Today, I am delighted
to welcome multi-talented author Jenny Kane whose latest release, CHRISTMAS AT THE CASTLE, is published by Accent Press.
Hello Jenny and welcome. I was very interested in your post about the Tiverton Literary Festival, all the more than I am shortly to take part in a literary festival with Helena Fairfax and Melinda Hammond in Todmorden, Yorkshire on 21th November.
By the way, I love the cover of your novel!
Last June I took part
in one of the most stressful experiences ever devised to part writer-kind from
his or her wits. I helped to run a literary festival- the first ever Tiverton
Literary Festival. I have long suspected I'm a bit crackers- but taking on an
organisational role on a festival committee that only consisted of three
people, was the final proof of my insanity.
Furthermore- despite
the worry, the sleepless nights, the panic, the very real fear that no one
would turn up to hear our wonderful authors speak- I loved it. I loved every
single terrifyingly panic making minute of it. I guess it's the timid writer
person's equivalent to riding a rollercoaster.
I gained a great deal
from my experience as a literary festival organiser, rather than as a
literary festival guest, and I certainly confirmed my theory that everything we
do in life has a story attached. Every day in Tiverton during the three month
run up to last June’s Literary Festival, threw up a new 'incident' that had a
storyline running right through it!
What a waste it would have been not to use some of these
'incidents' in my next book? It would have been a crime! And so, for this
Christmas's 'Another Cup of...' series novella, I have taken the
character of Kit Lambert out of the comfort of Pickwicks Coffee Shop in Richmond, London, and sent
her off to a literary festival, not in Devon, but in the beautiful Crathes Castle
in Scotland.
Blurb
Christmas at the Castle is a
seasonal treat from Jenny Kane, featuring much-loved characters from her
bestselling novel Another Cup of Coffee.
When hotshot businesswoman Alice Warren is asked to organise a literary
festival at beautiful Crathes Castle in Scotland, her ‘work mode’ persona
means she can’t say no – even though the person asking is her ex, Cameron
Hunter.
Alice broke
Cameron’s heart and feels she owes him one – but her best friend Charlie isn’t
going to like it. Charlie – aka famous author Erin Spence – is happy to help Alice with the
festival…until she finds out that Cameron’s involved! Charlie suffered a bad
case of unrequited love for Cameron, and she can’t bear the thought of seeing
him again.
Caught between her own insecurities and loyalty to her friend, Charlie gets fellow
author Kit Lambert to take her place. Agreeing to leave her London comfort zone – and her favourite
corner in Pickwicks Café – Kit steps in. She quickly finds herself not just
helping out, but hosting a major literary event, while also trying to play fairy
godmother – a task which quickly gets very complicated indeed...
***
I
chose to set my fictional literary festival in the Deeside area of Scotland
because it is one of my favourite places in the country. It was while I lived
in the village of
Banchory, only three
miles from Crathes castle, that I began my career as a writer 11 years ago. I
remember thinking at the time, that the castle would be an excellent place for
a literary festival...
Extract-
...Hoisting up a large box of Christmas decorations, Cameron
headed off to find a couple of gardeners, and a very long ladder. It was time
to start getting the Victorian-style lanterns draped around the formal garden.
Alice swore under her breath. She wasn’t
used to being denied what she wanted during business transactions. She’d worn
an extra-short skirt as well. OK, so she knew that flashing a bit of leg in
such a cold climate made her request look a bit desperate, but she was still
surprised when the local bookshop owner had said no.
Honestly! All she was asking was that he’d buy
a selection of books written by all the authors coming to the festival. She
wasn’t offering him any financial help, but obviously all the sales money would
be his, and she wasn’t going to charge him for the stand at the castle she was
proposing he sold his stock from. She was doing him a huge favour, and the
chance to boost his Christmas sales. What was wrong with the man? All the city
bookshops made this system work.
Turning her Suzuki off-roader into
the drive that wound its way up to Crathes
Castle, Alice’s satisfied smile returned as she
reflected how her flirty magic had worked so much better on the local catering
companies and wine merchants. Letting her have goods on sale or return in
exchange for sponsorship meant she had a boot full of champagne, red and white
wine, and enough ingredients for mulled wine to keep everyone tipsy until July.
Pulling into the staff car park, Alice was surveying the
immediate grounds for any willing helpers to carry the crates of alcohol into
the storeroom for her, when Cameron came out of the castle’s side door, his
arms wrapped around a giant cardboard box.
Lucky box. Alice couldn’t prevent the flutter of lust
that rose within her. It was always the same whenever she saw Cameron, with his
thick, muscular arms on display to the elbows, his tightly curled ginger hair
cropped back army style, and his sturdy frame so strong and capable. She
fancied him something rotten, and more – much more – but the fact he wanted
more from her as well frightened her to death. And as being afraid was a sign
of weakness, and powerful businesswomen did not have time for weakness in their
lives, Alice
had kept her feelings a secret and walked away.
She was fairly sure she’d broken his
heart, but Cameron had never actually said so, and she certainly wasn’t going
to act on her lust-fuelled imagination and ask him outright. Anyway, she’d
broken her own heart as well, even though he didn’t know that.
Picking up a box of wine, Alice called across the
empty car park, ‘Cameron, where do you want the festival booze? Any handy chaps
around to help me unload the Jeep?’
Whirling around, Cameron crashed the side of the lanterns box
against the solid wooden door that he’d been in process of swinging shut behind
him. ‘Damn it, woman, you made me jump.’
‘Sorry. It’s just these are heavy.’ Alice fluttered her
eyebrows at him, unable to stop herself from flirting in the line of duty.
‘And I suppose you think this box is
feather-light!’ Cameron tried not to glance at Alice’s long, bare legs or ask if she was
freezing as he put down his own box and took hers. ‘Over here. I’ve cleared a
space in the store of the Horsemill, seeing as that’s where the festival will
be mostly taking place.’
Managing to make the words ‘Sounds
sensible’ sound like ‘Thank you,’ Alice picked up another box and followed
Cameron into the round stone building where once horses had walked in
never-ending circles, turning the millstones that had crushed oats. Now the
building housed a restaurant and seminar facility. It was the perfect place for
a book festival, and once the staff had finished decorating it with traditional
garlands and trees from the wood, it would be the very essence of a Scottish
Christmas.
Desperate to break the silence that
hung between them, Cameron asked how the festival preparations were going.
‘Great. There’s one or two problems
to overcome, but there always are with events like this.’
‘Have we sold many tickets?’
‘Not yet. I find it’s always
last-minute with bookish things.’
Sensing evasion, Cameron risked his
blood pressure increasing and studied Alice
properly, ‘My future depends on this Alice.
How many tickets, roughly, have been sold for each event?’
‘Approximately none at all.’
‘What!’
‘Keep your kilt on, Cameron. We have
ages yet.’ Alice
mentally crossed her fingers against the lie she was telling. ‘Literary
festivals are always last minute.’
Cameron’s forehead knotted
attractively as he stared down at Alice’s
shorter frame, his Scottish burr sounding gruff as he asked, ‘and the other
problems?’
‘Local bookshop owner is being
difficult and my right-hand girl has walked out on me.’
Opening a vast cooling cupboard in
which to place the champagne, Cameron said, ‘I can’t imagine John at the
bookshop being difficult?’
‘He doesn’t run it any more. John
passed it on to his nephew. Believe me, he is a very different kettle of fish.’
Cameron grunted, ‘You mean he wants
to make a profit and not a loss?’ Not giving Alice the chance to reply, he went on, ‘So
you’ve upset the new bookshop guy. Nice going, Ms Warren...’
***
If
that mini extract has whetted your appetite, you can buy Christmas at the Castle from -
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Christmas-at-Castle-Jenny-Kane-ebook/dp/B015J87DTI/ref=sr_1_2?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1442588560&sr=1-2&keywords=christmas+at+the+castle
Although
this is the fourth book in the Another
Cup of series, Christmas at the
Castle can be read as a standalone story.
Many
thanks,
Jenny
xx
Bio-
Jenny Kane is the author the contemporary
romance Christmas at the Castle
(Accent Press, 2015), the bestselling novel Abi’s
House (Accent Press, 2015), the modern/medieval time slip novel Romancing Robin Hood (Accent Press,
2014), the bestselling novel Another Cup
of Coffee (Accent Press, 2013), and its novella length sequels Another Cup of Christmas (Accent Press,
2013), and Christmas in the Cotswolds
(Accent, 2014). Jenny’s fourth full length
romance novel, Another Glass of
Champagne, will be published in 2016.
Jenny is also the author of
quirky children’s picture books There’s a
Cow in the Flat (Hushpuppy, 2014) and Ben’s
Biscuit Tin (Coming soon from Hushpuppy)
Keep your eye on Jenny’s blog at www.jennykane.co.uk for more details.
Twitter- @JennyKaneAuthor
Facebook
-https://www.facebook.com/JennyKaneRomance?ref=hl
Jenny also writes erotica as
Kay Jaybee.
