Here's her original post: http://www.themaninahaystack.com/newsblog/4568893650
A VERY BRITISH BLOG TOUR 2013 is a collection of blogs, books and authors who are surprisingly very British. Paul Anthony (http://paulanthonys.blogspot.co.uk/2013/02/a-very-britsh-blog.html) is the original host and invites you to take part in ‘A Very British Blog’ by visiting and supporting the websites of authors involved in the tour and who are dedicated to turning out some of the finest books available in Britain today.
A number of authors have been asked the same questions but the answers will obviously all be different.
By the way, we British have certain conventions, traditions, and procedures that are expected. There is a dress code in the reading of this British blog and you are expected to comply with it.
For example...
Gentlemen will wear suits, white shirts and dark ties. (Military ties are expected wherever possible). Ladies will wear dresses (one inch above the knee, no higher, no lower) and floral summer hats. A break for tea and cucumber sandwiches is expected at some stage and is permissible. The list at the bottom the page is not a queue. It is an invitation and you are expected to accept that invitation and support the home-grown product. Now then, let us proceed in an orderly fashion. As you know, we are all very boring and staid in Britain, aren’t we?
Well, there’s a myth about the British and your starter for ten Stuffy, class conscious, boring, staid! But is this still relevant in today’s world? Let’s find out from our wonderful writers what they feel about it.
So, without further ado, here my answers:
Q. Where were you born and where do you live at the moment?
A. I was born in the small town of Rotherham, South Yorkshire but I currently live in the Algarve.
Q. Have you always lived and worked in Britain or are you based elsewhere at the moment?
A. I've never worked in Britain as I moved to Portugal with my family when I was just ten years old and I've been here ever since... although I'm ITCHING to move back! My house is for sale if anyone wants to buy it!!
Q. Which is your favourite part of Britain?
A. I ADORE Britain, I find it such an inspiring place to be an author. I have lots of favourite parts but I'm going to go with Lincolnshire purely because that is the place I've recently fallen in love with and where my husband and I are planning to settle when we move back. We particularly like Stamford so will probably settle somewhere between there and Bourne.
Q. Have you ‘highlighted’ or ‘showcased’ any particular part of Britain in your books? For example, a town or city; a county, a monument or some well-known place or event?
A. Yes! My most recent series, The Morgan Sisters, starts off primarily in London, but as the series progresses, the sisters will travel all over the country. I'm looking forward to introducing my American (and other nationalities) readers to all that is wonderful about England.
Q. There is an illusion – or myth if you wish - about British people that I would like you to discuss. Many see the ‘Brits’ as ‘stiff upper lip’. Is that correct?
A. Not at all. We just have a different sense of humour that some people might find difficult to understand. My husband and my brother share that sense of humour (sometimes it can be quite crude too though!)
Q. Do any of the characters in your books carry the ‘stiff upper lip’? Or are they all ‘British Bulldog’ and unique in their own way?
A. I don't think any of them do, actually. They're all very unique. I like my characters to be a bit quirky.
Q. Tell us about one of your recent books
A. The Morgan Sisters is my new series. Currently there is a novella published (Daisy Madigan's Paradise, which is free) and a full length novel (The Ghost of Josiah Grimshaw). It's a YA urban fantasy series, but many of my readers are 30+! It follows two adopted sisters whose lives change dramatically when they turn 16 years old and discover they're special in many ways. If you love Harry Potter, Supernatural, Twilight, then give my books a try!
Q. What are you currently working on?
A. Book II (the second full length novel) in the series. It doesn't have a title yet but I'm pretty excited about it. I'm hoping to release it in May 2013.
Q. How do you spend your leisure time?
A. Catching up on my favourite TV shows. I'm a real TV addict and I love all kinds of programmes like Castle, Game of Thrones, Bones, Criminal Minds, Ghost Whisperer, Haven, Lost Girl, etc. I also love cycling and I'm teaching myself to sew at the moment. Oh, and I mustn't forget books! I love to read, of course!
Q. Do you write for a local audience or a global audience?
A. Definitely a global audience. The more countries I can reach, the better!
Q. Can you provide links to your work?
A. Of course!
Raven (FREE!)
December Moon
The Lost Soul
Daisy Madigan's Paradise (FREE!)
The Ghost of Josiah Grimshaw
I have also tagged a few other people in this, who I hope will be doing their own VERY BRITISH blog posts!
As soon as the link is there, it means that their answers have been completed for you to read, too!
A. I was born in the small town of Rotherham, South Yorkshire but I currently live in the Algarve.
Q. Have you always lived and worked in Britain or are you based elsewhere at the moment?
A. I've never worked in Britain as I moved to Portugal with my family when I was just ten years old and I've been here ever since... although I'm ITCHING to move back! My house is for sale if anyone wants to buy it!!
Q. Which is your favourite part of Britain?
A. I ADORE Britain, I find it such an inspiring place to be an author. I have lots of favourite parts but I'm going to go with Lincolnshire purely because that is the place I've recently fallen in love with and where my husband and I are planning to settle when we move back. We particularly like Stamford so will probably settle somewhere between there and Bourne.
Q. Have you ‘highlighted’ or ‘showcased’ any particular part of Britain in your books? For example, a town or city; a county, a monument or some well-known place or event?
A. Yes! My most recent series, The Morgan Sisters, starts off primarily in London, but as the series progresses, the sisters will travel all over the country. I'm looking forward to introducing my American (and other nationalities) readers to all that is wonderful about England.
Q. There is an illusion – or myth if you wish - about British people that I would like you to discuss. Many see the ‘Brits’ as ‘stiff upper lip’. Is that correct?
A. Not at all. We just have a different sense of humour that some people might find difficult to understand. My husband and my brother share that sense of humour (sometimes it can be quite crude too though!)
Q. Do any of the characters in your books carry the ‘stiff upper lip’? Or are they all ‘British Bulldog’ and unique in their own way?
A. I don't think any of them do, actually. They're all very unique. I like my characters to be a bit quirky.
Q. Tell us about one of your recent books
A. The Morgan Sisters is my new series. Currently there is a novella published (Daisy Madigan's Paradise, which is free) and a full length novel (The Ghost of Josiah Grimshaw). It's a YA urban fantasy series, but many of my readers are 30+! It follows two adopted sisters whose lives change dramatically when they turn 16 years old and discover they're special in many ways. If you love Harry Potter, Supernatural, Twilight, then give my books a try!
Q. What are you currently working on?
A. Book II (the second full length novel) in the series. It doesn't have a title yet but I'm pretty excited about it. I'm hoping to release it in May 2013.
Q. How do you spend your leisure time?
A. Catching up on my favourite TV shows. I'm a real TV addict and I love all kinds of programmes like Castle, Game of Thrones, Bones, Criminal Minds, Ghost Whisperer, Haven, Lost Girl, etc. I also love cycling and I'm teaching myself to sew at the moment. Oh, and I mustn't forget books! I love to read, of course!
Q. Do you write for a local audience or a global audience?
A. Definitely a global audience. The more countries I can reach, the better!
Q. Can you provide links to your work?
A. Of course!
Raven (FREE!)
December Moon
The Lost Soul
Daisy Madigan's Paradise (FREE!)
The Ghost of Josiah Grimshaw
I have also tagged a few other people in this, who I hope will be doing their own VERY BRITISH blog posts!
As soon as the link is there, it means that their answers have been completed for you to read, too!
Hope you get back to England soon! And as an American fan, I can't wait for my reading tour of Britain.
ReplyDeleteThanks Elizabeth!! :D x
ReplyDeleteHi Suzy, nice to read the answers from the other authors taking part - really interesting. I've bought Raven and tweeted it, plus posted it to my Facebook fan page here: http://www.facebook.com/TheAuntSallyTeam
ReplyDeleteThe link to UK Amazon for your book from your blog didn't work for me (I'm using Chrome on Mac OSX) so i had to go to Amazon and search for the book. Looking forward to reading it now though
Flick x
You're really kind, flickm, thank you! I hope you like Raven. Go easy on me when you read it... it was my first book!!
ReplyDelete