Q&A with Christina Courtenay

    Welcome to The Comfy Chair blog... Christina Courtenay, author of 'The Runes of Destiny.'

Christina Courtenay writes historical romance, time slip and time travel stories, and lives in Herefordshire (near the Welsh border) in the UK. Although born in England, she has a Swedish mother and was brought up in Sweden – hence her abiding interest in the Vikings. Christina is a former chairman of the UK’s Romantic Novelists’ Association and has won several awards, including the RoNA for Best Historical Romantic Novel twice with Highland Storms (2012) and The Gilded Fan (2014).  The Runes of Destiny (time travel published by Headline 10^th December 2020) is her latest novel. Christina is a keen amateur genealogist and loves history and archaeology (the armchair variety).

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)

The Runes of Destiny
Release date: - 10^th 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 9^th 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:-

Amazon UK 
Amazon US

Social Media:-

http://www.christinacourtenay.com

https://www.facebook.com/christinacourtenayauthor?fref=ts

https://twitter.com/PiaCCourtenay

https://www.instagram.com/ChristinaCourtenayAuthor/

The First Time I Saw You - Emma Cooper

From the author of The Songs of Us. Fans of Jojo Moyes and Lucy Dillon will love The First Time I Saw You by Emma Cooper. 

Six-foot-two Irish man who answers to the name Samuel McLaughlin.

Has weak shins and enjoys show tunes.

If found, please return to Sophie Williams.

Before Sophie met Samuel she saw the world in grey.

Before Samuel met Sophie, he never believed in love at first sight.

When they first meet, something tells them they are meant to be.

But fate has other ideas.

Now they have lost each other and can't see a way back.

But they've already changed each other's lives in more ways

than they could have predicted...

My Review:

Outstanding… what an utterly emotional gem of a book.

I loved Emma’s previous book ‘The Songs of Us’ so I knew to expect a rollercoaster of an emotional journey. Lets say – I wasn’t disappointed there. Goodness me, my heart was fit to bursting with every emotion going.

The First Time I Saw You is a beautifully special tale of love; a deep, soul entwined type of love, misunderstandings, losing love, losing yourself, fresh starts and new opportunities.

I absolutely loved the characters, not sure Sophie and Samuel, but the whole array of additional characters. Sophie is always on guard, professional and astute, she has built an armour around herself keeping her defences high but now, after a chance meeting, finally someone see’s through it, sees her and breaks her down. Samuel is charming, funny and confident. He knows Sophie is special and worth working for. He is in love and not afraid to follow his heart, even of it gets dented along the way. With a series of miscommunications altering the path of their love, can the two who were fated to be together find their way back?

My favourite character though is Mr McLoughlin – Samuels Da. Oh my goodness, I was laughing out loud at him on more than one occasion. He added some wonderful moments of humour at times in the book when it was most needed. Some of his insensitive yet endearing comments were unbelievable and completely added a lighter element to some serious moments.

Emma Cooper has a beautiful way with words, giving us a story with so much heart and covering so many important themes. I was absolutely enthralled by this gorgeous book – spending a glorious New Years Day reading it cover to cover. I didn’t want to put it down for a second.

This is a book that will stay with me for a long time. I cannot recommend this heartfelt book enough. Amazing. 

🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟

About the Author:

Emma Cooper is a former teaching assistant, who lives in Shropshire, with her partner and four children. Her spare time consists of writing novels, drinking wine and watching box-sets with her partner of twenty-four years, who still makes her smile every day.

Emma has always wanted to be a writer – ever since her childhood, she’s been inventing characters (her favourite being her imaginary friend ‘Boot’) and is thrilled that she now gets to use this imagination to bring to life all of her creations.

She has three loves in life: reading, writing and her family…oh, and music, cheese, pizza, films – Maths is not one of her talents.

Emma keeps in touch with her readers and loves to hear from them on twitter @ItsEmmacooper and on her Facebook page at www.facebook.com/EmmacooperAuthor/

BLOGTOUR: Love, Unscripted - Owen Nicholls

Owen Nicholls’ Love, Unscripted is an uplifting love story, following film projectionist Nick as he tries to understand the difference between love on the silver screen and love in real life. 

Perfect for fans of David Nicholls, Nick Hornby and Laura Barnett. 

For Nick, love should look like it does on the big screen. And when he meets Ellie on the eve of the 2008 presidential election, it finally does. For four blissful years, Nick loved Ellie as much as he loved his job as a film projectionist in his local cinema. Life seemed pictureperfect. But now it’s 2012, Ellie has moved out and Nick’s trying to figure out where it all went wrong. With Ellie gone and his life falling part, Nick wonders if their romance could ever be as perfect as the night they met. Can love really be as it is in the movies?

My Review:

If only our lives were like the films that we all enjoy… if love played out like the iconic scenes we all know so well.

For film enthusiast Nick, we read his struggles, his inner dialogue; we discover his insecurities and what he puts at risk because he cannot see a way by them.

Love, Unscripted is a wonderful take on someone moving through his 20s into his 30s with who is a complicated, worried soul and how he perceives the relationships he has with everyone around him.

I love how the story of Nick meeting Ellie is interspersed throughout the whole book, as parts of his life seem to break down, we get to see more about their first encounter. I remember the excitement and anticipation that surrounded the 2008 US presidential election, the general feelings of hope for a nation which serves here as a good reflection for the hope and anticipation in this blossoming relationship between the two young characters.

Nicks character frustrated me, I liked him and think he was a funny, quirky character but annoying at times. His inability to see anything from another perspective, well yes it makes him who he is, part of the problem I guess but frustratingly selfish. I do like how he is written, very realistic and very relatable to a lot of people nowadays.  I was rooting for him though, I wanted him to be happy and figure out the best ways forward, I was willing him on and wishing he would sort himself out.

I like how this book is very true to life, realistic characters and realistic situations – sometimes we are given characters that just aren’t relatable but here we have plenty. They all have problems; they are all flawed in one way or another; nobody has the perfect life, and all have a rollercoaster of life experiences.

I loved all the film references littered throughout – you are bound to find one from a film you enjoy. I found myself chuckling away as I was reading, it is really amusing and rather witty. Very well structured and wonderfully written, I thoroughly enjoyed this realistic and modern love story. 

About the Author:  

Owen Nicholls is a screenwriter with a Masters in Scriptwriting from the UEA. His work has appeared in Empire and NME, and earlier this year Love, Unscripted was selected for the Escalator Scheme run by Writers' Centre in Norwich.

Follow him on Twitter: https://twitter.com/OwenNicholls

Publication Day Review - My Lemon Grove Summer - Jo Thomas

About:

Could the lemon groves of Sicily be the perfect place to start over? The irresistible new novel from Jo Thomas, the author of Sunset Over the Cherry Orchard, will transport you to the island of mountains and sparkling blue seas.

When life hands you lemons ... is it ever too late for a second chance?

Zelda's impulsive nature has got her precisely nowhere up until now. A fresh start in a beautiful hilltop town in Sicily looking for new residents, together with her best friend Lennie, could be just what she needs. And who better to settle down with than the person who knows her best?

But the sun-filled skies and sparkling seas can't hide the shadow hanging over Citta d'Ora, which means not everyone is pleased to see their arrival. The dreams Zelda and her fellow new residents had of setting up a new life might be slipping away. But a friendship with restauranteur Luca could be about to unlock the possibilities that lie in the local lemon groves. And there's a wedding on the horizon that might be just what the town needs to turn it around...

Could a summer in Sicily help Zelda learn to trust her instinct and follow her heart? 

My Review:

It’s only fairly recently I’ve discovered the wonder that is Jo Thomas and her fabulous books. I’ve quickly devoured them all so imagine my absolute excitement to receive an advanced copy of ‘My Lemon Grove Summer’ – Thank you Headline!

This is a glorious summer read, full of idyllic sounding scenery, gorgeous characters and an emotional, heart-warming story that will have you hooked from the start. Jo’s writing always has the knack of taking us away somewhere – leaving behind our real lives and allowing us to be fully immersed in the story. My Lemon Grove Summer took us to Sicily alongside the lovely Zelda and Lennie who are trying to start a brand-new chapter of their lives.

With a fantastic cast of characters, I really enjoyed getting to know them all. I loved the friendship between Lennie and Zelda but I could see that although they did love each other, they weren’t IN love. I liked to see how supportive they were of each other and their ability to make friends and create their own little community when the one they’ve all found themselves in seems intent to turn them away.

When Sicily doesn’t live up to all that was promised, we see that you must fight for what you want in more ways than one. Can Zelda and Lennie have what they really want or are they facing too much opposition? You can bet there are ups, downs, twists and turns along the way that will keep you entertained. As always, the path of true love never runs smooth, but I’d expect nothing less.

Jo Thomas has firmly become one of my ‘always buy’ authors. I know any of her books will put a smile on my face, take me away and give me characters I will adore.

I cannot recommend this book enough - wonderful summer filled treat. 

Thank you to Jo Thomas and Headline for the opportunity to read/review. 

Purchase Link: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Summer-Sicily-Jo-Thomas/dp/1472246012/