Sofa Spotlight - The Journal of Madame Giovanni, Alexandre Dumas

I read this over Christmas and it was brilliant. Although an odd choice because Madame Giovanni’s travels take her round most of the warmer climates of the world.

From what I can tell Madame Giovanni was a real person who kept a journal and Mr Dumas edited it into its present form. So Madame Giovanni is a French lady who is married to an Italian merchant. She accompanies him on his travels which start off in Australia and the journal ends with her crossing Mexico on her way back to France. In between there are many adventures and I couldn’t help but admire the bravery of Madame Giovanni and her husband. They see off thieves, storms and fires in San Francisco, but then they also do fun things like eating Welsh rarebit on a boat.

The end of the journal was a bit of a frustration. Whilst she leaves her husband behind in the states to sort things out there she travels back to France via Mexico. On said journey she gets caught up in a civil war and then the journal kind of comes to an abrupt end. And I don’t like not finding out what happens. I couldn’t help but get sucked into this book so I’m disappointed not to be able to find out what happens.

But other than that I would highly recommend reading this. There’s a lot of detail and it’s a great window into a different time and culture.

Catch up on the Sofa with A. L. Kent

Author of A Journey of Three Degrees A. L. Kent has taken a seat on the sofa to share some thoughts.

When did you first realise that you wanted to be a writer?
I've always liked writing. As early as I was able to form words on paper, I started journaling. By my early teens, I was writing poetry, too. My first stories came as a result of course work in high school and at university. In my twenties, I felt the initial stirring to become an author. And the seed of that was first nurtured at the 1st book signing I attended, where I met and was inspired by Nicholas Sparks, in 1998! Now I am bursting with material which has been collected over two decades, practiced, and hopefully perfected and ready to be given to an audience. I have several works in process, multiple genres, and am excited to finally have reached the point in my life to start publishing.

What was the first book that made you cry?
The first book that made me cry was The Diary of Anne Frank. I had to read that in English class in 4th grade, I think it was, and it of course left a lasting impression.

What was your favourite book as a child?
There were a few. But I remember reading Peter Pan over-and-over. And I was very taken with Little Women.

What are you reading right now?
Right now I am reading books from authors I've recently met in order to give them reviews. Once I do, I will post about them. Until then, I'd rather not disclose the titles.

What do you like to do when you're not writing?
When I am not writing, I enjoy supporting others, especially other creatives. I dream of becoming seriously involved in philanthropy in the future. There are so many causes I wish to support. Top of my list is enjoying & supporting my family, my husband and our two children, and extended family, as well. Travelling, cooking, walking and cycling in the great outdoors, these are also activities I treasure.

What was your inspiration for A Journey of Three Degrees?
A Journey of Three Degrees literally began as a dream! As I was sleeping, I saw a scene that, although highly edited from its original form, still exists near the ending of the book. The main character Anna's emotion grabbed hold of me just before I awakened and spurred me to begin writing her story. I had to work backwards, to create a beginning, then a middle, and to connect all with the ending. It was quite an adventure, as the story seemed to write itself - bits from dreams, inspirations from films and songs, all mixed with elements from my own life. Every time I sat down to write, it all just flowed through me and took me on a journey, which I had not planned. Every session came with adventure & surprises, emotional ups & downs, and I became hooked on the process.

Do you have ideas for future books you might want to write?
Currently, I am finishing edits on the sequel to A Journey of Three Degrees that I plan to publish this summer. In it, Anna's journey comes full circle. I plan on writing many more novels and trying several different genres. An idea for a thriller is brewing in my mind...



Make sure you have a read of her book:

Sofa Spotlight - Mortom, Erik Therme

Just so you know - I was kindly given a copy of this book in exchange for an honest and fair review.

The basic plot is about a guy called Craig who dies suddenly and unexpectedly and leaves his estate to his cousin Andy on condition that he visits his house within a week of his death. Andy duly arrives with his sister Katy at the start of the story. They’ve not been in the house long before they find a dead rat with a piece of paper stuffed down its throat. And so begins the first clue that Craig has left for Andy to follow, on a trail that Andy thinks could lead to money but could equally lead nowhere.

There was a feel of a Dan Brown novel to it, in that it was fast paced, clue based, thrilling drama. But it also felt a bit more down to earth and normal. It takes place in an ordinary town with ordinary people. There’s no flying half way around the world to save the world or defuse a bomb or anything like that. And I found that a refreshing change and somewhat more believable.

However, what really made me fall in love with this book (and you know you’re in love when you can’t stop thinking about it, the ending is still making me smile - it was so pleasing) were the characters. They weren’t what I expected and I probably love and hate them exactly where I was supposed to, but the character that interested me the most was Kate. She had real depth, having compassion on both Craig and his mother. As the story progressed she showed more courage than Andy and received her reward at the end. Like I say, her actions at the end are still making me smile.

That’s not to say that plot wasn’t brilliant in its own right. Early on I worked out either the first or the second clue and felt very proud of myself, thinking that I would be able to unravel them all and always be one step ahead of Andy. However that was my one and only success and in the end I had to give up guessing and just enjoy the story.

If this book has any weaknesses it would be in some of the characters. One of them I didn’t really buy into - I’m not convinced he would have gone as far as he did in this. I would also have liked to have seen more of Aunt Mary, I felt like she had more to offer.

So yes I would highly recommend this one. It didn’t take me long to read - mainly because I had to read fast to find out what happens. I also didn’t guess the ending and I like that.

Catch up on the Sofa with Maria Johnson

Author of The Boy from the Snow and The Veiled Wolf Maria Johnson has taken a seat on the sofa and shared some insights.

When did you first realise you wanted to be a writer?

I honestly can’t remember a time when I wasn’t writing – I think I was scribbling down stories from when I was very young. I remember in primary school an author came to visit. After a quick Google, I’ve realised it was a children’s book called ‘Come Back Hercules’ written by Rob Lewis and published in 1998. Sadly today it’s out of print, but I still remember thinking how cool it was to be the one who wrote the stories. Perhaps the seed of becoming an author was planted then!

Then, in Year 9 English, at the school year my teacher set us homework at the beginning of the year, asking us questions about ourselves and what we might want to do after school. I think I must’ve been particularly brave that year, because I wrote I wanted to be an author and shyly admitted to a short story I’d written.

Then, when I got the homework back, it was covered with a big sticky note with a smiley face on it. She wrote comments on it, telling me how interested she was that I’d written a story and told me to pursue my love of writing. I’ve never forgotten her encouraging smiley notes.

What do you like to do when you're not writing?

As well as my love for writing, I enjoy swimming, walking, spending time with friends and a good cup of coffee. I’m also a Christian and a minister’s wife, so I love being involved with my local church family and with wider Christian organisations.

What was your favourite book as a child?

I’ve had a few favourite books over the years! I loved ‘Black Beauty’ by Anne Sewell, ‘The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett’ and ‘Treasures of the Snow’ by Patricia St.John

What was the first book that made you cry?

Good question- probably Black Beauty. I loved Black Beauty as a child and the author, Anne Sewell, writes so well that you are really gripped by Black Beauty’s journey and really connect with his emotions. There’s a couple of really dark, sad moments in the book that are so well written, with such honesty and pain, that I couldn’t help but cry along with him.

What was your inspiration for ‘The Boy from the Snow’?

I’ve had the main character of ‘The Boy from the Snow’ since I was a child. When I was about 7, my brother got Lego. He would be off building amazing structures, but I was more fascinated with the Lego characters, particularly a soldier character. I used to take the yellow Lego characters to my room and make up stories with them. That’s where my main character, Daniel was born and the main plot idea for him, as well as the characters King Cedric and Princess Evelyn, who also feature heavily in the book.

How long did it take you to write it?

Writing ‘The Boy from the Snow’ was a gradual process that took quite a while. First of all it was in my teens, when I realised the story I’d made up when I was 7 with those Lego characters had not really left me. I started writing about him in my late teens and again in my early twenties- this was a very old first draft, simply called ‘Daniel’ and it didn’t have the Celtic historical context that would develop later.

It was when my husband and I went to Oak Hill College in London, where my husband studied for ministry, that I realised again, Daniel and his story had never really left me. It was also the first time in a few years I had a bit more free time to write, as I’d decided to get involved with college life rather than work full time. During my first year at college I set about rewriting it and did some research to place him in the Celtic period, before finally submitting it in August 2016.

  

What was one of the most surprising things you learned while you were writing The Boy from the Snow?

I’m not sure how much this surprised me per se, but I really loved doing the historical research for ‘The Boy from the Snow’. After deciding that post-Roman Celtic Britain fit Daniel the best (there was a lot of rival kingdoms and warring kings during this time, which was an important aspect of the book), I really enjoyed the process of setting Daniel in this wider world. Although the Kingdoms of Gaeson and Klumeck mentioned in the book are fictional, the wider kingdom of Rheged (a Celtic kingdom spreading across Cumbria and parts of Cheshire and Lancashire) really existed.

Some people might find the word ‘research’ boring, but for me it was anything but – rather, every fact I read added that bit more colour and detail to Daniel’s world. I particularly enjoyed the aspect of Daniel interacting with kings and historical figures that really existed, for example King Urien who was perhaps the most famous King over all Rheged.

How many hours a day do you write?

Since moving to Cheshire, I’ve decided to write as my main job – I’m so humbled and privileged that I get to do what I love and especially that I have such a wonderful husband who is in complete support of me writing rather than looking for other paid work and squeezing writing into my evenings or weekends.

In a typical day, I can write between 4-6 hours, usually a block in the morning and a block in the afternoon. This can vary, as I’m also involved with other church activities during the week.

Do you hide any secrets in your books that only a few people will find?

My book does have a few spoilers, but these are all particularly obvious! There aren’t really any secrets I can think of that then aren’t revealed in the book, however there are some plot threads I haven’t resolved because they then are picked up in my next novel, ‘The Veiled Wolf,’ the sequel- out 30^th May.

  

Do you believe in writer’s block?

Interesting question! Yes, I believe it can happen, that words can sometimes struggle to flow. If it happens to me, it’s quite niggly stuff, like how to get from the start of a scene to an end of a scene.

What did take me a while though was trying to finish my third novel (I finished the first draft about six weeks ago). I had gotten to the point where I had written all the scenes, but there were over 20 highlighted sections where I’d said ‘link to next scene’ ‘expand this bit’ ‘finish chapter’ etc. It took quite a while to finish those bits, to ‘connect the dots’ as it were, without writing ‘the next day…’ repeatedly. I eventually got there, though. I’m now currently letting my first novel sit a bit (I’ve been editing a young adult fantasy novel, called ‘Lottie’s Locket’, that I’ve been working on in the meantime), but I’m looking forward starting to edit the third novel soon.

Find out more about Maria Johnson on her website and follow her on Twitter

Website https://mariajohnsonauthor.wixsite.com/mariajohnsonauthor/about#!

Twitter- @MariaJauthor

And don't forget to read her books: