Tuesday 19 January 2016

Twelfth Night at Eyre Hall by Luccia Gray
Series: Eyre Hall Trilogy : Book 2
Release Date: 28th August 2015
Genres: Historical Romance

Brook Cottage Books is thrilled to welcome the very talented Luccia Gray to the blog. As most of you are aware, Luccia has been touring with Brook Cottage Books and her book Twelfth Night at Eyre Hall has been so well received! You can actually read my review here. Lets find out a little bit about the book before we get to the author interview! Don't forget to enter the fab giveaway too!

BOOK BLURB

Following Edward Rochester’s death in All Hallows at Eyre Hall, Jane Eyre, who has been blackmailed into marrying a man she despises, will have to cope with the return of the man she loved and lost. The secrets she has tried so hard to conceal must be disclosed, giving rise to unexpected events and more shocking revelations.
Romance, mystery, and excitement will unfold exploring the evolution of the original characters, and bringing to life new and intriguing ones, spinning a unique and absorbing narrative, which will move the action from the Yorkshire countryside, to Victorian London, and across the Atlantic Ocean to Colonial Jamaica.


AUTHOR INTERVIEW


Do you write under your real name or is this a pen name you use?

My real name is Lucia Garcia Magaldi. Luccia Gray is an anagram of Lucy Garcia, which is the name most people know me by. I started using it because at first I wanted to separate my life as a writer from my other life. I wanted my writing persona to be more private, but right now they’ve merged, and most people know I’m both! In fact, Luccia Gray is much more well-known, especially in social media, and she takes up much more of my time than Lucy Garcia!  

Where are you from? 

I was born and brought up in London, where I graduated in Modern Foreign Languages, but I live in the south of Spain, between Córdoba and Málaga. 

List 3 interesting facts about yourself. 

I’m bilingual, English and Spanish, and I also speak French and Italian, and a tiny bit of German.
I make a great paella, but my roast beef, cheesecake and tiramisu, is also terrific!
I auditioned for the Central School of Speech and Drama. I would have liked to be a stage actress and bring to life the heroines of Chekov, Ibsen, and G. B. Shaw. 

What was the first thing you ever had published? 

I’ve published articles on aspects of teaching in the press and specialised magazines. The first was in the beginning of the 1980s. I think it was related to early foreign language learning and teaching.
My first work of fiction ever published was All Hallows at Eyre Hall in May, 2014.  

Do you have a writing routine?

I wish I did! I also work full-time as a teacher, so I snatch hours whenever I can, usually in the evening, weekends and holidays. I started writing when my three children left home. I don’t think I could have done it with a full-time job and a house full of people, needing meals and constant attention! 

Do you have any writing rituals? 

I like to write in a quiet place, preferably without being disturbed. First I prepare a loose outline divided into chapters, and then I start visualising. I go through the action in my mind, like a film. I need to see what’s happening and feel what my characters’ emotions before I can write anything. I never stare at a blank page, when I write, I know what I’m going to write because I’ve seen it first. I usually make handwritten notes or outlines of my chapters, which I later fill out with more depth on my computer. I give my characters lots of space to speak and develop, so there are plenty of changes from my original outline. I redraft each chapter many times. I finally read it aloud, and when I’m reasonable happy with what I hear, I leave it for a while and get on with other chapters. 

Where did the idea for your most recent book come from?

My inspiration and ideas come from 19th century writers, especially the Victorians. The Eyre Hall Trilogy is a tribute to my Victorian ‘Masters’ who introduced me to the pleasure of reading and taught me the craft of writing. Many of them, and their literary creations, appear throughout the trilogy. Here are just a few: the Bronte’s, Jane Austen, George Elliott, Lord Byron, Mary Shelley, Charles Dickens, Wilkie Collins, Dante Gabriel Rossetti, Christina Rossetti, Thomas de Quincy, The Brownings, Alfred, Lord Tennyson, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, R. L. Stevenson… 

Who was the first person you shared your book with?
 
I don’t know any other writers personally. All my literary friends are virtual, except one writer I met in London last month! So, I searched on Goodreads for beta readers and met some wonderful people, who generously helped me improve my first novel. The first person to read Twelfth Night at Eyre Hall was my daughter. She was a great help because she’s an avid reader and twenty-five years younger than me, so she gives me another vital perspective.   

Do you have a current work in progress?

Yes, I do. I’m writing book three, the final book to the Eyre Hall Trilogy, Midsummer at Eyre Hall. I’m hoping to finish it before April. I’d like to have the whole Trilogy published by 21st of April, Charlotte Bronte’s 200th birthday! The end of this trilogy links up with a new project related to another major literary work I’ll be tackling very soon!

Do you have any advice for budding authors?

Read as much as you can and as widely as you can. The more you read the better you will write. I know this as a teacher and as a writer. You learn to write by reading and by writing, so write, too! Listen to your characters and let them tell their story to the reader. Make sure it’s ‘tested’ and checked before you publish. You need to find beta readers, proof readers, and an editor. Everybody’s not going to love it, but make sure the finished product is of the highest standard if you’re sharing your work with the world! 

About the Author



Luccia Gray was born and brought up in London and currently lives in the south of Spain. She is a graduate in Modern Foreign Languages from the University of London, and holds a PhD in Applied Linguistics from The University of Cordoba, Spain.
She has been a teacher of English for over 30 years. As Associate Professor of English at the University of Cordoba, Spain, she has taught Medieval, Renaissance and Postcolonial English Literature as well as English Language, Semantics, Pragmatics, and Phonetics. 
She has a passion for Victorian literature and regularly posts on her blog, Rereading Jane Eyre. Her blog includes articles on Jane Eyre and Victorian literature, as well as book reviews, short fiction, and opinion articles on the craft of reading, writing and reviewing. She is the author of The Eyre Hall Trilogy.
Author links –


https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/28217388-twelfth-night-at-eyre-hall?from_search=true&search_version=service

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Twelfth-Night-Eyre-Hall-Trilogy-ebook/dp/B010KFLAVC/ref=sr_1_1?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1453154546&sr=1-1&keywords=luccia+gray http://www.amazon.com/Twelfth-Night-Eyre-Hall-Trilogy-ebook/dp/B010KFLAVC/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1453154589&sr=8-2&keywords=LUCCIA+GRAY 




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4 Responses so far.

  1. Thank you for posting this interview, Debbie💖 I had fun answering your questions.

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