Posts
Georgia Rose is a writer and the author of A Single Step
and Before the Dawn, the first two books in The Grayson Trilogy (see end of chat for links). The
concluding book, Thicker than Water, is on the way and should be available
2015 - spring...possibly summer!
Georgia’s background in countryside living, riding,
instructing and working with horses has provided the knowledge needed for some
of her storylines; the others are a product of her overactive imagination!
Following a long stint working in the law Georgia set up her
own business providing administration services for other companies which she
does to this day entwining that work along with her writing.
Her busy life is set in a tranquil part of rural
Cambridgeshire where she lives with her much neglected family of a husband, two
nearly grown up children and two dogs.
(Georgia Rose)
Hi Georgia, and welcome! Glad you could make
it down from Cambridgeshire, it's a lot closer than poor Susan Buchanan who
drove down from Glasgow (I thought she'd fly, but apparently she loves a good
road trip). Hope the M25 didn't give you too any problems.
Hi Emma, I’m delighted to meet you! I love a good road
trip too though not so much around the M25! At least it was more road less car
park today.
So, first thing's first, get in out of the cold
and put your feet up.
Thanks, ooh your house is lovely and warm and I see
you’re an early bird with your Christmas decorations - very festive!
(this isn't my house - honest!)
Right, tea or coffee? And how do you take
it?
Coffee please, milk, no sugar and decaf if you have it,
I’m a bit of a light weight when it comes to caffeine I’m afraid.
I've got a selection of festive goodies
today, including mince pies, stollen and Gleuhwein. What's your
favourite festive nibble/tipple?
I do like the sound of a nibble/tipple! Though you have
to be careful how you say that! I enjoy mulled wine and stollen, slightly
warmed if possible, though who am I kidding... there’s not much festive fare I
do not enjoy! I particularly like devils on horseback - no one else does in the
family so I make these for myself Christmas Eve - a pre-event indulgent treat
if you like!
(for those not in the know, devils on horseback are prunes wrapped in bacon)
Anyway, I digress, now we're comfortable
(throw another log on the fire if you're cold) let's talk 'shop' before we get
to the festive stuff!
I recently discovered your guest post on
Terry Tyler's literary blog from back in July, in which you say that you
planned to be more organised ahead of publication of Before the Dawn 'in an attempt to bring order to the chaos that is currently overwhelming me' . How did that go?
Well now... I believe I wrote that in the run up to my holiday when I had great plans to spend some time on holiday putting a system in place to try and organise things a bit better, particularly the social media side which has a habit of taking over. Needless-to-say I was running behind with getting Before the Dawn ready for publication and ended up taking that with me and spent what should have been siesta time each day with that instead.
So I did no organisation at all although that is still an aim of mine so sadly I am still in chaos and overwhelmed - haha! Maybe I’ll do that once I get the next book off my desk...*she laughs to herself knowing catching up with the organisation is never going to happen*
Before The Dawn blurb:
...he moved closer and slowly ran the point of his blade along my jaw line as he spoke softly, intimately, to me.
I know how difficult it is to put out a sequel. Have you been happy with how Before the Dawn has been received?
I have been absolutely delighted Emma, because I was very nervous about it. I had no expectations with A Single Step so when people started liking it I was thrilled, with Before the Dawn though it was a very different matter. Some people had loved A Single Step and I was worried about disappointing them, there is a very definite pace change in Before the Dawn so I feared those that had loved the first one which was a much slower burn might hate this one.
It’s nerve-wracking this publishing lark, I shall be terrible when number three comes out!
Having absolutely loved Before the Dawn (see my review) I'm intrigued to know how you researched for one particularly thrilling military based scene (I realise that sounds a little ambiguous readers but I’m trying not to give any spoilers here!). Do you have a background in the military or did you enlist someone in the know?
Thank you Emma, it’s always wonderful to hear that someone has enjoyed your work! So no my background is not in the military and though some of the scene you’re talking about seemed quite obvious, at least to me though I am quite a practical person, I was fortunate to unexpectedly come across someone who could help me. There were a couple of military references in A Single Step and I was contacted by a woman in our village who pointed out some inaccuracies in the terminology. She used to be in the RAF - how very useful I thought, knowing what was coming up in Before the Dawn.
She kindly became a beta-reader and not only helped me with getting the scene you are talking about as accurate as possible she also not only spotted a weakness in the plot around the same area but came up with a solution that fitted in perfectly with only a couple of tweaks. Now that is the sort of beta-reader we could all use and I am eternally grateful to her.
I tend to do a loose plan for my novel then often improvise as I write. Do you produce a firm plot you stick to or do you allow yourself some freedom as you write?
I have nothing written down when I start by way of a plot at all. The complete story is already in my head so I just start writing. That has worked so far and you’re right, things do change along the way. The whole trilogy was going to be a lot more light-hearted than it turned out but I found that once I’d written the scene of the tragedy Emma suffers it affected me considerably and changed the tone of the book. It was interesting how thinking those terrible things in my head became something else entirely once I had to write them, and the feelings that surrounded them, down.
My planning has changed a little with book three. Although I know the story I have had to write out a timeline to make sure everything fits in where it needs to, and so I don’t forget to answer any of the questions I’ve left open from the previous books. Can you imagine how frustrating that would be for a reader?
I can! Sequels are harder than some would think!
How is the third in the Grayson trilogy Thicker than Water progressing? Can you give your fans a little sneak-peek or are you staying schtum at the moment?
Much as I’d love to give you all a little appetiser I sadly have precious little to show of Thicker than Water yet. It is complete, in my head, but I am having some difficulty with finding the time to actually write it down. I’m going to be taking a bit of a back seat on all the promotion stuff for a while and concentrating on writing because time is slipping away and I’ve promised this will be out in 2015! In fact I think I very rashly said spring...scrub that, it will be summer...possibly late summer!
Now turning a little Christmassy....
I can imagine your Huntingdon village looking beautifully idyllic at Christmas time (a bit like Emma Grayson’s cottage and the Manor when they’re not being stormed by terrorists!). How do you spend the festive season?
As quietly as possible! We tend to stay at home and this year we’re only expecting a couple of family extras for lunch, which I shall be cooking. I don’t do turkey but we have many family traditions mostly involving food which I forget but the, now grown up, children never do so I’m having a debrief with the daughter in the run up this year to try and avoid the disappointed faces of last when things didn’t materialise at the moments they were meant to!
What do you hope Father Christmas will bring you this year?
I really don’t need much, and I’m a very practical person so top of my very short list are a pair of noise cancelling headphones that have been recommended to me by a certain wizard we both know! These are to help me crack on with the writing of Thicker than Water.
Have you done all your Christmas shopping like some very organised people or are you more likely to leave it until the last Amazon delivery?
I have to confess that much to my family’s disgust I really don’t like Christmas. If it wasn’t for the daughter there wouldn’t be a decoration up come Christmas day, my cards would be left in a pile until after the event and the whole thing would pass me by. However obviously I have to make the effort for others so I am a last minute Amazon delivery type of shopper.
Well now... I believe I wrote that in the run up to my holiday when I had great plans to spend some time on holiday putting a system in place to try and organise things a bit better, particularly the social media side which has a habit of taking over. Needless-to-say I was running behind with getting Before the Dawn ready for publication and ended up taking that with me and spent what should have been siesta time each day with that instead.
So I did no organisation at all although that is still an aim of mine so sadly I am still in chaos and overwhelmed - haha! Maybe I’ll do that once I get the next book off my desk...*she laughs to herself knowing catching up with the organisation is never going to happen*
...he moved closer and slowly ran the point of his blade along my jaw line as he spoke softly, intimately, to me.
“So, you are Trent’s woman. Now that is very...appealing.” I
glared back at him silently.
There are
testing times ahead for Grayson and Trent as trouble threatens Melton Manor.
When an attack is made against those on the estate, Grayson gets caught in the
middle finding herself and those around her in terrible danger. Terrified when
she thinks tragedy has struck again she fights to protect those she now views
as family and, suffering bloodshed and pain, confronts her fears – both brought
by the enemy and by the one she loves.
I know how difficult it is to put out a sequel. Have you been happy with how Before the Dawn has been received?
I have been absolutely delighted Emma, because I was very nervous about it. I had no expectations with A Single Step so when people started liking it I was thrilled, with Before the Dawn though it was a very different matter. Some people had loved A Single Step and I was worried about disappointing them, there is a very definite pace change in Before the Dawn so I feared those that had loved the first one which was a much slower burn might hate this one.
It’s nerve-wracking this publishing lark, I shall be terrible when number three comes out!
(I hope this won't be you!)
Having absolutely loved Before the Dawn (see my review) I'm intrigued to know how you researched for one particularly thrilling military based scene (I realise that sounds a little ambiguous readers but I’m trying not to give any spoilers here!). Do you have a background in the military or did you enlist someone in the know?
Thank you Emma, it’s always wonderful to hear that someone has enjoyed your work! So no my background is not in the military and though some of the scene you’re talking about seemed quite obvious, at least to me though I am quite a practical person, I was fortunate to unexpectedly come across someone who could help me. There were a couple of military references in A Single Step and I was contacted by a woman in our village who pointed out some inaccuracies in the terminology. She used to be in the RAF - how very useful I thought, knowing what was coming up in Before the Dawn.
She kindly became a beta-reader and not only helped me with getting the scene you are talking about as accurate as possible she also not only spotted a weakness in the plot around the same area but came up with a solution that fitted in perfectly with only a couple of tweaks. Now that is the sort of beta-reader we could all use and I am eternally grateful to her.
I tend to do a loose plan for my novel then often improvise as I write. Do you produce a firm plot you stick to or do you allow yourself some freedom as you write?
I have nothing written down when I start by way of a plot at all. The complete story is already in my head so I just start writing. That has worked so far and you’re right, things do change along the way. The whole trilogy was going to be a lot more light-hearted than it turned out but I found that once I’d written the scene of the tragedy Emma suffers it affected me considerably and changed the tone of the book. It was interesting how thinking those terrible things in my head became something else entirely once I had to write them, and the feelings that surrounded them, down.
My planning has changed a little with book three. Although I know the story I have had to write out a timeline to make sure everything fits in where it needs to, and so I don’t forget to answer any of the questions I’ve left open from the previous books. Can you imagine how frustrating that would be for a reader?
I can! Sequels are harder than some would think!
How is the third in the Grayson trilogy Thicker than Water progressing? Can you give your fans a little sneak-peek or are you staying schtum at the moment?
Much as I’d love to give you all a little appetiser I sadly have precious little to show of Thicker than Water yet. It is complete, in my head, but I am having some difficulty with finding the time to actually write it down. I’m going to be taking a bit of a back seat on all the promotion stuff for a while and concentrating on writing because time is slipping away and I’ve promised this will be out in 2015! In fact I think I very rashly said spring...scrub that, it will be summer...possibly late summer!
Now turning a little Christmassy....
As quietly as possible! We tend to stay at home and this year we’re only expecting a couple of family extras for lunch, which I shall be cooking. I don’t do turkey but we have many family traditions mostly involving food which I forget but the, now grown up, children never do so I’m having a debrief with the daughter in the run up this year to try and avoid the disappointed faces of last when things didn’t materialise at the moments they were meant to!
(Obviously everyone's Christmas day is as calm and organised as in the lovely pic above!)
What do you hope Father Christmas will bring you this year?
I really don’t need much, and I’m a very practical person so top of my very short list are a pair of noise cancelling headphones that have been recommended to me by a certain wizard we both know! These are to help me crack on with the writing of Thicker than Water.
Have you done all your Christmas shopping like some very organised people or are you more likely to leave it until the last Amazon delivery?
I have to confess that much to my family’s disgust I really don’t like Christmas. If it wasn’t for the daughter there wouldn’t be a decoration up come Christmas day, my cards would be left in a pile until after the event and the whole thing would pass me by. However obviously I have to make the effort for others so I am a last minute Amazon delivery type of shopper.
(Hopefully you won't look like this come Christmas Eve!)
Last year they got a box of 50 pigs’ ears - how lovely is that! It’s the tastiest thing they have in their lives so they do have treats, just not of the commercially hyped overpriced ridiculously wrapped stocking for your dog’s type of festive rip-off treat. (That may give you a bit of a glimpse of the issues I have with Christmas - haha!)
I shall probably get them the same again this year but not because it’s Christmas, just because we’re running out.
Christmas carols or oldies (Slade etc)?
A bit of both I guess - but definitely not before December and ideally not before Christmas Eve! Oh that sounds really miserable doesn’t it? Okay...I’ll try to do better...we have a carol service in our village on the Sunday evening immediately before Christmas so that kind of gets me in the mood and I guess after that the music can start...
(Doesn't sound like you'll be joining these poor carol singing cretins out in the snow any time soon!)
Do you prefer cosy winter Christmases or wish you could jet off around the world for a Christmas day barbie on the beach?
I’d never go away for Christmas. I just couldn’t imagine having it on the beach so for me it has to be here on a preferably bright and sunny day after waking to a beautifully harsh frost.
And finally, do you have a favourite Christmas memory?
I have many lovely and very special memories of my children enjoying exciting, and early, Christmas mornings. But... and this is going to sound a bit weird but for various reasons I spent Christmas on my own when I was 16. I went riding in the morning and had beans on toast for lunch and with everyone else preoccupied I felt like I was completely alone in the world. That’s a bit of an exaggeration but you get my drift.
(As long as you weren't escaping burglars after your family forgot to take you with them to Paris!)
Georgia, it’s been great to have you join me in my blog chat, so do have a safe journey back! And if the weather outside is indeed frightful then I do have some corn for poppin’ to help you on your way!
It’s been an absolute pleasure meeting you, being invited into your lovely home and onto your super blog Emma. I do love an enthusiast in whatever form that takes, so it’s lovely to see someone so completely imbued with the Christmas spirit! It’s like Santa’s grotto in here and you all dressed up as one of his little helpers has been a wonderful if slightly unexpected surprise! ;-)
Thanks, Georgia! Although I only look like this is my head!
To find out more about Georgia visit www.georgiarosebooks.com
Twitter: @GeorgiaRoseBook
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/georgia.rose.books
The Grayson Trilogy Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/thegraysontrilogy
You can also see her blog appearances on other writer blogs:
Terry Tyler literary guest blog
Wiz Green interview
Barb Taub interview
Georgia also recently took part in Mark Barry's (aka Wiz Green) excellent Brilliant Books initiative, encouraging 8 to 11 years olds (and boys in particular) to read
To download Georgia's wonderful books, Georgia says: With a bit of luck and a prevailing wind by the time this post is out you should be able to buy my books on my website - Yay!!
Alternatively, click on the links below:
A SINGLE STEP
Smashwords
Kobo
Nook
BEFORE THE DAWN
Amazon
