Welcome to Regency Author - Audrey Harrison

I’m delighted to welcome Audrey Harrison to my blog.

Audrey Harrison - Author

Hello Audrey – It’s lovely to have you on the blog, and I’m sure your Regency readers are looking forward to reading what you have to share with them today. But before we discover more about your latest Regency release, Lady Edith’s Lonely Heart, here are a few questions which will hopefully give your 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?

Audrey: For me it’s always been the self-publishing route. I’ve been told by publishing houses that there is no market for Regency Romance (!) My readers would suggest otherwise. Being self-published also gives me the opportunity to be in total control of every aspect of the publishing process – I admit to being a control freak! – and it helps me to connect to my readers and publish to my writing programme. I love the flexibility of it, that’s not to say it’s easy. It can be damned hard work, but I think the benefits outweigh the work needed.

Arabella: How do you research your Regency novels and characters?

Audrey: I have over 400 books at home which include diaries of Regency people, recipes, etiquette, and all forms of living in the Regency time. A lot more research is done than actually appears on the page, but I hope it helps my stories to be more authentic. Actually, the diaries are hilarious and can be quite rude! Life was a lot more risqué than appears in a lot of the Regency novels of today.

Arabella: Who or what inspired you to write your latest Regency release, Lady Edith’s Lonely Heart?

Audrey: I very often have an idea milling around in the back of my mind to start with. With Lady Edith’s Lonely Heart, it was that I found out The Times newspaper had been advertising Lonely Heart’s Ads since the 1600s. The moment I found that out at some point it was inevitable that I’d do a story around letters. I also love the films The Shop Around The Corner and You’ve Got Mail. I think the written word is a very romantic way to communicate.

Arabella: If the person of your dreams (husband/wife/partner/or Regency beau) were to invite you out, where would they take you, and which vehicle would they use:

1) Phaeton

2) Landau

3) Curricle

4) Barouche

Audrey: I don’t think I’d feel safe on a Phaeton! I had the opportunity of travelling around Stamford in a Landau as part of their Georgian Festival last year. It was quite cosy, very noisy and I loved every minute, so that would be my choice.

Landau Carriage

  

Arabella: Which is your most favourite period drama or historical film you’ve seen to date, and why is it so special?

Audrey: I’ve already mentioned The Shop Around The Corner (1940), but I suppose I’d have to say my absolute favourite is Alastair Sim’s A Christmas Carol/Scrooge (1953). Christmas is my favourite time of the year and I just love this version. It’s such a wonderful film of hope.

Arabella: When writing a book or chapter, which do you concentrate on first: plot, character, or setting?

Audrey: As I’ve mentioned with Lady Edith’s Lonely Heart, it was an idea which led to a plot. My two-part story about Foundlings, was written after a visit to The Foundling Hospital in London and Mr Bailey’s Lady developed from my own town’s industrial heritage. So I find that anchor and then develop the story around that.

Arabella: A slice of Chocolate Cake, a piece of Fruit, or Burger and Fries?

Audrey: A slice of cake, every time, but not chocolate cake I’m afraid. I love cake (which you can tell from my picture)

Cherry Cake Squares

Arabella: What advice would you give to someone who is starting out on their writing journey?

Audrey: Publishing has changed so much in recent years, it’s now accessible to us all. I think that’s amazing. I’ve done it and I’m from a very working-class background in the North of England (yes, I do have a funny accent!). I would urge everyone who has that overwhelming urge to write, to get their stories out there. Don’t write in secret, like I did for years. I’m overwhelmed that readers enjoy my books, but if I can do it, anyone can! 

Thank you for joining me on Arabella’s Blog and Chit-Chat, Audrey. Your latest release, Lady Edith’s Lonely Heart, sounds amazing.
I’m in awe of the fact you've ridden in a Landau Carriage. And if only I'd been in Stamford to see you riding on-high in all your Regency splendour...

All the best and wishing you lots more happy-ever-after Regency writing.

Arabella

www.arabellasheen.co.uk

About Audrey Harrison

Audrey Harrison - Author

AMAZON UK KINDLE STORYTELLER COMPETITION FINALIST 2018!

I was born about two hundred years too late.

In the real world I always longed to write, writing a full manuscript when I was fourteen years old. From the moment I could read I had my head stuck in a book. They were my prized possessions. Work, marriage and children got in the way as they do and it was only when an event at work landed me in hospital that I decided to take stock. One Voluntary Redundancy later, I found that the words and characters came to the forefront and the writing began in earnest.

So, although at home more these days, the housework is still neglected and meals are still late on the table, but I have an understanding husband. Most of the time!

Social Media

Website:  www.audreyharrison.co.uk

Facebook: www.facebook.com/AudreyHarrisonAuthor

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/audrey.harrisonauthor/

Book Blurb   Lady Edith’s Lonely Heart

A dashing tale of romance from a bestselling author of Regency Romance.

She is under pressure to find a husband she doesn't want.

He keeps to the fringes of society because of family constraints.

Will the written word be enough to bring two lost souls together?

Lady Edith Longdon is an heiress, in danger of being classed a spinster, and disillusioned with the fops, dandies, and fortune hunters surrounding her in society. Deciding it’s time to take her future into her own hands, she devises a foolproof way of finding someone she can love. She's convinced nothing could go wrong…

Lord Ralph Pensby, overwhelmed by a sense of obligation, and with no one he can turn to, is adrift from those around him…

Two people drawn together, both on a journey which will affect them in ways they could never have foreseen. Secret correspondence, mistrust and confusion, not to mention cads of the highest order, make this novel a fast-paced, heart-warming story, with appealing characters and a strong sense of time and place.

Perfect for lovers of all things Regency.

BUY LINKS:  

Amazon US:  https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0852RMGJJ

Amazon UK:  https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B0852RMGJJ

Welcome to Historical Suspense Author - June Davies

I’m delighted to welcome June Davies to my blog.

Hello June,

When asked for your genre(s), you answered you’re a: Historical romantic suspense and family sagas author. Wow! That’s quite a mouthful. But I must say it offers a wide range of interests and genres to choose from. Such a diverse field also makes for riveting and spellbinding reading.

Here are a few questions which will hopefully give your readers an insight into some of the things that matter to you.

Arabella: How did you find your agent or publisher and what are their good points?

June:   My roots are in the dim, distant, old-fashioned world of typewriters and paper books! You typed your manuscript, packed it up into a large brown envelope, together with covering letter and s.a.e,, posted it – and hoped your story landed upon the desk of a publisher, agent or editor who found something worthwhile in your work!

Past and present, that’s pretty much how publishers, editors and I have come together. (communication is usually via email these days!) As for good points, our working together as a team to create the best story possible is paramount.

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

June:   From those options, pj’s and slippers! But usually, I’d plump for comfortable shoes, walking trousers – with lots of pockets! – sweatshirt, and a big floppy hat!

  

(Blue suits you, June.) 💗😊

 Arabella: What inspired you to write your latest release, The Apothecary’s Daughter?

June:   That’s a tricky one, Arabella . . . Haworth, the hill-top Pennine village where the Brontë sisters lived and wrote, draws me in again and again whenever I’m walking in West Yorkshire.

Across the main street from the parsonage are the double-fronted premises of Haworth’s 19th century druggist. We’re told Branwell obtained his supplies of laudanum here, and here it was the sisters made purchases of soap, goods and remedies, saving the wrapping paper to write stories upon.

Although while writing The Apothecary’s Daughter, the Haworth druggist’s establishment wasn’t consciously in my thoughts, looking back, surely in some corner of my imagination it may have been an inspiration for Keziah Sephton’s family apothecary? 

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?

June:   I’m a member of the RNA and the Society of Authors, and belong to From Story Idea to Reader, a closed Facebook group welcoming writers, whether they be experienced or just getting started.

Writing is a solitary occupation. Belonging to groups and organisations offers companionship; together with the sharing of mutual interests, information, experience; of practical, legal and general advice - together with the invaluable encouragement, help and support of fellow writers.

Arabella: A slice of Chocolate Cake, a piece of Fruit, or Burger and Fries?

June:   Fruit, every time!

Arabella: When writing a book or chapter, which is most important to you: plot, character, or setting?

June: I’d have to choose Character, but really it’s always a combination of all three.

Arabella: How do you research your novels and characters?

June: I love libraries!

Arabella: What advice would you give to someone who is starting out on their writing journey?

June:  Write every day! Even if it’s only a few lines or jotting down an idea – Just write!

Many thanks for inviting me onto your Blog and Chit-Chat, Arabella – I’ve thoroughly enjoyed chatting with you and your readers!

June, Thank you for joining me on Arabella’s Blog and Chit-Chat.

Your latest murder suspense sounds full of adventure and mystery, and I’m sure your readers can’t wait to discover if there’s to be true romance in Keziah’s life.

Best wishes and lots of happy-ever-after writing.

Arabella Sheen

arabellasheen.co.uk

About June Davies

June Davies was born in an old house overlooking the Lancashire coastline, and the seashore finds its way into many of her stories.

Sometimes, as in The Dog Star, the sea is a powerful force driving the inhabitants of 19th Century Monks Quay, while in other tales like In Destiny's Wake, it has a gentler presence, yet still influences the characters and their lives.

History has intrigued her since schooldays, and when as a mature student she read History at University of Liverpool, she says it was like being given a passport to travel through time!

June Davies writes historical romantic and family suspense, serials, short stories and stories for children --- She still lives within walking distance of the seashore.

June’s Social Media Links:

Website: www.junedavies.com

Amazon: http://author.to/JuneDaviesAtAmazon

Twitter: https://twitter.com/JuneDaviesBooks

Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/junedaviesauthor

The Apothecary’s Daughter – Blurb - (released Jan 2019, Endeavour Media)

A wintry Yorkshire hill town in the 1800s; the arrival of a mysterious stranger from South Carolina, the disappearance of a precious family keepsake, an old tale about a hidden hoard of medieval treasure - and cold-blooded murder . . .

It’s been a long, harsh winter in the prosperous market town of Barrowby, where Keziah Sephton is busier than ever. As well as caring for three generations of her family in their tall, narrow home behind the apothecary, Keziah is coping alone with the responsibilities of running the apothecary while her father is tending fever victims at the local almshouse. She has neither thought nor time for romance.

Meanwhile, hardworking George Cunliffe has loved Keziah since they were youngsters. He’s torn between admiring Keziah’s selfless devotion to her family and impatience for them to spend more time together. When gallant Benedict Clay arrives at the apothecary claiming to be blood-kin, George is immediately suspicious of the soft-spoken Southern gentleman’s motives – and intensely jealous of his attentiveness towards Keziah.

However, the American is warmly welcomed by the Sephtons, gradually drawn into the very heart of the family – and into Keziah’s heart, also. But after her grandmother’s precious Book of Hours disappears, Keziah is tormented by treacherous doubts. Confronted by the dreadful consequences of greed and bitter resentment, Keziah is swiftly enmeshed in a shocking spiral of deception, betrayal, ruthless ambition – and cold-blooded murder.

Buy link:

The Apothecary’s Daughter:  https://www.amazon.co.uk/Apothecarys-Daughter-June-Davies-ebook/dp/B07M6ZDX2G