Sunshine and Romance

Today I’ve enticed into my clutches fellow Safkhet author, Lin Treadgold. As a fantasy writer, I’d kill for a surname like that, but Lin has decided to tread the more lucrative path of writing a different genre, with romance, and sunshine, and stuff like that. So, welcome Lin: I presume you have a book out?

Hello Will and thanks for having me for interview. Yes, I do have a book that took me a long time to write; I hope you will enjoy reading more about it here.

Genre: Contemporary Romantic Fiction.

Title: Goodbye, Henrietta Street
Pippa Lambton’s life has fallen apart and husband Rob is ready to give up their marriage. Three years before, their son Daniel passed away; he was the glue that held them together. Now, Pippa has left home for the beautiful Isles of Scilly, for a chance to rediscover herself. She meets handsome Norwegian nature warden, Sven Jorgensen, who teaches her about the island wildlife.
Pippa finds herself laughing again. She is aware of Rob’s dilemma over his childhood adoption and their turbulent relationship, but after an awkward kiss with Sven, she is torn about how to proceed. There is much to resolve, and leaving Rob could prove a disaster. Is her affair with Sven a holiday fling? How can she walk away from Rob after losing Daniel? Should she leave her home in Yorkshire for Sven and his island paradise? Find out more in Goodbye, Henrietta Street.
http://www.amazon.co.uk/s/ref=nb_sb_ss_c_0_13?url=search-alias%3Dstripbooks&field-keywords=lin+treadgold&sprefix=Lin+Treadgold%2Caps%2C197

http://safkhetpublishing.com/books/soul/9781908208149/Goodbye_Henrietta_Street.html

Do you have any other books in the series?

Not yet, but I am working on two new titles. The Tanglewood Affair is a fast-paced romantic saga based in Axminster during the mid seventies. After the death of her father, Jess Stamp takes a job on the south coast of England, but all is not what it seems. Jess is lured into an obscure situation and finds it hard live at the old farmhouse and the room she rents. Will the handsome Jonni see her through it?

Harold the Good Soldier is an historical romance inspired by my father’s war letters. Ellie and Harold are school friends but after leaving school, we discover how the war changed their young lives. Is this Harold’s last letter from Egypt and is he still alive? Does Ellie’s time with the ATS forces repertoire company change her life forever? Is this the same naïve girl Harold once knew? This book is still in progress and will probably take me longer to write due to the extra research and I am moving house back to the UK too.

What made you start writing?

I have always found writing to be therapeutic. When I came to live in Holland and gave up my job in the UK, I felt it was the next natural progression in my life.

What was your inspiration for this book?

I have always loved Yorkshire and Cornwall and wanted to write a book about the Isles of Scilly. I knew it well and I am a nature conservationist. I felt, with that knowledge, and the fact that I enjoy a good romance novel I could combine the two. Goodbye, Henrietta Street is a holiday read with lots of descriptions of the islands and plenty of romance with happy conclusions.

Writing: are you a plotter or a pantser?

I’m a ‘write it now and fix it later’ author. My mind seems to work in a logical order when it comes to writing. I find I am able to write the whole story without stopping. However, Rome wasn’t built in a day so they tell me, so I have to remind myself to take frequent breaks. The editing needs to be tip-top before I allow anyone to see it. My reputation as an author is at stake and it’s important to me that every nook and cranny is explored before submitting to a publisher.

What do you find most challenging about your writing?

I used to have plenty of time to write, but since we got the dog, our Jack Russell, Dylan, he is now two years old and full of energy. I have to take him twice a day to the park to play football. As I sit here on my computer, he is licking my hand and asking for a walk, so time for writing is not as it used to be, but I tend to plan my day and stick to it as best I can. I write all my tasks in my diary to be done at certain times of the day and carry them out. If I didn’t, I may become stressed and as a sufferer of fibromyalgia, I have to pace myself.

What do you find most satisfying about your writing?

The sheer ability to sit, contemplate, and dream. My illness needs that and is perfect for chilling out.

How did you meet your characters?

I didn’t have the characters in mind when I thought of the concept. They came to me in my head one day and I started to write about them and couldn’t stop. When you write organically you allow your mind to wander and let the characters lead the way. I never plan, because if I do it stops the ability I have to write something and let it all hang out. Planning for me makes the story stiff and spoils the flow. I suppose I am a good storyteller in that respect. I use to make up stories to my children when they were small and sing songs making up the words as I went along.

Are any of your characters based on people you know?

No, none of them are characters from real life and neither is the story. Someone who used to know me well said she thought there was a taste of my own life in there. I haven’t seen her for many years so I think she must know something I don’t. Nothing in the story happened to me, but as in any story you write, you are putting in something from your own experiences, so for anyone who has known me for a long time, they can see my personality in the book. Sven and Pippa, Joan, Terry, and Rob are all from pure fiction. The only parts that come from me are my knowledge of the area and the people of Whitby in Yorkshire.

Which of your characters would you most like to take to the pub?

Within the story of Goodbye, Henrietta Street, Rob, Terry, and Joan spend quite a bit of time at the pub in Whitby, discussing their lives and their future. I think pubs are a good place to while away your cares and woes over a pint of beer. However, my choice for a pub-mate has to be the gorgeous Sven Jorgensen, wildlife officer, on the Isles of Scilly. Sven is every woman’s dream character in a book and many of my readers have told me how they love Sven.

How did you decide on the title?

I’m glad you asked me that one. I was walking near the house I had earmarked for Pippa and Rob to live in. I happened to look up at the street name and as I sat on the 199 steps leading to Whitby Abbey – the title stared me in the face. Pippa is leaving Henrietta Street for a spot of respite in Cornwall. I felt if I added ‘Goodbye’ to the title, hence ‘Goodbye, Henrietta Street, then it felt right.

How do you do your research?

I like to visit my inspired places. With Harold, the Good Soldier I will spend many hours, in the future, in Richmond, Yorkshire, at the Green Howards’ Museum walking through the exhibits and working with the museum researcher. I like the hands on approach.

If you could go anywhere in the world to write your next book, where would you choose?

Without a doubt, I would go back to the Isles of Scilly. The beaches and the sounds of the sea are so relaxing. Having already been around the world many times in my twenties, I am happy to have such wonderful friends on the islands and the scenery is so inspiring.

If you had to be lost on a desert island, who would be your dream companion?

Sven, of course! However, being realistic, my husband is my first choice as we like doing the same things together and we both adore the islands. There is always something new there. My favourite desert island would the island of Samson with the birds and the sounds of the sea and I would rebuild the derelict cottage for us to live in. Now that’s a real deserted island.

Who is your favourite author?

I enjoy reading Annie Murray, Liz Fenwick, and Jane Green. I don’t really have a favourite these days, they are all good and each with their own delightful flavours within the stories. I read to learn from other authors as well.

What is your secret ambition?

To keep writing, move onwards and upwards in the world of being an author. I have some great contacts and as a member of the Romantic Novelists’ Association. this should help me fulfil that ambition.

How do you stay sane – and write?

I just do, it’s the actual writing that keeps me sane from the rest the wide world. Writing helps me make sense of it all. I am a person who needs to absorb information over time.

What is your favourite childhood memory?

Walking the St Bernard dogs on the beach at Saltburn by the Sea with my father.

What is the most blatant lie you have ever told?
I have never told a lie, ever!

Thanks, Will, for giving me the opportunity to bear my soul to the outside world. I hope everyone who reads this will be inspired to keep going. Yes, you have work hard, but at the same time, not lose any sleep over it. Enjoy every writing moment.

And thanks to Lin for her time in visiting.

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