Author Interview - Sarah Davis

Hey Sarah! Thanks so much for joining me on my blog today! I'm really excited to hear about your writing process and about the inspiration behind your new book! 

Can you give us the first line of your new novel and a little blurb as to what it’s about? 

"The buzzing beneath eighteen-year-old Penny Osborn’s skin started while she spoke to the officer."

In one sentence it's a story about a twenty-year-old moving to northern Alaska for a job. More importantly it's about how she deals with life's challenges, moving on with grief and survivor's guilt. It's about man's vilest predator is ultimately man...whether by evil deeds or by the cage of our minds. 

What inspired you to write this novel?

I was daydreaming during a long drive about a veterinarian and her twin daughters moving from sunny southern California to the northern most reaches of Alaska. What circumstance could lead to such a move? 

From there, the twin telepathy entered the story and I considered what might the psychological effects be when the connection is lost (such as with distance, i.e. moving, or some other circumstances).

Can you tell me about that moment when you decided to sit down and write your first novel? How did you get over any hurdles of fear or doubt?

I learned about NANOWRIMO, an ongoing writing competition, that during November challenges a writer to write 50,000 words. I failed that challenge but pushed on. My family encouraged me to put it to paper, and so I did. Fear and doubt are constant companions, but no matter what, I am proud of my story and of what I have learned along the journey. 

Please can you tell me about your writing routine – how do you settle yourself down to write?

I put on noise cancelling ear phones (thanks honey!) and turn on music that fits with the mood. Sometimes I have to hide in my office or bedroom, and more often than not I'm scribbling notes and paragraphs for scenes to work on when time permits. 

Do you have any tips for aspiring authors who would love to write but don’t know where to start?

You start by writing/typing one word and follow it with another, and so on. You don't have to start at the beginning of the story. Write a scene. Write about a character. It's not scary, the writing process. It's sharing with someone who will give you honest, constructive feedback that's scary. 

What do you love doing when not writing?

Spending down time with my family (usually we are working but card games, movies, vacations), reading, playing with my dog.

Can you tell us about a funny/ embarrassing memory?

Absolutely not. 😉 Okay, so I grew up in a very small town in a German family. Took German in high school. While studying dog anatomy in vet school, I asked my study partners what a cha-hua-hua was. Well dunderhead, a chihuahua is a type of dog. I was very embarrassed but yet told my family.  My grandpa gave me a singing chihuahua stuffed toy for a present...so I wouldn't forget what one was. 

Ever met anyone famous? What were they like?

A few... I’m actually related to a horse jockey, Dean Kutz, may he rest in peace. He was an amazing guy from an amazing family. I’ve also met an actress who played possessed child. She was very personable and funny. There was a rapper...he smelled like pot. Three country music singers…all very nice. As a veterinarian, I have worked with a few famous animals, too!           

Fantastic Sarah! Loved reading your answers! 

To follow Sarah on Facebook, click here.

To order Sarah's book on Amazon, click here.

To read my review on Sarah's book "Inside Voices", click here.                

In memory of...

I didn’t think they’d let me inside the church but they did.

I was early, as usual. I could never be fashionably late like some people.

I sat in one of the pews at the back. I recognised some faces.

Covid meant that some pews were cordoned off to make sure people sat apart but I was grateful I was allowed to sit inside.

A soft music was playing in the background. The altar was huge and impressive.

Hushed voices offered condolences to others. People tip-toed around quietly.

I hadn’t expected the tears to come so quickly but they did.

When I had gotten the phone-call to tell me your news, I hadn’t cried. After all, we had expected it for a long time. 

But as soon as I sat there, in that sacred space, with that beautiful music, the tears came.

I was embarrassed and tried to hold myself together.

People I knew came to talk to me. I brushed away my tears but they were sympathetic. They said that maybe it was time to let the tears out.

At ten o’clock, I swivelled my head around to look outside the church. I saw the hearse. And I saw the coffin. I knew you had arrived. I prepared myself to say goodbye.

Four men in black suits began to carry you up the aisle. We all stood to mark your arrival.

I saw you going past. The coffin seemed so small. My face crumpled with tears as I imagined you in there.

They took you to the front and set you in the middle. It was your party. We were all here for you.

The music was beautiful. You always did have good taste. I remember so many times you gave me lifts and we’d have a singalong in the car. You’d turn the volume up high and we’d belt the tunes out, raising our voices, letting go. You had made a playlist for your car and every song was fantastic.

I could imagine you sitting down and planning what songs you wanted played today.

“Here I am Lord,” the lady sang and I knew why you had chosen that. I remember you told me about the time that you made that decision. The decision that you were going to try to serve God and help others. That you would dedicate your life to trying to be of service.

And serve you did. You were always trying to be of help. Always trying to have a kind word and a listening ear.

The number of times you gave me lifts; helped me move house and took mum and I to hospital when Dad was was sick with cancer. The number of times you took me to Tesco late at night where we’d do our food shop. You always produced a little gift for me – chocolate or some other treat. And I’d have always bought something for you too. It was a pointless exercise – we could have just bought something for ourselves, but it became a tradition.

Your brother gets up to say a few words about you. I could tell it was your brother before anyone even introduced him. He’s your absolute double.

He said about how much you helped others, how the last twenty years of your life were dedicated to being of service. He talked about all your travels and how much you loved life. And he talked about the cancer, and how you fought it head on, never indulging in self-pity.

And then they played it. “Make me a channel of your peace”. And again, my face crumpled inwards with tears. I suddenly remembered the time that this song had come on. Years and years ago. And you announced “I want this song played at my funeral”. It wasn’t a morbid statement, just a casual observation and I had said, “Oh really? Nice song. I want Ave Maria played at mine.” And that was that, the subject was dropped and we went on to talk about something else. But now here I was, listening to this song at your funeral, knowing it was what you had picked.

I looked at you sitting up there in front of us. I could almost see your cheeky grin. I could almost imagine your pride that all the great music you had picked was being played. That you were getting the proper send-off that you deserved. That the church was packed despite Covid.

Afterwards when we were all standing outside, I got to speak to your brother. “That was lovely, what you said about Colin,” I said.

He immediately broke into stories about you, regaling me of funny incidents, telling me tales of your escapades together. He even told me dirty jokes that he said he couldn’t tell from the pulpit. It was like looking at a carbon copy of you. You look the same, you have the same sense of humour; it was as though you were there.

After some time of chatting to people and of getting to hug Jude, who had nursed you so well in the last few years, I stepped aside to phone a taxi. I was over on my own and I happened to be standing right next to the hearse, in which you were inside. I felt your presence very strongly beside me. I noticed the car tyres of the hearse said “Mercedes Benz” along them. It seemed like you were standing there beside me with your cheeky grin, saying, “Look Rose, I’m going out in style. Look what they’re driving me off in.”

Thank you, Colin, for being such a good friend, for adding to my life and never expecting anything in return. May you rest in peace. And may I try to have an ounce of the compassion and kindness you had.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

~ In memory of Colin Murray ~

Edinburgh Crime Mysteries series - Author Val Penny

I am delighted to have the talented Val Penny on my blog today. She is the author of the bestselling "Hunters" crime series which is set in Edinburgh. She is here to tell me about the fifth book in the series coming soon. Val, over to you! :) 

Thank you for inviting me to your blog today. I am thrilled to be launching my new novel. Detective Inspector Hunter Wilson is the main protagonist of my new crime novel 'Hunter's Secret' that is to be published by Darkstroke on 08.08.2020.

Hunter’s Secret is the fifth novel in The Edinburgh Crime Mysteries series. Although the books form a series they can easily be read and enjoyed as standalone novels.

Throughout the series, the readers have come to trust the main character, DI Hunter Wilson, but in this book, it is clear that he is holding something back and hiding his actions from his partner Dr. Meera Sharma. It seems out of character but perhaps his feelings towards her have changed.

When Hunter is called to the scene of a murder, all is not as it seems.  Two members of his team, DCs Tim Myerscough and Bear Zewedu found a corpse when they were training in an Edinburgh Park, but when Hunter arrives the body has disappeared.

Hunter recalls the disappearance of a body thirty years earlier. The Major Incident Team is called in but their officer in charge, DCI Arthur Inglis, dismisses any possibility of an association between the two cases. He thinks the earlier murder was too long ago for a connection to be made. However, Hunter is determined to consider the possibility and investigate the past and present murders with the benefit of modern DNA testing.

Tim has other problems in his life. His father, Sir Peter Myerscough, has been released from jail. He, too, remembers the earlier murder. There is no love lost between Hunter and Sir Peter but Hunter may have to accept help from his nemesis to catch a killer.

Hunter’s own secret is exciting and crucial to his future. He knows it could change his life. He also knows he must not allow it to take up too much of his time because he must stop a murderer to keep Edinburgh’s citizens safe once more.

I very much hope your readers will enjoy the new book and join Hunter while he investigates this next, important case.

Thank you Val! It sounds fascinating! I love that photo of Edinburgh - how nice would it be to be lying on that grass reading your book! 

Blurb for Hunter’s Secret

Hunter has a past. Hunter has a secret. Can he unravel his past, keep his secret and keep Edinburgh safe today?

Detective Inspector Hunter Wilson is called to the scene of a murder. Tim and Bear found a corpse but when Hunter arrives it has disappeared, and all is not as it seems.

Hunter recalls the disappearance of a corpse thirty years earlier. The Major Incident Team is called in but sees no connection - it is too long ago. Hunter is determined to investigate the past and the present with the benefit of modern DNA testing.

Tim has other issues in his life. His father, Sir Peter, is released from jail. He, too, remembers the earlier murder. There is no love lost between Hunter and Sir Peter. Will Hunter accept help from his nemesis to catch a killer?

Hunter also has a secret. His secret is exciting and crucial to his future. Can he keep his secret safe? Will it change his life? Can he keep Edinburgh safe?

To contact Val or to buy her books, please click on the links below: 

www.authorvalpenny.com

Val Penny Facebook page

Val Penny Twitter

Author buy links

Buy Hunters Chase

Buy Hunters Revenge

Buy Hunters Force

Buy Hunters Blood

Buy Hunter's Secret 

Buy Lets Get Published

Val Penny is an American author living in SW Scotland. She has two adult daughters of whom she is justly proud and lives with her husband and two cats. She has a Law degree from Edinburgh University and her MSc from Napier University. She has had many jobs including hairdresser, waitress, lawyer, banker, azalea farmer and lecturer. However, she has not yet achieved either of her childhood dreams of being a ballerina or owning a candy store. Until those dreams come true, she has turned her hand to writing poetry, short stories and novels.

Her crime novels, 'Hunter's Chase' Hunter's Revenge, Hunter's Force and Hunter’s Blood form the bestselling series The Edinburgh Crime Mysteries. They are set in Edinburgh, Scotland, published by Crooked Cat Books. The fifth novel in the series, Hunter's Secret, is published by Darkstroke. Her first non-fiction book, Let’s Get Published is available now.

Short story - "In the queue for the Pearly Gates"

It seems as though I’m in the queue for the pearly gates. The sun is shining down on us. In the far-off distance, I can see luscious green mountaintops. The air is still and quiet. It’s so peaceful.

The queue feels orderly and calm. There’s quite a few ahead of me and quite a few behind me. We all stand, one at a time, a bit of space apart.

Some people don’t look too happy to be in the queue for the pearly gates. One woman looks anxious and paranoid. She’s wearing a face mask and her eyes keep darting around as if worried someone will jump on her.

A man is talking manically to someone on his mobile phone, desperately trying to fill the time.

Another man is engrossed in his phone trying to distract himself with emails or news bulletins.

It’s as if they can’t bear this waiting time, as though they’re wanting to hurry through life and get through those pearly gates as soon as possible.

I decide to just stand there, soaking up the sun, trying to think of nothing. They call it mindfulness these days. The ability to clear the mind of any chaotic thoughts and just sit peacefully. Like you’re next to a calm lake with nothing to do but watch your fishing pole and see if the fish take the bait.

I let the sun soak onto my pasty white arms, let the Vitamin D pour into my cells.

I put the morning behind me – the work that I did at my desk before I came out. Instead I just stand, trying to think of nothing, breathing.

A doorman to the pearly gates walks down along the queue. He has a walkie-talkie and he wears a high-vis jacket. “Any over-65’s?” he bellows. “Over 65’s can skip the queue.”

Well that makes sense, I think. The man who has been chatting on his phone stops mid-track and smiles wryly. It is a smile of compassion, of understanding. We don’t mind that the over 65’s skip the queue. We are glad to let them. I make a mental note that I have another 20 years before I join the 65’s. What am I going to do with those 20 years, while I wait in this queue of life?

The over 65’s pass me, slowly. One has a walking stick. The other is so hunched over her zimmer frame that her body has taken on a sort of ‘L’ shape, rather than being upright.

65 is not old these days, I think. My parents are in their 70’s and they still seem sprightly to me. There was that one time my dad was really sick and he clung on to my hand in the hospital. I thought it was his last hour; it was terrifying. But he made a full recovery. 5 years in remission and out cycling daily.

I think of all the lovely things there will be inside. Delicious fresh fruits, luxurious desserts, rows and rows of chocolate – anything we want to pick.

But I’m happy to just wait here for now, to bask in the sunlight and enjoy the moment of mindfulness.

I look up to see a huge sign towering over us. You can’t miss it. Anyone could see it for miles. It must be at least 6 feet tall. Yes, if I was to stand next to it, it would tower over me. I guess they don’t want anyone to miss this place. I guess we’ll all have to come here eventually.

The queue inches forward again. I’m getting closer now.

I can see a nurse in uniform. Anyone working closely with sick people are at a greater risk. They’re allowed to skip the queue too.

Again the queue nudges forward. It’s a slow moving queue but it’s persistent. It does keep moving. Eventually we will get there.

The doorman with the walkie-talkie and the high vis jacket gives me the nod.

It is my time.

My time has come.

I’ve reached my destination.

I give him a smile of thanks, pop my pound in the trolley, whizz it through the sanitising station and I’m in.

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#Tesco

#EveryLittleHelps

#Lockdown

"The idea of mixing Jewish students, a Kabbalistic sect leader and a murder just popped into my head one day." - Author interview - Jo Fenton

Hello there Jo, I’m delighted to have you on my blog today!

Hi Rose, thanks so much for inviting me!

Congratulations on your latest novel! I'd love to hear all about "Revelation". Can you give us the first line and a little blurb as to what it’s about?

First line:

Yellow tape seals the doorway between the lifts and the east wing of the halls of residence – tenth floor.

Blurb:

Manchester, 1989

A student, Rick, is found dead in halls of residence.

His friends get caught up in the aftermath: Dan, who was in love with Rick; and Becky, who is in love with Dan.

Their fraught emotions lead them into dark places – particularly a connection to a mysterious Kabbalistic sect.

Will Becky discover who killed Rick in time to save her best friend?

Sounds fantastic! What inspired you to write this novel?

I was a student in Manchester in 1989, and although nothing like this happened to me (thankfully), I wanted to capture the atmosphere and some of the difficulties of the time. It’s often difficult to know what sparks a specific story though. The idea of mixing Jewish students, a Kabbalistic sect leader, and a murder, just popped into my head one day.

It's great when ideas just pop into your head like that! Can you tell me about that moment when you decided to sit down and write your first novel? How did you get over any hurdles of fear or doubt?

I’d been writing short stories for a few months, but had dismissed the idea of a novel on the grounds of full time job, husband and kids. 

But one day we were watching breakfast TV amongst the usual morning stress, when an article came on about NaNoWriMo. 

National Novel Writing Month is a challenge to write a 50,000 word novel in a month.

Surprisingly, my husband suggested I give it a go, so during my morning break, I started thinking about some ideas.

When the concept of a woman trapped in a religious sect popped into my head, I got really excited. I did a lot of planning, so by the time I sat down to write, the words tumbled on to the page.

The fears and doubts came out many times over the next 6 years whilst I wrote, re-wrote and edited – simultaneously attending writing workshops and joining writing groups to learn the craft.

That first novel was accepted by Crooked Cat on 15^th December 2017 and was published in July 2018. I’m still very proud of it.

That's so impressive! I've never managed to do NaNoWriMo. Please can you tell me about your writing routine – how do you settle yourself down to write?

I’m rubbish about routine, but I do try to write before work if I can (my brain is a bit frazzled by the end of the day). If I’ve got 20 minutes to write, I’ll sit at my desk with a coffee, order Alexa to play some music (whatever I’m in the mood for – currently Meatloaf, Adam Lambert, Queen and Tom Odell, and start typing.

If I've got an hour (usually at weekends or holiday), I'll do the same. I occasionally have to read back through the last chapter if I've not written for a week or two. 

Do you have any tips for aspiring authors who would love to write but don’t know where to start?

I would suggest to start writing the novel that excites you. Some people are planners, some are pantsers (seat of the pants writers), many are somewhere in between (like me!) It doesn’t matter. The first draft should never see the light of day, except perhaps to be read by someone you trust who can give constructive critique. At some point in the process, do a course in creative writing – it doesn’t have to be an MA! I attended a series of brilliant workshops, which evolved into critique sessions, and is now a monthly writing group.

Most important though is to keep dreaming. Writing a novel is a long process, and requires persistence and determination. Having an aim or ambition is a good incentive to keep going.

What do you love doing when not writing?

I love reading (no surprises there), but also love running and hiking – both a huge shock, and my younger self would probably not believe it! I’m very slow at running, but completed a half marathon on the same day as I finished writing my first book. 

Lastly – a fun question: 

Can you tell us about a funny/ embarrassing memory

My dad was an entertainment agent, specializing in lookalikes/soundalikes. One evening, he invited all the family and some friends along to see a Tom Jones act (this was about 15-20 years ago).

‘Tom Jones’ asked my dad if some of the women in his party would throw some knickers at him (he provided the knickers – all clean, I hasten to add).

Anyway, I offered to do the business, and when Delilah came on, I walked halfway to the stage (we were at the back) and threw a lacy pair of red unmentionables towards the singer – well that was the plan. I’ve never had a good aim. The lace attached itself to the ceiling. I returned red-faced to my chair. But it didn’t end there. The audience’s gaze remained transfixed to the knickers, which slowly detached from the ceiling, finally falling onto the table as Mr Jones hit the last note.

He confessed to my dad afterwards that he was so hysterical watching the progress of the underwear that he almost forgot the lyrics!

Brilliant Jo! I love it! Thanks so much for coming on my blog today and best of luck with your book! 

About the author:

Jo Fenton grew up in Hertfordshire. She devoured books from an early age and, at eleven, discovered Agatha Christie and Georgette Heyer. She now has an eclectic and much loved book collection cluttering her home office.

Jo combines an exciting career in Clinical Research with an equally exciting but very different career as a writer of psychological thrillers.

When not working, she runs (very slowly), and chats to lots of people. She lives in Manchester with her family and is an active and enthusiastic member of two writing groups and two reading groups.

Revelation is available on Amazon: Amazon

My other books are also available on Amazon: 

The Brotherhood: The Brotherhood

The Refuge: The Refuge

You can find me on social media at:

Website: Website

Facebook: Facebook


Twitter: Twitter