A book recommendation from Ellie
I hope you all had a great Christmas and wish you a happy, healthy and successful 2019.
I love this time of year. It always reminds me of going back to school after the long summer holidays and the joy of having a whole new set of exercise books to write in.
I was lucky enough to have a couple of lovely new notebooks under the Christmas tree this year. I love them – and, what’s really exciting is that my twelve year old granddaughter shares that enthusiasm.
Ellie and I had the best time this Christmas, ‘oohing’ and ‘aahing’ over stationery (she had a lot more than me!) and discussing a book that she’d really enjoyed and recommended to me. It’s called “A Place Called Perfect” by Helena Duggan and is such a good read that I’m really looking forward to the sequel.
Where does author Rachel Brimble get her ideas from?
I’m delighted to welcome yet another guest author to my blog this week who is brave enough to tackle the dreaded question.
I’ve recently read and really enjoyed Rachel’s book, The Mistress of Pennington’s . I was initially drawn to it as it was set in the beautiful city of Bath, a place I know well and love dearly. I was not disappointed and was soon drawn in to the story and its cast of fascinating characters. The book was rich in wonderful period details, set as it is around the beginning of the Suffragette movement.
Me. Welcome, Rachel. I really enjoyed reading Mistress of Pennington. So, tell me, where did you get the idea from?
Rachel: I have always been fascinated with past female progression and one issue in particular is women’s suffrage. The fight for the vote has been something I’ve wanted to explore in a novel for years and when I was writing book 1 (The Mistress of Pennington’s) in my Pennington’s Department Store series, I was thrilled when one of the secondary characters put herself forward as a suffragist.
It wasn’t long before the plot for book 2, A Rebel At Pennington’s, emerged!
Me. I can’t wait to read that. So, how would you describe your genre?
Rachel. The Pennington’s books are set in the Edwardian period and, so far, I have four books planned which will cover 1910 to 1913. Even though this is a series, all the books can be read stand-alone.
A Rebel at Pennington’s. The Blurb.
One woman’s journey to find herself and help secure the vote. Perfect for the fans of the TV series Mr Selfridge and The Paradise.
1911 Bath. Banished from her ancestral home, passionate suffrage campaigner, Esther Stanbury works as a window dresser in Pennington’s Department Store. She has hopes and dreams for women’s progression and will do anything to help secure the vote.
Owner of the prestigious Phoenix Hotel, Lawrence Culford has what most would view as a successful life. But Lawrence is harbouring shame, resentment and an anger that threatens his future happiness.
When Esther and Lawrence meet their mutual understanding of life’s challenges unites them and they are drawn to the possibility of a life of love that neither thought existed.
With the Coronation of King-Emperor George V looming, the atmosphere in Bath is building to fever pitch, as is the suffragists’ determination to secure the vote.
Will Esther’s rebellious nature lead her to ruin or can they overcome their pasts and look to build a future together?
Buy Links:
Amazon UK: http://amzn.eu/d/aMjIi3K
Amazon US: http://a.co/d/dAhCQiZ
Kobo: https://www.kobo.com/gb/en/ebook/a-rebel-at-pennington-s
Google Play: https://play.google.com/store/books/details/Rachel_Brimble_A_Rebel_at_Pennington_s?id=r5RtDwAAQBAJ
Me. That sounds great, Rachel. Another one for my To Be Read pile. So, tell me, what inspires you most? Characters? Settings? Books you have read?
Rachel. My book ideas usually start with a setting – often inspired by, not only places I visited, but also films and TV programmes. For my historical work, I often become obsessed with a period or a woman of that period and the idea grows from her journey or struggles.
Me. And how did your writing journey start? Have you always written? What was your first published piece?
Rachel. I’ve wanted to be a published author from a very young age and often wrote short stories as a child. When my youngest daughter started school in 2005, I was determined to start writing seriously towards publication. My first book, Searching For Sophie, was published by The Wild Rose Press in 2007. I haven’t stopped writing since and A Rebel At Pennington’s will be my twenty-first published book.
Me. Wow, that’s fantastic. And what about your future plans?
Rachel. I have just finished the first draft of Pennington’s book 3 which focuses on women and divorce in 1911. There is also a murder thread that started in book 1 which is tied up in this book! I am excited to polish and submit this one to my editor very soon.
After that, I will be starting on a new contemporary trilogy set in New York.
Social Media Links, website etc.
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/rachelbrimbleauthor/?hl=en
Amazon Author Page:
https://www.amazon.com/Rachel-Brimble/e/B007829ZRM/ref=sr_ntt_srch_lnk_1?qid=1490948101&sr=8-1
Goodreads:
https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/1806411.Rachel_Brimble
Bookbub:
https://www.bookbub.com/authors/rachel-brimble
Author Bio
Rachel lives with her husband and their two daughters in a small town near Bath in the UK. Since 2007, she has had several novels published by small US presses, eight books published by Harlequin Superromance (Templeton Cove Stories) and four Victorian romances with eKensington/Lyrical.
In January 2018, she signed a four-book deal with Aria Fiction for a new Edwardian series set in Bath’s finest department store. The first book, The Mistress of Pennington’s released July 2018 with book two coming February 2019.
Rachel is a member of the Romantic Novelists Association and Romance Writers of America and has thousands of social media followers from all over the world. To sign up for her quarterly and new release newsletter, click here to go to her website: https://rachelbrimble.com/
And finally….
As we start a new year, here are the daily prompts for the first couple of weeks. Please refer to this post (Writers’ Prompts and how to use them) for more detailed hints on how to use them.
Happy writing!
Daily Prompts. 1-15th January
1. I took a long, steadying breath. This was the first day of the rest of my life.
2. A resolution you made – and kept. (Or, maybe, one you wished you had kept!)
3. My mother once told me….
4. Write about something you didn’t do.
5. It doesn’t matter any more. (Buddy Holly’s last song, released this day 1956)
6. Write about your mother’s hands.
7. The first house you ever remember
8. A secret message
9. There’s no fool like an old fool.
10. On this day in 1863, the first section of London’s Underground, the Metropolitan Line, opened, running from Paddington to Farringdon Street.
11. A phone is ringing but no one answers.
12. A recurring dream (or nightmare)
13. Stealing time.
14. Once upon a time, there were three little pigs (ducks/firemen/whatever!)
15. A secret you wished you’d never been told.
PAULA WILLIAMS 
So happy to be here today! Looking forward to chatting with your visitors 😊😊
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Thank you so much for your input, Rachel, Much appreciated.
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