About Shani Struthers:
As the tagline suggests, I’m an author, a copywriter and an avid reader of books across a variety of genres (but particularly supernatural thrillers and romance). I’m also a mum of 3 (two girls and a boy, who are thankfully past the nappy and toddler tantrum stage), something of a film buff (well, not really, but I do like a good movie), an appreciator of good food (especially when it’s cooked for me) and wine snob (nothing less than a fiver!).The written word has always fascinated me, ever since I realised I could make sense of those strange markings on the page when I was 4 or 5. Since then, I’ve run riot through a world of books, even so much as completeing a degree in English and American Literature at Sussex University back in the (late) 80′s. I took to writing as a teen, mainly angst-inspired poems which I’ll post up on this site sometime plus a tale of running away to Scotland (something I was keen to do until I discovered it rained all the time there!). Early-twenties, I left my job in travel and became a freelance travel writer instead, something I do to this day. A couple of years ago, I wrote a book. Last year, I got it critiqued. The critique led to a complete re-write (don’t they always?) but I (and my beta-readers) were much happier for it. I sent it off to various publishers at the end of last year and was overwhelmed by the response. Omnific Publishing in the USA have had a great 2012, so I decided to publish with them and, so far, the experience has been delightful (I am pre-edits mind!). The book, The Runaway Year, is out soon.
Meanwhile, I’m copywriting, writing my second novel and still reading like a woman possessed. I particularly love the offerings of authors I’ve found online in various writing circles I belong to – awesome bunch, the lot of them.
Well, that’s me. If it gets more interesting, I’ll let you know.
And here's my post on her blog:
Shani
Struthers Blog Hop
1.
What is the
working title of your book or project?
I’ve got two books ‘out there’ at present. The latest one is called Daffodils and it’s
set in Edwardian England just as World War One broke out. My first book is called The Twisted Vine and
is based on my own experiences as a grape-picker during the French wine harvest
back in the 1980s. My next one is already started and is called The Rose Trail,
a ghost story set against the back drop of the English Civil War.
2. Where did the idea come from for the book or project?
I’ll tell you about
Daffodils, my latest release. This was a slow burn! I lived in a village in
Wiltshire and borrowed its geography for the book. There was an old guy, called
Harry, who lived in skid row – the terrace of tiny cottages we lived in – next
to us. He had a wooden leg from an old
injury working on the railways. Harry
was nearly 100 years old and a great talker.
He told me about how taps finally arrived in the cottages in the not too
distant past. Initially there was only a pump on the village green, then
standpipes at the end of the row of cottages, then a tap to be shared between
two back doors and then, finally in the sixties, each cottage got a sink with
its own tap! I was captivated by this
and the germ of an idea was born. We
caught the end of an era when we lived there in the 1980s and it was where our
children were born. I wanted to capture
the era I could see would pass with Harry, who still rented his cottage from the
local landowners, in a feudal, timeless way.
3. What genre does it fall under if any?
Historical fiction with a bit of romance, and some military
background from the battlefields of WW1. It could also be seen as a bit
feminist!
4. If applicable, who would you choose to play your
characters in a movie?
I always find this a hard question! Katy could be portrayed very well by Keira
Knightly; Jem by James McIvoy and Lionel by Christian Bale. I must remember to give them all a ring. I
know they are waiting to hear from me!!!
5.
What is the
one-sentence synopsis of your manuscript or project?
Showing the impact of the First World War on everyday
people living ordinary country lives and how it shook up society values on
class, gender and other values forever.
6. Will your book or story be self-published or
represented by an agency?
Self published on www.amazon.com as an ebook and paperback and also on www.feedaread.com as a paperback.
Self published on www.amazon.com as an ebook and paperback and also on www.feedaread.com as a paperback.
7. How long did it take you to write the first draft of
your manuscript?
Would you believe ten whole years?
Would you believe ten whole years?
8. What other book or stories would you compare this
story to within the genre?
Birdsong covers similar ground and left a big
impression on me but only after I’d finished Daffodils. I was pretty annoyed that Downton Abbey also
covered this era and stole my thunder and now The Village is doing the
same. Downton is a bit lightweight and
The Village is too miserable. I hope Daffodils strikes the right balance.
9. Who or What inspired you to write this book or story?
Old Harry, cited above but also when I started to write about his era and read the research I was so moved by the sacrifice and courage of that generation, particularly the women (and you don’t hear of them so often), that I felt compelled to tell their story, in the best way I could.
Old Harry, cited above but also when I started to write about his era and read the research I was so moved by the sacrifice and courage of that generation, particularly the women (and you don’t hear of them so often), that I felt compelled to tell their story, in the best way I could.
10.
What else
about the book or story might pique the reader's interest?
Anyone who loves history and learning how people
managed country life before electricity, cars and information technology should
be interested in the detail shown of Edwardian life. Also I did a lot of research on the
conditions of the soldiers in the British Expeditionary Force, and the way they
were treated really shocked me. And any
woman who wants to know how we evolved from being drudges and became
independent people in our own right will find Katy’s journey in to the Women’s Auxiliary
Army Corps fascinating. I did when I
researched it and had no idea how involved and resourceful these women were.
This is a link to my blog where I post about my writing
experiences and works in progress.
Reviews are also posted here. And blog posts from other lovely authors
too!
http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B00BPUQAY4/ref=tsm_1_fb_lk
http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B0089M2TSM/ref=tsm_1_fb_lk
Every journey is an adventure. Especially one into
the unknown. The shocking discovery of her lover with someone else propels
Roxanne into escaping to France, and seeking work as a grape-picker. She's
never been abroad before and certainly never travelled alone. Opportunistic
loner, Armand, explo...

The Next Authors with exciting books to tell you about are:
Malika
Gandhi who has written 3 books and published them on amazon:
Rakesh’s Story, Freedom of the Monsoon and Where The Secret
Lies.
Prue Batten
who is the author of the Gisborne Saga and many other best
selling books.
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