I’m
delighted to welcome Helena Dixon to my blog.
Hello
Helena
It
was lovely to connect with you through the Romantic Novelists’ Association.
The
RNA is a wonderful group of authors and affiliates, all of whom are supportive of
fellow members and their need to share and spread the word about anything bookish
and romantic.
But
before we learn more about your latest release, Murder at the Dolphin Hotel, here
are a few questions which will hopefully give your readers an insight into some
of the things that matter to you.
Arabella: Authors can release
books, making them available to readers in various ways…via an agent, or
working directly with a traditional publisher, or they can even go the
self-publishing route. Which method of publishing do you prefer, and why?
Nell: To
me books are great in all mediums. I read on my kindle, paperbacks, hardbacks,
magazines, anything so any medium that helps readers discover the sheer joy of
a story is good. Bookouture, are an E book first publisher but Murder at the
Dolphin Hotel is also going to be available as audio and I believe, paperback
too.
Arabella: Currently, what is your
most favourite T.V. programme, and why?
Helena: Oh,
this is hard as I don’t watch much TV. I do love Taskmaster though.
Arabella: Who or what inspired you
to write your latest release, Murder at the Dolphin Hotel?
Helena:
I am a huge fan of Agatha Christie. I love Golden Age detective fiction. I
enjoy cosy crime with a good puzzle to keep me reading. I’ve wanted to write in
this genre for years and I love Devon as we spend a lot of time there so
setting the series in Dartmouth with its beautiful setting and history was a
perfect fit.
Arabella: If the person of your
dreams, (husband/wife/partner/or superstar), were to take you out for the
night, where would they take you and what would you do?
Helena: Well,
my husband and I have been married for almost 35 years, so we know each other
very well. We love concerts and meals out with our family so I think we would
go to a concert, we like all kinds of music, and then meet our lovely daughters
and their partners for a meal at one of our favourite pubs.
Arabella: A slice of Chocolate
Cake, a piece of Fruit, or Burger and Fries?
Helena:
I don’t really like chocolate much and I’m very allergic to apples. Burger and
fries don’t do it for me either so can I be awkward and choose something
naughty like a fresh cream cake?
Arabella: When writing a book or
chapter, which do you concentrate on first: plot, character, or setting?
Helena: All
of my stories are character driven. Kitty is a very determined young lady and
she sparks with Captain Matt Bryant very well when it comes to solving murders.
Arabella: How do you research your
novels and characters?
Helena: I
spend a lot of time researching. I’ve been on a steam train that follows my
heroine’s journey, walked from Dartmouth castle round Warfleet Bay to where my fictional
hotel would have stood. I toured Churston Golf Club in a buggy to visit the
site for the third book in the series, Murder on the eleventh tee and went to
Newton St Cyres which features in book two, Murder at Brockencote Manor. I read
a lot of historical research too and immerse myself in the period.
Arabella: What advice would you
give to someone who is starting out on their writing journey?
Helena: My
advice is to read. Read a lot, read everything you can. Get a feel for words
and language, learn which writers capture you and then see how they’ve done it.
Don’t be afraid to explore.
Thank
you for joining me on Arabella’s Blog and Chit-Chat, Helena. It was great to
learn about your latest release, Murder at the Dolphin Hotel. I’m sure your
readers will be keen to find the clues, solve the crime, and uncover
the murderer for themselves.
All
the best, and lots of happy-ever-after writing…
Arabella
Sheen
www.arabellasheen.co.uk
About Helena Dixon
I
write contemporary women’s fiction as Nell Dixon and now historical cosy crime set
in 1930’s Dartmouth as Helena Dixon. You can find me on facebook as Nell Dixon,
on my website www.nelldixon.com and also on Twitter as @NellDixon. An Instagram
account is coming soon for Helena Dixon as I have some fab research pics to
share. Murder at The Dolphin Hotel is available for preorder and will be
released on December 11th, although Net Galley reviewers will be
able to get it sooner I think.
Blurb – Murder at the Dolphin Hotel
A room with a view…
to murder
June 1933. Independent young Kitty Underhay has been left in
charge of her family’s hotel, The Dolphin, on the tranquil English coast. She’s
expecting her days at the bustling resort to be filled with comfortable chatter
with chambermaids as they polish the mahogany desks and glittering candelabras
of the elegant foyer. Everything must be perfect for the arrival of a glamourous
jazz singer from Chicago and a masked ball that will be the cultural highlight
of the season.
But when several rooms are broken into and searched, including
Kitty’s own, she quickly realises that something out of the ordinary is afoot
at the hotel. Soon rumours are flying
in the cozy town that someone is on the hunt for a stolen ruby. A ruby that
Kitty’s mother may well have possessed when she herself went missing during the
Great War. And when the break-ins are followed by a series of attacks and
murders, including of the town’s former mayoress, it seems the perpetrator will
stop at nothing to find it.
Aided by ex-army captain Matthew Bryant, the Dolphin’s new
security officer, Kitty is determined to decipher this mystery and preserve not
only the reputation of her hotel, but also the lives of her guests. Is there
a cold-blooded killer under her own roof? And what connects the missing jewel
to the mystery from Kitty’s own past?
A classic page-turning murder mystery! Fans of Agatha Christie,
Elizabeth Edmondson and T.E. Kinsey will love this unputdownable whodunnit.
Murder at The Dolphin Hotel is available for preorder and will be released on December 11th
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