Author Spotlight: Margaret Montgomery

It’s a pleasure to welcome Scottish author Margaret Montgomery to the Reading and Writing blog today. I loved Margaret’s début novel, Beauty Tips for Girls, and the way in which we get to know three very different females and the problems they face. I particularly loved the characterisation of teenager, Katy. Margaret has kindly taken the time to answer my questions, but first a little about the story.

       Paperback                                                                        Kindle       

 

                                               

                                                                           

Beauty Tips for Girls

What happens when bad advice is given at the worst possible time?

Katy is an impressionable teenager obsessed with Misty magazine and its beauty tips. With her once-glamorous mother, Corinne, spiralling into self-destruction, she turns to Misty for advice, with disastrous but often hilarious consequences. Only Katy’s teacher, Jane, has the insight to put her pupil back on track, but she has a story of her own to tell. Can these three very different women each find their own voice in a society obsessed with perfection?

"A true gem. Don't be fooled: although immensely readable and full of wry humour, Beauty Tips For Girls' unflinching observation cuts to the bone." -- Kirsty Logan

Beauty Tips for Girls is available in print and e-book from: Amazon; Cargo; Amazon Kindle

Welcome to my blog, Margaret, and thanks for answering the following questions.

Have you always written fiction? What did you find most difficult about starting a novel?

Yes – I can remember feeling really excited when we were given a story or poem to write at school. It was something I enjoyed doing anyway so it didn’t feel like ‘work’ the way other things at school sometimes did.

Starting the novel wasn’t hard but keeping going when I had a lot on at work, or in my personal life, was difficult at times.

I love the structure of Beauty Tips for Girls. Why did you decide to write from the point of view of a 14 year old girl, her mother and her teacher? Did the story idea or the characters come first?

I wanted to tell the story of how a girl’s character is formed – the influences she has to deal with, and sometimes fight against, to find her own voice. The point of view of the girl (Katy) emerges through the voices of others – magazines and adverts she reads, her teacher and her mother. It is quite far into the novel before Katy actually has a voice of her own, and that is deliberate. The overall story is, I hope, about character – I don’t really remember characters or story coming first.

It’s a while since even my daughter was a teenager and I was slightly appalled by some of the ‘advice’ given in the teen magazine. Is this a real reflection of the kind of thing written these days or did you create a purely fictional magazine?

Girls’ magazines changed quite a lot in the early naughties, when the main part of the novel takes place. Some of them moved from providing fairly innocent advice about boyfriends and how to apply eye make-up to much more explicit topics. The cult of celebrity has become a lot more prevalent in the past twenty years as well and there are a host of magazines with celebrities on the front offering comment about their weight loss, or gain, their fashion faux pas and the like. ‘Misty’ (the fictional) magazine Katy reads is a blend of both these types of magazines. It’s an exaggeration perhaps and a bit satirical but representative of the kind of thing girls can sometimes be absorbing.

The mother is a complex character sensitively written – did you have to do a lot of research about her problems?

Most of the research was done by talking to people who’d been in a similar situation and by reading up on her problem or similar ones. Some of her back story as a mother was more difficult. I don’t give too much of the story away but I did do some research on this as well.

One of the book’s strengths is the addition of the teacher, yet she too has her own hang-ups. Was this character easier or more difficult to portray?

Jane’s difficulties really stem from her life not having gone the way she would have liked. She is grappling with this as the novel opens but does find her way to peace and a more content existence. I guess I wanted to show something of the modern relationship experience – the expectations versus the reality, as it is sometimes, and the circuitous  journey people can take to love in an age when relationships are often very ‘disposable’ for both men and women. If there was a challenge with this character it was trying to portray someone with quite an austere persona who is actually very vulnerable. 

Did you want the novel to convey a strong message, or two, or to reflect life as it is for some? 

I wanted it to reflect life as it is – for some. People are flawed and make mistakes but if they want to, and the circumstances are right, they learn and grow from these. If there is a message it’s about the pressures women are under to be and look a certain way and the effects this can have. I was interested to read recently that some teenage girls have created an app to lodge happy memories in … a sort of on-line ‘journal’ they keep and read themselves as a refuge from social media and all the insecurities created by being ‘unfriended’ or having fewer ‘likes’ than someone else. Katy’s story takes place before the boom in the internet so it’s just texts and some catty comments in the classroom that she has to deal with (as well as the bewildering ‘messages’ from magazines and so forth). But I think the app and the fact that teenage girls have felt the need to create it does show that the pressures girls find themselves under are still very real and to be taken seriously.

Did it take you long to find a publisher and how did/does it feel to be a published novelist?

I found an agent fairly quickly but the publisher took longer. I’m really pleased with the publisher I am with (Cargo) as I like their list and they’ve been great to work with. They recently merged with another Scottish publisher (Freight) and the two companies complement each other really well. Being published is a lot busier than I thought it would be. I suppose I’ve always thought writing was a quiet thing that ended when a story or poem did and began again – quietly – when you started another.

Is it difficult to fit your own writing around your day job?

Yes, in a word. But a day job is necessary and I enjoy what I do (working as a tutor).

What’s next as regards your writing?

I’m working on another novel.

Any tips for new writers?

I don’t feel qualified to give tips but the best advice I’ve been given is just to keep going. If writing’s what you love to do, you’ll probably do it anyway. Feedback is important but I do agree with someone who told me it’s also important to make some judgements of your own. If you incorporated every bit of feedback you ever got into a given piece of writing it would stop being yours. A bit like Katy in the book, it’s important to find, and believe in, your own voice.

Excellent advice, Margaret – thank you!

Margaret Montgomery grew up in Ayrshire and lives in Edinburgh. In addition to an undergraduate degree, she holds a professional qualification in Journalism and M Litt in Creative Writing from the University of St Andrews  She began her working life as a magazine journalist. She has since worked for a number of newspapers, including The Scotsman and Scotland on Sunday.

Throughout most of her working life, Margaret has combined journalism with teaching, and has taught English and Media-related subjects in Scotland and abroad. She currently combines writing with one-to-one tuition for undergraduates and postgraduates. She also teaches short writing courses for the University of Edinburgh's Open Studies department.

Margaret's first novel, Beauty Tips For Girls, was published by Cargo Publishing in 2015.

Follow Margaret on twitter: @MargaMontgomery 

Author Spotlight: Joanna Campbell

I'm so delighted to welcome lovely, talented author Joanna Campbell to the Reading and Writing blog today.  Joanna has been an online friend for many years and I’ve loved so many of her vast number of published short stories that I knew it was only a matter of time until her début novel would be available. Tying Down the Lion is a treat I am looking forward to reading in paperback and Joanna kindly wrote this very interesting post, exploring some of the themes in the novel such as the Kindertransport.

Welcome,  Joanna, and thank you for being my guest today and for writing such an emotive post. I wish you every success with all your writing. 

Tying Down the Lion

It is the summer of 1967 and the Bishop family are departing their house in Britain for a continental road trip. Their destination: Berlin, the gritty city recovering from the bombs of 1939—45 and now sliced in two by the Cold War. Will the journey unite the Anglo-German family, or forever rip them apart?

Not only does Grandma Nell loathe foreigners—especially Bridget, her German daughter-in-law—she is none too pleased about son Roy jamming the whole family into his aging Morris Traveller car for the duration. Granddaughter Jacqueline observes the trip—and the resultant spillage of family secrets—with a keen eye, wry sense of humour and a notepad in which to pen it all.

This is a story of ordinary people in an extraordinary situation, and the discovery of how something divided can be more revealing than a perfect whole. It is a quest for a family who build walls in their minds as they try to discover who they are and where they belong.

Tying Down the Lion is available in paperback and as an e-book from Amazon UK and Amazon US

Kindertransport

Tying Down The Lion is a novel about how people rediscover or recreate their homes after being uprooted, and this theme reflects the Nazi persecution of the Jews and their subsequent suffering and displacement.

In November 1938, a brutal signpost appeared on the path that led to the outbreak of World War II. In one terrible night, the Nazis methodically destroyed and plundered Jewish homes, synagogues and businesses. It came to be known as Kristallnacht, or Night of Broken Glass, the name arising from the shards and splinters of the smashed windows that covered the streets. Likewise, the future for the Jewish community in Germany lay in ruins.

The following month, a rescue mission—the Kindertransport—was set in motion. It would eventually transport ten thousand children, mostly Jewish, from Germany, Austria, Poland and Czechoslovakia to live with foster families in Great Britain. The picture shows the first refugees arriving in Harwich.

In Tying Down The Lion, English narrator, Jacqueline, visits Berlin nearly thirty years after the shattering event that triggered this mass evacuation. She stands in the magnificent, domed Friedrichstrasse railway station where so many bewildered children waited for the train that would take them away from home to begin their lives all over again in a strange country.

Each one carried a small suitcase and wore a manila label around their necks. Armed guards checked their passports, in which the Jewish ‘Sara’ or ‘Israel’ had to be added alongside their own names, so that the Reich ministry could easily identify the Jews. There was also the chilling rubber-stamped word—‘stateless’.

Britain was on the verge of war, but could at least keep these disorientated children safe from tyranny and torture. However, the impending danger in their homeland meant little to the youngest waiting in the queue at the station in Berlin, watching their mothers wave handkerchiefs in farewell. All they knew was the confusion of being wrenched from everything that was trusted and familiar, and from everyone they loved.

Jacqueline contemplates the emotions of the children who left Berlin. Some were orphans with no one to wish them well, whereas those with parents were allowed only to wave goodbye. As they prepared to leave, the Nazis did not permit either adults or children to cry.

Which, Jacqueline wonders, was worse—being taken from your mother, or embarking alone on a journey to the unknown without anyone to see you on your way? Some must have looked out of the train window at their mothers, eyes welling with forbidden tears, while others simply stared ahead, listening to the rumble of the wheels on the track.

Jacqueline, who has a small brother, Victor, imagines a little boy’s mother leaving the station and returning home alone, knowing her child’s life would be spared, but, almost certainly, not her own—the majority of the Kinder never saw their parents again.

After walking out of the station into the sun, she would listen for the last vibration on the track to settle before her smile disappears and she dares to cry. She would hesitate before turning away, scared to go home and see his clockwork train at a standstill, his ranks of cowboys and Indians waiting for him. Her own torture and death lie ahead and the only comfort is that he might soon be home, wherever that will be.

Reading memoirs of those who were part of the Kindertransport, it is striking that some cannot recall the moment of departure, as if a veil had to be drawn across a memory too painful to keep.

After arriving, exhausted and homesick, in a strange land, and having to learn different customs and a foreign language, new roots had to be put down in order to survive and prosper—a mammoth task for an adult, but for a child torn from their homeland, an overwhelming task. Yet for so many of the Kinder, Britain became—and remained—home, both in a practical sense and also within their hearts.

As a way of understanding the theme of home, Jacqueline studies the way spiders repair their webs.

If a spider’s web is broken, the spider starts spinning again straightaway. The silk thread keeps unravelling. The work never ends until the spider dies. He rebuilds anywhere he can, throwing out the dragline to get the work underway for the millionth time.

Finally, there are no more appropriate words than those of German novelist, Hermann Hesse, to capture the theme of home within Tying Down The Lion:

Home is neither here nor there. Home is within you, or home is nowhere at all.

                                                            ***

Thank you so much, Rosemary, for giving me this opportunity to write a guest post, and also for advising me last year to send my novel to the smaller, independent publishers. Brick Lane were the first I tried and, not only did they offer to publish Tying Down The Lion within three weeks of my initial enquiry, they are also wonderful to work with and have made the entire publishing process a great pleasure.

I’m so thrilled for you, Joanna, as you deserve great success!

About Joanna

I began writing in 2008 and my short stories have appeared in numerous publications, including literary and women’s magazines, as well as anthologies. I was delighted to win the Exeter Writers short story competition in 2011 and the Bath Short Story Award’s local prize in 2013.

I write full-time in an old cottage in the Cotswolds while my husband runs his IT consultancy on the other side of the wall. I am supposed to be his secretary, but he can sometimes wait all day for his coffee and has to answer his own calls.

Although I still write short fiction—my collection, When Planets Slip Their Tracks, is being published by Ink Tears Press later in the year—I am enjoying the departure into novel-writing.

I used to teach German and took my degree at Exeter University, living in Germany for a year as part of the course. The scarred city of Berlin inspired me to write Tying Down The Lion and I was thrilled when Brick Lane offered me a publishing contract.

Tying Down The Lion began as a 1,000-word piece that made its way into the shortlists of several competitions. The central characters refused to leave my imagination until I had written another 99,000 words of their story.

You can connect with Joanna on her website, Facebook or Twitter

There is an advance review of Tying Down The Lion on novelist Rachel Connor’s website.

Author Spotlight: Kathleen McGurl

I'm delighted to welcome author Kathleen McGurl to the Reading and Writing blog today. Her alter ego owns the famous Womagwriter blog which has been a great help and source of information to short story writers for many years. Now Kathleen has joined the ranks of novelists with a two book deal from Carina and her latest book, The Emerald Comb, is now available. First a little about the novel.

The Emerald Comb

                                                 

One afternoon, Katie takes a drive to visit Kingsley House, the family home of her ancestors, the St Clairs. She falls in love the minute she sees it. It may be old and in desperate need of modernisation, but it is her link to the past and, having researched her family tree extensively, she feels a sense of belonging to the crumbling old estate.

When it suddenly comes up for sale, she cannot resist persuading her family to sell up and buy it, never telling them the truth of their connection with it. But soon the past collides with the present, as the house begins to reveal the secrets it has hidden for generations. Does Katie really want to discover what she has come from?

The Emerald Comb is available from Amazon UK and Amazon US

This story sounds fascinating, Kath, and it’s on my TBR list. Welcome to my blog and thanks for answering the questions!

You were a short story writer first – how did you make the transition to novels?

I began writing about 11 years ago and actually, the first thing I started was a novel! I tried and failed at a couple of novels before I got into writing short stories. But I always wanted to write something longer, just to prove I could if nothing else. My aim with the first one I wrote was simply to get to the end and edit it, for the experience. It wasn't wasted though – part of that practice novel became my novella, Mr Cavell’s Diamond.

Your plan obviously worked!

Do you find a big difference in the way you write now? Do you have a preference between the two forms of story?

I love the way with novels you can get totally immersed in the story, and really know and understand your characters. I love the depth you can add, and the space and freedom there is to properly develop plot, characters and theme. So these days, I definitely prefer novel-writing. Having said that, there’s a real joy to be had in crafting the perfect short story where not a word is wasted.

Did you have to do a lot of research for this novel and how did you go about it?

I already knew a lot about how to research your family tree, as I've done it myself. I read a lot of historical books – novels, non-fiction and Victorian authors – and I think you absorb a lot of general knowledge through wide reading. I did have to do bits of specific research, e.g did Brighton have a prom in 1840, when was the railway line to Winchester opened, etc. Google is brilliant for this sort of thing!

It certainly is a boon to writers!

What is the most difficult part about starting a new book?

I don’t think starting is particularly hard – it's finishing it that's the problem! However I do like to work to a plan, and that can take time to put together, which is difficult when you are itching to start writing chapter one.

I admire writers who can work to a plan and I imagine it must help with the plot process.

How do you feel about print versus e-books?

I think there's a place for both. I have a kindle and love it, and use it on holidays and long journeys. I love the way the ebook revolution has opened the doors to shorter novels and novellas which wouldn't be cost-effective as print books. But for certain books – e.g those written by friends, those I know I’ll want to keep forever or lend to others – I prefer having the print version.

Roughly the way I think about them too!

How do you promote your book and does it work?

I've been promoting The Emerald Comb like mad over the last few weeks! I contacted a number of book bloggers who kindly reviewed it and posted about it. I've tweeted several times a day, and my fellow Carina authors amongst others have been kind enough to re-tweet. I have a short blog tour coming up at the end of October. And then there are other blogging friends, like yourself, who've hosted me for guest posts or interviews. Does it work? Well, I'm getting some lovely reviews, which will certainly help sell the book!

Do you have a favourite writing place?

I sit on the sofa in what we still call the playroom, with my laptop on my lap and notebooks and papers strewn across the seat beside me, and a cat on the arm of the sofa. If I really need to concentrate away from all noise, I go up to the spare bedroom and curl up on the sofa in there, with a pink knitted blanket over my knees.

Do you find time for hobbies?

Until I got my two book deal from Carina I would have said writing was my main hobby. Now it has moved beyond being a hobby and I sometimes refer to it as my second job. One I love, I hasten to add. I try to keep fit, through running, swimming, zumba. And I have just (one hour ago as I type this) bought a new bike, so better add cycling to the list. Finding time to do everything you want to is always hard, but it’s a matter of priorities. What do you really want to achieve each day – what’s most important? Prioritise that, and make everything else fit around it!

Wise words and I'm awed at your fitness regime and the fact you work full time!

What are your current writing plans?

I am editing my second novel for Carina. It’s another timeslip, this one with a ghostly element. It should be published some time in 2015. I also have an idea for a non-fiction book which I’ll self-publish, part of the ‘womagwriter’ brand if you like, and am desperate to get started on it.

I love a ghostly element!

Any tips for new writers?

When you start, try lots of different genres until you find the one you're best at and most comfortable with. Write what you would like to read. Seek feedback from other writers. And write, write, write!

Thanks so much for taking time to join me here, Kath, and we wish you much success with your novels. And thank you for all the information you've provided on your womagwriter blog.

Kathleen McGurl lives near the sea in Bournemouth, with her husband, sons and cats. She began her writing career creating short stories, and sold dozens to women's magazines in the UK and Australia. Then she got side-tracked onto family history research – which led eventually to writing novels with genealogy themes. She has always been fascinated by the past, and the ways in which the past can influence the present, and she enjoys exploring these links in her novels.

When not writing or working at her full-time job in IT, she likes to go out running or sea-swimming, both of which she does rather slowly. She is definitely quicker at writing.

You can find out more about Kathleen at her website, Facebook, or follow her on Twitter @KathMcGurl

Debut Author Spotlight: Frances Evesham

Today, I'm delighted to welcome to the blog author Frances Evesham, whose début novel, An Independent Woman, is set in the Victorian period, one of my favourite eras. I only recently started the novel as my TBR list is toppling over, in print and e-book, but I can’t wait to continue it from a great beginning that conveys the period very well. Frances has kindly answered the questions I put to her but first, here’s a little about the book.

An Independent Woman

With nothing left from her childhood except a tiny portrait of a beautiful woman and the knowledge of a dreadful secret, Philomena escapes the dangers and fogs of Victorian London, only for a train crash to end her quest for independence and freedom.

Trapped between the upstairs and downstairs occupants of the great country house, she hears whispers of the mysteries that lurk in empty corridors and behind closed doors. Her rescuer, the dangerous, enigmatic Hugh, Lord Thatcham, wrestles with his own demons and makes Philomena’s heart race, but she must fight her passion for she can never marry.

Haunted by her past, Philomena’s only hope of happiness is to confront the evil forces that threaten to destroy her.

An Independent Woman is available from Amazon UK and US, Amazon Universal and the Wild Rose Press. 
For UK residents only, signed print copies are available from Frances Evesham’s author website and blog.

Here's the lovely trailer to whet your appetite!

A warm welcome, Frances, and thanks answering the following questions!

Hello Rosemary. I'm very proud to be interviewed by you on your blog. I've admired your progress as a writer and used your success as a prompt for myself when I wondered whether I would ever find a publisher for my first novel.

Oh, that’s such a lovely thing to say - thank you so much! It’s great to see your first book published.

Please tell us a little about how you became a writer.

I wrote my first story sitting on the floor of my bedroom. It was about horses, because every book I read was about horses when I was ten. I think the world is better off without that book.

I don’t think I would ever have completed a full-length novel except for the invention of the word-processor, or at least the type-writer. I love the idea of writing with a beautiful pen on silky paper, but my handwriting is so bad that anything not typed is indecipherable. I truly envy anyone who writes in longhand.

I aim to write mystery stories with a strong plot, plenty of twists to keep the reader guessing and a little feel-good romance. I want my reader to keep turning the pages until the end, then sigh with pleasure.

Is there a particular reason why you chose the Victorian period?

When I was a child, I met my two tiny great aunts, Annie and Winnie. They were Victorian ladies living in a village post office in the Cotswolds. They wore lace collars, their manners were perfect and they expected me to behave properly, too. They kept a caddy of tea in a special corner cupboard, hung on the wall in the parlour, for visitors.

True Victorians, they were interested in everything I had to tell them, even though they were over 90.  They’d worked all their lives, one as the post-mistress, the other as a teacher. They never married. I loved their active minds and they would have adored the internet.

Passionate curiosity about the world led the Victorians to build railways and bridges, construct sewers and invent photography for all. They even designed special hidden cameras for spying.

The world was changing fast in the 19^th Century and I found it exciting to set a novel in that time, when people believed anything was possible.

Your aunts sound lovely!

Did you have to do a lot of research for this novel and how did you do it?

An Independent Woman moves from the London slums to a great country house, so I had to understand both these settings. Fortunately for me, there is a wealth of information available about the Victorians, both on line and in print.

I have a shelf of books, including the wonderful London Labour and the London Poor, by Henry Mayhew, which includes rich verbatim conversations with people on the streets of London. “Gander,” for example, was a crossing sweeper, proud of being “the fust boy as ever did ornamental work in the mud of my crossings,” drawing anchors and laurels in the black mud.

Mrs Beeton is a great source of information on the ways of the Victorian middle classes.

I think one of the challenges of setting a story in the past is avoiding the trap of modern expressions without resorting to convoluted “historical” speech. I'm constantly amazed to find the Victorians talked much like us. I was part of a project a few years ago, editing some of Charles Dickens’ journals as they went on line, looking for errors in the scanned versions and I often look at the Old Bailey Online to read the witness statements.

Sometimes I find surprises – like the woman who described how she “tea’d” with her aunt, in the same way we would say we “dined.” I hadn't come across “tea” used as a verb before.

Great resources and fascinating snippets!

What is the most difficult part about starting a new book?

It’s hard to marshal all the ideas buzzing around in my head into a single narrative. There’s so much that has to be left out.

An Independent Woman took shape first when I found out about a real event, the Sonning Cutting train crash on the Great Western Railway, that happened on Christmas Eve in 1841. That event became the catalyst that threw Philomena, a poor, working girl, into contact with the aristocratic Lord Thatcham.

Once the hero and heroine became real, they took hold of the story and it moved into areas I hadn't expected when I began. It’s very strange how characters take on a life of their own. They become part of the family!

How do you promote your book and does it work?

Like so many other writers, I find this the hardest part. My great aunts would have been shocked at the very idea of marketing or promoting themselves. They would think it very vulgar! On the other hand, I've met plenty of interesting people through social media.

I do have a written strategy and plan for marketing, because I spent many years working as a project manager so I like to know where I think I'm going. It’s long term, because I'm planning to write a good many more books, so I don’t yet know whether it will work. It’s based on identifying exactly who likes to read my books, growing my Twitter presence and building an email list, so I can talk directly to readers.

I love Twitter, because I can talk to anyone about anything, whenever I want to. It’s great to meet other writers there and it’s also full of people who do other, equally exciting things.

I do have a Facebook account and a separate author page, but I spend less time there. I like writing guest posts and have hosted one or two on my blog. I think that’s one of the best ways writers can help each other.

I write snippets of Victorian trivia on my blog, and I even made a video trailer for An Independent Woman, mainly because I took your advice, Rosemary. I used iMovie on my iPad. It was enormous fun and I’d recommend everyone to have a go, so thanks for that great tip!

I also followed your example and held a Facebook launch party. I held a Victorian tea party, the sun shone, it lasted for just three hours and was tremendous fun. I’ll certainly do that again next time.

Wow – you’re much more organized than I am and it sounds as if you’re doing all that you can to succeed. And I enjoyed that tea party!

Do you have a favourite writing place?

I'm not sure it’s exactly my favourite place, as it’s the tiniest bedroom in the house, available now that my three children have grown. I searched high and low for the smallest desk in the world, so it fitted in. I write with my nose inches from the monitor!

The truth is, once I'm writing, I don’t even notice where I am, so I keep the garden views for coffee breaks.

Do you find time for hobbies?

I'm truly lucky. Writing feels like a full-time hobby because I love it so much. I live in beautiful Somerset, within reach of both the beach and the countryside, so I walk when I need to untangle a messy plot.

I enjoy good food and wine and I like to try out new recipes, though really I'm happiest with pasta and cheese!

What are your current writing plans?

I've returned to Thatcham Hall for my next novel, with a new hero and heroine who have to untangle a different mystery. Along the way, they meet some old friends from An Independent Woman. I'm hoping to get that off to my editor in the autumn and then start work on the next story.

Thatcham Hall is beginning to turn into a sort of Midsomer, where anything can happen!

I also write about communication. I worked as a speech and language therapist for many years, and I've written books for parents on helping their child learn to talk. I've got a non-fiction idea that keeps tapping me on the back and asking me to write it, but at the moment I'm having too much fun in Victorian England.

Lots to keep you busy there!

Any tips for new writers?

I read everything I can get my hands on to help me write, from Stephen King’s On Writing to writing blogs. I also read advice from publishers on how to write query letters and synopses.

I wrote one draft of An Independent Woman, then went back again, and again … The story that came to publication was version 13.

I think the best tip of all is to keep going, learning from rejections. I truly did not believe I would find a publisher, but one day, after hard work, disappointments, despair, nail-biting and vast quantities of Earl Grey tea, I found someone who liked my book. It really can happen.

Great answer – and it shows the necessity and power of perseverance!

You can connect with Frances on her website, Amazon Author Page, Facebook and twitter. 

Frances Evesham writes historical romances and books on communication, leaving her enough time to enjoy bad jokes and wish she'd kept on with the piano lessons.

She collects grandsons, Victorian ancestors and historical trivia. She likes to smell the roses, lavender and rosemary, cooking with a glass of wine in one hand and a bunch of chillies in the other. She loves the Arctic Circle and the equator and plans to visit the penguins in the south one day.

She's been a speech therapist, a professional communication fiend and a road sweeper and she's worked in the criminal courts. Now, she walks in the country and breathes sea air in Somerset.

Debut Author Spotlight: Joan Fleming

I am so delighted to welcome my friend and writing colleague, Scottish author Joan Fleming, to my blog today. Joan’s first novel, What the Future Holds, was released by Tirgearr Publishing a few weeks ago and it is already receiving lots of great reviews. I'm not surprised, since the writing, the setting of the Isle of Mull and the enjoyable story are all so appealing. Joan has kindly answered some questions I put to her, but first a little about the story.

A warm welcome to the blog, Joan – hope you’re managing to keep cool in this unaccustomed heat!

What the Future Holds

Anticipating a relaxing holiday in her idyllic holiday cottage on the Scottish island of Mull, 29 year-old Amy Wilson realises her plans will be ruined by a letter she finds when she arrives. It contains a proposal to build a holiday complex directly in front of her cottage.

The application is in the name of a member of the McFarlane family who are distant relatives of Amy. In their youth, Amy and Sandy McFarlane spent holidays on the island together as part of a larger group of young people.

Whilst she has no wish to enter into a conflict with Sandy, Amy nonetheless determines to fight the plan. This sets in motion a chain of events which changes her entire life, not only in Mull, but also in Glasgow where she works as an accountant and lives with her partner, Matt.

She is about to lose control of the steady pattern of her life, and has no idea what will replace it, what the future holds...

What the Future Holds is available in all e-formats through Tirgearr Publishing and on Amazon Kindle in the UK and US and all other countries.

Firstly, Rosemary, thank you so much for inviting me onto your blog.

It’s a pleasure, Joan!

I know you had a good career as a language teacher, Joan. Please tell us a little about how you became a writer.

Like many writers, I have always scribbled. When the time came to start work again after the early years staying home with my children, I had a decision to make. The education service was crying out for women to return to teaching in certain subjects, one being modern languages.

Around the same time I entered a serial story competition in The People’s Friend. I didn’t win, but I was asked to attend an interview with an editor in the Central Hotel in Glasgow, which I did. She suggested I make a few alterations – and they would publish the story.

My plan was to take the teaching job, and write in my free time! But the free time never materialized. I still scribbled, purely for my own enjoyment. But The People's Friend did publish a short story when I eventually began writing in earnest.

You also write short stories and articles, and now novels. Do you have a preference – and why?

Once I’m started on a novel, I like to carry on, but I sometimes break off, to do one of the exercises set by my writing group, Erskine Writers. If it’s a short story or an article, I get carried away by that. Then it can take me a while to relax into the novel again.

So the answer is: I like them all, but with the encouragement of publication, I’m on a novel roll at the moment.

And a very good roll it is!

Your debut novel is largely set on the lovely Isle of Mull which you describe beautifully. What made you set your story here?

I know and love the island. My father-in-law came from Mull, and we visited regularly as a family. I have a fascination for all the Scottish islands, but Mull is the one I know best.

I love islands!

Did you have to do much extra research for What the Future Holds?

Not really. My main challenge was the names of my characters. The story and the characters are entirely fictitious, and I didn’t want the names of any real people mentioned in the book. A friend who lives on Iona even lent me a book of Mull names!

I did look at maps to judge distances etc. Even so, my lovely editor at Tirgearr Publishing picked up a couple of factual mistakes for me.

What is the most difficult part about starting a new book?

Sitting in front of my computer screen and typing in the title. By that time, I’ve made the decision to write this one, rather than one of the others swirling around in my mind.

Sounds like a good way of doing it!

Do you have a favourite writing place?

It’s very traditional: in my tiny study. I prefer a desktop computer and a QWERTY keyboard and mouse. The small window faces east, but my view of the West Highland Way is on the west side, so I’m not distracted.

How do you promote your book and does it work?

I’m on Facebook and Twitter, I have a blog and a website, but these are all part of a learning curve for me at the moment. It’s hard to say if it works, as it’s only three weeks since my book was published.

Do you find time for other interests?

I enjoy walking, travelling, listening to all kinds of music. I also have a keen interest in the life and work of Robert Burns. And, of course, reading – but that’s the other side of the writing coin.

What are your current writing plans?

I’m in that decision-making period of where I go from here. It will be a novel – but which one? I’ve still to type the title.

Any tips for new writers?

Someone once said that the world takes you at your own evaluation of yourself. If you write, you’re a writer. Believe in yourself.

That’s great advice! Thanks for the interesting answers, Joan, and wishing you lots of success.

I was born and educated in Edinburgh. After graduating in Modern Languages at the University of Edinburgh, I became a teacher of French and German, mainly in schools in the West of Scotland. Since leaving teaching, I now have more time to devote to writing.

I’d been writing for pleasure for many years, and decided to join Erskine Writers, a supportive group which has members at all stages of their writing development – from published novelists to complete beginners. This group is affiliated to the Scottish Association of Writers. I am a member of the Romantic Novelists' Association (RNA) and also of the Society of Authors.

I write short stories, children’s stories and articles, some of which have been published. I’ve written several longer pieces, including full-length novels, which I submitted to the New Writers’ Scheme of the RNA. In the light of advice I was given, I revised my manuscripts, and in December 2013, I was offered a contract by Tirgearr Publishing to e-publish one of my shorter novels, What the Future Holds, which appeared at the beginning of July 2014.

You can connect with Joan on her Website; Blog; Facebook and Twitter: @Joan_Fleming