When April moves into Hummingbird House,
she is intrigued by her mysterious landlord, Dai.
With a bruised heart and a distinct lack of
furniture, she spends the summer getting to know the other occupants. As she
smartens up her home and makes peace with her recent past, she befriends Paul,
a solitary ex-chef, and Betty, an elderly lady who lives in the basement flat.
But Hummingbird House holds many secrets,
and the relationships of the tenants are not as straightforward as they seem.
April learns some shocking truths one eventful night, and realises that victims
and villains can look the same.
The Landlord of Hummingbird House is a
contemporary novel exploring unlikely friendships, unexpected love interests,
and family relationships. Here, everyone is in need of a second chance - and
appearances can be deceptive.
Purchase Links
UK - https://www.amazon.co.uk/Landlord-Hummingbird-House-Impressions-Chances-ebook/dp/B099J88F84
US - https://www.amazon.com/Landlord-Hummingbird-House-Impressions-Chances-ebook/dp/B099J88F84
I remember very hot summer nights when it was barely dark,
reading away while sleeping under nothing but a sheet. The joy of reading a
novel was that I could fully inhabit the world. I started writing incredibly
long – rambling – stories any chance I could around that time.
3. If you
had to describe yourself in three words, what would they be?
Tenacious; creative; well-intentioned.
4. What
is your most unusual writing quirk?
This would probably get me slaughtered in most writing groups,
but I edit as I go.
Most writers expect their first draft to be extremely rough.
There is a quote attributed to Terry Pratchett that says: “The first draft is just you telling yourself the
story’ – and there’s a slightly ruder, straight to the point quote often said
to be from Hemmingway, with a similar sentiment... But I have never been able
to write like that. I can’t let things go. I am a fast worker, but also a
perfectionist. The idea of leaving something that I know can be improved is horrifying
to me.
I don’t start writing a piece until I have mulled it over a lot, and I like to craft as I go. Of course, occasionally I struggle to find a word or phrase and have to come back to it, and I do review and edit afterwards, but much of the work goes into version one. Sorry, Terry.
5. How long, on average, does it take you to write a book?
I am prone to workaholism so
if I am not consumed with my day job, I am writing every minute that I can. I
also think about my writing all the time, so by the time I sit down to type I
often have whole scenes plotted in detail in my head. And I am impatient, and
passionate about writing.
All of this is a meandering
way of answering ‘not very long’.
I wrote two novels in just
under a year recently (one under another name). But that’s not to say I am
slapdash or don’t put the time in. I do spend many hours, but they are
compressed and intense. Unfortunately, as all writers know, the process after
writing the book can take as long as the drafting does – proof reading,
formatting, marketing, uploading, launching etc, usually take months.
6. How do you select the names of your characters?
I try to avoid the names of
people I know… generally, I base them on the age of the character and then look
up the top ten names for their gender in the year of their birth! I go for whichever
on the list appeals and seems to ‘fit’ the character.
My writing is contemporary, so perhaps I don’t have the challenges that some writers have. I think I would get stuck if I was looking for fantasy or paranormal names, as my imagination would run wild, and I would become indecisive!
7. What are your top 5 favorite movies?
Some Like It Hot (comfort
film)
Shaun of the Dead (go to
silly comedy)
Up (such a beautiful film!)
Miracle on 34th
Street (original version – we watched annually when I was a child)
Legally Blonde (Guilty
Pleasure!)
8. Do you have any advice for aspiring writers?
My advice is not to wait.
There is no perfect time, so do is now. Don’t doubt yourself, and don’t mess
around. Get on with it. You won’t regret it.
9. Tell us 10 fun facts about yourself!
i.
I am very hypermobile.
ii.
I hate wearing shoes (and I haven’t worn high heels for
about twenty years).
iii.
I have qualifications in British Sign Language.
iv.
My name was invented by my parents.
v.
I have auditory-tactile synesthesia (I sometimes feel
sounds on my skin!)
vi.
I haven’t eaten meat for 33 years.
vii.
I can’t roll my ‘r’s.
viii.
I have a dog named Sherman who looks like an angel…
ix.
I am addicted to hard, waxed, black liquorice.
x.
I got married this year (after ten years together 😊).
10. What
do you like to do when you’re not writing?
To unwind, I like to spend time with my teenage son, and my husband. We always watch comedy box sets together as a family, one or two episodes a night, and on a Friday evening we eat indulgently and watch all the comedy panel shoes they have on British TV (usually about the week’s news). In the week, we always eat at the table together, but on a Friday it’s something easy like jacket potatoes or a take-away, and we eat on trays in our PJs. It’s the highlight of the week for me.
11. If you
had to pick a celebrity to cast for your main character, who would it be?
It’s a classic daydream for authors to consider who would play
their characters in a dramatization. I would love to have Louise Brealey to
play her – she played Molly (the pathologist) in the BBC version of Sherlock,
amongst other things. She’s very versatile as an actress, and I admire her as a
person – and I think she would be able to tackle the kind of
bull-in-a-China-shop aspects of April, as well as her sensitive side.
I wouldn’t want her rough edges to be smoothed over; I deliberately tried to write an imperfect, real, relatable female lead.
Author
Bio –
Social
Media Links –
Instagram.com/jane_harvey_novelist
Facebook.com/janeharveynovelist
Twitter:
@dreenac
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