Interview with Author Victoria Howard:
Hi Victoria. Thank you for doing this interview. I would like to welcome you to the Romance at Heart Interview and Author Grilling session. *bg* We are interested to find out as much about you as we possibly can, so lets get started...
- Please tell us about yourself.
I was born in Liverpool, at a time when the Beatles (Twist and Shout!) were becoming famous. I attended the local girls’ grammar school, going on to college where I received my Medical Secretarial Diploma.
I’ve lived and worked in various places since then, spending most of my adult life on the outskirts of a village in the Highlands of Scotland. While living there, I managed a company involved in the offshore oil industry.
In October 2000 I moved to South Yorkshire, and until recently, I worked for Britain’s National Health Service.
When not working on a manuscript, I enjoy listening to music – anything from classical to jazz. I’m a keen gardener, although I don’t have as much time to indulge the hobby as I would like. I also enjoy knitting and designing my own patterns on my knitting machine. I also love to travel.
- Please tell us about your latest book.
Ring of Lies is set in the steamy heat of the Florida everglades. It tells the story of Grace Elliot. When her husband, English accountant Daniel Elliott, dies in a car accident one rainy night, Grace, is overcome with grief…and panic. Daniel was controlling and their marriage loveless, but he always took care of the sheltered Grace.
Or so she thought.
She soon discovers Daniel kept secrets: an alias, mob ties, a list of numbers, a mysterious beach house in Florida….and a girlfriend who looks like Grace.
Swallowing her fear, she flies to Miami to claim the house Daniel left her. But the price of her curiosity is peril. Underworld figures stalk her. The other woman has left a damning trail of evidence pointing her way. And handsome, troubled FBI agent Jack West has crossed precarious paths with Grace before. He could be her savior or her damnation. All she knows for certain is that she longs to be in his arms.
With little to go on and danger at every turn, Grace must depend on Jack to help her navigate the criminal world of south Florida, and find the truth behind the Ring of Lies.
- How long have you been writing and working to that goal of being published?
I’ve been writing full time now for about five years. It’s something I’ve always enjoyed, although I think my English teacher might be surprised by that statement! As I child I found the task of writing essays on a given subject boring, and it was only when I started writing to friends, sharing travel adventures with them that the idea of writing a novel came about. In May 2000, I travelled to Seattle and that’s where I got the idea for my first novel, Three Weeks Last Spring. I started writing full time on my return to Scotland.
At first I had no plans to get the finished manuscript published, but friends and work colleagues encouraged me to complete Three Weeks Last Spring. I was also very fortunate to meet and have a mentor in George Bennett, who is not only a published author, but also a qualified proof reader. Without his encouragement, and attention to detail the manuscript would have lain untouched on my computer.
- Generally, how long does it take you to write a book?
From the initial idea to typing ‘the end’ takes approximately one year. I spend the first few weeks plotting and doing any necessary research, the actually writing can take as long as nine months. After that, I put the manuscript aside for a couple of weeks before editing the draft and ensuring it is ready to submit to my publisher.
- What kind of research do you do?
It all depends on the depth of the plot. For example, one of the scenes in The House on the Shore involved a gorge rescue in the Scottish Highlands. Although I lived in Scotland for twenty years and was familiar with the scenery, I had no knowledge whatsoever of the techniques employed in mountain rescue and, in particular, deep gorge rescues. I contacted the Wasdale Mountain Rescue team, based in Cumbria, and two of their members very kindly provided me with the information I required.
In the case of Ring of Lies, I read everything I could about money laundering and fake pharmaceutical drugs.
- Where do your ideas come from?
Ideas for scenes and plots can strike at anytime. I might hear something on the news, or read an article in the newspaper and think “that would make a good plot.” Or I might be on vacation and the town or city I’m visiting might become the setting for a novel.
The idea for Three Weeks Last Spring came to me while on a visit to Seattle, in the Pacific Northwest. I was on the ferry from Bremerton to Seattle one day and I realized that it would take very little to upset the environment of Puget Sound. I didn’t want to use an oil spill as the reason for this, so hit upon the idea of someone deliberately dumping toxic chemicals into the sound.
While on vacation in Florida in 2009, I visited Gasparilla Island and admired the wonderful beach front homes. Sitting on the beach one day, I wondered how I would feel if I suddenly found I owned one. I started asking myself questions – what if this happened, or this – and thus the plot for Ring of Lies was born.
- Which comes first, the story, the characters or the setting?
Quite often it’s the setting. I’ve been fortunate to live in various places in the UK and have travelled fairly extensively in both Europe and the USA. My novels often span two continents and contain characters from both sides of the Atlantic. I always knew I wanted to write a book set in Scotland, so set my second novel, The House on the Shore there.
The plot usually comes next. Something I may have read or seen on TV may spark an idea which I can go on to develop.
Characters usually come last. I like to clip interesting faces from magazines – it makes it easier to describe the person when you have a visual reference – and paste them into my notebook. I use baby name websites to choose a name for my characters, especially if they’re not British.
- Do you have a set schedule for writing or do you go with the flow?
Just because I’m at home all day, doesn’t mean I can sit and write – there are household chores, and cooking to attend to, not to mention a dog to walk, so my writing tends to fit in around them. But on an ideal day, I’ll settle down in my office by mid-morning. My first task is to see if any emails have come in overnight from my publisher in Everett. I will answer these, along with any requests for interviews, media packs or copies of the free first chapters booklet my publisher has produced. Once I’ve done that, I like to read over the previous day’s work, making any changes I think necessary, and any notes I may have made about what should happen next. Then it’s down to the hard work of writing. I’ll break for lunch, and then again to cook and eat dinner.
- What is the hardest part of writing for you?
Description! As an author, you don’t want to bore your reader by describing every minute detail about your characters - what they wear, what they eat for dinner or breakfast. Likewise, describing the setting down to the last cushion or clump of heather slows the plot and turns your reader off. You have to leave some things to their imagination otherwise they lose interest.
- How many books have you written, and how many of those have been published?
I’ve written three full length novels, all of which have been published. The House on the Shore, which was a 2009 finalist for the Joan Hessayon Award, presented by the Romantic Novelists’ Association, Three Weeks Last Spring, a 2009 Pushcart Nominee, and Ring of Lies.
I have also contributed short stories to three anthologies, With Arms Wide Open, Nature’s Gifts, and Passionate Hearts.
All have been released by Vanilla Heart Publishing.
- Among your own books, have you a favorite? A favorite hero or heroine?
If you’d asked me this question twelve months ago, I would have said Three Weeks Last Spring was my favorite. Now, I’d have to say that Ring of Lies is my favorite book. I just love Grace and Jack – the way they interact and deal with everything I throw at them!
- Who are your favourite authors and genres to read?
I don’t just have one, I have many! I love reading, but I try not to read other authors’ work while I’m working on a novel. I don’t want to be influenced by their “voice” and word choice, so I tend to read when on vacation or when I’m not working on a manuscript.
While in Florida last Christmas, I picked up a copy of Linda Fairstein’s novel, “Final Jeopardy” and was hooked, due in part to my interest in anything legal. Since then, I’ve read more of her novels, and I find her one of the most exciting crime novelists I have ever read. I also enjoy novels by Elizabeth Alder, Katie Fforde, Dana Gabaldon, Milly Johnson, Jill Mansell, Linda Howard, Valerie Fitzgerald, Jane Austen, Daphne DuMaurier, Bill Bryson, James Patterson, James H Cobb, and Charlotte Bronte. I could go on, but the list would take up too many pages!
- Are you a member of any author groups – RWA, critique groups, etc?
I am a member of the Romantic Novelists’ Association here in the UK. I also have two critique partners.
- Are there any words of encouragement for unpublished writers?
Never give up. Like many authors I have a collection of rejection slips from some of the best known publishing houses, for no other reason than their lists were full, or my book was too long, and wasn’t quite what they were looking for. Did that stop me writing? You bet it didn’t!
Agents receive something in the region of three hundred submissions a week. Hone your skills, read as many books as you can on plotting, character development, dialogue. Take a course. There are many online courses covering writing fiction.
Also ensure that the agent/publisher you submit to deal with your book’s genre. There is little point in submitting a romance to an agent who only deals with science fiction.
Thank you very much for taking the time with us and answering our questions. I really appreciate this interruption to your busy schedule. Good Luck, and we will be looking forward to the next delightful creation from your talented imagination!
Yours in good reading,
Rose!
Author Links:
Victoria's Website Publisher's Website Blog Email Facebook Twitter: @victoriahoward_ Yahoo Group Yahoo Group Yahoo Group
RaH Links:
Review Coming
Purchase Links:
Buy Victoria's Books at Amazon
Buy Author's Books at All Romance Ebooks
Buy Books
Buy Author's Books at
Buy Books