dp/B00DUE35C8/

Jack Daw and The Cat:
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Jack-Daw-Cat-Stuart-Larner-ebook/dp/B005ECTXES/

The Car:
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Car-sonnet-sequence-illustrations-ebook/dp/B01M0ACPNV/

7 Days to Go!

The 3rd UK Indie Lit Festival takes place at the Kala Sangam, St Peter's House, Forster Square in Bradford on the 28th July.  Have you got your ticket yet?  And, if not, why not?

With over 30, yes THIRTY attending authors representing a mixture of genres and poetry there is something for everyone to enjoy.  There is also an International table with some amazing books from across the Globe, and several will be joining us via video link in the international hub.   Not only will there be signed books to purchase, but there are readings and workshops.

The Tombe Dance Group will also be performing at the Festival, so don't delay pop over to Eventbrite and download your ticket now.

So if you've dreamed at writing poetry or a novel, come along and chat to our authors who I am sure will be happily to offer advice on how to get started.   I look forward to seeing you there.

A thank you ...

I would like to take this opportunity to thank everyone who has purchased one of my books or attended one of my speaking engagements or book signing events for your support.  2016 has not been an easy year for many of use and your continued support is very much appreciated.  I'll have some news about my next book early in the New Year.


I wish everyone a very Happy Christmas and a healthy and prosperous New Year.

Victoria

Tips for setting up your International Amazon Author Central Pages

I came across this very informative article by Marcy Kennedy while building my Japanese Author Central Page.  Marcy very kindly allowed me to reproduce it here.  Whether are published or not, I would also recommend that you visit her website, and in particular her blog, which has some great articles.  

4 Tips for Setting Up Your International Amazon Author Central Pages 

By Marcy Kennedy, @MarcyKennedy 

Part of the Indie Author Series 

Last month, I walked you through the 6 Steps for Setting Up Your Amazon Author Page. In that article, I talked exclusively about your author profile on Amazon.com, but Amazon sells books all over the world. While setting up our author page on Amazon.com is the most important (because that’s where we’re likely to sell the most books), we shouldn’t overlook our author pages elsewhere.

You might be thinking, Why do I want to take the time to do that for non-English speaking countries? 

The answer is simple. English is the most common second language in the world. Even if English isn’t the primary language of Germany or India or China, many people living in those countries still speak it, read it, or are trying to learn. Creating an author page on international sites gives us a leg up over authors who only bother to update their Amazon.com page.

Because you’ll want to add the same information as you did for your Amazon.com author page, I won’t go over all of that again. You can read my previous article for details. What I’m going to focus on in this article are the unique things to keep in mind when we’re updating our pages on the international sites.

Tip #1 – How to Find International Amazon Author Central Sites 

Currently, there’s no centralized list of Amazon Author Central sites, so the first thing we need to do is explore a little. Searching for sites is a two-step process.

Google the Amazon site for the particular country you’re interested in. For example, I might type “Amazon France” into my search bar.

This lets you know if Amazon has a site in that country, but what you’re really looking for here is the little country code that comes after www.amazon in the search results. For France, it’s fr.

The URL for all Author Central sites begins like this…

https://authorcentral.amazon.

So once you have the country code, you add it like this…

https://authorcentral.amazon.fr/gp/landing?

And that’s where you’ll sign in to create your author page.

Not all countries currently have Author Central, but more and more are appearing all the time. If you can’t find an Author Central site for a specific country (I’m looking at you Canada), just wait. It will probably appear in the not-too-distant future.

Here are a few sites to get you started:

http://authorcentral.amazon.co.uk
http://authorcentral.amazon.fr
http://authorcentral.amazon.de
http://authorcentral.amazon.co.jp

Tip #2 – How to Read International Amazon Author Central Sites 

Remember how we talked about these sites being targeted at non-English speakers? That creates a snag for those of us who don’t speak multiple languages.

Thankfully, technology gives us two ways around it:

(A) Keep your Amazon.com Author Central page open so you can compare. For the most part, the sites are all the same structurally, so you’ll know what it’s asking for even if you can’t read all the words.

(B) Use Google Translate or download Google Chrome (which comes with a built-in translator) to use as your browser while you create your pages. 

These won’t be perfect, but they’ll be enough to allow you to easily fill in your author pages.

Tip #3 – Some Other Countries Will Want You to Create a New Account 

Some countries will allow you to sign in with the same email and password you used when you created your Amazon.com account, and some countries will require you to set up a new Amazon account with them. If your regular Amazon email and password won’t work, it just means you need to start from the ground up with a new account.

Tip #4 – Don’t Think You’re Doing Something Wrong If You Can’t Find All the Same Features 

Strangely enough, not all international sites are created equal. Some won’t allow you to connect your blog. Some won’t allow you to upload pictures. If you can’t find a particular feature, it’s probably not because you’re blind. It’s probably because it doesn’t exist on that specific site. The key with the international Amazon author pages is to fill out what you’re offered and not worry about the rest.

When you find a site that doesn’t allow you to connect your blog, make sure you include your website address somewhere. Along with claiming your books, this is the most important thing. This is all about providing readers with a way to find more of your books and to form a relationship with you.

Good luck!

Have you taken the time to set up your author page on international Amazon sites? Do you have any other tips I haven’t included?

Marcy Kennedy is a suspense and speculative fiction writer who believes fantasy is more real than you think. Alongside her own writing, Marcy works as a freelance fiction editor and teaches classes on craft and social media through WANA International. She’s also the author of the Busy Writer’s Guides series of books. You can find her blogging about writing and about the place where real life meets science fiction, fantasy, and myth at marcykennedy.com.
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My Guest today....

I am delighted to welcome back Lynda Stacey as a guest on my blog today.  Lynda recently won ChocLit and Whole Story Audiobooks Search for a Star Competition.  Her debut novel, The House of Secrets will be released shortly.

Lynda took some time out of her busy schedule to come and talk to me.

1    Welcome Lynda,  Can you tell us a little about yourself?

Hi Victoria and thank you so much for having me.

I work full time as a Sales Director. I have a lovely husband, two step-daughters and two grandchildren. I love to travel. I used to be a Scuba Diving Instructor and enjoy finding interesting dive sites. Other than that, I’m quite boring and ordinary, I do the ironing, the cleaning and when I have nothing else to do, I sit my lap top on my knee and I write.

How long have you been writing and working toward the goal of being published?

I began writing at a very early age, but like most things that you do when you are young, it gets put to one side. I do distinctly remember being around 14 years old when I asked for a Lilliput typewriter for Christmas, announcing to my family that I really needed one, or I’d never be able write a novel.

Can you describe the time you realised you were a ‘real writer?’

Wow, I still don’t class myself as a writer. It all seems so surreal that something that I wrote is actually out there for people to buy. It’s crazy and a little incomprehensible. I think what makes it worse is that everything is e-book first these days, I guess if I actually got to see and hold a book, with my name on it, I’d feel like a ‘real writer.’

What was the inspiration behind The House of Secrets?

The story was inspired by Wrea Head Hall. I went with my husband one Christmas for a birthday treat. (My birthday is the 29th December) The minute I pulled up on the extensive driveway, I was in awe of the house. It literally took my breath away and when we walked in through the front door, stepped into the Grand Hall and walked through the corridors, I could feel the history seeping out through the walls at me. It was as though the house was trying to tell me it’s story.

Wrea Head Hall

How did you come up with your story concept?

The family that used to live there had quite a history of its own, which I studied. After much deliberation, I decided to step away from the real story and create a fictional family. It suited my story better and to me, Emily Ennis came to life.

Who is your favourite character and why?

I love Nomsa. She’s a typical Caribbean lady. I’ve travelled around the Caribbean extensively with my diving and spent a lot of time in both Jamaica, Barbados, the Dominican and Grenada. I absolutely love the people, especially the Jamaicans. I love how they have happy-go-lucky attitudes one minute and how they stand up for themselves the next.

Do you become attached to your characters and have a hard time letting go of them, or are you happy their story is told and you can move on to the next project?

Ha ha…. That depends what you mean by ‘attached’? To me, they are real. They live at the hall, they work there and sleep there. I would fully expect to go to Bandit’s cottage, knock on the door and have him answer it.

If you could be any of your characters, which would it be and why?

That’s a hard question. No, I don’t think I would. I actually really like the life that I have, I don’t dream of being anyone else.

What is your writing process? Which comes first, the story, the characters, or setting?

Definitely the character. Normally just the heroine first. I try to build her world and then introduce others around her.

Are you a meticulous plotter or do you just let it flow?

It just flows. Some days it flows in a good way, and others in a way that means that I end up deleting a lot of words at a later date.

How would you describe your writing style?

Sporadic.

How long does it take you to write a book?

Because I work full time, I get very little actual writing time. So, I’d say it takes me around a year to the end of a draft worth submitting and then another year for the edits and the publishing.

What kind of research do you undertake?

As much as I physically can. For House of Secrets, I had to go to Wrea Head Hall a lot, it was hard work, but I loved it hahaha…!!

What part of writing a novel do you find most challenging?

The same part that challenges all authors. It’s the 40,000-word syndrome, the part where you look at your manuscript and all you can think is… IT’S RUBBISH, WHO WOULD BUY THIS? And then of course, you pass it by a few beta readers, who do their best to lift your spirits and you carry on.

Have you used beta readers, and if so, do you recommend them?

Yes, I use beta readers. They are invaluable. But no, I don’t recommend them, they’re mine, all mine.

What can your readers expect when they read your book?

I’d like to think that they wouldn’t know what to expect. After all, sometimes the book and the characters do their own thing and even I have no idea what they are doing, until it’s done.

Can you tell us what you are writing now?

I’ve just finished writing my 3rd novel and I’m about to start my 4th. I’m at that research stage and building my heroine stage. The only thing I really know about the next book at this point is that it will be a time slip, within the mining community.

What advice would you give to aspiring writers?

Keep going. Whatever you do, believe in yourself and keep writing. Join as many writing groups as you can, this helps you to keep the momentum going. Other than that, network, meet other authors, lots of them. They are all full of the most amazing advice.

I understand you are a member of the Romantic Novelists' Association. Do you think being a member of such an association is beneficial to new writers?

The Romantic Novelist Association has been a huge help to me. I joined under the umbrella of the New Writers Scheme, which offers a full critique on your work, once a year. I can honestly say that if I hadn’t joined, I probably still wouldn’t be published.

Do you ever experience writers’ block? If so, how do you get past it?

I wouldn’t say that I ever experience it, I’d say that after working all day and by the time I’ve made tea, cleaned my house and sat down to write, my mind is tired. Some nights I have the energy, others I don’t and I find that my best idea’s normally come to me at really inopportune moments. So, I always carry a notebook.

Thank you Lynda.  

The House of Secrets, published by Choc Lit will be released on the 19th July.

A woman on the run, a broken man and a house with a shocking secret …

Madeleine Frost has to get away. Her partner Liam has become increasingly controlling to the point that Maddie fears for her safety, and that of her young daughter Poppy.

Desperation leads Maddie to the hotel owned by her estranged father – the extraordinarily beautiful Wrea Head Hall in Yorkshire. There, she meets Christopher ‘Bandit’ Lawless, an ex-marine and the gamekeeper of the hall, whose brusque manner conceals a painful past.

After discovering a diary belonging to a previous owner, Maddie and Bandit find themselves immersed in the history of the old house, uncovering its secrets, scandals, tragedies – and, all the while, becoming closer.

But Liam still won’t let go, he wants Maddie back, and when Liam wants something he gets it, no matter who he hurts …

The House of Secrets is available as an ebook from Amazon, Kobo, Nook and iBookstore 

For more information about Lynda, visit her website:  www.lyndastacy.co.uk

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