Sunday 19 April 2020

Sunday Brunch with Jaffareadstoo ~ Libby Ashworth



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 author,  Libby Ashworth







☼Good Morning, Libby. Happy Sunday !



What favourite food are you bringing to Sunday brunch? 

I have some warm croissants and apricot jam. 


Would you like a pot of English Breakfast tea, a strong Americano, or a glass of Bucks Fizz? 

I’ll have a pot of Darjeeling, please. 


Which of your literary heroes are joining us today? 

I’ve invited Mr Thornton from Elizabeth Gaskell’s North and South. 


What’s the title of the book nearest to you? 

The Mirror and the Light by Hilary Mantel. 


29564789. sy475
Fourth Estate


What’s the oldest book on your book shelf? 

Hans Andersen’s Fairy Tales – a Christmas gift from 1962. 


Which book do you really want to read but haven’t had time for …yet! 

War and Peace by Tolstoy. 


Do you have a guilty reading pleasure, and if so will you tell us about it? 

When I was a child I wouldn’t read a book unless there were horses in it, and I’m still quite fond of a horse story. 


If the house was on fire which book would you rescue? 

Pony Annual 1971. It has my first published story in it and it was years before I managed to track down a copy of my own. 


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 need silence to write and to read. But a piece of music that makes me feel happy is Polotsvian Dances by Borodin. You may know it better as ‘Stranger in Paradise’. 


Do you have a favourite place to settle down to read/write? 

I like to read tucked up in bed. I mostly write at my desk in the little back room. 


Give us four essential items that a writer absolutely needs? 

Tea. Coffee. More coffee. Chocolate biscuits. 


What can you tell us about your latest novel, or your current work in progress? 

I’m currently working on The Mill Town Lasses series for Arrow. The first book in the series, The Cotton Spinner, was published on 16th April


Arrow
.Set at the start of the Industrial Revolution, it’s the story of Jennet and Titus Eastwood, who are forced to move from their idyllic cottage in the countryside to find work in the mill town of Blackburn. It’s a move that brings changes they could never have imagined, especially when Titus is arrested after attending a Reform meeting and Jennet finds herself pregnant, and alone, with another man’s child! The idea for a story about a family who moved from the countryside to the town was inspired by research into my family history. I could see from the census returns that my ancestors had moved into Blackburn to find work in the mills. It must have been difficult for them to adjust to being employees after being self-employed spinners and weavers. I don’t know that any of them ended up in prison but they seemed to be involved in politics and one became a mayor of the town. I just hope my ancestor Jennet isn’t too annoyed by the story I’ve told about her. I wouldn’t like her to come back and haunt me! 


Libby, where here can we follow you on social media? 

Twitter @elizashworth 


Instagram libbyashworthauthor 





2 comments:

  1. Thank you for having me to brunch!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. It's been a real pleasure to have you visit us today. Come back and see us again soon, Libby x

      Delete

Thanks for taking the time to comment - Jaffareadstoo appreciates your interest.