Welcoming Rachel Brimble with Trouble for the Leading Lady

Today we welcome Rachel Brimble to talk about her latest Victorian saga novel, Trouble for the Leading Lady

Hello Rachel, it’s great to have you drop by. First of all, can you give us an insight into your main character?

Nancy Bloom is a good time girl who is hiding a secret dream and an even deeper pain – she is funny, caring and loyal. Her friends and the Carson Street house, where she works as a prostitute, is her foundation, her anchor and her haven. Trouble For The Leading Lady tells her story and it was a joy to give her a much-deserved happy ever after.

What inspired you to write Trouble For The Leading Lady?

This book is the second in my latest Victorian trilogy (both books can be read as single titles), so the inspiration was for the series, rather than each individual book. After reading Hallie Rubenhold’s fascinating book, The Five, a non-fiction book about the five victims of Jack The Ripper, I was inspired to write a series about three very different women, with very different stories, who find themselves entering the world of prostitution. No woman chooses that life, so what happened?

Tell us about your setting and why you chose it?

The Ladies of Carson Street series is set in Bath, England which is where I choose to set all my historical romances. The reason? I live just a short 30 minute drive away! Bath is a famous city, rich in history and I like being able to bring this wonderful place to the attention of readers who might not have been there or want a different setting than London. Hopefully, my books are enjoyed by all!

What are you working on at the moment?

I have just sent the third book in the Ladies of Carson Street series (Octavia’s story) to my editor and, fingers crossed, it will be released in the autumn. So, it’s onto the next series – I am writing the initial draft of the first book in a royal themed series which will be set in the court of Queen Victoria – so far, I am having a wonderful time!

What advice would you give to aspiring writers?

The best advice I was ever given was, ‘Give yourself permission to write a crappy first draft.’ Once I fully embraced this mindset, my enjoyment and output increased enormously, and this way of working has become part of my process ever since. Following drafts can be used to polish, strengthen and create the best work possible 😊 I also love helping aspiring writers which is why I set up my First Chapter Critique series – here’s the link

Other than writing what else do you love to do?

Knitting is my second obsession! I wouldn’t say I am an expert, but it is something that I am happy to do for hours in front of the TV… usually watching a favourite period drama! If I’m not writing or knitting, there is nothing I love more than a long dog walk in the countryside with my family or friends… followed by a pub lunch!

Thank you for taking the time to come to talk to us Rachel. The very best of luck with Trouble for the Leading Lady.

Trouble For The Leading Lady…

Bath, 1852.

As a girl, Nancy Bloom would go to Bath’s Theatre Royal, sit on the hard wooden benches and stare in awe at the actresses playing men as much as the women dressed in finery. She longed to be a part of it all and when a man promised her parents he could find a role for Nancy in the theatre, they believed him.

His lie and betrayal led to her ruin.

Francis Carlyle is a theatre manager, an ambitious man always looking for the next big thing to take the country by storm. A self-made man, Francis has finally shed the skin of his painful past and is now rich, successful and in need of a new female star. Never in a million years did he think he’d find her standing on a table in one of Bath’s bawdiest pubs.

Nancy vowed never to trust a man again. Francis will do anything to make her his star. As they engage in a battle of wits and wills, can either survive with their hearts intact?

The second in Rachel Brimble’s thrilling new Victorian saga series, Trouble for the Leading Lady will whisk you away to the riotous, thriving underbelly of Victorian Bath.

Available on:

Amazon UK

Amazon US

About Rachel Brimble

Rachel lives in a small town near Bath, England. She is the author of over 25 published novels including the Ladies of Carson Street series, the Shop Girl series (Aria Fiction) and the Templeton Cove Stories (Harlequin).

In 2019 she signed a new three book contract with Aria Fiction for a Victorian trilogy set in a Bath brothel. The first book, A Widow’s Vow was released in September 2020 followed by book 2 Trouble For The Leading Lady in March 2021 – it is expected that the final instalment will be released in the Autumn 2021.

Rachel is a member of the Romantic Novelists Association as well as the Historical Novel Society and has thousands of social media followers all over the world.

To sign up for her newsletter (a guaranteed giveaway every month!), click here

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Welcoming Rosie Hendry with The Mother’s Day Club

Today we welcome Rosie Hendry to the blog, to talk about her fabulous new saga, The Mother’s Day Club

Hi Rosie, it’s great to have you visit us.

First of all, can you give us an insight into your main character?

Pregnant Marianne Archer, is a young woman who’s been let down by the man she loves and is determined to do everything she can to protect her unborn baby. Her evacuation out of London, is the perfect opportunity for her to start afresh and provide her child with the start in life that she never had.

What inspired you to write The Mother’s Day Club?

I was at the Imperial War Museum in London, doing some research for another book, and stumbled across an account written by an expectant mother who was evacuated on the day war was declared. She told of how they’d been waved off by their East End family and neighbours, and described the siren going off as they walked to the station. Rather than seek shelter, they’d kept on walking not knowing whether they were about to be bombed. It was such a powerful scene that I knew I wanted to write about it one day. Also, the fact that I hadn’t known that expectant mothers were evacuated as well as children, before I came across this account, made me want to tell their story which has been largely forgotten.

How do you select the names of your characters?

I must get characters’ names right before I can start writing. They need to fit with the person I have in mind and I might go through several different options before I settle on the right one. For the sisters in the Mother’s Day Club, I wanted names that sounded quite formal but could be shortened. They also needed to be typical of the era in which the characters were born.

Tell us about your setting and why you chose it?

The setting for the Mother’s Day club is in a village in rural Norfolk, halfway between the city of Norwich and the north coast of the county. I know it well having grown up in such a village, and heard many tales about what it was like during the wartime from my father. Often books focus on what was going on in major cities, but the war had huge effect on rural life too, and I wanted to show that.

For historical sagas, there’s often a lot of research involved. What kind of research do you do, and how long do you spend researching before beginning a book?

I research in a wide variety of places from books, museums such as the Imperial War Museum, online sites, by visiting places or watching programmes. One of the best research sources are first-hand accounts, such as oral histories, which give the small details that are so important in conveying what the time was like. How long I spend doing research varies, perhaps up to a month, although I also do some as I go along as things crop up while I’m writing.

What do you find the most difficult part of writing process?

Keeping going day after day with the writing. It’s like running a marathon, and at the start the prospect of writing 95,000 words seems very daunting. But if I chip away at it day after day, I will eventually get a first draft written, then I can start to bash it into shape with editing, which I really enjoy.

What advice would you give to aspiring writers?

Don’t get it right, get it written! That’s the best piece of advice I ever had as I used to spend ages trying to perfect the first page and getting nowhere fast. Your first draft does not have to be perfect! If you can get the story down, you can work at it and improve it.

We’ve all got to have interests outside of our work. So, other than writing, what else do you love to do?

I love doing crafts, especially knitting and crochet, and always have a few projects on the go. I sometimes even do them while I dictate my books, as I find keeping my hands busy helps the flow of words.

I’m also passionate about nature and love getting out walking in the woods and fields all beach around my home village, looking at plants and animals, and what’s going on. And I love reading too!

If you were stuck on a desert island with one person/record/book who or what would it be and why?

My husband, Vaughan William’s The Lark Ascending, as it’s such a beautiful piece of music and reminds me of the glorious skylarks that sing on the cliffs in our village. And just one book… that’s such a hard choice! Can I be cheeky and have two? They would be the Lord of the Rings trilogy in one copy as I love the sweeping story of it; and Cathy Kelly’s The Honey Queen which is a favourite feel good read. There are many more I could choose.

Thank you again for coming to talk to us Rosie and giving us an insight into your book and your life. The very best of luck with The Mother’s Day Club

 

The Mother’s Day Club

Will friendship and motherhood keep the Women on the Home Front safe from war?

Norfolk, 1939

When the residents of Great Plumstead, a small and charming community in Norfolk, offer to open their homes to evacuees from London, they’re expecting to care for children. So when a train carrying expectant mothers pulls into the station, the town must come together to accommodate their unexpected new arrivals . . .

Sisters Prue and Thea welcome the mothers with open arms, while others fear their peaceful community will be disrupted. But all pregnant Marianne seeks is a fresh start for herself and her unborn child. Though she knows that is only possible as long as her new neighbours don’t discover the truth about her situation.

The women of Great Plumstead, old and new, are fighting their own battles on the home front. Can the community come together in a time of need to do their bit for the war effort?

The Mother’s Day Club is the perfect wartime family saga, filled with heart-warming friendships, nostalgic community spirit and a courageous make-do-and-mend attitude.

Available on:

Amazon 

Kobo 

Apple Books   

 

About Rosie Hendry

Rosie Hendry lives by the sea in Norfolk with her husband and children. A former teacher and research scientist, she’s always loving reading and writing. She started off writing short stories for magazines, her stories gradually becoming longer as her children grew bigger.

Listening to her father’s tales of life during the Second World War sparked Rosie’s interest in this period and she’s especially intrigued by how women’s lives changed during the war years. She loves researching further, searching out gems of real life events which inspire her writing.

 

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