Close to Home ....Marie Laval

As a book reviewer I have made contact with authors from all across the globe and feel immensely privileged to be able to share some amazing work. However, there is always something rather special when a book comes to my attention which has been written by an author in my part of the North of England. So with this in mind I have great pleasure in featuring some of those authors who are literally close to my home. Over the next few Saturdays, and hopefully beyond, I will be sharing the work of a very talented bunch of Northern authors and discovering just what being a Northerner means to them both in terms of inspiration and also in their writing.

Today I am thrilled to feature Lancashire based author

Marie Laval

Hello Marie and a warm welcome back to Jaffareadstoo...

Hello Jo, and thank you very much for welcoming me on 'Close to Home'. I only hope that people won't think I am an impostor because although I have been living in England and had a long-term love affair with the North of England (and a Northern man!), I am actually French and only moved to Manchester after graduating from University.

Tell us a little about yourself and what got you started as an author..

My first contact with the North of England was a three-month training in Wigan back in 1984. I had finished a secretarial course and had the opportunity to work in the Arts and Libraries Section there. I loved every minute of it. I met great people, and had a wonderful time...so wonderful that I couldn't wait to come back. It took me a little over five years to do so, and when I finally returned I lived in Bolton and worked at the University of Manchester. It was the early nineties, great bands were around such as the Charlatans and the Stone Roses, and we had great nights out in Manchester. 

You asked what got me started as an author. There was a strong connection between my writing and the North West. Although I had been writing short stories for some time, I lacked confidence, especially because I was writing in English and wasn't sure my writing was good enough. One day I saw a flyer for a short story competition in Manchester Central Library. The competition was organised by Manchester publisher Commonword, and I thought 'why not?' A few months later, I received the fantastic news that my short story would be included in Commonword's anthology NO LIMITS. One of my proudest moments was to be interviewed by the Manchester Evening News (I was eight months pregnant with my first son and absolutely enormous), and to attend the launch at the Cornerhouse in Manchester.

After attending a romance writing course organised by Calderdale Libraries, I started writing A SPELL IN PROVENCE, published by Áccent Press, and never looked back.

As a writer based in the North-West, does this present any problems in terms of marketing and promoting your books, and if so, how do you overcome them?

I probably don't do as much promotion as I should, and most of it is online so my location doesn't really matter. I would love to attend more RNA meetings and parties, but they are usually mid-week and in London and there is no way I could ask time off work to go.

Writing is a solitary business - how do you interact with other authors?

I have made wonderful friends on Facebook, and they provide a lot of support, reassurance and advice. I am lucky to be able to meet some of them several times a year in Hebden Bridge for a meal and a good chat, and I always come back home from our meetings invigorated and upbeat.

If you were pitching the North West as an ideal place to live, work and write, how would you sell it and what makes it special?

As you can see I love the North West. There are so many different landscapes - there is the beautiful Rossendale Valley where I live, the lush Ribble Valley and the moors near Bolton. A short drive away and you are on the coast - Southport and Lytham and great places to shop and visit. The only thing I could criticise is the weather, since the Rossendale Valley where I now live seems to be a lot wetter than anywhere else!

What makes the North West so special for me are the people. I'll never forget how welcome I always felt here. One of my first memories of Wigan when I was eighteen was how friendly everybody was. I remember thinking how wonderful it was that everybody I met called me 'love', 'pet' or 'flower'! 

How supportive are local communities to your writing, and are there ever any opportunities for local reading groups or libraries to be involved in promoting your work?

I think I should do more and approach local reading groups, but I am quite shy and self-conscious about it. So far, I've only done one author talk. It was in my lovely village library, and only three people turned up - one of them by mistake, the other one coerced by the librarian, and the third one because he wanted a coffee and a chocolate biscuit! I would have loved to do another talk there some time in the future but it closed down at the end of September because of budget cuts, and it is a great shame.

Otherwise, two of my author friends - Helena Fairfax and Melinda Hammond (aka Sarah Mallory) - held a romance writing workshop at Todmorden library last year and it was a very positive experience. That's all so far...

And finally, if someone is new to your work, which book do you think they should start with?

How could you ask me to choose between my 'babies', Jo?

No seriously, it depends if readers prefer contemporary or historical romance. If they like contemporary romance, they could try A SPELL IN PROVENCE. If they like historical romance, then they could read ANGEL HEART, which is the first of my novels featuring a member of the Saintclair family.

Thank you very much for welcoming me to your blog.

  

You can find out more about Marie on her website

Find on Facebook

Follow on Twitter @MarieLaval1

     

Huge thanks to Marie for taking the time to share her thoughts about the North West and for answering my questions so thoughtfully

I hope that you have enjoyed reading today's Close to Home feature.

Coming next Saturday : Author, Margaret Moore writing as A.D Garrett and Forensic Advisor, Helen Pepper




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The author in my spotlight is ....Marie Laval

I am delighted to welcome to Jaffareadstoo

Marie Laval

Marie ~ welcome to Jaffareadstoo, it's a pleasure to have you as our guest today..

Tell us a little about Marie Laval, author.

I grew up near Lyon and went to university there before moving to England. I was always very attracted to England (I blame my obsession with Agatha Christie's novels!) and it seemed normal to come to live here after graduating. I was very lucky to find very interesting jobs as a PA in various departments of Manchester University. After having my second son however I felt it was time to try another, more creative, career and I retrained to become a modern languages teacher. I now have three lovely children, still teach full-time and live in the Rossendale Valley, a gorgeous, hilly place where I'm sure it rains more than anywhere else in England!

How long have you been writing and what got you started?

I have been writing since I was a child. I wrote a diary, very bad poems and play scripts with my best friend Nathalie, and every night I used to tell myself a story - usually a very romantic story.

However I only started writing 'properly' about seven years ago when I entered my short stories into competitions. I was so happy when one of them was published! When another story was short-listed in an international competition and another won first prize in a competition organised by Calderdale libraries, I thought that maybe I could actually write and people liked my style.

The turning point for me came when I attended a romance writing workshop. I came home that evening and started writing my first novel. I haven't looked back since.

Without revealing too much, what can you tell us about your style of writing?

This is a tricky question. Being French and writing in English, it takes me a long time to complete a novel because I need to go over everything several times to make sure I'm not making words up and the syntax and grammar are correct, but otherwise I don't really think I have a particular style.

How important is location to your writing, and do you visit any the places you describe so vividly in your novels?

Location is very important and I always strive to get the details right and give readers a strong impression of the atmosphere of a place. When writing ANGEL HEART I drew on my personal experience of Lyon, the Beaujolais region and Saint Genis Laval (my home village!) for example. For A SPELL IN PROVENCE, I had lots of memories of family holidays in the South of France when I was growing up to help me set the scene. 

However, I also have to resort to travel accounts, road maps, photos or documentaries to get an idea about places I have never visited, and let my imagination do the rest. THE LION'S EMBRACE, which is set in North Africa, is very dear to me because although I have never been to Algeria, my mother grew up there and I could remember her stories and look at her black and white photos. I was always fascinated by the place, and it was a joy to research the many locations my characters travel through on their way to the Sahara desert. I was also very lucky to be given a Guide Bleu dating from the early twentieth century containing invaluable information for travellers in North Africa at that time.

As I have never been to Sutherland either, I had to resort to lots of photos, films and holiday brochures to help me get the atmosphere of THE DREAM CATCHER right too.

Your writing is very atmospheric – how do you ‘set the scene’ in your novels and how much research do you need to do in order to bring your stories to life?

Thank you very much, Jo. It's very kind of you to say that my writing is atmospheric! I do lots and lots of research, some may find that I do too much research because I find it difficult to stop and I have to force myself to get on with writing the story. I love it when one thing leads to another and I find little gems - pieces of information which may seem anecdotal at the time but fit into a scene and make the story come to life.

What is your perfect writing day?

It's very rare when I have a writing day. Every moment I snatch for my writing is special, but unfortunately there are never enough of them!

Do you get writer’s block, and if so, how do you overcome it?

I have finally understood that when I'm stuck, it's because I haven't thought things through properly. I am a terrible plotter - or rather, I don't plot at all. When I start a new story, I have my characters, my settings, I know where the plot starts and where it's all going to end, but I make up everything in the middle as I go along! I find that going for a long walk really helps because I can let my thoughts flow freely without feeling under pressure.

What do you want readers to take away from your books?

Adventure, love, an escape from day-to-day life and a few new dreams! I hope it doesn't sound too pretentious.

You can find Marie at :

Amazon UK

Find Marie on Facebook

Website
Twitter @MarieLaval1

Originally from Lyon in France, Marie has lived in the beautiful Rossendale Valley, Lancashire, for the past few years and works full-time as a teacher. When she isn't busy looking after family, marking books and planning lessons, Marie loves nothing more than dream up a romance story. ANGEL HEART, her debut historical romance, has just been re-released by Áccent Press, together with award-winning THE LION'S EMBRACE. Marie also writes contemporary romance with A SPELL IN PROVENCE, which was published earlier in 2015.  

    

THE DREAM CATCHER, Part I of her historical romance Trilogy DANCING FOR THE DEVIL, has just been released by Áccent too.

Áccent Press
2 December 2015

DREAM CATCHER

Can her love heal his haunted heart?

Cape Wrath, Scotland, November 1847.

Bruce McGunn is a man as brutal and unforgiving as his land in the far North of Scotland. Discharged from the army where he was known as the claymore devil, haunted by the spectres of his fallen comrades and convinced he is going mad, he is running out of time to save his estate from the machinations of Cameron McRae, heir to the McGunn's ancestral enemies. When the clipper carrying McRae’s new bride is caught in a violent storm and docks at Wrath harbour, Bruce decides to revert to the old ways and hold the clipper and the woman to ransom. However, far from the spoilt heiress he expected, Rose is genuine, funny and vulnerable - a ray of sunshine in the long, harsh winter that has become his life.

But Rose is determined to escape Wrath and its proud master - the man she calls McGlum.

DREAMCATCHER is the first of the DANCING FOR THE DEVIL trilogy and is followed by BLUE BONNETS and SWORD DANCE.

It is available from 2 December both as ebook and print from:

Amazon UK

Huge thanks to Marie for sharing her love of writing with us. 

Jaffa and I wish you much success with your Dancing for the Devil trilogy.

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Review ~ Angel Heart by Marie Laval

Accent Press
2015

Marie-Ange Norton is summoned to France, ostensibly to claim an inheritance which was hers by right of birth. Her now impoverished state is largely due to her husband's mysterious disappearance whilst fighting in the Napoleonic wars, leaving her in desperate financial need. In order to maintain the family home, for Robert, her husband's younger brother, Marie-Ange must make the difficult journey to her, as yet unknown, relative in France.

Capitaine Hugo Saintclair, a French cuirassier officer, is charged with the responsibility of getting Marie-Ange safely to her destination, namely, the Beauregard Estate in Lyon, France, where she hopes to meet with her relative, Uxeloup Malleval. However, the journey to Lyon is fraught with obstacles and Marie-Ange finds herself relying more and more on the gallant Capitaine's support.

Set in 1815, against the backdrop of the latter years of Napoleonic rule, both time and place is captured really well and there is a distinct sense of excitement, particularly for Marie-Ange, who is a feisty and determined protagonist. From the outset all is not well at Beauregard and her malevolent and scheming relative, Malleval has ideas for Marie Ange's future which seem to have no basis in reality.

I found the book absorbing, with a nice blend of fast-moving thriller and passionate romance and with more than enough twists and turns to keep me guessing until the end. The politics of the time are nicely explained, and the inherent danger which confronts Marie-Ange is told in an imaginative mix of suspense and mystical superstition. The story thrives on danger and political intrigue, but, it is in the burgeoning romance between Marie-Ange and Hugo where the story starts to tug away at the heartstrings. I so wanted everything to work out for them, and with this forefront in my mind, I raced through the story with great enjoyment.

Beautifully written, with a fine eye for detail, Angel Heart combines love, loss, betrayal and shocking family secrets in a story which captivates to the very end.

About the author

Find Marie on her blog
Follow her on Twitter @MarieLaval1

Amazon UK
Kindle

My thanks to the author for sharing her book with me.

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