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
a Rafflecopter giveaway
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 –
Thank you for posting this interview, Debbie💖 I had fun answering your questions.
Loved reading this.
Loved reading this.
nice post