• Welcome
  • My Blog
  • Purchase
  • About Me
  • Short Story
    • The Gypsy Casts a Spell
  • Romances
    • First Crush, Last Love
    • Venice in the Moonlight
    • Cera’s Place
  • Mysteries
    • The Great Jewel Robbery
    • Murder up to Bat
    • Killer Resolutions

Elizabeth McKenna

~ Author

Elizabeth McKenna

Tag Archives: Family Saga

Visiting The Sins by Melanie Denman – Book Tour

13 Monday Apr 2015

Posted by Elizabeth McKenna - Author in Book Tour

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

Contemporary, Family Saga, Giveaway, Women's Fiction

Visiting the Sins

Book Title: Visiting the Sins by Melanie Denman
Category:  Adult Fiction, 244 pages
Genre: Women’s fiction, Southern fiction
Publisher: Word Association Publishers
Release date: January 2015 (Second Edition)Content Rating: PG-13 + Mature

Set in the Bible Belt of Deep East Texas, Visiting the Sins is a darkly funny story about mothers and daughters, naked ambition, elusive redemption, and all the torment it’s possible to inflict in the name of family.

Down through the decades, the lofty social aspirations of the feisty but perennially dissatisfied Wheeler women — Pokey, the love-starved, pistol-packing matriarch; Rebanelle, the frosty former beauty queen turned church organist; and Curtis Jean, the backsliding gospel singer — are exceeded only by their unfortunate taste in men and a seemingly boundless capacity for holding grudges. A legacy of feuding and scandal lurches from one generation to the next with tragic consequences that threaten to destroy everything the Wheeler women have sacrificed their souls to build.

Author’s Bio
Melanie DenmanMelanie Denman is a native of Nacogdoches, Texas and a graduate of Stephen F. Austin State University. An eighth-generation Texan, and a former banker and cattle rancher, she currently lives with her family in the San Francisco Bay Area, where she is working on a second novel.

Connect with Melanie:

 Website  ~  Facebook  

Where to buy the book:

On author’s website
Amazon
Barnes& Nobles

Enter the Rafflecopter giveaway!! (One of 15 copies of Visiting the Sins (Open USA & Canada) and Amazon Gift Cards 3 X $10, 2 X $15, 1 X $20 (Open internationally). Ends April 25.)

iRead Book Tour Logo Medium (1)

Share this:

  • Twitter
  • Facebook
  • LinkedIn
  • Pinterest
  • Email
  • Tumblr
  • Reddit
  • Print
  • Pocket

Like this:

Like Loading...

Meet Author Morwenna Holman

20 Saturday Sep 2014

Posted by Elizabeth McKenna - Author in Meet the Authors

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

Family Saga, Gothic

HeatonToday I’m welcoming Morwenna Holman, author of Heaton. Thank you for stopping by, Morwenna!

Heaton

In this prequel to the already published novel, Westerdale we find out how the early life of Heaton Grimshaw shapes and molds the character of the man he later becomes.

Born from a disastrous meeting of insanity and tyranny he struggles to make sense of the world around him, having no true knowledge of his absent parents. Tainted by streaks of cruelty and always dogged by black moods and dark depressions Heaton is hated by his peers and becomes the proverbial loner. Despite being raised as a gentleman the wild part of Heaton’s spirit dominates, ill–‐preparing him for the many injustices and tragedies he is forced to suffer as he struggles through life. But Heaton has one unique gift…his ability with horses and thus he uses this latent talent to carve a niche for himself when all else fails. But blood is thicker than water and as events and his siblings move against him we find him wandering beaten, penniless and homeless on the very moorland that is to lead him to Westerdale and a new chapter of his life.

Buy Heaton from Amazon.

Buy Westerdale from Amazon.

All about Morwenna . . .

I am a spirit writer, communing with the departed to write stories of their lives which are lost in the mists of time. I try to bring them to life again and capture the drama which existed at that point in time.

I am a committed vegan and am dedicated to the welfare of animals, especially cats which I rescue. Hence trying to sell these novels in order to provide a cattery for the abandoned cats of Morley, West Yorkshire, where I live. My hobbies are walking and healthy living and I try to educate people on the holistic treatment of their cats.

Suffering from a lifelong depression and anxiety makes taking on the emotions of these departed spirits difficult and often upsetting but they always come with so much love I never feel alone.

1. How did your life as a writer begin?

My life as a writer really began when I was five with poetry, and in particular, rhyming words fascinated me. My first poem was “What Shall I Call My Dolly” and I still have it. By the age of eight or so I had moved on to short stories about animals, each with a moral in them. Then Spirit started speaking to me, saying I was destined to write their stories when I was older so their life experiences could come again to the world and be shared by many.

2. How did you come with the idea for your current story?

The idea for my current story, Heaton, came from the spirit of Emily Bronte who had been communing with me for my first novel Westerdale. I asked her if there was a history to Heaton that would interest the world as so many people had been contacting me to ask how the tyrant came to be so evil, and she helped me write the early life of Heaton. She said he was based on some one she knew and his history had fascinated and intrigued her which was unusual  as she was not a people person.

3. Tell us about your writing process. Do you outline, or are you more of a seat of your pants type of a writer?

When I commune with Spirit they tell me the very broad outline of their story and then if I am willing to go ahead we get down to the business of putting it all down word for word. I never write anything down from the outline as there is no need because I have Spirit to dictate to me and then I put it into the language of the 19th century with their help and add relevant descriptions from their outline. We often tussle over bits and go back and forth until we are both satisfied. They also send me pictures of what is happening which resonate in my head so I can describe it in detail.

4. What is your usual writing routine?

Put simply there is no writing routine! Being disabled and often ill it depends on both my physical and mental health as to if I can write and also if Spirit are around and chose to be in contact. Sometimes I can do a couple of hours a day and other times I cannot write for a week due to my health. It is very tiring working with Spirit as often they are very demanding so I have to be very clear when I need to tune out and rest.

5. What is the highest goal that you desire to meet as an author?

The only goal I have at present is to make enough money from my books to keep Morley Cat rescue going in my lifetime and to build a big cattery and maybe employ people to care for these poor abandoned felines. I shall not be happy until Morley and the surrounding areas are free of stray cats and we know every feline is receiving the love, respect and care it needs.

6. Tell us three fun facts about yourself.

Well, I think the most fun fact about me is that I am covered in tattoos which I just adore. I have at least 12 and got my first one when I was 18. I was told you will hate them when you get to 50 and here I am in my early 50s loving every one of them! Most of them are animals including a cat’s head, a guinea pig and a black panther.

I also love vegetable dying my hair (I refuse to use anything that has been tested on animals) so it could be red, blue, purple or green as the fancy takes me! (It’s red by the way at the moment but I have a fancy for orange coming on!)

The last fun fact is that I was one of the first females to play football in a ladies league and I can still perform a decent header and do a pretty mean tackle should I need to!

7. Is there anything else you’d like to share with your readers?

I would like to share two things with my readers. Firstly please remember that when you are reading one of my novels you are reliving history as these things really happened and these people were once as alive as you or I. By sharing these past life stories the spirits of these people are living again and are rejoicing in the fact that their secrets are being shared and their lives celebrated.

The second is please, please remember that every penny of the royalties from these books goes straight into the Morley Cat Rescue charity account to be used to help these poor felines. So the more copies people buy the more cats I can take off the streets and treat to the normal things of life – love, good food and shelter. I would like to take this opportunity to thank everyone who buys one of my books and that comes not just from me but from the cats as well. Blessings and love and light to you all!

Share this:

  • Twitter
  • Facebook
  • LinkedIn
  • Pinterest
  • Email
  • Tumblr
  • Reddit
  • Print
  • Pocket

Like this:

Like Loading...

Tigers of Wrath by Elizabeth Housden

25 Friday Jul 2014

Posted by Elizabeth McKenna - Author in Meet the Authors

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

Family Saga, Romance

Tigers of Wrath
Publication Date: May 7, 2014

When Flora Bellinger returned from a shopping trip to her elegant Wimbledon home to find her husband, Edward, having sex with his secretary, it was the last straw. From being a quiet, gentle, biddable creature, overnight she turned into a positive and forthright young woman, determined to have her own way and be shot of Edward and his incessant philandering for good. Flora leaves London with their two young sons to live in a peaceful Hampshire village.

Peace does not linger long, however. The developers are after her bit of rural Hampshire. To the horror of the whole community, they are threatened with the building of a new motorway, literally on their back doorstep. The village, and Flora with them, is up in arms. They will fight to save their piece of paradise on earth. But the appeal to save the village is not the only thing Flora finds to care passionately about. There is also Colin du Barrie – the handsome, charismatic, famous artist, her new neighbour, and his marriage, too is on its way out…

Their affair has to be a secret for the moment. No scandal dare blight the cause. There is a long and dangerous road ahead of Colin and Flora before they can admit to the world they love each other and as two of the leaders of the appeal surely they have to be as Caesar’s wife…

This is story of blossoming and enduring passionate physical love set amongst avarice, betrayal, suspicion and double dealings stretching from the corridors of powerful Westminster right to the heart of a tiny, sleepy Hampshire village.

Amazon

About the Author

Elizabeth is a professional actress and director. Her first performance was at the age of three and she has worked in the theatre for many years, performing everything from Shakespeare to pantomime, turning to directing some years ago.

Having taught drama for some 15 years at Bedales School in Hampshire, Elizabeth still runs the theatre company that she founded in 2001, ‘The Misrule Theatre Company’. In addition to writing all the original material for Misrule she has also been writing novels for both children and adults for the last 20 years.

The books for adults are essentially women’s fiction, perfect for reading on a beach, populated with charismatic men and the women they attract in the worlds in which she knows – professional theatre, the City of London and country living. Highly visual while just sexy and dramatic enough, they have been described as “50 shades lighter”! Elizabeth’s theatre training has been absolutely invaluable in creating very real characters. Her novel ‘Natural Allies’ is currently being adapted into a TV mini series.

Her children’s book, ‘The Jade King and the Animals of Destiny’ is a retelling of the myth of the formation of the Chinese Zodiac. Adapted for theatre and performed by her company, it won the acclaim of the BBC Big Arts Week. It was chosen as the only piece of drama out of 1,400 entries to be filmed for their combined arts programme for schools. The company have performed it all over Britain and have also taken it to the USA.

Elizabeth is currently working on a series of books for older children called ‘The Barbary Trilogy’, the first one, ‘The Hollow Crown’, to appear on this website soon.

Married to Michael, who works in the City, she has four children, two sons and two daughters, with 6 grandchildren between them. She and Michael live in London and Hampshire.

Elizabeth H1. How did your life as a writer begin?

I always wrote, even as a child and used to dream of writing a book that would be published.  Later, when my children were at school and my life as an actress in the theatre took a back seat for a while, I decided to write again to release the creativity within me to some purpose.  That began it all in earnest and once I had started, I haven’t stopped.  I write every day and if I don’t or can’t I’m a nightmare to live with!

2. What makes you feel inspired to write?

Inspiration seems to come from anywhere, it appears.  Generally it is a bolt from the blue and without warning.  It could be driving past a road sign, or a line from poetry I might be reading.  I could suddenly hear an item on the news from, say, Somerset, and I’d think, I’ll set a book there – I lived there once.  I only write about places I know or situations that are familiar to me in some way.  It could also be a chance remark from a friend.  My novel ‘Natural Allies’ started like that.  The friend and I were talking one evening at a party and said she’d had had a busy day but great fun as she had met up with several of her old school friends who had met regularly since they left school.  They agreed to keep in touch always and help when problems arose or share in joys – marriages, babies and woes – infidelities, death of relatives and it hit me instantly.  I’d write a story like that and I went home and started it.  It is a saga, spanning two generations and quite long.  I loved writing that!  The book I have just started to write began as I glanced at a picture on a tea towel I was putting away!  The working title of that one is currently Ambition’s Debt.  I often use working titles and then change them later.  I may or may not do that with this one – I’ll see what I feel like when it’s finished.  Books, really, present to me their names, I don’t force my thoughts on them.  My current book was inspired by one of William Blake’s Proverbs from the Marriage of Heaven and Hell – ‘The tigers of wrath are wiser than the horses of instruction’.  The horses were very instructive to the two leading characters and the tigers extremely wrathful – dangerously so, in fact…

3. Do you have any writing quirks?

I’m not sure, maybe reading every word of it out loud, perhaps?  I am a performer, fortunately used to having performed plays from some of the greatest playwrights of all time, so I am used to hearing and learning speeches of great quality.  If I read it out loud I can quickly assess what sounds real or not.  It also helps with editing –  have I repeated a word too soon or punctuated it wrongly, or written a dialect line not quite phonetically correctly?   Reading it out loud instantly pinpoints these things.  I suppose I see all books as a play, in a way and this is a world with which I am utterly familiar.  I work well there and happily!  I have often wondered how it is people can write at all if they haven’t been trained as an actor!  We study how to create character, look for clues which will help us make our part come alive, tiny nuances that stand out as special. To create what you want to from scratch is a huge privilege but one has no excuse not to get it right!  I have enormous admiration for good writers who are not trained actors – I think they must be geniuses!

4. What is your favourite scene in the book?  Why?

My favourite scene in Tigers of Wrath is fairly early on.  The two main characters have met recently.  He invites her to the pub for a glass of wine but she has to get back to release her baby sitter from her duty and invites him to her home to have a drink with her instead.  He is an artist      – a famous one – and she asks him about from where he gained his inspiration.  Was it a ‘Road to Damascus’ moment?   He said it was.  He goes on to explain at some length how and where and why, he was only seventeen, but he remembered it all as clearly as if it happened that very day.  He was honest, self-deprecating, funny and moving and it is a scene that says so much about the reality of the two people in it.  I would have loved someone to say all that to me, I think!  That’s my favourite scene in that book.  I like artists, am entirely used to them and understand them.  My mother was a professional artist and my two middle children are, too.

5. Which author would you like to meet?

The author I would like to meet is dead, but I suppose I might bump into him one day on a cloud playing a harp, maybe!  He is William Shakespeare.  I fell in love with his writing when I was twelve.  I had an inspirational drama teacher and she cast me as Portia in the Merchant of Venice.  I loved it.  I then played Titania and a year later, Kate, from Taming of the Shrew.   I had always wanted to act, as far back as I can remember and performing Shakespeare was my Road to Damascus moment.  I couldn’t read enough or see enough of his plays.  I carry a tiny copy of his sonnets that my younger daughter gave me everywhere and read one nearly every day.  He is the greatest writer in the English language, probably any language and will never be surpassed.  As a professional actress I have continued to play in many of his plays and it has been a privilege to introduce him and, I’m happy to say, inspire young people to love him too.  Always through performance, though, not sitting in a class reading it aloud and not understanding a word.  You should get up on your feet and play it for real.  Every play in the world was written to be performed and not merely read and Shakespeare is the same.  It is through performance you will get to understand exactly what it is all about.  The titles of two of my novels come from Shakespeare’s plays – Passion’s Slave, set in the City of London, my husband’s world, is a quote from Hamlet and Brief Candle – set in the world of professional theatre, is from Macbeth.  If I keep Ambition’s Debt as the title of the one I am working on now, that, too, comes from Shakespeare.  It is a quote from Julius Caesar.

6. What do you have in store next?

I am in the process of completing an historical novel.  It is entitled, ‘The Gentlemen Go By’. I have had the most wonderful time researching every facet of it and life then – it is set in the late eighteenth century at the time of the French Revolution but mostly in England, not France, in the Isle of Wight, in fact, where I grew up and my most favourite place in all the world.  Like the great film director Anthony Minghella, another ‘Isle of Wight child’ like myself whose early death was such a tragedy, who mentioned the Isle of Wight whenever he could in his films.  I, too try to bring in references to the Island when I can.  The Gentlemen Go By is based on a real life character, a smuggler, in fact, who involved many of the islanders in his escapades, escaped justice and was seen as a sort of local hero.  The main character is nothing like him personally but the methods they used to smuggle goods are exactly the same.  If Anthony were still with us it would have been wonderful to film this book together in the place we both loved.  I have dedicated it to him, my mother and the people of the Isle of Wight.

Website / Facebook / Twitter

Share this:

  • Twitter
  • Facebook
  • LinkedIn
  • Pinterest
  • Email
  • Tumblr
  • Reddit
  • Print
  • Pocket

Like this:

Like Loading...
← Older posts

As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.

Follow Elizabeth McKenna on WordPress.com

Enter your email address to follow this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email.

Join 3,674 other subscribers

Facebook

Facebook

Instagram

How is this comfortable? #dog #dogsleeping

Follow me on Twitter

My Tweets

Recent Posts

  • Moving is Murder by Nellie H. Steele – Book Tour and Giveaway
  • Death Checked Out by Leah Dobrinska – Book Tour and Giveaway
  • Sleuthing in Stilettos by Debra Sennefelder – Book Tour and Giveaway
  • Ghost Agents: Retribution by Nita DeBorde – Book Tour and Giveaway
  • A Dress the Color of the Moon by Jennifer Irwin – Book Tour and Giveaway

Action Adult Adult Fiction Adventure Australia Authors Book Tour Carnival Chick-Lit Christmas Comedy Comtemporary Contemporary Contemporary Romance cozy mystery Crime crime fiction Dystopian Epic Erotic Erotica Family Saga Fantasy Fiction Giveaway Gothic Historical Historical Romance holiday Hot Humor India Indian inspirational Interracial Interviews Kindle London Love Mafia Magic Masks Memoir military Multicultural Murder Mystery Mystery New Adult Non-Fiction Organized Crime Paranormal Psychological Thriller Regency Reviews Romance Romantic Suspense Science Fiction Series Spiritual Sports Steamy suspense Sweet Sweet Romance Thriller Time Travel Vampires Venice Victorian war Western Women's Fiction Women Sleuths YA Young Adult

RSS Link

  • RSS - Posts
  • RSS - Comments
Escape with Dollycas"

Check out Elizabeth McKenna's latest release!

When Luke is arrested for the murder of the head coach of his club softball team, Emma and Grace go up against cutthroat parents willing to kill for a chance to get their daughters onto a premier college sports team.

Blog at WordPress.com.

  • Follow Following
    • Elizabeth McKenna
    • Join 476 other followers
    • Already have a WordPress.com account? Log in now.
    • Elizabeth McKenna
    • Customize
    • Follow Following
    • Sign up
    • Log in
    • Report this content
    • View site in Reader
    • Manage subscriptions
    • Collapse this bar
 

Loading Comments...
 

    %d bloggers like this: