On this quiet Sunday morning why don't you put the kettle on, make your favourite breakfast and settle down for Sunday Brunch with Jaffareadstoo
I'd delighted to welcome writer, Jules Hayes
☼Good Morning, Jules. Happy Sunday !
Hi Jo, thanks for inviting me to Sunday brunch. It’s lovely to be here.
What favourite food are you bringing to Sunday brunch?
Bruschetta. I’m a big fan of tomatoes, olive oil, onion and garlic! But I don’t like the bread too crusty, I like it when the oil has made it a little soggy! And for brunch time, I’d wash it down with a pint glass of Fentimans dandelion and burdock.
Would you like a pot of English Breakfast tea, a strong Americano, or a glass of Bucks Fizz?
Oh, what a choice! If I’m not working this Sunday, it’s definitely the Bucks Fizz, but obviously if a working Sunday (after brunch), then it’ll have to be a large pot of English breakfast, with full-fat milk and two sugars, please!
Which of your literary heroes are joining us today?
DH Thomas of The White Hotel fame – a book that changed the way I looked at the world, and which gave me inspiration for a novel I wrote before The Walls We Build.
Margaret Atwood, because her writing and books pull me in, always, from page one. Such a clever woman. Donna Tartt (another woman with a fabulous mind and so much knowledge.) The Goldfinch and The Secret History were so utterly brilliant. Kate Atkinson because she is such a wonderful storyteller and character sculptor. And John Irving because he is original, and within the darkness of his stories exists a great satirical humour.
What’s the title of the book nearest to you?
Human Traces by Sebastian Faulks.
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| Vintage 2006 |
What’s the oldest book on your bookshelf?
A signed copy of Federico GarcÃa Lorca’s Blood Wedding.
A signed copy of Federico GarcÃa Lorca’s Blood Wedding.
Which book do you really want to read but haven’t had time for…yet!
Anne Tyler’s A Spool of Blue Thread. I don’t know why I haven’t read it yet … Oh, also Edward St Aubyn’s Lost for Words, which I have heard from another writer/reader friend, is wonderful, and very funny.
Do you have a guilty reading pleasure, and if so will you tell us about it?
Hello magazine! I don’t very often buy it, but devour this mag when I’m at the dentist or hairdresser!
If the house was on fire which book would you rescue?
The Hobbit – the edition my favourite primary school teacher gave to me, years ago now, obviously! Also, a box-set of the Narnia series, which my mum and dad bought for me when I was about seven.
Do you have a reading/writing playlist on Spotify, or a favourite CD to listen to when reading/writing? And if so will you share with us a favourite song or piece of music that makes you feel happy?
I don’t listen to music when I’m writing, but always put music on in the evening when I’m cooking dinner! These days, I ask my daughter to compile a playlist, so I can be introduced to new artists (and keep up a bit.) I’ve recently discovered Gomez, and love!
I’m addicted to the Buddha Bar series of CDs too. XIV is my favourite, off the top of my head. I love Queen and Freddie Mercury, and always have done. I dance as if no one is watching to most of their tracks, although These Are The Days Of My Life makes me sad, and is a track I listen too when I want to get in the mood when I’m writing a sad/tragic chapter.
Do you have a favourite place to settle down to read/write?
My study to write, always. Our front room is where I read. I try and keep the two places separate.
Give us four essential items that a writer absolutely needs?
A room of one’s own!
A laptop.
Lots of bookshelves.
A cleaner (I don’t have one. One day…)
What can you tell us about your latest novel, or your current work in progress?
I’m near to completing another dual timeline historical, set in the Spanish Civil War, 1970s Spain, England, and scenes in Cuba. It’s a love story but a thriller too, I think. My novels are always difficult to place in one particular genre, which can be a problem *worried expression*
I did a lot of research for this novel, but I have a love for Spain and its recent history, and so it wasn’t a hardship!
I’ve also, tentatively, begun work on a speculative/thriller fiction novel, but it’s early days. I think this one is definitely inspired by Margaret Atwood’s work, and I do believe writing in this genre is helped immensely by experience in writing historical fiction – simply because both genres demand lateral thinking, forethought and the skill of weaving fact and fiction seamlessly.
Current Work ~ The Walls We Build
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| Jukebox Publishing March 2020 |
Reverberating through three generations and nine decades, and set against the stunning backdrop of Chartwell, Winston Churchill's country home, comes a tragic story of misguided honour, thwarted love and redemption.
Growing up around Churchill’s estate, Frank, Florence and Hilda are inseparable, but as WW2 casts its menacing shadow their friendships become more complex and strained. Following Frank's death in 2002, Florence writes to his grandson, Richard, hinting at a dark past.
On investigation, disturbing secrets come to light that have not only haunted his grandfather’s life but will now impact on his too. When a pivotal encounter between Frank and Churchill is revealed and a mystery relative in a psychiatric hospital discovered, just how much more does Florence dare disclose, and is Richard ready to hear?
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