Book Talk with Jo Lambert

 

 

It’s Thursday again, and on this week’s Book Talk with… feature I’m chatting to Jo Lambert! Can you introduce yourself to our readers please, Jo?

Hi, I’m Jo Lambert and I write romantic suspense based in the West Country, where I grew up. I had my first book published in 2009, a single story which expanded into a series of five books.  My early writing years were as a romantic novelist, but in 2015 I  began to include an element of suspense in my stories.  My latest novel is the final instalment of a Cornish based trilogy. I live on the outskirts of Bath and I’m a member of the Romantic Novelists’ Association.

 

It’s a pleasure to have you here, Jo. Shall we start with an easy one? What’s the first book you remember reading or owning?

It has to be one of Enid Blyton’s Noddy and Big Ears series.  I have a memory of being a very small child taken to church with my family and my grandmother giving me this to keep me quiet while the service was taking place.  I’m told it worked!

 

Enid Blyton’s Noddy was the first book I remember owning, too! I remember it being very colourful and bright, and I absolutely loved it. What’s your favourite childhood book and why?

That’s a difficult one.  I loved Kipling’s Jungle Books. The magic of Mowgli,  a boy being raised by wolves. The danger of Shere Khan the tiger, big solid Baloo, the mischief of the Bandar Log (Monkeys) and Bagheera, the black panther who protected Mowgli…and, of course, that wicked snake Kaa. To a young girl growing up in a small Wiltshire village it was so far removed from anything I’d ever read before. I received it as a birthday gift from one of my uncles, who was a teacher.  He loved the written word and is the person I have to thank for nurturing my love of reading.  Over the years, he sent me what I term many children’s ‘standards’ – Children of the New Forest, Black Beauty, The Secret Garden and Swallows and Amazons being a few of them.

 

 

I remember a neighbour passing on some Abbey Classics to my mum for me and Black Beauty was one of them. It made me howl! Still does, actually. I’ve never read the Jungle Books, which is shameful really. Do you read any genres apart from the one/s you write in?

Yes, I read and review regularly both through direct contact with publishers and with Netgalley. I have to admit to having a bit of a thing for psychological thrillers.  I also love historical sagas.

 

Psychological thrillers seem to be popular with almost everyone! Do you read books more than once?

Occasionally, and it always amazes me how you can pick things up that you missed first time around.  I keep a file of my favourites on my Kindle and occasionally dip into them for a second read.

 

Yes, I’ve found that too. It’s easy to miss things on a first reading. It’s surprised me how few people re-read books, to be honest, so I’m glad you do. Do you prefer hardback, paperback, e-book, audio, or no preference?

I do actually purchase a hard/paperback copy of books I’ve read, reviewed and loved.  As far as preferences for reading, again I do love both hardback and paperbacks, especially for reading at home. However, the e-book, comes into its own when going away on holiday. Downloading electronic copies onto Kindle is definitely a space saver, meaning I don’t have to carry paperbacks in my luggage.

 

The Kindle is a great space saver. I have an entire library all on one little device that fits in my handbag! Have you ever preferred a film or tv version to the original book, Jo?

I find many book-to-screen dramas disappointing, probably because I already have my own vision of how the characters and settings look. I can’t say I prefer a film or TV version, however, George R R Martin’s Game of Thrones series was as near as to the world he created as I had imagined it to be.

 

Really? I never read the books, and I’m quite glad about that since he hasn’t finished the series yet and the television version overtook the books! Is there any particular book that inspired you to write?

I think Enid Blyton’s Famous Five, which I loved when I was in junior school.  I had the complete series. The whole magical thing about four children and a dog and their own special island made me want to create my own adventures. That, of course, moved with me into my adult life when it became all about families, communities and, of course,  romance.

 

 

I loved the Famous Five. I still have the entire series, although they’re hardback fascimiles, not the originals, sadly. Can you tell us what your latest book’s about?

It’s the final part of a trilogy set on the south coast of Cornwall.  Each  book centred on one of three friends – Ava, Kiera and Hayley.  It was my intention to write only one story, but when I’d finished it, it was clear there was a potential for two more.  This final  book tells Hayley’s story. It’s in two parts. What happened during the summer before she left for uni, and six years later, when someone from her past reappears.  It’s about love and second chances, and a mystery which is eventually solved.

 

That sounds intriguing. I love the covers of your trilogy. They’re stunning! What’s next for you?

At the time of answering these questions I’m about to head off on holiday.  My last book was published in April and at the moment I’m still trying to decide what happens next.  My first four books have been withdrawn from Amazon and there is potential to update and republish. Alternatively, I could start a completely new project.  Getting away from home and all the distractions should hopefully mean I can work out which direction I want to take.

 

Well, whichever direction you decide, Jo, I wish you the best of luck with it all. Thanks for being on the blog today.

 

About Jo Lambert

 

Jo Lambert lives on the eastern edge of the city of Bath. She is a member of the Romantic Novelists Association.  She has been writing since 2008. Her first five books, a set of linked romantic sagas following the lives of several families in rural West Somerset, were followed in 2015 by Summer Moved On, a contemporary romance set in South Devon. A sequel, Watercolours in the Rain was published 2017,

In June 2018 Jo signed to Choc Lit and her debut A Cornish Affair, was published in 2019 under their Ruby Fiction imprint.

The first book of her Cornish Coastal series, Shadows on the Water, was published in 2020, followed by A Kingswater Summer in 2021. The Secrets We Keep has recently been published, completing the trilogy.

When she isn’t writing she reads and reviews. She also has an active blog.  Jo loves travel – particularly Italy – red wine and music from the sixties and beyond…and she often takes the odd photograph or two…

You can find out more about Jo by visiting her website and blog.

Follow her on Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, and Instagram.

 

The Secrets we Keep

 

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After her father’s tragic death, abandoning thoughts of university, Hayley has supported her mother with the day to day running of the Estuary House Hotel in Kingswater. Now, she is ready to return to her studies, but before that there’s a summer to enjoy.

Hayley has no idea how much the two young men she is about to meet will influence her future. Adam Davenport, wealthy and entitled,  arrives on his father’s luxury motor yacht, livening up the quiet town with his on-board parties. But it’s  photographer Nick Pallister, staying at the hotel while working on an assignment for the Cornish Tourist Board, who captures her heart.

As the end of summer approaches, Nick unexpectedly checks out, taking steps to make sure he cannot be traced, leaving Hayley to face the fact she has merely been a summer fling. Days later, Adam takes a taxi into Truro and disappears. Despite an extensive police search, he is never found.

Six years later Hayley is settled and happy with a small daughter, Amelie. Nick Pallister’s unexpected arrival at the hotel, takes her by surprise, dredging up unwanted memories. Why did he leave so suddenly? And did it have anything to do with Adam’s disappearance?

But there’s the danger Nick could have questions of his own, ones that might jeopardise the new life she has built for herself and her daughter.