Welcome to Saga Romance Author - Elaine Roberts

I’m delighted to welcome Elaine Roberts to my blog.

Elaine Roberts - Author

 

Hello Elaine – I’ve looked forward to hosting you on Arabella’s Blog and Chit-Chat and I’m eager to learn a little bit about you and your writing journey. But before we discover more about your latest release, The West End Girls, here are a few questions which will hopefully give your readers and followers an insight into some of the things that matter to you.

Elaine:  Thank you for inviting me for a chat, I’m on my third cup of tea so I’m raring to go.

Arabella: We all love the creativity of writing – otherwise we wouldn’t spend hours at a keyboard pounding away in the hope someone will read and enjoy our novels. But what do you like most about our craft?

The editing and proofreading, the author/reader relationship, promotional book signings, or is there something else that has you hooked to the world of books?

Elaine: My first reaction is I love the author/reader relationship; it’s so fulfilling to read and hear the reader’s thoughts on your work. However, before the book is published I enjoy getting the story down on paper without worrying about shaping it into a novel. I write family sagas, which are set in World War One and sometimes no matter how much I plan the story changes. My latest novel, The West End Girls, which came out in June this year is an example of that. The character that started as a love interest became the baddie the more I wrote. I just couldn’t help myself!

 

 

Arabella: Who or what inspired you to write your latest release, The West End Girls?

Elaine: I found out recently that most of the Disney animation films have little salutes to previous films in them and that intrigued me, so I thought why not build my own community but not in an obvious way. My first three book series, The Foyles Bookshop Girls, are based in London’s West End so my characters are making cameo appearances in my latest series but you wouldn’t know unless you have read those books. I love going to London, especially to have a meal, take in a show and wander round the shops, not that I’ve managed to do any of that in the last few months. I think it’s safe to say my inspiration comes from family, friends, general conversations and my research.

 

Arabella: If you had a choice which would you pick and why?

 1)  Roses

 2)  Daffodils

 3)  Lily of the Valley

 4) Other

 Elaine:  They are all beautiful flowers but I think I would have to choose daffodils. They are one of the first flowers of spring, and in my head they represent hope for the year to come. After a bleak winter the joy of seeing the daffodils in my garden really lifts my spirits.

Daffodils

Arabella: Some authors cannot work without a business planner, others cannot write without an editing app…  Are there any “essentials” you need to help your writing move forward?

Elaine: Conversation, and in the beginning I had my family doing role-play in my front room if I couldn’t get my head around a situation. The laughter helped to take away my stress at not being able to see the situation in my head. My most important piece of technology, with the obvious exception of my laptop, is my Voice Memo’s on my phone. I tend to record most scenes rather than make notes. I discovered quite early on that I’d make a note and then not understand what I was trying to say when I went back to read it. Recording it also gives me context for whatever the issue was. I also record the actual theme of my series and individual books and that keeps me focussed.

 

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?

Elaine: My late husband was the man of my dreams and he would definitely take me to the theatre, I love a live performance. One of my favourite shows has to be Les Misérables, I have seen it seven times and I still cry at the same point, which is quite ridiculous when I know it’s coming.

Les Misérables

 

 Arabella: Do you have any great writing, publishing, or marketing tips you would like to share to “want-to-be” authors starting out on their writing journey?

Elaine: The first thing I’d say is don’t give up, I have several novels that will never see the light of day without an awful lot of editing. Also celebrate, not everyone can write 80,000 – 100,000 words so that’s a real achievement in itself. Learn your craft, attend classes of some sort or do an on-line course to help with the structure that goes with writing. Join organisations that offer critiques for the genre you’re writing in, for example The Romantic Novelist’s Association (RNA), The Society of Woman Writers and Journalists (SWWJ), and The Crime Writers Association (CWA). Many organisations have conferences where they do workshops and talks. The last thing I’d say is try writing different genres until you find the one that really fits you.

Thank you so much for inviting me, I enjoyed our chat and the interesting questions.

 

Arabella:  It was lovely having you stop by on the blog for a chit-chat and a cuppa, Elaine.  And thank you for sharing some of your writing secrets, especially the tip about using a phone’s Voice Memo. This will definitely have to be explored.

Wishing you all the best for your latest release - The West End Girls

Arabella

www.arabellasheen.co.uk

 

 

About Elaine Roberts

Elaine Roberts - Author

Elaine Roberts had a dream to write for a living. She completed her first novel in her twenties and received her first very nice rejection. Life then got in the way again until she picked it up again in 2010. She joined a creative writing class, The Write Place, in 2012 and shortly afterwards had her first short story published. Elaine is very proud of The Foyles Bookshop Girls saga trilogy, which her late husband encouraged her to write. She, and her extended family, live in and around Dartford, Kent and her home is always busy with children, grandchildren, grand dogs and cats visiting.

 

You can find Elaine at:

Facebook Author Page: Elaine Roberts Facebook Author Page

Twitter:                         @RobertsElaine11

Amazon:                       Author Page

 

 

Book Blurb:  The West End Girls

 

1914. 

Growing up on a farm in the country, Annie Cradwell has always dreamt of singing on stage. So when she hears her friend Joyce has a room to spare in London, she sets off with best friend Rose for an adventure beyond anything they could have imagined. 

In London, Annie and Rose stumble into jobs at the Lyceum Theatre. Being a dresser to capricious star Kitty Smythe wasn't exactly what Annie had in mind. But then the musical director, Matthew Harris, offers her singing lessons. And Annie starts to wonder – could this be her chance? Or is it all too good to be true? 

With the threat of war in the air, everything is uncertain. Is there a place for hopes and dreams when so much is at stake? 

Annie, Rose and Joyce are three girls with very different dreams – but the same great friendship.

 

Buy Link:

Amazon Link:   The West End Girls

Welcome to Family Saga Author - Mary Wood

I’m delighted to welcome Mary Wood to my blog.

Hello Mary,

It was wonderful to connect with you through the Romantic Novelists’ Association. I’ve met some great authors via the RNA – you being one of them. But before we get to hear about your latest release, The Abandoned Daughter, here are a few questions which will hopefully give your readers an insight into some of the things that matter to you.

Arabella: Are there any organisations, writing, or reader groups, you belong to? And, how do they support or help you in creating such wonderful, inspirational novels?

Mary: I belong to the Romantic Novelists Association, and within that with have our own chapters. Mine is The Sandpipers. We meet every other month for lunch and the help we receive and give to each other is invaluable and very supportive. Our meetings tend to be of the format of having a guest speaker in our field and Q&A session with him/her. An exchange of ‘what is happening in our book world’ and general chit chat, when we can sound ideas, or talk about the weather. Always feel amazingly uplifted afterwards and ready to tackle anything.

Arabella: In your latest release, The Abandoned Daughter, who is your favourite character and why?

Mary: The main character, Ella Wronski. In the first book of this four-book series (all stand alone reads, as well as being part of the series) Ella, short for Marjella, is the timid one of the three First World War nurses, who meet as they set out to take up their posts in Belgium in 1914. But we see her grow, and cope with some horrendous, heart-breaking moments in her life, and be tested to the limit, never to break, and to win through in the end with dignity and love. I would want to be like Ella. 

Arabella: Which do you prefer to wear: Slippers, stilettos, pumps, or boots?

Mary: Slippers – love slopping around in comfies – jim jams, dressing gown, any day. Would break my ankle in stilettos, but do like to admire them, and boots, well, I’m losing weight now, but as a big lady, finding some that would zip up has been a nightmare.

Arabella: When writing a novel, how do you work? Are you a plotter or pantser?

Mary: A mixture of the two. Always a pantser in the beginning, letting the story take me where it will. But now, I have to pitch to the publisher for a contract and that entails plotting out the book so that they can see that I have a viable, commercial idea and that it works – doesn’t stop me going off in all directions once I have the contract and sit down to write the book though.

Arabella: Which do you prefer to wear: beach shorts and top, a long evening skirt and blouse, pyjamas and slippers?

Mary: I think readers know this now, as my answer to different footwear indicates, but having said this, I do love to dress up for an occasion and will really go for it, for a wedding, or dinner and dance, so evening wear would come in as a very close second.

Arabella: Where do you read? Sofa or bed or ____?

Mary: I have so little time to read, and much that I do is for research or for a review, so with this limitation, once I start to read, the book goes everywhere with me – even into the toilet!!! My favourite place of all though has to be sitting on a beach bar lounger with an attentive waiter bringing me cocktails at my whim…sigh

Arabella: We all have a long list of books we keep meaning to read but never have the time for --- which book is a must read for you this summer?

Mary: Jeffrey Archers PRISON DIARIES there are three in the series. This stems from going to meet him at one of his book signings. I have always loved his books, and to meet the man was a culmination of my dreams. He is lovely, down to earth and very funny and approachable. One man asked the question of why Jeffrey doesn’t mention his time in prison. The audience hushed with embarrassment for Jeffrey, but he handled it so well. He went up very close to the gentleman and looked at him intently before saying: ‘I thought I recognised you. You were in the next cell.’ When the laughter died down we all relaxed again, and then, Jeffrey said: Seriously, if any of you want to know about that time, read my Prison Diaries. They will tell you what it was like, but I no longer want to talk about it. I always admired him, but at that moment I loved him and wanted to hug him. I really need to read those books to find out just what such a terrible experience was like for him. And my admiration for him increased, thinking how, yes he did wrong, but he paid his time, and has now picked himself up and gone on to write some even more wonderful books.

Arabella: What about your future plans? Any books or series in the making?

Mary: All four books in the series THE GIRLS WHO WENT TO WAR are now written – THE FORGOTTEN DAUGHTER – AVAILABLE IN WH SMITHS, SUPERMARKETS AND AS AN EBOOK. THE ABANDONED DAUGHTER – AVAILABLE IN SUPERMAKETS, WH SMITHS AND AS AN EBOOK and the third: THE WRONGED DAUGHTER comes out in Nov/Dec 2019 with the final one THE COURAGEOUS DAUGHTERS – about the children of the three nurses and their war, coming out in May 2020.

And, I have just pitched for another contract with Pan Macmillan to write another series called THE MILL GIRLS which will follow the lives of three girls who meet while working in the mill in the early 1900’s

I have radio interviews and talks lined up, as well as a book tour this coming May. So, a very busy time ahead.

Well, readers, if you’re still with me, thank you, and I hope you have enjoyed this little insight into my work and me. I loved taking part, it’s been fun, and lovely to be here.

If you would like to know more about my work – my releases, join in competitions and receive three-monthly newsletters, then I would love to welcome you to my website: www.authormarywood.com and/or my Facebook page: www.facebook.com/HistoricalNovels

Thank you very much, Arabella, for inviting me to your lovely blog. I loved answering these questions. Much love and hugs, Mary xxx

Mary, Thank you for joining me on Arabella’s Blog and Chit-Chat. The talks and interviews you have planned with radio stations sound wonderful. I’ll certainly have to stay tuned to your website to find out the dates and times you’ll be on air.
Good luck with The Abandoned Daughter.
Best wishes,
Arabella Sheen
arabellasheen.co.uk

MY REVIEW

The Abandoned Daughter by Mary Wood

(The second in The Girls Who Went to War series).

A heartbreaking tale of love and suffering.

     

Mary Wood offers us yet another compelling read. A page-turner in every sense. Richly depicting the emotional hardships, cruelties and devastation that war and love can inflict.

     As a voluntary nurse, working in war-torn Belgium, Ella puts her own emotional trauma to one side as she tends to the urgent needs of wounded and dying soldiers fresh from the battlefield.

     Hiding her own feelings of anguish and betrayal, Ella strives to rebuild her life. Fragile friendships develop – and although some relationships last all too briefly and some for far too long – Ella still searches for the companionship, love, and fulfilment she longs for.

     As the story unfolds and Ella’s inner strength and resourcefulness are revealed, we journey with her and hope her emotional wounds can heal and that she finds the comfort and answers she seeks.

As a taster . . . here is a fragment of conversation between Ella and her good friend, Flors - taken from The Abandoned Daughter.

    ‘And it is easy, now that emotions of the time have faded, to have recriminations. To think we should have done this or that. But the actions we took were driven by the situation we were in. We were such young women, tasked with trying to save lives in a bloodbath of hell. We all did our best. And but for you, Flors, we – Mags, you and I – would never have got out of Brussels alive. Nor would many of those French soldiers have survived. The way you took charge of that hospital, even though you weren’t a qualified nurse, and the way you led us to safety was amazing.’

    ‘We were so young, as you say, I remember when we arrived in Brussels in 1914, on that first posting, how we were all eager and ready to give our all. Then Germany invaded and reality soon hit us.’

If you love EPIC HISTORICAL SAGAS and RAW HEARTBREAKING HONESTY IN A READ this book’s for you. A well-deserved five-star review on its way.

A buy link to all of Mary’s books:

https://www.amazon.co.uk/l/B005D4UMGU?

And a big thank you to Ellis Keene at Pan Macmillan for having a review copy of The Abandoned Daughter sent to my door. 

About Mary Wood

Born the thirteenth child of fifteen to a middle-class mother and an East End barrow boy, Mary Wood’s family were poor, but rich in love. Over time, she developed a natural empathy with the less fortunate and is fascinated by social history. Mary raised four children and has numerous grandchildren, step-grandchildren and great-grandchildren. An avid reader, she first put pen to paper in 1989, and is now a full-time novelist.

Website:  www.authormarywood.com 

Facebook: HistoricalNovels

Twitter:  @authormary

The Abandoned Daughter

Mary Wood

16^th May | Paperback | £6.99

The Abandoned Daughter by Mary Wood is the gripping second book in The Girls Who Went to War trilogy.

Blurb - Abandoned Daughter

Will Ella ever find what she's looking for?

Voluntary nurse Ella is haunted by the soldiers' cries she hears on the battlefields of Dieppe. But that’s not the only thing that haunts her. When her dear friend Jim breaks her trust, Ella is left bruised and heartbroken. Over the years, her friendships have been pulled apart at the seams by the effects of war. Now, more than ever, she feels so alone.

At a military hospital in France, Ella befriends Connie and Paddy. Slowly she begins to heal, and finds comfort in the arms of a French officer called Paulo – could he be her salvation?

With the end of the war on the horizon, surely things have to get better? Ella grew up not knowing her real family but a clue leads her in their direction. What did happen to Ella’s parents, and why is she so desperate to find out?

Buy Links

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Abandoned-Daughter-Girls-Who-Went-ebook/dp/B07KPKKJXW/ref=sr_1_3?keywords=mary+wood&qid=1556320461&s=gateway&sr=8-3

Welcome to Family Saga Author - Maggie Mason

I’m delighted to welcome Maggie Mason to my blog.

Hello Maggie, I’ve been looking forward to having you on Arabella’s Blog and Chit-Chat for some time and now you're here, I’m eager to discover all the news concerning your latest release, Blackpool’s Daughter. But first, here are a few questions which will hopefully give your readers a chance to get to know you a little better and discover some of the things that matter to you.

Arabella: How did you manage to get your first novel published and what did you learn from the experience?

Maggie: This took all of twenty years. But back in those days it was extremely difficult to get an agent, let alone a publisher. If I was privileged enough to receive a reply to my enquiry, it usually was along the lines of: Publishers are not interested in Clogs and Shawl novels anymore, or, thank you, but no thank you. With the innovative dawn of Amazon self-publishing, everything changed. The reader was now in the driving seat, and as we authors gave them our books and they downloaded them in their thousands, the publishers began to take note. On self-publication of my fifth book and it going to the number one spot in genre, they no longer ignored me. Within a week I had a message from a publisher showing interest, another from a large print publisher, and then a phone call from an agent. My real journey began from then, as I had never given up on the dream of being traditionally published and seeing my books in the shops.

Arabella: If you could choose, which would it be: A walk in the woods, a walk along a beach front to dip your toes in the sea, or a day shopping for clothes?

Maggie: A walk along a beach front. I love the sea, and the feel of the sand between my toes and the ever-present breeze on my face. And I find the sound of lapping waves, and watching the beautiful seagulls swirling and diving very relaxing. I can never resist dipping my toes and will often walk along the edge of the sea so that I have the constant feel of the water on my feet.

Arabella: Who or what inspired you to write your latest release, Blackpool’s Daughter?

Maggie: Ever since reading Gillian Mawson’s Guernsey Evacuees – a true account of those who, as children, were evacuated to Britain at the outbreak of war, I have wanted to write a novel based on the stories of heartache, hardship and tragically for some, never being returned to their parents. I saw in my minds eye the pain of a mother and daughter separated and began to imagine how desperate they would be to get back together. This led me to write Blackpool’s Daughter. 

  

Arabella: Some authors write at first light, others need a mug of coffee or a glass of wine before putting pen to paper. When writing, are there any “essentials” you need to help the words flow?

Maggie: I begin my writing day at 5am, I find the peace of that hour suits me before most of the world wakes up. I wake up my brain, not by reading what I wrote the day before as many authors do, but by playing a few games of solitaire on my phone – I know, a strange habit. But once I have achieved the three goals the app sets me, I’m wide awake and ready to go. I can work all day then, being fed and watered by my lovely hubby.

Arabella: Where do you read? Sofa or bed or ____?

Maggie: I have so little time to read, and much that I do is for research or for a review, so with this limitation, once I start to read, the book goes everywhere with me – even into the toilet!!! My favourite place of all though has to be sitting on a beach bar lounger with an attentive waiter bringing me cocktails at my whim…sigh

  

Arabella: You’re halfway through the work-in-progress, you’re about to kill off the hero and there is going to be no happy-ever-after. In other words, you’re stuck! If you had to contact an “author/publisher/editor friend” for guidance, who would it be?

Maggie: Luckily, this has never happened, but if it did, it would be my lovely agent Judith Murdoch. Judith is very down to earth and would probably tell me to down tools for a couple of days or some such advice. Nothing ruffles Judith, and her answer to any queries or concerns are of that nature. She always signs off her short and to the point correspondence with ‘onwards and upwards’.

Arabella: The T.V. is on and you’re in control of the remote. Which is it to be: A quiz programme…An afternoon of sport…A family soap…A romantic film you always wanted to see but missed when it was shown at the cinema?

Maggie: Of those four it would be the film. I love to lose myself in a soppy film, especially if it is true life story. Tissues at the ready, and I’m happy. If documentary had been there, that would have won, as I am fascinated by finding out how this or that works – the ambulance service, the zoo, wild life dynamics – anything and everything, and for escapism, those that help others richer than I to find a place in the sun, or the country – oh and best of all, the ones that take you on the journey of an old property being brought back to life.

Arabella: Do you have any great writing, publishing, or marketing tips you’d like to share?

Maggie: My writing tip would be to get the story down, don’t keep going back over it and editing what you have so far, but keep going till the end. Nothing can be until it is created. Once you have it all down – a beginning, middle and end, then spend time reading it through and making any necessary edits. A much quicker process and a much more enjoyable one than anguishing over every scene.

Well, readers, if you’re still with me, thank you, and I hope you have enjoyed this little insight into my work and me. I loved taking part as this has been one of the most interesting set of questions set by an interviewer to date.

If you would like to know more about my work – my releases, join in competitions and receive three-monthly newsletters, then I would love to welcome you to my website: www.authormarywood.com and/or my Facebook page: www.facebook.com/HistoricalNovels

BLACKPOOL’S DAUGHTER can be found in Asda and Morrisons and is available in libraries on ebook sites.  

And Coming Soon:

I have written a series called THE SANDGRONIANS – which is a name given to those born in Blackpool. Book one is available for pre order on ebook outlets and released in July and is called BLACKPOOL’S ANGEL, the paperback will follow in November. Book Two: BLACKPOOL’S SISTERS will be in ebook by Dec and paperback in April 2020. Book Three: BLACKPOOL’S CHRISTMAS isn’t written yet but is scheduled for Christmas 2020.

Much love to you all, Maggie x

Maggie, it was a tremendous pleasure having you as a guest on Arabella’s Blog and Chit-Chat and I’m sure your readers were just as enthralled as I was to discover some of your writing secrets. The fact you rise with the dawn chorus and start playing solitaire before pounding out the words to your next novel on the keyboard was fascinating. Thank you so much for sharing something personal about yourself and your life. It brings you closer to us.

Wishing you all the best with your family sagas…

Arabella Sheen

arabellasheen.co.uk

About Maggie Mason

Maggie Mason is a pseudonym of author Mary Wood. Mary began her career by self-publishing on kindle where many of her sagas reached number one in genre. She was spotted by Pan Macmillan and to date has written many books for them under her own name, with more to come. Mary continues to be proud to write for Pan Macmillan, but is now equally proud and thrilled to take up a second career with Sphere under the name of Maggie Mason. A Blackpool Lass is her first in a planned series of standalone books and trilogies set in her home town of Blackpool.

Mary retired from working for the National Probation Service in 2009, when she took up full time writing, something she'd always dreamed of doing. She follows in the footsteps of her great-grandmother, Dora Langlois, who was an acclaimed author, playwright and actress in the late nineteenth – early twentieth century.

It was her work with the Probation Service that gives Mary's writing its grittiness, her need to tell it how it is, which takes her readers on an emotional journey to the heart of issues.

Book Blurb

Clara is forced to flee her home as the Nazis invade the beautiful island of Guernsey

Separated from her mother, far away from anything familiar, she is at the mercy of a cruel shopkeeper. Clara is worked like a dog, but the warmth of her Blackpool friendships will go far to save her.

Julia just wants to find her beloved daughter - but the trials of war will keep them far apart.

They will meet again - but the war will change everything for mother and daughter...

Buy Links:  

Amazon: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Blackpool-Evacuee-Maggie-Mason-ebook/dp/B07FCMJ5MR/ref=tmm_kin_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=1554235754&sr=8-1

Maggie Mason can be found touring at these places: