Get ready to meet The Earls of the North by Elizabeth Heights! Elizabeth was kind enough to answer some questions for us.
You can get your copy of this delightful historical romance HERE!
Did you always know you wanted to be an author? What is the first story you remember writing?
I can’t remember a time when I didn’t love to read – or a time when I wasn’t continually making up stories in my head. I was an only child and we lived in a farmhouse way out in the countryside, so I spent a lot of time alone. But I was never lonely, because I had my books. The first story I remember writing was from the perspective of a horse, much in the style of Black Beauty. I was ten years old and had broken my arm – in a fall from a horse! So for a few days I was off school, unable to enjoy my usual activities. My mum dug out her old typewriter – a very old fashioned and heavy machine with keys that threatened to tear off your nails when they flew back up – and I set to work, typing solely with my left hand. I could not have been happier!
What is the most inspiring place you’ve visited and has it shown up in one of your books?
That’s a really hard question to answer because I’ve visited so many inspirational, historical places which set my creative juices flowing. But one place that really captures my imagination is Northumberland; specifically Dunstanburgh Castle. Just ruins remain now; perched on a cliff overlooking beautiful Embleton Bay. The whole place is so atmospheric with the crashing of the waves and the calling of gulls. I would challenge anyone to visit and NOT come away inspired to write a historical romance.
Northumberland features heavily in Gambling with the Earl. Rossfarne Castle – where Guy, the Earl of Rossfarne lives – is a fictitious blend of Dunstanburgh Castle and Lindisfarne Castle. Lindisfarne Castle sits on Holy Island, which can only be reached from the mainland by crossing a causeway at low tide. Any readers of Gambling with the Earl will recognise this setting!
Do you know where the story is going before you begin, or does it come to you as you write? Do scenes come to you fully formed or are you as surprised as the reader?
I start off with the beginning, the middle and the end. I know where I want my characters to go, and I have a good idea how to get them there, but that doesn’t mean they don’t surprise me along the way!
In Gambling with the Earl, Kitty (the heroine) has a beautiful singing voice and this turns out to be a key plot point. But it didn’t feature in my original plans for either the character or the story. There’s a scene in the solar when Guy and Kitty are both singing, and this took me totally by surprise. I love those ‘whoa’ moments, when I’m almost experiencing my story as a reader, not the writer.
Do you write better in the morning or evening? How do you handle the distractions of working from home, especially if you’re sharing the space with others?
I definitely write better in the mornings, ideally before I’m fully awake and the reality of the day’s challenges have crept into my head. When I’m in the midst of a novel, I usually set my alarm for 5.30am, before anyone else in the house is awake. I stumble into the kitchen and make myself a cup of strong black tea (I admit that I don’t function well without caffeine), then it’s straight to my desk, open my laptop, start typing.
At first, I started doing this with the intention of just getting some words down on the page, thinking that I could go back and polish it later. But actually I do some of my best writing when I’m still half asleep. I’m not sure what that says about me as a writer, but there you go!
I live with my husband and two teenage boys, so once everyone else is up it can be difficult to find any peace and quiet. But I’ve discovered that noise cancelling headphones come in handy!
What do you like to read when you’re not reading in your genre? Did you have a favorite book or series when you were growing up?
Honestly, I read anything and everything, from cosy mysteries to literary fiction. At the moment I’m re-reading a Kate Atkinson book called Case Histories. She’s one of my go-to writers and often makes me laugh out loud. I also love reading historical fiction and have an endless fascination with the Tudors. Maybe one day I’ll base one of my novels in that time period.
Growing up, my favourite series was the Faraway Tree by Enid Blyton. I read it to my own children when they were small and I found it magical then as well. The idea of an enormous tree with ever-changing mystical lands swirling around the top of it – and a giant slide coming all the way down – is just so compelling. And that’s before you meet all the weird and wonderful characters that live in the tree. As a child, I firmly believed my dad when he told me that the tallest oak tree near us was, in fact, the real-life Faraway Tree. I never did manage to find the slide though!
