Tag Archives: Jane Cable

Paws and Prose with Eva Glyn.

Guest Post, Paws and Prose, , , , , , , , , , ,

Today, I am very happy to welcome Eva Glyn to my blog. Eva and I have known each other for almost a decade. She is a dear writing friend and author of many wonderful books, the latest of which, The Dubrovnik Book Club, is a moving story with a feline character who will steal your heart as much as the lead characters.

Please welcome Eva as she shares more about how that cat found its way into The Dubrovnik Book Club …

The first time I saw the draft cover for The Dubrovnik Book Club, the chair next to the table was empty. The next time there was a really cute little ginger and white cat on it.

“I hope you don’t mind,” my editor (a dyed-in-the-wool dog lover) told me, “but I asked the art department to pop one in.”

Not any cat, though; I recognised it straight away from one of the many pictures of Dubrovnik’s cats I’d shared on Instagram. This one was particularly gorgeous, photographed at ground level outside Sveti Vlaho church and taking more than a passing interest in the camera.

Dubrovnik’s cats are famous. The old town is full of them, many of no fixed abode, but others no doubt simply availing themselves of an extra meal from the various feeding stations which dot the narrow streets. Tourists who know about the cats arrive with bags of treats in their luggage, and I have no doubt at all that Dubrovnik is one of the best places in the world to be a cat about town.

There was a small problem with the cat on the cover of The Dubrovnik Book Club though – there was no cat in the story. Now, authors are (in)famous for taking their covers too literally, but I wouldn’t want to disappoint a reader who hoped to meet one, and I suppose I always knew that one of my main characters, Claire, was definitely a fan.

      The Orthodox church was set back a little from the street, allowing the pale sunlight to bathe its creamy frontage. Behind the elaborate railings that protected its terrace were half a dozen or so of the old town’s stray cats. A huge ginger beast wrapped around the terracotta support of a potted palm, watched from a safe distance by an equally impressive white one with black and tan splodges. Several more stretched out on the paving, making the most of what little warmth there was in the rays of the sun.

      Claire adored cats. They’d always had one at home when she was growing up; ever since a stray tortoiseshell had turned up at the back door, just as they were settling into their house in Chiswick. A movement behind the palm caught her eye, and two kittens emerged, eyes wide and tiny tails upright, before starting to tumble together, a mass of ginger and white fur.

      Their innocent play was infectiously joyful and Claire could not help but laugh. She had to recapture that joy in life for herself and the only way to do it was by losing her fear.

So, of course, when one of the strays, a ‘wobbly kitten’ incapable of looking after herself properly, turns up in the courtyard behind the bookshop Claire and Luna take her in and christen her Mis, which is Croatian for mouse, because she squeaks rather than mews. Little do any of them realise that their kindness could actually put Mis’s future well-being in jeopardy…

Aw, thank you for sharing how Mis came to find her way into The Dubrovnik Book Club. I loved meeting her in the story, too. xx

About the book:

In a tiny bookshop in Dubrovnik’s historic Old Town, a book club begins…

Newly arrived on the sun-drenched shores of Croatia, Claire Thomson’s life is about to change forever when she starts working at a local bookshop. With her cousin Vedran, employee Luna and Karmela, a professor, they form an unlikely book club.

But when their first book club pick – an engrossing cosy crime – inspires them to embark upon an investigation that is close to the group’s heart, they quickly learn the value of keeping their new-found friends close as lives and stories begin to entwine…

Buy links for all formats and retailers can be found here.

My review: 

I enjoy Eva Glyn’s writing, and the setting of The Dubrovnik Book Club comes to life brilliantly through her detailed depiction of the ancient city in which it is located. I greatly enjoyed seeing the city through the eyes of Karmela (perhaps my favourite character), a history professor with a passion for her subject and tenacity to uncover those hidden from history.

When I read a book by this author, I expect some characters to bring with them a dose of realism. The cast of The Dubrovnik Book Club are all such characters. They each carry their own battle scars – some from the literal battles they have fought defending their country and others born from their life experiences.

The main characters, the supporting cast, and even the stray cat they befriend have a personal struggle that forms part of their story. It draws them together and ultimately makes them the ideal support for each other. As they work together to save the book shop (and related book club), mysteries are solved, friendships are formed, and personal growth and freedoms are found. To that extent, despite the scars of war, fear of Covid, homophobia, abuse and Cancer (all of which are sensitively raised within the pages of the novel), there is a good balance of warmth, hope, love and friendship.

It is an enjoyable and engaging read that will undoubtedly leave you wanting to visit Dubrovnik.

About the Author:

Eva Glyn writes escapist relationship-driven fiction with a kernel of truth at its heart. She loves to travel and finds inspiration in beautiful places and the stories they hide.

Her love affair with Croatia began in 2019, and since then the country’s haunting histories and gorgeous scenery have proved fertile ground for her books, driven by her friendship with a tour guide she met there. His wartime story provided the inspiration for The Olive Grove and his help in creating a realistic portrayal of Croatian life has proved invaluable. Her second novel set in the country, An Island of Secrets is a dual timeline looking back to World War 2, and although her third is a contemporary romance featuring mature main characters, The Collaborator’s Daughter, has its roots in that conflict too.

Inspired by authors she loves such as Libby Page and Faith Hogan, Eva has wanted to write books about unlikely friendships for a long time. March 2024 saw her dream realised, when The Dubrovnik Book Club was published.

Eva lives in Cornwall, although she considers herself Welsh, and is lucky enough to be married to the love of her life, who she’s been with for almost thirty years. She also writes as Jane Cable.

Discover more about Eva Glyn: Website | Facebook | Instagram | Twitter | Newsletter sign up | Book Bub

Location, Location, Location with Eva Glyn.

Guest Post, Location!, Writing & Reading, , , , , , , , ,
Having read and reviewed The Collaborator’s Daughter recently, I am delighted to welcome author, and writing friend, Eva Glyn to my blog as she talks about Dubrovnik, the stunning location of her book. Over to you, Eva …

One of the early reviews for The Collaborator’s Daughter said it was a homage to Dubrovnik and its people, and I thought, ‘job done’. Well, obviously not the book’s only job, but a pretty important one to me.

Writing as Eva Glyn, I am contracted to write books set in Croatia, so location is vitally important. It’s becoming what readers expect when they pick up my book, a virtual trip to that part of the Mediterranean, with its beautiful scenery, fascinating history and warm and welcoming people.

Although I flirted with Dubrovnik in The Olive Grove, The Collaborator’s Daughter is my first book set in the city’s old town, although it will not be the last. For me, there is no finer place to be, with its terracotta roofscape enclosed within medieval walls that rise up and down with the rhythm of the rocks they stand on. Outside, the sea glistens pure azure, and inside, it is so compact it feels like a village.

Of course, in high season particularly, it’s jam-packed with tourists. Not only groups from cruise ships and Game of Thrones fans (it was one of the iconic filming locations) but day-trippers from local resorts and seaside hotels and people staying in the old town itself.

The best advice is to go early or late in the season or early in the day. When I was researching The Collaborator’s Daughter last year, we had to visit in July, but even so, walking the city walls (one of the must-do attractions) at eight in the morning, it was relatively quiet. And I needed to go there because it’s where my main character Fran heads to do some of her thinking as she tries to work out what best to do with her life.

Cat on the city wall.

Another iconic place Fran visits – or rather, is taken by local widower Jadran, is Gradska Kavana for coffee. The terrace is in the centre of some of the major tourist attractions; the Sponza Palace, the Rector’s Palace, Sveti Vlaho (Saint Blaise) church, the bell tower and the famous statue of Orlando. It’s a marvellous place to people-watch and drink a delicious cappuccino. A little pricey for Dubrovnik maybe, but cheaper than most of the UK coffee chains and so much better.

Gradska Kavana terrace.

The Sponza Palace is another location that’s key to The Collaborator’s Daughter. In the 1944 storyline, it is where Fran’s father, Branko, works for the city’s fascist mayor, to use his words in the book, the place the web of evil spins out from. For all that, it is an incredibly beautiful building with a much longer happy history, and inside hides the Memorial Room to the Dubrovnik Defenders, a heart-breaking homage to the men who lost their lives in the Homeland War of the 1990s.

Sponza Palace.

But here I am, beginning to sound like a tourist guide again. I just can’t help it. With somewhere so warm, friendly, and beautiful, I am compelled to keep going back. And to keep writing about it.

Thank you so much for the lovely post and sharing your wonderful pictures, Eva. I greatly enjoyed The Collaborator’s Daughter and wish you every success with it. xx

About the book:

In 1944 in war-torn Dubrovnik, Branko Milisic holds his newborn daughter Safranka and wishes her a better future. But while the Nazis are finally retreating, the arrival of the partisans brings new dangers for Branko, his wife Dragica and their baby…

As an older sister to two half-siblings, Fran has always known she has to fit in. But now, at sixty-five years old and finally free of caring responsibilities, for the first time in her life, Fran is facing questions about who she is and where she comes from.

All Fran knows about her real father is that he was a hero and her mother had to flee Dubrovnik after the war. But when she travels to the city of her birth to uncover the truth, she is devastated to discover her father was executed by the partisans in 1944, accused of being a collaborator. But the past isn’t always what it seems… And neither is the future.

Purchase and discover more here. | See my review here.

About the author:

Eva Glyn writes escapist relationship-driven fiction with a kernel of truth at its heart. She loves to travel and finds inspiration in beautiful places and the stories they hide.

Her last holiday before lockdown was a trip to Croatia, and the country’s haunting histories and gorgeous scenery have proved fertile ground, driven by her friendship with a tour guide she met there. His wartime story provided the inspiration for The Olive Grove, and his help in creating a realistic portrayal of Croatian life has proved invaluable. Her second and third novels set in the country are dual timelines looking back to World War 2, An Island of Secrets and The Collaborator’s Daughter. Eva Glyn is published by One More Chapter, a division of Harper Collins.

Eva lives in Cornwall, although she considers herself Welsh, and has been lucky enough to have been married to the love of her life for more than twenty-five years. She also writes as Jane Cable.

Discover more about Eva Glyn: Website | Facbook | Instagram | Twitter | Newsletter sign up

And, while blogging, I have exciting news to share. All of my romance novels are now available on Kindle Unlimited; enjoy!

Meet three characters from The Forgotten Maid.

Book Review, Guest Post, , , , , , , ,

I am delighted to welcome my good friend, Jane Cable, as my first guest for 2022. Jane joins me to introduce three characters from her novel, The Forgotten Maid. 

THE DANIELL FAMILY –  BLENDING FACT AND FICTION by Jane Cable.

As soon as I decided the main character in my 1815 timeline for The Forgotten Maid was a ladies’ maid I needed a family to place her in. A wealthy family with a kind mistress – the conflict in the story was going to be hard enough without her working for a witch!

Now I do like the historical background to my stories to be as authentic as possible, so I thought I would choose a real family. The good and great of Cornwall had been made wealthy on the back of copper and tin mining (think Poldark!) so there were plenty of likely candidates. (Note to Jane from Carol, I am always thinking Poldark! ;-))

I almost fell across the Daniells. A few years before I had been to an exhibition at Trelissick House, their former country home, which is now a National Trust property. And there I’d learnt most of their wealth had come from a copper mine called Wheal Towan, which was very close to where we were then based. When I started to write The Forgotten Maid I wanted to set it in exactly that area, and the connection was screaming at me to be recognised.

Researching the Daniell family tree was not difficult. Ralph and Elizabeth had married young, when Elizabeth was nineteen, and proceeded to have 16 children spread over the next 22 years, although of course not all of them made it to adulthood. Therefore in 1815 I was able to reconstruct the family precisely in terms of who was married and who was left at home. In that respect the book is entirely factual.

But how do you learn about someone’s character? The answer is that you don’t, although the Daniells were generous with local causes and I found out about Elizabeth’s visits to help the destitute miners from the local parish records, so they were real enough.

Elizabeth is my main Daniell character. Middle-aged, comfortable with herself, loving yet strict with her children and still very much in love with Ralph. She is delighted to find a French maid who is actually French (particularly in the provinces most just pretended to be) and values Therese’s skills. She is kind, almost motherly to her and trusts her implicitly, and Therese repays her with loyalty and faithfulness.

But someone has to disrupt this domestic harmony and the perfect candidate from history was Mary, the Daniell’s sixteen year old daughter. Sixteen was just the age to come out into society and I decided Elizabeth didn’t want a London season for her daughter if she could help it. The queen was ill, so there seemed to be little point as there would be no court presentation, and with one daughter married and living a long distance away, she liked the idea of a local husband for Mary.

Mary was a wonderful character to create. I needed her to be both loveable and charming, but with a real wilful, and even spiteful, streak when she does not get her own way. And of course, going out and about in Truro society she inevitably meets an unsuitable man and will stop at nothing to try to marry him, which has very unfortunate consequences for Therese.

My third Daniell is Ralph himself. Businessman, father, husband. A solid voice of reason. His is a small part, and mostly at the end, but I hope the enduring love story between him and Elizabeth shines through.

The Forgotten Maid blurb

In 2015 Anna Pritchard arrives on the wild and rugged north Cornwall coast to supervise the build of a glamping site. The locals hate the idea and she finds herself ostracised and isolated, so she volunteers at Trelissick, a stately home that was the country estate of the affluent Daniell family in the Regency era. The more time she spends steeped in its history, the more past and present begin to collide.

In 1815, in the aftermath of Waterloo and grieving for her brother, French army seamstress Therese Ruguel arrives in Cornwall as lady’s maid to Elizabeth Daniell. Although her mistress is welcoming, not everyone in the household takes kindly to a foreigner with strange ways who speaks little english. Who can Therese trust? Because her very life could depend upon her making the right decision.

What became of Therese? Can Anna unearth the ghosts of the past? And has she finally found a place where she belongs?

The Forgotten Maid is a beautiful dual timeline romance set in Cornwall between the Poldark era and the present day. It is the first book in the Cornish Echoes dual timeline romantic mystery series.

Thank you, Jane. I greatly enjoyed The Forgotten Maid and getting to know your characters. Here is my review: 

I enjoyed this dual timeline novel set in the present and early nineteenth century, Cornwall. As you might expect from Jane Cable whispers of the past are intertwined with the present. I was captivated by the protagonists in both time periods and their stories, though I was particularly intrigued by Thérèse (the forgotten maid). I was drawn to her character and hoped her strength would prevail over the increasing difficulties she faced. In the present day, however, it was Anna’s love interest who fascinated me. I enjoyed getting to know and understand him more as the story progressed. Cornwall past and present are brought to life by the author’s evocative descriptions of the setting. The Forgotten Maid is an intriguing, captivating read.

About the author:

Jane Cable moved to Cornwall in 2017 and The Forgotten Maid is her first novel set in the county. She also writes contemporary women’s fiction under the name of Eva Glyn.

Discover more about Jane and her work, here: Facebook | Twitter | website | Apricot Plots | Sister Scribes .

Feel Good Friday with Eva Glyn.

Feel Good Friday, Guest Post, , , , , , , , , ,
Today, fellow Apricot Plotter and long time author friend Eva Glyn joins me to celebrate the release of the paperback version of her novel, The Missing Pieces of Us.

 

Tell us about the feel-good moments in The Missing Pieces of Us:

In many ways, it is the ultimate feel-good book because it shows that whatever the depths of grief, loss and mental illness human beings have to suffer, there can be a rewarding and fulfilling life at the end of the tunnel. Robin has his breakdown at a relatively young age when the mother whose carer he is dies and he doesn’t cope at all, but by the time Izzie meets him again twenty years later, although he’s going through another blip, he is a far stronger man with a huge capacity for happiness, laughter and love.

There are plenty of small feel-good moments as the book moves along; memories of munching Jaffa Cakes after spending hours in the sea, fish and chip suppers at the kitchen table, and of course, the wonderful tree in the woods where the children write to the fairies and they actually reply.

Share a review that has made you smile:

I’ve been so lucky and had some wonderful reviews of the book and many of them made me smile, but none more so than this one from book blogger Being Anne:

The story is quite beautifully written and perfectly paced. This is a book that you feel and experience rather than read – the whole emotional content is quite perfectly handled, and there were times when I physically ached for the two central characters. The author really takes the reader under their skin – you might not understand what happened any more than they do, but you feel their hurt and loss with the same intensity.

The characters are wonderfully handled, but so is the setting. A faerie tree is the perfect central focus to the story – much of the key action in the story takes place around it, near it or focused on it. It’s vividly described – with its decoration and trinkets left by people hoping for a little magic – and I love the box where children leave personal messages for the faeries. There are pagan themes, but nothing that would put anyone off for an instant – none of us can be averse to a little magic at times, and the story itself is very much of the modern world.

This is essentially a story about two people – two people that you grow to deeply care about – and how they deal and cope with trauma and loss, its impact on memory, and the possibility of second chances when hope seems to be gone.

The Missing Pieces of Us, the blurb:

When Robin and Izzie meet again twenty years after their brief affair they realise their memories of it completely different. But who is right? And how can they build a future without knowing what happened in the past? Links to purchase can be found here.

That is a wonderful review. Do you have much time to read, if so, where is your favourite place to enjoy a good book?

I find it hard to read when I am writing a new book because my characters tend to inhabit my mind, but I have spotted a natural down time when they seem to go to get their lunch, so if they do I creep away with a cup of tea and put my feet up on my bed with my Kindle for half an hour.

Fabulous, finally here are five quick-fire questions for fun:

Favourite biscuit?
Not easy as I’m gluten intolerant, but M&S’s GF millionaire shortbread is pretty special.

Swimming pool or sea?
Sea, every time, now I live in Cornwall. I just haven’t been in often enough this summer but the beaches have been so crowded.

Laptop or notepad?
I write using software so it’s my laptop every time. I use notebooks for collecting my thoughts, jotting down ideas, and exploring characters off the page.

Early morning or late at night?
Early morning. I start writing before six most days so I’m good for nothing by about four o’clock.

Trainers or heels?
Trainers. I’ve never been able to wear heels – I just can’t balance on them.

About the author:

Eva Glyn writes emotional women’s fiction inspired by beautiful places and the secrets they hide. She loves to travel, but finds inspiration can strike just as well at home as abroad. Her books are published by One More Chapter, an imprint of Harper Collins.

Although she considers herself Welsh, Eva lives in Cornwall with her husband of twenty-six years. She also writes romance with a twist of mystery as Jane Cable.

Discover more about Eva Glyn: Facbook | Instagram | Twitter | Newsletter sign up 

 

Escape to Korcula with Eva Glyn.

Escape to, Guest Post, , , , , , , , , , ,

This week, I am delighted to welcome Eva Glyn to tell us about the setting of her novel, The Olive Grove … an island full of secrets, a summer to discover them all. Over to you, Eva …

Ah, Korcula, Korcula. A gem of an island on the Dalmatian coast, almost close enough to reach out and touch the mainland, and yet with a wild beauty all of its own. Crystal seas, white pebble beaches, holm oaks and stone pines clinging to rocky outcrops… and vineyards… and olive groves. Of course, olive groves.

When I decided to set a book in Croatia I didn’t at first link it with olives, even though it is now published as The Olive Grove. What I wanted to write was a story that brought home the utter awfulness of a child living through a war; what it meant and how it felt. And how they looked back on it afterwards. It would be based on a story I heard from our tour director, Darko Barisic, just days after our visit to Korcula. He had lived through the Bosnian war in Mostar and was able to tell us about the good times and the bad.

And, of course, in any novel there must be dark and light. In fact Korcula was originally named by the Greeks as Korkyra Melaina, a reference to the black trees that covered it almost to the water’s edge. The centre of the island is still thickly forested in places, but around its coastline it sparkles and dazzles like nowhere else I know.

My character Antonia escapes from a toxic relationship to the island to work in Damir’s boutique hotel, Vila Maslina. And maslina is Croatian for olive, so this is where the connection began. And this is the house:

At first glance there was nothing special about Vila Maslina. In fact, it was quite an ordinary-looking farmhouse: two storeys in some places, three in others, with an irregular red tiled roof. But there was something a little different about it, and after a few moments she realised it was because the outside was painted not in the usual white, but with something akin to a paler version of Farrow & Ball’s Green Ground. It softened it somehow, blending it with the olive trees surrounding it. There was no other property in sight, but enlarging the picture on her screen Antonia could see a patchwork of vineyards behind it, rising to meet dark wooded hills…

…A heavy pine door in need of some TLC swung open and Antonia found herself in an elegant living room. The centrepiece was a massive fireplace with a mantelshelf carved from brilliant white stone; above it was an abstract painting in swirls of blue, instantly evoking the sea. The walls were the colour of the palest possible sky and swags of white muslin framed the windows. Bleached pine floors; low, squashy sofas; mismatched antique occasional tables – Antonia could almost smell the beeswax – this room was perfection.

Vila Maslina has been Damir’s home since he was a small boy, where he came to live with his aunt to escape his wartime past. But now that past is finding him again and it seems there is nowhere he can run to.

I hope The Olive Grove whisks readers away to beautiful Korcula, to live in Antonia and Damir’s world as they try to help each other to heal, and early reviews have made me hopeful that is the case:

“An extraordinary read. I really did feel as though I was part of the story myself.” Rubie

“A beautifully written book that made me want to visit Korcula.” Jill

“An excellent job of contrasting the idyllic setting with the horrors that took place decades earlier.” Claire

The Olive Grove was published by One More Chapter as an ebook on 3rdSeptember with paperback and audiobook to follow in November. For stockist information visit here.

Thank you so much for the wonderful post, Eva. The Olive Grove has landed on my kindle and I am looking forward to reading it. xx

About the Author:

Eva Glyn writes emotional women’s fiction inspired by beautiful places and the stories they hide. She loves to travel, but finds inspiration can strike just as well at home or abroad.

She cut her teeth on just about every kind of writing (radio journalism, advertising copy, PR, and even freelance cricket reporting) before finally completing a full length novel in her forties. Four lengthy and completely unpublishable tomes later she found herself sitting on an enormous polystyrene book under the TV lights of the Alan Titchmarsh Show as a finalist in the People’s Novelist competition sponsored by Harper Collins. Although losing out to a far better writer, the positive feedback from the judges gave her the confidence to pursue her dreams.

Eva lives in Cornwall, although she considers herself Welsh, and has been lucky enough to have been married to the love of her life for twenty-five years. She also writes as Jane Cable.

Discover more about Eva Glyn: Facbook | Instagram | Twitter | Newsletter sign up