JO LAMBERT

Welcome Kit and yes, we really are here at Sally Lunns!  The first thing I wanted to say is that I’m sure there are many people who will read this blog who already know all about you. For those who don’t, however, could you tell us a little about yourself?
Yes, we’re finally here. I didn’t realise how small Sally Lunn’s is. It is rather quaint, isn’t it? Oh, a hot chocolate for me, please. So, what to say about myself… I live about ten miles north of Bristol, overlooking the two Severn bridges (well, I would if houses weren’t in the way!). I’m married, have one daughter, two grandchildren, and have a passion for music, flowers and plants, and take great pleasure in the wildlife in my garden, especially the birds.

Your debut novel Every Step of the Way has been very successful. What inspired you to write it and was it a deliberate plan to embrace saga writing as a preferred genre?
I never set out to be a saga writer, it just happened by circumstance. Prior to Every Step, I had written a paranormal mystery called Whitestones (to be published later this year), and two contemporary novels.  Every Step of the Way began as a sequel to the paranormal. I was looking for a reason to give my novel family for moving from London to the West Country, when I came across an article in a national newspaper about the 1952 Killer Smog of London. The more I read, the more fascinated I became with the incident, particularly as one of the areas worst affected was where I grew up. A lot of facts surrounding that dreadful event weren’t known to later generations, and I knew I simply had to incorporate them into my story. To me, the novel is more historic semi-fiction, but there doesn’t seem to be a shelf for that in the bookstores. Although I’m halfway through writing a second saga, it isn’t my preferred genre; I much prefer writing paranormals and timeslips. You can have much more fun and freedom with these.

There is a history behind the book; it was shortlisted for an award, I believe. How did this happen?
The Harry Bowling prize was initially for an unpublished novel in any genre as long as it was set in London. As Every Step qualified, I decided to have another go. The entry had to include a synopsis. Having entered the competition two years previous with a contemporary, and having got nowhere, I thought perhaps I would stand a better chance if I changed Every Step into a saga, as that’s what Harry Bowling wrote. So I reworked the synopsis. Surprise upon surprise, I received a phone call several months later advising me I had been shortlisted. I didn’t win, but as a result, I was taken on by a well respected agent.

You are a lady of many talents, writer, editor, artist to name three. Which of these came first and how did this happen?
A lady of talent and master of none! Or so it’s been said. The writing came first, from having a love of English as school, I went on to become a reporter, then editor for the school magazine and onwards from there. My working life has always involved working with books, including running my own business keying and typesetting all manner of reference books and journals. I’d been writing poetry for several years before turning my hand to a full-length novel, then another, and another, and so it continues.

And did this inspire you to move into the other areas you have now embraced?
Well, yes, I suppose it has in a way. I was on a writers’ holiday some five years ago when I sat in on an art class. Art has always been inside me; I studied it at grammar school and had dabbled feebly with watercolours to no success. The tutor suggested I try acrylics, and I haven’t looked back since. I certainly never expected my any of my paintings to sell, that’s for sure.

Which do you enjoy most? I love both equally. One inspires the other. The painting can be exceedingly relaxing to do but, like writing, it can be exceedingly frustrating when things aren’t going as planned.

How did you get into publishing?
My business and working career had given me a lot of insight into publishing, although it has changed greatly over the years with the invention of computers etc. My agent had been unable to secure a publisher for me and, having been made redundant a couple of years ago (gosh, is it really that long?) I decided I would put my knowledge and experience to use and do something with my time, and help other writers too in the process.

And now for some general questions. Where is your favourite holiday destination and why?
Greece, Greece, Greece, every time, although I did fall in love with Barbados and Austria. No, it is definitely Greece, the Greek islands. I’ve visited several, my favourite to date is Kefalonia. I love the climate, the warm sea, the food, the wonderful people, the nature of the land, Greek history and its many myths and legends. The only thing I don’t like is the written language, I can’t read a word of it!

And lastly, a regular question I’ve started to ask. If you could invite four famous people to dinner who would you choose and for what reason?
James Martin – he’s gorgeous, I love his car collection and he’s a brilliant chef. I would invite him to cook dinner for us all. After we’ve eaten (I wouldn’t expect him to do the washing up), I would persuade him to take me for a drive in one of his fabulous sports cars.
Andrea Bocelli – he’s gorgeous too, and his singing is simply heavenly. He’s the only singer whose voice can make the hairs on the back of my neck stand up. I would invite him to serenade us after our lovely meal cooked by James.
For sparkling and stimulating conversation I would invite Brian Cox, the astronomer. Apart from being gorgeous too (have you noticed the pattern here?), I am deeply intrigued and fascinated by the stars and planets, and am a secret Star Trekkie. I can spend hours outside at night studying the stars. It would be wonderful to have Brian there to teach me all about them.
My final guest would be Leonardo di Vinci. Not so gorgeous, but he was a very intelligent and knowledge man far in advance of his time. I would love to give him the opportunity to discuss his theories with people who are now enlightened in the ways of the world and the universe. Afterwards, he would be able to capture the dinner party in a painting for prosperity, as only a true artist can.

A  fascinating collection of guests with a wide mix of talent to sit around your dinner table!  Am sure you would have an amazing evening! Thank you for coming along and guesting on Tea and Talk, it’s been great to spend some time with you.

For more information about Kit, check out her social network connections below:-

Hi Nicky,

I’m so pleased to be able to welcome you as my guest at Tea and Talk at Sally Lunns.

Hi Jo ~ it’s such fun to be here. I’ll have milk in my tea, seeing as that it’s the afternoon, and sugar please. Make it two. No really, go on. Yes, two. TWO. Ah, thank you. I know, people are always surprised, but I’m a sweetheart ~ I need my sugar.

Now I know you grew up in Germany but can you tell us a little more about yourself?

Well. Let’s see. I grew up in a fairly big industrial town called Essen, but my family lived on the outskirts and I have memories of roaming fields and abandoned orchards. It was quite ‘Famous Five’ and my friends and I were forever looking for secret tunnels and adventures. I have two much older brothers; my older-older brother was 17 when I was born (and was frequently mistaken for my Dad when he used to push me around in the buggy, much to his embarrassment) and my younger-older brother was 12. I had a typical education ~ Kindergarten, primary school, secondary school, with all the teenage trimmings. For example, I used to take ballroom dancing classes because it’s simply what you do when you’re fourteen! (This has come in handy once or twice!)

When did you start writing?

In earnest, I started writing eight years ago when I was pregnant. I’d quit my job and I was determined to fulfil my lifetime’s ambition of writing a book. I followed through, too, completing the first draft in about three months and editing it in various stages over the following years. However, it’s only since my younger son started school that I suddenly had this mad desire to turn writing into a proper career, and that’s about two years ago.

What inspired you to write a book that featured a rock band?

What can I say? I have a thing about rock stars. Always have done, presumably always will do. It’s something about the voices and the hair and that powerful on-stage presence that makes me go quite weak without fail. So I spun a fantasy around what would happen if…someone like Mr. Bon Jovi ever proposed. I hasten to add that the book is NOT about Mr. BJ, has nothing to do with him, in fact, and isn’t even inspired by him…directly. It was just…you know…a daydream which grew into a book.

When did you decide Sophie’s journey was not yet at an end and there were another two books to be written?

That’s a really good question. I didn’t, to begin with. I wrote it as one book, called ‘Full Circle’ at the time (owing to the ending, you see) and left it there. Obviously I knew the story wasn’t finished and the epilogue kind of opened the way into a second book right away, but I didn’t start thinking about writing this second book until I had published the first one.

When I planned the second book, it turned out that Sophie’s story was far more complex than I had envisaged and I couldn’t possibly fit it all into one book. So then I swiftly planned two more books, one in great detail (Sophie’s Run) and one in outline (Sophie’s Encore).

Did you work out the plot for both remaining stories at the same time?

Lol ~ I should have read ahead, shouldn’t I! I think I answered that question above. That’s me, always chatting away, offering way too much information.

Now to music, I know you and I both share a love of rock music but who are your favourite bands?

How long have you got? Europe, THE HUSH, Dare, Bon Jovi, FM, Aerosmith, Def Leppard, Kiss, John Norum, Green Day… But I also like ABBA, Emeli Sande and… well, lots of artists.

And who have you actually seen live and where?

Hm. See if I can resurrect my memories here. The first band I ever saw live was Modern Talking. I know, I know; put it down to teenage aberration. My brothers were mortified. That was in Essen, when I was twelve.

Next was Europe, also in Essen, when I was fourteen. I was in the front row. Oh yes, I was. You see, my friend and I, we were so relatively little, we just kinda squeezed through the crowd outside the concert hall and suddenly we were let in early, in small groups (crowd control, I suppose) and well, there we were, in the front row. I was deaf for days but it was worth it. *swoon*

I saw Europe a few more times in Germany but I can’t exactly recall where or when.

Dare ~ saw them once (or twice? Not sure now) in Essen. We had a quick chat over a beer; they were the support act that first time and came wandering about when they were done. I also caught a drumstick in that show, I still have it to this day!

FM ~ saw them… oooh lots of times. In Oberhausen and Munich (age 19) (me, not them!); in Woking and London; in Cardiff… At the Oberhausen gig, I was lucky enough to blag an invitation backstage and chatted with the band until the bar closed. I got lots of autographs too but I can’t find them now. I think I banished them to a box in the attic a long time ago, swearing I was over and done with this rock star obsession. This was before I started writing, obviously. D’you reckon I should go and retrieve them?

Speaking of ~ Have tix to see FM on tour in March! Splurged on the VIP package too so I’ll get to see the sound-check and attend the after-show event!!!

Bon Jovi ~ saw them twice in Bristol, in 2008 and 2010.

Shall I leave it there?

 Wow, that is quite a list Nicky.  I love Dare. Their music has almost taken over the playlist I’ve set up for my current novel.  And now for my final question – Sophie’s Run has been released and the final part of her adventure in the pipeline.  What are your plans after this?

I am going to write more Romance that Rocks Your World. I have two very different books in the hopper, featuring glamorous musicians of varying levels of success with different kind of love stories attached to them. I’m gonna have to throw a coin as to which one I’m going to write first!

Thank you for joining me here in Bath Nicky and good luck with Sophie’s Run.  It’s already on my TBR pile!

Thank you so much for having me here, Jo! It’s been such a pleasure and… don’t tell anyone about my two sugars, will you? XXX

About Nicky Wells: Romance that Rocks Your World!

 

Rock On! Nicky Wells writes fun and glamorous contemporary romance featuring a rock star and the girl next door.  A signed author with U.S. publisher, Sapphire Star Publishing, Nicky is in the throes of publishing her Rock Star Romance Trilogy. Nicky loves rock music, dancing, and eating lobsters.  When she’s not writing, Nicky is a wife, mother, and occasional teaching assistant.

Originally born in Germany, Nicky moved to the United Kingdom in 1993, and currently lives in Lincoln with her husband and their two boys. In a previous professional life, Nicky worked as a researcher and project manager for an international Human Resources research firm based in London and Washington, D.C.

Visit Nicky on her blog where you can find articles, interviews, radio interviews and, of course, an ongoing update on her work in progress. You can also follow Nicky on Twitter and find her on Facebook. Nicky is a featured author on the innovative reader/author project, loveahappyending.com and has joined the Romantic Novelists’ Association. Nicky also has author pages at Sapphire Star Publishing, Amazon and, of course, Goodreads.

Sophie’s Run

Her famous star remains her rock while life takes her on a little detour…

Who says that the road towards true love is straight and even?  Sophie is certainly discovering that it is anything but.

So she has finally found the man of her dreams! Well… she knows who he is, even though she hasn’t actually quite met him yet.  But she misses her opportunity, and then her life goes crazy.  Rock star and ex-fiancé, Dan, keeps getting in the way of her new romance—even if he is just trying to be helpful.  A fire, an impromptu mini-trip with Dan, and a dreaded wedding later, Sophie is still struggling to meet the love of her life. Then, just as she is getting it together with her perfect man, best friend Rachel commits an act of unspeakable betrayal.

Sophie has had enough. Confused and distraught, she decides that it is time for radical change.  Surprising herself and shocking her friends, she embarks on a secret journey and eventually gets her life back on track.

Sophie’s Run is now available in Kindle edition from Amazon.com and Amazon.co.uk, and in Paperback edition from Amazon.com and Amazon.co.uk. You can also get the paperback at Barnes & Noble, or download Sophie’s Run onto your Nook (coming soon).

 

My next Tea and Talk will be an author double bill – the lovely Michelle Bentham and my good friend Linn B Halton.  I will be talking to these ladies on 16th and 17th March about writing and all sorts of other interesting things.  Don’t miss it!

 

Thursday 7th February 2013 is a very special day. My good friend Nicky Wells launches the second part of her Rock Star trilogy Sophie’s Run!
As I’m working, then off to a leaving do, I won’t be able to attend the launch party until late on Thursday evening when probably most of the fun will be over. So am taking the opportunity to send out a post from my blog to let you all know the contact details about this great new book.

I have received this from Nicky and am passing it on to everyone who picks up my blog posts

Sophie’s Run is now available in Kindle edition from Amazon.com and Amazon.co.uk, and in Paperback edition from Amazon.com and Amazon.co.uk. You can also get the paperback at Barnes & Noble, or download Sophie’s Run onto your Nook (coming soon).

If you want to know more about Nicky and her great books catch up with her on her blog Romance that Rocks Your World.

Good luck Nicky, have a fabulous launch party – you rock!

Welcome to Tea and Talk at Sally Lunns Ali, it’s lovely to have you here. Now we are settled with tea and a great selection of cakes my first question, as always, is can you tell me about yourself?
Thanks for having me! Tea and cakes in Bath with a fellow writer – what better way to spend the day?
I’ve lived in Bristol since I was married (way back in the seventies!)and have always liked living here. My career was in college and university libraries and two of my jobs have brought me to Bath, which I considered having the best of both worlds. But I am of course a Scot, even though it’s forty years since I left and I still get quite emotional at sporting moments (come on Andy!) and at New Year when I have been known to drag people into the street for an eightsome reel.
How long have you been writing and what prompted you to start?
Well I had always had a secret (I don’t know why it was secret!) ambition to be a writer but other things always seemed to get in the way, or as soon as I began I would feel disheartened and stop again. Then around the time I passed 50 (ouch!) an acquaintance who knew me only by e-mail said I was ‘obviously a writer’ or words to that effect, and I felt galvanised to do something. I struggled for a while with poems and short stories then joined a writing class with Bath author Sarah Duncan. I realised she could teach me what I needed to know about the craft of making things happen on the page. After that things just clicked.
What inspired you to write A Kettle of Fish?
We’d been on holiday to Scotland and I had an urge to do something that would celebrate my Scottish roots. But I didn’t want it to be autobiographical, so I had to invent a much more modern heroine – and put myself in her head – which proved interesting!
Once you had finished writing it, how did you go about getting it published?
I did all the usual things in terms of pitching to agents (which I had also done with a previous novel) but could see that it wasn’t meeting their to my mind very narrow requirements. Then I had interest from a small publisher but was rejected because they already had something similar on their list. I felt like I couldn’t win! I was about to self-publish when I heard about Thornberry through a writer friend. They accepted the MS immediately.
Are you staying with contemporary writing or would you ever consider moving into a different genre? If so what would it be?
I’ve always consider myself a contemporary writer. Then I got interested in a Victorian photographer and suddenly I’m writing historical fiction. So that means I’ll have three books all in different genres Oops! I think it would be easier to approach agents if I could be more consistent!
Has your writing being inspired by any other author(s)? If so, who?
I’ve had different favourites at different times, and I suppose I aspire to emulate all of them in different ways: Penelope Lively, Ann Tyler, Carol Shields, Rose Tremain, Tracey Chevalier, Barbara Kingsolver to name but a few. Right now I’m having a Roman season with Robert Harris – fascinating. But in general I would say I have more favourite books – novels that feel like sublime examples of their kind – than favourite authors. I often fall out of love with a writer I thought I could rely on.
I read A Kettle of Fish and really enjoyed it. What is your next project?
The historical novel is keeping me very busy. My knowledge of Victorian Edinburgh where it is set was zilch before I began and so I’m just emerging from lots of research to start telling the story. In fact I like to have more than one project whenever possible so that if I get stuck with one (not unusual!) I can do something on the other. Our writing group is putting together an anthology to celebrate 400 years of Bristol Central Library later this year and so I’m working on a short story for that. I also write guest blog articles for a few websites as well as running my own blog.
And lastly, who would you most like to have dinner with and why?
Ooh, what an offer! I have been a big tennis fan all my life and might have to request John McEnroe. Not that I liked his tantrums, but I think he has become a fantastic commentator in all senses of the word. Ewan McGregor would be a close second, or Shirley Williams for her take on history and politics – past and present.

Yes, I think Ewan McGregor would definitely be one of my choices.  Many thanks for coming along to Tea and Talk at Sally Lunns Ali, it’s been great having you here.  And good luck with the new novel, I look forward to reading it!

You can find out even more about Alison and her work by clicking on the links below:

e-book and paperback from Amazon http://ow.ly/gP68R
Thornberry Publishing: http://www.thornberrypublishing.com/page10.htm
Author website: http://alibacon.com
Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/AliBacon
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/#!/ali.bacon.94

Today at Sally Lunn’s I’m chatting to Avis Randall who has recently released her debut novel A Drift of Daisies

It’s good to meet you, Avis, and welcome to Sally Lunn’s for Tea and Talk.
Hello, Joanna, it’s lovely to meet you too, and thank you so much for inviting me along. I love this teashop; I haven’t been here for years.
Yes, I agree, it is.  So, now we’re settled, can you tell me a little about yourself?
It’s difficult to know where to start. I live in Downend, Bristol, on my own now but I have lots of lovely friends I see regularly, mainly through my writing and painting. I hail from Somerset, growing up on the Tyntesfield Estate, and count myself lucky in having travelled to lots of places in the world including Israel, where my daughter lived on a kibbutz, frequent trips to Spain when she later moved there, and often to America, where one of my sons and his family live. One of my greatest adventures was a road trip taken a few years ago with my son and granddaughter right down America from Phily to Mississippi. It was such fun.
And how did you become a writer?
I’d always enjoyed reading, and writing somehow became a natural progression. I was initially interested in plays and screenwriting and attended several courses whilst living in Basingstoke, where I worked for a psychiatrist at one of the hospitals there. When I moved back to Bristol, I took a course in creative writing. It was one of the best things I did for not only did I learn a great deal about the art of writing, but I also met a lot of people who have become life-long friends there. I’d recommend anyone who is serious about writing a novel to take a professional course. It is worth every penny. Writing was a means of escape and when going through some difficult times in my life, I would take myself off to a caravan at Clevedon and write, write, write, undisturbed and uninterrupted.
Your debut novel A Drift of Daisies was published last year. What influences were there in creating the plot?
The plot came about from a short story I had written at one of my classes. Once it was finished, I felt there was more to tell: the reasons and the background as to why my heroine found herself waking up on a psychiatric ward, so set about the story into a full-length novel. I worked in psychiatry, so used my knowledge of the subject within the plot, although in the novel it forms only a small part of the whole. The story centres on Rowan and her philandering husband, and the Mendips, which featured so much in my childhood, became the obvious choice for the setting.
Tell us a little about how you came to publish it.
Spurred on by my fellow writers in the writing group I am still an active member of, I sent it off to an agent who immediately took it on and found my then publisher (Piatkus). It was very well received with sales in Australia and America as well Europe, and became, and still is, a popular library take out. I did many book signings in Waterstones and several independent books shops, along with library talks, and several radio interviews. Even though I was with a mainstream publisher, the promotional side was very much left for me to arrange, even down to contacting the local press etc. It was at one of these book signings I met Maeve Binchy, and we became firm friends; she was exceedingly supportive of my work and gave me a lot of encouragement with my second novel, Kilkenny Bay. All this was some years ago, long before ebooks were invented. The copyright having come back to me, I decided to relaunch A Drift of Daisies as an ebook, as it was still attracting readers, mostly through the library service, and in particular in Holland. When ThornBerry Publishing, who had to retype the complete novel as the original was bashed out on a typewriter and Piatkus no longer held an electronic copy, offered to take it I was thrilled, especially as they were happy to use my original title (Piatkus changed the titles of both my books) and allowed me a lot of input into the cover. I do love my new cover, the girl depicted is exactly as I had envisaged Rowan.
A Drift of Daisies was reissued to bring it to new readers in light of my having written a sequel, which hadn’t been published. This was due to more my editor at Piatkus moving on and the incoming one bringing her own portfolio of authors with her, dropping many of us mid listers who were on the books. Also my lovely agent retired, thus the sequel was never released. I’ve had to rework it since, bring it more up to day and hopefully it will be released later this year.
You also have another string to your bow, I understand – writing drama – can you tell us something about that?
Well, yes, but I much prefer to call it script- or playwriting. I love writing dialogue, and have been told I have a great flair for it. It comes naturally, whereas I know a lot of authors struggle to write it well. I like to include a more light-hearted element too, the humorous side to life as well as the more serious. There is a lot of drama in my books, but then all writing – be it books, plays or films is “drama”. Scriptwriting is my real, true passion. I love plays and going to the theatre, and until recently was involved in a local drama group too. Several of my plays have been performed on the radio and a couple performed at the Old Vic. One of them was, in fact, the runner up in the playwriting competition that launched the career of Catherine Johnson (she of Mama Mia fame). My play was taken up by an American agent who was at the time in discussion with Miramax Films to produce it, even down to lining up the actors, but like most things to do with films and books, the funding didn’t materialise. I shall never forget the day when Miramax rang me, and my granddaughter, who was visiting from America at the time, answered the phone. She couldn’t believe who was calling. I have almost finished turning that play into a novel which, again, hopefully will be published following the release of the sequel to A Drift of Daisies.
Did the drama writing help when you decided to writing a novel?
Yes and no. With scriptwriting, you have to be totally disciplined. It is all about the dialogue as this is the only means to tell the story to your audience, thus you have to stay focussed. You can’t get bogged down by description and narrative and things happening off stage, or by what’s going on in people’s heads, it all has to come out through speech. And, more to the point, it’s all about timing, especially when writing for the radio. I do find writing description hard, which is why I admire authors such as Rosie Thomas. She writes wonderful descriptive narrative.
Who are the writers you most admire?
My all time favourite author is John Steinbeck, I feel a great affinity with him and his writing and his work has greatly influenced mine. I’ve read all his work, some several times.
If you were able to choose a career, which would it be – in books or drama?
Drama, without a doubt. I would love to see one of my plays as a big London stage production. Oh well, I live in hope but time is running out for me, I’m not young any more.
Thank you, Avis, I hope you have enjoyed the visit; it was lovely to meet you.
It’s been an absolute pleasure, Joanna, thank you. I really appreciate you giving me the time to tell you and your followers a little about myself. I can’t get to grips with the internet and blogs and things, not even Twitter or Facebook, although my publisher keeps suggesting I do and have offered to help me learn, but at my age it’s doubly difficult keeping up with everything. I don’t have a website yet but I can always be reached through my publishers.

Link to Avis Randall at ThornBerry: http://www.thornberrypublishing.com/page7.htm
Link to Drift of Daisies: http://www.amazon.co.uk/A-Drift-of-Daisies-ebook/dp/B009995ONQ/ref=sr_1_1?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1347440211&sr=1-1