My guest today is Scottish author Kiltie Jackson, who’s another very supportive writer friend. She loves to write fiery and feisty female characters and puts the blame for this firmly on the doorsteps of Anne Shirley from Anne of Green Gables and George Kirrin from The Famous Five. so she seems to be the ideal candidate to take part in my book talk feature!
Welcome to the blog, Kiltie. Here’s your starter for ten! What’s the first book you remember reading or owning?
Mr Galliano’s Circus by Enid Blyton. It was a hard cover and I was about 5 or 6. I was an avid reader from a very early age and devoured any Enid Blyton book that crossed my path.
Oh my word, I had that book and I absolutely loved it! Enid Blyton made me obsessed with circuses for years. I was sure the circus life was the only one worth having! What’s your favourite childhood book and why?
I have a few but if I can only have one, then it would be Anne of Green Gables by LM Montgomery. Anne always seemed to find herself in bother for some thing or another and that is totally the story of my childhood. I think I got a lot of identification with her. 😊
Haha, I never read the books, but I do remember the television series back in the 1970s, starring Kim Braden and Jan Francis. We all looked forward to it every week and I loved Anne, so I can understand you choosing that one. What about your own books? Do you have a favourite among those?
I shouldn’t because it’s like choosing a favourite child but I’m afraid I do. Of the books published, it would be ‘A Timeless Lovestyle’. The historical time travel aspect of the story, and turning the usual time travel thing around from the norm, was a lot of fun. However, the book coming out in July 2023 usurps that one. The story threw itself at me, barely let me sleep, and I wrote the first draft in less than four weeks. To date, I’ve read it about four times for editing purposes and I still love it. Unfortunately, I can’t say too much more at the moment. 😉
Well, that sounds intriguing! I shall look out for that one. Do you read any other genre/s apart from the one/s you write in?
My favourite genre is Historical Thrillers. My favourite author is Susanna Gregory who has two wonderful series on the go – one is set in medieval Cambridge and the other in Restoration London. I do also enjoy psych thrillers and have actually tried my hand at writing one. No one else has read it yet so I don’t know if it’s any good but it’s not a genre I’ll be writing in with any frequency.
Historical thrillers sound great. Maybe you should try your hand at those? Which author/s had the biggest influence on you?
I think every author I’ve ever read has influenced me in their own way. From them I have learnt how to create a story, what works, what doesn’t and what style works for me and what style would not.
I think that’s probably true of all of us, whether we realise it or not. Do you read books more than once?
I have a small pile of ‘old friends’ who I visit every now and again but I don’t have the time to re-read as many as I would like.
Given that, do you have a favourite go-to comfort read?
‘I’m a Stranger Here Myself’ by Deric Longden. His work is wonderful – funny, observational humour with the occasional poignant moments. I love his work and have read all of his novels several times.
I don’t think I know his books. Another one to look up! Kiltie, do you prefer hardback, paperback, e-book, audio, or no preference?
E-book and paperbacks are my first go-to’s although I do a weird thing where I like biographies to be in hardback. I’ve never done an audible book.
There are certain books I like to have in hardback, and biographies are included in that so I know what you mean. Do you read series, or do you prefer standalones?
I have no preference and will happily do both.
What’s your current read?
‘The Ink Black Heart’ by Robert Galbraith. I really enjoy the ‘Strike’ series and love that I am pulled into the story within the first couple of pages.
Do you know, I’ve got all the Strike books and I haven’t got round to reading any of them! The television series came on and now I’m hooked on that, and I daren’t read any of the books in case it spoils the series for me! It’s the same with Outlander. I absolutely love Robin and Strike though, so maybe I’ll try reading one of the books after all. Have you ever preferred a film or tv version to the original book?
I’ve watched the Harry Potter films far more often than I’ve read the books so possibly those…
Ah, I love the Harry Potter films but as good as they are they don’t compare to the books for me. Is there any particular book that inspired you to write?
Back in 2016, I read ‘Lizzie’s Christmas Escape’ by Christie Barlow. The actual story itself didn’t inspire me but the author bio did. Something about how Christie came to be a writer gave me a lightbulb moment and eleven months later, I was sending my debut novel out into the big wide world.
Oh, didn’t she do it to prove to her children that it was possible? Or am I thinking of someone else? Hang on. Just checked and yes, she did! That’s a great reason, and no wonder it inspired you. What’s your latest book about?
It’s about a woman who arrives in a small seaside town intent on living a quiet, discreet life with her two cats. When she bumps into her handsome, widower, neighbour – quite literally – and his cute little five-year-old daughter, all her good intentions go out the window as they grow closer together. Unfortunately, she is carrying a secret that will change everything if it got out.
That sounds very appealing. What’s next for you?
To keep writing the stories. I have so many ideas and just not enough time to write them all but I’ll do my best. 😊
Thanks so much, Kiltie! It’s been lovely chatting with you.
Kiltie Jackson spent her childhood years growing up in Scotland. Most of these early years were spent in and around Glasgow although for a short period of time, she wreaked havoc at a boarding school in the Highlands.
By the age of seventeen, she had her own flat which she shared with a couple of cats for a few years while working as a waitress in a cocktail bar (she’s sure there’s a song in there somewhere!) and serving customers in a fashionable clothing outlet before moving down to London to chalk up a plethora of experience which is now finding its way into her writing.
Once she’d wrung the last bit of fun out of the smoky capital, she moved up to the Midlands and now lives in Staffordshire with one grumpy husband and another six feisty felines.
Her little home is known as Moggy Towers even though, despite having plenty of moggies, there are no towers! The cats kindly allow her and Mr Mogs to share their home as long as the mortgage continues to be paid.
Since the age of three, Kiltie has been an avid reader although it was many years later before she decided to put pen to paper – or fingers to keyboard – to begin giving life to the stories in her head. Her debut novel was released in September 2017 and her fourth book was a US Amazon bestseller in Time Travel Romance.
When asked what her best memories are, Kiltie will tell you:
- Queuing up overnight outside the Glasgow Apollo to buy her Live-Aid ticket.
- Being at Live-Aid.
- Winning an MTV competition to meet Bon Jovi in Sweden.
(Although, if Mr Mogs is in earshot, the latter is changed to her wedding day.)
Her main motto in life used to be “Old enough to know better, young enough not to care!” but that has since been replaced with “Too many stories, not a fast enough typist!”
You can find out more about Kiltie by visiting her website: https://www.kiltiejackson.com
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The Bay of Lost Souls
Can you move on from the darkness in your past or will it always lurk in the shadows?
Perrie Lacey arrives in the seaside town of Broatiescombe Bay laden with luggage, two cats and a desire for six months of solitude. The remote cottage she’s rented up on the cliff-top should guarantee her this.
Morgan Daniels and his five-year-old daughter, Daisy, have been managing just fine since the death of his wife, and her mother, two years before. He’s content with being a twosome and has no intention of changing that any time soon.
When Perrie and Morgan bang into each other, quite literally, within an hour of her arrival, the plans she has for a quiet existence go out the window and as the weeks pass, they find themselves drawn to each other despite their efforts to push against the invisible force pulling them together.
Perrie, however, is carrying a secret she cannot share for doing so will put her new-found happiness at risk.
How big can a secret be before it tears you apart?