Inventing Family History

For ‘Irish Inheritance’, the first book in my 'Mist Na Mara' series, I needed to invent some family history for my American hero and English heroine. They have jointly inherited a house on the west coast of Ireland, but neither of them has ever heard of the Irish woman who has bequeathed it to them. This leads them into an intriguing, and sometimes puzzling, journey into their individual family histories, until they eventually unravel the tale of a 19th century love affair.

Sorting out this family history was fascinating for me too! I’ve done quite a lot of research into my own family history, so at least I was aware of the resources that are available online and in other places.

What I didn’t know before I started was that only the 1901 and 1911 Irish censuses are available. The census records for 1861-1891 were pulped, by government order, during the 1st World War, and the earlier records from 1821 to 1851 were destroyed by a fire at the Public Record Office in 1922.

This actually worked to my advantage, as it meant my characters couldn’t find out where their ancestors were living before 1901. The census records did help me, though, to see what names were popular in the early 20th century, and also to find out what streets and houses existed at that time in the Irish town of Clifden in County Galway.

Coincidentally, most of the USA 1890 census was destroyed by a fire at the Commerce Building in Washington DC in 1921. Again, this proved very convenient for me – although it must be so frustrating for American researchers!

My own research came in useful, too, when my heroine asks someone to look up information about her great-grandmother, because the 1911 census does not shown the maiden name of a wife. The heroine needs to know this, and I could easily imagine her researcher trawling through the marriage records to find one that seemed to be the right one. I say ‘seemed’ because in family history research, we can’t always assume that something that looks right actually is the correct record.

Another ‘headache’ in creating an imaginary family tree was getting ages right. I couldn’t have someone getting married when they were 12, or a woman having a child when she was in her 70s!

When I needed one couple to die relatively young, I had to search for plausible reasons for this, which was where my knowledge of history came in useful. The Spanish flu epidemic at the end of World War 1 fitted the bill perfectly, and so did the evacuation from Dunkirk in 1940.

I must have drawn and re-drawn the ‘family tree’ a dozen or more times before I eventually decided it worked - and now I'm very glad I kept it, because in my 5th novel in the series, I'm re-visiting the family, and adding another strand to it. Watch this space! 

Irish Inheritance

English actress Jenna Sutton and American artist Guy Sinclair first meet when they jointly inherit a house on the west coast of Ireland. Curious about their unknown benefactress and why they are considered 'family', they discover surprising links to the original owners of the house.

They soon unravel an intriguing tale of a 19th century love affair. At the same time, their mutual attraction grows, despite personal reasons for not wanting romantic involvements at this point in their lives.

A local property agent appears to have her own agenda concerning the house while other events pull Jenna and Guy back to separate lives in London and America. Friction builds over their decision about the house and its contents.

Will their Irish inheritance eventually bring them together - or drive them apart? 

Available as an ebook from all major distributors - click here

'Thought-provoking and powerful'

At the end of last year, I entered my novel ‘Irish Secrets’ into the Wishing Shelf Book Awards (http://www.thewsa.co.uk/). Although I didn’t win, I was delighted to be a finalist, and to receive an overall ranking of 4.5 stars. In addition, finalists receive feedback from the readers, which is also posted on Amazon and Goodreads by the award organiser.

I was very happy with the feedback I received!

Of the 17 readers:

16 would read another book by this author.

17 felt it was easy to follow.

16 would recommend this story to another reader to try.

17 felt the pacing was good or excellent.

16 thought the author understood the readership and what they wanted.

8 felt the author’s strongest skill was ‘plotting a story’.

9 felt the author’s strongest skill was ‘developing the characters’.

Readers’ Comments:

‘An interesting look at the Irish system of baby adopting many years ago. Excellently written; sad in many parts. Books of this nature are important reminding us of how lucky we are and how terrible history often was.’ Male reader, aged 41

‘I liked the romantic element I thought that was well written; lots of chemistry.’ Female reader, aged 56

‘Well plotted with a strong romantic undercurrent. I enjoyed this very much.’ Female reader, aged 47

‘This author is best working with characters and speech. The characters develop well this way. A powerful novel looking at a very dark Irish secret. Well done.’ Male reader, aged 55

Summary: ‘Thought-provoking and powerful. A FINALIST and highly recommended.’ The Wishing Shelf Book Awards

Irish Secrets

While working at Mist Na Mara Arts Centre, Kara Stewart embarks on a search for her mother’s birth parents; she’d been adopted in the 1960s by an American couple. Kara soon realises the task is not as simple as she’d anticipated when she meets with a wall of secrecy surrounding Irish baby adoptions.

Ryan Brady is hiding the secret of his real identity, but when he offers to help Kara trace her Irish family, his attraction to her is undeniable.

As the mystery unravels, secrets drive a wedge, not only between Kara and her mother, but also between Kara and Ryan.

Can Kara and Ryan find a way to heal the rifts created by all these secrets and find love?

Irish Secrets is being re-published by Tirgearr Publishing, and is available (until November 13) at the pre-release sale price of 99 cents/99 pence! http://www.tirgearrpublishing.com/authors/Martin_Paula/

When One Door Closes...

‘When one door closes, another door opens’ is a well-known saying which has certainly proved to be true for me.

The ‘closing door’ was that of my publisher, Rebecca Vickery, who regretfully announced last April that her publishing business would be closed on October 31st. The ‘open door’ belongs to Tirgearr Publishing with whom I signed a contract in August, initially to re-publish my ‘Mist Na Mara series’ of 4 books, all set in the beautiful Connemara area in the west of Ireland.

Maybe it is symbolic (and hopefully auspicious) that these four books became available for pre-order last Monday, October 30th, just one day before the ‘official’ closing of Rebecca’s business, and they will be released on November 13th – which is exactly seven months since I first learned I would need to find a new home for them.

My grateful thanks go to Kemberlee at Tirgearr, and also Christine, my editor, and Elle, my cover designer, for pulling out all the stops to get the books ready for publication in record time!

The pre-order price for each book in the series is 99 cents/99 pence. This will go up to ‘normal’ price level after November 13th, so do order now!

You can find links for all 4 books at http://www.tirgearrpublishing.com/authors/Martin_Paula/

(Kindle, Smashwords, Apple, Kobo, and Nook)

And here are a couple of reviews to whet your appetite!

"Paula's description of the scenery and charm of the Irish countryside is amazing but most of all, I love the story. What a great plot, characters and setting. Could not put it down."

"I was hooked from the first page and felt that I was there with the hero and heroine. The intriguing story line is fascinating and I could not wait to find out what happened."

Can Anyone Write a Novel?

Last month, I gave a talk to a local seniors group. It was similar to the ones I have done in the past – describing my writing ‘career’, including the differences between writing in the 1960s and writing today, and also giving some examples of where I get my ideas and how I develop my stories.

At the end of all my talks, I’ve had various questions, ranging from ‘How long does it take you to write a novel?’ to ‘How much research do you have to do?’

This time I had a different question. Someone said, “They say there is a novel in everyone. Do you think anyone can write one?’

I had to think on my feet! In the end I said something like, “First I think you have to want to write, and then you have to make the time to do it, rather than just write when you happen to have some spare time or feel like writing. There can also be a big difference between simply writing a novel, and writing something that will be accepted by a publisher. It can involve a lot of time and hard work – not just the actual writing, but also the research you need to do, even for a contemporary novel. You might also have to learn about plotting, using dialogue, and developing your characters, and I also think you need to have a good grasp of grammar, punctuation and spelling.”

That’s a summary of my ‘off the cuff’ answer, which I’m aware might only have covered a small part of what is involved in writing a novel. 

While we were having a cup of tea afterwards, someone else said to me, “I couldn’t write a novel. I don’t have the imagination to create a story.”

On my way home, I thought about this and realised this person was right. The need/desire to write (which means you make the time to do it) is combined with the imagination to create characters and their story. You can learn all the other things – and indeed, we all learn as we go along.

What do you think? Can anyone write a novel? And how would you have answered that question?

Plot Driven or Character Driven?

A blog interview question asking ‘Are you plot driven or character driven?’ made me wonder what the difference is between these.

One definition I found was that ‘character driven’ means the story concentrates on characterisation, internal conflict, and relationships, with the characters changing an attitude or otherwise resolving a personal problem. ‘Plot driven’ seems to describe stories with more emphasis on plot twists, external conflict, and action. The goal in these is to win, escape, or change a situation.

At first glance, it’s easy to say ‘character driven’ applies to romances, while ‘plot driven’ applies to mysteries or thrillers.

However, I don’t think it’s as simple as that. A romance story which only concentrates on internal agonising and/or problems in a developing relationship can soon become tedious. A thriller or mystery, with no characterisation of the protagonists, soon becomes a puppet show, where the characters are jerked around with lots of action, but no motivation or emotions.

I believe we have to combine the two aspects to create a good story, whether it’s a romance or a thriller. We need the ‘real’ characters of the character driven stories, with their hopes and fears, strengths and weaknesses. Yes, they may have internal conflicts to resolve, they may need to change an attitude or learn some kind of lesson. But if they are only doing this within the confines of a developing relationship, with not much else happening to influence them or show them the way, it won’t be a very interesting story, unless your reader is interested in the psychology of relationships and the inner workings  of your characters’ minds.

Therefore we need the plot twists, and the external events to keep the reader turning the pages.

Would ‘Gone With the Wind’ have worked if it had just shown the relationship between Scarlett and Rhett in peaceful, uneventful times?

Would a Civil War story work if we didn’t get involved in the characters’ lives and loves?

To my mind, stories need to be both character driven and plot driven. I start mine with the growing seed of a situation/plot into which I throw my characters. After that, plot and characters develop equally and interact throughout the story.

How about you? Are you plot driven or character driven?

"Stormy Hawkins" by Ana Morgan

My guest today is Ana Morgan whose debut novel Stormy Hawkins was published yesterday.

When she was small, Ana's dream was to know something about everything. She has studiously waitressed, driven a school bus, run craft service on indie film sets, milked cows, wandered through European castles, wired a house, married a Marine, canned vegetables, and studied the stars. She knows how to change a flat tire but prefers a gallant, handsome stranger who strips off his jacket and spins the lug nuts for her.

She began her writing career with essays about living on an organic farm and raising vegetables for a 100-member CSA. Now, in addition to writing sensual historical romances, she is the current president of From the Heart Romance Writers and an editor for The Talking Stick, a regional literary publication.

Today she tells us about the research she did for her novel: 

A poet-friend confessed recently, when I showed her the cover for my debut romance, Stormy Hawkins, that she had the start of a western romance buried under her bed. But she’d never write it because the research would be too demanding, and take too long.

I was surprised. I love the research aspect of writing stories set in unfamiliar times and places. Maybe this stems from my life-long goal to know something about as many things as possible.

Stormy Hawkins is set on a cattle ranch in 1890 southeast South Dakota. I live on a farm in north central Minnesota, so I had a leg up on some essential aspects of the story. I’ve driven through both North and South Dakota with a husband who provides running commentary about the geological and agricultural history of every small town and continental divide, and who will slam on the brakes to read a historical marker.

We moved to our then-rundown farm in March 1972. The “house” was a roof over three pushed-together hunting shacks. We had running water but no bathroom. The outhouse was a two-seater. My grandmother was the first relative to visit. She bit her tongue and bought for me a wringer washing machine, which I filled using a hose that attached to the kitchen faucet.

My eager hubby went to the local sale barn and bought a Jersey milk cow. She gave birth to twin heifers, and we learned to milk her by hand. Soon we were in the cattle business.

So, I had some first-hand knowledge of what daily life might look, feel and smell like on an 1890’s ranch. Act 1 of my story was research-lite. In Act 2, the heroine Stormy pursues the hero Blade Masters onto a Missouri River steamboat. I needed to research that.

I ordered books from the local library on steamboats. I bought used books—hardcovers with oodles of pictures—from ABE Books (a fantastic resource). I searched historical society websites for riverboat arrival and departure schedules from St. Louis, MO (my hero’s intended destination) to Yankton, SD., and found first-hand accounts of riverboat boiler explosions (frighteningly common) and boat sinkings due to hitting snags (trees submerged under the Missouri River’s surface).

I knew how the characters would dress on the ranch, but made sure to check when jeans were invented. I took a fascinating workshop on the history of clothing so I would envision correctly the fancy dress that Blade orders for Stormy as a ploy to win her father’s trust. (Blade wants to buy their ranch.)

Barbed wire, too. I couldn’t have the characters erect a fence before barbed wire was invented. That detail, and the history of the army forts established along the Missouri River to protect settlers from Indian attack, set the exact date for the story.

My editor at SoulMate Publishing checked on—and correctly called me out on—the dates when double hung windows came into use. She googled the French brandy in the story to see if it could have been imported. (I invented the brand, so yes, it could have.)

The research I gathered to write Stormy Hawkins will be useful as I write the next book in the Prairie Heart series. Book 2 will propel Blade’s sister, Mary, on a Missouri riverboat and port hopping search for her missing fiancé. But, I will have to pull out the picture books. Passenger riverboats were grand conveyances with stately dining rooms, gambling, and promenades—if you had money. Steerage passengers slept beside stacks of cargo and ate what they brought aboard.

Stormy Hawkins

Blade Masters has finally spotted his ideal Dakota Territory ranch, where he can live alone, forget his cheating ex-fiancée, and bury the shards of his shattered heart. All he needs to do is sweet-talk the ailing owner, and his spitfire daughter, into retiring.

If she weren’t desperate, Stormy would never hire a cowhand. She’s learned the hard way that she’s happier working her family’s ranch alone. But, the greedy banker who holds their mortgage just demanded payment in full—or her hand in marriage.

Will this handsome drifter protect her? Or does he have designs of his own?

Available from Amazon

What Makes a Page-Turner?

Comments and reviews about my romance novels quite often contain phrases like:’ Couldn’t put it down’ (or ‘unputdownable’ as one person said!) or ‘I was glued to it’ or ‘Once I started, I had to carry on until I finished it.’ In fact, one of my readers once ‘complained’ that I had kept her up late because she had to read ‘just a bit more’ until she got to the end of the book!

Obviously, these are very satisfying remarks for an author, but they made me think about what aspects of a novel make it a page turner.

The first requisite, of course, is that readers want to know what happens next. This means that the plot must be intriguing enough for them not to be able to guess the rest of the story by the time they get to Chapter 2. Of course, with a romance novel, they know the hero and heroine will get their happy ending, but the author must introduce enough unexpected twists and turns to keep readers in suspense and wondering how that is ever going to happen.

Another important aspect is to keep the story moving forward. Long descriptions of people and places might be suitable for literary fiction, but romance readers don’t want to read a whole page describing the scenery, or the layout of a house or exactly what the characters are wearing down to the last detail. A short paragraph with well-chosen words is enough to allow readers to use their own imaginations. Anything more can slow down the action – which brings me to another big turn-off i.e. irrelevant scenes where nothing actually happens.

There’s no need to describe the heroine’s shopping trip, or her day at work, or her cooking or gardening efforts, unless something happens during these events that advances the story. This may seem obvious, but I’ve read some stories with scenes that add nothing to the story. It’s worth remembering that every scene, indeed every page, should contain some kind of action or development. It doesn’t necessarily have to be something dramatic, but there should be a significant ‘something’ that relates to the plot or to the characters. This could be anything from a major turning point in the story or the introduction of a new character to a subtle change of attitude or a character learning something about themselves or the other person or the situation they are in. This applies to conversations, too. Skip all the ‘Hello, how are you?’ pleasantries and any other dialogue that rambles on with no real relevance to the rest of the story.

Cliff-hangers are a well-known device to keep readers turning the pages, especially at the end of a chapter. It’s been said that you should never end a chapter with a character turning off the light and going to sleep – because if your readers are reading in bed (which, of course, many people do) they will probably do the same. You should aim to ‘End each chapter with a bang, not a whimper’! Ask a question, foreshadow something that is going to happen (without giving it away), end with a critical moment for one or more of the characters – anything that will make your readers want to carry on reading to find out what happens next – even though it might be midnight.

An author can also drop hints during a chapter which make readers start asking questions e.g. Character A seems to have a hidden agenda – what is it? I used this in my novel, Irish Inheritance, which brought this comment from one reader when she was part-way through the book, “I’m dying to know what …. (no spoilers!) is up to.” There are also times when readers can be one step ahead of your characters. In Irish Secrets, for example, the hero is not what he is pretending to be and in Irish Deceptions something is revealed by the hero which the heroine doesn’t suspect. Hopefully, this makes people want to continue reading to discover what will happen when the heroine discovers the truth.

My final point is the characters themselves. Romance readers want to empathise with the heroine and fall in love with the hero, and the author needs to ensure that readers get to know the characters well enough to care about them. This means that they’ll be interested enough to turn the pages to find out what happens to them, and how they will eventually reach their happy ending.

Make Me Cry

It’s happy endings that make me cry, especially in films.

I can remember one of the very first films I cried at – an old film about the San Francisco earthquake (with Clark Gable, Spencer Tracy and Jeannette Macdonald). At the end, when they’re all camped out above the burning city, a boy runs up the hill shouting ‘The fires are out!’ and they march to the top of the hill, look out over the ruined, smouldering city and sing San Francisco, open your Golden Gate … well, I’m in floods of tears!

Another film which ALWAYS makes me cry, even though I’ve seen it many times, is Apollo 13. The astronauts, after an agonising wait, finally break the radio silence. Years ago, I watched it actually happening on TV and fisted the air when we knew the astronauts were safe. In the film, it’s the reactions of all the families and the Houston crew that make me fill up, every single time! 

I cried at the end of The Incredible Journey when Shadow, the golden retriever, eventually appeared. I cried when Hugh Jackman found Nicole Kidman after Darwin had been bombed in Australia. For heaven's sake, I even cried at the end of Toy Story 3 when the toys found a happy new home!

I cry at the end of Carousel when Billy makes his peace with Julie, I cry when the family escape to safety over the mountains in The Sound of Music, I cry when Emile re-appears at the end of South Pacific – in fact, a lot of musicals make me cry, because the endings are happy.

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If a reader tells me that the happy ending of any of my books has made them cry, then I know I've got it right.

What movie or book has made you cry?

Setting Goals

‘They’ say writers should set targets/goals for themselves but I’ll start by saying that I don’t usually set any for myself.

Several years ago I took part in NaNoWriMo and completed the ‘goal’ of 50,000 words in a month i.e. averaging 1,666 a day. However, I was very aware of how the quality of my writing deteriorated. That novel (or rather that very inadequate first draft) needed over 6 months of re-writing and editing before it was ready for submission and I have to admit it still remains my least favourite novel.

Another year I took part in a 100K Challenge i.e. 100K words in 100 days, which included any kind of writing e.g. blogs as well as stories or novels. In my case, probably over half of my daily total each day came from writing a series of blogs (in advance) for the A-Z Blog Challenge. I didn’t really increase my output as far as my novel was concerned.

When I am writing a first draft, I’m well aware that I am my own worst enemy, because, however much I try, I can’t turn off my inner editor. Even though I know I’ll spend hours re-writing, adding, deleting, and tweaking once the first draft is done, I still do the same while I’m writing that first draft! Occasionally I might say, ‘That’ll do for now, I’ll sort it out later,’ but that doesn't often happen.

I’m constantly searching for the right words or phrases, and I know when something isn’t working as I want it to work, whether it's an emotional experience, a build-up of suspense/tension, or simply a word picture of a scene. Therefore I can spend a long time working on a particular scene until I’m satisfied with it. Sometimes I can write 1,000 words in a day; sometimes I’ll agonise over just 50 words.

However, this month I have set myself a target. It’s a fairly modest one of 500 words a day, which I think is achievable for me. After a week’s work, I’ve actually managed to average 678 per day. A couple of evening ago, I was ready to finish for the day (it was after midnight!) but I’d only written 366 words. I forced myself to go on for another 15 minutes and add enough words to get to the magic 500. I’m happy to say I didn’t delete those words the next day!

500 a day for 30 days = 3,500 a week (which is the average length of my chapters) and a whopping 15K for the month. IF I can continue at this rate, the first draft (which currently stands at 38,000 words) will be nearing completion by the end of October. I’ll let you know if that happens!

Meanwhile, what goals do you set yourself? And do you achieve them? 

All Change!

The last couple of weeks have taken me (and my books) in yet another different direction, which is one of the reasons I didn’t post my usual Thursday blog last week. Everything seemed to be up in the air – but a lot can happen in a week!

For various reasons, which I won’t go into here, my association with the publisher who accepted my books at the beginning of July didn’t work out, and it was a mutual (and amicable) agreement to accept this.

Which meant that I had to find a way forward – and I’m delighted to announce that yesterday I signed a contract with Tirgearr Publishing who will re-publish my four Mist Na Mara books initially, and hopefully some of my other books, too, at a later stage. As Tirgearr is based in Ireland, it seems to be a very appropriate place for my Irish books to find their new home!

I’ve already received a very warm welcome from Kemberlee and from other Tirgearr authors, some of whom I already know, and I look forward to getting to know more in the future.

After what has been somewhat of a roller coaster during the past four and a half months since my publisher Rebecca Vickery regretfully announced the closure of her publishing company, I now feel very settled, and I’m looking forward to working with Kem and her team. For the time being my books are all offline, but they will go back once the editing and proof-reading has been completed and new covers have been designed.

So – watch this space!

In the meantime, please consider joining me and other Tirgearr writers – and readers – at the Tirgearr Publishing Reader Group on Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/groups/tirgearr.publishing/

See you there, hopefully.

Carol Warham visits my blog today

My guest today is Carol Warham whose debut novel, Resolutions, was released last week by Tigearr Publishing.

Welcome, Carol, and please tell everyone a little about yourself.

Writing has been my love since childhood, when I started by making small comics for my dolls and friends. I progressed to training as a journalist for a short while, but soon realised that was not the career for me. Marriage, two daughters and a busy working life meant I didn’t write for a number of years. However once things settled down I returned to writing and was lucky enough to have published short stories, poems and holiday articles.

In recent years I have become a judge in the short story section for the HysteriaUK competition and also for the RNA’s romance novel of the year.

Earlier this year, I, also, represented my local book group on BBC Radio Leeds, talking about books and the work on my novel.

I’ve lived in Yorkshire for over thirty years. I’m lucky enough to be surrounded by some beautiful countryside, which is ideal for my other passion of walking, often with a dog called Sam. This lovely area is the ideal location for my first novel, Resolutions.

What do you think makes a good romance novel?

In my opinion, a good story is pivotal to the novel. This must then introduce characters the reader becomes involved with, either loving or hating them depending on who they are. Every romance novel needs to have a happy ending.

Are you a plotter or a pantser? Plus anything you want to say about how you create your plots e.g. from a basic idea or from the characters or ???)

I am very much a pantser. I let my writing flow without any planning at all, although this can mean I have a lot of work to do when I start the editing. The plot for Resolutions came from a location and the name of a town in Florida, U.S.A. The story and the characters followed on from there.

How do you know when to stop ‘tweaking’ your manuscript?

You don’t, or at least, I don’t. I had to finally decide to ‘let it go’, or I would have been tweaking and changing parts for ever. Even now I cringe at certain sentences or paragraphs and wish I could change them.

What’s the best writing advice you’ve ever received/read?

The first piece of advice which really surprised me was to read the manuscript aloud. This really helps to hear where the story doesn’t flow. It definitely works and I would say that is one of the best pieces of advice I have ever had.

After that it is to edit, and edit properly, taking your time and check everything, especially grammar and spelling.

What’s your cure for ‘writer’s block’ or when you’re stuck at some point in your story?

I don’t have a cure. If I need to, I walk away and go and do something else, in the hope the ideas will form. It’s also helpful to have friends you can discuss the story with. They can really help you look at where the story is going and what you need to carry on with it.

What, for you, is the easiest part of writing? And what’s the hardest?

The easiest part is definitely the first draft, when the story is coming alive and I’m learning about my characters. I found editing hard, time consuming and at    times very frustrating, but then I had a lot to learn.

Please give a short ‘blurb’ about your latest release plus publisher, release date, where it can be obtained – and any other details you want to include.

Resolutions was published by Tirgearr Publishing on 9th August 2017. It is available as an e-book through Amazon, Kobo, Smashwords and Nook.

Blurb:

Carly Mitchell returns to the small town of Yeardon in Yorkshire almost a year after running away on her wedding day. Now she wants to try to make amends with Steve, his family, and the townspeople who had prepared a huge party to celebrate her New Year’s Eve wedding.

She intends to stay only for a few days at the Resolution Hotel, owned by Steve’s parents. However, her plans change when Steve’s father is taken ill, and she feels obliged to step in and help with running the hotel. This also means having to deal with Steve’s antagonism since he has never forgiven her for humiliating him.

A further complication comes in the form of Ben Thornton, the local doctor, to whom Carly feels an immediate attraction. They enjoy getting to know each other and falling in love, until a famous model from Ben’s past arrives in the town, and stays at the hotel.

Steve attempts to get his revenge on Carly by driving a wedge between her and Ben, and by threatening to reveal what he knows about Ben’s troubled past unless Carly leaves town.

The resolution lies in Carly’s hands as she struggles between wanting to flee from the town again and wanting to stay with the man she has grown to love.

Here is a short extract from when Carly arrives back in her home town of Yeardon. I hope you enjoy it.

Would she ever be able to walk through this town and into the shops again and receive a warm welcome? What sort of greeting would anyone give her now? What sort of greeting did she deserve? Yeardon had been a wonderful place to grow up. It was one of those towns where you knew everyone and they knew you.

Her mind a maelstrom of anxiety, she tightened her grip on the steering wheel. Who would have believed anyone’s hands could shake so much?

On the far side of the town she turned into a drive, which led down a short, narrow lane to an hotel, a converted mill owner’s house. After finding a space in the car park, she switched off the engine, but remained in the car for a few minutes. Taking a deep breath, she closed her eyes.

The drumming of the rain on the roof was not reassuring. The weather seemed to be giving a further warning to leave now while she could. She peered through the rain- splattered screen at the sign above the front door. In copper plate script, it read ‘Resolution Hotel’. The building looked well-kept and fresh. Business must be going well for Jim and Abi.

“Well, here goes.”

Her words, spoken out loud, helped to break the tension as the knots tightened inside her. After all she couldn’t sit there all night, could she? Inhaling deeply, she grabbed her overnight bag and willed her legs to move. Her head down against the biting rain; she ran up the five steps and pushed open the heavy oak front door.

Jim Sinclair sat at the desk. A single lamp broke the shadows in the reception area. These competed with the twinkling lights of the large Christmas tree in the corner. She was glad she’d rung the day before to ask if it was possible to book a room. He didn’t say there weren’t any vacancies as she’d expected him to. She scrutinised him for a few seconds. Jim had put a little weight on but he looked well. He was his usual casual self in slacks and rolled up shirtsleeves.

Shaking off the rain as best she could, she waited by the door. Her heart pounded as she struggled to find something to say.

Jim saved her the necessity. “Well now, can’t say I ever expected to see you back here again, especially now.” He put down the book he had been reading. “Abi’s taken it hard that you’ve decided to come back, especially after not hearing a word from you for nearly twelve months. I had to persuade her to let you stay here.”

Thanks for having me on your blog Paula. It was a pleasure to answer your questions.

Contact details

Blog:  https://carolwarham.blogspot.co.uk/

Twitter:  https://twitter.com/carol_warham

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

'Irish Inheritance' excerpt

“A house in Ireland?” Jenna Sutton stared over the mahogany desk at the lawyer. “Someone I’ve never heard of has left me a house in Ireland?”

The white-haired lawyer peered over his steel-rimmed spectacles. “A half share of the house, Ms. Sutton. Along with a half share of what, at current exchange rates, amounts to approximately fifty thousand pounds.”

Jenna shook her head and swiped several strands of hair back behind her ear. “I don’t understand, Mr. Moore. Why would this Helena Keating leave me a house and twenty-five thousand pounds? How does she even know about me?”

“Ms. Sutton, I can only give you the information passed to me by the law firm of Daniel McGrath in Dublin. We were instructed to find any descendants of James Oliver Sutton—”

“My grandfather.”

“Yes, and as far as we can ascertain, you are his sole descendant. I understand your father died in an automobile accident about twenty years ago. My condolences.”

“Thanks, but I was six when he died and only have some vague memories of him.” She frowned. “Do you know what the link is between this woman and my grandfather?”

“That wasn’t part of our instructions.”

“Have you any information about her?”

Mr. Moore pushed his glasses back up his nose and flipped through the papers in the blue manila folder on his desk. “Miss Keating was born in 1920 in County Galway, Ireland, and died last year in Dalkey, near Dublin, where she has lived since 1940.”

“So she was—” She did a quick calculation in her head. “About fifteen years older than my grandfather.”

The lawyer picked up another sheet of paper. “Yes, he was born in April, 1936.”

“I wasn’t aware he knew anyone in Ireland, and I’m pretty sure he never went over there. He lived his whole life in a small village in Kent.”

She couldn’t imagine her grandfather being anyone’s toy boy either. He’d been devoted to her grandmother. So what on earth was his connection with this Irish woman?

Another thought occurred to her, and she looked at Mr. Moore again. “You said I had a half share of the house and the fifty thousand pounds.” Even saying the words seemed surreal. She hadn’t yet wrapped her mind around what the money meant. “Who gets the other half?”

“I’m sorry, Ms. Sutton. I don’t have that information. The Dublin law firm is dealing with the estate. Our job was simply to—”

“Yes, okay, to find the descendants of my grandfather.”

“I’m sure Mr. McGrath will be able to tell you more when you meet him in Dublin.”

“When I meet him in – whoa, who says I’m going to meet him?”

“Mr. McGrath has suggested an appointment at two-thirty on May 10th, to be followed by a visit to the house the next day.”

“May 10th? That’s—” Another quick calculation. “That’s next Tuesday.”

“Yes. Will that be a problem? I would be more than happy to contact your employer and request leave of absence for you.”

“Erm – well, I’m an actress and – and kind of between jobs at present, so I don’t have an employer.”

“I see.” The lawyer cleared his throat, and Jenna had the impression she might as well have said she was a nightclub stripper. “That simplifies matters, of course.”

She chewed her bottom lip. Not really, but maybe Charley would lend her the money for a quick trip to Dublin.

No, hold on. If she was due to inherit twenty-five thousand pounds plus half a house, perhaps she could get an advance.

“Actually, no, it doesn’t. The thing is I’m – erm – I have some cash flow problems at the moment.” Slight understatement, Jenna.

“I understand, and in that case, on the basis of Miss Keating’s will, I can arrange for our bank to advance you a small loan to cover your expenses.”

“Great. Thanks.” She cocked her head to one side. “Why does this Irish lawyer want me to go to Dublin?”

“As the executor of the will, he has visited the house and requires you to visit, too, before you make any decision about it.”

Jenna narrowed her eyes. “Why?” Visions of a dilapidated Irish cottage flashed through her mind. Had the roof fallen in? Was it riddled with wet or dry rot? Or overrun by rats?

“I’m sorry, Ms. Sutton, I don’t have—”

“That information,” she finished off for him. “Seems like I need to curb my curiosity until I get to Dublin."

'Irish Inheritance' is available for Kindle and also as an Audiobook at

USA   http://amzn.to/2vizJVz
UK  http://amzn.to/2hnVfSG

An 'interview' with my hero

My first two Irish novels were re-released earlier this week, so here’s my imaginary interview with Guy Sinclair, the hero of the first book in the Mist Na Mara series, IRISH INHERITANCE.

I’m at Dublin Airport, hoping to catch Guy Sinclair who has just arrived from New York. Oh, there he is! Guy, can you tell us why you’ve come over to Dublin?

(Guy stifles a yawn.) Yes, of course, although you’ll have to excuse some incoherency. I managed to sleep for a while on the flight, but these overnight flights are a killer, aren’t they? Anyway, yes, I’m here to visit a Dublin lawyer, Daniel McGrath.

A lawyer? Why?

Good question. My New York lawyer told me I’ve inherited a half share of a house here in Ireland from some 90-year-old dame who died last year.

You don’t know who she is?

No, never heard of her. Someone called Helena Keating. She named my grandmother in her will, and, as my father died a few years ago and had no brothers or sisters, it seems I’m the only living descendant of my grandmother.

Where’s this house you've inherited?

I don’t know and, to tell you the truth, I’m not really interested in it. I’m only here because the lawyer insisted I had to see it before making any decision about it. It would have been much easier to stay home and simply instruct him to sell it.

You said you had a half share in the house. Do you know who has co-inherited it with you?

No idea. My lawyer didn’t have that information. Maybe it’s someone who’s as mystified as I am about all this.

If you want to sell the house, presumably this other person will have to agree?

Good point, but I’m hoping there won’t be any problems about that. I’d much rather have the money than a house in Ireland.

Well, I wonder who is Guy’s co-inheritor – and whether he will change his mind about selling the house?

Irish Inheritance

The last thing English actress Jenna Sutton expected is to inherit money – and half of a house in Ireland! When she discovers the handsome American artist she’s met at the airport is the recipient of the other half of the house, Jenna wonders what kind of trick fate is playing – for she certainly doesn’t need a man complicating her life now that she’s on the verge of stardom!

Guy Sinclair has fallen on hard times and sworn off actresses after being burned by his “ex”, Suzie. Selling the house he’s inherited – or his half of it – could be the new start he’s needed to get back to painting what really matters – art, not signage. But it doesn’t take more than five minutes in the presence of Ms.Jenna Sutton to make Guy realize that there’s much more than a house at stake here – his heart could be forfeit, as well.

Curious about their unknown benefactress and why they are considered ‘family’, Guy and Jenna discover surprising links to the original owners of the house. As they begin to unravel an intriguing tale of a 19th century love affair, they have no choice but to give in to their own attraction for one another.

Unavoidable events pull them back to their separate lives in London and the United States, and tension builds over their impending decision about the house - to sell or not to sell? And once that decision is final, what will become of them?

Will their IRISH INHERITANCE bring them together - or drive them apart forever?

Reviews:

U.K: “Once this book had its hooks in me, I read from beginning to end, non-stop. I could not break away. The sense of mystery and drama is brilliantly balanced and the characters are believable, likeable, and compelling. The scenes, as they are set in the mind's eye, bring a magical quality all of their own. It is one of those stories that, when you realize it is drawing to a close, you feel you want to make it last somehow. There are not enough stars available - this is the best story I have read in a long time.”

U.K: “A lovely absorbing story of a mysterious inheritance in the superb Irish countryside, so excellently described. I empathized with Jenna and Guy, wanted things to go well, and the questions posed kept me turning the pages. I thoroughly recommend this story.”

U.S.A: “Paula's description of the scenery and charm of the Irish countryside is amazing but most of all, I love the story. What a great plot, characters and setting. Could not put it down.”

U.S.A: “A beautiful story within a story, so much more than a romance. I loved the historic puzzles that ultimately link the lives from another time to the present day characters. And a mysterious Irish estate with its own secrets that ultimately draws all the characters together. The journey uncovering family histories, long forgotten, propels you through the story as much as the modern day characters and the relationships they forge. I very much enjoyed my first trip to Ireland via this book.”

Available from Amazon USA http://amzn.to/2vizJVz

Amazon UK http://amzn.to/2hnVfSG

Connemara

My four Irish novels are all set in the beautiful area of Connemara in the west of Ireland.

On my first ever visit to Connemara about ten years ago, I was fortunate that it was a beautiful autumn day, and I fell in love with the wild open countryside, the dozens of small lakes (known as loughs and pronounced like the ‘lochs’ in Scotland), and the Twelve Bens, a range of steep-sided bare mountains.

Connemara is an area of about 12 square miles in the western part of County Galway, bordered on the east by Lough Corrib, on the north by Killary Harbour, on the south by Galway Bay, and on the west by the Atlantic.

Although I’ve been to many other areas of Ireland in the past ten years, Connemara was the place that captured my heart, and I’ve visited it several times. Most times I’ve been very lucky with the weather, but even under low cloud, Connemara is still beautiful.

The Twelve Bens (Na Beanna Beola in Irish) is a mountain range of sharp-peaked mountains. The highest one is only 2,392 feet, but they can be seen from many parts of the area and provide a dramatic backdrop to small fishing villages like Roundstone in the south of Connemara.

On my first visit (and on subsequent visits, too), we went along Sky Road, near Clifden. This is a scenic drive along (and up!) a narrow peninsula which skirts Clifden Bay and rises to a viewpoint overlooking several small islands and beyond them the wide expanse of the Atlantic stretching into the distance. I’ve used the views from Sky Road several times in my novels because I love it and my (imaginary) Mist Na Mara house overlooks Clifden Bay.

South of Clifden is an area known as the Gaeltacht, which means a primarily Irish-speaking area. It is estimated that over two-thirds of Connemara’s 32,000 population are Irish speakers, mainly in the southern part of Connemara. This area has hundreds of small lakes, peat bogs, and also some beautiful bays, large and small.

I’ve only given you a small taste here of this stunning area, but you can find out more at http://www.connemara.net/welcome-to-connemara/

Wireless and Winners

What's the link between today's cell phones and transatlantic flights? The answer is Clifden, a small town in the west of Ireland, which was the scene of two hugely significant events in the early 20th century.

The first was due to the Italian inventor, Guglielmo Marconi, who successfully developed long-distance wireless telegraphy. Determined to send wireless signals across the Atlantic, he established a transmitting station in Cornwall, but after some difficulties there, he decided to move his station as far west as he could. The site he chose was Clifden or, to be exact, Derrygimlagh Bog, about three miles south of Clifden.

The station officially opened in 1907, and commercial signalling began between Clifden and Glace Bay in Nova Scotia, Canada on 17th October. Buildings on the site included a power house with 6 boilers and a huge condenser building as well as houses for the workers. There was a also a massive aerial system with 8 wooden masts, each 210 feet high. The sparks from these could be heard over a wide distance and resembled lightning. Fifty people were employed at the station, and a further seventy were also employed cutting peat to fuel the steam generators.

When advances were later made in technology, a more powerful station was built in North Wales but the Clifden Station remained operative until it was attacked and burned by Republican ‘irregulars’ in 1922. It was closed down after this, and the buildings gradually fell into disrepair.

The second event came twelve years after the Marconi station opened. In June 1919 British aviators John Alcock and Arthur Whitten-Brown left St John’s, Newfoundland, flying their Vickers VIMY biplane. Although there had been previous flights across the Atlantic Ocean, theirs was the first non-stop journey, lasting 16 hours and 27 minutes.

It wasn’t an easy journey – at one time due to thick fog, they were unable to navigate with their sextant and twice almost came down in the sea. The batteries for their heated suits failed, meaning they were freezing cold in the open cockpit – but evidently their coffee was laced with whisky! Half way through the night, they ran into a snowstorm and Brown had to climb out onto the wings to clear the ice from the engines' air intakes.

Their choice of Clifden as a landing place was deliberate because of the Marconi station. Several years earlier, the Daily Mail newspaper had offered a prize of £10,000 (over £1 million in today’s money) to any pilot who could fly an airplane across the Atlantic within 72 hours. Alcock and Brown were aware of other contenders for this prize and wanted to make sure the news of their arrival in Ireland was telegraphed to London as soon as possible.

They looked for a meadow on which to land and mistook the boggy surface near the Marconi station for hard ground. A man in the transmitter building tried in vain to warn them, but they thought he was waving a welcome! As they touched down, they sank into the mud and the plane nosed over into the soggy peat. A somewhat ignominious ending to a triumphant flight, but at least neither of them was hurt. The man in the transmitter building rushed out to them and asked where they'd come from. 'Canada', said Brown. 'We were there yesterday - and we're the only two people in Europe who can say that.' And it was a local reporter from the Connacht Tribune who got the scoop of the century by interviewing the two aviators. 

These two huge landmarks in the history of communications and transport went on to change the face of the 20th century- and Clifden saw them both. Not bad for a small out-of-the-way town in the west of Ireland, was it?

The memorial to Alcock and Brown's landing at Derrygimlagh
but (a) it's not at the place where they actually landed
and (b) for some unknown reason it shows a modern tail fin
although they flew a biplane!

Derrygimlagh Bog, taken from the site of the memorial - and the actual landing
place is the white speck in the far distance which is a large monolith. At least it is
now painted white (which it wasn't when I first visited the site!)

Pictures of Alcock and Brown, and other information about their
flight, displayed in Mannion's Bar in Clifden  

Clifden, the 'capital' of Connemara

My four Irish novels are soon to be republished (with brand new covers!) so here is an introduction to the small town of Clifden, which provides the setting for them all.

 Clifden (An Clochán in Irish, meaning stepping stones) is situated on the west coast of Ireland, between the Atlantic Ocean and the ‘Twelve Bens’ of Connemara.

It was founded by John D’Arcy who inherited the estate at the beginning of the 19th century (and built a castle overlooking Clifden Bay). At the time the area was inhabited mainly by fishermen and farmers, until D’Arcy decided to establish a town and also a road to Galway (now the N59).

John D'Arcy's castle (now in ruins)
overlooking Clifden Bay

Originally it had three streets, forming a triangle - Main Street, Market Street and Bridge Street, with Main and Market meeting at the market square, and Bridge Street linking the other ends of those two streets.

Looking up Market Street from the open area where the
market used to take place

Looking down Market Street toward the market place
and Christ Church (Church of Ireland)

Main Street and St. Joseph's Roman Catholic Church

By 1839 the town had grown to 185 dwellings, most of them three-floored, two churches, two hotels, three schools, a police barracks, courthouse, a gaol, a distillery and 23 pubs, and it had a population of about 1,000. It suffered during the Potato Famine in the 1840s and didn’t recover until the end of the 19th century when a railway was built to link it to Galway.

The town from the harbour

In the second half of the 20th century, Clifden became a popular centre for many different outdoor pursuits – hiking, cycling, sailing, fishing, horse-riding and golf. For the less energetic, there is a variety of shops from sweater shops and boutiques to antiques and art, and of course the tourist souvenir shops. Needless to say, there are also plenty of pubs, some genuinely ‘old’ Irish and others more trendy. In many of them, there is live music most evenings.

It's definitely one of my favourite Irish towns! Friendly people, interesting shops, excellent food, great craic - and even better when the rain stops and the sun comes out! 

Next week I’ll tell you more about Clifden’s history and its surroundings.

A New Direction

It seems appropriate to reactivate my blog exactly one year from when I last posted anything here – and also somewhat significant since I am about to enter a new phase in my writing life.

Last year at this time, the audio version of my novel Changing the Future had just been released and the audio of Irish Inheritance was in preparation. My novels were selling steadily (not in millions but certainly in hundreds each month), and I was in the middle of writing my 4th novel set in the west of Ireland. That novel, Irish Deceptions, was released in March this year.

A month later, on April 12th, I received the devastating news that my publisher was closing due to ill-health. I’ve been with her for over 5 years, and she and her team have been the most supportive and friendly people any writer could ever wish to work with. What other publisher would receive a submission (of one of my Irish novels) at the beginning of February with my apology that I was submitting it far too late for it to be released in time for St. Patrick’s Day – and then fast-track it so that it was actually published 22 days later?

Of course I was now left with the question of what to do with my 9 novels once they were removed from online distributors at the end of August.

In a knee-jerk reaction, I sent two of my novels in mid-April to a ‘traditional’ British publisher. I must admit I was slightly put off when they made me feel like a newbie writer looking for a first acceptance, rather than an established author with thousands of sales over the past 5 years, but I accepted that I would have to wait ‘up to two months’ (as quoted by the submissions editor) for a decision. The two months passed, and then I heard that someone else had to wait over 5 months for a decision, and even longer for actual publication. At that point I came to a decision – there was no way I wanted to wait a year or more for each of my novels to be re-published (one a year = 9 years!), so I withdrew my novels from this publisher.

I then contacted Rebecca (my publisher) and asked for her advice. Remember what I said earlier about a supportive publisher? In the space of a couple of hours last Monday evening, she contacted another publisher – and came back to me with the response that they would be happy to take all my novels! Whatever you said to them, Rebecca – thank you!

I went to bed on Monday evening in part huge relief and part stunned amazement.

Since then, life has been a whirlwind of signing contracts with Fire Star Press, an imprint of Prairie Rose Publications, and providing my ideas for the new cover designs, since they want to publish my Irish books first (and all at the same time) as the ‘Mist Na Mara’ series. Those of you who have read the books will know exactly what Mist Na Mara is!

A year on from my last blog post here, my life is setting off in a new direction – and I’m really looking forward to working with Cheryl and Livia at Fire Star Press. I’ll let you know how it goes – so watch this space! J