Happy Friday, lovely readers!
I am so happy to welcome historical fiction author Christina Courtenay to my Friday Chat & Drinks today (or maybe tonight depending when you're joining us!)! I first met Christina back in 2010 when I attended my first Romantic Novelists Association conference and we have kept in contact ever since. I am so looking forward to catching up with her - it's been too long!
Hi Christina!
Let's dive straight in with my questions - I can't wait for my readers to learn more about you.
R: Do you (like me!) use pictures as inspiration at the start of a book?
C: I don’t use pictures of the settings as I usually try to visit the
places myself, although I take hundreds of photos to look at later in order to
remind myself what it was like. I do use photos of people as inspiration
though, especially for the heroes, so if I see a picture I like on social media
for example I will save that in a special folder to perhaps use later on.
R: I am a huge fan of period dramas! Do you have a favourite?
I have to say
that I still love two of the Jane Austen adaptations – Pride & Prejudice
with Colin Firth as Mr Darcy, and Sense & Sensibility the film
by (and starring) Emma Thompson. I also loved the Jane Eyre tv adaptation
with Toby Stephens as Mr Rochester, I thought that was fabulous and he was
great in that role!
R: I am pretty relaxed about my book titles and mostly leave it up to my publishers. Are the titles of your books important to you?
C: I think titles are very important overall as they give the reader a sense of what the story is about and a great title can draw you in. My titles are usually decided in conjunction with my publisher – I might send them some suggestions and they’ll come up with others. At the end of the day, they know best what is appropriate so I usually agree with their choice. I do love when series have titles that show you they belong together, like my Viking Runes series for example.
R: Me too!
If you’re struggling with a scene or difficult character, what methods help you through it?
C: It usually helps if I just leave it and go and work on another scene for a while. Or even a different story altogether. That seems to kick-start my thought processes and when I return to the problematic one the solution is often clearer.
R: Are you an early bird or a night owl?
C: Most
definitely a night owl! I hate getting up early in the mornings but can happily
stay up all night. Usually I do 😊 As I’m lucky enough not to have to go to
work at a fixed time, I can work whenever I want to and if that happens to be
at 3am, so be it! Works for me.
R: 3am?! Haha, I am definitely a bit of both but I cannot write in the evenings at all. I can edit but not actually write.
Who’s your favourite author? Why?
C: It’s almost impossible to have just one as there are so many I love but my absolute favourite is probably Georgette Heyer. Her books are the kind you can reread over and over again without ever getting tired of the stories, and she had such a wonderful dry sense of humour that always shines through. Cotillion is my all-time favourite and it always makes me laugh.
R: LOVE Georgette Heyer and it's been far too long since I've read one of her books. I now intend to remedy that asap!
Do you have a pet peeve?
C: Drivers who drive 45mph on a 60mph road where you can’t overtake!
R: Haha! You sound like my husband!
Can you tell me a little about your next project?
C: I’m working on another Viking story (surprise, surprise - not!) and I’m hoping it’s going to be epic! It’s dual time, just like my latest one, RIPPLES THROUGH TIME, and will feature all the usual things – strong heroes/heroines, sizzling romance, lots of adventure and a little bit of magic with paranormal elements. I went to the site of the former Viking trading town Birka in Sweden last summer to do some research and I think part of the story will take place there. We will see!
Thank you so much for inviting me to your blog!
Universal buy link for RIPPLES THROUGH TIME: https://geni.us/ripplestime
A love that will change them forever … A treasure that
will bring them home
West Mercia, AD 873 – Merewen's settlement is on
guard against the ‘Heathen’ Norsemen, but for her the real threats come from
within. Eirik, a Viking, finds himself abandoned and injured after his
uncle’s plunder of Mercian land goes wrong. He thinks his fate is sealed –
until Merewen saves his life.
Hereford, Present Day – Alix moves to her grandfather's
farm in Hereford to heal her broken heart. She soon finds herself haunted by
memories of a life she never lived, a relationship she never had, and a time in
which she never existed. Local farmer Noah is hounded by the police to
find the Viking hoard that his sister and her boyfriend stole from his farm. He
must prove his own innocence while struggling with the curious connection he
has to newcomer Alix. As they search for the lost treasure, Alix and Noah start
to feel the whispers of a love powerful enough to echo through history.
Author bio:
Christina Courtenay writes historical romance,
time slip/dual time and time travel stories, and lives in Herefordshire (near
the Welsh border) in the UK. Although born in England, she has a Swedish mother
and was brought up in Sweden – hence her abiding interest in the Vikings.
Christina is a Vice President and former chairman and of the UK’s Romantic
Novelists’ Association and has won several awards, including the RoNA for Best
Historical Romantic Novel twice with Highland Storms (2012) and The
Gilded Fan (2014) and the RNA Fantasy Romantic Novel of the year 2021 with Echoes
of the Runes. RIPPLES THROUGH TIME (dual time historical romance
published by Headline Review 20th November 2025) is her latest
novel. Christina is a keen amateur genealogist and loves history and
archaeology (the armchair variety).
Social Media:-
Website – http://www.christinacourtenay.com
Facebook –
https://www.facebook.com/christinacourtenayauthor?fref=ts
Twitter/X
– @PiaCCourtenay - https://twitter.com/PiaCCourtenay
Instagram – @christinacourtenayauthor - https://www.instagram.com/ChristinaCourtenayAuthor/
Bluesky – @christinacourtenay.bsky.social
- https://christinacourtenay@bsky.social
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