Vanessa :)
As
I said the last time I interviewed you (it was a year
ago already!)… When I joined Twitter, you were one of the first authors I came
across and I loved the way you came across. Straight-talking, friendly, and
approachable. Your blogs portray the same image. And over the last year,
nothing has changed! You are one of the nicest authors I have met online!
So,
when I saw your book was up for grabs via Rosie’s Book Review Team I was in
there in a flash!
You
kindly let me have a copy of Kings & Queens and Last Child. I read both
back-to-back! Here are my reviews…
*~*~*~*
KINGS AND QUEENS by Terry Tyler
“This
book is intense!
For
anyone who has watched series like Dallas, Dynasty, The Colbys or Falcon Crest
(yes, I admit it - I have) this brought back so many memories! My grandmother
was obsessed and I remember coming home from school and watching Falcon Crest
with her, or when I was sick watching Dynasty. Dallas was much discussed at
school! Yes, I am going back approx 30 years!
There
was something about characters like Joan Collins, who nearly slept with her son
and seduced anyone in sight that made for addictive viewing! As well as the
alcoholics and drug addicts! (The rich have it SO tough)
So
back to the book. Kings and Queens is all about this & more!
Romance,
adultery, suspense, a lot of death and heartache, "fit" men and
women, and also (which was nice to see) normal boring characters that fit in
nicely to the massacre that is the old-fashioned Lanchester mentality!
Lanchester's
Empire is a male dominated family business which relies on the family
"male" heir to provide continuity.
Things
do not go well from the start though. The first born, Alex, dies in a
rock-climbing accident and the second son, Harry, takes the reins of the
business at the age of 18!
The
saga that continues as his love-life goes on the biggest roller-coaster EVER is
extreme.
Personally,
I found many of the scenarios to be unbelievable but this is the beauty of
fiction! Perfect escapism into a world where many are crooks, adulterers and ruthless
murderers!
I
highly recommend this if any of what I have rambled on about makes you think,
"This is for me!" I must add that having read several of Terry
Tyler's books before her style is definitely makes for addictive reading, even
though at times some of the character changes left me slightly disorientated.”
Rated: 4 Stars
*~*~*~*
“I
have to admit that having read Kings and Queens I was immediately drawn to read
the sequel. This is the great thing about reading a book after the next one has
already been written. I have on many occasions waited for the next book in a
series to be sorely disappointed.
This
was not the case here, and I have I say I actually enjoyed Last Child even more
than reading Kings and Queens.
There
are a few reasons for this. Historically, Henry VIII has always been an
interesting historical characters because of his many wives. Personally, I
found History boring at school and never connected. What did I care that
someone had so many? Seems like a bit of an idiot to me! So, when you read
historical fiction written in a contemporary setting it brings everything to
life. It makes you think, "Wow! Now I get it!" This is what Kings and
Queens did - it made the illogical make sense.
But,
in Last Child you see the consequences of someone so promiscuous and irrational
via his offspring. The good and the bad. From the pampered male heir who wants
to get everything his way (to dire consequences), to the deranged unwanted
daughter who feels neglected and abandoned because her father rejected her via
her mother, to the younger more exuberant child who had oodles of character and
does not care what is expected of her, she just gets on with it.
The
way in which we get to eavesdrop on their thoughts and actions again explains
historical facts in a way that allows for compassion. I mean, seriously, I
would never had thought a man who has an affair with a woman half his age would
be rational. Yet, in this story it sound plausible (not for me personally, but
I got how it happened).
So
many details and actions that have so much relevance to society today. Again,
it is like watching a TV soap - everyday events are embellished with tragic
consequences.
However,
in the end Terry has left us with some inner peace. Everything does not always
go to plan, but you can make the most of a bad situation. She has also left an
opening for another book - I practically screamed at the book at the end! More
twists to come I think...
Anyway,
if you have not read this author's books before you really should. She has a
way of drawing you in, of getting you involved, of sympathising with characters
you thought you hate, and feeling annoyed at characters you thought would be
great. I love that. I want to be sent on a roller coaster ride when I read a
book and this was definitely up, down, sideways and over!
One
thing I will say is that the Lanchester family actually made me think of the
Kennedy's not the British Monarchs. I guess it's really sad when a family seems
to be so jinxed. Even the best of people have no guarantees in life. I guess we
all have to live life to the maximum and make every day count, regardless of
what the social niceties dictate.”
Rated: 4 Stars
So,
what did you think of my rambles?
It's always interesting to see what
people think of your books, Vanessa, as you know. Everyone reads them so differently. I will say, though, that Henry VIII did not
take six wives because he was an idiot (though, indeed, that may be up for
discussion!), but because it was important for him to produce a male heir, and
marriage in those days was as much a political move, to form allegiances with
other countries/noble houses, as to do with love.
I
am in awe of you for the way in which you manage to keep the books coming. What
or who inspires you to continue writing? My own muse goes for very long walks
at the moment!
It's not always easy. What keeps me doing it is simply that I feel
a bit empty if I'm not currently working on a book. I have had one on the go constantly for the
last five and a half years; I at least plan out the next while the current one
is being made ready for publication. My
'to be written' list is always about four books long!
Which
characters did you like and hate the most in these books?
My favourite characters in Kings and
Queens are Hannah (everyone's favourite!), Annette and Kate, and I couldn't
stand Jenny Seymour! In Last Child I
loved Erin, Jim and Raine; the only one I really disliked was Phil Castillo.
How
did you go about doing the research for these books?
I was already pretty well versed in
that period of history, but I also read David Starkey's book about the six
wives, and also The Watchers by Stephen Alford, and The Queen's Fool by
Philippa Gregory, and watched quite a few documentaries.
What
is the most important thing you have learnt, as an author, over the last year?
Over the last year? Hmm.... reading improves your writing, if you
take note about why your favourite books work so well. I also learnt, when writing my second
novella, that writing one of these is not just a matter of writing a shorter
story, it's a different process. I've
read novellas that should have been novels; the story has to suit the novella
size. I think I did a better job with my
second than my first.
What
advice would you give to new authors starting out now?
- Make sure your book is as good and as professionally presented as
it possibly can be; the market is saturated and competition is enormous.
- Write from the heart, not what you think sounds good.
- Do thorough research and make sure you have genuine, personal
recommendations before spending money on advertising, marketing services,
proofeading, critiques, editing, etc.
- Don't make the mistake of thinking that signing with a small,
independent publisher means you have 'made it'; this is not the same as
being traditionally published and you may find that you sell less books
and make less money than you would if self-published. Any publishing house that charges you
for any aspect of the publishing process is a vanity publisher, and should
not be touched with a barge pole.
- Make friends with lots of nice book bloggers!
Does
it differ from advice you would have given when you started?
Not a great deal, no. Promotion is a whole different ball game,
though; what worked 4 years ago would have little or no effect now.
Thanks, Vanessa, I hope this has been
of some interest to you and your readers :)
Where
we can find out about you and buy your books?
Amazon.com
Blog:
Book Review Blog
Facebook page:
Goodreads:
Many thanks, Vanessa! Xx
ReplyDeleteA great interview and inspiring reviews of two books I also really enjoyed! The bonus is that you and TT are two of my favourite people online! Can't go wrong!
ReplyDeleteThank you for reading, VP! xx
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