Yvonne
My friends at Aria Fiction certainly do represent some of the best new authors and titles to hit the virtual shelves and Blog Tours really do help to spread the word. Without the folks at NetGalley, having the opportunity to read and review these titles would definitely be a lot more complicated affair. So thanks to you both, as always!
Trickster is all lined up on my ‘Want To Read’ page, but meanwhile take a few moments to read this personal Guest Post, shared by the book’s author, the lovely Sam Michaels.
Each of the stops on the Blog Tour boasts different content, so why not visit and check out a few of the posts?
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TRICKSTER by SAM MICHAELS – (Georgina Garrett series book #1)
To be ruthless is to be powerful, at least it is on the Battersea streets…
Georgina Garrett was born to be ruthless and she’s about to earn her reputation.
As World War One is announced a baby girl is born. Little do people know that she’s going to grow up to rule the streets of Battersea. From a family steeped in poverty the only way to survive is with street smarts.
With a father who steals for a living, a grandmother who’s a woman of the night and a mother long dead, Georgina was never in for an easy life. But after a tragic event left her father shaken he makes a decision that will change the course of all their lives – to raise Georgina as George, ensuring her safety but marking the start of her life of crime…
This is the first book in the thrilling new Georgina Garrett series.
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HI! MY NAME IS SAM MICHAELS
“GEORGINA GARRETT – THE BIRTH OF A RUTHLESS WOMAN“
Inspiration
I’ve always had the desire to write but never found the time. Then, a few years ago, my husband and I moved from the UK and settled in sunny Spain. Our home is nestled in a quiet valley, amongst almond groves and fields of grape vines. It’s a long way from the bustling coasts.
It was here when I finally followed in my mother’s footsteps and put pen to paper – or fingers to keyboard. My mum, Kitty Neale, is a best selling saga author. She’s my inspiration and my biggest fan! With her encouragement and many tips on the writing process, I allowed my imagination to run riot and the pages of Trickster finally rolled out of my printer. The first draft was a bit dog-eared, literally – I have an array of rescue dogs and cats, one of whom enjoyed chewing paper.
I can’t describe how exciting it was to discover I’d been offered a publishing contract with Aria Fiction and Head of Zeus. To say it was like a dream come true sounds rather cliché, but it really was!
Ideas
I’ve always been interested in early 20th century history and I enjoy fiction with a strong female character. I also have a macabre fascination with crime, especially gruesome murders. So, I combined the three and created Trickster.
It came about one day when I was out for a drive with my husband. Georgina Garrett popped into my head. I immediately knew when and where she was born, how she looked and what sort of personality she had. As soon as we returned home, I scribbled down some notes and before I knew it, Georgina’s life had been mapped out.
As I began furiously typing, new characters developed, and although I had quite a detailed synopsis, I often found my writing going off on a tangent, very differently from how it was planned. I suppose that’s one of the things that I enjoy about writing – I can be impulsively creative.
It’s been fascinating for my imagination to explore the dark recesses of an unhinged mind like some of the characters Georgina encounters in her life. And equally, it’s been an uplifting experience to feel Georgina’s triumphs.
Trickster was a pleasure to write and I hope it brings enjoyment to all those who read it.
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As always, Yvonne, you’ve brought us an excellent guest post!
I think some of the most interesting are those that tell us how an author got their start and from where they get their inspiration. This sounds like it will be a good series. I love historical fiction and adding a little mystery or crime to the mix, along with a strong female protagonist, makes it even better!
I look forward to more about this one in the future!
Hi Kelly,
I always open a Blog Tour request email from publisher / publicist, with great interest. They are generally very good at matching author content with their intended reader / blogger, however I am more interested in discovering whether the request is for an author guest post, or supplied extract content. I’m sure that by now you have worked out which I prefer, without a doubt!
Judging by all the early reviews, this series is set to be a real success, with the mix of historical and gangland fiction, proving to be a winning combination, so a personal author guest post made my day.
The fact that Sam is the daughter of Kitty Neale, one of the best traditional historical fiction authors around, has surely stood her in good stead and with her own added brand of strong female protagonist and sharp crime action, ‘Trickster’ is one book I am looking forward to trying. With book #2 already planned for later this year, Sam obviously knows exactly where she is going with this series.
https://www.fantasticfiction.com/m/sam-michaels/
https://www.fantasticfiction.com/n/kitty-neale/
Thanks for stopping by and I hope that your Easter was a peaceful one 🙂
Ooh I do love books with good strong female leads so this really appeals to me.
Thanks for introducing Sam, I look forward to reading your thoughts on Trickster.
Hi Tracy,
I have to admit that this will be the first time I will have dipped into the genre of gangland fiction, albeit that this initial story in the series might have more historical fiction in it than those episodes to follow, in order to set the scene.
I guess that the gritty storylines and strong female protagonists are going to follow in the same basic style as those created by existing successful authors in the genre, such as Jesse Keane; Heather Burnside and Martina Cole – so I look forward to seeing how Sam makes Georgina stand out from the crowd.
Early reviews and ratings are amazing, so I can’t wait to start reading!
I hope that you are feeling much better now, helped along by the lovely Easter sunshine 🙂
Interesting guest post and Trickster sounds like a great read. I too enjoy true crime stories. It’s nice reading about the author behind the book, how cool that her mom is an author also.
Hi Naida,
I am not really into reading true crime stories, nor do I watch the ever increasing number of ‘reality’ prison / crime stories, which are flooding our TV screens.
This will also be my first foray into the world of gangland fiction and I have no real expectations of how I should feel about the storyline, so it should be quite an interesting experience!
I have been reading Kitty Neale’s books for years and thoroughly enjoy her style of historical fiction writing, so different from the much harder, grittier style of storylines, which Sam has chosen to cut her teeth on.
Mother and daughter obviously have quite a strong bond and friendship, as they have both chosen to leave the UK’s shores for the sunnier climes of Spain.
I hope you are well and thanks for stopping by 🙂