Author Interview/Giveaway and Review: Emma by Linda Mitchelmore

First I have an interview with author Linda Mitchelmore, then a giveaway and then a review of her new book :)

Welcome!

Tell me about yourself...

I came late-ish in life to writing….and I think I could be called something of a slow learner…J I didn’t learn to ride a bicycle until I was given one for my fortieth birthday, and I didn’t get my ears pierced until I was fifty-five years old and my daughter started making beautiful earrings. My first grandchild was born just before I got my bus pass, but it meant I qualified as a grey-haired granny…

So, why did I leave it so late to start writing? Especially as I was always in the top set for English at school? Deafness is the answer. I had viral damage which robbed me of most of my hearing so I retreated into reading – magazines mostly because the short stories in them were quick to read and it fitted in around family things. I became fairly successful at writing and selling short stories – some 300 published stories to date. I then moved on to writing short serials for My Weekly and novel writing seemed a natural step from there. Or rather a few thousand steps as I learned the craft of novel writing. I will gloss over exactly how many novels I wrote before Choc Lit offered me a contract on TO TURN FULL CIRCLE, the first in my trilogy.

When I’m not writing – which seems to be most of the time these days – I love to be in my garden clipping and trimming, and even sitting in it with a glass of wine, or tea and cake. I also walk a lot (well, writers’ rear is not a pretty look!) along the coast path which is quite close to my house. And if I want really dirty boots I venture onto Dartmoor – but only if there is a pub lunch at the end of the walk J I’m also a pretty hands-on Grandma to Alex and Emily, and get to look after my sons’ gorgeous dog, Guinness, when he goes off kayaking and climbing all over the globe.

Tell me about Emma.

EMMA: There’s No Turning Back begins very soon after TO TURN FULL CIRCLE ends. Emma and Seth plan to marry, but they hit the first hurdle when the local vicar refuses to marry them. Emma might have been knocked by this refusal but she has another plan and Seth is happy to go along with her rather madcap idea. They are very much in love, but again their world is rocked when an ex-lover of Seth’s turns up bent on revenge that he didn’t marry her. Add to this mix the torching of Emma’s bakery business, and a kidnapping, and then the reappearance in her life of the charismatic, Matthew Caunter, for whom Emma was once a housekeeper and for whom she now realises she has feelings that are far from platonic. And Emma has to make choices, and live by the consequences of them. Will she and Seth live happily ever after….or not?

When is the next book coming out?

I can’t tell you that because I haven’t finished it yet. I’m about three-quarters of the way through, though, and at the stage where a book starts to write itself almost – the characters desperate to tell their own story, if you like. I feel at this stage that I’ve climbed the hill with my heroine (and hero because Choc Lit novels have a male point-of-view as well) and helped her over her hurdles and it should be a gentle descent now to a happy and satisfying ending. Gosh, saying all that has made me want to get back to it now! The working title is EMMA AND HER DAUGHTER…..but that could change.

What was the inspiration behind this series?

TO TURN FULL CIRCLE came about from some family history research I was doing on my husband’s side of the family. One of his great uncles had had two fishing vessels and fished out of Brixham. But his great uncle had to come off the sea when he badly injured his leg in an accident. Brixham is a rabbits’ warren of roads lined with fishermen’s cottages and it got me thinking….what happened to the wives and children of fishermen who could no longer work, seeing as many of their homes back then would have been in tied cottages? I’ve also always been interested in the choices people make. The good ones and the bad, and how we have to live with the consequences of those choices and accept how they can affect other people as well as ourselves. And my Emma, being rather impulsive, has to make more than a few choices before she achieves her dreams.

Thanks!

GIVEAWAY

1 copy of Emma

1. Open to everyone

2. Ends Jan 18th

3. Just enter .)

But do be free to ask questions :)

(notice. Please be sure that if you do not leave an email,  then I must be able to find it in your profile. Those with google+ profiles check this). The winner has 48 hours on her or him to contact me back.

Life hasn t always been kind to Emma Le Goff. She has had her fair share of hardship and now finally, her life appears to be looking up.She and her childhood sweetheart, Seth Jago, are set to marry and both believe that an idyllic existence, free from heartache, awaits them. However, when they discover that the past is more difficult to forget than they could have ever imagined. Emma continues to be haunted by the mysterious circumstances surrounding her family and Seth is hounded by a jealous ex-lover set on revenge. Seth plans for their escape to Canada. But when the charismatic Matthew Caunter returns to Devon, Emma finds herself uncertain of whether a move to Canada is really what she wants, This is the sequel to "To Turn Full Circle"

My thoughts:

Poor Emma and Seth, this was a book where there was drama and then more drama. There was setback after setback, but then the whole village could be pretty evil and unforgiving.

Right, back to the beginning, this is actually book 2 but you do not have to have read book 1 to follow along. You get to see things that happened in book 1 that has consequences now. Like why the priest do not want to marry them and why some of the parishioners are stuck up idiots.

Just know that there are Emma and Seth who love each other and wants to be together and start their new life. Emma wants to build a business for herself and not just be someone's wife. While Seth wants to throw off his father's shadow and be his own man.

Then you throw in Seth's vindictive ex-lover who has a secret. His brother who is in jail. A former friend of Emma whom she might have had feelings for, and yes then those idiots in the town. Those who should move on and not be idiots (yes they made me angry if you can't notice ;) People can be so mean.

Sure there was a bit too much drama, but then there are reasons for it all. And it felt real how Emma and Seth tried to move on with life and even had doubts about their love for each other. People seldom doubt when it it's all lovey dovey so it felt real.

Conclusion:

And I do wonder what will happen in the next. It ends all well and you could stop at that. But there will be more so...I do wonder.

Paperback, 356 pages
Expected publication: March 15th 2014 by Choc Lit (first published December 3rd 2013)
Emma Le Goff #2
Historical romantic fiction
For review

Emma by Jane Austen. Discussion with Anna from Diary of an Eccentric

Jane Austen famously described Emma Woodhouse, the title character of her 1815 novel, as “a heroine whom no-one but myself will much like.” Yet generations of readers have loved Emma, as much for her blunders as for her wit and vivacity. Emma, “handsome, clever, and rich,” has nothing else to do but try to pair off her friends, and she consistently misreads the relationships and situations around her as much as she misreads her own heart. The novel features a wonderful cast of characters, including Emma’s hypochondriac father, the odiously prideful Mrs. Elton, the mysterious and reserved Jane Fairfax, and Miss Bates, who never stops talking.

Anna from Diary of an Eccentric is a big Austen fan, just like me ;) So we decided to read Emma and talk about it. I sent her questions and then can be found here. She sent me questions and they can be found in her post here.

I decided not to read the book, instead I listened to the audio on my way to work. It took a while, but it was fun :D And the truth is that it was more fun that reading (as I tried that too.) I am truly the worst Austen lover ever.

But listening made it better, and some things stood out more too. My annoyance with Miss Bates and the horrid Mrs. Elton. I swear that if I ever hear the word Barouche Landau ever again I will have a fit. It made me think of things I had not seen before, and it made me like this novel more.

So a long story short, here are my answers. They will be my review.

1. Be honest, would you have been annoyed by Mrs Elton just as Emma was?
Anna:
Yes, she was the most obnoxious character in the book.  I think it's funny that she called her husband "Mr. E," but she was really rude in how she addressed the other characters.  And poor Jane Fairfax!  Of all the women in Highbury who could have became her "protector," it had to be Mrs. Elton!

B:
Arghh, two words: Barouche Landau! She kept going on and on and on and on! The things she had, her sister. She drove me insane.  I felt sorry for anyone that had to keep her company.

2. Did you wonder what kind of person Emma would have been, had her mother lived?

Anna:
It would have been great to have learned a little about Emma's mother, whether she praised Emma up and down like everyone else.  Even when Emma drove me crazy, I reminded myself that if everyone is always telling you how wonderful you are, you're likely to have a bit of a swelled head.  I'd also love to know how her mother put up with her father's health obsession and desire to stay at home all the time.

B:
I find it hard answering my own question. As I know nothing about Emma's mother, except that she was good, I really can't say anything. But Emma being Emma I think she would have been pretty much the same as she had a good influence from her governess. Still had her mother lived then her father might have been different and that would have made Emma different too.

3.  Mr. Knightley has loved Emma for a long time, but is this not a bit creepy? Considering her age then?

Anna:
The 16-year difference is a bit much for me, but I didn't think their relationship was creepy.  Mostly because I don't think Mr. Knightley realizes that he's actually in love with Emma until he fears she'll marry Frank Churchill, and by then she's 21.  I guess the way he scolds Emma like he's her father might be a bit odd, but he's the only one who sees Emma's flaws and offers her some guidance.  I guess someone needed to tell her, and he's the closest friend she has.

Blodeuedd:
I did not use to think it was creepy but then he went and said something and I went all euwwwwww! So I will try and forget about that and instead think of them as good friends, as him as an older brother (kind of euww that too). And then as someone who realises that he loves her..when she is old enough. Then the age does not matter anymore.

4. Do you think Mr. Knightley and Emma will live happily ever after?

Anna:
Yes, I do.  I think they're good for each other.  He's mature and wise enough to balance out the annoying parts of Emma's personality, and I think her youth would be refreshing for him.

Blodeuedd:
I guess I have to say yes :) This is romance, they should live happily ever after.

5. Frank Churchill and Jane Fairfax. Is everything perfect in that relationship or not? Did you believe in their love?

Anna:
Now that's the relationship that worries me!  How Frank flirted with Emma right in front of the woman he supposedly loves...I can only imagine how hurt Jane must have been.  I don't know if I could've forgiven him for that, but then again, marrying him would save her from a life of service, so it certainly would have been easier to believe that Frank meant well but just messed up.  Because you don't see them falling in love, all you see is his bad behavior, it's hard to believe in their love.  We just have to hope for the best.

Blodeuedd:
How many times I read or watch this story I will never ever understand this relationship. I can't see that they love each other. I know they hid it but come on! He flirted shamelessly with Emma, he was mean to Jane when she was around, and not around. How can that be a man in love? And she, no, she is so cold, and she just let him. I think they had been in love, passionately, crazy in love. But it was a passion that will burn out and then they will just be bitter.

6. Has Emma truly learned her lesson, or are more matches in the future?

Anna:
One could only hope.  I wonder how she'd act when her children are grown.  I'd like to think that Mr. Knightley's love and attention would keep her in line.

Blodeuedd.
Ha, no, she has more to offer.

7. Miss Bates, annoying or not?

Anna:
I didn't find Miss Bates annoying because I was always laughing at her babbling.  Of course, I wasn't subjected to an entire afternoon of her chattering.  Mostly, I felt sorry for her.  She really needed a friend, someone to talk to and listen to her, especially with her mother so old and no husband or children.  And that comment Emma made to her at the picnic...poor Miss Bates!

Blodeuedd:
I did not use to think it but then I listened to the audio and it was horrible I tell you. She kept going on about trivial things and changed the subject every few minutes. It drove me crazy. So to listen to her for an extended time, no thank you. I do understand her, and feel sorry for her, but yes I was annoyed by her.

Thank you Anna!

Now go to Anna's blog for the rest

Diary of an Eccentric