Category: #interview

#Interview by Lou with Miriam McGuirk – Author of Second Chances @Miriam_McGuirk #SecondChances @rararesources #BlogTour

Interview with Second Chances author -Miriam McGuirk

Interview By Lou

Today I am part of closing the Rachel Random Resources blog tour on the book Second Chances with a Q & A style interview.


Welcome Miriam McGuirk to my blog – Bookmarks and Stages for a Q & A session on your new book – Second Chances. Firstly, find out a bit about what the book and then onto the interview, where we cover real-life second chances, empowerment, community hubs and more…

Second Chances is a touching tale that takes us on a journey from India to Kent, UK, following the intertwined lives of the residents of the same road. At the heart of the story is Molly—kind-hearted, resilient, and determined to start anew after her husband Rory leaves her and their son Jamie. But when Jamie disappears on the day they were supposed to move to Kent, Molly’s new life takes an unexpected turn.
As Molly settles into her new community, she befriends her neighbors, Florence and Colonel Bryce Beckwith, who share their own stories of love, loss, and longing for second chances. The three of them navigate their regrets and come to realize that it’s never too late to make a change.

Second Chances is a poignant, multigenerational tale of connections and community, showcasing the unbreakable human spirit and the hope that can come from taking a leap of faith.

1. What inspired you to write Second Chances?

With the many challenges we each have been through these last years I wanted to write an emotive fiction story, to include elements of daily life, relationships, the human spirit and of course a HEA.

The novel came from a short story I had written a few years before, about a particular street. I became curious about each of the neighbours’ backstories and how they could be linked. That led to the inspiration and wish to write Second Chances.

 

  1. There have been a few books with the theme of seeking out Second Chances in life or starting anew and rebuilding after things change. How important do you think finding new opportunities after seismic life changes occur, such as in your book?

 

I believe, when life is not working or we have been sorely challenged, being open to change and embracing new opportunities can and will lead to positive outcomes and personal growth. Perhaps we find answers to unfinished business at levels within our lives, which of course the storyline and characters do in Second Chances.

An example :-  I took a leap of faith in 2003. I moved with my husband to the mountains of south-west Turkey. I became healthier and enjoyed a calmer and more balanced way of life. I found my true purpose and passion. My dream of becoming a published author is now a reality.

 

  1. How empowering do you think portraying Second Chances can be for people, within books and presenting this in an uplifting way?

 

Books and the style in how they are written can affect change in us, those around us, and our outlook on life. Through books and great storytelling, we can grow and perhaps become role models or champions for others to follow.

 

  1. Your book is about community and their hubs. What inspired you to focus on community and how important do you think hubs within them truly are?

 

My husband has been involved in community hubs for many years. Based on his experience of people who come from every walk of life and age group, along with their challenges with health or living alone, it seemed like an interesting story for me to write about. As people our greatest needs are to be loved, respected, accepted and valued. Community hubs provide the opportunity to engage with life and people.

That is exactly why Molly, one of the main characters, in Second Chances, set up Yoga Karma and Calmer classes and Frolics Food and Fun Friday’s.

 

  1. Do you do anything to celebrate your book’s publication day?

 

In the past on publication day, I have held a launch event that is relevant to the theme of my book.

 

With Second Chances, I shall happily celebrate lunch with my husband, close family, and a few dear friends.

  1. Are you writing or reading a book just now?

 

I immerse myself in reading a diverse range of books in between my writing.

I am currently reading -The Paris Library by Janet Skeslien Charles –

a first to read this authors work. I am thoroughly enjoying Janet’s style of writing along with the storyline that resonates.

 

#AuthorInterview By Lou With Lela May Wight About her latest book – Bound By A Sicilian Secret and more (includes a bit of exclusive info) @LelaMayWight @MillsandBoon @HarlequinBooks @rararesources #RomanticFiction #ContemporaryFiction #HarlequinPresents #Interview

Bound By A Sicilian Secret
By Lela May Wight

Interview By Lou

Welcome Lela May Wight to my blog. Recently we did a Q&A to share with you all. I can, rather excitedly contains some exclusive content within one of the answers.
 Find out about what inspires her, the gritty themes and the protagonist of her book, how she celebrates publication day, her next book and more…

First of all, a bit about Lela: She grew up with seven brothers and sisters. She lives in the UK with her sons and her very own hero, who never complains about her book addiction – he buys her more books! She also gets to write books, with her latest – Bound By A Sicilian Secret. Find out about the book and then let’s begin the interview.

The proof of their passion: she’s carrying the Sicilian’s child! Read this thrilling secret baby romance from Lela May Wight.

When their worlds collided…

They became tied forever!

Flora Bick once strayed from her carefully scripted life and lost herself in the uninhibited kisses of a stranger. Overwhelmed, she fled his bed and returned to her risk-free existence. Now, he’s found her and together they discover the unimaginable—she’s pregnant!

Demanding Flora accompany him to Sicily, Raffaele Russo finally reveals his vast wealth—and his determination to give their child the stable upbringing he never had. But for the time being, their secret remains theirs alone, and it will bind them even closer than their ever-present desire…

From Harlequin Presents: Escape to exotic locations where passion knows no bounds. 

The book sounds mysterious. Without further ado, let’s begin the interview.

  1. Who or what inspired you to write, an in particular, romance?

I blame my primary school teacher. I’d written a very long-winded story, and he said, “I can see you’re going to become a novelist!” The dream was born. No, not really. (Well, maybe a little…)

I’ve always read romance novels. Gobbled them up throughout my teens, like so many romance readers. I always wanted to write, but as life does, it got in the way for a long time. But during late-night feeds after my first was born, I rediscovered romance books and the powerful ability they have to transport the reader.

The urge to write was born again, because I wanted to do that! I wanted to write full-throttle escapism about complicated and emotionally messy people who got their chance at love and earned their happily ever after.

  1. Your book has some gritty themes, such as: grief, abandonment, suicide, adoption, unplanned pregnancy. What inspired you to deal with these themes within your book and did you need to do research?

Life is gritty, hard, and complicated for most of us. I love that the romance genre doesn’t shy away from human life, or how difficult it can be to navigate those very real emotions, but gives the reader the promise, and the safety, to explore the dark parts of life knowing it will all end with a happily ever after.

 (Okay, sometimes monster life. Love me some monster romance, but all still very human… I digress!)

The themes chosen to explore in, ‘Bound by a Sicilian Secret,’ were chosen, I hope with care, and treated with the same, as my characters navigate the impact of these difficult themes as individuals, and together.

Research is always important, for facts, for sensitivity, and I do all my research with those two things in mind. I hope I’ve achieved that in this love story whilst also bringing my life experiences to the book. *Crosses fingers! *

  1. How important do you feel that themes, such as yours, that are gritty and relatable to be included in romantic fiction?

Very important. We all have our own experiences, difficult and some very difficult ones. It’s why, I as a reader, always go for a romance when I want to escape. I know I can relate, not always to the themes, but to the emotion. The difficulty of navigating them. But I know I’m safe to let myself feel all the feelings, because in the end, that’s what romance promises, a safe return to the world embraced by a happily ever after. Life isn’t always this way, but romance is about reminding us all to find hope. To embrace it for better tomorrows.

I, as a writer, won’t shy away from the difficulty or the beauty of living, because the hope of a happily ever after is powerful! As I believe, the entire romance genre is. A powerful tool of escape, but for so much more, too.

  1. What inspired you to focus on your male protagonist being Sicilian?

Raffaele came to me, Sicilian, with a deep accent and strong roots. I didn’t think to ask him why he was Sicilian, he just was, and told me so. *winks*

But if I was to think about it more deeply (and I am) I love Carol Marinelli’s Sicilian heroes. So many of Carol’s books are on my keeper shelf and I have re-read them many times. So at heart, maybe I wanted my very own Sicilian on my shelf that I had given life to.

Fingers crossed, I’ve written Raffaele with a smidge of Carol’s talent. I highly recommend Carol’s books. All of them.

  1. Do you do anything to celebrate on publication day or anything to wind down once books are completed?

Publication day (so far) has been a strange and surreal kind of day… For the release of my debut, ‘His Desert Bride by Demand,’ I bought a princess dress like the one my heroine wears on the front cover and had grand plans of walking into WHSmith, in said dress, and buying a copy of my book.

But alas, the introvert in me stayed at home in my dress, with my beautiful family, and ate cake.

Publication day can be a little overwhelming, exciting (and scary) so for this one, I’ve decided to be kind to myself and stay in my PJs! But I think the tradition will become cake. Lots of cake!

The wind down for books (or the last two in my case) has been surreal. Part of me doesn’t believe I did it. The first time, or the second… But I think that’s called imposter syndrome?

So I try to not let myself sit with those feelings for too long and push myself to settle in for the next adventure. And hopefully, the characters of my next story let themselves appear!

  1. What do you like to read and do you have a book you’re reading right now?

Harlequin Presents! I’m a hard-core fan. Always have been, but now I can call it research for my job. (Job? *Pinches self*) I love the fantastical settings and plots, but mostly I love the raw internal conflict and the visceral journey to their happily ever after. Finding love together, but also learning to love themselves too…

But the romance genre, as a whole, is my go-to, and where I find the perfect escape. I’ve just finished reading Kennedy Ryan’s, ‘Before I let Go,’ and wow, the talent—the love story. It broke me apart and put me back together in only the ways (I think) romance can.

I’m very privileged to be currently reading an early advanced copy of Bella Mason’s new book, her second for Presents, out in May, ‘Secretly Pregnant by the Tycoon.’ And it is everything Presents fans will love! Emotional, sensual and delicious! *Bites fist*

  1. Do you have another book you are writing?

I’m currently working on my third book for Harlequin, Mills and Boon, and although many things might change in revisions, the title won’t and it’s *just* been confirmed. *drum–roll please…*

The title of my next love story will be… THE KING SHE SHOULDN’T CRAVE. (Exclusive info for Bookmarks and Stages. Eeek!)

I adore this title! It captures the core essence of Angelo and Natalia’s royal romance. It hints at the yearning threaded throughout their story… Both characters think they know what they crave—what they want—but—oops—they’ve got it all wrong. And the last thing they thought they wanted—needed—they find together. Love for each other, but also acceptance for the people they are beneath their crowns.

Or, that’s the plan! I’m about halfway through their story and they keep surprising me!

*Thanks to Rachel’s Random Resources for inviting me to the blog tour.

#AuthorInterview with Paul DeBlassie III, Ph.D. about his #Book #GoddessOfEverything and his other profession in #Psychotherapy @pdblaassieiii @HenryRoiPR

Interview with Paul DeBlassie III, Ph.D.

Thanks to Roi PR,  I have an interview I conducted with author Paul De  He is both author and a depth psychologist. I am pleased to present to you an interview that encompasses both and how one influences the other. We also talk about his latest book – Goddess of Everything. Discover what the book is about after finding out a bit about him and the fascinating answers within the interview.

Please join me in welcoming Paul to my blog as he introduces himself before he is interviewed and introduces his book. Thank you!

 
 

Paul DeBlassie III, Ph.D. is a depth psychologist and award-winning writer living in his native New Mexico, crafting metaphysical thrillers energized with trickster mischief and natural magic. His novels, visionary thrillers, delve deep into archetypal realities as they play out dramatically in the lives of everyday people. Metaphysical dramas set in the mythopoeic realm of Aztlan open vistas of danger, conflict and potential transformation. Good and evil are pivotal arenas for unfolding tales of the supernatural.

Together with visionary/metaphysical novels, he also writes blogs and archetypal essays on trauma, dreams, spirituality, and intuition. As a native New Mexican, he has been deeply influenced by the mestizo myth of Aztlan, its surreal beauty and natural magic. Memberships include the Author’s Guild, the Depth Psychology Alliance, the International Association for Relational Psychoanalysis and Psychotherapy, and the International Association for Jungian Studies.

Paul’s writing is informed by his personal and clinical understanding of the unconscious mind. Treating patients in depth psychotherapy for over thirty-five years has inspired stories about human conflict and transformation in the areas of love, relationships, and spirituality. Stories imbued with archetypal symbolism and narrative drama affect the unconscious mind in potentially transformative ways. Inspirational essays in consciousness and depth psychology move into realms of both darkness and hope that can open mystic paths of human experience. 

Website: https://www.pauldeblassieiii.com/home/

1. Goddess of Everything is billed to be a”tale of a Mother’s affection for her son, and her son’s struggle for truth, freedom, and love. What prompted such strong themes and to make it blood curdling in nature?
 
Dark religion and the archetype of the devouring mother fit hand-in-glove. I work with patients suffering from the dark side of religion, the story dramatizing human struggle, often terrifying and nightmarish, to find a way through the horrors of mother love gone bad. It’s especially scary when the mother is revered —religious and “holy.”
 
2. You’ve mixed the supernatural with religion within the main body of your book. How did this conception come about?
 
As a psychotherapist, I’ve specialized in treating religious trauma. When the mind is scarred
by religion, the dark side of archetypal/spiritual realities and energies run rampant. My books dramatize decades of helping people deal with emotional and supernatural dynamics that speak to trauma as healer or slayer.
 
3. You have a character – Gabriél De LaTierra who is a psychiatric healer. What interests you most about this part of psychiatry?
 
Psychological issues always harbor an underlying spiritual charge. Body, mind,
and soul act in union. Freud wrote that the psyche is a body/psyche. Jung added that the psyche is also a spiritual psyche, my books popping out dreams, spirits, and synchronous events as both shocking and potentially life changing.
 
4. This leads me onto your fascinating sounding profession of Depth Psychiatry. What led you into this profession and this particular specialism, which Carl Jung also followed many years before?
 
The unconscious mind intrigued me since I was 16 and read C.G. Jung, Freud, and William James in the Varieties of Religious Experience. Following in their footsteps, I became a depth psychologist and writer.
 
5. What is it that fascinates you about the inner workings of the human mind and the healing of it?
 
Ahhh…. The mind is ever unfolding, surprising, and potentially healing. Dreams and the natural magic of life have their own language. You get a sense of the unconscious mind and its magical ways in my stories. I’ve been told that reading them revs up your dreams and opens the mind to startling imaginal worlds.
 
6. How does the fact you are a psychologist influence your writing?
 
The psyche saturates every page of my stories, images flowing from my unconscious to the reader’s. The lure and thrill, reviewers have said, is palpable.
 
7. Are you working on anything just now and where can people find your book?
 
Seer: the case of the man who lost his soul is the latest book I’m working on. It should be out in about a year. My books are all on Amazon. Thanks for these thoughtful questions and the opportunity to be with you and your readers, Louise.

About the Book

A blood-curdling tale of a Mother’s affection for her son, and her son’s struggle for truth, freedom, and love.
From the multi-award-winning author of Goddess of the Wild Thing, comes an unforgettable, chilling story that will haunt your nightmares.

In the mystic land of Aztlan del Norte, a realm of supernatural happenings and unexpected turns of fate, psychiatric healer Gabriél de LaTierra encounters evil within the Orphanage of the Holy Innocents. Children disappear for reasons kept secret by Mother Juana de la Cruz, Superior of the Nunnery and the Orphanage.

Love for Mother Juana, his widowed mother turned religious superior, clouds Gabriél’s mind. His wife, Consuela, tries to confront his wall of denial.

Torn between his love for mother and wife, Gabriél turns inward.

Through Consuela, Gabriél discovers the nighttime blood sacrifice of children in the desert — a centuries-old ritual that imparts immortality to Mother and her nuns. This knowledge places Gabriél’s family in danger. Consuela is attacked and their four-year-old son kidnapped.

Can he find a way to save his wife and son in time?
Will he have the strength to do what’s right, even if it means going against his beloved Mother?

“A vibrant, dramatic and disturbing novel packed with religious fervour, magic realism, and horror.”

“Intriguing and unique, Goddess of Everything is a story about a boy growing up with a mother who is both spiritual and evil . . . satisfying ending . . . well done!

#AuthorInterview By Lou with Viv Fogel – #Author of Imperfect Beginnings @fly_press @VivWynant @kenyon_isabelle #Poetry #WritingCommunity #ReadingCommunity #BlogTour #ImperfectBeginnings

Today I am delighted to present to you my interview/Q&A session with author of Imperfect Beginnings – Viv Fogel. First, many thanks to Viv for agreeing to the interview/Q&A session on my blog and to Fly on the Wall Press for inviting me onto the blog tour.
Viv’s poems are evocative showing war, peace, family and are set in present times and past times. In my blog post today, discover the blurb and then what she has to say as she talks fascinatingly of her inspiration, a particular photo of artwork that features within the book, the importance of poetry, it’s shape and more, as well as where you can purchase the book.
Without further ado, let’s welcome Viv Fogel…

Imperfect Beginnings lays its poems out to rest on uncertain terrain. Visa paperwork deadlines hang in the air. New-borns, torn too early from their mother’s breast, learn to adapt to harsh guardianship.

Belonging and exile are mirrored in the stories of having to leave one’s birthmother―or motherland.

From narrative poems such as ‘My Father Sold Cigarettes To The Nazis’, Fogel takes us on a journey throughout history, spanning ancestry, wartime, adoption and peacetime, as life settles. Family, work, love and the natural world provide purpose, meaning and a sense of coming ‘home’.

  1. What or who inspired you to be a poet and how did this influence your own poetic style? 

    I started off writing and illustrating short stories – to create worlds and characters I could escape into, but then a cousin, (an English student) gave me my first book of illustrated poetry when I was about 16. I didn’t understand them all – but the musicality of the words, the rhythm and the form of the poems, their vibrancy excited me. Here was another kind of language and sound to the rather dreary way we studied poetry at school. (Soon after, aged 16, my first poem was published in Peace News). A year or so later a conversation with a ‘bohemian’ stranger on a plane to Paris, got me interested in ‘kinetic’ poetry, Corso, Ginsberg and the Beat Poets. Aged 18 it was the Liverpool Poets and the lyrics of Leonard Cohen, Patti Smith, Joni Mitchell and later Ralph McTell. Music and poetry are inextricably linked for me.

2. The poems that seem to be set in modern times and then goes into the second world war, before returning to modern times, what inspired you to write it in this pattern for the arc of your storytelling, within your chosen themes? 

An interesting question: themes are not linear or chronological – patterns reoccur and weave in and out, back and forth. And I did have another way of ordering the sequences and sections in the collection, but because of time constraints, this is how it shaped itself.

 3. You have a photo of the Memorial installation ‘Shalekhet’ : fallen leaves at the Jewish Museum, Berlin and a poem beside it. How did you approach writing a poem that reflects the poignancy of the art installation? 

It took me completely by surprise – that’s how powerful the installation was for me. People were encouraged to walk over the floor of metallic mask- like faces – the ‘fallen leaves’ , – and I just could not bring myself to do that. Instead I sat and listened to them clanking, and the clattering sounds and echoes evoked deeply embodied ‘memories’ and images … 

 4. You mention certain people under the titles of some of the poetry, such as Itzaak Weinreich, 1903-1988, Your birth mother – Jennie and also your mother – Henriette and relatives you never met, what emotions did this evoke in you and did it affect how you wrote and what you wrote in those particular poems? 

Strangely no. Obviously there had been processed emotions long before I wrote the poems – but in order to write effectively I need to be able to dis-identify, and step back from those feelings in order to ‘see’ the bigger picture. Thomas Mann spoke about this in his novel Tonio Kröger – how if we are too emmeshed or lost in the emotions we cannot gain the perspective needed for the writing to be truly effective. But yes – there’s a history and a foundation of feeling-responses that inform these poems.

 5. Your poems are sometimes a sombre silence and sometimes noise and movements, even within the placement of the sentences, not always being linear in every poem, was this a conscious decision? 

Yes! The way a poem looks on the page, the spacing, lineation, even the punctuation is deliberate, which dictates the pace and tone of the reading, rather like musical notation. Obviously a poem written on A4 looks different when printed in a book-sized page.  

 6. How important and relevant is reading poetry in today’s society? 

Very! Poetry says things that cannot be said in any other way. It’s immediate and names what cannot always be named with prose or in journalism. The term ‘poetic licence’ exists for a reason. Poetry may not change the world, its politics or politicians – but it can sustain and give hope. Try reading at least one poem a day – to find that space and nourishment!

 
7. What do you hope readers will gain from your poetry and where can people purchase your book? 

I hope readers will be moved in some way by the poetry … if one poem touches one person or resonates – with empathy, or joy, or inspires them to write themselves, or to find their voice, that’s a wonderful benefit. And I really would like my poetry to be accessible to those who are not just poets and would not normally choose to read poetry.

You can purchase the book directly from Fly on the Wall Press online – or better still- order from your local book store, or even your library. And I would welcome any reviews on Goodreads, Waterstones or Amazon.

Many thanks Lou for asking me onto your blog.

To pre-order please go to: https://www.flyonthewallpress.co.uk/product-page/imperfect-beginnings-by-viv-fogel

Q&A #Interview By Lou with #author of #TheNewlywed – Anna Willett @AnnaWillett9 #HenryRoiPR #ColdCaseMysteries #CrimeFiction #Mystery #QandA

Recently I had the opportunity of hosting a Q&A session with author – Anna Willett, which I conducted, thanks to Anna Willett and Roi PR.
Welcome to my blog Anna and thank you very much for taking part in a Q&A session.

Anna has successfully had 16 published books. Her latest is The Newlywed, which sees Detective Inspector Veronika Pope tackle a cold case and finds there’s a vanishing bride and there’s more to the town that meets the eye. You can find out the blurb below, before seeing what Anna Willett has to say about her book and her writing, about her background and how she winds down and what she is working on next.

Blurb

Detectives dig deep to discover what happened to a lost bride

After travelling to the breezy seaside town of Seabreak with her new husband to meet his twin brother, Jane Wilson vanishes without a trace.

There is never any sign of her again, and despite blame initially being cast on the husband, with no evidence of a crime, nothing is done.

Years later, Detective Inspector Veronika Pope and her team at the Special Crime Squad reinvestigate the disappearance.

What really drove Jane to return to the town? And what made sure she would never leave?

Detective Pope is convinced the town and its windy dunes hold the secrets, but she is faced with the grim determination of others to keep them buried forever…

THE NEWLYWED is Anna Willett’s latest suspenseful mystery. It can be read on its own, or alongside two other books featuring Detective Veronika Pope, THE WOMAN BEHIND HER and THE FAMILY MAN.

Without further ado, onto the Q&A.


1.     Who or what inspired you to write suspense/thriller novels and did you do anything different prior to becoming a writer?  

I’ve always written but didn’t take what I was doing seriously until ten years ago. At the time I was teaching. I still teach part-time.  

 

2.     The Newlywed is your 16th book. How does it feel, knowing you’ve managed to write 16 books and where do you get your ideas from to keep each book fresh?  

The ideas come easily; it’s deciding which ones to turn into a novel that can be tricky. For The Newlywed and The Family Man, book two in the Cold Case Mysteries, I drew inspiration from a couple of infamous Western Australian true crime cases. I take a small part of the crime itself and then everything else is pure fiction.  

I try to keep crimes themselves fresh by drawing on true crime, delving into what’s going on in the world. And also immersing the reader in the setting. Characters, old and new, must be interesting. Recurring characters need to grow and reveal new snippets of their backstory and personality traits. They have to be as real as possible. Dialogue must be authentic. A story grows stale when the same old characters have the same old reaction.  

 

 

3.      The Newlywed is a cold case, what interested you most in choosing going down this avenue of police work?  

I’ve always been fascinated by true crime, solved and unsolved, as well as crime fiction. I enjoy watching true crime documentaries and reading about infamous crimes. I’m interested in the methods used to solve or at least attempt to solve cases. I find myself theorising about certain aspects of the case. It’s a genre that intrigues me in a way that became the impetus to write about cold cases.  

 

 

4.     Your detective is Veronika Pope in the Special Crime Squad tasked with re-investigating the disappearance of Jane, how did you research this particular type of team and the re-opening of cases?  

I have a close friend who was a detective in the West Australian Police force. He is a marvellous source of information. When I’m writing a colds case story, I turn to him form procedural information and also how investigators would react in certain situations.  

I also do a good deal of online research. I try to make the stories as authentic as possible.  

 

5.     How did you feel getting into the mindset of a seaside town and your characters who harbour age old secrets they want to keep buried? Do you, for example, fully immerse yourself with them?  

The town, Seabreak is a fictional place based on several small communities south of Perth. Before writing The Newlywed, I visited these towns, spent days taking photos and immersing myself in the lifestyle. I’ve visited almost all the setting I’ve used in the sixteen books. It helps me to get a feel for a place. It makes it easier to write about the views, the weather the flora and fauna.  

I also live within hearing distance of the ocean, so that helped.  

 

6.         How do you unwind?  

For me, reading makes me a better writer as well as being a fantastic way to relax. I’m also a huge film buff so I love watching movies. I enjoy walking our GSD girl, Karma. Living with a dog is a fantastic way to destress and unwind. There’s nothing like having a wet tennis ball dumped in your lap to remind you to stop and take a break. And I love going out for lunch, trying new cafes and restaurants.  

 

7.         Are you reading and/or writing anything just now?  

I’m reading Watching You by Michael Robotham. He’s one of my favourite authors.  

I’m working on a new cold case, again inspired by a infamous unsolved West Australian case. This story takes place in the Goldfields, a huge, rugged landscape dotted with small remote communities. An area where so many people have vanished or perished.  

It’s a place that can be beautiful but also eerie and I’m excited to be writing about the region. My daughter has spent quite a bit of time in the area, so she’s been a great help with the research.  
 

Facebook:    https://www.facebook.com/Anna-Willett-1732961043643247/?ref=bookmarks

Goodreads:  https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/15315859.Anna_Willett

Twitter: http://twitter.com/AnnaWillett9  

Instagram: Anna Willett | Author (@annawillettauthor) • Instagram photos and videos

#Interview #QandA By Lou with #author of Conveniently Married To A Laird By Jeanine Englert @JeanineWrites @HarlequinBooks @MillsandBoon @rararesources #RomanticFiction #HistoricalRomance #HistoricalFiction

Conveniently Married To A Laird
By Jeanine Englert
Interview/Q&A conducted by Louise (Lou) Bookmarks and Stages blog

Today I have the great pleasure to share with you, an interview with the author of Conveniently Married To A Laird – Jeanine Englert, published by Harlequin, Mills & Boon as part of the blog tour by Rachel Random Tours. Discover more about Jeanine Englert’s inspiration and more as I probe into the darker themes, history and characters within Conveniently Wed to the Laird. Find out why book she is reading, one is which I reviewed and enjoyed… First, take a look the romance oozing from the cover. Discover if all will be as it seems in the eye-catching blurb (no spoilers though). Then, you’ll be all ready for the fascinating interview I have conducted and have ready to present to you, just after the short blurb.

Conveniently Wed to the Laird

The laird’s bridal bid…

Is love too high a price to pay?

When new laird, Ewan Stewart, comes across a wife for sale at a market, he outbids everyone to rescue her. He never intended for Catriona to become his bride, but a convenient marriage could secure his clan’s future and her freedom. They agree that their arrangement must stay free of love, yet Catriona’s bravery and fire intrigue him. Can Ewan resist falling for his wife—the one rule he must not break?

Without further ado, onto the interview.

    1.  Who or what inspired you to write?

I have been writing since I was 8 years old. It was mostly poetry until I went to get my master’s degree in writing that I expanded into short stories and later novels. My first novel took me 11 years to complete and will never see the light of day, as it is horrendous. To quote Karina Gioertz: “I write because in the end it’s the only thing I don’t know how not to do.”

  1. What inspired you to write Historical Romance and set it in Scotland, showing not only a bit of the class system, but also the selling of people, in this case, a wife in the Grassmarket, whom you have Ewan Stewart coming across and how and where did you research this?

I have always loved reading historical romance. Some of my early favourite historical romance authors were Jude Deveraux, Julie Garwood, and Judith McNaught.

I fell in love with Scotland when I studied abroad in England for a semester when I was in college. One weekend in late November, we took a train to Inverness and stayed the weekend. It was a magical experience that I often draw upon when I write my books set in the Highlands.

Much of my research is done from reading books, finding historical articles or letters online, exploring maps, as well as watching modern day videos on YouTube of the places my books are set in since I can’t visit. Having digital access to so many historical documents online has really helped my process.

  1. Conveniently Wed to A Laird is darker than the title suggests, with flashbacks of losing a loved one and references to abuse from a previous husband and foster parent, how did that feel writing about such deep, dark topics and did you do anything after writing them to be in the next moment of your life outside writing?

I think I am naturally drawn to write about these topics based on my original desire and hope to be a social worker and the experiences I had during internships working with survivors of abuse. I suppose I don’t even think of them as dark or deep, but merely part of our society.

I also tend to write in the early hours of the morning before I go to work, so it is quite easy to jump back into my day. As a teacher, I am always busy, on the move, and in the moment when I am at school.

  1. The characters Ewan Stewart and Catriona marry out of convenience to save the Stewart clan, before their romance evolves. Do you think this was commonplace and what inspired you to take this particular angle?

Marriage of convenience is such a uniquely historical trope that I am often drawn to it. The idea of marrying someone out of necessity or convenience rather than love has always interested me. And while I don’t think such marriages were entirely commonplace at the time, I do believe they were at times necessary for both parties involved. I also believe it served Ewan and Catriona’s characters well as they were both disappointed by their past experiences with love and reluctant to the idea of marriage.

  1. What’s next for you, in terms of writing?

I’m currently editing book 1 in The Secrets of Clan Cameron series for Harlequin/Mills & Boon which is titled A Laird without a Past. It will be out in late July of 2023. I am also starting to draft book 2 in that same series.

  1. Are you reading anything at the moment and if so, what?

I just finished Lenora Worth’s Deadly Holiday Reunion as I always love a good suspense, and I’ll be starting The Dead Romantics by Ashley Poston next.