Late Night Sessions

What's her name?

Vicky

Why did you pick that name?

She’s named after Vicki Williams, a favourite folk singer of mine. My Vicky is a folk enthusiast living in the Midlands, and a flautist, while Vicki Williams is a singer songwriter from Wales who gigs with her husband Trefor – so aside from the folk connection they don’t have much in common.

Give us a brief description of how she looks.

Vicky isn’t a great beauty, but is pretty in her own way. She’s on the tall side of average height, with curly, reddish brown hair that falls to her shoulders. Grief has taken a toll on her, and at the outset of the book, she looks gaunt and weary. Despite her relative youth (26) you can tell from her eyes that she’s been through a lot. Slow to smile, and prone to fits of deep melancholy, Vicky isn’t an approachable young woman, but when she plays her flute, you can see something of the joy and passion she had before everything went tragically wrong.

Is there anything unusual about her appearance? Aside from the marks of sorrow and hard experience, Vicky looks quite unremarkable. She is a typical, bright twenty something young woman, with jeans, doc martin boots and skimpy tops.

Who does she love? Why? Vicky’s life used to centre around her flatmate and best friend, Kirsten. Death has not destroyed her attachment, but she needs to move on. Her affections are engaged by Dan – a much older folk musician who has his own difficult past to contend with.

Does this person love her? Initially, Vicky has no idea what to make of Dan – he seems interested, but his personality is full of contradictions and he reveals little about himself. He isn’t an easy person to trust, and it takes Vicky quite a while to determine how he feels about her.

Tell us about her family. Vicky grew up in Malvern – a small town on the edge of the Malvern hills, in the UK Midlands. Her mother is an unpredictable matriarch, her father is laid back to the point of seldom bothering to communicate. Vicky has a younger sister, with whom she is on good terms, and a large extended family of aunts, uncles and cousins who all live in the same area. Although they are nice enough people, Vicky seldom knows how to relate to them.

Where is she from?

Malvern is an old town spread along the side of some very big hills. It’s a spa town, with a reputation for health giving mineral waters. Vicky grew up hankering after city life, and greater possibility. Having gone to Birmingham University for her degree, she stayed on in the city, only to find that wasn’t what she wanted either. Being the sort of person who can feel isolated anywhere, she’s never really found her place in the world.

Does her hometown affect her behaviour, thoughts and attitude? Vicky has struck out on her own, moving away from her hometown and trying to find her own ways of doing things. She rejects a lot of her parents’ attitudes, but is affected by the small town values she acquired growing up.

What does she want out of life? At the outset of the novel, Vicky has no idea what she wants. She isn’t happy with her job, she doesn’t like the city and has let a lot of her friendships falter. She’s single, but not really looking for love. Still trying to get to grips with her recent bereavement, she can’t yet plan for the future. Only when she knows herself a little better will she be able to figure out what she wants.

What's her biggest secret? Vicky still talks to Kirsten, even though the other girl is some months dead. Sometimes Kirsten seems to answer her, but this isn’t something Vicky feels able to share with most of the people in her life.

Did you write more than one story about her?

Vicky has the lead role in ‘Late Night Sessions’ but also turns up as bit part in the book I’m currently working on – ‘Hazel Arden’ which is also set in the Midlands.

How would she describe you? I’m very likely someone Vicky would enjoy jamming with as her flute playing would compliment me singing and playing the bouzouki. She would describe me as a fellow folky, and a druid like her friend Kirsten. I am the sort of person she could sit up late talking with, and would get along well enough with her eccentric older man.


Is there anything else about your heroine that we need to know? Feel free to share.

Vicky is on a challenging journey, one that will bring insights, self awareness and hope. It takes her a while to discover her own strength.

Please provide your website link. http://bryncolvin.mysite.orange.co.uk

What is the link to buy your book?

Late Night Sessions

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Late-Night-Sessions/dp/1934446076/ref=sr_1_1/202-6559455-6676664?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1191227563&sr=1-1

http://www.amazon.com/Late-Night-Sessions-Bryn-Colvin/dp/1934446076/ref=tag_dpp_lp_edpp_ttl_in/105-8048599-4428442?ie=UTF8&qid=1191227046&sr=8-8

Judgment Fire by Marilyn Meredith

Tell us about your heroine --- the female lead in your book.

What's her name? Deputy Tempe Crabtree, the Tempe is short for Temperance.

Why did you pick that name?
Tempe Crabtree was my great-grandmother's name. I never met her, but she was a strong and valiant woman who lived an exciting life. I wrote about her in an historical family saga called Two Ways West. The name seemed perfect for my heroine who is also strong, valiant and lives and exciting life.

Give us a brief description of how she looks.
Tempe is about 5'8" with long, black hair she usually wears in a single braid. When she's working she fastens the braid up with a barrette. Her Native American heritage also shows in her facial bone structure and her coloring. She looks a lot like my daughter-in-law who is part Indian and beautiful.

Is there anything unusual about her appearance? She has blue eyes, which is surprising to many.

Who does she love? Why? She loves her husband, Hutch, who is the minister of the local church. They've not been married long--both had previous spouses who died. Though they love each other deeply, at times they have problems because of Tempe's use of the spiritual side of her heritage.

Does this person love her? Hutch loves her as much as she loves him though he worries about the danger she often finds herself in--both physically and spiritually.

Tell us about her family. She has one son, Blair. He is now in college taking fire science courses. He figure predominately in the book I'm now writing.

Where is she from? She was born and raised in Bear Creek where she is now the resident Deputy.

Does her hometown affect her behavior, thoughts and attitude?
Though she's a quarter Indian, she ignored that part of her life for many years. In Bear Creek, everyone knows her and she knows everyone. As a Native American she is treated much better now than she was growing up.

What does she want out of life? Tempe biggest desire is to have a long and loving life with Hutch. But she also wants to keep the peace in Bear Creek.

What's her biggest secret? (Only share if it isn't a spoiler in the story.) I don't think she has any secrets except when she does something that she knows will upset her husband.

Did you write more than one story about her? Oh, my yes, I've written a whole series about Tempe, seven books in all. The latest is Judgment Fire which brings up some painful memories for Tempe.

How would she describe you? If Tempe wasn't a product of my imagination and was the resident Deputy here, she probably wouldn't know me at all, since I don't get speeding tickets or cause problems in town.

Is there anything else about your heroine that we need to know? Feel free to share. In every book, Tempe does something that upsets her husband but enables her to learn something which helps her solve a murder.

Please provide your website link.
http://fictionforyou.com

What is the link to buy your book?
Judgment Fire and Calling the Dead, the latest in the series, can be purchased from http://www.mundania.com or ordered from any bookstore.

It was wonderful to meet her. Thank you for bringing her to meet us