About a Book
Evonne, over to you.
A big thank you to Jan for inviting me onto the blog today to talk about writing about location – and the similarities and differences in the ways we approach it. While we both have a love story at the heart of what we write, Jan mixes her romance with the layers and complexities of family relationships, played out over generations; I go for contemporary romantic suspense – mixing a central love affair with a measure of crime and mayhem. We both have a darker side to our writing, and we are both partial to secrets and mysteries. The other thing we share is where we set our books. We both use locations in our native Wales, but also enjoy sunny holiday destinations abroad, places that offer the reader a chance of some armchair travel. Well, we have to have something to balance all that Welsh rain!
We
have definitely had a lot of that recently, haven’t we? Locations do play a
very important part in our novels. Please tell us more about how you use those
settings in yours.
Even with all that in common, we differ in the way we use the settings. Jan uses both locations in one book – an essential part of her heroine’s journey, where secrets at home can only be explained by an excursion into the past and to another place. I separate my use of location between books. While all my books are romantic suspense – I love the juxtaposition of crime and a love story - I write at both ends of a spectrum. The lighter end, my Riviera series, is about glamour and sunshine, and there is nowhere better than the French and Italian Riviera to convey that, even before the book is opened. A Wedding on the Riviera, my latest book, has the added attraction of that wedding – yet more glitz. The more gritty stand-alone stories are much darker, with a higher body count. Not all my grittier books so far have been set in Wales – although Cardiff often manages to make a cameo appearance, even when the bulk of the action takes place elsewhere. I’m hoping there will be a more stories set in Wales fairly soon. I want to take advantage of the differences in the locations, to differentiate the styles of the books, and am looking forward to developing this. The big plus in using Wales as a location for me is the landscape, particularly the National Parks. Writing about wilder countryside, off the beaten track, lets me use places where things can be kept hidden – secrets again. I’m hoping in the future to draw in some elements of Welsh folklore, adding more layers of mystery to a story. The manuscripts I have lurking in the wings are not all set in Wales, but I certainly intend to make that a focus in the future.
That’s so interesting, Evonne. Different landscapes evoke different responses from readers, I think, and you’ve picked a perfect location for your latest novel. Separating the kinds of landscapes for the two distinct styles of your writing obviously works. Wales has some wonderful bleak and deserted landscapes that must be ideal for the setting of your darker, grittier stories. Secrets, folklore and mystery – I can’t wait to know what you have in store for us.
I think both
Jan and I feel that Wales is perhaps underrepresented
in popular fiction, in comparison with other parts of the British Isles, like
Scotland or Cornwall, and this seems to be particularly the case in books with
a romantic element. Wales is a beautiful country, with an interesting history,
which can get a bit overlooked ....
Yes,
I agree. Setting a romance in Wales, either contemporary or historical, works very well, and it would be
great to see
more romantic novels set here. The countryside, the long coastline and some of the
spectacular wedding venues we have here in Wales make the perfect backdrops. Could this be your next romance story, Evonne?
Thank you for joining me on the blog. I've enjoyed chatting with you.
Bio
Evonne
is an award winning Welsh author of romantic suspense - more crime and dead
bodies than your average romance. She likes to set her book in her native
Wales, or for a touch of glamorous escapism, in favourite holiday destinations
in Europe. She is a Doctor of Philosophy and an historian, and a member of both
the Romantic Novelists’ Association and the Crime Writers’ Association.
If you would like to find out more about Evonne, you may follow her here:
Twitter https://twitter.com/evonnewareham
Facebook https://www.facebook.com/evonnewarehamauthor/
Website
www.evonnewareham.com
Blog
www.evonneonwednesday.blogspot.com
Book Description
A return to the Riviera on the trail of a runaway groom
When out-of-work actor Ryan Calder attends a wedding as the plus-one of successful businesswoman, Nadine Wells, he doesn't expect to get in a scuffle with the groom. But Ryan has a good reason. He recognises the groom from another wedding where the same man made a quick getaway, taking the wedding money and leaving a heartbreaking bride in his wake. It seems he's struck again, and Nadine's poor friend is the target. Ryan and Nadine decide they can't let it happen to another woman, so with a group of friends they hatch a plan that will take them to the French Riviera, hot on the heels of the crooked groom. But could their scheme to bring him to justice also succeed in bringing them closer together?
Buy links for A Wedding on the Riviera
Kobo https://www.kobo.com/gb/en/ebook/a-wedding-on-the-riviera
Barnes and Noble https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/a-wedding-on-the-riviera-evonne-wareham/1137460211?ean=2940162842545
Thank you for reading. How important is location when reading or writing a particular genre?
You may also follow me on Twitter @JanBaynham and on my Jan Baynham Writer page.
Thanks for inviting me to chat Jan. I really enjoyed it.
ReplyDeleteYou're very welcome, Evonne. Location is always a very important part of my writing, too, so it was an interesting topic.
DeleteCan't beat Wales as a location! I don't write romance per se (there's a bit of love in all my books however!) but I do agree that Wales is a marvellous setting for fiction.
ReplyDeleteVery interesting to read about Evonne & her latest book. xXx
Thank you, Carol. The setting in all your books is wonderful and shows how Wales is one of the best locations for a novel.
DeleteI've enjoyed reading this blog post so thank you, Evonne and Jan, for sharing some of your favoured themes and aspirations.
ReplyDeleteThank you, Sandra. I'm glad you enjoyed our chat.
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