Stephanie Barron’s popular Jane

Austen mysteries feature the famous novelist as a crime investigator and are so

close to real life that Stephanie sometimes hears Jane’s voice in her head as

she writes.

Hi there, I’m your host, Jenny Wheeler and today Stephanie talks about channelling Jane Austen, World War II espionage novels, and That Churchill Woman, her latest novel about Sir Winston Churchill’s controversial American mother.

Six

things you’ll learn from this Joys of Binge Reading episode:

How CIA experience helped with espionage novelsJFK's 'secret' Moscow mission revealedWhy Pommie power brokers found Jennie hard to takeMourning the loss of bookshops and newspapersHaving a double writer identityBeing an opera composer in the time of The Beatles

Where to find Stephanie Barron and her alternative author name -Francine Mathews: 

Website: 

http://www.francinemathews.com/ (historical fiction like That Churchill Woman)

Stephaniebarron.com (Jane Austen mysteries)

Facebook: @francinemathews or Stephanie Barron

 Twitter:  @FMathewsAuthor

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

Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.nz/fmathews1777/that-churchill-woman/

What follows is a "near as" transcript of our conversation, not word for word but pretty close to it, with links to important mentions.

Jane's Twelve Days of Christmas - win a copy for the holidays. Enter Now.

Before we get to Stephanie, we're delighted to offer a Christmas Giveaway - a paper back copy of Stephanie's recent Jane Austen mystery - Jane and the Twelve Days of Christmas. Inhabit Jane Austen's world and experience Christmas through her eyes as she solves yet another mystery.

ENTER THE DRAW and be in to win. Contest closes December 12, and we'll do our best to get it delivered before Christmas - but no promises!.

Jenny: But now, here’s Stephanie.  Hello there Stephanie and and welcome to the show, it’s great to have you with us.

Stephanie: Oh, it's my pleasure, Jenny. Thanks for being interested in my work.

How Stephanie got started

Jenny: Oh, I love your work, but tell me, and I'm sure your readers will want

to know, was there a Once Upon A Time moment when you realized that you wanted

to write fiction, and if so, what was the catalyst for it?

Stephanie: Well, I think like many writers I was born writing, or at least I

personally believe that each of us has particular way of processing our

experience. You know, I can't draw. I'm pathetic at anything visually artistic.

I can't sing, I don't play an instrument, but words have always been my “superpower”

right there.

Stephanie Barron - and Francine Mathews - author of Jane Austen mysteries, espionage and crime novels, and controversial history.

They’re my way of processing everything

that happens to me, making it comprehensible and hopefully gleaning something

from it that I can pass on to others. I firmly believe that we all use

storytelling as a way to understand how to live and that's why stories of every

type are so critical for children and for how we relate to one another and

simply get through what can be very difficult at times, just daily existence.

Writing 'a leap of faith'

So, I was always a writer.

Novelist Gill Paul takes iconic women of the 20th century – from Wallis Simpson to Diana, Princess of Wales, from Jackie O to Maria Callas – and spins a magic story that combines fact with imagination to give readers new insights into famous lives. . . .

Hi there. I’m your host Jenny Wheeler and in this week’s Joys of Binge Reading episode Gill talks about the romance of the Romanovs, and her crazy passion for cutting ice to go swimming. 

Six Things You Didn't Know

Six things you’ll learn from this Joys of Binge Reading episode:

How joining a small writing group got Gill started

Why the Romanovs stole her heart

The two women who married a Prince of Wales

Cleopatra the movie, Elizabeth Taylor the star

Why she's such a 'swot" in her writing

Her coming book on the Onassis women

Where to find Gill Paul: 

Website: http://gillpaul.com/author

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

 Twitter:  https://twitter.com/GillPaulAUTHOR

What

follows is a "near as" transcript of our conversation, not word for

word but pretty close to it, with links to important mentions.

Jenny: Hello there, Gill, and welcome to the show. It's great to have you

with us.

Gill: Jenny. It's wonderful to be here. Thanks so much for inviting me.

How Gill got started in writing

Jenny: Now I know that you did do other things before you started your writing, so was there a Once Upon a Time moment where you thought, "I've just got to write some fiction or my life won't quite be complete," and if so, what was the catalyst?

Gill Paul - historical fiction based on fabulous facts

Gill: That's a great question. In fact, I wanted to write from probably when I started reading, but my parents steered me in a different direction, towards studying medicine at university  and then  I switched and  worked in publishing for a while and all the time I was trying to write novels. 

I have to say in my teens and early

twenties they were really miserable autobiographical things about lost love

affairs and parents not understanding you. 

They were absolutely dreadful and I'm very glad none of them has ever

seen the light of day.

But in my thirties I discovered a little

writing group near where I live in North London, run by a woman called Carol

Cornish.  She called it Writing

Space.  It was just Friday evenings around

her kitchen table, and she really encouraged us to describe things in an

original way - to really look at the things we were talking about, to probe

deeper and find character. And also have original ideas for plot. 

The benefits of a writing group

She was amazing. Three years after I started

doing her Writing Space group, I got an agent and my first publishing deal. So

really, she was the magic catalyst for me.

Jenny:  And what was that first book?

Gill: Oh gosh, that was ages ago, and it's terrible. It's called

Enticement. It was a training novel, but it did get published by Hodder and

Stoughton over here.   So I'm quite

grateful for that. It was a long time ago, and it's not in print anymore.

Jenny: In your most recent book, The Lost Daughter, you returned to the Romanov family.  (the Russian Imperial family of the Czars.)  Now you've really made a name for yourself with these novels that are apparently based in fact with interesting people, but also a very lovely story spun around them.

The Secret Wife by Gill Paul

And this is the second time you've used the Romanovs as a basis for a story. Another of your best sellers, The Secret Wife also treated an aspect of the Romanovs. Tell us how you became interested in this royal line.

A fascination with the Romanovs

Gill: Oh, that's a teenage obsession of mine, actually.  When I was a teenager, the graves of the

Romanovs hadn't been found, so there was still a possibility that some of them

had escaped, that they might be living quietly in exile somewhere.  They might still even be in Russia.

Novelist Gill Paul takes iconic women of the 20th century – from Wallis Simpson to Diana, Princess of Wales, from Jackie O to Maria Callas – and spins a magic story that combines fact with imagination to give readers new insights into famous lives. . . .

Hi there. I’m your host Jenny Wheeler and in this week’s Joys of Binge Reading episode Gill talks about the romance of the Romanovs, and her crazy passion for cutting ice to go swimming. 

Win a copy of Gill's latest book

Gill’s been kind enough to offer listeners a lovely Christmas bonus – a Holiday Reading Royal Romance Giveaway of one paperback copy of each of Gill’s two most recent books – dual time line story The Lost Daughter, featuring the ill-fated Romanovs, and Another Man’s Wife, tracing links between Wallis Simpson and Princess Diana of Wales.

Details for how to enter the draw for this exciting Holiday Reading Royal Romance Giveaway can be found on the Binge Reading Facebook Page or the website, or at the Joys of Binge Reading. Enter today for fantastic holiday reading. We will select two winners who each will receive one of the books. Offer closes December 10, and we will try and ship in time for Christmas (if we're lucky.)

Six

things you’ll learn from this Joys of Binge Reading episode:

How joining a small writing group got Gill startedWhy the Romanovs stole her heartThe two women who married a Prince of WalesCleopatra the movie, Elizabeth Taylor the starWhy she's such a 'swot" in her writingHer coming book on the Onassis women

Where to find Gill Paul: 

Website: http://gillpaul.com/author

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

 Twitter:  https://twitter.com/GillPaulAUTHOR

What

follows is a "near as" transcript of our conversation, not word for

word but pretty close to it, with links to important mentions.

Jenny: Hello there, Gill, and welcome to the show. It's great to have you

with us.

Gill: Jenny. It's wonderful to be here. Thanks so much for inviting me.

How Gill got started in writing

Jenny: Now I know that you did do other things before you started your writing, so was there a Once Upon a Time moment where you thought, "I've just got to write some fiction or my life won't quite be complete," and if so, what was the catalyst?

Gill Paul - historical fiction based on fabulous facts

Gill: That's a great question. In fact, I wanted to write from probably when I started reading, but my parents steered me in a different direction, towards studying medicine at university  and then  I switched and  worked in publishing for a while and all the time I was trying to write novels. 

I have to say in my teens and early

twenties they were really miserable autobiographical things about lost love

affairs and parents not understanding you. 

They were absolutely dreadful and I'm very glad none of them has ever

seen the light of day.

But in my thirties I discovered a little

writing group near where I live in North London, run by a woman called Carol

Cornish.  She called it Writing

Space.  It was just Friday evenings around

her kitchen table, and she really encouraged us to describe things in an

original way - to really look at the things we were talking about, to probe

deeper and find character. And also have original ideas for plot. 

The benefits of a writing group

She was amazing.

Joanna

Shupe’s Gilded Age New York heroes are giving Regency Dukes a run for their

money on romance best seller lists, making the age of the Astors and

Vanderbilts “hot” with contemporary readers.

Hi there I’m your host Jenny Wheeler and Joanna talks about feisty women, ostentatious wealth, dinner parties on horseback and how so often truth is stranger than fiction.

Six

things you’ll learn from this Joys of Binge Reading episode:

Why surprising readers is importantThe lure of the Gilded AgeYouthful passions - Edith Wharton or Jane Austen?The dawn of the independent womanLots (and lots) of great reading suggestionsWhy she'd like to slow things down a little

Where to find Joanna Shupe

Website: http://www.joannashupe.com/

Facebook: @joannashupeauthor

Twitter: @JoannaShupe

Bookbub: https://www.bookbub.com/authors/joanna-shupe

Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.co.uk/joannashupe/pins/

What

follows is a "near as" transcript of our conversation, not word for

word but pretty close to it, with links to important mentions.

Jenny: But now, here’s Joanna. .  Hello there Joanna and welcome to the show, it’s great to have you with us.

Jenny: Hello there Joanna, and welcome to the show. It's great to have you

with us.

Joanna: Hello, and thank you so much for having me. I'm so honored.

Joanna Shupe,Gilded Age romance author

Jenny: I always like to ask the 'Once Upon a Time question' because people always like to the answer. How did you get started? Was there a moment at some stage where you thought, I've just got to write fiction, even if you were already doing nonfiction or was it something you always wanted to do?

Joanna: Well, I've always been writing. I went to college to get a

journalism degree because I knew I wanted to be in the field of writing

somehow. But I always read romance. From a very early age I was reading things

that I'm sure were completely inappropriate for me.

People like Johanna Lindsey, and Amanda Quick and Jayne Ann Krentz.  That's how I came into romance.  So when I graduated college, I came home, and I didn't have a job yet, and I was reading a lot of romance while I was job searching and trying to keep my stress levels low.

And my oldest sister said, you know, you

should write one of those. You'd be really good at it, and it seems like it's

pretty easy. You just come up with a plot and then you sit down and write it.

And I was so stupid that I thought, yes, that sounds pretty easy. I could

totally do that.  So I was waiting tables

at the time, and I would come home at one o'clock in the morning and I would

write until four or five, go to sleep, get up at noon and do it all over again.

 So

in a couple months I had a book.  I let

some people read it and I was encouraged by the feedback. That book will never

ever be published. It was a practice, but I was really encouraged by the

feedback that I got and my oldest sister, who's the one that tried to get me to

do it, said, "I don't know where you came up with half the stuff that you

thought of in this book. It's really impressive." And that stuck with me.

Then I went off and I got a job in marketing and advertising and real life took

over for a little while. But when I met my husband he encouraged me to dig it

out and try and polish it up and, and get it published.

And that was really the catalyst for me, to

throw me back into romance writing.

Joanna Shupe - Gilded Age romance in New York city.

Jenny: That's lovely that your husband would be so encouraging, isn't it?

Joanna:  Yes. I'm lucky because he

does a lot of writing and he was an editor for a little while, so he will also

edit stuff for me if I want him to, and he'll brainstorm stuff with me and he

answers all of my questions on technique and formatting and all that stuff.

Jenny: Sure. Now you mentioned that it was romance. Was it historical

romance?

Joanna: I kind of bounced around, but really in those days it was the heyday

Joanna

Shupe’s Gilded Age New York heroes are giving Regency Dukes a run for their

money on romance best seller lists, making the age of the Astors and

Vanderbilts “hot” with contemporary readers.

Hi there I’m your host Jenny Wheeler and Joanna talks about feisty women, ostentatious wealth, dinner parties on horseback and how so often truth is stranger than fiction.

Six

things you’ll learn from this Joys of Binge Reading episode:

Why surprising readers is importantThe lure of the Gilded AgeYouthful passions - Edith Wharton or Jane Austen?The dawn of the independent womanLots (and lots) of great reading suggestionsWhy she'd like to slow things down a little

Where to find Joanna Shupe

Website: http://www.joannashupe.com/

Facebook: @joannashupeauthor

Twitter: @JoannaShupe

Bookbub: https://www.bookbub.com/authors/joanna-shupe

Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.co.uk/joannashupe/pins/

What

follows is a "near as" transcript of our conversation, not word for

word but pretty close to it, with links to important mentions.

Jenny: But now, here’s Joanna. .  Hello there Joanna and welcome to the show, it’s great to have you with us.

Jenny: Hello there Joanna, and welcome to the show. It's great to have you

with us.

Joanna: Hello, and thank you so much for having me. I'm so honored.

Joanna Shupe,Gilded Age romance author

Jenny: I always like to ask the 'Once Upon a Time question' because people always like to the answer. How did you get started? Was there a moment at some stage where you thought, I've just got to write fiction, even if you were already doing nonfiction or was it something you always wanted to do?

Joanna: Well, I've always been writing. I went to college to get a

journalism degree because I knew I wanted to be in the field of writing

somehow. But I always read romance. From a very early age I was reading things

that I'm sure were completely inappropriate for me.

People like Johanna Lindsey, and Amanda Quick and Jayne Ann Krentz.  That's how I came into romance.  So when I graduated college, I came home, and I didn't have a job yet, and I was reading a lot of romance while I was job searching and trying to keep my stress levels low.

And my oldest sister said, you know, you

should write one of those. You'd be really good at it, and it seems like it's

pretty easy. You just come up with a plot and then you sit down and write it.

And I was so stupid that I thought, yes, that sounds pretty easy. I could

totally do that.  So I was waiting tables

at the time, and I would come home at one o'clock in the morning and I would

write until four or five, go to sleep, get up at noon and do it all over again.

 So

in a couple months I had a book.  I let

some people read it and I was encouraged by the feedback. That book will never

ever be published. It was a practice, but I was really encouraged by the

feedback that I got and my oldest sister, who's the one that tried to get me to

do it, said, "I don't know where you came up with half the stuff that you

thought of in this book. It's really impressive." And that stuck with me.

Then I went off and I got a job in marketing and advertising and real life took

over for a little while. But when I met my husband he encouraged me to dig it

out and try and polish it up and, and get it published.

Anna Willet writes nightmare thrillers it’s best not to read before bed – and that’s the way her readers love them.

Hi there, I’m your host Jenny

Wheeler, and in todays Binge Reading episode Anna talks about facing her worst

fears in her nail biting books and the traumatic experience as a teen that has

colored her work.

Six things you’ll learn from this Joys of Binge Reading episode:

The draw of psychological thrillersOn being an Australian thriller writerThe challenge of giving her characters a hard timeWestern Australia - one of the world's best kept secretsThe writers she admires mostWhat she'd do differently second time around

Where to find Anna Willet: 

Website: https://www.annawillett.info/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Anna-Willett-1732961043643247/

Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com.au/AnnaWauthor/

What

follows is a "near as" transcript of our conversation, not word for

word but pretty close to it, with links to important mentions.

Jenny: Hello, Anna and welcome to the show. It's great to have you with us.

Anna: Thank you Jenny. It's a pleasure to be here.

Anna Willett - Australian thriller author

Jenny: I always start with a predictable question, but I do know it's one

that readers like to have the answer to. Was there a 'Once Upon a Time' moment

that catapulted you into writing fiction. 

And if so, what was the catalyst?

A life long dream realised

Anna: I don't think there was any one catalyst, but I'm always wanted to write. Even as a child, I would write short stories. But then marriage and studying and having children and working eclipsed all of those ideas for many years. And so it wasn't until my daughters were older and I had time to actually consider what is it that I want to do, that I decided to take writing seriously and I started writing short stories.

Cold Valley Nightmare - the second in the Lucy Hush thriller series by Anna Willett

 And

then about six years ago I started writing my first novel.

Jenny: Fantastic, so now you've got to nine suspense thrillers that have

described as real nail biters - the sort of thing that they advise "be

sure to leave the lights on" and I can vouch for that . What attracted you

to that particular niche of genre  - the

psychological thriller?

Anna: That genre has always appealed to me.  I don't really know what that says about my personality, but I do enjoy being able to examine the character's emotional state. I feel it's a meaty genre for me because I've always been interested in what motivates people in terms of their behavior.

The 'fun' in being crazy scared

So it's fascinating for me to write psychological thrillers. They allow you to dig into unstable emotions in a character and I feel like when I'm doing a good job with that I can create a sense of fear and paranoia and claustrophobia in my reader and it sounds crazy, but for me, that's kind of the fun of the psychological thriller.

Jenny: Yes, and I'm sure it is for the readers, the ones who like those

sorts of stories. They really enjoy having themselves scared out of their socks

don't they?

Anna: Yes, yes, and as a reader, that's what I enjoy when I'm reading

these types of books. And so I want to write the sort of things that I know I

would like to read.

Jenny: Yes. And maybe there's a little bit of a psychological aspect of you also facing your own fears. I saw it suggested about one of the books -  The Woman Behind Her  - that the theme of it was facing your own fears. And I guess this question comes up quite often from readers, but where do you come up with those ideas? Is it like thinking of the most horrifying thing you could think of that would happen to you and writing about it.

The worst that can happen is here

Anna: Thinking about the most terrifying thing really allows you to get a reaction from the character. It peels back the layers.  It has worked for me, in that I'm able to understand why people feel t...

Anna Willet writes nightmare thrillers it’s best not to read before bed – and that’s the way her readers love them.

Hi there, I’m your host Jenny

Wheeler, and in todays Binge Reading episode Anna talks about facing her worst

fears in her nail biting books and the traumatic experience as a teen that has

colored her work.

Six things you’ll learn from this Joys of Binge Reading episode:

The draw of psychological thrillersOn being an Australian thriller writerThe challenge of giving her characters a hard timeWestern Australia - one of the world's best kept secretsThe writers she admires mostWhat she'd do differently second time around

Where to find Anna Willet: 

Website: https://www.annawillett.info/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Anna-Willett-1732961043643247/

Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com.au/AnnaWauthor/

What

follows is a "near as" transcript of our conversation, not word for

word but pretty close to it, with links to important mentions.

Jenny: Hello, Anna and welcome to the show. It's great to have you with us.

Anna: Thank you Jenny. It's a pleasure to be here.

Anna Willett - Australian thriller author

Jenny: I always start with a predictable question, but I do know it's one

that readers like to have the answer to. Was there a 'Once Upon a Time' moment

that catapulted you into writing fiction. 

And if so, what was the catalyst?

A life long dream realised

Anna: I don't think there was any one catalyst, but I'm always wanted to write. Even as a child, I would write short stories. But then marriage and studying and having children and working eclipsed all of those ideas for many years. And so it wasn't until my daughters were older and I had time to actually consider what is it that I want to do, that I decided to take writing seriously and I started writing short stories.

Cold Valley Nightmare - the second in the Lucy Hush thriller series by Anna Willett

 And

then about six years ago I started writing my first novel.

Jenny: Fantastic, so now you've got to nine suspense thrillers that have

described as real nail biters - the sort of thing that they advise "be

sure to leave the lights on" and I can vouch for that . What attracted you

to that particular niche of genre  - the

psychological thriller?

Anna: That genre has always appealed to me.  I don't really know what that says about my personality, but I do enjoy being able to examine the character's emotional state. I feel it's a meaty genre for me because I've always been interested in what motivates people in terms of their behavior.

The 'fun' in being crazy scared

So it's fascinating for me to write psychological thrillers. They allow you to dig into unstable emotions in a character and I feel like when I'm doing a good job with that I can create a sense of fear and paranoia and claustrophobia in my reader and it sounds crazy, but for me, that's kind of the fun of the psychological thriller.

Jenny: Yes, and I'm sure it is for the readers, the ones who like those

sorts of stories. They really enjoy having themselves scared out of their socks

don't they?

Anna: Yes, yes, and as a reader, that's what I enjoy when I'm reading

these types of books. And so I want to write the sort of things that I know I

would like to read.

Jenny: Yes.

When Cassandra Clark publishes a new book in her Abbess of Meaux series, medievalists rejoice. The ten-book series was sparked by a dream, and it focuses on the remarkable Cistercian nun Hildegard, during the turbulent reign of the boy king, King Richard II.

Hi there. I’m your host Jenny Wheeler

and today Cassandra talks about how the victors write history and being in New

York on September 11.

Six things you’ll learn from this Joys of Binge Reading episode:

The dream that sparked a seriesThe shock of September 11The role of street theater and romance Her passion for the "wronged-King" Richard IIHer staunch support of women's agencyWhat she'd do differently second time around

Where to find Cassandra Clark: 

Website: http://www.cassandraclark.co.uk/

Facebook: @authorcassandraclark

 Twitter: @Nunsleuth

What

follows is a "near as" transcript of our conversation, not word for

word but pretty close to it, with links to important mentions.

Jenny: And now here's Cassandra. Hello there Cassandra and welcome to the

show. It's great to have you with us.

Cassandra: Hi, Jenny. Thanks for inviting me.

Cassandra Clark, historical mystery author

Jenny: I'm sure that when one of your books is published, you could

probably hear the cheers from your kitchen window! People who are passionate

about the period shout “Medievalist’s rejoice!” whenever a new one comes out.

 So I

wonder - was there Once Upon a Time moment when you felt” I must write fiction

or my life will not have been fulfilled.” If there was such a moment, what was

the catalyst for it? 

Cassandra: Well, that's really funny question because someone else asked me

that a few days ago. I thought gosh, the first time I knew I wanted to be a

writer was when I was five.

I just felt it was magic. I'd learned to

read and every book was like walking through into a new world and I just loved

it so much. I didn't get around to thinking about writing a novel until I was

nine and strangely, I wrote one called Mystery of the Haunted Lighthouse

because I've been reading a lot of Enid Blyton at the time.

The magic of entering new worlds

So that's when it started, but it took a

long time to start writing properly because I was also interested in theater.

I'm mad about theater. I really love it. It’s got the same magic when the curtain

rises. It's just like opening a book. It's another world.

So I wanted to write for theater and that's

what I began with. I wrote a dozen plays, performed in different ways - on the

stage, television, radio and so forth. Then I needed to make some real money

and I for the next 15 years I simply wrote for money.

I wrote contemporary romance, which I'd

never heard of until I met a romance novelist.

And she said yes, it's quite well paid but

it's very hard. They get 30,000 submissions a year, so you haven't much chance.

But I was immensely lucky. My first one was accepted and from then on I wrote

about one or two romances a year, which was brilliant because I was divorced

and I had two small children.

With no other means of support so it was it

was a lifesaver to me.

A career as a romance novelist

Jenny: You sound as if you are very modest. I’m sure it took more than “luck”

to break into that field. I guess that was a publishing house like Mills and

Boon or Harlequin?

Cassandra: Yes, and then I took a year out when both my girls had left school.  One was at drama school in London, and the other one was at Cambridge and I thought "huh. My daughter's are students. I think I'll be a student again."

So I did Malcolm Bradbury's creative writing degree, an MA at Norwich,  and I re-found my love of theater. So I thought right. I'm going to change direction. I'm going to be a playwright.

But then I had 10 years of disaster, which

I won't go into too much, but I thought I was going to lose my sight. My mother

was in a wheelchair and she died. My father had a stroke which meant he

When Cassandra Clark publishes a new book in her Abbess of Meaux series, medievalists rejoice. The ten-book series was sparked by a dream, and it focuses on the remarkable Cistercian nun Hildegard, during the turbulent reign of the boy king, King Richard II.

Hi there. I’m your host Jenny Wheeler

and today Cassandra talks about how the victors write history and being in New

York on September 11.

Six things you’ll learn from this Joys of Binge Reading episode:

The dream that sparked a seriesThe shock of September 11The role of street theater and romance Her passion for the "wronged-King" Richard IIHer staunch support of women's agencyWhat she'd do differently second time around

Where to find Cassandra Clark: 

Website: http://www.cassandraclark.co.uk/

Facebook: @authorcassandraclark

 Twitter: @Nunsleuth

What

follows is a "near as" transcript of our conversation, not word for

word but pretty close to it, with links to important mentions.

Jenny: And now here's Cassandra. Hello there Cassandra and welcome to the

show. It's great to have you with us.

Cassandra: Hi, Jenny. Thanks for inviting me.

Cassandra Clark, historical mystery author

Jenny: I'm sure that when one of your books is published, you could

probably hear the cheers from your kitchen window! People who are passionate

about the period shout “Medievalist’s rejoice!” whenever a new one comes out.

 So I

wonder - was there Once Upon a Time moment when you felt” I must write fiction

or my life will not have been fulfilled.” If there was such a moment, what was

the catalyst for it? 

Cassandra: Well, that's really funny question because someone else asked me

that a few days ago. I thought gosh, the first time I knew I wanted to be a

writer was when I was five.

I just felt it was magic. I'd learned to

read and every book was like walking through into a new world and I just loved

it so much. I didn't get around to thinking about writing a novel until I was

nine and strangely, I wrote one called Mystery of the Haunted Lighthouse

because I've been reading a lot of Enid Blyton at the time.

The magic of entering new worlds

So that's when it started, but it took a

long time to start writing properly because I was also interested in theater.

I'm mad about theater. I really love it. It’s got the same magic when the curtain

rises. It's just like opening a book. It's another world.

So I wanted to write for theater and that's

what I began with. I wrote a dozen plays, performed in different ways - on the

stage, television, radio and so forth. Then I needed to make some real money

and I for the next 15 years I simply wrote for money.

I wrote contemporary romance, which I'd

never heard of until I met a romance novelist.

And she said yes, it's quite well paid but

it's very hard. They get 30,000 submissions a year, so you haven't much chance.

But I was immensely lucky. My first one was accepted and from then on I wrote

about one or two romances a year, which was brilliant because I was divorced

and I had two small children.

With no other means of support so it was it

was a lifesaver to me.

A career as a romance novelist

Jenny: You sound as if you are very modest. I’m sure it took more than “luck”

Jenny: Welcome to the 100th episode of The Joys of Binge Reading podcast. Yes! We've reached 100 episodes. I can hardly believe it!

Hi there. I'm your host Jenny Wheeler and

when I started this podcast two years ago, my first modest goal was to reach a

respectable number  - 50 in fact - and

now look at us!

I'm absolutely thrilled. We talked to a hundred fantastic mystery, thriller and romance authors, recording their wins and losses and giving you, their readers, a chance to discover new books you'll never want to put down. All to be found on the website with links in perpetuity.

To me, that's an exciting achievement. And I'm just as enthusiastic about adding the next 100 new Authors to the list. But we're pausing just for a moment to celebrate by doing something a little different for our centenary podcast. 

For our 100th birthday. I'm swapping seats with thriller author Annie Seaton and she's going to ask me the questions for a change.  Annie was on Episode #62 of the podcast talking about her romantic-eco thrillers.

So when we met up again and got talking at a writers conference recently, she seemed like the perfect guest host to put me in the firing line, asking about how we got started, what we've learned and where we might go next.

And just as a cherry on top of the cake, we've also got an exciting Giveaway. Five ebook copies of my latest book Unbridled Vengeance, out this week, is offered in a draw for lucky readers and listeners. Here's how to enter:

Harvey: A harsh land, a bitter rival. Will a vicious double murder destroy a Sacramento rancher's hard fought legacy? Strong on suspense, light on romance, Unbridled Vengeance is Book #5 in Jenny Wheeler's Of Gold & Blood old California series, easily read either as a standalone or as part of the series.

Enter the draw on  The Joys of Binge Reading.com or on the Binge Reading Facebook page. We'll select one winner a week for the next five weeks. Offer closes November 19th.

Six

things you’ll learn from this Joys of Binge Reading episode:

How the Binge Reading podcast got startedWhy Jenny was a reluctant bloggerWhy she loves 1860s CaliforniaThe most enjoyable thing about doing a podcastThe lure of historical mysteriesWhat she's learned from podcasting

Where to find Jenny Wheeler:

Website: http://jennywheeler.biz (for Books)

And of course, www.thejoysofbingereading.com (for podcast)

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

AND @JennyWheeler.Biz

 Twitter: @Jenny_Biz

Instagram: @Jenny'sBingeReading

Pinterest: JennyWheeler Books

What

follows is a "near as" transcript of our conversation, not word for

word but pretty close to it, with links to important mentions.

Jenny: Thanks for that. And now, here's Annie. Hello there Annie, and welcome to the show, it's great to have you with us.

Annie: Hi Jenny. Thank you so much for letting me sit in your chair today. It's lovely to be on the other side and to be asking the questions.

Jenny: That's great. I'm sure you do really well.

Annie: ]So shall we start?

Jenny Wheeler - Podcaster and mystery author

Jenny: Yes, let's.

Annie: Okay. So Jenny tell me what made you to want to begin a podcast?

Jenny: Well Annie, when I started in this writing game nearly four years ago now, it took me a couple of years to basically understand what the new publishing landscape looks like.  I was starting to get all of this information about how you had to do blogs and have this thing called an author platform,  I'd never really heard of author platforms before that, and I'd done lots and lots of blogs in the past for a business that I was associated with.

Nearly a thousand blogs for a business that I was associated with and the idea of trying to start another blog just left me absolutely cold. I couldn't summon any enthusiasm for it at all. So I thought maybe I could do a podcast and that would work in the same way as a blog.