Christopher's Medal
Christopher’s Medal is a complete rewrite of a WW1 romance that I'd written and sent round to agents, without much success. Having trunked that novel, then fished it back out a while later, I realised that it probably put most of those poor agents to sleep. The main character, Anna, was a bit of a passive drip. She didn't do much; she just sat around waiting for things to happen. I had a light-bulb moment and realised that there wasn't really much Anna could've done back then. So I decided that the story would work better in a contemporary setting. Then I had to think about Anna's occupation. I feel more comfortable writing what I know. At the time I was working as a Town Planner, not the most interesting of professions to give a character in a romance, so I decided to use my husband's many, many years of experience working with racehorses. It was great because I had an 'in-house- expert. I also drew on my own experience of living and helping out on a racing yard (when we were first married). After that, everything just fell very nicely into place. I wrote the first draft in one month.
Please tell us about the character of Grace Webb.
Grace is the opposite of her WW1 counterpart. She's stubborn, a hard worker, loves curries and horses.
You live in Wiltshire and love it so what is the appeal of having your home there?
Wiltshire was a happy accident. It just happened to be the place where my husband managed to find a job. We live in a village not far from Marlborough and the downs are beautiful. We live in a small village which is best known, probably, for being the UK base of the 101st Airborne - Easy Company, before they were shipped out to Normandy. There's history around every corner and a drive down one of the country lanes around here helps me if I'm suffering from writer's block or plain old ennui.
You love to cook so what is your signature dish?
Chicken Parmesan. I love Italian food. And this dish is easy to make and, if I say so myself, quite tasty.
You like to read so who are your favourites?
I have eclectic tastes and it's hard to choose. Rosamunde Pilcher, Marie Sexton, Sarah Masters, Diane Pearson, Sarah Harrison, Stephen King, Bill Bryson, Peter Hopkirk...I could go on!
Why m/m erotic romance?
I bumbled into it by accident, by doing a writing challenge on Absolute Write, a writer's forum. I decided that I actually prefer writing male characters. It's a lot of fun and it's quite a challenge. And I love writing historicals, just to make it harder on myself.
What is your writing process?
I usually get an idea out of nowhere, it's usually triggered by a song, or a drive in the country, or an epiphany in the shower. Then I start with the main characters. Their occupation usually drives the rest of the story. So I open up a new word document, stare at the screen for a few minutes, wander off to Facebook, then come back. I have an idea how I want a story to start and how I want it to finish, the rest is in the lap of the gods.
What is next for you?
I have a confession to make. I have about 4 or 5 unfinished stories on my laptop. I need to finish one of them to send to my lovely Totally Bound editor to keep her out of trouble, you know. I do have an historical m/m coming out in the spring. It's a story I've been wanting to tell for a long time. So watch this space!
Christopher’s Medal is available now from Totally Bound Publishing.