Please welcome Jacqueline Farrell to my blog!

Hi all!
Please help me welcome Author Jacqueline Farrell to my blog toady. I have a lot of information about her today so hand on for the ride.

Sophronia and the Vampire

Sophronia and the Vampire Book One

Jacqueline Farrell

Genre: paranormal romance

Publisher: Lyrical Press

ISBN: 9781616503918

Number of pages: 230

Word Count: 87000

Cover Artist: Renee Rocco

Book Description:

It's been a while since witches had to worry about being burnt at the stake…

Forty-nine, English and a professional crone, Sophronia is touring America when she is forced to spend the night at a run-down motel on the Californian coast. Her expectations aren't high- - if the bed's clean and the toilet flushes she'll count herself lucky. But events are about to become far more interesting. The motel owner is a juvenile witch unaware of her heritage and in dire need of help, especially when vampires turn up...

Here's my actual interview with the lovley Jacqueline Farrell:

What is your name? Do you use a pen name (if so, why?)?

My name is Jacqueline Webb. I have written under my own name, but my latest novel SOPHRONIA AND THE VAMPIRE  is written under the pen-name Jacqueline Farrell. It’s actually my husband’s name, although I don’t use it in my day-to-day life as I’m an old-fashioned feminist. But I liked the sound of the names together and thought it would make a change to publish under a different name. 

Tell me a bit about yourself:

I am 51, married with two sons, living in the north-west of England, near Liverpool. I work as a part-time French/English teacher.

What type of genre do you write?

I have had two historical romances published under my own name ‘The Scarlet Queen’ and ‘Dragonsheart’. I have also co-written a Jane Austen spin-off with Amanda Grange called ‘Pride and Pyramids – Mr Darcy in Egypt.’ ‘Sophronia and the Vampire’ is the first paranormal romance I have written and it was a lot of fun.

What genre do you personally read?

I love crime and courtroom thrillers. I’ve read every one of Sue Grafton’s alphabet books. The Jack Reacher novels are my guilty pleasure. I love John Connelly’s Charlie Parker series. At the moment I’m really caught up with Christopher Farnsworth’s vampire books about Nathaniel Cade. I have a soft spot for the Sookie Stackhouse novels. I’ve been reading Stephen King books since I picked up The Dead Zone in 1983 and couldn’t put it down.

Tell me about your latest?

‘Sophronia and the Vampire’ is a story about an older witch – a Crone – who is on holiday in America when she comes across a younger witch – a Maid – called Charlie, who is on the verge of finding herself in thrall to a local head vampire. After some initial prevaricating, Sophronia grudgingly decides it is her duty to help Charlie and in the process finds herself becoming intrigued by the vampire herself.     

What sparked your passion for books and the art of a good story?

The first book I read on my own was ‘The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe.’ I was eight years old and it took me two weeks and I was really proud of myself when I finished it. It was a fantastic story, simply written, which understood its audience without patronising them and to this day I think there was no better introduction to reading that I could have had.

Is there a particular book that changed or affected your life in a big way?

I read ‘The Women’s Room’ in my early twenties and was struck by the way Mira changed over the course of the book. One of its tagline’s - ‘How A Housewife of the Fifties became a Woman of the Seventies’ - resonated with me as I had grown into a young woman in the seventies and I could appreciate a lot of the attitudes that had prevailed at that time. 

Is there a message in your book that you want readers to grasp?

Absolutely.  Not all heroines have to be under thirty, there is life after fifty and women can be funny too, rather than just feed the best lines to the heroes.

What challenges have you faced in your writing career?

I would imagine the same big one that all of us face – how to get published. Every time I see an article in a magazine or newspaper giving advice on how to become a writer, I always hope they’re going to give up the secret to getting published – but that’s the one thing they never do! 

What has been your best moment as a writer?

Easy – the day the letter turned up on my doormat with an offer of publication.

Who is your author idol?

Can I have three?

-        CS Lewis because he was the first author I read and really enjoyed.

-        Stephen King – I remember sitting up until three in the morning reading The Stand. I couldn’t put it down and I don’t think there’s any greater praise you can give an author.

-        James Herriot – he may not be known to many of your readers but he wrote a series of autobiographical books about his life as a vet in the Yorkshire dales in the Thirties and I spent many a happy hour crying with laughter at his descriptions of his adventures. He wrote with humour but also with affection and a genuine love of animals and people.     

Do you see yourself in any of your characters?

Well, Sophronia is the first character who is the same age as me now. I think it would be fairer to say my characters have certain characteristics I wish I had. 

Do you feel like your dream has come true or is there much more to do?

Every author dreams of having a best-seller and I’m no different. But writing the books I enjoy writing and getting them published is pretty great.

What does your workspace look like?

I write on my laptop which is portable so I tend to move around the house quite a bit. We have a loft room where I work quite a lot, but I also work in the bedroom and the kitchen as well.

Have you ever had a day when you just wanted to quit?

I’ve had my fair share of days when I re-read what I’ve written and I can tell it isn’t right and I just have to walk away. But after a few days I find myself drawn back again.   

What do you do when you’re not writing?

I love to read – see above! We have a dog who needs regular walking and we are lucky to live on the Wirral, a part of England that is beautiful. We have access to beach walks as well as fantastic countryside. And of course I work so I am always busy. 

What are the most important attributes to remaining sane as a writer?

Have fun. Remember very few of us are going to get rich as writers, but if you enjoy what you do, who cares?

Did you have a moment when you realized you were meant to be a writer?

I remember when I was still at school, realizing I actually enjoyed writing, but I felt very embarrassed about it, almost ashamed in fact! A part of me still doesn’t feel it’s quite a respectable thing to be doing.

What advice would you give to aspiring authors?

Write what pleases you, not somebody else. 

After this book, what is next?

I have just finished the first draft of a sequel to Sophronia and I am also finishing off a historical novel about a suffragette in post-Edwardian England.

About the Author :

I live in the UK with my husband, two sons, two cats and a dog. I am a French and English teacher which I love and it pays the bills, but I got hooked on writing when I entered a short story competition at the age of eighteen and wrote of my own free will without a homework deadline looming. I’ve been waiting for the impulse to wear off ever since…

I wrote this story when I was coming up to my 50th and feeling a bit sorry for myself. I love the vampire/paranormal genre - Buffy and Sookie in particular - but there comes a time when you just can’t identify with gorgeous, pert twenty-somethings any more and it seems a little undignified to even want to. I also love Terry Pratchett’s Discworld novels about Granny Weatherwax and Nanny Ogg – two of the wiliest crones in the business – but wanted something a little more glamorous and contemporary; I can only take so much stuff with the frogs and the cauldrons. When it comes to supernatural powers I’ve always preferred Julian May’s metapsychics in the Saga of the Exiles, so that’s how Sophronia was created. Hagen was easy.

Obviously heroes can’t be murderers, but I wanted a vampire who wasn’t wracked with guilt over his diet and who seemed to be having fun being an immortal. I hope people will enjoy reading SOPHRONIA AND THE VAMPIRE as much as I enjoyed writing it.  

Mrs. Farrell is giving away a copy of her book on her website. Please join her there and buy a book.
Keep Writing!
Jodie Pierce