Rogue's Angels Present: The Sweetest Poison by Jane Renshaw

Please welcome Jane Renshaw author of The Sweetest Poison

Jane Renshaw will be awarding a $20 Amazon/BN GC to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour.

The Sweetest Poison

by Jane Renshaw

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GENRE: Mystery

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INTERVIEW:

1. What or who inspired you to start writing?

As children, my sister and I used to create elaborate Lego worlds populated by tiny plastic animals and people. We would spend hours immersed in those worlds, making up stories for our characters. The time the Dragon brothers set themselves up as evil vets sticks in my mind – they started murdering the animals in their ‘care’ and pretending they were still alive by propping them up in fields with Plasticine! (Yes, I had a sick mind from an early age.) I think it’s an easy step from this kind of imaginative play to creating characters and worlds on paper.

2. What elements are necessary components for this genre?

Ooh, I don’t know! I shouldn’t really admit, that, should I? I suppose a crime of some sort has to happen. As a reader, if I finished a crime novel and found, for example, that the murder wasn’t actually a murder but an unfortunate accident, I think I would feel cheated.

3. How did you come up with your idea for your novel?

I have always wanted to write a story set in the rural north-east of Scotland, as it is an area with a rich history and culture and, of course, a gorgeous landscape. The idea for the plot came from wondering what would happen if a ‘natural victim’ – a girl mercilessly targeted by bullies – decided to fight back... And wondering what the ramifications of her actions would be for everyone involved.

4. What expertise did you bring to your writing?

I am a freelance copy editor, working on scientific and medical journals, so I have a basic grounding in the nuts and bolts of writing. It’s great, though, to be able to throw off the shackles when writing fiction.

As regards the Pitfourie Series, I live in the area I’m writing about and know what makes people here ‘tick’, I think. My Mum, who was brought up here (I wasn’t – we lived near Edinburgh when I was a child), and other relatives have been a great help in providing authenticity too. I suppose that counts as borrowed expertise, but what the hell.

5. As far as your writing goes, what are your future plans?

I am about to publish a standalone crime novel, Risk of Harm, about a forced adoption and the lengths to which two very different women will go to protect a child. It was fun to write as there is a lot of dark humour in it, particularly in the scenes featuring a ‘family from hell’, and there is a massive twist which I’m smugly pleased with!

As far as the Pitfourie Series goes, I aim to have the second book finished by the end of the year. It’s titled Bad Company and involves an undercover policewoman tasked with gathering evidence against a certain character...

6. If you could be one of the characters from this book, who would it be and why?

Great question! I think it would be fun (up to a point) to be Suzanne, the ‘wild child’ who causes Helen, the main character, so much grief. She is just so naughty... And the great thing about fiction is that you can step out of a character’s head whenever you want to and go back to your own nice boring life. I wouldn’t like to be Suzanne in reality, for reasons that will be obvious to readers.

7. Can you give us a sneak peek into this book?

Here are the first three paragraphs:

Helen looked up at the tree. There were plenty of pods hanging down from it, like peapods only skinnier.

How many would she need?

Yesterday when she was helping Daddy with the bales she had asked him, ‘How many laburnum seeds would someone have to eat before they died?’ and he’d shaken his head and said, ‘Hel’nie. You mustn’t evertake seeds from that tree,’ and she’d said, ‘I won’t. But how many wouldsomeone have to eat?’ and he’d shaken his head and said, ‘I don’t know, and I’m not just awful keen to find out.’

8. Do you belong to a critique group? If so how does this help or hinder your writing?

I am extremely lucky to have two wonderful writing friends, Lucy Lawrie and Lesley McLaren. I couldn’t do without their help and encouragement. We ‘met’ online on a writers’ forum and have been critiquing each other’s work ever since. We have also met up in ‘real life’ a few times now. I trust their judgement absolutely and know they will be honest if something isn’t working. They both have impressive (and sometimes scary) imaginations and have often come up with great suggestions I’d never have thought of myself. Lucy, for example, came up with ‘The Sweetest Poison’ as the title of my novel, and I knew at once that it was perfect for this story. (Lucy has written two moving, funny, unputdownable novels, published by Black & White - Tiny Acts of Love and The Last Day I Saw Her - available on Amazon now!)

9. When did you first decide to submit your work? Please tell us what or who encouraged you to take this big step?

I’m not one of those writers who is content to write only for themselves, so I always knew I would submit my work to agents. Yesterday I was flogging The Sweetest Poison at a car boot sale, and the thrill of seeing people walking around carrying my book was amazing! I love to think of readers immersing themselves in the worlds I’ve created. As far as submitting to publishers goes, I have been lucky to work with a great agent, Judith Murray, who encouraged me enormously. Although the book didn’t sell in the end to a big publisher, her help and advice were invaluable.

10. What is the best and worst advice you ever received? (regarding writing or publishing)

I can’t remember where I heard or read this, but the suggestion that you should write for yourself has stayed with me – i.e. write as if no one is watching. Don’t feel self-conscious or try to be clever. Then edit and revise for your readers.

The worst piece of advice... Some of the people on writing forums, usually the ones who are self-deludingly confident about their own work, give out advice like sweeties. That kind of advice, in my experience, is always the worst kind. An example I remember is that you should never submit your work to more than one agent at a time. Fine if you’ve discovered the secret to eternal life...

11. Do you outline your books or just start writing?

I always outline them – I would be hopelessly lost if I didn’t, and waste a lot of time writing scenes I later discarded.

12. How do you maintain your creativity?

I’m always on the look-out for ‘material’! Friend experiencing a holiday from hell? Getting divorced? Going to prison? Great – lots of lovely material coming my way! (I’m only half joking. But OK, that last one has never happened... although I live in hope...)

13. Who is your favorite character in the book. Can you tell us why?

I suppose I have to admit that my favourite character is Hector – because I am, of course, in love with him! How can I expect my readers to fall for him if I haven’t myself?! I love characters who are charismatic and witty and a liiittttttle bit dangerous, and are something of a mystery in themselves. That’s what I hope Hector is.

14. Are your plotting bunnies, angels or demons?

Oh, definitely angels – I am all for the lazy approach of letting my subconscious do the work and then hit me with it. I’ve had lots of ideas pop up seemingly out of nowhere which have turned out to work well, I think – in The Sweetest Poison, the idea for the character of Moir was courtesy of a bunny. That being said, angels can be demons in disguise... although I’m sure that doesn’t apply to Rogue’s Angels!

BLURB:

When life has cast you in the role of victim, how do you find the strength to fight back?

When she was eight years old, Helen Clack was bullied so mercilessly that she was driven to a desperate act. Now she is being targeted once more, but this time her tormentor’s identity is shrouded in doubt.

When her life starts to disintegrate, she flees home to the wilds of north-east Scotland, and to the one man she knows can help her – Hector Forbes, the dubiously charismatic Laird of Pitfourie, with whom she has been hopelessly in love ever since those hellish days in the school playground, when he was her protector, her rescuer, her eleven-year-old hero.

But is Hector really someone she can trust?

And can anyone protect her from the terrible secret she’s keeping?

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EXCERPT:

Helen looked up at the tree. There were plenty of pods hanging down from it, like peapods only skinnier.

How many would she need?

Yesterday when she was helping Daddy with the bales she had asked him, ‘How many laburnum seeds would someone have to eat before they died?’ and he’d shaken his head and said, ‘Hel’nie. You mustn’t ever take seeds from that tree,’ and she’d said, ‘I won’t. But how many would someone have to eat?’ and he’d shaken his head and said, ‘I don’t know, and I’m not just awful keen to find out.’

Helen wriggled her schoolbag off her back and dropped it down on the grass.

No one would see. The byre was between the tree and the kitchen window, and Daddy had gone up the fields to look at the calfies.

To reach the pods she would have to climb up on the fence, but Suzanne had shown her how to climb on barbed wire. She put one hand on the fence post under the tree, and one hand on the top wire, and climbed with her bum sticking out to keep her legs away from the jags. The wires were wobbly but she didn’t fall off. When she was high enough she let go the hand on the fence post and reached up and grabbed one of the pods.

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AUTHOR Bio and Links:

Having discovered early in her 'career' that she didn't have what it takes to be a scientist, Jane Renshaw shuffled sideways into scientific and medical editing, which has the big advantage that she can do it while watching Bargain Hunt! Jane writes what she loves to read –  series of novels in which the reader can immerse herself, which let her get to know an engaging, interesting and/or terrifying cast of characters slowly, in the same way you get to know people in real life. Ideally, the drama should be played out in a gorgeous setting, and the cast should include at least one dangerously charismatic, witty, outrageous protagonist with whom the reader can fall in love. A bit of murder and mayhem in the mix never hurts either... Hence the Pitfourie Series.

Amazon.com link:

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07RCLNP1L

Amazon.co.uk link:

https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B07RCLNP1L

Website:

https://www.janerenshaw.co.uk/

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GIVEAWAY INFORMATION and RAFFLECOPTER CODE

Jane Renshaw will be awarding a $20 Amazon/BN GC to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour.

RAFFLECOPTER CODE:

http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/28e4345f3101