1) What was your first job? Did you like or dislike it? Why?
My very first job was working at Woolworths on Saturdays on a counter selling all sorts of things from lino, haberdashery, and even underwear. The counter I was put in charge of was quite large - a bit like a square island - I was stationed in the centre of it. Being nimble was essential in order to serve the customers, most of whom had never heard of queueing; you also needed eyes in the back of your head to foil shoplifters. Some days I’d turn around to find that new items I’d just put out had vanished. I’d usually go home exhausted. It certainly wasn’t my favourite job, in fact the best part of it was collecting my paypacket at the end of the day! However, because of my experience there I have a healthy respect for all shopworkers who spend hours on their feet and deal with difficult customers.
2) Do you have a pet peeve? If so what is it?
I haven’t got a particular pet peeve, but there are some things that tend to annoy me. For instance, I dislike the term ‘pre-order’, you either order something or you don’t. The fact that it won’t be delivered straightaway is neither here nor there - it’s still ordered. Of course, because I use Amazon a lot, I’m constantly being upset!
3)
Do you
spend more time researching or writing?
I do most of my research before I start writing and then do bits and pieces as my writing progresses, so I suppose it works out about even. There are always issues that come up when I’m plotting a story that need to be checked or verified. Because I write historical novels and contemporary novels with a strong historical element, I try to ensure that everything is accurate: anachronisms or getting facts wrong can pull a reader right out of the story. Of course, not all my research makes it into the finished stories. I want my readers to read my books for enjoyable escapism, not a history lesson, so a large part of my research ends up on my blog. You’ll find articles there on such things as 19th century medicine, Falmouth packet ships, the Royal Military canal, dentistry during the Regency, and even climbing boys. It’s amazing the number of subjects one needs to research when writing historical fiction.
4) Tell me about your book A Bachelor’s Pledge and where you got your inspiration for it?
A Bachelor’s Pledge tells the story of Phil Cullen and Sophia Turner who meet under unusual circumstances. I was inspired to write it because I wanted to explore topics that interest me and to use a setting that would fit perfectly.
Phil first appeared in A Gentleman’s Promise where we watched him disappearing up the stairs of a brothel to help a distressed young woman. Ostensibly a man of business, Phil also works as a secret agent for the government.
Sophia has been kidnapped by the proprietor of the brothel, but not for the purpose that you would assume. Once Phil helps her to escape she disappears, but that is not the last time that the pair meet.
Set during the Napoleonic Wars, this story was my opportunity to explore the world of espionage and consider who would be prepared to betray their country to the enemy and their reasons for doing so.
I was also able to use Falmouth, one of my favourite locations, as the main setting for the story. At this time, Falmouth, a bustling sea port in Cornwall, was a hub of news and information brought in by the packet ships. What better place for state secrets and money to be passed unnoticed to the enemy?
5)
How
much of your book is realistic?
While my story is fiction, there are elements in it relating to real historical events.
When Phil is instructed by the War Office to make all haste to Falmouth, he knows he will not be able to emulate Lieutenant Lapenotiere’s journey in reverse — two hundred and seventy-one miles in under thirty-eight hours. This refers to the famous dash from Falmouth by Lieutenant John Lapenotiere to bring the news of the victory at Trafalgar and Nelson’s death to the Admiralty in London on the morning of 6th November 1805. An astonishing feat.
Another not so happy reference concerns a packet-ship being held in quarantine in Falmouth harbour. Phil is chatting to his informant and learns that the Princess Augusta, a newly-arrived packet ship has yellow fever on board.
The Princess
Augusta was a real ship and did indeed have a terrible time with yellow
fever, losing many of her crew, but this incident actually took place a year
previous to the events in my story.
A newspaper of the time reports for 18th September 1809: ‘On Tuesday, the Princess Augusta packet, arrived from the Windward Islands, having lost her Capt, St Aubyn, Mr Melhuish mate, and ten seamen with the yellow fever. Her whole crew consisted of but 32 men and boys. This we believe, is a greater proportion of deaths than any packets crew have experienced from this dreadful disease.’
And there is a real historical person who makes a fleeting appearance in my story, Governor Melvill, the commander of Pendennis Castle. He takes my two main characters on an escorted trip round the castle. His real life adventures in India are far more hair-raising. Left for dead after a brutal battle, he was captured by enemy soldiers and held prisoner in atrocious conditions for four years. Once back home and suffering from poor health, he was eventually appointed Lieutenant Governor of Pendennis Castle where he formed the Pendennis Volunteer Artillery.
His new position was initially not an easy one, for the Castle’s troops were ill-disciplined, coarse, and often drunk when he took up command. However, Melvill managed to turn things around. He got his men to build cottages for themselves and their families, laid out gardens on the slopes of the castle, and ensured they received religious instruction. He also set up schools for the children of the garrison and the children of Falmouth. In 1807 Melvill founded a society for the relief of the poor of the town, an organisation in operation until at least 1887. He did so much for the poor and the sick in Falmouth that I could not leave him out.
6)
What
are your ambitions for your writing career?
I haven’t got any grand ambitions really. I just want to be able to carry on writing stories that readers will enjoy. Getting feedback from people who say they’ve loved a book that I’ve written is what makes my writing career worthwhile.
7)
Who is
your role model? Why?
I don’t have one particular role model, although there are lots of people I admire for different reasons. As for a role model in the writing sphere, I’m a big fan of Georgette Heyer. Her meticulous research and elegant writing style made her novels the embodiment of the Regency romance genre. I’d love to be able to produce works like hers that will stand the test of time.
8) Share one fact about yourself that would surprise people.
I’ve been a
model... no really. Some years ago, when I was a lot younger, my photo was used
in a popular magazine to illustrate a fiction series about family life. A
friend who was a professional photographer had been commissioned to illustrate
the series. I ended up posing with my real-life husband, my son, and two little
boys who had also been rounded up by my friend to fit the photographic brief.
And that was the sum total of my modelling career!
.jpg)
Secrets,
Scandals, and Spies
Saved
by secret agent Phil Cullen from the house of ill-repute into which she’s been held against her will, Sophia Turner flees from her
rescuer before he can learn her true identity. To tell the truth, Sophia is not
sure who she is herself.
To
Sophia’s dismay, Phil turns up
in her life again just as she has established herself as a lady’s companion. He is on the trail of an elusive and ruthless
French spy. Despite knowing that Phil has the power to ruin her new-found contentment,
Sophia instinctively turns to this gallant gentleman when an even deadlier
threat to her life as a respectable spinster reappears. Is this a mistake she
will come to regret?
It
isn’t long before Sophia’s
life becomes a perilous adventure, where smiling faces mask treachery and
deceit. No one is as they seem, and danger lurks in unexpected places. Will
helping Phil unmask his spy and solving the mystery of her own murky origins
explain why she is being relentlessly pursued? And by uncovering dark family
secrets will Sophia destroy her chances of finding true love?
Heart-warming
romance combined with action-filled adventure makes this third book in Penny
Hampson’s Gentlemen Series a must-read for all lovers of classic Regency fiction.
Buy link:
Penny Hampson writes history, mystery, and romance. Her
first contemporary novel, The Unquiet Spirit, a ghostly, romantic
mystery set in Cornwall, was published by Darkstroke in 2020 and was a
contender for the Joan Hessayon Award 2021.
Penny has also written a series of Regency romances
because, as a historian, there is nothing she likes more than researching her
favourite period in history and bringing it to life.
Penny
lives with her family in Oxfordshire, and when she is not writing, she enjoys
reading, walking, swimming, and the odd gin and tonic (not all at the same
time).
Website: www.pennyhampson.co.uk
Blog: www.pennyhampson.co.uk/blog
Facebook Author Page: pennyhampsonauthor
Twitter: penny_hampson
Instagram: @pennyhampsonauthor/
Discover Penny’s Books: viewauthor.at/Pennysbooks
A very interesting interview and A Bachelor's Pledge sounds a brilliant read. I can't wait to do just that, however, I have the little challenge of meeting a looming deadline with my latest WIP, so it will have to be in early 2023. I discovered Penny's writing with The Unquiet Spirit when I was astounded to see it was suggested that it might be enjoyed by fans of... Kate Ryder, no less! Looking forward to having the time to read other writers.
ReplyDeleteThanks for your kind comments, Kate, they're much appreciated!
ReplyDeleteThanks for hosting me on your blog, Rachel, it was lovely chatting to you xx
ReplyDelete