Good morning from bonny Scotland! Welcome to the August, 2021 edition of my newsletter. A reminder that this newsletter is coming to you a month after it was sent out to subscribers. If you want to be eligible to win books and other prizes, and you want to get the latest right away, scroll down to the bottom of this page and subscribe!
I'm in the last few days of a visit here to see my family, the sun is shining, and I am excited about all the news we have to share with you this month, from EIGHTY DAYS TO ELSEWHERE to AN ACCIDENTAL ODYSSEY, and even from FINDING FRASER!
Not only that, we have a wonderful interview with the one and only Meg Tilly, sharing news and a giveaway of her latest thrilling novel THE RUNAWAY HEIRESS. So much excitement -- I suggest you sit down with a cup of your favourite beverage, and dig in!
welcome to Scotland
As mentioned above, I'm in Fife at the moment, here to visit family though currently locked in a quarantine dungeon. The Kingdom of Fife can be found across the Forth, north of Edinburgh, and luckily, I am here at the height of a beautiful Scottish summer. Hoping the blue skies last until I can make it out of doors again!
making kconnections - with Meg Tilly -
You may know Meg Tilly as a Golden Globe winning and Academy Award winning actress, but she is also a marvellous writer and most excellent friend. She has a string of publication credits, and most recently has published a thrilling series with Berkley Books beginning with SOLACE ISLAND, released in November 2018. This was followed in 2019 by both CLIFF’S EDGE and HIDDEN COVE. I'm so thrilled she's able to join us today, and she's even given us a few bonus questions!
Meg’s latest novel, THE RUNAWAY HEIRESS, is a standalone novel set in a place very familiar to its' author: the world of Hollywood. On the run from her estranged, police lieutenant husband, Sarah Rainsford assumes a new identity and lands a job as personal assistant to Hollywood golden boy director, Mick Talford. Soon their relationship becomes more than boss and employee, and Sarah and Mick join forces to keep her out of harm’s way. But danger trails them. Will their desperate efforts be enough to keep them both alive?
And now, three [plus!] questions with Meg...
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kc: For the writers out there: Do you have any secrets to getting the words of your stories onto the page?
MT: For me, there is no special secret other than putting the hours in. Not waiting for inspiration, just having a daily practice of showing up, putting my butt in the chair and wrestling to capture some kind of truth on the page. It doesn’t matter what the genre is, the characters and the situation have to resonate and feel real in the belly.
kc: Describe your ideal meal -- what dishes would be on the table? Who would you share it with?
MT: The idea meal is a tough one, because it depends what I ate yesterday and what I’m in the mood for today. But if I had to choose, I guess it would be turkey dinner with all the fixings. Not because I’m craving it right now, or the work that is required to pull that big feast off. I would choose turkey dinner for what it represents. A holiday. My husband, my children and grandchildren, siblings and friends around the table, sharing an abundant meal where there is something delicious for ever palate. A time when the pandemic is long gone and we are comfortable and un-masked, and once again sharing hugs, conversation, love and laughter.
kc: What is your idea of perfect happiness?
MT: Oh! So, that’s easy. See question #2 and add to it: Because I did the cooking, everyone else shoos me away from the sink, orders me to take a load off my feet, because they have the clean-up covered!
kc: Do you have a favourite of all the characters you've written?
MT: Well, right now, I’d have to say Mick Talford, from my new novel, THE RUNAWAY HEIRESS, is my favorite character. He was such an unexpected gift when he arrived on the page in all his disreputable glory. I had so much fun writing him, getting to peel back the layers. But, kc, you know how it is, when I dive into a new manuscript, they’ll take over, and before I know it, someone else might become my new favorite.
[Ed. note: I DO know how true this is!]
kc: If you could live anywhere in the world, where would you be?
MT: I’m living exactly where I want to. I love B.C. I love the topography, the mountains, the walks in the woods and the flora and fauna. I love the scent of the ocean and the gentle consistency of the tides. Now, if I could only get a magic ring so I could teleport myself around the world to visit with my grown children and my friends. Oh, and while I’m wishing, one of the benefits of the ring is that my body instantly adapts to the new time zone! No jetlag!
kc: What unexpected lesson has the pandemic taught you?
MT: Don and I were good cooks before, however the pandemic forced us to become much more adventurous with the variety of recipes we were willing to tackle.
kc: Do you have a hero -- or more than one -- in real life?
MT: Several people’s names immediately sprung to mind when I read this question. I was trying to choose which one to feature, when a voice dropped into me belly, and it said, “Me. I’m my hero.” And it felt right. So weird as that seems, I’m choosing myself. A day doesn’t go by where I am not amazed at the way my life turned out. How I fought through difficulties and not only survived but flourished. How even now, I still fall down, make mistakes, but I get back up and try to do better. And I am very grateful to the many people along the way who, by example, hacked out a path through the woods and the brambles. I met these people in actual life but also in the books that I read. They showed me that a whole other world existed out there and all I had to do was work hard, move forward, one step at a time.
kc: What about your life as a reader? Have you got a favourite author or book you'd like to share?
MT: Jayne Ann Krentz who also writes as Jayne Castle and Amanda Quick, has been my comfort food author for decades. There is an underlying decency and humor in all her books. Yes, there is instances of blackmail, murder and nefarious villains, but love and doing what’s right prevails. I found myself re-reading many of my favorites of her novels from decades past during the pandemic. There was a safety there, a comfort to be had when it felt like the world was going down in flames all around us.
kc: What question would you like to answer that people never seem to ask?
MT: I’m laughing right now, kc! Given my previous profession as an actress, I’ve been interviewed up the kudzoo. And then with my “Meg’s Cozy Tea Time” YouTube channel, the questions the interviewers didn’t get around to, my TeaTimers have covered. So, the answer would be: Nope. I feel like I’ve pretty much been asked them all.
And...it's kc back again. Thank you so much, Meg -- I'm so excited to see your new book out in the world! We had three -- count 'em -- THREE -- winners of a copy of Meg's new book THE RUNAWAY HEIRESS this month. Congratulations to Peggy Anderson, Norma Charles and Melissa Keith!
check out these gorgeous covers!
kc recommends:
books and shows and audio...oh my!
reading:
I'm a huge fan of Lisa Jewell, and her INVISIBLE GIRL is as gripping an adventure as any of her earlier titles. Jewell has a real gift for voicing different sympathetic character points of view, and this story is not only thrilling, but excellent for showing that things may not ever be quite as they appear. RECOMMEND!
listening:
Holy crow. If you've never had a chance to listen to Ivan Coyote tell stories -- now is your chance! CARE OF is a timely collection of letters and responses written over the years with responses written by Ivan during the pandemic. The stories will touch your heart and make you laugh out loud, and read by the author? Incomparable. RECOMMEND!
viewing:
My Big Family Farm -- known here in the UK as Our Yorkshire Farm -- is comfort viewing at its finest. Over four seasons, hill shepherds Clive and Amanda Owen and their nine children battle the elements in northern England to keep their farm flourishing. RECOMMEND!
what about you?
What do you love? If you send me your recommendations, I promise to share! Find something good? You can reach me by pressing the contact button, below.
Thanks for reading, and for sharing your time with me today. See you next month!