My New Saga

Rosie Clarke now has a presence on the Ebury website.  There is a bio, a picture of me and the announcement of the new book, coming next year.  I think about May 2014 but I will update the website as news comes in about progress.

THE DOWNSTAIRS MAID
                BY
ROSIE  CLARKE

This is the story of a young girl growing up on her father's smallholding in the Fens.  Emily doesn't truly think about being poor, except when she has to hide under the kitchen table so that the tallyman doesn't know anyone is home.  So when she meets the children from the Big House on their ponies on the day she learns that her father wants a son more than anything else in the world, it comes as a shock to be described as a dirty little farm girl.

Emily learns to accept her place in the world when she goes to work in the Big House.  She is just a servant and can look no higher...or can she?

Set against a rural background in the years before and during WW1 this is the story of a girl who strives to make something of herself, yet gives selflessly of her love and herself.

Coming next year from Ebury books!

Recent holiday

A photo taken recently on holiday in Spain, at one of my favourite restaurants.

I have for some years been enjoying holidays in the Marbella area of Spain.  We stay at a pleasant apartment in Miraflores, which overlooks the sea and a downsweep of trees, white villas and apartments, swimming pools and tennis courts.  There is always something to watch from the balcony, whether the children learning to play tennis or ships at sea or merely the sun dancing like a shower of diamonds on the sea.  The sky is nearly always blue with the occasional fluffy white cloud drifting by.  This time we got more cloud and some wind, but the warmth is delightful after the English winter.

We have two favourite restuarants; one is in Fuengirola and called Portofino.  We've been going there so many years that the owner and his waiters are like friends, and the proprieter is a very amusing man who makes lots of jokes.  His wife is the cook and the food is fantastic.

The other restaurant is in Marbella and is called Da Bruno.  This is a beautiful and impressive place, smart but relaxed and clean.  Some of the food served here is out of this world.  I sampled Lobster linguinni this time and it was delicious, but there are many lovely dishes here.(may not have spelled linguinni right).

The puddings here are simply delicious.  I particularly enjoy the flambe dishes they cook at the table - Crepes Suzette and flambed fruit - wonderful.  It really adds to the holiday to visit a restaurant like this one and enjoy special food.

When in Spain I love to swim in one of the pools close by or walk by the sea.  I also love to shop, particularly for fancy shoes and I have several pairs of lovely sandals bought from a smart shop in Marbella or Fuengerola.  When we first went out, we visited a lot of different towns and resorts to see the bullrings and various views but these days we spend most of our time either in Marbella or at Miraflores, where we relax in the sun.  Although I invariably do some work.  I never go anywhere without my computer and I work on my books for an hour or so in the morning or perhaps in the evening for a short time.

Now this is what I call a sandcastle - seen on the beach just across the road from Da Bruno in Marbella.  There is often a clever sand sculpture to be seen but I think this is terrific.

The artist at work on my flambe fruit and my husband's Crepe Suzettes!


These are the things that make wonderful memories for years to come.  I took the pictures on my ipad, which I love.  I didn't know what I was missing before I had it, but I enjoy it so much - the pictures, the iplayer, the music and the internet all in one clever pad!

Love to all my readers.

New saga coming from Rosie Clarke and Ebury in 1914!

Writing Sagas Versus Historical Romance

I am often asked whether I prefer to write historical romance or saga and it is a difficult question to answer,  some people would say  - Oh, but they're the same, aren't they? My answer would be a definite no to this, because they are very different styles and genres.

I suppose in a way a serious historical work would in some ways be similar to a well researched saga, for they both have the atmosphere of their time and lots of interesting detail.  If the detail is perhaps not well known and worked into the story in such a way that it doesn't intrude then the quality of the book increases.  Some well known writers manage to blend fact and fiction so cleverly that it reads as gospel truth, and that is down to their skill as a writer.  I'm reading a historical at the moment that comes over well of its period but would translate equally into the late nineteenth or ealy twentieth century.

Historical romance is slightly different.  Here the author tells her story with a period flavour but often without much actual fact or detail.  The romance is the thing and success hangs on whether or not the author keeps you wondering about the outcome.  Laughter is an important factor here, because to make these love stories sparkle you need that sharp quickfire action between the two.  The more sparks the better and the hero often gets away with being absolutely outrageous in his dealings with the heroine - sometimes she is just as bad.  It works because we all know that underneath he is madly in love with her and in the end he comes across as ...well, a hero.

A good saga needs to have lots of atmpsphere, detail and beautiful background description as well as a heart-rending story that takes the heorine and quite possibly the hero too through unimaginable horrors and suffering.  It needs to tug at your hearstrings and bring tears to your eyes, though I like humour too.  I think a few characters that make you smile are welcome in whatever genre you are reading.  The hero and heroine may not truly be heroic in this type of book, and it will not always have a happy ending as such - though I prefer it if there is a promise of some kind that will bring satisfaction and hope.

If there is going to be a sequel then you do not expect to get your happy ending in the first book but must wait for the second or perhaps even a third.  However, you do need something that keeps the character goind with his or her head high, because you need to bring the reader back for the next installment of their story.

One particular and very famous writer is leaving cliff hangers at the end of his sagas at the moment and each time I read the last few lines I get so frustrated because I want the next book instantly.  But if he wasn't so good I wouldn't bother so I buy the next one...clever man.

I left one of my ebooks hanging and was abused by a frustrated reader because she couldn't get the next one instantly, even though it was there a couple of days later.  It was given a one star because it made her cross - but I think if she was so upset it must have been pretty good.

So my answer is - I like writing both saga and historical romance.  Wrting is for my always satisfying and I dare say I shall keep on writing books of one sort or the other until I can no longer manage the computer.

It is just so rewarding.
Love to my readers.

New Big saga coming from Ebuy books in 2014

Victorian and Edwardian jewellery

I have a passion for old jewellery, particularly pretty pieces.  Victorian jewellery is good, as is Edwardian but some of the earlier pieces are wonderful.  The delicate pendents and brooches, which trembled as the wearer moved were much admired in those times, and I believe still are today.

Victorians had a passion for love hearts of all kinds, but the diamond ones are fantastic.  I have always coveted one but so far never been able to find one that came within my reach - they can be worth several thousand pounds.  I once had a double heart ring on my finger, but it didn't stay long, because it wasn't mine.
What I truly covet is a pendent of diamonds, Victorian and set in gold, but I've only seen them in magazines or shop windows.

I do have a turquoise and pearl love heart, but I think it is probably more Edwardian than Victorian. 

I also like early stickpins and these come in so many varieities.  Of course they were more for the gentlemen to wear in their cravats. A few years back women started buying and weaing them, but I think they'd gone out of fashion recently.  The trend now is towards silver and white gold and all those delicate pendents are slightly old hat, but I still love them and collect them when I can.

Art Decco jewellery is very fashionable, as you have the squared designs, often set with enamels on silver or with diamonds and platinum.  I love some of the cocktail watches you can sometimes find at sales - and occasional car boot sales - and these days you can often buy them cheaply.  I suppose they don't fit with the modern idea, although I do think a lot of the pendents, rings and brooches from that time are very wearable, and I would snap them up if I saw them going cheap at a car boot or a sale.

I think it must have been nice to belong to the aristocracy when every young girl was given her first string of pearls.

Hi from Rosie Clarke

This is my first post as Rosie Clarke.  I wanted to set up this blog just to get started, though my first saga for Ebury Books does not come out until next year.  In May we hope, if everything goes to plan.  I am very excited about this book, as, although I am an author with many books to my credit under various names, I believe this is my best book yet.

I have been writing for some years for various publishers, and a few self pub, which have recently done well, but I think this big saga is the most exciting thing to happen to me yet.  I do not want to jump the gun too far because it is early days yet, but I will blog now and then and post pics sometimes, and as the date for publication draws nearer I will put up small excerpts from the book.

The photo here is taken in my lovely big study at home, where I have a huge bookcase filled with books I've written and research books.  I love my writing so much and I enjoy hearing from my readers.  At the moment I am in the process of setting up a website and perhaps a newsletter - if I can manage it.  I shall hope to have a means for my readers to contact me my email, as I think the way to learn about your craft is to hear regularly from readers.  It is important to me to know what people like - and what they didn't like, and I always try to take notice of any constructive criticism.

I shall also be setting up either Facebook or Twitter in the near future, perhaps both.