Wednesday 29 January 2020

Welcome to Romance Author - Elly Redding


I’m delighted to welcome Elly Redding to my blog.

Elly Redding

Hello Elly – I’ve been looking forward to hosting you on Arabella’s Blog and Chit-Chat, and I am eager to learn some of your writing secrets. But before we discover more about your latest release, In Too Deep, here are a few questions which will hopefully give your readers and followers an insight into some of the things that matter to you.

Elly: Thank you, Arabella, and I’m really pleased to be here 😊

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?
Elly: It’s great, these days, that we have the choice of so many options.  Having secured an agent, some years ago, while I was writing screenplays, I decided that this time I’d go it alone with my novels.  Winning the New Talent Award at the Festival of Romance for my first book, ‘True Colours’, certainly gave me the confidence to try. However, time was limited so I used SilverWood Books, who held my hand, as I took my first steps down the self-publishing route.  This time, backed by their expertise and advice from The Alliance of Independent Authors, I will be launching the ebook version of ‘In Too Deep’ on Amazon, as well as a paperback version through SilverWood and KDP.  There’s a lot to learn as an Indie Author, but I’m definitely enjoying the experience.

Arabella: A slice of Chocolate Cake, a piece of Fruit, or Burger and Fries?
Elly: Definitely a slice of chocolate cake. My mouth waters at just the thought of it, but (sadly) it would have to be dairy and soya free these days.  Allergies and intolerances are such a pain!



Arabella: Who or what inspired you to write your latest release, ‘In Too Deep’?
Elly: I love second chance romances. I also like a little bit of mystery, so that it’s not just the ‘will they/won’t they get together’ by the end of the book, but also what’s happened to them in the past, to cause them to break up in the first place?  In my latest book, ‘In Too Deep’, Isy takes on the role of amateur detective, and discovers a little more than she bargained for as she seeks to uncover the mystery of Jack’s troubled childhood.

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?
Elly: I love travelling on trains, and I’ve always wanted to travel to Scotland on the Caledonian Sleeper from London.  A great way of spending a night with the man of my dreams, so long as he doesn’t snore 😊.  And a brilliant springboard to touring the Highlands, which is definitely on my rather long bucket list.  It might also be a precursor to something else lurking close to the top of this list: a trip on The Orient Express.  I’m always optimistic!

The Orient Express

Arabella: Currently, what is your most favourite T.V. programme, and why?
Elly: I’m currently about to start watching the third season of The Marvelous Mrs Maisel.  Season one was so fresh and entertaining, with witty writing and brilliant characterisation. Season two followed in the same vein. I also loved the clothes, the scenery, the sense of atmosphere created.  I do hope the latest season doesn’t disappoint!

Arabella: When writing a book or chapter, which do you concentrate on first: plot, character, or setting?
Elly: I think, for me, the characters always come first, little seeds developing and buzzing around in my brain, long before I put them down on paper.  Once I’ve got to know them, then a sense of the plot develops, or as a fellow writer brilliantly says, ‘the stuff that happens’.  Then all I have to do is work out how they’ll react and where it will all take place. Or, possibly, where I’d like to go for a spot of research. After all, there’s only so much you can gain from the Internet. 

Arabella: How do you research your novels and characters?
Elly: I thoroughly enjoy research and we’re so lucky these days to be able to access so much information.  It’s amazing what you find on YouTube.  However, there’s nothing quite like personal experience.  Friends, friends of friends or family are invaluable, and they all have their stories to tell, whether it’s how to restore a building or ride a motorbike (when you’re too much of a coward to do it yourself.)  All great fun.

Arabella: What advice would you give to someone who is starting out on their writing journey?
Elly: Try and set out a time, if you can, on a regular basis, when you can write. I know, with life, that it’s always easier said than done, and I have definitely struggled with it over the years.  But, as a friend once said to me, you can always edit what you’ve written. But you can’t edit a blank page.  I think she was probably right!

Also, join an organisation, if you can.  Writing can be so lonely.  I belong to The Romantic Novelists’ Association, where you can make friends and receive advice, as well as have your work critiqued by a professional author, as part of their New Writers’ Scheme.

Thanks, so much Arabella, for having me on your blog.  It’s been great fun answering the questions.


Thank you for joining me on Arabella’s Blog and Chit-Chat, Elly.
You’ve whetted my appetite…I’m tempted to experience an over-night excursion on the Caledonian Sleeper from London to Scotland. I’m not too sure about The Orient Express – the thought of discovering a murder whilst journeying in a far off country is daunting.

Oh, and just for you… The Best Vegan Chocolate Cake  (soya and dairy-free)
If you click on the link and then “Jump to Recipe” you’ll find a list of ingredients and cooking instruction. It says you can use almond milk in place of soya. Happy eating.

Vegan Chocolate Cake

Best wishes and good luck with your latest release, In Too Deep.
Arabella


About Elly Redding

Elly Redding
Elly Redding is an award-winning romance writer. Having originally written screenplays, her first novel, ‘True Colours’, won the Festival of Romance’s New Talent Award, and third prize in the Independent Author Book Award “Words for the Wounded”, as well as being voted Chill with a Book Readers’ Book of the Month and receiving a B.R.A.G. Medallion.
Born in London, she now divides her time, with her husband, between Bedfordshire and Devon, where she loves art, dancing and watching the waves. 
Elly is a member of The Society of Authors and Alliance of Independent Authors, and would love to hear from you. She can be found @ellyredding on Twitter, Elly Redding Author on Facebook and Elly Redding on Instagram.
Her website is www.ellyredding.com

Website and Social Media Links:

Twitter: @ellyredding
Instagram: Elly Redding



Book Blurb:  In Too Deep

Set in the rolling countryside of Devon, ‘In Too Deep’ is the emotional story of a woman’s determination to win the trust of the man she’s adored since they were thrown together as children, by forcing him to confront the darkness of his long-lost past.
Blurb on back of Book:
One little lie.  A guilty secret.  And the man she mustn’t love…
It’s been six years since Isy Forrester left home. In that time, she’s strived to forge a new life for herself in London, away from Jack Mancini, her father’s adopted son, and his devastating betrayal of everything she thought they had.  
Only now her father’s in hospital, and the house that’s been in her family for generations is at risk. Forced to return to Devon, she finds Jack as infuriating and stubborn as ever, and just as irresistible. Soon she realises the bright lights of London can’t hold a candle to him.
But Jack has a past, one which he refuses to share with her. And until he can trust her with these deepest secrets, how can she risk her heart? How can she even begin to help him, when he won’t tell her what happened all those years ago – before her father brought him home to Hambledon Hall?

Release date: 3rd February 2020 (as a paperback and ebook)

Available for PRE-ORDER on:

Amazon US:

4 comments:

  1. Thanks so much for having me as your guest today. It was great fun! I know what I'll be doing this afternoon... Making that chocolate cake - what a lovely thought x

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  2. Elly - Thank you for being such and amazing guest on Arabella's Blog and Chit-Chat. And wishing lots of Internet surfing and Orient Express train journeys in the name of research.
    Arabella

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I'll let you know how the trip goes - good job I write love stories and not whodunits! x

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  3. Fabulous blog and great to learn so much more about Elly and her writing. Looking forward to joining her on (I wish) the Orient Express! X

    ReplyDelete

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