The last of our Sunday Series
of taking a look at some fabulous authors!
thank you to all who have taken part
and thank you to you, our visitors, for
your support and interest
Hello Jennifer, welcome to our Discovering Diamonds Guest Spot. Along with my readers and visitors I love to hear from authors who write wonderful stories. There’s nothing better than curling up with a good book, box of chocs and glass of wine to hand!
Q. Would you like to tell us a little bit about yourself....
A. Hello! Thanks for featuring me today! I’m Jennifer C. Wilson, and I’m a marine biologist by background / day-job, working as an environmental consultant. In terms of writing, I love historical fiction and paranormal historical fiction, and am particularly keen on Richard III, as anyone who has read my books to date will have noticed!
Q. Where do you live?
A. I live in Whitley Bay, right on the north-east coast of England, just outside Newcastle. I used to come here as a child during the summer with my grandparents, and I love that I can see the sea from my flat (only 2inches, but it’s still wonderful to me!
Q. If you had a choice to live anywhere – where would it be?
A. This changes quite frequently, but if we’re going all-out fantasy, then I still want a castle in Scotland! Ideally by a loch, with a mountain in the background. Just to look at of course, I wouldn’t start doing anything silly like trying to climb it…
Q. Cat, dog or budgie?
A. Cat (called Tugger), and a dog (called Captain). I know a lot of people have their children’s names picked out, but I’m prepped for when I get pets!
Q. Are you a ‘dining room for dinner’, or a ‘tray on your lap in front of the TV’ person?
A. At the moment, I’m 50-50 – I have a living-room-diner. But I always sit to the table, even if the TV is on in the corner, even if it’s just a sandwich.
Q. TV preferences – documentary, drama, comedy, soap or thriller?
A. Documentary. I love history and art documentaries at the moment, learning loads, and getting travel inspiration.
Q. What was your first published novel about?
A. The ghosts of the Tower of London! We met the ghosts of Richard III, Anne Boleyn, and many, many more, kick-starting the wonderful adventure that has been the Kindred Spirits series.
Q. What was your last novel about?
A. Last novel was The Raided Heart, delving into the dangerous world of the border reivers, in 1470s Northumberland. Also, technically, this was the first novel I ever wrote, back when I was a teen, so there’s a nice link-back to it.
Q. Do you write in one genre or several?
A. Several, to an extent. I write both paranormal historical fiction, and historical romance.
Q. Have you ever considered exploring a totally different genre?
A. I currently have a draft contemporary romance that I’m working on, and thoroughly enjoying, which I think will be the next thing I look at. There’s also a crime trilogy pottering around in my brain, which seems to want a way out soon!
Q. If you could, which two of your characters would you like to invite to spend an afternoon with you?
A. That has to be Richard III and Mary Queen of Scots, if I could have anyone!
Q. Where would you go / what would you do?
A. Well, a nice visit to a historical site would be good, I think. They both have links to Fotheringhay Castle, of course, but although Richard would hopefully have happy childhood memories there, I’m not sure the same could be said for poor Mary… Perhaps Edinburgh Castle, partaking of a nice afternoon tea in the café there.
Q. How do you prefer to travel? Plane, boat, car?
A. I love being on boats. My favourite thing in the world is to get on a ferry in Oban, and head out to the islands, with a Lorne sausage butty and a cup of green tea in the café, followed by a glass of wine on the way back in. And a notebook and pen in hand, of course.
Q. You are out for a walk. You see a chap sitting on a wall, looking right fed up – but there’s something odd about him... What? And what do you do?
A. Ooh… That’s a challenging one. I’d have to approach him, check he was alright. Maybe he’s one of my ghosts, come along to have a go at me for not featuring him in a story – I’d have to put that right, straight away!
We have a long-running Radio programme here in the UK called Desert Island Discs on which celebrities talk about their life and select eight of their favourite discs... so changing that slightly...
If you were shipwrecked on a desert island, what eight books would you want to find left in an abandoned hut? (There’s already a Bible, the Quran, and the complete works of Shakespeare)
1. The Other Boleyn Girl, Philippa Gregory
2. Bloody Scotland, Terry Deary
3. My Heart is my Own, Mary Queen of Scots biography, John Guy
4. The Six Wives of Henry VIII, Antonia Fraser
5. 1,000 Years of Annoying the French, Stephen Clarke
6. The Greatest Knight, Elizabeth Chadwick
7. Cat, Freya North
8. Does a blank notebook count as a book? It would have to be a pretty thick one mind, if I’m totally on my own for a while… And a pen, of course!
[I'll let you have the notebook and pen - both are magic ones that never 'run out']
Q. What sort of island would you prefer, and why? (e.g. Desert Island... Hebridian Island...)
A. No surprises, but definitely Hebridean! Ideally one reached by ferry from Oban, with afore-mentioned café!
Q. And you would be allowed one luxury item – what would you want it to be? (a boat or something to escape on isn’t allowed.)
A. If the notebook isn’t allowed above, then it would have to be some sort of music-system. I’m alright with my own company, but silence and me aren’t always the best of friends, and I’d need my cheesy pop, boybands and musical theatre soundtracks to get through.
Find out more about Jennifer...
Twitter: https://twitter.com/inkjunkie1984
Amazon: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Jennifer-C-Wilson/e/B018UBP1ZO/ & https://www.amazon.com/Jennifer-C-Wilson/e/B018UBP1ZO
Due to our increased popularity,
from 1st September we will be reviewing
a book every weekday
(but not weekends)
Great to meet you, Jennifer - and the plethora of your favorite historical ghosts.
ReplyDeleteAnd, Helen, thank you for all these fascinating Sunday interviews. Sad to read they have come to an end. But, knowing you, there is already another surprise rattling around in your inventive head.
Excellent insight into Jennifer and her work. Thank you, Helen
ReplyDelete