Please welcome Lesley Eames to my blog. Good morning Lesley. Please make yourself at home while I get us some tea and  biscuits. 

Please introduce yourself to those reading this blog post.

I’m Lesley Eames and I live in England in St Albans, an old cathedral city which is full of history. St Albans is in Hertfordshire, the county in which Jane Austen set ‘Pride and Prejudice’.

I write fiction and teach creative writing too. In fact, I love everything to do with writing, especially talking to readers and other writers. My debut novel was published in 2018 and my second novel is due for publication in July.

Has writing always been part of your life and when did you “know” that it was time to start writing your first book? 

I’ve been writing stories for as long as I can remember and still have the first ‘book’ I wrote when I was ten (it was a terribly bad story about horses but great fun to write). After studying law at university and qualifying as a solicitor, my writing had to focus on producing professional material but I always looked forward to returning to my love of fiction. I began writing short stories when my daughters were born and sold almost 100 of them to magazines. Eventually, I took the plunge and decided to write and teach full-time.

This led to my first novel, an historical romance called ‘The Silver Ladies of London’. Set in 1923, the book tells the story of four best friends who lose their jobs unfairly and set up their own business as lady chauffeurs despite some men thinking that driving is a man’s world. Its key themes are friendship, courage, social justice, equality of opportunity and love. Alongside the hardship there’s Roaring 20s fashion and fun as well.

I was absolutely delighted when the book was shortlisted in the Historical Romance category of the UK’s Romantic Novel Awards. I’ve also won the Romantic Novelists’ Association’s Elizabeth Goudge Cup and the Festival of Romance’s New Talent Award. Congratulations Lesley! 

How difficult was it writing your first book?

‘The Silver Ladies of London’ presented several challenges to me as a writer. Firstly, it was set in 1923 which involved a considerable amount of research. Prices, clothes, cosmetics, cars and the events that were taking place worldwide were just a few of the areas I had to research. Exploring the past is fascinating but it’s important to get on with the writing too!

Secondly, the book tells the story of four best friends – Grace, Jenny, Lydia and Ruth – each of whom have their own problems and romances. Weaving the individual stories into one overarching story took a lot of thought but I hope it worked. Oh it did work out!

Have you ever wanted to give up and what stopped you?

Confidence can be tricky at times but I try to see self-doubt as being useful to me as a writer. It spurs me on to keep improving and developing.

Who is the most supportive of you and your dream to be a writer?

My daughters are wonderfully supportive. ‘You can do it, Mum!’ they always tell me.

Friends are terrific too. I find the writing community to be very generous with its support while my non-writer friends are always happy to cheer me on or console me with cups of tea or glasses of wine.

Anything specific you want to tell your readers?

What I mostly want to say to readers is, ‘Thank you!’

As a writer I send my stories out into the world but it’s the readers who ensure they don’t languish neglected and unread. A lovely review puts a real spring into my step and makes all the hard work of writing feel worthwhile.

What is the best advice given to you (book or otherwise), and by whom?

I like to bring the old saying, ‘Do as you would be done by’ to my writing as well as my general life – in other words I try to treat people the way I’d like them to treat me. As far as writing goes, this means treating readers with respect. I try to ensure that my stories are well-researched and take readers on emotional, thought-provoking journeys that leave them feeling great. Whether I actually succeed in this is for others to say.

What is your target audience and what aspect of your writing do you feel targets that audience?

My target market is primarily female. My lead characters therefore tend to be female and I address issues that I think will be of interest to women – family, romance, social justice, equality of opportunity, fashion… That said, I also feature male characters (including some rather gorgeous heroes) and my stories take in motor-racing, business and so on. I do have male readers, some of whom report being pleasantly surprised by my writing. In turn I enjoy stories written by men as well as stories written by women.

Did the cover evolve the same way, or did you work with someone to make it come together for you?

I didn’t design the cover for ‘The Silver Ladies of London’ but had some input, particularly when it came to reflecting the period in which the story is set, such as the clothes that feature on the cover. I like the car and the mews in the background. 

I haven’t seen a design for my second book yet but I’m getting excited at the thought of it.

What are you working on now? Can we get a peek, an excerpt?

My second book is due to be published in July. I haven’t gone public with the title before so this is a first! It’s called, ‘The Brighton Guest House Girls’. Like ‘Silver Ladies’, this story is set in 1923 but in the English seaside town of Brighton. It features Thea, Anna and Daisy who come together to run a guest house while working through the problems that are threatening their well-being and happiness.  It’s a story of righting wrongs with friendship at the heart of the relationships along with romance. I do like my heroes!

Any last words before we wrap things up?

Thank you so much for featuring me on your blog, Mary. I’m delighted to have the chance to talk about my writing in general and my books in particular. I feel great affection for my characters and hope readers will enjoy them too.

Review:

I recently read this book and I loved the era it was set in and of course London even though I’m from the USA. The characters are unique as are their situations in the world of true love. The plot is solid, and the novel moves along in great fashion. The tie up of the characters near the end gave a sense of happiness and love unending. Extremely few errors noted and they don’t take away from this 5 star book!!

Website       Facebook       Twitter        Silver Ladies Amazon UK                                        Silver Ladies Amazon US       Goodreads

Please make welcome Neil O’Donnell to my blog. Good morning Neil and welcome. Take a seat and tell us, your audience, what you want us to know about you and your books. Please introduce yourself to those reading this blog post.

I am an anthropologist, a certified professional career coach (CPCC) and a certified anger resolution therapist (CART) serving as an Academic and Career Counselor with twenty years of experience helping college students and professionals in managing their academics and navigating their career journey. I am also an award-winning writer with credits including novels, short stories, non-fiction, résumés, curriculum vitae and cover letters. My expertise is in helping clients from around the world secure employment suited to their career interests and personal strengths.

Has writing always been part of your life and when did you “know” that it was time to start writing your first book? 

I started working on my first book when I was around 12; I was attempting to create my own choose-your-own-adventure book. I mapped out multiple actions and wrote text, but that fizzled as my brother introduced me to Dungeons & Dragons. A few years later, in 1986, I started writing text and designing characters and a fantastical world that year. I drew a map for the main continent – I still have that map. I finally produced the book in 2009, PEOPLE OF THE SWORD. It took me years in my teens and twenties to figure out a title, then I just used time after a surprise layoff to finish a good portion of the ultimate book.

In addition to fantasy, I write sci-fi and historical fiction. Most recently I added humor to my portfolio as I wrote a book about a pesky chipmunk, based on the chipmunk who lives under my deck. He’s not a “pet” yet he lets me pet him and my wife and I easily cave into giving him birdseed.

How difficult was it writing your first book?

Very difficult. A lot of naysayers weigh you down, particularly those who tutor or teach writing. I was fortunate that my college writing professors were amazing and supportive along with most of my pre-college English teachers. I’ve battled OCD my whole life, so that certainly played into distractions and obstacles. Losing my job as a museum curator a week before my wedding ultimately gave me the push and time I needed. I was not anticipating an end to the grant that funded my position, so when the director informed me that I would be out of a job in a month (last day was literally a week before the wedding), I was freaked out beyond belief. The book instantly became a motivator.

Have you ever wanted to give up and what stopped you?

I had written smaller stories, but after drawing the map in the 1980s, I knew I would eventually complete the first novel. To this day, I am motivated to write every day even if it’s just notes, a blog post or resumes for others.

Who is the most supportive of you and your dream to be a writer?

My wife, my parents and my siblings. My parents died before seeing the book completed. I feel fortunate that my Dad got to hear me read parts of the unfinished book. Yeah, he is not a fantasy fan. My parents encouraged us to read, and my wife is also a reader (she’s also a museum curator who writes a lot between exhibit scripts, articles, grants, etc.). As for my sisters and brother, they have always supported me in whatever I did. Thank you Moey, Sandi and Ned!

Anything specific you want to tell your readers?

If you like Fantasy – read books by David and Leigh Eddings. If you don’t like Fantasy, still read David Eddings’ work. Write every day if you can, even if it’s just to develop a character profile for a character you know will likely not exist beyond the day you write down the character’s description and bio. Also, don’t let naysayers get you down.

What is the best advice given to you (book or otherwise), and by whom?

Best writing advice was from David Eddings through his notes in his book, THE RIVAN CODEX. He was a brilliant writer, and he was hilarious. I love that he said “start with a map,” which I read in the Rivan Codex in the 1990s-2000s. I felt an amazing connection in that moment as I had started with a map in 1986. That said, his advice for writers was to write every day. I don’t write every day, but it’s damn near close. As for days I don’t write anything? I’m usually researching to make characters, landscapes and other components of my novels more realistic.

What is your target audience and what aspect of your writing do you feel targets that audience?

Adolescents and above. I like tackling heavy subject matter. My chipmunk book, DON’T CALL ME CHIP, was a fluke. I wanted my chipmunk to have an adventure. I also wrote a small book called HOPE IN A BOTTLE, which was about a priest stuck on a deserted island who puts messages of hope in plastic pop bottles that end up on shore. Most of the book covers the events surrounding those who find the bottles and the hope the messages bring. A younger audience might find that okay, but the older audiences is what I am writing for.

Did the cover evolve the same way, or did you work with someone to make it come together for you?

I evolved. I evolved from a writer constrained by the limits of the English language and the pessimism of doubters to a writer who realized that writers make and adapt language. Changes to languages generally occur at the hands of writers. So, the so called ‘rules’ of English, as messed up as they can be, became guidelines. I learned by my 30s that most authors BROKE rules because they wanted to write things a certain way. If readers don’t like what changes they made to the rules, most writers don’t care if someone is displeased with our alterations. We are driven to tell OUR tales – and any language cannot handle a complete tale with its often restrictive boundaries.

What are you working on now? Can we get a peek, an excerpt?

SLAVER’S BANE – a novel about a group of 7 goblins and one human huntress who are seeking to free friends and relatives snatched by slavers. It’s my take on Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs. Just with goblins, all of who are highly intelligent, industrious in their own ways, and lawful good. I hate that goblins have always gotten a bad rap – I wanted to change that.

Any last words before we wrap things up?

If you read a book, please consider posting a review on Amazon. Especially for independent authors and authors like me who are with small publishers. Those reviews mean a great deal to our getting our work out there.

LINKS:

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