| I am delighted to introduce Gillian E. Hamer  |
© Gillian Hamer
|
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| G.E. Hamer (3 May 2012) |
After more than a decade away, Sarah Morton must return to her childhood home in Anglesey to bury her father. It’s her chance to say goodbye, and good riddance, to her past.
Yet her father leaves her a legacy. A letter. And a safe full of documents about the ancient shipwreck.
The Royal Charter had been carrying gold. Huge amounts of it. And her father’s death suddenly looks like murder.
Determined to discover the truth, Sarah is dragged into a dangerous journey, discovering she and the girl on the cliffs have more in common than she could ever believe.
Set along the dramatic and dangerous Anglesey coastline, The Charter is a story of greed and forgiveness – when the treasures of the past evoke the crimes of today.
Gillian has very kindly taken the time to talk about her book and has given a fascinating insight into what inspired her to write the story of The Charter.
Tell us about your novel The Charter.
The Charter is a crime thriller with a twist – an added
paranormal thread with a dollop of historical fiction too!
I think it’s called mixed genre, and in terms of getting
published down the traditional route that was The Charter’s downfall. Crime
should be crime, ghost stories should stay separate. And no publisher wanted to
take a risk, so I formed Triskele Books with other writers who were in the same
position as me.
The Charter’s roots go way back to my childhood, scouring
Red Wharf Bay for washed-up treasure with a family friend who owned a metal
detector and had a passion for retelling local legends. Since then I've visited
Llanallgo Church where the victims were buried, and spent a lot of time at
Point Lynas and Moelfre researching the tragedy.
I felt the story of The Charter deserved more recognition,
but I also wanted a way to bring it full circle into the modern day.
When I wrote the novel, I had no ideas about mixed genre, or
any preconceptions about getting it published. I just wrote the story I’d had
in my head for many years.
What inspired you to become an author?
In truth I'm not sure I ever felt inspired by any one thing. I've always loved to read. I started with Enid Blyton at a very young age, and
then moved on to read every Agatha Christie in our local village library.
I always enjoyed English at school and moved into writing
long stories as a hobby. In fact, my earliest claim to fame was winning a Blue
Peter Competition when I was eleven, and to win I had write an episode of
Grange Hill. I have a photograph somewhere of myself in the local newspaper but
unfortunately I had mumps at the time and was absolutely terrified!
Writing has just been something I've always been able to do.
However, it’s taken me the best part of a decade to get to this level and I'm still learning every day. It’s one thing to be able to write – it’s a totally
different thing to get a book published. But I love every aspect of writing –
from plotting to editing and everything in between.
Do you have a special place to do your writing?
Not one special place as I kind of move around a lot. I can
write anywhere, even in front of the television if need be! Although I do like
to write late at night in bed, when the house is silent and I can focus and let
my mind go. I lose hours when I'm writing, and it’s a really odd sensation.
But I do prefer to do most of my thinking and plotting and
researching at our cottage up on Anglesey. I have a small study with a
beautiful view that, whatever the weather, never fails to inspire me.
What are you writing next?
My next book with Triskele Books is another crime and
paranormal mix based on and around Anglesey called, Closure, and will be
released on 1st December 2012.
Sneak peek of the back cover blurb below:
Helen West is coming to terms with her
husband’s death and trying to cope with her six-year-old son’s grief. Jake
suffers from nightmares, and visions of what he calls his ‘other life’. He
talks about a boy called Jacob and a place known only as ‘the island’.
Helen’s
journey to find the source of Jake’s torment leads them to North Wales, where
the university town of Bangor is in lockdown following a series of student
abductions.
When Jake’s
nightmares start to mirror the abductions, Helen begins to believe her son
might have second sight. But what could Jake’s ‘island’ possibly have to do
with these crimes? And how can they help without putting their own lives in
danger?
It seems that
decision will be Jake's alone.
Set along the
beautiful North Wales coastline, Closure is a story of belief, revenge and
repercussions of the past.
And finally for fun....What books are on your bedside table?
I always have a huge reading backlog! I have MargaretAtwood’s, Blind Assassin and the latest Philippa Gregory ready to read. And I'm also really looking forward to J K Rowling’s new novel as I was a massive Harry
Potter fan! At the moment, I'm reading a novel by a new author – A Parachute inthe Lime Tree by Annemarie Neary.
While I used to read predominantly crime, I've now spread my
wings a little and have discovered some really fascinating authors over the
years. I think every writer must be an avid reader; it’s a constant source of
inspiration. Not to mention when reading really good writing, it ignites
something inside me that really fires me up to improve my own writing.
Here is my 5***** review of The Charter
Sarah Morton returns to the Anglesey village of Moelfre to attend her father’s funeral, and as she goes back to the brooding house on the edge of the cliffs, she begins to realise that long buried secrets threaten, not just the present, but also the past. Beautifully written, this story literally bounds along at top speed, there is never a lull in the narrative as with expert skill the author combines historical legend, with a modern day murder mystery. The Charter works so well on all levels, the historic legend of the Royal Charter forms the basis of the story, but the present day murder mystery is equally compelling, and just as absorbing. The rapport with the characters is instantaneous, they are so finely drawn you can almost imagine them as people you know, and as the gradual layering of the present and the past combine, the stark truth begins to emerge of lives ruined by grief and despair.
With the author’s fine attention to detail, the stark coastal beauty of Anglesey comes gloriously alive. The legacy of the shipwreck lives on, and as the story unfolds, you can easily imagine that you are standing on the edge of the cliff path looking out over Dulas Bay, with the tang of salt and seaweed in the air, and the beleaguered ship, The Royal Charter, being tossed like a puppet in the churning waters of the Irish Sea.
It’s not often that a book comes along which covers all your favourite genres in one fell swoop, but, for me, The Charter is definitely one such book. Gillian Hamer writes with the passion of one who knows Anglesey well, and with great skill and imagination has turned this passion into a cracking good story.
I look forward to reading more novels from this talented author
.
Triskele Books are certainly coming up trumps, Josie! I love the sound of this and already have it on the wishlist. Nice review.
ReplyDeleteHi Treez - Thanks for reading Gillian's interview. I agree about Triskele - I've had two great reads so far..
DeleteGood Luck in the giveaway :)