This summer best-selling author Janice Horton takes her readers on a holiday of a lifetime, as her new romantic adventure novel, Castaway in the Caribbean, sets sail.
She'll be navigating the waters of the blogosphere for the next two weeks, dropping anchor at various points to visit some arrr-some blogs for reviews, piratey guest posts and a swashbuckling giveaway. So why not join us for
more fun than you’ll find in any travel brochure…
What they say:
Vacationing on the beautiful Caribbean island of Antigua, Janey Sinclair is persuaded by her magazine editor boss to do a quick island hop in order to supervise an impromptu photo-shoot for the front cover. With no flights immediately available, Janey is directed to the harbour.
Captain Travis Mathews hates tourists, although he’s not above making a bit of money off a prissy and sharp tongued young British girl when she’s desperate to get to the neighbouring island of Tortola.
After striking a deal, they set off together in Travis’s weather-beaten old boat. When the vessel comes to a sudden full stop in the sea, the mismatched pair end up as castaways on an uninhabited island.
In this fast moving romantic adventure about a vacation that turns into a tropical nightmare there’s more fun than you’ll find in any travel brochure.A Message From The Author I was incredibly fortunate to spend most of last summer in the Caribbean, writing and researching Castaway in the Caribbean. I found it challenging only in the respect of being continually distracted from the manuscript by the tropical sunshine, the white sand beaches, the warm aquamarine sea, rum cocktails, and the fabulous social scene on offer. Many of these distractions are well documented on my website, blog and Facebook page (links are below), if you are interested in reading the details and seeing the photos!
Author Interview
1. When did you first realise you wanted to be a writer?
I think my ambition to be a writer was kindled as a child. I particularly loved Enid Blyton’s Secret Seven and Famous Five books and I devoured Ruby Ferguson’s Jill’s Pony Books over and over again. In the 1980’s I read everything by Jackie Collins and Jilly Cooper – while dreaming about being a writer myself.2. How long does it take you to write a book? In 2013, in just one year, I wrote a series of three novellas and a non-fiction book. My full length fiction has always taken me much longer. My first full length book ‘When We First Love’ took me four years to write while I was bringing up our three boys. Book number two ‘Bagpipes and Bullshot’ took three years to complete for the same reason. I managed to write ‘Reaching for the Stars’ in two years. Last year, I starting writing ‘Castaway in the Caribbean’ while I was in the Caribbean and it took me eight months to complete. So I’m getting faster!
3. What is your work schedule like when you're writing? When I am in the Caribbean, which is where I’m based just now, if the power and internet is on then I’m at my laptop first thing in the morning with a cup of tea, checking emails, answering them, posting about life in general and writing in particular to social media sites such as my website and blog, Facebook and Twitter. Then it’s time for a tropical fruit smoothie and some writing. I try to write everyday and use a timetable on an Excel spreadsheet to help keep to deadlines. I set weekly word targets for the first draft of my work in progress rather than daily ones – so I can be flexible if something comes along - and then I get a chance to catch up. I also have to schedule writing my monthly feature ‘The Bookshelf’ for Loveahappyending Lifestyle Magazine and my quarterly ‘Snap Gap’ travel features too. But when I’m not on my laptop, I’m either on a beach, out on a boat, swimming in the sea, or doing a bit of yoga. Life is fun and very hectic!
4. How do your books get published? These days I am a self-published author – which sounds like I’m publishing books all alone when that couldn’t actually be further from the truth. I write the books myself but I have a wonderful team of people to support me with the business of publishing. I employ a professional editor, a cover designer, and I now also have several publicists onboard to help me promote my books while I’m researching and writing the next ones. All my books are available worldwide exclusively from Amazon for Kindle and also in Paperback.
5. Where do you get your information or ideas for your books? Ideas come to me from all aspects of life. A snippet of something I’ve read in a newspaper or magazine, a few words overheard, or a concept that makes me think… what if? I write contemporary romance, so I’m mostly inspired by things people will do for and because of love.
6. When did you write your first book and how old were you? I started writing my first book ‘When We First Love’ in the year 2000 in the month of my birthday. My mum said to me: ‘Now you are 40 years old, don’t you think you should do something about wanting to be a writer by actually writing something?’
7. What do you like to do when you're not writing? I love to travel with my husband. I love being with my family – although that usually means travelling. I love wine and rum – but not in the same glass. I love chatting to readers and other writers. I’m a member of several writing groups and I’m a full member of the Romantic Novelist’s Association. I like walking, swimming and yoga.
8. What does your family think of your writing? My mum reads my books and tells everyone about them so I think she’s quite proud of me. My husband and two of our three sons are not readers and so haven’t a clue what I write but are very supportive while I’m working. Our other son is an avid reader and I’m sure he’s my biggest fan. J
9. What was one of the most surprising things you learned in creating your books? I really enjoy all the research. For example, cattle farming features in ‘Bagpipes and Bullshot’ and so to get the details right I visited beef farms and interviewed a Scottish Estate Farmer. For my celebrity chef book, I visited Michelin starred kitchens and spoke to lots of chefs. The most surprising thing was when my research sparked a bit of media interest and an ITV producer decided to make a news feature film about my writing and my culinary research, which was shown on TV and turned out to be great publicity for my book ‘Reaching for the Stars’. You can watch it on my website news page. 10. How many books have you written? Which is your favourite? Castaway in the Caribbean is actually my tenth title and my favourite is always the one I have just finished – so Castaway it is then!
11. Do you have any suggestions to help me become a better writer? If so, what are they? To be a writer you also have to be a reader. Read lots. To be a good writer you have to learn and hone your craft and always strive for your personal best with every book you write. To be a bestselling writer you need to anticipate what your reader wants to read and also work very hard on getting your book known and talked about.
12. Do you hear from your readers much? What kinds of things do they say? I love to get messages on Facebook and on Twitter from readers saying they’ve enjoyed reading my books. I’m delighted when a reader takes the time to leave an Amazon review and I’m totally thrilled to bits when they say what they’ve particularly enjoyed about a book and given it a good star ranking. If I get any negative reviews, and like most authors I’ve had one or two, then I try not to dwell on it too much and remember that everyone is entitled to their opinion and everyone’s tastes are different.
13. What do you think makes a good story? I personally love to read a romance story between two interesting characters in a fabulous setting with a huge dollop of adventure and a great dashing of humour. I like to think all my books have all these elements and that not only makes for a good story – it also makes them great fun for me to write!
14. What would you like my readers to know? I was incredibly fortunate to spend the summer of 2014 in the Caribbean, writing and researching Castaway in the Caribbean. I found it challenging only in the respect of being continually distracted from the manuscript by the tropical sunshine, the white sand beaches, the warm aquamarine sea, rum cocktails, and the fabulous social scene on offer. Many of these distractions are well documented on my website, blog and Facebook page, if you are interested in reading the details and seeing the photos! For the purposes of proper research for this novel, I travelled to and explored many Caribbean islands and, despite my tendency for sea sickness, I also spent a lot of time in boats. I even got to sail around Tortola, the larger of the British Virgin Islands, in a restored schooner that had been used in the filming of the original Pirates of the Caribbean movie. The Virgin Islands inspired me with the modern day setting for Castaway in the Caribbean because, of this chain of around 90 small islands, islets, cays and rocks in the Caribbean Sea, many are uninhabited. I eventually settled down to write this romantic adventure story on the Caribbean island of Utila, the smaller of the Bay Islands, just off the coast of Honduras. Likened to the Key West of long ago, Utila is a quaint, unspoilt and laid-back little island. Sitting on the largest barrier reef in the western hemisphere, it is also a paradise for scuba diving, which is exactly was what my husband was doing every day while I was busy writing this story. Research is a valuable tool for a writer, so I do hope all the fun and adventure I had in the Caribbean has found its way into the pages of Castaway in the Caribbean. Janice xx
Castaway in the Caribbean is available worldwide exclusively from Amazon
Author Bio
Janice Horton - Author of Romantic Adventure Novels
Janice Horton writes contemporary romantic fiction with a dash of humour and a sense of adventure. Look out for Janice’s new release for 2015 Castaway in the Caribbean and her Amazon Kindle bestselling books Bagpipes and Bullshot and Reaching for the Stars and her fun Voodoo Romance series of novellas. Her nonfiction guide to online promotion How To Party Online is recommended reading by publishers. Janice is a senior editor at the award-winning Loveahappyending Lifestyle Magazine (LLm) and she is a regular blogger. You’ll also find her on Facebook and Twitter.
Links
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