I’m delighted to welcome Lynda Stacey to my blog.
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| Lynda Stacey - Author |
Hello Lynda - I remember so vividly the occasion we first met. We had gathered at The Royal Over-Seas League building in London, with several other shortlisted candidates, for the Romantic Novelists’ Association – New Writers Scheme – Joan Hessayon Award. We were fresh to the publishing world and had little experience mingling with 'real' authors. It was an amazing evening and one which I shall never forget. Haven’t we come a long way since then? But before we discover more about your latest release Keeper of Secrets here are a few questions which will hopefully give your readers and followers and insight into some of the things that matter to you.
Arabella: You’ve got an idea for a story but it has yet to take shape. Where do you start? Do you concentrate on the location in the story, or developing the characters personalities and conflicts, or are there other key points you might consider?
Lynda: Somehow, I always begin with a location. With
House of Secrets and House of Christmas Secrets, my stories were based on my
favourite hotel, the beautiful Wrea Head Hall in Scarborough.
My
husband, Haydn took me to stay at the hotel for a birthday around six years
ago. The moment I stepped foot through the porch, the property took my breath,
there was so much history seeping out of the walls, I knew there was a story there
and what’s more, I knew I had to be the one to tell it.
Since then, I’ve always gravitated towards my home county. All of my books are set in and around Yorkshire. It’s an absolutely beautiful area. We have a lot of heritage, a mountain of history and what’s more, it is known as God’s own county, so why not.!!
Arabella: In your latest release Keeper of Secrets what is the overall theme or premise, and what made you choose this topic?
Lynda: I’m a true Yorkshire girl, so it didn’t
surprise me when I wrote Keeper of Secrets and gave it the amazing and famous
backdrop of The Sand House, which I first read about in a local church
magazine. I became absolutely obsessed by the story. These tunnels and carvings
were actually in my own hometown. They were probably the most stunning tunnels
I’d ever seen, with the most intricate carvings. After the second world war, the
tunnels were filled in and a block of flats built over them. The carvings
became lost forever and their history deserves to be told.
I
used the tunnels, the family and the archaeology to form a complex theme around
murder and suspense. My stories are always very character driven and each
person within the family was given their own secret, each one bigger than the
next and as each is unravelled - the story moves forward.
Arabella: Roses, Lilies, or another flower of choice?
Lynda: Lilies... I love them, as did my mother. She
had lilies in her wedding bouquet, and I followed her tradition and did the
same.
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| Lilies |
Arabella: You’ve arranged to meet with friends and family for an afternoon of fun. In the present socially restricted climate, where do you go and what do you do?
Lynda: The only meet up we had with family this year
was in our garden. We have a big garden, a lot of garden furniture and it’s
south facing, so we sat around, spaced out and chatted for a couple of hours.
There was only 6 of us and we even gave everyone ‘designated family bubble’
bathrooms.
Arabella: All authors
love and need to read. When choosing a book, do you:
a) pick off the shelf?
b) search online?
c) go with friends’
recommendations?
d) other…
Lynda: It depends on what mood I’m in. I love reading friends books, I have some amazing friends who quite luckily are also the most fabulous authors. However, I do try to read one book for pleasure and then the next for research. My research books tend to be books in my genre, I like to see how other authors are writing. What their style is. And also, after I’ve read the book, I look at reviews to see what the readers are liking, or not liking. It’s interesting to see if their opinions are the same as mine.
Arabella: Italian,
French or English. (I’ll leave it to you to decide if I mean a gourmet meal, a
bottle of wine, or a partner!)
Lynda: I love all three, can I be greedy.
My
husband is English, through and through. However, we love to eat Italian food. It’s
one of our favourites. Until of course, we get to dessert and you simply can’t
beat a French Patisserie. They really know how to make cake. As for the wine,
not a huge fan... I’d rather have a soft drink but if I’m pushed, it’d be an
Italian Prosecco (with cherries and kirsch) which makes a lovely Kir Royal.
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| Kir Royal |
Lynda: Absolutely, I do love to write, and I’d love
to think that one day I could get onto supermarket shelves, get on that stage
at Theakston’s Crime Festival or become a well-known name in the industry. I
was once offered a contract with an agent. I was crazy enough to turn it down
in favour of a publishing contract. I now realise that it was the wrong
decision and although I’ll always be grateful for becoming published, I really
should have taken the offer. Maybe one day, I’ll get another ... until then,
I’ll just keep writing.!!
Thank you for joining me on Arabella’s Blog and Chit-Chat, Lynda. I’m sure, like me, your readers were delighted to discover a little bit more about you. And as for the Italian Prosecco with cherries and kirsch… Prost!
Wishing you lots of
happy-ever-after Romantic Suspense and Psychological Thriller writing.
Arabella
About Lynda Stacey
Lynda Stacey - Author
Lynda, is a wife, stepmother and grandmother. She
grew up in the mining village of Bentley, in Doncaster, and is currently the
Sales Director of a stationery, office supplies and office furniture company
where she has worked for the past 25 years.
Prior to this she'd also been a nurse, a model, an
emergency first response instructor and a PADI Scuba Diving Instructor ... and
yes, she was crazy enough to dive in the sea with sharks, without a cage.
Following a car accident in 2008, Lynda was left with
limited mobility in her right arm. Unable to dive or teach anymore, she turned
to her love of writing, a hobby she'd followed avidly since being a teenager.
Her own life story, along with varied career
choices helps Lynda to create stories of romantic suspense, with challenging
and unpredictable plots, along with (as in all romances) happy endings.
Lynda joined the Romantic Novelist Association in
2014 under the umbrella of the New Writers Scheme and in 2015, her debut novel
House of Secrets won the Choc Lit Search for a Star competition.
She lives in a small rural hamlet near Doncaster,
with her 'hero at home husband', Haydn, whom she's been happily married to for
over 25 years
Social Media Links:
Website:
www.Lyndastacey.co.uk
Twitter:
https://twitter.com/LyndaStacey
Facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/Lyndastaceyauthor
Book Blurb:
Keeper of
Secrets
For as long as Cassie Hunt can remember her Aunt Aggie has spoken about the forgotten world that exists just below their feet, in the tunnels and catacombs of the Sand House.
When excavation work begins on the site shocking secrets are uncovered
and danger is never far away, both above or below the ground…
What
folks are saying about Keeper of Secrets:
~ Lynda Stacey is up there with Nora Roberts and LJ
Ross when it comes to writing jaw-dropping, nerve-twisting and addictive tales
spiced with intrigue, passion and suspense and she is on top form with her
latest novel, Keeper of Secrets.
~ An
outstanding tale full of menace, danger and desire, Keeper of Secrets is a book
guaranteed to keep you reading long past your bedtime.
~ Keeper of
Secrets' is a gripping and emotional read that had me on the edge of my seat
throughout. I will definitely be reading more of Lynda's work in the future.
~ I loved
how there was a little bit of everything within the pages of this book to keep
you entertained, thrilled and shocked!
Buy Links:
Release
Date 26th January 2021
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