Welcome to The Comfy Chair blog... Christina Courtenay, author of 'The Runes of Destiny.'
1. What was your
favourite childhood book/author?
The Famous Five series by
Enid Blyton – I read all 21 of them and wished there were more! (Loved all her
other stories too).
2. What inspired
you to start writing and how long has it taken you to get to this point?
I started writing when my first child was born because I needed a job I
could do from home so I could be a stay-at-home mum. It wasn’t as easy as I
thought though and I didn’t get published until the week after she left home
aged 21! But by the time I realised how difficult it was going to be, I’d been
bitten by the writing bug and haven’t stopped since.
3. Describe your
writing space - neat and ordered or creative chaos?
That depends – I
usually work in ordered chaos, but I have occasional tidying up sprees when I
get fed up with the mess and I do like order in general.
4. What is the
easiest and hardest part of the writing process?
The easiest part is
the writing – just letting your imagination flow. I’m always really excited
when I start a new project and I love writing the first draft. The hardest part
is self-promotion and balancing the time spent on writing with that taken up by
social media.
5. Which other
authors are you influenced by?
All my fellow timeslip/time travel authors,
particularly Barbara Erskine, Susanna Kearsley and Nicola Cornick. They are all
mistresses of their genre and write wonderful books! Early on I was also
influenced by Johanna Lindsey because she had a way of leaving her readers
feeling massively satisfied, and she was great at creating literary families
readers want to return to over and over again.
6. What does
literary success “look” like to you?
I suppose all authors want to be
bestsellers and I’m no different, but the best thing is when readers truly
enjoy your stories and tell you so. And when you hear that you have cheered
someone up or helped them over a difficult period in their lives perhaps.
7. How do you
select the names of your characters?
I keep a list of great names and
whenever I hear one I like I add it to that. I also scour the internet for
suitable names and can spend ages looking for the right one. As I’m writing
Viking stories at the moment, I have a list of Old Norse names and I’m always
happy to be able to add more.
8. If your book was
to be made into a film/TV programme, which actors would play which role?
Chris Hemsworth would make a great Viking hero (as he does in his role as
Thor) but I take inspiration for my characters from random photos on the
internet who “become” my hero/heroine and mostly those people aren’t actors or
actresses so can’t play those roles. If my books were to be made into a film I
think it would be great to cast unknown actors/actresses from Iceland or
Scandinavia. I’d love to be allowed to help choose them!
9. What do you
hope your readers take away from your book?
Entertainment and a feeling
that all is right with the world, that good always triumphs over evil and that
love is stronger than anything else.
Lastly, Jenn (The Comfy Chair)
likes to enjoy a good read snuggled up with a cup of tea and piece of cake...
what cake or sweet treat would you suggest to accompany your book?
I’m a chocoholic so a bar of
Bourneville or some Ferrero Rocher chocolates would be my preferred option.
Swedish cinnamon buns could also work! (I have a great recipe if anyone wants
:-D)
Release date: - 10th December 2020
Separated by time. Brought together by fate. When helping out at an archaeological dig, Linnea uncovers an exquisite brooch, but blacks out after reading the runic inscription. She wakes up surrounded by men in Viking costume, who seem to take re-enactment very seriously. Lost and confused, she finds herself in the power of Hrafn, a Viking warrior who claims her as his thrall and takes her on a journey across the seas to sell her for profit. Setting sail, she confronts the unthinkable: she has travelled back to the 9th century. Linnea is determined to find a way back to her own time, but there’s a connection forming with Hrafn. Can she resist the call of the runes and accept her destiny lies here …
Buy Links:-
Social Media:-
http://www.christinacourtenay.com
https://www.facebook.com/christinacourtenayauthor?fref=ts
https://twitter.com/PiaCCourtenay
https://www.instagram.com/ChristinaCourtenayAuthor/
Great catch up!
ReplyDeleteThank you, Sandy, glad you enjoyed it! And many thanks to Jenn for having me as your guest!
ReplyDelete