It is my great pleasure to introduce the lovely Amanda James, fellow Urbane published author, as guest author on my blog today. Amanda has written since she was a child, but never imagined that her words would be published. Then in 2010, after many twists and turns, the dream of becoming a writer came true.

Amanda has written many short stories and has four novels currently published. A Stitch in Time was published in April of 2013 by http://www.choclitpublishing.co.uk and has met with great success.

Also with Choc Lit are Somewhere Beyond the Sea and Dancing in the Rain (March 2014) and 
Cross Stitch (December 2014)

Her fifth novel, Summer in Tintagel, was released last month, July 2016, with Urbane Publications.

Blurb:

We all have secrets…… Ambitious journalist Rosa Fernley has been asked to fulfil her grandmother Jocelyn’s dying wish. Jocelyn has also passed on a secret – in the summer of 1968, fleeing from the terror of a bullying husband, she visited the mysterious Tintagel Castle. Jocelyn wasn’t seeking love, but she found it on the rugged clifftops in the shape of Jory, a local man as enigmatic and alluring as the region itself. But she was already married, and knew her husband would never let her find happiness and peace in Jory’s arms. Now as her days are nearing their end, she begs Rosa to go back to Tintagel, but is unwilling, or unable, to tell her why. Rosa is reluctant – she has a job in London, a deadline that won’t wait and flights of fancy are just not in her nature. Nevertheless, she realises it might be the last thing she will do for her beloved grandmother and agrees to go. Once in Tintagel, Rosa is challenged to confront secrets of her own, as shocking events threaten to change everything she has ever believed about herself and her family. She also meets a guide to the castle, Talan, a man who bears a striking resemblance to Jory. Will the past remain cloaked in tragedy, sadness and the pain of unrequited love? Or can Rosa find the courage and strength to embrace the secrets of the past, and give hope to the future?

Here, Amanda explains where she finds her inspiration to write.

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Thank you for inviting me onto your bog today, Eva. I’d like to talk to you about where I find my inspiration, a bit about Cornwall, and the idea behind my latest book.

I find inspiration for my writing in different ways. Sometimes I might overhear a snatch of a conversation in a shop or a cafe for example, and that sparks off my imagination. I have been known to jot down a few ideas right there and then! Sometimes ideas come from just people watching. I think it’s the ‘what if?’ questions. What if that man at that table has a dark secret? What if the waiter knows what it is and is blackmailing him? Is the man’s wife in the dark? What will she do when she finds out?

Other times I have absolutely no idea where inspiration comes from. My recently finished novel woke me up at three in the morning a few weeks into January this year. It gave me a title, the bare bones of a plot and a sketchy ending. I jotted it all down in a notebook that I keep in my bedside drawer and The Calico Cat was completed at the end of April.

Where I live is a huge inspiration of course. I have always felt a great affinity with the ocean. I feel alive, a sense of peace and at one with nature when I am on the beach or walking along the cliff tops. I especially love the north coast of Cornwall and am lucky enough to have realised a life-long dream and now actually live there! The people are really friendly too.

The inspiration for Summer in Tintagel grew out of my love for that area, but how the actual mystery behind the story of Rosa Fernley arrived in my head belongs to a visit to the ancient Tintagel Castle one cold but sunny winter’s day. I walked along the cliff tops by the church opposite and as I stood on the edge looking onto the rocks I thought how easy it would be to step off and end it all … if a person was so inclined. I’m not, in case you were wondering! Then the ideas kind of came to me from there. I visited Tintagel Castle again later and the sketchy parts became easier to see, bold and exciting. I thought that whole area was the perfect setting for a novel – full of history and mystery.

I loved writing this story and couldn’t wait to see where the characters would lead me. Jocelyn, Rosa’s grandmother has a big secret from her past which she passes on to her granddaughter. This secret and its consequences set a huge challenge for Rosa, and it was a challenge for me trying to keep the reader guessing about the mystery surrounding it all, yet enticing them enough to keep those pages turning! It was very tricky trying to resolve all Rosa’s problems too, but I loved every minute of it.

Amanda James on Social Media:
Blog
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Summer in Tintagel is available on Amazon here and here.