Behind the Closed Doors of a Thriller Writer - Guest Post Sadie Ryan

This week, I welcome online friend and thriller writer, Sadie Ryan, to my blog. She's the author of Behind Closed Doors and When He Finds You. I've been asking her about her novels and writing process. I hope you enjoy her answers as much as I did.

You’ve written two thrillers. Have you ever been tempted to write in a different genre?

I’m now writing crime thrillers/police procedurals. Before I was published I used to write romance and rom/com. Then I had a break of five years with my writing and when I came back to it, I kind of lost my mojo for romance. After going through a divorce, moving house five times in five years, I guess I became a little cynical about romance.  I have wondered about going back to it now, but when I do have a go they end up too dark! LOL. What does that say about me! 

 

Do you remember where you were and what you were doing when the idea for your latest novel came to you?

The idea for When He Finds You came two me a couple of years ago, when Steve and I were out with friends for dinner and I overheard a conversation on the table behind me.

Can you describe it in one sentence?  

You never know how far you will fall until you're pushed.

 

Are you a plotter or a pantster and how long does it take you to write your thrillers?

I’m definitely not a plotter.  If I’m left alone and didn’t have to work, I could write them in six weeks. Once I get going it’s full on. Sadly, I have a day job so I write in the evenings and weekends, sometimes into the early hours when it’s all flowing. So they usually take me three months.

 

Could you describe your typical writing day?

When I get back from work after dinner and a little R&R on the sofa, I go to my office around 9.30 and start writing. That can be flowing or gridlocked. I find a little chocolate and a G&T often helps nudge it along.

 

I’m sure my readers would love to hear about your road to publication. Was it long and winding or did you take a short cut?

God no, not so much as winding but meandering and certainly long. Ten years or so. When I started writing it was all by post. When I think about it now it was laborious, printing out the right demands for submissions, going to the post office and handing over a small fortune only to have it thump back on the door mat weeks later with a NO. Email submissions are so much easier on us and the trees. Two years ago, Ruby fiction took me on. I must admit, I was losing the faith by then.

 

Do you ever struggle to find inspiration?

I do, yes. But I don’t like to force it. I know it will come. Sometimes my books start in one direction then take a very different road of which I’m powerless to change. So have to go back to the beginning and make the right amendments to make it all fit. That’s the beauty of writing on a computer. The ease with which one can flick back and forth.

 

What aspects of the writing process do you find easiest and hardest?

I really enjoy the editing part the best. And the endings. I find the beginning the hardest to get right. I can’t move on until I’m happy with the beginning.

 

What do you like to do when you’re not writing?

Walking. I love walking with my dog, Willow, although she’s not as keen as I am. She’s a little lazy. I enjoy gardening and find it relaxing tending my garden. Reading and listening to books is my other thing. I’ve always got an audio book on the go, in the car, when I’m cooking or cleaning and when I’m walking. Just plug my ear pods in and off I go. I just love books. I’ve loved them since I go into The Famous Five books at school.

 

What next for Sadie Ryan?

Book three with Ruby will be coming out in 2021 that’s a domestic noir, with a twist on strangers on a train by Patricia Highsmith.

Sadie Ryan is an author who loves animals and lives in leafy Cheshire in the North West of England. She has completed two psychological suspense/domestic noir novels. Her debut novel, Behind Closed Doors, was snapped up by publishers and published May 2019.   

Sadie's second novel WHEN HE FINDS YOU, came out in March 2020Book 3 will be out in 2021

You can buy Sadie's books here:

AMAZON      KOBO     NOOK     GOOGLE PLAY

Contact Sadie here:

WEBSITE

FACEBOOK

TWITTER

The Perfect Romance - Guest Post Mandy Baggot

It's always lovely to welcome guests onto my blog who I've met in real life as well as on social media. This week it's author Mandy Baggot's turn to take the hot seat and she'll be talking about her writing process and her new novel, A Perfect Paris Christmas which is out today!

 

HAPPY PUBLICATION DAY, MANDY!

A Perfect Paris Christmas has just been published. How hard is it to write a Christmas book when the sun is shining and the birds are singing?

It is so so hard! I find it much harder to write Christmas in the nice weather than I do to write summer books in the autumn/winter. My deadlines have moved around a little bit recently though so I have been able to write slightly more in line with the seasons!

Could you describe your novel in a sentence?

Can two broken hearts heal in Paris at Christmas time?

Have you always wanted to write in the romantic comedy genre?

I have always written some form of romance since I was a child. All my stories have been based around that first flash of a connection and how that grows and develops. Comedy is part of who I am and so that has naturally come into my romance writing. I always think life is a perfect mix of love, life and laughs and that’s what I want my stories to reflect.

Are you a plotter or a pantster and how long did it take you to write A Perfect Paris Christmas?

I am a total pantster. When I submit the premise of my book to my publisher it’s quite vague because I really don’t exactly know what’s going to happen yet. My characters really do take me on the journey and I think if I planned everything out in the finest detail I would be bored writing it. The getting to know the characters as I write is the bit that I enjoy the most.

It takes me about 3-4 months to write a book. It was a challenge writing A Perfect Paris Christmas in lockdown with children being home schooled and a husband also working from home…

Are any of your characters ever based on real people?

No. You can never truly base characters on real people. But you can take traits you notice or things that happen in real life and weave them into stories. Actually though, Bo-Bo in A Perfect Paris Christmas was based on a dog in my little Greek village…

Most of your novels are set abroad. How has that come about?

I get asked this a lot. I write two books a year at the moment. One is a summer book usually set in Greece and the other a Christmas book usually set in either London, New York or Paris. I feel really comfortable writing about Greece as I have a house there and spend as much time in Corfu as I can. I provide the foreign escape people are craving, particularly during 2020 when travel was very difficult or non-existent for most people. I like exploring abroad and readers have come to expect me to take them on a trip somewhere that either they’ve been to and love or somewhere they’d like to go one day. My love stories are almost as much about the locations as they are about the characters.

Did you always want to be a writer?

I’ve always written. I never thought I would make it a full-time job. It seemed to be an elite profession that ‘normal’ people would never be able to achieve. But now it is more accessible as a career than ever before. Starting out self-publishing definitely shaped my career in the best of ways. Success had to be achieved on my own – there was no editor, no proof-reader, just me - and I am really proud of how things have developed since those humble beginnings. Were those first books perfect? Of course not! But readers are still loving and enjoying them now. Growing on the job, thrusting my work out onto Amazon and trusting my instincts that the stories would be enjoyed has been the best thing for me. I truly appreciate every stage of publishing now.

Could you describe your typical writing day?

Every day starts with a school run and usually some exercise and then I get down to social media first. Real writing of words starts around 11am until 3pm with answering emails in between and doing the mum stuff of washing and housework too. The pick-up school run starts about 3.15pm and I don’t usually write again unless I am on a tight deadline or need to edit or answer more emails. I try and have the weekends off but that depends on deadlines or if I have a book promotion that needs shouting about. It’s a really full on job but I love it!

What is the best piece of advice would you give to an aspiring romantic fiction writer?

Always trust your own writing voice and never try to emulate anyone else. Seek inspiration be reading and reading some more but remember your own style and stick to it. Don’t be put off by negative feedback, take the positives from every criticism, because there will be positives there. Enjoy your writing, because if you’re not enjoying it then what’s the point?

What next for Mandy Baggot?

Well, I am deep into my next book (my 22^nd novel!) for summer 2021. I can’t tell you what it’s called yet, but it is set in Greece…

Mandy Baggot is an international bestselling and award-winning romance writer represented by Tanera Simons of The Darley Anderson Literary, TV and Film Agency.


Mandy is best-known for her laugh-out-loud romantic comedies featuring strong heroines, gorgeous heroes and always that happy-ever-after!

The winner of the Innovation in Romantic Fiction award at the UK's Festival of Romance, her novel, One Wish in Manhattan, was also shortlisted for the Romantic Novelists' Association Romantic Comedy Novel of the Year award in 2016. Mandy's books have so far been translated into German, Italian, Czech and Hungarian.

Mandy loves the Greek island of Corfu, wine, cheese, Netflix, country music and handbags. Also a singer, she has taken part in ITV1's Who Dares Sings and The X-Factor.


Mandy is a member of the Society of Authors and lives near Salisbury, Wiltshire, UK with her husband and two daughters.

Visit Mandy's website at www.mandybaggot.com or follow her on Twitter @mandybaggot, Instagram @mandybaggot and Facebook @mandybaggotauthor.

 

Buy A Perfect Paris Christmas:- https://amzn.to/2Ygmf9R

Meet The Woman Downstairs - Guest Post Elisabeth Carpenter

How Exciting! Today I have another author lovely on my blog as part of my 'Psychological Thriller Author' series. Please welcome Elisabeth Carpenter whose novel 'The Woman Downstairs' was published in November. 

Have you always written in the psychological thriller genre?

The first manuscript I wrote was about a man who died and went to an afterlife. I classed it as ‘women’s fiction’ with supernatural elements. It was great fun to write and I worked on it for years before finally giving up the ghost (I know, groan!). I then wrote another three: literary, dystopian, historical, before I developed an idea for a psychological thriller.

Like many writers of this genre, I’d read the genius that was Gone Girl. The gripping internal struggles combined with the page-turning mystery really inspired me. I’m now writing my fifth psychological thriller and I love writing them!

I’m sure my readers would love to hear about your road to publication. Was it long and winding or did you take a short cut?

As per the above, it was long and winding! I subbed my first manuscript to about fifty agents and didn’t get more than a standard rejection. When I sent out my literary novel, I received seven requests for the full manuscript. It also won a Northern Writers Award, and I took this as a sign I was getting better. I didn’t get any offers of representation for this book, but I kept going and worked on my psychological thriller. I realised that it’s not just the quality of writing that captures the attention of an agent, it has to have a great hook.

I subbed 99 Red Balloons almost a year later and received four offers of representation. I signed with Caroline Hardman from Hardman & Swainson, and a few months later, signed a book deal for two books with Avon HarperCollins. It was a dream come true.

We all write differently. Could you describe your typical writing day?

My writing day depends how close to deadline I am! It would begin after dropping my son off at school. If I have a few months to deadline, I aim for 800-1500 words a day. Sometimes I find it hard to get into the flow, and I tend to be easily distracted with Netflix! I have to force myself to sit in front of the laptop. I love to write longhand with a nice fountain pen, but this can be time consuming.

Nearer the dreaded deadline, I will write for several hours a day and give myself small rewards for hitting self-appointed targets (an episode of the latest drama for example or read a chapter of a book).

School holidays are different, of course. I might get the odd half an hour to write, but usually I have to wait until bedtime to get those words down.

Where did you get the inspiration for your last novel?

The Woman Downstairs was inspired by the true-life story of Joyce Vincent. Joyce’s remains were found in her flat more than two years after she died. The documentary Dreams of a Life by Carole Morley featured Joyce’s friends who couldn’t believe that she died alone and went undiscovered for such a long time. They described Joyce as vivacious and loved life and assumed she was travelling, still living a glamourous life.

The location of The Woman Downstairs is a northern town – I set most of my novels in Lancashire. It follows the story of two women brought together by the discovery of a body in their block of flats.

Could you describe it in one sentence?

When human remains are found in a ground floor flat, the residents of Nelson heights are shocked to learn that there was a dead body in their building for nearly three years.

Are you a plotter or a pantster and how long does it take you to write your thrillers?

I used to be a pantster and would take a year to write my first drafts then months and months editing the hell out of it. Then I was lucky enough to get published and with that comes contracts. Writing to a deadline is often challenging – I must like torturing myself because in the past I wrote so close to sending it to my editor that sometimes I was in tears with the stress of it all.

This time, I wrote a detailed plan, chapter by chapter and I’m aiming to finish the first draft by the end of January so I can have at least a month editing it. Editing is my favourite part. I say that because I’m in the middle of the first draft. When I’m editing, writing the first draft will be my favourite part. The first draft takes about six months to write.

What does your family think of your writing?

They are so proud! My eldest son said he would read my book if I was ever published, but he hasn’t yet. I think he might think it a bit cringey! My youngest son thinks I’m famous because I’m ‘on Google’ – which is really sweet.

What do you like to do when you’re not writing?

I go to an art class every Tuesday, which is so relaxing, and we have a lot of laughs. I love seeing friends and family, and of course watching Netflix. I love reading but now I read differently to how I did before I was published as I tend to scrutinise everything!

How important do you think social media is to a writer?

I entered the Richard and Judy Search for a Bestseller a few years ago. The organisers were a few days late announcing the results (I now know that most competitions contact those shortlisted a few days before) and there were several other writers on the competition’s Facebook page. We used to check-in several times a day and when the results were published, we consoled each other and decided to create a Facebook group. After a few months we met up and got along so well. We meet up once or twice a year and it has been such a support, and I’ve met some wonderful friends.

As an author, I don’t use Twitter as much as I should, nor do I update my Facebook page as often as I’d like, but it’s a great place to share news and I love hearing from readers who’ve enjoyed my books. Every time I get a message from a reader saying they’ve enjoyed my books gives me the push to keep going – because sometimes, as a writer, you wonder why you’re doing it, that I should be doing something more useful with my time!

What next for Elisabeth Carpenter?

I’m in the midst of writing the first draft of The Vacancy (working title – the only title I’ve ever been ‘allowed’ to keep was 99 Red Balloons). It’s about a woman who goes to work for a writer as her live-in assistant. But of course, being a psych thriller, nothing is quite what it seems!

Elisabeth Carpenter lives in Preston with her family. She loves living in the north of England and sets most of her stories there – including the one she is writing at the moment. Her fourth novel, The Woman Downstairs, is out now.

You can buy The woman Downstairs here

Where you can find Elisabeth:

Facebook          Website

Lies, Lies Lies - interview with Rona Halsall

Week four of my psychological thriller series and this week I'm delighted to welcome fellow Bookouture author Rona Halsall to my blog. Rona has written four thrillers, with her fifth coming out next May. 

I hope you enjoy the interview.

Do you remember the moment you decided you wanted to be a writer?

Hmmm. Tricky one. I’m not sure there was a precise moment. I think it was an idea for many, many years that I’d like to have a go at writing a novel and that was the goal – just to get a story written. I think once I started though, I loved the process and then my ambitions grew. I felt like I’d found something I wanted to pursue to a higher level. So my first challenge was getting it finished. Then I pitched to an agent at a literary festival and she liked my writing. Once I realised my first story wasn’t going anywhere, I wrote another and worked on that, my ambition being to get an agent. Once I had an agent, my ambition was to get a publisher. And once I had a publisher, then I had a two book deal, so had to come up with another story. So it’s been an incremental process rather than one definitive decision!

What were you like at school? Would your English teacher be surprised to see that you have become a published author?

I was the kid who did other people’s coursework essays for them because I just loved making things up. It was my favourite subject and one of the few lessons where I actively joined in, so I don’t think my English teacher would be that surprised.

How long did it take you to write Her Mother’s Lies?

Crikey that’s another tricky one, because where does the writing start? Is it with that nugget of an idea that slowly blossoms into a story line over weeks, maybe months as you daydream your way through the washing up? Or is it actively putting words on paper? 

The story for Her Mother’s Lies didn’t come fully formed – it developed over time, starting with a what if question that gradually grew into an outline over a period of months. Once I had my outline, the first draft was written from start to finish in just over a month. Then I had another month for the first round of edits, by which time, most of the wrinkles had been ironed out. After that, the second round of edits was a matter of tweaking little bits of the plot and finessing the ending. Then there’s copy edits and proofreading before the book can be considered finished. The whole process takes about 6 months from writing the first word to having a printed book in my hand.

I love the cover. How important do you think the cover is to a potential reader?

I think the cover is key to a reader because if that doesn’t attract their attention, they won’t even bother reading the blurb. But it’s so hard to illustrate the concept of a book with one image – I have the greatest respect for cover designers! And I would have to admit to being a bit of a cover nerd. Yes, I have bought books just because I like the cover!

Are you a pantster or do you plot?

My very first book, I was a pantser, but as I’m with a digital publisher and the pace is quick, I’ve come to understand the value of plotting! And I think psychological thrillers need a bit of careful plotting if the twists are going to work. We love an unexpected twist, don’t we?

Can you tell my readers something about the main character that will make us want to find out more about them?

The main character in Her Mother’s Lies is Martha, a 24 year old animal nurse who still lives at home in rural Cornwall with her diabetic mother, who is also an alcoholic. They have a tricky relationship and Martha feels trapped. After Martha loses her job, they have an argument, her mother drinks herself into a diabetic coma and Martha finds a shocking message on her mother’s phone. That’s the first lie. But there’s more and in her search for the truth, the web of lies that has shaped Martha’s life starts to unravel.

What have you found to be the most difficult thing about writing a novel?

I think structural edits are the hardest stage. That’s when you get feedback from your editor and you sometimes have to turn the whole story upside down and inside out. Or chop big chunks out and put new chunks in. It’s definitely the part that makes my brain ache as I try to keep hold of all the different story threads while I make the changes!

Do you have a special time for writing? How is your day structured?

I like to get up early and write first thing in the morning when everything is peaceful and quiet and before the jobs of the day have to be tackled. But I tend to split my day into chunks – before breakfast, mid morning and then afternoon. That’s the theory anyway, although life often has different plans!

How much research did you have to do for Her Mother’s Lies?

The story is set in Cornwall, so I had to find the right location and get a feel of what would work best for the story, find out where hospitals were etc. Then I had a fair bit of medical research as well, but I really love that stage as you don’t know where it will lead you!

We share the same lovely publisher, Bookouture. In what ways have they helped you with your writing journey?

Bookouture have been amazing!  I love the working relationship I have with my editor and feel the more books we do together, the more we understand each other and the better we work together. My books are so much better with her input and ideas. The editing process is very thorough at Bookouture as well, so there are lots of opportunities to make improvements and fine tune your story to make it the best it can be. They also do great covers, have an excellent marketing and PR team and the audio version they’ve done for Her Mother’s Lies is fabulous.  The other great thing is the author’s lounge, a Facebook group where we can go and have a chat to fellow authors, ask questions, have a moan, procrastinate. It makes you feel connected because writing is a very solitary occupation.

What next for Rona Halsall?

  

More psychological thrillers! I have two more books out next year. The first, which I’ve written and am editing now, is out at the beginning of May and the second is out at the end of September.

I am also going to make sure I get to the Crime Writing Festival at Harrogate next year as I haven’t been able to get there yet and it looks so much fun – meeting readers and other authors, lots of chatting – maybe see you there?

Rona is the author of Best Selling psychological thrillers HER MOTHER'S LIES, THE HONEYMOON, LOVE YOU and KEEP YOU SAFE.

She lives on the Isle of Man with her husband, two dogs and three guinea pigs. She is an outdoorsy person and loves stomping up a mountain, walking the coastal paths and exploring the wonderful glens and beaches on the island while she's plotting how to kill off her next victim. She has three children and two step-children who are now grown up and leading varied and interesting lives, which provides plenty of ideas for new stories!

To find out more about Rona's novels, go to www.facebook.com/RonaHalsallAuthor or follow @RonaHalsall on Twitter or Instagram @ronahalsall.

Amazon author page: hhtps://tinyurl.com/yyppq9fx

Location, Location, Location - Guest Post Louise Mangos

I just love reading stories set in other countries and I love reading suspense. Author Louise Mangos has combined both of these elements in her two thrillers, Strangers on a Bridge and Her Husbands's Secrets, which is why I was delighted when she offered to write a piece for Wendy's Writing Now on the importance of setting in a novel.

Over to you, Louise.

I believe it was Mark Twain who initially coined the phrase “Write what you know.” Like me, he was a voracious traveller, and often spent weeks at a time in the settings of his stories.

Both my suspense novels are set in different areas of Switzerland, and I am lucky enough to have spent several years in two of the locations. My debut, Strangers on a Bridge, is set in and around the valley where I currently live.

My second novel, Her Husband’s Secrets (previously titled The Art of Deception) has a dual timeline in two settings. The backstory is set in the area I lived for more than 16 years when I first arrived in Switzerland many years ago, a ski resort in the French-speaking part of the country. Although never once mentioned by name in the novel, the resort of Leysin is the setting for artist Lucie’s torrid love affair with ski teacher and womaniser, Matt. Their union deteriorates into a shaky relationship of increasing mistrust, coercion and deception. But Lucie cannot leave because they have a son together. And then one afternoon something terrible happens.

The present-day part of the story is set in Switzerland’s only all-female prison, Hindelbank, situated north of Bern. The prison required a significant amount of research as I hadn’t been there before, but became fascinated with its history as I began researching where the convicts in my story might be imprisoned. Hindelbank prison is built within the grounds of a magnificent castle, and was originally a work house for disreputable young women. It has a tainted past, and I was able to weave some of these facts into the novel’s narrative. I visited the prison several times, conducted interviews with the prison staff, and was given a tour of the communal and work spaces. For the remaining information about the day-to-day life, routines, philosophy, and the sleeping quarters for the prisoners, I was able to ask the prison director and she willingly shared the information I required. I even bought crafted objects made by the prisoners for their annual Christmas market – the Schlossmärit – an event I also managed to include in the story.

Although I know my settings intimately, I work hard to bring them to life for the reader. There are some amazing locations in Switzerland for the settings of stories. I like to portray them with a complexity I might award to any of my characters. The geography and climate are as moody as the people I write about.

So I do agree with Mr Twain: Write what you know. But I also believe writers should research what they don’t know to make their novels better.

 Book link:  Amazon

Louise is a compulsive writer and drinker of Prosecco. Her novels, short stories and flash fiction have won prizes, have been placed on several shortlists and read out on BBC radio. Apart from the two novels mentioned above, her short fiction has appeared in Mslexia and Firewords, and in the Hammond House, Brighton Prize, Nivalis, Ellipsis Zine, Bath Flash Fiction, Hysteria, and Reflex Press anthologies. She lives in central Switzerland with her Kiwi husband and two sons.

You can find Louise here:

www.louisemangos.com

www.facebook.com/LouiseMangosBooks/

@LouiseMangos 

Who's for a Dirty Weekend? Guest Post Deirdre Palmer

It's always a pleasure to have returning guests on my blog. Today, it's the turn of my good friend and author, Deirdre Palmer. It isn't just Deirdre who is making a second appearance though - her two great books, Dirty Weekend and Moonshine (both set in the 60s) are also having another outing. Check out their fabulous new covers! 

If you haven't already read Deirdre's novels, I'll let her tell you a little more about them. Over to you, Deirdre.

When Wendy heard I was re-launching two of my books, she kindly invited me onto her blog to spread the word. Thanks, Wendy!

They say ‘write what you know’ and that was the advice I had in mind when I wrote Dirty Weekend. It’s also said that if you remember the sixties, you weren’t there. Well, I was there, and I do remember, which made this book a whole lot of fun to write!

Dirty Weekend was taken up by my publisher at the time, and looked after very well, as was Moonshine later. Recently, with the future of those books with the publisher looking uncertain, I took the difficult decision to liberate them from their contracts and send them back into the world with a fresh new look. The stories might be set in the 1960s but the problems that face the characters are universal and just as relevant today.

Without giving away too much of the plot, in Dirty Weekend, Jeanette doesn’t see the weekend in Brighton as just a bit of fun. For her it’s an escape from the unspoken horrors of her home-life. In Moonshine, Beverly’s first experience of unrequited love sends her emotions and actions into free-fall, almost wrecking the holiday on a Torbay caravan site. Also in Moonshine, an unexpected find on a removals job pitches Terry into agonies of indecision when he learns that doing ‘the right thing’ is never that straightforward.

But it’s not all gloom, far from it. Themes of friendship, loyalty, love and sex, run through both books, and there’s a whole lot of laughter, too. At least, I hope my readers find plenty to laugh at!

Here’s a taster from Dirty Weekend.  The grim reality of arriving in Brighton without booking a B&B beforehand has just struck home…

“The room was fantastically grim, Mark thought, looking about. For a start, it was up four flights of creaky stairs and slotted in under the eaves so that you couldn’t stand up in the parts where the ceiling sloped down. The bed was missing a leg and had a fishing tackle box supporting the fourth corner, and the bedspread thing thrown over the blankets must once have had a pattern on it but had migrated into a murky mixture of oranges and browns with no distinction between the two. As for the mattress, well, he didn’t even want to think about that, let alone take a butcher’s at it. He couldn’t see any actual dirt anywhere, but everything in the room was so worn out it must have pre-dated the D-Day landings.

Remembering Terry’s prior claim to this room as his and Carol-Anne’s love-nest, Mark laughed to himself. Terry seemed not to have noticed the state of the place, or if he did, he didn’t care. He definitely hadn’t spotted the fishing tackle box, but there was no point in bringing it up now.

Yes, on balance, he approved of Terry’s version of tonight’s sleeping arrangements. The girls’ room across the road in Pier View was probably a damn sight better than this one – it could hardly be worse – so all he’d have to worry about, providing Jeanette didn’t take it into her head to spoil the party, was getting into Pier View and up those stairs without having his collar felt by the landlady.”

© Deirdre Palmer 2015

Dirty Weekend and Moonshine are available from Amazon.

https://amzn.to/2MOIwn2

https://amzn.to/2MQfIus

Deirdre is the author of seven novels and a collection of short stories, writing under her own name and as Zara Thorne.  She is published by Crooked Cat Books, and independently. 

To find out more about Deirde, visit her website

A Fortnight is Not Enough - Guest Post Rosemary Goodacre

How exciting to add another RNA writing friend to my list of guest bloggers. Today, it's the turn of Rosemary Goodacre, whose debut novel, A Fortnight is Not Enough, was published this week by American publisher, Books to Go Now.

Wanting to find out more about her book, I asked Rosemary a few questions.

Can you remember where you were and what you were doing when the idea for A Fortnight is Not Enough first came to you?

Often, during a memorable holiday, I enjoy a fantasy about not returning home.

You’ve met me in an elevator. Can you convince me to buy your novel before it reaches the ground floor?

Have you ever enjoyed a holiday so much you couldn’t bear to go home? When Imogen meets Jules in Provence her three days there extend to a fortnight, and then she deliberately misses her flight home…

How long did it take you to write?

I had the initial idea for a long while before I decided how it would end and chose the setting. Once I had all the ingredients it only took a few weeks, as it’s a novella of about 20,000 words.

Are you a planner or a pantster?

I find I need an outline plan before I start. I generally do a chapter breakdown, to decide if there’s enough story, and have an idea how it will end. I’m not an obsessive planner, though, and you need to be prepared for the characters to suddenly develop and take you in a new direction.

What was the hardest scene to write?

Imogen has an old boyfriend, Luke, who wants her to return home. She was attracted to him, but now she has met Jules she becomes aware of the flaws in Luke’s character.

When you write a character, do you have an image of a real-life person in your head?

Sometimes I do. It can help you begin a story but in different circumstances the person might take unexpected actions.

What do you like to do when you’re not writing?

When I’m not actually sitting at the computer I enjoy belonging to writers’ groups, for social events and to keep abreast of industry developments. I belong to The Write Place creative writing school and the New Writers Scheme of the Romantic Novelists’ Association. Both provide stimulation, advice and encouragement.

I also do voluntary work one day a week for a charity which trains disabled adults. I take a monthly half day walk with a group through the attractive local Kent countryside. I also belong to Friends of the Earth, because I’m very concerned about what we’re doing to the planet, and anxious we don’t spoil it for future generations. I love travel, particularly to the continent, and enjoy classical music.

What does your family think of your writing?

My husband doesn’t normally read novels, and my sons are more likely to read action-packed ones than romance. They’re impressed that I’ve been published, though. My husband read my novella just before it was released and found a mistake in the spelling of a place name, luckily when it could still be corrected.

What next for Rosemary Goodacre?

I have recently completed a full length novel entitled The Day of the Dolly Bird, which is a romance set in London in the Swinging Sixties. It has received a largely encouraging report from a professional novelist. I am currently working on a romance set in World War I.

Thank you so much, Wendy, for inviting me to your blog. The visit has been very enjoyable.

Links:

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https://twitter.com/RoseGoodacre

Rosemary Goodacre has worked in the computer industry and teaching, besides raising a family. She loves writing and has had short stories published, besides her novella, A Fortnight is not Enough.

Her historical novel Pleasure Train Polka (set in an Austrian spa town in summer 1914) was shortlisted in the 2014 Write Time competition run by Corazon Books.

Rosemary has recently completed a romantic novel set in the 1960s entitled The Day of the Dolly Bird. Currently she is working on a historical novel set in World War I.

Rosemary belongs to the New Writers Scheme of the Romantic Novelists’ Association. She is interested in travel, languages and classical music. She lives in Kent, England.