Hello Jen, and
welcome to my blog. It’s lovely to have you here today to talk about your debut
novel, The Cottage at Firefly Lake (Grand
Central, Forever, January 2017).
Thank you for inviting me to visit, Jean. I’m delighted to be here to
talk about my first book with you and your blog readers.
Some mistakes can never be fixed and some
secrets never forgiven . . . but
some loves can never be forgotten.
Charlotte Gibbs wants nothing more than to put
the past behind her, once and for all. But now that she's back at Firefly Lake
to sell her mother's cottage, the overwhelming flood of memories reminds her of
what she's been missing. Sun-drenched days. Late-night kisses that still shake
her to the core. The gentle breeze off the lake, the scent of pine in the air,
and the promise of Sean's touch on her skin . . . True, she got her dream job
traveling the world. But at what cost?
Sean
Carmichael still doesn't know why Charlie disappeared that summer, but after
eighteen years, a divorce, and a teenage son he loves more than anything in the
world, he's still not over her. All this time and her body still fits against
his like a glove. She walked away once when he needed her the most. How can he
convince her to stay now?
The
Cottage at Firefly Lake is set in Vermont, a state renowned
for its beautiful lakes and mountains. Can you say why
you chose a lake as the setting for your first novel?
The
Cottage at Firefly Lake celebrates everything that’s wonderful about a summer holiday
by a lake with a small town nearby. I had many such summers growing up and,
after a succession of damp and cool English summers, subliminally I think I
wanted to recreate the idyllic summers of my memory in fiction!
I set the book in Vermont’s Northeast Kingdom, a
special, unspoiled corner of the state where my husband and I spent several
happy vacations.
In
your novel, there are many parallels between the stories of Sean and Charlotte,
and his son, Ty, and Naomi. Did you find it easy to step into the shoes of
these teenagers to write their story?
When I first started writing, I tried young adult
fiction, only to discover it wasn’t my niche. However, I still love writing
young adult characters, possibly because I remember so vividly what it is like
to be that age.
I also read young adult romance so that helped me ‘step
into the shoes of…teenagers.’
Charlotte, for
various reasons in the story, left Firefly Lake when she was eighteen to be a
war correspondent. Did you draw on your own experiences of leaving Canada to
work in Europe?
Although I wasn’t consciously aware of it at the time, my experiences as
an expatriate did shape some aspects of Charlotte’s experience. Unlike
Charlotte, I always maintained strong ties to North America, but in her case I
wanted to explore the pull of home for someone who spent her adult life cutting
ties with the past and a place and people she once cared about.
Having spent much of my life living outside my home country, questions
of home—what it means, and how and where we find it—run through both The Cottage at Firefly Lake and
everything I write. My author tagline is even ‘Romance to bring your heart
home.’
Sean has a twin
called Trevor who’s a good friend too. Do you have any twins in your family to
draw upon for their experiences?
There are no sets of twins in my immediate family, but I’ve always been
fascinated by the twin relationship, possibly because there was a set of twins
several years below me at school who were the focus of considerable attention.
To write about Sean and Trevor’s relationship, I read about twins and
also talked with my husband who has three brothers very close in age. Apart
from the twin bond, I wanted to depict a close relationship between
brothers—the love, but also the teasing and male rivalry.
Has most of your
writing been set in North America, or have you tried writing stories about your
time in the UK?
I lived in the UK for a long time and consider England my second home.
However, when I started writing seriously towards publication, I recognised
early on that I have a North American writing voice.
For a time, I belonged to a writing group in England and, in that
context, I did try to write stories set in the UK and featuring British
characters. However, my dialogue was stilted and plots contrived.
Although I don’t rule out writing about my time in the UK, for now
writing from my heart means setting stories amongst the people and places that
first influenced me.
 |
Jen and I and other members of the Reading RNA
Chapter
|
You belong to the
RWA in America and the RNA in the UK where we both attend the Reading Chapter. How would you describe the different
approaches to romance writing on each side of the Atlantic?
As I see it, the primary difference is size and, to some extent, related
organisational culture.
I came through the RNA New Writers’ Scheme (NWS) and without the
supportive critiques I received via the NWS, I don’t think I’d be a published
author now. Compared to Romance Writers of America, the RNA is small and for
that reason, has a cosier, more intimate feel, at least to me.
However, I also owe much to RWA. It has a highly developed online
learning programme I’ve benefited enormously from, and its large chapter
network offers excellent contests that give unpublished writers feedback and,
as a finalist, visibility. Under a previous title, The Cottage at Firefly Lake was a finalist in RWA’s Golden Heart®
contest in 2015. That experience changed my life and introduced me to a
wonderful and supportive community of fellow finalists, now writing ‘sisters.’
Although some romance publishers (e.g. Harlequin/Mills and Boon) produce
different covers for books published simultaneously in the UK and North
America, when it comes to actual romance writing, I think the two markets are
quite similar. As romance authors, and irrespective of geography, we have the
same goals—to create characters and stories that evoke an emotional response in
our readers and deliver the happy endings they expect.
The Cottage at Firefly Lake is
the first of a trilogy, which I’m really looking forward to reading! Will we
find out more about Charlotte and Sean or will you be concentrating on other
the characters in your book next time?
I’m so pleased you’re looking forward to reading the other books in the
series. While each book stands alone and can be read independently, there is
also continuity between them with recurring characters and, of course, a common
setting.
The next book, Summer on Firefly
Lake is released on 27
July 2017 in the UK and tells the story of two characters, Mia and Nick, who are
introduced in The Cottage at Firefly Lake.
Although not main characters, you will certainly find out more about Charlie
and Sean in the second book.
The third book, Back Home at
Firefly Lake, will be released in March 2018. Once again, previous characters
reappear to give readers glimpses of their ‘happy ever after,’ as well as life
in Firefly Lake.
Thank you for
answering my questions today, Jen, and good luck with this and your future
books.
Thanks so much, Jean. It’s been my pleasure to chat with you.
The Cottage at
Firefly Lake can be purchased in either mass market paperback or e-book from all
online platforms including Amazon UK http://tinyurl.com/hner7s3
And, as I said, Summer on Firefly Lake will be available in the UK from 27th July from the above including Amazon UK http://tinyurl.com/hoexomz
