Image Credits:-
Many thanks to Lynsey Adams from Reading Between the Lines Vlog and Val Penny for supplying author and book cover shots. Other images created in Book Brush using Pixabay photos. Screenshots were taken by me, Allison Symes.
It is with great pleasure I welcome back Val Penny, author of the DI Hunter Wilson/Edinburgh Crime Mysteries and the Jane Renwick Thrillers, to Chandler’s Ford Today with something different from what she normally writes.
This time Val has a short story with a historical aspect to it included in an anthology. This must be as close as it can get to be the total opposite for the crime novels she is best known for. Naturally there is a fabulous reason for Val doing this. The anthology, called The Ring, is going to be a charity one and the money raised will be going to that excellent cause, The Reading Agency.
The Reading Agency
Please do explore more on what The Reading Agency does at its website which can be found here
Their aim, naturally, is to encourage greater reading. Did you know, that in the UK, 1 in 6 (8.5 million) adults struggle to read and 1 in 4 children in England cannot read well by the age of 11. (Information from their website).
Naturally this has an impact on educational and employment prospects. So trying to overcome this issue is an excellent idea and one all writers and readers should be behind.
It is also known those who read regularly have an increased vocabulary, which is good for all manner of reasons. I must admit I hate the thought of anyone missing out on the sheer pleasure of reading a good story or book. Do check out The Reading Agency’s programmes and campaigns page on their website.
The Value of Short Stories and Flash Fiction
I’ve long believed short stories and flash fiction can be great vehicles to “entice” the reluctant reader to pick up a book and hopefully discover the joys of reading at all. The short forms mean the authors are not asking readers to commit to “too much in one go” so I think it is entirely appropriate it will be a short story anthology raising funds for The Reading Agency.
Blurb For The Ring
Forged over 2000 years ago, when Rome was still a republic, a simple gold ring was inscribed with the name and symbol of Fortuna, capricious goddess of fate. From the seven hills of Ancient Rome, to the streets of modern day New York, the ring passes from hand to hand, through the centuries, shaping destinies and unveiling secrets.
A Roman patrician gambles his future on its luck. A crusading knight takes it from the finger of a slain foe. A child is gifted it by a soldier in the Thirty Years War and trusts it to keep her father safe. A jeweller takes it to America in the Gilded Age seeking a new life. Each tale is a moment in time, a new wearer, and a twist of fate—sometimes fortune smiles, but all too often the ring brings ill luck.
In these stories, history seems driven by the will of chance. Those who possess the ring seek to shape their own destinies, but it is always Fortuna herself who has the final say.
With contributions from Alistair Forrest, Fiona Forsyth, Jacquie Rogers, Alistair Tosh, Graham Brack, Eleanor Swift-Hook, Mark Turnbull, Maggie Richell-Davies, Robert Bordas and Val Penny this is a spellbinding anthology of interconnected short stories, where luck is never what it seems.
But now over to Val for question time.
Welcome back, Val, to Chandler’s Ford Today.
Val, how did you get involved with this project? What appeals to you about supporting The Reading Agency in this way? Who was the driving force behind the anthology?
Thank you for having me back, Allison. It is always lovely to chat with you and let your readers know about new projects that might interest them. I am the member of a writing circle. Many of the members write historical fiction, so I suppose I am a bit of an interloper because I write modern fiction. Some months ago I mentioned we might collaborate and write a short story anthology for charity. Another member, Fiona Forsyth, suggested as we all write in different time periods we have a physical item that is passed through the stories. That sounded like such a fun idea, we were all on board, and the idea of The Ring was born.
Can you tell us when The Ring will be out and where it will be available from?
The Ring is published on Amazon and can be purchased from any of the contributing authors or at https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B0F3DV7BPG/ref=. It can be read on Kindle Unlimited too.
Can you tell us more about your story, Hunter’s Luck, in The Ring? The book’s focus is on an ancient ring and your tale concerning it is set in the present day.
Hunter’s Luck is the last story in the anthology which follows a ring from early Roman times to modern New York. In Hunter’s Luck DI Hunter Wilson and his fiancée Meera Sharma are celebrating their engagement but, needless to say, all does not go as planned.
Which works of historical fiction do you enjoy reading?
I have always enjoyed reading the Templar series of novels by Michael Jecks but the Roman fiction by Alistair Forrester, Jacquie Rogers, and Fiona Forsyth are all excellent. I hope your readers may find their work interesting. I always enjoy reading different styles and genre of stories, and I know you do too.
Allison: Indeed, I do. I like having a varied reading “diet”.
There can be some links between historical and crime fiction, funnily enough, in that both can involve a lot of detective work and evidence can be missing, misleading, or open to different interpretations. How much research did you need to do to write your story? How did you balance between doing enough research to write your story and not be sidetracked by the joys of research (as this is so easily done)?
My story is set in modern times, but the object being passed through the book is a Roman Ring. This required me to do some research into Roman jewellery and also the New York Museums where such pieces are exhibited.
Historical fiction can be a game changer. My views on Richard III changed thanks to the magnificent The Daughter of Time by Josephine Tey. Has there been a historical figure you feel has been misunderstood and, if so, would you write stories about them to try to rectify that?
Some months ago I read the biography of Mary Queen of Scots by Antonia Fraser. I knew only of her three marriages and her sad death. Through reading the book I learned so much more about her character, beliefs and life. I doubt I would ever try to emulate such a work.
Did you have to work to a specific word count for The Ring, Val? I’ve had work in anthologies where I had to write to a specific word count, as did all of the other writers. Interesting to do. Other anthologies I’ve had work in have given me an upper limit to work to which I think is more common.
Previous anthologies to which I have contributed have prescribed a word count, but in this case the authors were not given one. We were relaxed about word count and allowed each author just to tell their story.
Last but not least, Val, do share any other writing news.
I have recently submitted my next novel, A Fighting Chance, to my editor at SpellBound Books. It is a Jane Renwick Thriller and will be published later this year.
Conclusion
Many thanks, Val, for a wonderful interview and I hope The Ring does well for such a great cause. One joy of historical short stories (and flash fiction) is it can encourage reading further on the historical figure or era written about in that initial story. I found my interest in Richard III ignited by The Daughter of Time, which is a relatively short novel, and have since read short stories, non-fiction, and much longer novels on him and his era.
Related Posts:-
Read interviews with Chandler’s Ford writer Allison Symes: Part 1 and Part 2.
Read blog posts by Allison Symes published on Chandler’s Ford Today.
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