Guest Post With Angela Petch

Today I'm delighted to welcome one of my favourite authors, Angela Petch, to the blog. Angela writes the most amazing historical WW2 novels set in Italy. Her latest, The Sicilian Secret. was published last Tuesday by Bookouture. 

Angela, welcome. As you know I'm a huge fan of your books so I'm fascinated to learn more about how you set about writing your novels. I think you're going to tell us about PLOTTING. It's over to you! 

I tend to be a pantser – somebody who writes, supposedly, by the seat of their pants. But in writing The Sicilian Secret, I had to keep a tighter rein.

The story has three timelines, many locations and a mystery running through.

I had to keep careful notes, making sure characters were in the right place at the right time and not lose the reader before I had even started to drop breadcrumb clues. Cue post-its, spread sheets, notice board and notes in the margins. 

In a very early chapter, I introduced a mysterious coded letter and I hoped the readers would want to work it out for themselves.

I love watching whodunnits and I know there is nothing more annoying than keeping the viewer in the dark by not dropping sufficient clues or being dealt random red herrings. Ashley Stokes in The Creative Writing Coursebook (from the university of East Anglia) writes:

 “Plotting is the underside of the stone that nobody sees.”

In plotting The Sicilian Secret, I felt at times like a duck paddling furiously on top of muddy waters, trying to remain calm, occasionally sticking my bill through the murky depths to see what the hell was going on beneath. There were so many what-if moments cropping up, not apparent to me at the start. Characters appeared in scenes I hadn’t plotted out in the beginning stages and I allowed them in, but always with the fear I was pulling the narrative out of shape. But I needed all these separate stories. In the end, I realised the process had to be a combination of planning, composing and, most importantly, careful editing once I had laid everything out.

One location in the story involved a visit to further my research. On a sunny day in September 2023, I travelled to Bletchley Park – BP or X as some of the workers there knew it.

A photo of me at Bletchley Park in 1940 clothes. 

It is a fascinating place and going there helped me get inside the head of one of my main protagonists. Out of the 12,000 workers, 8,000 were women. They helped with decoding, classifying and breaking codes, providing important intelligence that led to Allied victory in the Second World War.

To work in such a place, amidst absolute secrecy, involved having a tidy, meticulous mind but it also involved huge powers of imagination and ingenuity. (Rather like a writer, I thought.) I needed one of my characters in particular to read into a strange message that arrived. Did she? Could she? Or was she only human and having a bad day? Would it make much difference?

After plotting, pruning, cutting, cogitating, revising your book, it’s time for the author to let go and let the readers decide.

And decide we did, Angela. I felt I knew your characters so well that I could gauge what they were thinking and why they made the decisions they did. Thank you for giving us such an insight into the plotting that went into your fabulous book. 

Blurb

Italy, 1943. With war raging across the rugged cliffs and turquoise waters of his beloved Sicily, Savio's pen scrawls desperately across the page. His letter must be sent in secret - or his life will be in terrible danger...

England, present day, Paige is devastated when her reclusive but beloved Aunt Florence dies - the only family she'd ever known. Inheriting her crumbling cottage, Paige finds an unfinished note. 'I'm sorry, Paige. It's time to tell you everything. It all began in Sicily...'

Beside the note is a faded envelope - addressed to a woman called Joy  - with an Italian postage stamp from 1943. The letter is made up of Roman numerals and snippets of sentences written in Italian. But who is Joy? Was someone sending a coded message? Paige is desperate to piece together the truth. But she soon discovers it will change everything she'd ever believed about her aunt, and her family history.

1943. Lady Joy Harrison may have grown up in a manor house, but she's determined to fight for what's right and use her fluent Italian to help the Allies. Breaking code on a long night shift, Joy reads a secret message that makes her whole body shake. A dark haired young man she once loved is in terrible danger on the shores of Sicily. Was the message sent by him? And will she ever see him again - or will war tear them apart for good?

An absolutely heartbreaking and stunning historical novel about how wartime secrets can stretch across the generations, and the incredible bravery of ordinary people in the darkest of times. Fans of 'The Nightingale', Fiona Valpy and Lucinda Riley will be captivated. 

Read what everyone's saying about The Sicilian Secret:

'Stunning and captivating... Moved me to tears... Powerful... An absolute must-read! I really loved it! Cindy L Spear. ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

'Unforgettable... I was swept away... An achingly beautiful story, brimming with emotion... Simply stunning! Goodreads reviewer. ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

A story of love, danger and sacrifice. A tear jerker. I used so many tissues... it was wonderful! Goodreads reviewer. ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

'Fantastic... I fell in love with Joy and Savio... Beautiful... I adored this book.' Confessionsofabookworm1. ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

'I had trouble putting this down!... A stunner!... Put everything on hold whilst reading this one.' Goodreads reviewer. ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

'Charming... a mystery that was hard to put down until every question was answered.' Goodreads reviewer. ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Bio

Published by Bookouture, Angela Petch is an award-winning writer of fiction – and the occasional poem.

Every summer she moves to Tuscany for six months where she and her husband own a renovated watermill which they let out. When not exploring their unspoilt corner of the Apennines, she disappears to her writing desk at the top of a converted stable. In her Italian handbag or hiking rucksack she always makes sure to store notebook and pen to jot down ideas.

The winter months are spent in Sussex where most of her family live. When Angela’s not helping out with grandchildren, she catches up with writer friends.

Angela’s gripping WWII novels set in Italy are published by Bookouture. While her novel, Mavis and Dot, was self-published and tells of the frolics and foibles of two best-friends who live by the seaside. Angela also writes short stories published in Prima and People’s Friend.

Buying Links

Order link for book

https://geni.us/B0CYQTW8KKauthor

Order link for audio

UK: https://ow.ly/8BP850RkY2U 

US: https://ow.ly/xrJn50RkY2T

Social Media Links

Blog: https://angelapetchsblogsite.wordpress.com

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

Twitter: https://twitter.com/Angela_Petch

Instagram:  @angela_maurice

Thank you for reading. I hope you found Angela's comments on plotting as interesting as I did. If you haven't yet read The Sicilian Secret, I highly recommend it. Here is my review:

https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/6450158040

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For more information about me and my books, please visit my Amazon page.

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'I just adore Jan Baynham's books - they each read like a beautiful saga - stretching over a couple of generations, the stories just grab you and draw you in.' 

Amazon Reviewer 5*