Christina Hollis—Research: It's A Tough Job...

Bristol Docks, via Pixabay

...but somebody has to do it.

I spent last week in Bristol, laying the groundwork for my next book, Women’s Lives In Bristol, 1850-1950. I was born six miles outside the city, and worked at its financial heart for fifteen years. It’s changed so much since I moved across the Severn to live in rural Gloucestershire, I hardly recognised the place. 

Once I’d checked into my hotel and got out onto the streets, I had a bit of a wobble. What on earth had I done? Everywhere looked so different, and I no longer had any contacts in the area. Luckily, some things don’t change. Bristolians are as friendly now as they always were. The first person I asked told me to follow the Blue-Signed Path (as opposed to the Yellow Brick Road) to the old bond warehouse which now houses the Bristol archives. That made me nervous for a different reason. The places around what’s known in the local lingo as the Float Narbour (Floating Harbour) used to be avoided by lone women, unless they were on “business”. 

I was in for another surprise—the whole dockland area has been transformed. It now has sunny plazas, and the water is hemmed with smart apartments. Little front gardens spill flowers onto a wide, level walkway. 

Designed by Brunel (with a little help from Sarah Guppy)
via Pixabay

The Bristol archive was exactly two miles from my hotel room, door-to-door. The weather was glorious, so the walk was easy. It was also safe, although I had to keep an eye out for cyclists and skateboarders. 

I set out on that first morning with only one problem left to solve. As I love food so much, it was a biggie. In the whole of my walk I’d only seen one place serving food of a kind I fancied eating for the whole week. Yes, there were plenty of KFC’s, Macdonalds, Pizza Expresses and the rest, but I only eat that kind of thing once or twice a year, as a treat. The rest of the time, we live on local, seasonal, home-cooked food. Eating out usually means the one or two local places that serve food of the sort I’d cook for myself and my family, if only I had the time. I’m funny that way!

Find out more at http://www.cafecreate.uk.com

It looked like I’d be existing on supermarket snacks, and visits to a teeny-tiny vegan pop-up, next to an enormous and very busy shisha lounge. That didn’t appeal at all, but I needn’t have worried.  When I pushed open the door of the B Bond warehouse, it opened into a small café serving fresh, local vegetarian food. I’m a carnivore, but as the daughter of a market gardener I was brought up to love vegetables and fruit in all their variety. A place where I could work and eat home-cooked food without doing the washing up, all under the same roof? I was in heaven.

Above, you can see a picture posted on social media by the chef. I wasn’t entirely sure about her green-pea-and-vanilla sponge cake (centre back of the pic), though. Peas in cake? That took some thinking about. I mean, beneath its frosting, that cake was green. Green cake? 

The other customers weren’t so squeamish. By the time I’d plucked up the courage to try some, the whole cake had been eaten. They said it was delicious. More fool me, for dithering!

When she isn't cooking, gardening or beekeeping, Christina Hollis writes contemporary fiction starring complex men and independent women.  Her books have been translated into more than a dozen languages, and she’s sold nearly three million books worldwide. Catch up with her at http://www.christinahollis.blogspot.com, on Twitter, Facebook, and see a full list of her published books at christinahollis.com

Her current release, Heart Of A Hostage, is published by The Wild Rose Press and available at myBook.to/HeartOfAHostage  worldwide.

The unexpected consequences of research...

I'm writing a book - nothing new about that, it will be my 66th for Harlequin Romance. There was a time when if I wanted to know anything I went to the library and either spent a few hours in the reference section or brought a pile of books home.

Barbara Cartland once said that she read twenty books for background research for every one she wrote. I've certainly come close, not only writing about somewhere I haven't actually been, but even when I'm writing about somewhere I've been more than once.

These days it's all so much easier.

My hero owns a fleet of commercial aircraft (not that big but it was the only picture of an aircraft I have a licence for).

I needed to get a feel for them, what they carry and so I Google aircraft of all shapes and sizes. I have to create a fictional range of aircraft so I need to check out my ideas against what models are already in production. Cats of all sizes are very popular, I discovered. I need to know how fast they fly and some information on how many hours you have to fly to maintain your licence. Actually I didn't need that last one in the end but a lovely man from a flying school took the time to explain it all to me.

I needed a Mediterranean island to inspire the creation of a brand new kingdom and spent several delightful hours surfing through Pinterest and the 'net.

I needed a villa by the sea, a very special beach, a hot spring and it's all but a click away.

I'm writing a paragraph and I need to work out when my heroine's baby is due. I Google a "due date calculator", check the size of the embryo and Bob, as they say, is your uncle. Not mine, actually. I had a James, a Charlie, a Harold, a Victor and an Albert. No Robert.

So these days, when I pop over to Facebook, because that's what you do when the word flow stops and the brain needs time to download the ideas as that have lurking in the back of the brain, the 'bots have been knocking themselves out. Along with the usual ads offering me courses on how to sell my books and grow my email lists, I have advertisements offering me pregnancy "counselling", nursery furniture, Italian holidays, villa rentals and light aircraft.

Life, as they say, is never dull!

Food and Travel and 'The Sinner's Marriage Redemption' - Annie West

If you know me you'll also know that some of my favourite things are food, travel and romances. What's not to like? So it's with great pleasure that I share the news my latest romance, THE SINNER'S MARRIAGE REDEMPTION, is on sale now. It's one of a collection called the Seven Sexy Sins! Yes a book for each sin. I'm thrilled by this story. Writing it was fun and challenging too as it's different from any romance I've written. it definitely had a different vibe when I wrote it and redeeming a hero with Flynn's particular hangups was a fun challenge. But I fell for him along the way, which made it far easier. One of the great things about this story was the fact that I got to do some wonderful research for the book which included travel to a place I've always wanted to visit, and of course the chance to taste some local treats. What could be better? So strap on your seatbelts ready for a little armchair travelling and tasting.

First up though, here's a taste of what the story is about. 

A merciless mission  

There are three goals self-made magnate Flynn Marshall set out to achieve:

1. A multimillion-dollar business empire

2. Acceptance in the highest echelons of society

3. A wife to make him the envy of all men!

Flynn’s ruthlessly accomplished his first goal and he’s on his way to the second. As for the third, he will rush stunning, well-connected Ava Cavendish to the altar at the first opportunity. A trophy bride should complete his plans, but passionate Ava and the desire she inflames in this untouchable CEO threaten to turn his carefully ordered strategy on its head…

 

And now to the travel. I've posted the Australian cover here as it includes a location shot. It's a bit hard to make out but do you recognise this gorgeous European city?

 

Okay, that was a tough one. The city is Prague in the Czech Republic - filled to the brim with quaint buildings and bridges, spectacular views and a river that turns the red roofed city into something quite special. The first part of THE SINNER'S MARRIAGE REDEMPTION is set in Prague. In fact every scene is based on somewhere I visited! Here's a quick peek of the town hall square from the top of the clock tower.

 

And here's proof that I was there. This is on the long, hot walk up to the citadel. No, that's not red wine I'm drinking, but cherry juice.

 



 

One of the local treats on offer was this spiral of deep fried potato. If only the weather had been cold I'd have been tempted. But I visited in a heatwave. I'll have to go back in winter when I hear the city is just gorgeous too.

 

That didn't stop me from trying the hot dishes on offer at night. Here's my first evening meal in Prague - pork with sauerkraut, two sorts of dumpling and a local beer. The Czechs really love their dumplings!

 



 And of course I needed to try the local version of a kebab in a cellar restaurant! I must admit though that the size of the serve surprised me.

But one of the best things about Prague in warm weather is the ice cream, often with fruit. Sigh. This was at a pavement café in Wenceslas Square and it tasted as good as it looks.

 

Do you have a favourite food or drink treat for summer? I'd love to hear.

It's winter in Australia now but I'll store up suggestions for the warmer months.

 

If you want to see more photos of Prague, drop by my website and you'll find some of the places that inspired the book on the page for THE SINNER'S MARRIAGE REDEMPTION. There's also a contest running till 10th August with chances to win signed books.

 

And if you want to snaffle a copy of my Sinner, here are a couple of links to buy:

Amazon

Barnes and Noble

Book Depository

Kobo

Harlequin





Historical Accuracy vs Literary License?

   

Nothing starts arguments on writers' loops and email groups faster than the discussion about whether writers - especially of historicals - can change history or the facts or not? Over the weekend, I presented a workshop to writer about this topic....and the discussion was. . . lively!

   I know when I was only a reader - before the need to tell stories struck - I loved learning historical tidbits and then going off to find out more. An unfamiliar place or king. Something I'd never read before. An intriguing bit about a historical event. All of those would send me looking for more information. And spending hours and hours reading about those bits. And remember, this was mostly before the internet, so it meant going to the library or looking in (shocking!) the encyclopedia! 

   I didn't mind if I discovered the author had changed something, not if the storytelling had kept me turning pages, unable to stop reading. I liked the occasional challenges and the intriguing lure of more facts to learn. 

And then I became a fiction writer and I needed to decide how I would approach all that alluring REAL history when writing my stories. 

My decision -- to know the real history but to change, mold, twist, revise it as needed to make my story work!  BUT - in deference to those who are offended by that approach, I do add an Author's Note to explain any liberties I might have taken....

How about you? Do you get twitchy when an author goes rogue and changes history? Do you care if it's accurate if the story has held you prisoner or only when glaring changes or errors happen? 

Terri is thrilled that her current book is being featured in many retails stores along with bonus content. And, her last book - The Highlander's Dangerous Temptation is being promoted for the next two weeks at a special price - 99¢!! Visit her FB page or profile for more info and links! 

Kandy Shepherd - Setting the Scene

How important is setting to you in a novel? As a reader, I’ve always enjoyed books set in different parts of the world. I’ve probably learned more from novels than I have from geography or history lessons!

I love to travel, and visiting places I’ve read about in books is one of my favorite things to do. Visiting new places also inspires my own writing—and helps me get the details of the setting right. How lucky we writers are to be able to travel and count it as research!

What kind of hero or heroine would live in a house in this amazing setting? Mendocino, California.

 I just returned from a trip to California, that turned into a fact-finding mission for my stories. We started off in Anaheim for the Romance Writers of America national convention, which was as fabulous as always.

An artistic water stop outside the Mountainsong Galleries in dog-friendly Carmel-By-The-Sea.  I like writing dogs in my stories--could this inspire a scene?

Then we set off on the road trip. We visited Santa Barbara (what a beautiful town!); the quaint Danish village of Solvang; charming Cambria; Carmel (my third visit); then drove north to visit friends in Shasta County via San Francisco.

The car he or she drives can help define a character. I love this one parked at Carmel-By-The-Sea. 

We drove on  the coast-hugging Highway 1 to make the most of the awe-inspiring scenery (when it wasn’t shrouded in fog, that is!) Point Reyes, Elk, and Mendocino were highlights.

This was the view from our room at the Greenwood Pier Inn at Elk, California.  I'm sure I'm not the first writer to be inspired by this delightful place with its magnificent views and beautiful gardens.

 It always amazes me the things can catch the writerly imagination—from the house a character might live in, to the work they do, to the pets they might have, or quirky details that can add life to a story.

This pony grazing in a field of daisies in the Fall River Valley, California, might be just the horsey character I need for one of my stories.

On this trip, I found just what I needed for the story I am currently writing—but I won’t jinx myself by telling you about it just yet. I also found a whole lot of inspiration for new characters and new stories.

This tells me the person who set this scene near their front door has a warm and welcoming heart - the kind of heroine I want to write.

We finished up in the beautiful Fall River Valley to stay with our friends who farm wild rice. They also produce a delicious chocolate bar made with puffed wild rice and Belgian chocolate. The crunch and flavor the wild rice adds to the chocolate truly is a taste sensation.

Wild rice growing in the Fall River Valley, CA. I love wild rice whichever way it's cooked but its particularly toothsome added to chocolate!

 Is there a setting you particularly like in a book, movie or TV show? Or one you don’t like? Have you visited a place you’ll never forget? I'd love to hear from you!

My friends produce this chocolate from the wild rice grown in their valley. I'm hoarding my bar, but I don't know how much long I can hold out until I eat it!

Please leave a comment to be in the draw to win one of three bars of Fall River Wild Rice Dark Belgian Chocolate that retail for $4.50 each. I'm sorry, but this prize can only be sent to addresses in the USA. Be sure to leave your email address with your comment.

Kandy Shepherd writes fun, feel-good fiction. She is the author of The Castaway Bride (set on a tropical island in the Pacific); Something About Joe, (set on the harbor in Sydney, Australia); Love is a Four-Legged Word and Home Is Where the Bark Is (both set in San Francisco.)

Visit Kandy at her website

www.kandyshepherd.com