Darry Fraser writes bestselling, empowering feminist historicals that put women back in the Australian story. Her latest book, her twelfth novel is called The Milliner of Bendigo.

Hi there. I'm your host, Jenny Wheeler. And today on the show, Darry talks about her fascination with the contribution women have made in every generation, whether recognized or not.

And how in all of the books she somehow had the story sparked by a personal or family connection.

Christmas Historicals Giveaway

https://books.bookfunnel.com/winterhistoricalromance/tehahdyvcv

Our Giveaway this week is Free Christmas Romance, a library full of free historical romance books to download, including Captive Heart, Book #6 in my Of Gold & Blood mystery series, a Hawaiian Christmas novella and don't we all know it's time for Christmas novellas.

DOWNLOAD FOR FREE

https://books.bookfunnel.com/winterhistoricalromance/tehahdyvcv

Show Going Fortnightly?

On a slightly more personal note, I'm thinking of running the show fortnightly rather than weekly next year, to give myself more time to write and to save on some of the ongoing costs.

But I'd like to hear your thoughts before making the change. Would you still support Binge Reading if it was fortnightly. Would you welcome the change because of life just getting so busy

Let me know your preferences at [email protected] and I’ll report on the response next time.

Links to items highlighted in this episode

Darry Fraser and Arnott's Christmas Tin: https://www.darryfraser.com/the-drover-comes-homes-for-christma

Candice Fox, The Chase, https://www.candicefox.org/

Jodi Taylor, Chronicles of St. Mary's series; https://joditaylor.online/

Rachael Mead, The Art of Breaking Ice

https://www.goodreads.com/en/book/show/152232958

Kate Grenville, A Room Made Of Leaves;

https://kategrenville.com.au/books/a-room-made-of-leaves/

Where to find Darry Fraser online

Website: www.darryfraser.com

Facebook: @darryfraserbooks

Instagram: @darryfraser 

And that’s the housekeeping over.  Here's our guest for this week. Darry Fraser.

Introducing author Darry Fraser

Darry Fraser - historical fiction that restores women's place in history

Jenny Wheeler: Hello there Darry and welcome to the show. It's great to have you with us.

Darry Fraser: Oh, thank you, Jenny. Thanks so much for having me.

Jenny Wheeler: Darry, you're a best-selling author, some of your books have reached the Top 100 lists in Australia. And you write “empowering feminist adventures.” That's the way you like to describe them.

They're all historicals as well. So tell us, what do you like about writing feminist adventure stories?

Darry Fraser: The first thing I hear quite a lot, especially when I'm doing library talks or bookstore events or something is, ‘Gee, all your leading ladies are well ahead of their time.’ and so on and so forth.

And I had to have a think about and about that and address that women back in the day were just like you and I are in our 21st century, except they had greater restrictions on what they were allowed to do by law or within the family or whatever.

But I don't believe that too many women were just wimps. I think they had as strong a personality as people you might meet today.

But what fascinated me was how they maintained their own strength and their feminist, - and we're not talking feminazis here, we're talking feminists  - being your own true self, within the restrictions that they came across.

And... I think when you step back in time, which is basically what I do, and I love doing that, you find these people dotted throughout history, because we don't often have a great glimpse of the ordinary person's day-to-day life.

Finding fascinating historical stories

That glimpse of strength comes through, and we're finding more and more stories about let's say Australian and New Zealand women who did their own thing within the...

Jim Eldridge had a stellar career writing for TV and radio before he turned to World War II and late 19th century historical mysteries which demonstrate all the page-turning immediacy of the TV shows he cut his teeth on.

Hi there, I'm your host Jenny Wheeler. And on this week's Joys of Binge Reading podcast, Jim talks about growing up on a London bomb site and staying ahead in an ever-changing publishing world.

This week's Giveaway

Our Giveaway this week is a BookSweeps draw – a Literary, Historical and Book Club Fiction selection. Be into win a library of great books, plus a brand new E reader, worth $300 in total prize value.

:https://www.booksweeps.com/giveaway/nov23-win-a-bundle-of-literary-historical-book-club-fiction/

Available only for a limited time - the draw closes on November 22.

ENTER BOOKSWEEPS DRAW

Before we get to hear from Jim, I wanted to take a moment to issue a huge apology to those of you who may have reached out to me through my website contact forms, either through my book site at www.jennywheeler.biz or the podcast at www.thejoysofbingereading.com

I've discovered quite recently to my horror, that emails from those sites have been going into a kind of internet nether land for quite a few months. I don't really know how long, never to be seen or heard from again. With the help of Toby, our new webmaster we have solved this problem, and I will answer all genuine inquiries as soon as I can, but unfortunately I can't get any of those historical ones back.

Also another reminder, if you enjoy the show, leave us a review so others will find us too.

Links to things mentioned in this episode:

The Line of Kings (Tower of London):

https://www.hrp.org.uk/tower-of-london/whats-on/line-of-kings/

Girton College, Cambridge: https://www.girton.cam.ac.uk/

Churchill’s War Room:

https://www.iwm.org.uk/visits/churchill-war-rooms

Down St Station:  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Down_Street_tube_station

The House of Saxe-Coburg-Gotha: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/House_of_Saxe-Coburg_and_Gotha

The Blind Beggar pub:

https://www.theblindbeggar.com/

Salvation Army founder, William Booth:

https://www.christianitytoday.com/history/people/activists/william-booth.html

The Kray Brothers:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kray_twins

Dennis May Wilson: https://www.comedy.co.uk/features/comedy_chronicles/dennis-main-wilson/

Georges Simeon: (Maigret author) https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/9693.Georges_Simenon

Maigret:  https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/series/IMA/inspector-maigret

Ed McBain:  (real name Evan Hunter)  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Evan_Hunter

Peter Davison:  https://www.rottentomatoes.com/celebrity/peter_davison

V2s:  https://www.iwm.org.uk/history/the-terrifying-german-revenge-weapons-of-the-second-world-war

Where to Find Jim online:

Website:  https://www.jimeldridge.com/

Email: Contact form on Jim’s website.

Introducing mystery author Jim Eldridge

Jim Eldridge - historical mystery author and TV script writer

But now here’s Jim. Hell, Jim and welcome to the show. It's great to have you with us.

Jim Eldridge: It's fantastic to be here Jenny and thank you for inviting me on.

Jenny Wheeler: You've had a fascinating varied career with a very large amount of experience in TV before you set about doing your fiction writing with your historical mysteries.

We're going to be focusing on those historical mysteries and two of your most recent books, Murder at the Tower of London, which is #9 in the Museum Murder series, and Murder at Down Street Station, which is #5 in the World War II mysteries.

Tell me, what made you change from doing TV to writing historical mysteries?

Jim Eldridge: I think actually what happened was I had my first show on in 1971, which is a long time ago. And over the years, things changed at the broadcasting. I wrote for British, Irish, and American television, TV and radio.

Reviewers use all sorts of adjectives to describe inspirational fiction author Tessa Afshar’s work. Words like whimsical, intriguing, romantic, prophetic, faith-filled, daunting, grace-filled, dangerous, redeeming, heart-pumping, heart-stirring, sad and joyful - all at once.

That’s Tessa.

Hi, I'm your host, Julie Wheeler. And on this week’s show, historical fiction author Tessa Afshar talks about her latest release, The Persian King, set in Babylon in the sixth century BC.

And she shares something of her remarkable life; at 14 years of age, speaking no English, moving from the Middle East to a British boarding school, and then becoming a Christian in her early twenties and completing a Masters in Divinity at Yale.

Best-selling romance author Debbie Macomber says of her work: “No one brings the Bible to life like Tessa Afshar.”

Our Giveaway this week

Our Giveaway this week is Mystery with Romance, a group of best-selling authors once again joining together to offer a great range of books for you to choose from and download for FREE including  Sadie’s Vow, Book #1 in my latest trilogy Home At Last.

DOWNLOAD MYSTERY WITH ROMANCE EBOOKS

https://books.bookfunnel.com/freebookspg13mysteryromance/tm6fhkvpt0

And remember – if you enjoy the show. Leave us a review so others will find us too. Word of mouth is the best way for others to discover the show and great books they will love to read.

Links for things mentioned in this episode

Song from Psalm 137

By The Waters of Babylon Boney M:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2FgDles4xq8

And Don Mclean:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wcBy_b7z_dU

Herodotus: Greek historian and biographer; https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Herodotus

Philippians 2: 10 - 11  Every knee shall bow

https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Philippians%202%3A10-11&version=NIV

The Medes: https://www.britannica.com/place/Media-ancient-region-Iran

The Persians: https://education.nationalgeographic.org/resource/persian-empire/

Women Who Risk by Tom and Joann Doyle:  https://www.amazon.com/Women-Who-Risk-Secret-Agents/dp/0785233466

The re-telling of Ruth: In The Field Of Grace – Tessa Afshar:  https://www.amazon.com/Field-Grace-Tessa-Afshar/dp/0802410979

The Peasant King: https://tessaafshar.com/books/the-peasant-king/

The Hidden Prince: https://tessaafshar.com/books/the-hidden-prince/

Where to find Tessa Afshar online

Website: www.tessaafshar.com

Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/AuthorTessaAfshar

Instagram: @tessaafashar

Introducing historical fiction author Tessa Afshar

Jenny Wheeler: But now here's Tessa. Hello there, Tessa, and welcome to the show. It's great to have you with us.

Tessa Afshar - Fiction in Ancient and Biblical times

Tessa Afshar: Jenny, it's an honor to be with you. I'm really looking forward to our time together and I hope that my New Zealand friends will enjoy our conversation, and everybody else around the world who's listening to this podcast.

Jenny Wheeler: That's lovely. So you know folk in New Zealand, do you?

Tessa Afshar: I don't, it's just one of those gorgeous countries I've always wanted to visit. I've heard so many amazing things about people from New Zealand and what I've seen on TV of your gorgeous country makes me want to come and hang out.

Jenny Wheeler: You'd certainly be known here to New Zealand readers because your fiction that you write, the inspirational fiction, both biblically and historically based, is described as “seriously good inspirational fiction.”

Tell us about your latest book, which is The Peasant King. That's the one we're going to be discussing today. It is a biblically based story and it goes right back to Babylon in the 6th century BC. A famous period, even to non-believers, that's a famous period in history. Tell us about the background for that book.

Babylon and Biblical prophecy

Tessa Afshar: Yes, absolutely. I'd be delighted to.

This week on The Joys of Binge Reading. Internationally published Kiwi author, Fiona Sussman. And The Doctor's Wife, a psychological thriller of a close friendship shattered by illness and unexpected death. Nothing in Stan Andino's unremarkable life could prepare him for the day he discovered his wife in the living room naked except for a black apron, bleaching out of stain in the carpet that only she can see.

 Hi there. I'm your host Jenny Wheeler and on Binge Reading today Fiona talks about writing a story where a group of close friends discover the unexpected about themselves and one another after one of them is diagnosed with severe brain cancer.

For Fiona, who was a doctor before becoming a full-time author, it's her first foray into bringing her experience as a medical practitioner to her fiction.

This week's Giveaway - win a paperback

And as our Giveaway this week, we've got a paperback copy of The Doctor's Wife, which is a finalist in New Zealand's Ngaio Marsh Mystery Awards to be decided later this month.

Enter the draw to win a copy of The Doctor's Wife here

https://the-joys-of-binge-reading.ck.page/de8c1c9777

ENTER DRAW TO WIN A COPY OF THE DOCTOR'S WIFE

Links to books mentioned in the episode

Ngaio Marsh Mystery Awards: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ngaio_Marsh_Awards

Ngaio Marsh; https://www.ngaiomarsh.org/ngaio-marsh

Agatha Christie: https://www.agathachristie.com/

Dorothy Sayers: https://www.sayers.org.uk/

Marjorie Allingham: https://www.margeryallinghamcrime.com/biography/

Nadine Gordimer: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nadine_Gordimer

Athol Fugard: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Athol_Fugard

Alan Paton: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alan_Paton

Geraldine Brooks: https://geraldinebrooks.com/

Kate Greenville: https://kategrenville.com.au/

Elizabeth Strout: https://www.elizabethstrout.com/

Helen Garner: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Helen_Garner

Graeme Macrae Burnet, This Bloody Project, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Graeme_Macrae_Burnet

Malla Nunn, A Beautiful Place to Die, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Malla_Nunn

Fiona Kidman, This Mortal Boy, https://fionakidman.com/

And remember if you enjoy the show, leave us a review so others will find us too. Word of mouth is still the best way for friends to discover the show and great books they will love to read.

Introducing Kiwi author Fiona Sussman

You'll find Fiona at:

Website: www.fionasussman.co.nz

(Fiona has suspended her social media for the time being to focus on her writing)

Fiona Sussman - The Doctor's Wife - shortlisted for the Ngaio Marsh Mystery Awards

Jenny Wheeler: But now here's Fiona. Hello there, Fiona, and welcome to the show. It's so good to have you with us.

Fiona Sussman: Hi, Jenny. It's a real treat to be on the Joys of Binge Reading. Thank you so much for inviting me.

Jenny Wheeler: Now, it is an international show, but you're just across a few streets from me. it's wonderful to be able to talk to a local resident today for a change. We're talking about The Doctor's Wife, which is your fourth novel. Often crime novels – and this is categorized as a crime novel, although it's really, as you've said, a domestic thriller - it doesn't start with a death or a murder or a crime exactly.

It starts with simmering tension between normal middle class couple and then quickly followed by a husband coming home and finding his wife doing something very unusual.

She is naked except for a black apron. She's madly scrubbing at the carpet at an invisible stain that nobody but her can see.

And this is a very dramatic way to introduce the fact that this woman is suffering from a serious illness. Tell us about the opening.

A tense dinner quickly escalates

Fiona Sussman: Yes, Jenny. I guess I was very mindful of the fact that this was a domestic thriller I was writing, so I wanted to escalate the tension fairly early on.

Andrea Penrose is a USA Today, bestselling author of Regency era historical fiction, including the acclaimed Wrexford and Sloane mystery series.

Andrea is published internationally in ten languages. She's a three time Rita award finalist and is the recipient of numerous writing awards, including two Daphne du Maurier awards for Historical Mystery.

 Hi there. I'm your host, Jenny Wheeler and today on Binge Reading, Andrea talks about Murder At The Merton Library, # 7 in her best-selling Wrexford and Sloane series.

Responding to an urgent plea from a troubled family friend, the Earl of Wrexford journeys to Oxford, only to find the reclusive university librarian has been murdered and a rare manuscript has gone missing.

In the words of one reviewer, it's another of Andrea's “well-thought-out mysteries with early forensic science, great details of the era, and a slow burning attraction that creates a compulsive read.”

October Romance Giveaway

Searching for your next favorite story?

Look no further! These bestselling authors have teamed up to offer a delightful selection of new books, including Hope Redeemed, #6 in the Of Gold & Blood mystery series.

Hope Redeemed is a Spanish romance mystery novella - She’s grieving her intended’s death. He’s loving her from afar. But will a long-kept secret spoil their chance at everlasting happiness?

DOWNLOAD FREE BOOKS

And remember if you enjoy the show, leave us a review so others will find us too. Word of mouth is still the best way for people to discover the show and great books they will love to read.

Link to items mentioned in this episode

Sir John Soanes Regency townhouse:  https://regencyredingote.wordpress.com/2016/11/04/sir-john-soanes-house-a-slice-of-regency-london/

The Splendid and the Vile by Eric Larson

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/51187948-the-splendid-and-the-vile?ref=nav_sb_ss_1_21

Allison Montclair, and the Bainbridge Sparks series

https://us.macmillan.com/author/allisonmontclair

C.S. Harris, the Sebastian St Cyr Regency mysteries

https://csharris.net/sebastian.php

Where to find Andrea Penrose online

Website: www.andreapenrose.com

Instagram:  @andreapenrosebooks

Word Wenches blog: https://wordwenches.typepad.com/word_wenches/

Introducing Andrea Penrose mystery author

Jenny Wheeler: But now here's Andrea. Hello there, Andrea, and welcome to the show. It's great to have you with us.

Andrea Penrose - Regency mysteries

Andrea Penrose: Thank you so much for having me here. Jenny. I'm really excited to chat with you.

Jenny Wheeler: You're a best-selling author of the Wrexford and Sloane Regency Mystery Series and the next one, number seven, I think it's due to be published next week, isn't it?

Andrea Penrose: It actually in the U. S. came out last week.

Jenny Wheeler: Oh, great. Murder in the Merton Library, - for those who may not quite remember, the Merton Library is one of the most ancient and revered libraries in Britain, at Oxford University. So, you've got a great location to start, but you did start out writing romance, didn't you? How did you get called into doing the mysteries?

Andrea Penrose: I really liked writing romance, but a story really is about the relationship, how the 2 people fall in love, and I found myself more and more interested in developing a greater psychological depth with characters. The idea that a mystery usually will have a series and we'll have the protagonist, the same protagonist in each book.

You have a chance to develop the characters and plunge into the depths of friendship and vulnerabilities and how they tie in with their friends.

A mystery tests your sense of trust of who you're working with, who you can believe.

You question yourself about a lot of things. And I felt it gives me a bigger range to develop the characters and really have a little more complexity and the depth.

The story doesn't just revolve around a love st...

Theodore Brun seemed to have everything. A high level, high earning job as a Paris based lawyer, a group of interesting friends and activities, a French fiancé, and yet he knew he wasn't really happy. Something was missing. It took him several job changes and a long-distance cycle ride across Europe before he discovered his calling.

And a decade of hard work later, he's published a four-book series of Dark Age historicals, The Wanderer Chronicles, and he's found where he belongs.

Hi there, I'm your host Jenny Wheeler, and on Binge Reading Today, Theodore talks about the books that critics describe as “thrilling, epic adventure at its very best” and about finding his place as an author in that remarkable ride that opened up his life to new energy and joy.

Fantastic Fiction Giveaway

For our Giveaway this week, I've teamed up with 50 other fantastic authors to give away a huge collection of Women's Fiction and Book Club books in a BookSweeps Lucky Draw. There's two prize winners, but the Grand Prize winner gets a brand new E reader as well as a library of new books.

You can win my book Sadie's Vow, #1 in the Home At Last series, plus books from authors like Stephanie Dray, Madeline Martin, and Michelle Cox, all of whom have been on Binge Reading in the past.

And remember, if you enjoyed the show, leave us a review so others will find us too. Word of mouth is still the best way for others to discover the show and great books they will love to read.

Details of things mentioned in this episode:

The Second Siege of Constantinople: https://www.worldhistory.org/image/11635/umayyad-siege-of-constantinople-717-ce/

The Anglo Saxon poem The Wanderer:

https://www.poetryintranslation.com/PITBR/English/Wanderer.php

Wynfrid of Nursling also known as St Boniface: https://www.britannica.com/biography/Saint-Boniface

German god Thor:  https://www.britannica.com/topic/Thor-Germanic-deity

Joe Abercrombie: https://joeabercrombie.com/

Hungry Ghosts: Kevin Jared Hosein, https://www.amazon.com/Hungry-Ghosts-Kevin-Jared-Hosein-ebook/dp/B0B31N67Z7/

River Spirit: Leila Aboulela, https://leila-aboulela.com/books/river-spirit/

The Great Reclamation: Rachel Heng, https://www.rachelhengqp.com/

Where to find Theodore Brun online

Website: www.theodorebrun.com

Instagram: @Theobrun

Twitter, @Theodore Brun

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/theodorebrunauthor/

Introducing author Theodore Brun

Historical adventure author Theodore Brun

But now here's Theodore. Hello, Theodore, and welcome to the show. It's great to have you with us.

Theodore Brun: Hello, Jenny. It's lovely to be here, from the other side of the world, literally. And the other side of the clock. You're 12 hours ahead. Let's get into it.

Jenny Wheeler: Yes. Thank you so much. Now we're going to be talking about the four-book series of The Wanderer Chronicles, set in the dark ages of Europe in the seventh and eighth centuries, and I know that these sorts of sagas often have quite a strong element of archetypal fantasy in them as well.

So I'm wondering. There's an obvious character in the book who identifies as a wanderer, but there's probably a more overarching archetype as well at play here. Talk to us a bit about how the Wanderer works in these kinds of Viking sagas.

Theodore Brun: The Wanderer, it's interesting the name, the Wanderer, for a start, because I came up with that when I was about halfway through drafting the first book. and in searching around to see whether anything else had been made under that name, I discovered that there is actually a very old Anglo Saxon poem called The Wanderer.

And as I read this thing, it was the first time I'd read it, I was astonished because it was very similar in terms of archetype to my own protagonist. And it's really about a man, a warrior in this warrior culture, who is forced into exile because his lord and his comrades are all wiped out in a battle.

...

Kate Gray wrote half a dozen uplifting feel-good novels and then her dark side took over. One night, she had a horrific nightmare and when she woke up shaking, she just knew she had to write it as her next story.

Hi there. I'm your host, Jenny Wheeler. And today on Binge Reading, Kate talks about the book that came out of that nightmare about a honeymoon gone bad, a psychological thriller called - you guessed right? The Honeymoon.

She considers questions like “What if you don't really know the person you've just married?”

And tells us about her own experience of being left at the altar, which catapulted her into an adventure that changed her life.

Giveaway This Week - Historical Romance

Our Giveaway this week is a month of historical romance. If you're searching for your next favorite story, look no further. These best-selling authors have teamed up to offer a delightful selection of new books, including my own Hope Redeemed, A Spanish Novella, Book #6 in the Of Gold & Blood historic mystery series. All are just available for a limited time.

DOWNLOAD FREE HISTORICAL ROMANCE

And remember, if you enjoy the show, leave us a review, So others will find us too. Word of mouth is the best way for others to discover the show and great books they will love to read.

Links to things mentioned in this episode:

Katy Colins: Kate’s second author name for uplifting women’s fiction: https://katycolins.com/

Lisa Jewell: None of This Is True, https://www.goodreads.com/en/book/show/62334530

Hannah Richell: The Search Party

https://www.simonandschuster.com/books/The-Search-Party/Hannah-Richell/9781668036068#:

The Lonely Hearts Backpacker’s series: https://katycolins.com/the-lonely-hearts-travel-club-destination-thailand-by-katy-colins/

Where To Find Kate Gray online

Website: KateGrayauthor.com

Facebook: @Kategrayauthor

Instagram: @Kategrayauthor

Katy Colins travel blog https://www.instagram.com/notwedordead/

Introducing thriller author Kate Gray

Jenny Wheeler: But now here is Kate. Hello there, Kate, and welcome to the show. It's great to have you with us.

Kate Gray - psychological thriller author and The Honeymoon

Kate Gray: Hi, thanks so much for having me.

Jenny Wheeler: Kate, you've done half a dozen feel good, uplifting women's fiction novels, and now this change to a dark psychological psychological thriller, The Honeymoon. Why the change of pace and genre?

Kate Gray: I really enjoyed writing my novels as Katy Colins, uplifting, feel good reads. But I just didn't have another idea. And I guess it also happened to be the start of lockdown when I was out of contract. And it wasn't very good for that kind of creativity. The muse wasn't visiting. I have two very young children.

And my husband was working quite a lot as a journalist. So, no ideas were coming forward and one night I went to bed and I had this really horrific nightmare and I just knew I had to write it and the nightmare was so scary that this then led me into writing more psychological thrillers and actually I quite like embracing my darker side.

Jenny Wheeler: Interesting. This is the first psychological thriller that you've actually published, is it? But have you got others on the boil now?

Kate Gray: Yes, I signed a two-book deal. The Honeymoon came out this summer and the second one will be out next summer, which is really exciting. I'm currently editing that second one, which is completely different, they're both standalone novels which is good in a way for my creativity, but difficult because I have a whole new cast of characters and problems to put them in.

A story that came out of a bad dream

Jenny Wheeler: That's right. When we get to the feel good fiction a bit further on, we’ll talk about your four book series with a similar character and similar settings. So you did do a series there, but getting back to that nightmare. How much of the story was formed in the dream?

Christine Wells has a gift for digging out history’s hidden stories, and her latest book, The Royal Windsor Secret. is the perfect, delicious mix of fact and speculation that her readers have come to love.

In it Christine asks the question “What if it Edward, Prince of Wales, the man who briefly became King Edward VIII, had a love child?”

Hi there. I'm your host, Jenny Wheeler, and a chance remark from a friend suggesting Edward sowed wild oats during his stay in Australia in his youth. got Christine thinking.

The result is another of her engrossing historical fiction tales, with plenty of fascinating historical fact spiced up with some “what if” suggestions.

Encore is the show for returning authors, and this is Christine second appearance on the Binge Reading podcast. She was last on back in 2020 talking about her World War II spy stories, like The Juliette Code and Sisters Of The Resistance, the last one featuring Catherine Dior's little known wartime activities.

Our Reader Offers - Free and Sales Books

Our reader offers this week include a Sale Special on Unbridled Vengeance, Book#5 in the Of Gold & Blood series, as part of the Fall in Love With Historical Romance offer.

A rancher faces a trumped up murder charge. His beautiful French neighbor has facts that will clear his name, but she can only speak up at the risk of her own life.

UNBRIDLED VENGEANCE SALE

https://books.bookfunnel.com/fallinlovehistromance/agj3oedc0x

We've also got another Kobo Free Genre List offer running until October 8th with lots of great first in series books and multiple genres. Available for free download, including Poisoned Legacy, Book #1 in the Of Gold & Blood series.

Visit the following link(s) to see the promotion: ​https://www.kobo.com/p/free-ebooks​! If you live in a country that isn't included in this promotion, you may have trouble accessing the sale link. If this happens, change the flag at the top of the Kobo homepage to one of the included countries to see the sale link properly.

She’s a traveling singer. He’s an Aussie adventurer. Together, they’ll dig up the secrets of a deadly gold mine.

FREE KOBO LIST BOOKS

Links to things mentioned in the episode

Marguerite Meller: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marguerite_Alibert

Duke of Windsor: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marguerite_Alibert

Wallis Simpson: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wallis_Simpson

Shepheard’s Hotel

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shepheard%27s_Hotel

Elizabeth Peter's Amelia Peabody Mysteries:

https://www.goodreads.com/series/40876-amelia-peabody

Elizabeth Peters:  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Barbara_Mertz

Special Air Service History:  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_the_Special_Air_Service

The Cartiers: the Untold Family History by Francesca Cartier Brickell:

https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/588686/the-cartiers-by-francesca-cartier-brickell/

Cartier designers:  https://www.madridluxurydistrict.com/en/asociado/cartier-2/

Paddy Bennett: Ian Fleming’s Secretary, the model for Miss Moneypenny:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paddy_Ridsdale

Mick Herron: https://www.mickherron.com/

Slow Horses: https://www.mickherron.com/titles/mick-herron-6/slow-horses/9781399803052/

Natasha Lester: The Disappearance of Astrid Bricard:

https://www.goodreads.com/?ref=nav_hom

Where to find Christine Wells online

Website: Christine-wells.com

Facebook: @christinewellsAuthor

Instagram: @christinewells

Introducing historic fiction author Christine Wells

But now here's Christine. Hello there, Christine. And welcome to the show. It's great to have you with us.

Christine Wells: Hi Jenny, thanks so much for having me.

Jenny Wheeler: The last time we talked together on Binge Reading was in May, 2020, and a tremendous amount of stuff has happened since then, including a pandemic.

At that time, you were writing about World War II women spies,

​

Harry Whittaker inherited a heartbreaking task when his mother, the international best-selling author, Lucinda Riley, died in 2021.

Millions of readers around the world were eagerly awaiting the last book in her acclaimed Seven Sisters series and Harry accepted the challenge of being the one to finish it.

Hi there. I'm your host, Jenny Wheeler and on Binge Reading today, we have a special treat. Harry talks about how he tackled the final book in the series, Atlas, The Story Of Pa Salt, as the labour of love for his cherished mother.

And how he's now moving on finding his author voice with books that are very much his own.

BookSweeps Draw This Week

We've got a BookSweeps Draw of Literary, Historical and Book Club Fiction. which includes Sadie’s Vow, #1 in my Home At Last trilogy.

If you haven't read Sadie's Vow, you can enter to win it on BookSweeps today, plus 25+ extra books, exciting literary, historical and book club fiction from a great collection of authors, as well as the brand new E reader.

Details for where to enter the draw are on the show notes for this episode on The Joys Of Binge Reading website. (www.thejoysofbingereading.com)

And remember if you enjoy the show, leave us a review, so others will find us too. Word of mouth is still the best way for others to discover the show and great books they will love to read.

ENTER BOOKSWEEPS DRAW

Links for Information in this episode

Lucinda Riley –Video on conceiving The Seven Sisters:

https://youtu.be/KvjD3cxZDwA

Lucinda Edmonds/Riley: https://lucindariley.co.uk/about-lucinda/

Bonnie Garmus: https://www.bonniegarmus.com/lessons-in-chemistry

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/58065033-lessons-in-chemistry

Brie Larson:  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brie_Larson

Nick Hornby: https://www.penguin.co.uk/authors/21856/nick-hornby

High Fidelity:  https://www.goodreads.com/en/book/show/285092

Slam: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/411527.Slam

About A Boy:  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/4271.About_a_Boy

David Nicholls: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/David_Nicholls_(writer)

One Day: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/6280118-one-day

The Understudy: https://www.goodreads.com/en/book/show/366842

Starter For Ten: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/107896.Starter_for_Ten

Where to find Harry Whittaker online

Website: www.harrywhittaker.co.uk

Instagram: @HarryWhittakerAuthor

Twitter:  @HarryTwittaker

Introducing author Harry Whittaker

Author Harry Whittaker - completing his mother's legacy and starting his own

Jenny Wheeler: But now here's Harry. Hello there, Harry, and welcome to the show. It's great to have you with us.

Harry Whittaker: Hi Jenny, thanks so much for having me. I'm so excited to be talking to you in New Zealand from the UK. We've somehow made it work.

Jenny Wheeler: Yes. After a little hiccup this morning. that's right. We're talking about Book Eight of The Seven Sisters.

Atlas; The Story Of Pa Salt for the one or two people left in the world who don't know that you inherited one of the most difficult tasks in the world, with this job to complete an internationally beloved series while also dealing with the personal loss of the author of it all.

What force do you think has carried you through all of it.

Harry Whittaker: That's a good question. In a way there was so much pressure on me that in fact there was no pressure at all.

If 50 million readers, a decade worth of mysteries, the fact that I'd only ever written children's books and never a novel, and I knew that this was going to have to be a very beefy novel because it's what Seven Sisters readers expect...

The pressure was so ridiculous, and you combine everything I've just said with a really tight deadline.

I had one year to do this and there could be no ifs or buts about that. I didn't think about it because if you thought about it for more than 10 seconds you'd want to curl ...

Loretta Chase is a doyenne of Regency romance with nearly 30 books in her back list. And she still winning awards.

Ten Things I Hate About The Duke, won an AWA cherished award, one of the old Rita's now called a Vivian for the best long form historical fiction. And it's just the icing on the cake for a writer who's already enjoyed a fantastic career.

Hi, I'm your host, Jenny Wheeler, and in Binge Reading today, Loretta talks honestly about getting over writer's block when you've already published 28 books and why she loves writing about impossible men, like the Dis Graceful Dukes in her latest series.

That’s strictly in fiction, not in real life. No, no, no.

Pure Hearts Giveaway

Our Giveaway this week is The Magic of Pure Hearts Giveaway. Not just romance, but a delightful full range choice, from adventure with a touch of fantasy as well.

For a limited time only Sadie's Vow #1 in the Home At Last series is my contribution to this freebie list.

Sadie chases from New York to San Francisco after her wayward sister becomes infatuated by a mob boss and is blind to the dangers she is letting herself in for.

DOWNLOAD FREE ROMANCE BOOKS

​https://books.bookfunnel.com/themagicofpurehearts2/ekkk84hvxg

And remember if you enjoyed the show, leave us a review so others will find us too. Word of mouth is still the best form of recommendation and you want your friends to know about a show that will recommend great books for them. don't you? Sure you do.

Links to items mentioned in this episode

The classic romance Loretta read early in her career

Kathleen Woodiwiss: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/88445.Kathleen_E_Woodiwiss

Edith Layton: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/74459.Edith_Layton

Mary Jo Putney: https://maryjoputney.com/

Jo Beverley: https://www.jobev.com/

Who Loretta’s Reading Right Now:

Carl Hiaasen: https://carlhiaasen.com/

Tim Dorsey: https://www.timdorsey.com/

Terry Pratchett:https://www.terrypratchettbooks.com/

Kristan Higgins: https://www.kristanhiggins.com/

Kristan Higgins on The Joys of Binge Reading: https://thejoysofbingereading.com/kristan-higgins-queen-of-love-and-laughs/

Two Nerdy History Girls (Blog and Podcast): https://lorettachase.com/blog/2022/1/10/the-two-nerdy-history-girls-return-engagement

Susan Holloway Scott: https://susanhollowayscott.com/

Caroline Linden Books and Rom Cons (Conferences) https://www.carolinelinden.com/index.html

https://www.carolinelinden.com/aboutcaroline.html

Harry Whittaker: https://www.harrywhittaker.co.uk/

Atlas: The Story of Pa Salt: https://www.panmacmillan.com/authors/lucinda-riley/atlas-the-story-of-pa-salt/9781529043525

Where to find Loretta Chase online

Website: https://lorettachase.com/

Blog: https://lorettachase.com/blog

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AuthorLorettaChase/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lorettachaseauthor/

Introducing Loretta Chase - Regency queen

But now here's Loretta. Hello there, Loretta, and welcome to the show. It's great to have you with us.

Loretta Chase - doyenne of Regency romance

Loretta Chase: Jenny, I am so honored to be here.

Jenny Wheeler: You're one of the doyennes of romance writing. You've written 28 historical romances starting back in the 1990s, and you've won numerous awards.

The most recent one, Ten Things I Hate About the Duke, just won an RWA award for the best long historical. That's a great track record you can be proud of.

Loretta Chase: I really am. I'm very proud of that book. I was so happy when it won the award. I felt as though those two books, the first two in the Duke series, were strong work. So it was great to have that recognition.

Jenny Wheeler: And just as a little aside, they're calling it by a different name. They're calling it a Vivian, aren't they? But is that the same as the old Rita?

Loretta Chase: Yes, it is the same. They've changed the award itself.