Now that three weeks have passed since the publication date of my first novel, Her Secret Soldier, I’ve had time to collect a few reader-questions. I thought it would be fun (and useful) to respond to those questions here.
Why did you choose to write a World War II novel that is set in England?
This is a great question. Many WW2 novels are set in Nazi-Occupied Europe. They deal with subjects such as the Resistance, or concentration camps, or what it was like to live as subjugated peoples under the Nazis. England was never occupied during the war so it’s often assumed nothing as dramatic could have happened there – when in reality, this couldn’t be further from the truth. I love to explore the drama of lesser-known events, and that’s what Her Secret Soldier does. Operation Lena was the disastrous attempt by Hitler to infiltrate Britain with spies, ahead of the planned land invasion, and there is no lack of drama in that! The Blitz – in London and elsewhere – also transformed the country, caused massive loss of life and led to countless human dramas. I love to explore lesser-known events during the war, and this is what I’ve done both in Her Secret Soldier and my next novel with Bookouture, which will be out in February.
Is Her Secret Soldier based on truth?
The wider historical events in the novel are all true. Spies really did parachute into Britain in 1940. The London Blitz really happened, and people really did flock to the London Underground in their thousands, in an attempt to escape falling bombs. I’ve tried to remain accurate in my descriptions of real events, often relying on eye witness accounts. However, the characters in my novel, and their escapades, are all fictional.
Bookouture is a ‘Digital First’ Publisher. What does that mean?
Bookouture – my publisher – is one of a new generation of publishers that focus primarily on digital media. You will find my book in many online stores, including Amazon, of course. It’s available as an audio book, through Audible, and print-on-demand – which means you can order it as a regular book! However, you won’t find my books in the shops just yet – though that could come with time. Bookouture is a part of the Hachette Book Group, which is one of the ‘Big Five’ publishers, but it operates quite differently from a traditional publisher – and that model has been hugely successful for them.
Do Bookouture authors really write two books a year?
Most authors who sign with Bookouture are offered a 2-book contract, and deadlines are quite close together. Her Secret Soldier was published in September, and my second novel with Bookouture will be out next February. This makes it far easier to create a loyal fan base. Writing to tight deadlines isn’t for everyone – but I LOVE it! You have to be quite disciplined – generally I write between 6am and 11am every morning. Bookouture authors go through the same rigorous editing process as they would with any other publisher. I submit the novel, then we work on structural edits, stylistic edits, and finally the novel is passed to a copyeditor. I was already working on structural edits for book #2 when Her Secret Soldier was released!
What is your next book about?
The title and cover for book #2 have not yet been officially released, but what I can say is that ‘Book #2’ is also based in England, in World War 2, and readers will hopefully find it every bit as action-packed and emotive as Her Secret Soldier. ‘Book #2’ tells the story of two sisters who travel as evacuees from England in Canada in September 1940. They sail on the infamous SS City of Benares which is torpedoed by a German U Boat in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean and sinks with heavy loss of life. It’s a story of love, remorse and redemption set not only on the doomed ship, but also in London, York and the Scottish Highlands. It should be available for pre-order in a few weeks!
You can purchase Her Secret Soldier here. https://geni.us/HerSecretSoldier
