Christmas Child by Carol Rivers - Book Tour + Giveaway
Christmas Child
The 2019 Victorian romance from the Sunday Times bestselling author.
A perfect Dickensian saga for Christmas.
Christmas Day, London 1880. Snow falls … a dying Irish girl clutching her new-born baby drags herself to the sanctuary of an East End orphanage and throws herself on the mercy of the Sisters of Clemency. The nuns raise little Ettie O’Reilly as their own, but the lives of the nuns and orphans are soon crushed by an unscrupulous bishop. The heart-breaking outcome turns Ettie’s life upside down and Christmas will never mean the same again.
Will Ettie ever find her friend Michael Wilson whose secret holds the key to their past? Will Ettie keep her innocence and survive the traumatic events that are about to erupt?
Purchase Links
US - https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07VFQ56MQ/
Author Q&A
Author Q&A
Q. What’s
your background Carol?
My own
family are from Chapel House Street, Isle of Dogs, London. We were a rum
mixture of costermongers, dockers - dressmakers - and a few villains here and
there. The Isle of Dogs is known famously now as the setting for Albert Square
in the TV soap EASTENDERS. I like to think I write East-Enders before
Eastenders.
Q. What
does it take to be a writer?
Londoners
always have stories to tell and with my background there’s a personal link to
every book. You engage yourself in fiction but the feeling, the emotions come
from real life. It also helps if you can glue yourself to the seat everyday!
Q. Tell me
about your latest novel.
CHRISTMAS
CHILD is my 2019 Victorian romance, a perfect Dickensian saga for
Christmas.
The story begins: Christmas
Day, London 1880. Snow falls … a dying Irish
girl clutching her new-born baby drags herself to the sanctuary of an East End
orphanage and throws herself on the mercy of the Sisters of Clemency. The nuns raise little Ettie O’Reilly as their own,
but the lives of the nuns and orphans are soon crushed by an unscrupulous
bishop. The heart-breaking outcome turns Ettie’s life upside down and Christmas
will never mean the same again.
Q. What
inspired you to write CHRISTMAS CHILD?
I spent
part of my childhood in the company of a religious order and will never forget
the mystery and magic of those days. The nuns had a very special aura; the
children respected and loved them and my early influences are the foundation
for CHRISTMAS CHILD.
The
questions that inspired me through Ettie’s story are these; will Ettie ever
find her friend Michael Wilson whose secret holds the key to their past? Will
she keep her innocence and survive the traumatic events that are about to
erupt? And most importantly of all, can true love survive the passage of years?
Q. What
books have most impressed you?
I’m a reader
as much as a writer and grew up reading my dad’s naval adventure books. Dickens
was my favourite at school, he was tough and realistic. Catherine Cookson, Lena
Kennedy, Harry Bowling and Mary Jane Staples followed.
Q. Did your family encourage you to write?
As a child,
I loved the East End parties; the sing-songs, the bawdy drinking and the
not-so-discreetly confided secrets as the atmosphere became charged with
chemistry. I’d huddle with my cousins “under the dining table” as there wasn’t
much room to move when the knees-up got going. There was an endless supply of
newspaper boats full of greasy fried chips and bottles of fizzy ice cream soda
to keep us occupied.
It was the
stories I overheard here that made me into a writer.
The only
other person privy to the intimate social interactions was Nan. She reclined in
the armchair, her permed, bleached blonde hair set with finger waves. She’d
watch the scandals with a poker face, but she knew everything - and bided her
time to witness the outcome. So did I. A listener and voyeur at a very early
age, I turned my observations into a career. Love, lies and secrets are my
stock in trade. Though I hasten to add all my books are works of fiction!
Q. What is your writing day like?
The East End
days are far behind me now. I live in Dorset, am a dedicated coffeeholic and
work full time writing. My husband creates my book covers and artwork and has
helped to build my career. One day, I suppose I might even have to pay him for
his many talents. We are proud grandparents, walkers, swimmers, nature watchers
and coffee drinkers. Our frequent business meetings are always enjoyed in the
nearest cafe or coffee house. And so my writing usually reaches its zenith in
the late afternoons and evenings before we enjoy our late cuppa and a good
book!
Q. Do you write for someone special in mind?
It’s for us,
as readers I write for. To explore our problems, our concerns, our hurts,
dreams and sometimes our need for a space of our own to enter and find some
resolution. That’s what my writing is all about. We are the families who
have fought against the gravest odds in life - and come through.
Q. One last question Carol; what in your opinion,“makes the world go
round?”
Love, of
course - for each any every one of us; someone who cares enough to give a
smile, a kind word, a hug or a compassionate listening ear. Love in all shapes
and its many disguises, in this wonderful world of ours.
Q. Good luck with CHRISTMAS CHILD Carol.
Thank you so much Jazzy Book Reviews for this opportunity to connect! Love Carol XX
How to
contact me
Author Bio – “Were there’s muck there’s money!” If my family had a royal crest I’m sure those are the words that would have been hewn into the stone above it.
Mum and Dad were both East Enders who were born on the famous or should I say the then infamous Isle of Dogs. They were costermongers selling fruit, veg and anything else that would stand still long enough!
Their family were immigrants who travelled to the UK from Ireland and France, while others emigrated to America.
As a child I would listen to the adults spinning their colourful stories, as my cousins and I drank pop under the table.
I know the seeds of all my stories come from those far off times that feel like only yesterday. So I would like to say a big heartfelt thank you to all my family and ancestors wherever you are now … UK, Ireland, France or America, as you’ve handed down to me the magic and love of story telling.
Carol xx
Social Media Links –
Giveaway to Win Five dedicated signed paperback novels by Carol Rivers (Open to UK Only)
One winner will win the following signed books
“Lizzie Flowers and the Family Firm”
“Molly’s Christmas Orphans”
“A Wartime Christmas”
“A Sister’s Shame”
“Eve of the Isle”
*Terms and Conditions –UK entries welcome. Please enter using the Rafflecopter box below. The winner will be selected at random via Rafflecopter from all valid entries and will be notified by Twitter and/or email. If no response is received within 7 days then Rachel’s Random Resources reserves the right to select an alternative winner. Open to all entrants aged 18 or over. Any personal data given as part of the competition entry is used for this purpose only and will not be shared with third parties, with the exception of the winners’ information. This will passed to the giveaway organiser and used only for fulfilment of the prize, after which time Rachel’s Random Resources will delete the data. I am not responsible for despatch or delivery of the prize.
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