Posted Friday, 29 April, 2016 by jorielov After the Lie, Bookouture, Kerry Fisher 2 Comments
Hard to believe my interview series featuring #Bookouture authors is winding down – as my initial batch of conversations are drawing to a close! I am hopeful I can continue to converse with the lovely authors of this Indie Publisher in the UK, as each conversation I have been sharing (and will be!) has been such an enjoyable feast of words and a wealth of sharing our writerly lives with one another – whilst giving little hints about what each story now releasing will involve. It’s become a welcome glow on my blog, as prior to assembling these interviews, I had never heard of Bookouture and I have Ms Driscoll to thank for this lovely rendezvous and joyfulness!
Each time I set to mind which stories I wanted to highlight during this interview series, I wanted to seek out stories which would touch my heart but also, might challenge me a bit emotionally. Women’s Fiction is full of heart-centred dramatic story-lines – where you get to step directly into the shoes of a woman whose own life is not just different from your own, but it’s set to a higher pitch of a dramatic background. I love reading about lives full of adversity and strife, whilst seeing how each character in turn picks up the pieces of their lives and carries forward renewed and strengthened despite the obstacles which befell them. These are the type of stories whose truism to our own contemporary lives give us a portrait of how we might live through similar circumstances – hopefully for the better for having learnt of the character’s journey but if not, perhaps a renewed strength from having read their story.
I love finding fictional stories whose evocation of a lived life is so honestly realistic, the person on the page could quite literally walk out of the ink and folds of paper to alight in reality. When I first read the premise behind ‘After the Lie’ I was curious from the sociological and psychological juxtapositions how this family might surmount the secrets which are starting to percolate to the surface. It’s definitely an interesting proposition for a story to funnel out as the novel unfolds, and thus, I was quite inspired by what to ask the author on it’s behalf!
I hope you enjoy our conversation and perhaps, I might have inspired you to pick up a copy of ‘After the Lie’ or any of the other lovely Bookouture titles I’ve been featuring! If I have, kindly let me know in the comment threads below this post or on each individual interview, too. I am blessed by your visit and happy to find my readers are enjoying this interview series, too! In other words, these guest features have been some of the most popular recently read posts on Jorie Loves A Story! Rock on, dear hearts!
To gain a bit of a back-story on how I came to host Bookouture authors,
please visit my first conversation I featured with this publisher with Teresa Driscoll!
One little lie can make one big difference …
Lydia has the ‘right’ kind of friends, her children are at the ‘right’ kind of school and she’s married to the ‘right’ sort of man – kind, steady, reliable Mark. Her wedding business is flourishing and even though she is at loggerheads with her mother, she couldn’t ask for anything more from life.
But the truth is that Lydia has been lucky. She has been living a lie for years and Mark has no idea who he is really married to. But nothing lasts forever and the past has a funny way of catching up with the present. When the person who knows all of Lydia’s dark little secrets turns up at the school gates, his presence threatens to blow Lydia’s life apart.
What is Lydia’s terrible truth? Once the secret is out, you can’t put it back …
Your opening greeting to readers on your website is that you write stories about ordinary life, everyday humour and family life. It might sound quite ordinary but to turn everyday life into a compelling read takes charisma. How do you approach your writings to make them realistic but also refreshingly unique where each woman who reads the story can find it resonating with them?
Fisher responds: When I am thinking of ideas for the next novel, I go onto forums such as Mumsnet to see what ‘ordinary’ women are discussing and asking advice about. I listen to my friends and their stories, (or people bellowing their problems into their mobile phones on trains and in cafés) and then I try to think of the most extreme – but credible – version and add in as many complications and conflicts as possible. Read More
Posted Friday, 29 April, 2016 by jorielov in Blog Tour Host, Bookouture, Indie Author, Reader Submitted Author Interview, The Writers Life, Women's Fiction, Writing Style & Voice
Posted Thursday, 28 April, 2016 by jorielov Camelot's Queen, Guinevere's Tale, Lawson Gartner Publishing, Nicole Evelina 0 Comments
Certain stories I am reading evoke such an awareness of presence, both in conception and the backbone of it’s world-building, I become inspired to ask the writer to shed a bit of light on how they drew inspiration to first conceive these ideas and how they were able to manifest them inside their story as a whole.
When I first read Daughter of Destiny, I had such a strong connection to the manner in which the whole story came alive in my mind’s eye – it was such a powerful dramatic historical story, and the beauty of it was how Ms Evelina approached re-telling such a well-known canon of influence!
Which is why I had this to say on the author’s behalf:
The research Evelina put into this work of a trilogy is evidenced by how she chose to tell the story, first through direct sight of Guinevere approaching hard choices and managing her emotions in the thick of it and secondly, through enlivening the background with such scope of depth as to embrace the mystical and mythology of how Camelot exists. She even kept the continuity alive by bringing together the origins of those who call Avalon home with their familial heritages and beliefs; such as I celebrated in seeing Guinevere’s Rhiannon and Lugh arriving in time for her ascension to Priestess of Avalon. The fundamentals of religion and ancestry are inter-woven to the core of who Guinevere is and what she stood for thereby granting the reader a more grounded vision of the woman Guinevere became latter in life. – quoted from my review on behalf of Daughter of Destiny
If you are seeking an author who champion’s strong women and who approaches telling their story in a multi-layered approach with a stirring plot which highlights their character’s journey through a legacy you felt you knew previously but only had a smidge of a hint about – this is your author! I loved how the historical layers merged so wonderfully into the mystical and how Evelina truly wrote a story for women today who are seeking such a strong narrative in our modern world, where Feminist Historical Fiction is starting to become a focal point of interest.
She truly captured my heart and my mind, enriching the experience in getting to know Camelot in such a personal way as to give me a hearty read about a woman I thought I had understood but hadn’t quite realised the adversities and the pressures of her society she had to overcome in order to live the life she was meant to lead.
History remembers Guinevere’s sin, but it was Arthur who transgressed first.
Forced into a marriage she neither anticipated nor desired, Guinevere finds herself High Queen, ruling and fighting alongside Arthur as they try to subdue the Saxons, Irish and Picts who threaten Britain from every direction. Though her heart still longs for her lost love, Guinevere slowly grows to care for her husband as they join together to defeat their enemies.
Meanwhile, within the walls of Camelot their closest allies plot against them. One schemes to make Guinevere his own, another seeks revenge for past transgressions, while a third fixes her eyes on the throne. When the unthinkable happens and Guinevere is feared dead, Arthur installs a new woman in her place, one who will poison his affections toward her, threatening Guinevere’s fragile sanity and eventually driving her into the arms of her champion.
Amid this tension a new challenge arises for the king and queen of Camelot: finding the Holy Grail, a sacred relic that promises lasting unity. But peace, as they will soon learn, can be just as dangerous as war. As the court begins to turn on itself, it becomes clear that the quest that was to be Arthur’s lasting legacy may end in the burning fires of condemnation.
This highly anticipated sequel to Daughter of Destiny proves there is much more to Guinevere’s story than her marriage and an affair. See the legend you think you know through her eyes and live the adventure of Camelot’s golden days yourself – but prepared to suffer its downfall as well.
Book No. 1 Daughter of Destiny (review)
Book No. 2 Camelot’s Queen releases 12th of April 2016
Book No. 3 Mistress of the Legend releases late 2016/early 2017
The topic which I most wanted to hear Ms Evelina’s response about her series:
How did you conceptionalise the supernatural elements which are threaded through Guinevere’s tales whilst acknowledging the rich legacy of the original canon but augmenting a bit outside of it to pepper in your own inclinations towards what you felt would be a good interpretation of the magic and organic telling of the story? Did you find any sequence of this to be most challenging to show visually inside of the novels?
That’s a really great question, and one with a long answer. When I first set out to write these books, I considered stripping them of all magic and making them pure historical fiction, but that felt too sterile to me. It’s probably because I want to believe in magic. I just couldn’t conceive of Arthurian legend without at least a little magic. Read More
Posted Thursday, 28 April, 2016 by jorielov in 6th Century, After the Canon, Arthurian Legend, Avalon, Blog Tour Host, Britian, British Literature, Debut Author, Debut Novel, Earthen Magic, Earthen Spirituality, Folklore and Mythology, Historical Fiction, Historical Fiction Virtual Book Tours, Historical Romance, History, Indie Author, Inspired By Author OR Book, Mythological Societies, Parapsychological Gifts, Passionate Researcher, Re-Told Tales, Reader Submitted Guest Post (Topic) for Author, Spirituality & Metaphysics, Supernatural Fiction, Superstitions & Old World Beliefs, Warfare & Power Realignment, Women's Fiction, Wordsmiths & Palettes of Sage, Writing Style & Voice
Posted Tuesday, 26 April, 2016 by jorielov Bookouture, Daughters of the Silk Road, Debbie Rix 0 Comments
One of the blessings of hosting the authors of Bookouture, has been happily finding all the lovely styles of stories emerging out of this UK Indie publisher! I have a soft spot for historicals – when I can curl inside a slice of the historical past I have not yet had the pleasure of exploring, there is an overwhelming bubbling of joy bursting in my readerly heart! I love travelling through the different portals of time, but I also, love finding myself being in a position where I can learn something about History through the eyes and lives of strongly writ characters who endear you to their stories inasmuch as the timescape by which they are living!
Daughters of the Silk Road appealed to my sensibility for antiques and the artifacts passed down through generations which withhold stories of their own, as they are moved through time from one person to another. This is one reason I find it incredible to be browsing through an antique emporium and/or attending an auction – what curious thoughts dance through a writer’s head inasmuch as a reader – what would all those objects of art and antiquity or ordinary life speak on behalf of their own journey? What could we gleam in knowledge about how life was lived through those pieces as well? What curious fascinations of thought course through your veins as you happily ponder all the lovely mysteries attached to everything set before your eyes!
Such a joy for me to be featuring Ms Rix today – celebrating her new book but also, the excitement of finding how history cross-sects with destiny!
To gain a bit of a back-story on how I came to host Bookouture authors,
please visit my first conversation I featured with this publisher with Teresa Driscoll!
Venice 1441: Maria and her brother Daniele arrive in the birthplace of their father, Niccolo de Conti. An Italian merchant who has travelled far and wide, Niccolo has brought spices from India, lengths of silk and damask from the lands east of India and porcelain; a vase of pure white, it’s surface painted with bright cobalt blue flowers and dragons, the symbols of good fortune.
Maria settles in her new home, watching the magnificent and bustling city come to life each morning from her bedroom window. But while her father is away travelling, she soon finds herself and Daniele in terrible danger. She must protect her brother at whatever cost, and shemust guard the delicate vase.
London 2015: Single mother Miranda is struggling to make ends meet and build a new life for her and daughter Georgie. When Miranda meets the charming but mysterious Charles, she is intrigued. Could he be her second chance at love? And why is he so fascinated by the old vase sitting on her hall table…
A stunning and richly evocative story following the journey of a precious family treasure passed down from one generation to another.
What drew you towards writing a time slip narrative, which unites the 20th Century with the 15th Century? Was the dexterity of owning both eras part of what appealed to you most? As this isn’t the first time you’ve used this story arc to tell a tale straight out of history’s mirror.
Rix responds: I feel that time-slip is both a useful and enjoyable discipline – both for myself as the writer, and I hope, for the reader. The presence of a modern hero or heroine guides the reader gently into the old story. The tricky part is to create a modern story that is as compelling as the historical one.
It is almost inevitable that the historical element will be interesting; that it will introduce the reader to a character in history, or to a time and a place in the past about which they know very little. But It is harder to do that with a modern story. I was determined, with this second book, to create a modern narrative that really engaged with the reader, so they were keen to ‘get back’ to Miranda’s modern story.
As a writer, there is also a certain joy in having two stories running simultaneously. You feel pleasure as you take up one narrative and leave the other behind. It keeps things fresh. And I like the puzzle element of it – of weaving the two stories together so they create a satisfying whole. Read More
Posted Tuesday, 26 April, 2016 by jorielov in Blog Tour Host, Bookouture, Historical Fiction, Indie Author, Reader Submitted Author Interview, The Writers Life, Time Slip, Women's Fiction, Writing Style & Voice
Posted Monday, 25 April, 2016 by jorielov Cedar Fort Inc, Kaki Olsen, Swan and Shadow, Swan Lake, Sweetwater Books 0 Comments
I had such a strong connection to the story within Swan and Shadow, I wanted to reach out to the author Ms Olsen to ask if she wanted to be a guest author on my blog – kicking off a week where I celebrate #YALit as this is one branch of literature I have a keen interest in seeking out whilst I find new debut authors to champion each New Year.
The Young Adult market has a wide selection of offerings but each year, I find myself trying to find a particular niche of offerings which are threaded with light and not too darkly underlit to push out the light completely. I appreciate finding stories set in the Contemporary world, the historical past or amongst the genres of Speculative Fiction which have the tendency to carve out new worlds of thought and dimension per each writer’s unique perspective and imagination.
I was quite taken by the level of depth Ms Olsen knitted inside her debut novel, and I wanted to explore those depths with her whilst giving her a chance to flex her wings with guest features which broached a bit deeper than the surface of her writerly inspirations. I definitely wanted to learn more about the supernatural attributes but at the core of the story, there is a coming-of age tale of a girl not quite confident in her own skin whose attempting to sort everything out one step of the way.
Underscored to the Fantasy elements are topics young adults will appreciate seeing in this novel, such as the highlighting of mental health and wellness and the struggle between sisters, of whom love each other dearly but do not always act in the best interests of each other. Olsen owns her story to such a degree of honesty, as to ground you directly inside the lives of her characters whilst giving you this curious story surrounding a shapeshifting swan! The back-story is one that is quite well known but it’s her interpretation of the story’s heart which stands out from the pack!
This Guest Post Feature kicks off my showcasing of Young Adult Literature – a special focus which will be re-occurring on Jorie Loves A Story straight til the start of Summer! I look forward to bringing a variety of stories to my blog, across genres and styles where characters are on the fringes of exiting their childhood but have a bit of growth left in their younger years before they fully embrace their adulthood. It’s a transitional part of our lives which endears me the most to the stories, but also, to the authors who find new ways of talking about this period of growth, discovery and self-awareness which everyone (lad or lass) can relate too.
Happily join me as I converse via:
#IReadYA | #IndieYA (movements of their own)
Tags to promote these showcases: #JorieLovesIndies | #JorieLovesYA
Aislin’s curse is the standard fare: swan by day, college student by
night, true love as the only cure. But does true love even exist outside of fairy tales? After having to cover for Aislin during her swan hours, Aislin’s twin, Maeve, is willing to resort to anything from matchmaking to magic to see her sister live happily (and human) ever after.
Will either of them get their wish?
Topic of Interest: Shadow and Light can metaphorically tackle a wider depth of a human’s journey; how did you seek to define Aislin’s struggle to grow in strength and personal acceptance of her swan / human duality?
One Saturday afternoon, I was standing in line for a book signing. I’d been a fan of Brandon Sanderson since my friend made me read her writing teacher’s debut novel and this was years before he was an award-winning podcaster, novelist and the man who finished the Wheel of Time series. I’ve always found him to be an approachable and unassuming man, which is what gave me the guts to comment on one of his observations.
The person standing in front of me was having him sign a middle grade book called Alcatraz vs. the Evil Librarians and said how much her son loved reading something that didn’t have to be homework. Brandon wittily said that he’s never been the type to write books that people would have to write papers on. I immediately piped up that I was presenting an academic paper on leadership in two weeks and had used a chapter from his first book as the foundation for part of it. He blinked, signed the woman’s book and, while signing my copy of Hero of Ages, asked me what I had written it on. I immediately quoted a passage from the book in which a young prince is taught about noble leadership by some well-phrased observations and questions posed by a glowing ball that used to be his constant companion. Brandon responded with something along the lines of, “Well, THAT’S not exactly what I thought that chapter was about” and laughed. Read More
Posted Monday, 25 April, 2016 by jorielov in After the Canon, Ballet, Bits & Bobbles of Jorie, Blog Tour Host, Cedar Fort Publishing & Media, Chronicles of a Prospective Adoptive Mum, Coming-Of Age, Debut Author, Equality In Literature, Fairy Tale Fiction, Folklore and Mythology, Indie Author, Inspired by Stories, Mental Health, Mental Illness, Methodology of Writing Science Fiction & Fantasy, Musical Fiction | Non-Fiction, Re-Told Tales, Reader Submitted Guest Post (Topic) for Author, Realistic Fiction, Shapeshifters, Supernatural Fiction, The Writers Life, Trauma | Abuse & Recovery, Urban Fantasy, Writing Advice & Tips, Writing Style & Voice, YA Fantasy, Young Adult Fiction
Posted Monday, 25 April, 2016 by jorielov Cedar Fort Inc, Joann Arnold, Sweetwater Books, The Buckskin Trail 0 Comments
Although, I did not personally connect with the story inside The Buckskin Trail, I wanted to converse with the author as a way to better understand her inspiration to tell this story as much as her approach to the craft of telling stories. Originally, what drew my eye towards wanting to read this particular novel was the strong influences on behalf of Native American culture and Spirituality of which I had a foreknowledge of from my own childhood.
The author is an accomplished artist and you can view her Gallery via her website.
A miracle saved Kelzi’s life when she was younger, and now it’s her turn to save others. When Kelzi discovers the truth about her parent’s deaths, she steps onto a dangerous path, one where she must avenge those who have died and protect the land of her Cherokee people – at any cost.
What drew your inspiration towards telling a mystery involving an orphaned young girl who has a strong Cherokee cultural heritage?
Arnold responds: I wish I could answer that question with more than the fact that one day I sat down to work on a new manuscript and my imagination took it from there. Read More
Posted Monday, 25 April, 2016 by jorielov in 21st Century, Balance of Faith whilst Living, Bits & Bobbles of Jorie, Blog Tour Host, Cedar Fort Publishing & Media, Coming-Of Age, Crime Fiction, Death, Sorrow, and Loss, Equality In Literature, Fly in the Ointment, Indie Author, Inspirational Fiction & Non-Fiction, Modern Day, Multi-cultural Characters and/or Honest Representations of Ethnicity, Native American Fiction, New Adult Fiction, Orphans & Guardians, Parapsychological Gifts, Supernatural Fiction, Young Adult Fiction
