I’m
delighted to welcome Romantic Suspense author Kate
Ryder to my blog.
Hello
Kate, I’m always excited when a Romantic Novelists’ Association
member steps up to the mark and is willing to delve into their personal and
working life in order to share some of their inspirational experiences with readers. But before we discover more about your latest release, Secrets
of the Mist, 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?
Kate: I
don’t have an agent. Before being
traditionally published I was an indie author and there are pros and cons to
both. As an indie you have full control
over the finished article and, being a creative soul, I loved this. However, marketing is tough and this is where
having a publishing house behind you comes into its own. I am happy to say that Aria’s marketing
department ensures my books reach a far wider audience than I could ever hope
to.
Arabella: Who or what inspired you
to write your latest release, Secrets of
the Mist?
Kate: A few years ago, my husband and I moved from Sussex to
Cornwall to restore a 200-year-old cottage.
We ended up having to gut it and take it back to four walls – I lived on
a building site for 4 years! During the extensive
renovations we discovered a time capsule, hidden by a previous owner, which sparked
my imagination and made me consider past occupants and the lives they may have
led over the preceding two centuries. The
seeds were sown for Secrets of the Mist
during a chance conversation with an acquaintance who told me about a Dartmoor
cottage she once owned that had an unusual internal stained-glass window and
unaccountable cold corners. At the time,
I was a member of a local writers’ group and I wove all these elements into a
short story, which I read out to my fellow writers at the next workshop. They were all eager to find out what happened
next, so I decided to see where the story took me. Three months and 85,000 words later I had a
novel!
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?
Kate: Not necessarily the
person of my dreams (although he is gorgeous, just way too young… sigh). I would like to spend time with Aidan Turner
in Dublin. Not only is he generous with his
time with his fans (so far) but also pleasingly easy on the eye and eloquent! I’ve visited the city twice but I’m sure he’d
show me interesting areas I haven’t discovered.
We’d spend the day together while he showed me his city of birth, progressing
to early evening drinks at his favourite watering hole. Then we’d move on to a discreet restaurant
where we’d enjoy fine dining while discussing his suitability as the lead
character in my novels, Summer in a
Cornish Cove and its sequel, Cottage
on a Cornish Cliff. We’d finish the
evening off visiting his apartment in Dublin (I’d be sworn to secrecy not to
divulge its location) where he’d show me his paintings and present me with a
signed original. I’d say I couldn’t
possibly accept such a generous gift, but he’d insist, pointing out that if he
was going to be the lead in the screen version of my books I would have to
accept. I mean, how could a girl refuse?
Kate…
Just for you (and your readers), I
went on Wiki and pinched a photo of Aidan Turner. I hope everyone's hearts are throbbing with passion. :)
Arabella: A slice of Chocolate
Cake, a piece of Fruit, or Burger and Fries?
Kate: Definitely Chocolate
Cake. I try to eat healthily (most of
the time) but a girl has to have the occasional indulgence… and preferably one
that looks like this!
Arabella: Currently, what is your
most favourite T.V. programme, and why?
Kate: My life is one huge
juggling act and I don’t often watch TV.
However, I am viewing Series 5 of Poldark. This series focuses on the years between Winston Graham’s
seventh book, The Angry Tide, and eighth book, The Stranger from the Sea. I’m intrigued to find out how screenwriter,
Debbie Horsfield, will combine the various elements of social and political
history of the time in this missing period of Ross and Demelza Poldark’s
continuing story.
Arabella: When writing a book or
chapter, which do you concentrate on first: plot, character, or setting?
Kate: I envy those writers
who are plotters because I definitely fall into the pantser camp. Cornwall is a setting that speaks to me and never
fails to provide massive inspiration.
However, once in the creative flow, the characters tend to take over and
write their own stories… despite futile attempts to rein them in!
Arabella: How do you research your novels
and characters?
Kate: I thoroughly enjoy
researching a novel. So many doors open,
which tend to lead to yet more opening doors, and I find it a highly satisfying
source of learning. I like to spend time
in the actual setting, if possible, absorbing the atmosphere and getting a sense
of place. Then I check its history to discover
any elements that could be woven into the story. Once back at my desk, I use Ordnance Survey/Google
to double-check that my characters’ actions/journeys are possible. For instance, in my current WIP, I had the
heroine watching surfers in the sea from her car in the public car park, but
when I visited the setting I found that wasn’t possible – a building blocks the
view of the beach. I rewrote the scene and
the heroine ended up sitting at a table in the beach café, which enjoys uninterrupted
views of the sea, while indulging in coffee and cake. She didn’t complain!
Arabella: What advice would you
give to someone who is starting out on their writing journey?
Kate: To believe in yourself
and never give up – the only failure is abandoning your dreams. Publishing is a huge journey and when
starting out you tend to be impatient for results. My advice is to take a deep breath and keep the
bigger picture in sight. If you write
romance, join the Romantic Novelists’ Association’s New Writers’ Scheme, which offers
invaluable advice and support.
Thank you so much for joining me on
Arabella’s Blog and Chit-Chat, Kate. You've been a fabulous guest and really entered into the spirit of things. Oh...to have been in your shoes when you discovered that time capsule whilst renovating your house. A priceless moment, I'm sure.
And about your evening with Aidan Turner
– (apart from saying: “please stand in line to get to him”), I hope your day
(and night...) together fulfils your every dream.
Wishing you the best of luck in
signing Aidan for a starring role in the film adaptation of Summer in a Cornish Cove
and its sequel, Cottage on a Cornish
Cliff.
Good luck with your latest release,
Secrets
of the Mist.
Best wishes and happy writing…
Arabella Sheen
About Kate Ryder
Originally from the Home Counties,
Kate now resides in the diverse and inspirational county of Cornwall, which
provides a glorious backdrop for much of her writing. Her career has
encompassed travel, publishing and property, and she currently divides her time
between selling fabulous country piles that she can't afford and writing
romantic suspense. Together with her
ever-supportive husband, a gorgeous Arab horse and a newly acquired 'rescue'
cat, Kate lives in the beautiful Tamar Valley in a 200 year old cottage that
she and her husband painstakingly restored and which provided the inspiration
for her third book with Aria.
Website and Social
Media Links:
Amazon
link: https://amzn.to/2KCSY1J
Blurb: Secrets of the Mist:
A gorgeous timeslip romance for fans of Kate Mosse,
Diana Gabaldon and Barbara Erskine.
Maddie is restless in London. She has friends, a
job and a sort-of boyfriend, but something in her life is missing. Then she
visits the ancient village of Walditch, deep in the Dorset countryside.
Something stirs in her, and on a whim she buys a centuries-old cottage and
moves there three months later. Her friends think she's crazy, but for Maddie
it feels like coming home.
Late at night in the cottage, Maddie hears strange
noises and sees mist gathering indoors and out. When she starts investigating
the cottage's history, she becomes drawn into the tragic story of a family who
lived here 400 years ago. Meanwhile, Maddie starts to fall in love with a local
carpenter – but he has a relationship already...
Can Maddie solve the riddle of the past? What is her
connection with the family that lived there so many years ago? And can she and
her true love ever be together?
Previously published as The Forgotten Promise.
Release Date: 19.09.19
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