It's my absolutely pleasure to welcome Arabella Sheen to my blog today! We have been writer friends for a long while now and it's been fabulous to witness her writing journey unfold and go on to have publishing success. I'm looking forward to hearing more about your latest release, Arabella!
Hello
Rachel. We’ve known one another for several years through the Romantic
Novelists’ Association and it’s always fun to be a part of the RNA Bath/Wilts
Chapter evenings you organise so brilliantly. There have been some hilarious
“writerly” stories told of an evening at the local pub in Lacock; with lots of
sound advice and tips about editing, publishing and writing, for new beginners and
experienced novelists alike, to learn from.
Thumbs up
for the RNA.
So…I’m
delighted and feel privileged to be a guest on your Blog today. You’ve given me
some tough questions to answer and a great opportunity to tell your readers
about my latest Sweet Regency
release… Westbury.
1.)
What was your first job? Did
you like or dislike it? Why?
Arabella: Fresh from
school, I started my training as a general nurse, qualified, and then having specialised
as a theatre nurse, I move to the wonderful City of Amsterdam in the
Netherlands where I lived and worked for nearly twenty years. Nursing was a
career that would define me.
Apart from nursing
people, I sort of became a mini Miss Marple detective.
Often in
nursing, you’re placed in a situation where there’s a problem and you’re the
one that has to solve it. A puzzle has to be unravelled. Does a restless
patient require a bedpan or are painkillers needed? And this is where my
nursing analytical skills have come in useful when writing. Picking a plot to
pieces and finding out what is missing or what is needed to enhance a story is
fascinating.
I absolutely
loved my nursing job because of the daily challenges…I also find writing to be just as rewarding.
2.)
Do you have a pet peeve? If so
what is it?
Arabella: Yes, I’ve lots
and lots of pet peeves. But the one that gets me screaming, is when “a dear
someone” raids the fridge, makes a snack, and leaves a mess.
They know
I’ve only just that minute cleaned the counter work tops so I can roll out the
pastry for an apple pie. Frustrating to say the least! J
3.)
Would you describe your style
as shabby chic, timeless elegance, eclectic, country or ____?
Arabella: Clothes
wise…I’m scruffy.
I always
wear the same sort of thing. Trousers, desert boots, and a sweatshirt of some
kind.
If I’m
cold, I’ll throw on layer after layer until I feel warm. Colour coordination
doesn’t come into it. Anything and everything gets worn.
And my hair
style…well, as long as my hair is out of my eyes and off my face, I’m happy.
Talking of
hair, I’m thinking of getting my hair cut. Does anyone reading this guest blog have
an idea what style would suit me? Should I go for: short, curly or cropped etc?
4.)
Tell me about your book Westbury and where you got your inspiration for it?
Arabella: Westbury is a light
hearted traditional Regency romance. Set in the rural village of Avebury and
fast-paced London...a runaway ward, a shooting at mid-night, and a visit to
fashionable Almack’s, are only a few of the adventures Georgina (the heroine) enjoys
while falling for the Corinthian charms of a Duke.
I was fortunate enough to have been
born and raised in the village of Clifton, Bristol and grew up surrounded by
beautiful classical Georgian architecture. The
romance of the Regency era has always held a fascination for me and my
imagination runs riot whenever I think about what could have happened in some of
the buildings I walk past on a daily basis.
But it was
while travelling to Lacock, a historical village in the heart of Wiltshire,
England, (where Cranford, Pride and Prejudice, Downton Abby, not to mention
Harry Potter, were filmed), that the urge to write Westbury evolved.
The south
west countryside is beautiful, and I envisaged a family, (the Morton’s), living
life in one of the ivy covered, rustic manor house’s that I see as I journey
through Bath towards Chippenham. I knew an adventure had to be created.
5.)
Who is your role model? Why?
Arabella: I would
have to say my role model, as one entity…are my parents.
It’s not
their behaviour I try to emulate, (I could never be as socially confident or as
extrovertly out-going) it is their values and their interaction with the
community that I deeply respect.
My father has
had the most influence on my destiny. With one look of either censure or
approval, he can stop me in my tracks and make me rethink my purpose in life. And
the person who has shaped me the most is my mother.
Sadly, a
few years ago she passed away, and is sorely missed in our family and in our
community.
She was a
strong determined woman who encouraged her seven children to follow their
dreams.
If I aspire
to be like anyone…it would be my beloved parents, whose door was always open,
offering anyone in difficulty a friendly welcome, a hot cuppa, and a much
needed chit-chat.
Oh, and T.V.
celebrity, Judge Judy.
There is so
much wisdom in her warnings. The mantra: “Shoulda, woulda, coulda.”
I should
have done… I would have done… I could have done…
Choices are
important and time is too short to waste.
6.)
How much of your book is
realistic?
Arabella: Although a
fictional novel, most of the adventures the heroine experiences could have
happened.
My aim was
to be historically accurate and true to the era as possible. But in places, I’ve
also taken the liberty and allowed my author’s imagination to wander.
7.)
What are your ambitions for
your writing career?
Arabella: Join a
writing course.
During my
book editing process, my amazing publisher, Beachwalk Press, has taught me so
much about writing techniques. I’ve discovered (and always knew) I still have a
lot to learn about the art of writing. So, as you’re never too old to learn,
some sort of writing course in 2019 is in the planning.
8.)
Share one fact about yourself
that would surprise people.
Arabella: Only a few
close relatives in my family (and the members of the Romantic Novelists’
Association – Bath/Wilts Chapter Group) know I’m an author. But on the whole,
there is nothing very much surprising about me. I’m a “what you see is what you get” type of person.
About Arabella Sheen
Arabella Sheen is a British author of Contemporary and Regency romance novels.
Born in Mortimer House, a Grade
II listed Georgian building in the heart of Clifton Village, Bristol, Arabella
believes that having grown up with surroundings and architecture steeped in the
historical culture of the 1800’s, she was destined to write about a subject she
loves deeply, the Regency era.
One of the many things Arabella
has a passion for is reading. And when she’s not researching or writing about
romance, she is either on her allotment sowing and planting with the seasons,
or she is curled on the sofa while pandering to the demands of her
attention-seeking cat.
Having worked and lived in the
city of Amsterdam in the Netherlands for nearly twenty years as a theatre
nurse, she now lives in the southwest of England with her family.
Arabella keeps in touch with her readers on:
Book Blurb
Westbury
Can Miss Georgina Morton
surrender her independence and accept the Duke’s love?
Miss Georgina Morton, at the age of
four-and-twenty, with a modest annual income of four hundred pounds, believes
she has no need of a husband and can manage quite nicely without one. Yet
within a matter of weeks, she’s betrothed to Giles Glentworth, the Sixth
Duke of Westbury, and bound for Regency London.
Set in rural Wiltshire
and elegant, fast-paced London...a runaway ward, a shooting at mid-night, and a
visit to fashionable Almack’s, are only a few of the adventures Georgina enjoys
while falling for the Corinthian charms of the Duke.
Westbury – Ballrooms, Cotillions and Almack’s
Available
from:
Amazon
Universal: http://bit.ly/2TAndcI
Smashwords:
http://bit.ly/2DbG1Ie
Barnes
& Noble – Nook: http://bit.ly/2RHldOb
Kobo:
http://bit.ly/2GaHUJe
And
other main ebook retailers.
Hello Rachel, Some of the questions you asked made me think deeply about who I am and what I've achived (so far) with my life.
ReplyDeleteThank you for having me on your blog and I'm looking forward to seeing you again soon at our local watering hole in Lacock.