 |
| Nicola Pryce - Author |
Hello
Nicola – I’ve been looking forward to hosting you on Arabella’s Blog and Chit-Chat,
and I’m eager to discover some of your writing secrets. But before we discover
more about your latest historical romance, The Cornish Lady, here are a few
questions which will hopefully give your readers and followers 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?
Nicola: My
writing journey has taken me down the agent and traditional publishing route. I
know a number of very successful self-publishing authors who relish their
independence and the control they have over their books, but I’m very happy
with the route I’ve taken. I love being part of a team and I particularly enjoy
the enthusiasm and encouragement of my agent and publishers because I’m not
sure I would have had the courage to put my books forward without them.
Arabella: A slice of
Chocolate Cake, a piece of Fruit, or Burger and Fries?
Nicola: Oh
dear, I can’t even pretend with this. A lovely large slice of gluten-free
chocolate cake please.
Arabella: Who or what
inspired you to write your latest Georgian release, The Cornish Lady ?
Nicola: Usually a couple of triggers jump-start my books –
something I research or see among the records sends a prickle down my spine as
if I know the story is in there … but I need to make absolutely sure that it
really could, or did, happen at the exact time and place I want it to happen.
With The Cornish Lady, the triggers were 1) I
was fascinated to read that the Truro assembly rooms were actually a purpose-built
theatre, 2) I found a photograph showing a trap door in the basement of the old
Tudor kitchens of Pendennis Castle where French prisoners were kept in 1796,
and 3) when I stepped out onto the terrace at Trelissick House and could see
the castle in the distance, I knew the story was about a visitor staying at that
grand country house. (These photos and the history behind my book are on my
website https://nicolapryce.co.uk/ )
But
as for my heroine … I have very little control over any of them. My books are
set on the south coast of Cornwall and have a dressmaking establishment at
their centre. Each book is a stand-alone novel but if you read them in the
right order, you’ll find the heroine of the next book always appears in the
previous book. My heroine in The Cornish Lady, Angelica Lilly – a
wealthy industrialist’s daughter – literally walked straight into The
Cornish Dressmaker and I was completely stunned. It was honestly like, ‘Oh,
Miss Lilly ... how lovely to meet you. Is it true your mother was a famous
actress?’
Arabella: If the person
of your dreams (husband/wife/partner/or Georgian beau) were to invite you out,
where would they take you, and which vehicle would they use:
1) Phaeton
2) Landau
3) Curricle
4) Stage Coach
Nicola: Now,
I know I should be dashing across Bodmin Moor with the wind in my hair: I
should be giggling, wide-eyed and breathless with the sheer exuberance of being
with the man I adore, but it’s cold up there, and wet, and the road will be
bumpy and I’m sure we’d catch a rut and be left stranded in the freezing mist at
the very top … with a broken axle and no sign of an AA man. So instead, I’m
going to opt for the stage coach. I still choose my husband, and our
destination has got to be Bodmin Moor but as I’m just this very day writing about
Madelaine Pelligrew watching her fellow stage coach travellers from under the
black lace on her bonnet, I think some first-hand experience would be
beneficial.
But
wait a minute … surely, the man opposite her is the divine Captain de la Croix,
that charming French officer on parole? On second thoughts … may l leave my
husband behind and take the stage coach on my own?
 |
| Stage Coach |
Arabella: Which is your
most favourite period drama or historical film you’ve seen to date, and why is
it so special?
Nicola: I love all period drama, but the most special film has
to be The Scarlet Pimpernel. I’m honestly not that old … but it has to
be the early 1934 version starring Leslie Howard and Merle Oberon because that
was the film which triggered everything I love about the late eighteenth
century.
I went to a very strict boarding school and every
Saturday we would gather in the hall and be shown ancient films, often with the
reels in the wrong order! I remember being totally enraptured by the whole
concept of honour and spies, and I so, so, so, wanted to be the beautiful and
courageous Marguerite St Just.
I fell desperately in love with Sir Percy Blakeney
and the damage was done. I just adored him … and Darcy, and Captain Wentworth,
of course … but I have to say Sir Percy was my first love.
 |
| The Scarlet Pimpernel - 1934 |
If you could meet someone
from the Georgian era, who would it be and what would you say to them?
Nicola: I would
like to meet Fanny Burney who published her first novel, Evelina,
anonymously in 1778, Cecilia in 1782 and Camilla at the time of my books, 1796.
Her satire and wit were recognised at the time, and she was a major influence
on Jane Austen, but although I’d love to talk to her about her writing and what
it was like to be a woman living in the late eighteenth / early nineteenth
century, I’d really like to tell how incredible I think she was to undergo a
mastectomy with no anaesthetic. To be so courageous leaves me in absolute awe. Fortunately,
her bravery brought about a complete cure.
Arabella: When writing
a book or chapter, which do you concentrate on first: plot, character, or
setting?
Nicola: For
the first book in my series, I can definitely say it was the setting. I wrote
my book for my children with no thought that it would be published. We’ve
sailed in and out of Fowey for the last twenty five years and I wanted to write
about a place we all knew and loved. It also had to be set in my favourite
period of history – late eighteenth century – because it’s just so exciting. So
much was going on in Cornwall at that time: Britain was at war and France could
have invaded at any time; the defences were woefully inadequate, more ships
were needed. Several ruined harvests brought grain shortages which caused food
riots. There were dissenters, radicals, spies …
Once
decided on the books’ setting and date, the driving force behind all my stories
definitely comes from the central character. Who is she? What is she doing
there? What jeopardy does she face?
Then
I wrap the history around the sort of person she is – her status in life, her aspirations
and difficulties, and the plot takes off.
Arabella: How do you
research your Georgian novels and characters?
Nicola: To
get really authentic voices and to be absolutely present in the time and place
of my story, I go to the Cornwall Records Office, now housed in Redruth, and
read through whole piles of letters, bills, and printed papers. There’s nothing
like seeing the record of the French prisoners’ burials in Falmouth, or read,
first hand, how the food rioters were quelled – or what won first prize at the
Cornwall County Show. Reading letters gives me a feel for the voices of my
characters and often triggers a subplot which I weave into the story.
Of
course, I’d be lost without the internet, and I do love and buy a lot of reference
books, but one of my favourite methods of research is finding the exact house
my characters would have lived in, and then I match them to portraits of people
living in Cornwall at that time. That way, I can visualise what my characters wore
and how long it took them to reach certain places.
Arabella: What advice
would you give to someone who is starting out on their writing journey?
Nicola: There
are many different writing paths you can choose to take – from informal writing
groups to an Ma in creative writing. Do what suits you, but my advice is to
believe you can do it and just get writing. I hadn’t written a word before I
started Pengelly’s Daughter and was blown away when Teresa Chris took me
on as an agent. Miracles do happen. Just write the story you want to write and
be passionate about it. Take criticism and advice from people whose opinion you
respect, and don’t listen to your inner doubter, nor those who may try to
dissuade you from writing. It’s extremely difficult to justify hours spent at
the keyboard when there are so many other claims to your time, but once you
have a desire to write it becomes a need, like an itch that has to be
scratched. Do what you can, when you can
… and have fun doing it.
Thank
you for joining me on Arabella’s Blog and Chit-Chat, Nicola. it was lovely to
hear about your writing journey.
Wishing
you all the best for your latest release, A Cornish Lady, and I hope your adventurous
Stage Coach journey across Bodmin Moor proves inspirational – with or without
your husband at your side. 😉
Arabella
Sheen
About Nicola Pryce
 |
| Nicola Pryce - Author |
Nicola Pryce trained as a nurse at St Bartholomew's Hospital
in London. She loves both literature and history and has an Open University
degree in Humanities. She's a qualified adult literacy support volunteer and
lives with her husband in the Blackdown Hills in Somerset. She and her husband
love sailing and together they sail the south coast of Cornwall in search of
adventure. If she's not writing or gardening, you'll find her scrubbing decks.
Pengelly's Daughter is her
first novel, The Captain's Girl next, then The Cornish Dressmaker
and The Cornish Lady. A Cornish Betrothal is to be published in November 2020.
Nicola is a member of the Romantic Novelists' Association and The Historical Writers Association.
Nicola is a member of the Romantic Novelists' Association and The Historical Writers Association.
Website: https://nicolapryce.co.uk/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/NPryce_Author
Pinterest:
https://uk.pinterest.co.uk/nicolapryceauth/
BOOK BLURB: The Cornish
Lady
When her brother returns home, ill and under the influence of
a dangerous man, Angelica's loyalties are tested to the limit. Her one hope
lies with coachman Henry Trevelyan, a softly spoken, educated man with kind
eyes. But when Henry seemingly betrays Angelica, she has no one to turn to. Who
is Henry, and what does he want? And can Angelica save her brother from a
terrible plot that threatens to ruin her entire family?
BUY
LINKS:
Nicola's Website: https://nicolapryce.co.uk/
Amazon UK:
Amazon US:
Nicola - Thank you for taking part. You gave some wonderful answers that will, I'm sure, entertain and amuse your readers.
ReplyDeleteBest wishes for your latest release, The Cornish Lady
Arabella