EQ Welcomes Romy Gemmell!

Exquisite Quills Welcomes Romy Gemmell for our Author Interview Series!

EQ: Welcome to EQ! Tell us a little bit about yourself!

Romy: Hi, thank you so much for allowing me to chat for a while! I’m a Scottish writer and author of published short stories, articles, children’s and adult novels. I’m also the mother of a grown-up son and daughter and happily married wife to a lovely husband who supports my writing. Lucky for me he’s been in the travel business most of his life, so we’ve had the opportunity to visit many wonderful places together. I’m now trying to write full-time as well as doing occasional talks and adjudications, in between all the coffees and chats with friends.

EQ: What has been the most exquisite moment of your life?

Romy: I think that has to be the birth of my first child, a son, many, many years ago. I was a fairly young married woman and took to motherhood right away. Having such an exquisite little life to care for changed our lives of course and I was happy to be a stay-at-home mum. The birth of my daughter two years later was equally exquisite, as I hadn’t realized I wanted the next to be a girl so much until she was born! I’m truly blessed to have two such wonderful grown-up children. The birth of my first grandchild last year was another exquisite moment!

EQ: What was your defining moment as a writer?

Romy: Although I wrote romantic teenage-type poetry in high school, I didn’t really begin writing anything else until the children were growing up. The real change came when I joined my local writing group after we moved house and I started writing fiction. My defining moment as a writer was attending the annual Scottish Association of Writers’ Weekend Conference for the first time, where I won the woman’s short story competition. The editor judging the award bought my story for his well-known women’s magazine. I wasn’t the only stunned face in the audience and it set me on my career as a published writer!

EQ: What are your top three guilty pleasures?

Romy: Chocolate – particularly a particular make of luxury chocolates here in the UK. I also adore thin, dark after dinner mints but I have to stay away from the nation’s favourite milk chocolate as the amount of fat and sugar it contains seems to be too addictive for me. I now try to eat very good quality dark chocolate with around 70% cocoa as that’s actually good for us (in moderation)!

Watching a good drama on TV. It’s a daily pleasure to sit down in the evening to watch a crime series, costume drama, or mystery. If there’s nothing worth watching on TV, I love a good film on DVD.

Putting on some upbeat music and dancing around the room. I’ve always loved dancing (and music) but don’t go to a class at the moment, so this is the next best thing. Fortunately, the room where I work is at the back of the house with only the hills beyond and the only audience is an occasional sheep or cow on the other side of the fence!

EQ: Tell us a little bit about your most recent release.

Romy: My new release, Midwinter Masquerade, is a full length historical novel set in Scotland in 1816. Although it’s during the Regency era, it begins in Edinburgh then most of the story takes place in the Scottish countryside.

Young widow Lady Lenora Fitzallan accepts an invitation to the estate of Edward Montgomery, the man she once thought to marry seventeen years previously. Accompanied by her godmother, Lady Pettigrew, Lenora forms a friendship with Edward’s young niece and ward, Annabelle, who has a propensity for getting into scrapes and falling in love with the wrong man. In the days leading up to the Masquerade Ball on the Winter Solstice, unexpected guests arrive and family secrets are revealed. It is only when the past is revealed and the real villain is unmasked, that Lenora must decide where and with whom her future now lies.

Get to know more about Romy Gemmell and Midwinter Masquerade

Midwinter Masquerade is available from Amazon US:  http://www.amazon.com/Midwinter-Masquerade-Romy-Gemmell-ebook/dp/B00G4DNG7G 

And in all e-formats through Tirgearr Publishing: http://www.tirgearrpublishing.com/authors/Gemmell_Romy/midwinter-masquerade.htm

Website: www.rosemarygemmell.com

Main Blog: http://ros-readingandwriting.blogspot.com

Twitter: @rosemarygemmell