Today we’re meeting Victoria Cornwall, a fellow Choc Lit author and writer of historical romances. I was excited to ask Victoria lots of questions about her writing journey and process!
When did you start writing?
I loved keeping a diary and writing letters from a young age so I must have always enjoyed putting thoughts down on paper, but it wasn’t until I reached middle age, when the children were grown and my work allowed me the time to write, that I finally sat down at my laptop and began to write my first novel. It took me two years; I wrote in secret and used 30,000 words too many for a first novel. It was the only time I wrote without a plan for the story. It was later published as The Captain’s Daughter and I’ve been writing ever since.
Why do you write?
The original reason that made me sit down at the laptop was a desire to fill a gap in the market. I had read several books in a row that had disappointed me. I wanted to read historical romances that were accurate to the time, had romance at its core, but also had twists and drama too. I decided to stop moaning about it, sit down and write the sort of book I wanted to read. Of course, I also wanted to see my name on the spine of a book too! I think it was the perfect timing – my life made it possible to have the time to do it and my frustration motivated me to give it a go.
How does writing make you feel?
It depends on the book I’m writing. I get engrossed in the research phase and love it. That part is very motivating. Beginnings are daunting, the middle can be demoralising but a twist in the plot or unforeseen drama can help ignite a writer’s motivation again. The ending is very satisfying. Different books are easier to write than others, yet the difficulty or enjoyment has no impact on how it is later received by the readers or award competitions.
What inspires you?
Historical facts and places inspire the plots of my novels. It was Cornwall’s smuggling past that inspired The Thief’s Daughter, a stately home for The Captain’s Daughter, a hidden valley for The Daughter of River Valley, a newspaper article for Daughter of the House, a desire to know what happened to a particular character for Daniel’s Daughter and the sacrifices and historical facts of WW1 and WW2 for A Daughter’s Christmas Wish and Waiting for our Rainbow. As for authors, Winston Graham’s writing style is superb and is a great inspiration to me.
What’s your writing process?
I research first. This can take several months. I then complete a draft profile for each main character and a plot for the book. This is the most enjoyable part. Then I start writing. Writing in winter is easier for me as I don’t have the sunshine tempting me to leave my laptop. Some days are easier than others, but a book does not write itself. The best advice I have received in this regard is to just get it written down. You can (and will) always go back and improve it by editing, but you can’t edit a blank page so just keep going.
What’s your journey to becoming a published author?
After failing to secure an agent, I self-published my first two books. It was while I was attending the New Talent Award at the Festival of Romantic Fiction, where I was a finalist, when I learnt that I could directly submit to some publishers. Choc Lit Publishing took on my two self-published novels and they, and Soundings Audio, have published every book since. I have also had two published in large print by W.F.Howes and Ulvescroft Ltd. and last year I had my first translation rights sold. It’s been quite a journey!
What are your goals as a writer?
My initial goal was to see my book in someone’s supermarket trolley. I haven’t seen that yet, but in a way I have surpassed my initial goals as I never dreamt they would be released in audio format or sold in another country. As for future goals, I think many writers would love to see their books adapted for film and I guess I am no exception. In the meantime, I hope that one day in the future, when they are much older, my granddaughters will read one of my books, enjoy it and feel proud that granny was a writer.
Waiting For Our Rainbow will be released as an Ebook on 31st January, 2023. A paperback and audio version will follow shortly afterwards.
About the book
Waiting For Our Rainbow is a WW2 romance between an American soldier and a young Cornish woman during the preparations for D Day.
Would you give your heart away if you knew it could only end in goodbye?
It should have been a time of romance and excitement for Anne – but it’s 1941 and the war is raging. So instead, she spends her days repairing spitfire wings and reminding herself that the real sacrifice is going on far away from her Cornish village.
When the news breaks that America has entered the war, it brings cautious hope to Anne and her family. And eventually, as the Jeeps filled with GIs roll in, it seems their little community is to play a pivotal role in the next stage of the fight.
But the Americans don’t just bring Hollywood glamour and optimism, they also bring something more tantalising – so when Anne meets handsome Joe Mallory, she has to remind herself of exactly why he’s there; that any relationship between them could only end in goodbye.
But is the inevitability of ‘goodbye’ powerful enough to stop what has already begun to blossom?
Buying Links
Find out more and keep in touch with Victoria
Victoria grew up on a farm in Cornwall and is married with two grown up children and three grandchildren. She likes to read and write historical romance with a strong background story, but at its heart is the unmistakable emotion, even pain, of loving someone.
Her books have subsequently reached the finals of the NEW TALENT AWARD at the Festival of Romantic Fiction, the RNA’s JOAN HESSAYON AWARD, the 2021 RNA’s Goldsboro Books HISTORICAL ROMANTIC NOVEL AWARD. Her books have also been twice nominated for the RONE Best Indie or Small Published Book Award by InD’tale magazine.
She is a member of the Romantic Novelists’ Association.
- Website: www.victoriacornwall.com
- Twitter: @VickieCornwall
- Facebook: www.facebook.com/victoriacornwall.author
- Instagram: www.instagram.com/victoria_cornwallx
- YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC3hTR1yuAwJUbFyj0k9P4eQ
- Pinterest: uk.pinterest.com/vickiecornwall/
Buckley Books 