Welcome back to my Friday Reads blog. My guest this week is popular historical fiction author Sheila Riley. Sheila has popped by to talk to us about her latest novel, A Safe Haven on Beamer Street, the next thrilling instalment in Sheila Riley’s Beamer Street series, and her writing life. So grab yourself a cuppa, get cosy and we’ll find get chatting to Sheila. 😊

Liverpool 1924

Trapped in a cruel marriage to Lord Caraway, 24-year-old Lady Elodie must escape before her deepest and darkest secrets are revealed, giving her husband every reason to seek his revenge. But time is of the essence if she is to save herself and her daughter, Melissa.

With the help of lifelong friend Aiden Newman, they swiftly leave Oakland Hall for a new life in Liverpool’s docklands. On arrival, Elodie and Melissa are welcomed as lodgers by Molly Haywood, Aidens aunt – no questions asked.

Changing her name, Ellie dreams of following in the footsteps of her ancestors, setting up an apothecary to help heal those less fortunate, and soon her talents are called upon to help Mary-Jane Everdine bring her unborn child safely into the world.

Ellie’s tragic past is about to catch up with her. But can she save herself and her young daughter from the cruel hands of Lord Caraway?

Praise for Sheila Riley:

‘A powerful and totally absorbing family saga that is not to be missed. I turned the pages almost faster than I could read.’ Carol Rivers

‘A fabulous story of twists and turns – a totally unputdownable, page turner that had me cheering on the characters. I loved it!’ Rosie Hendry

‘A thoroughly enjoyable, powerful novel’ Lyn Andrews

‘An enchanting, warm and deeply touching story’ Cathy Sharp

‘Vivid, compelling and full of heart. Sheila is a natural-born storyteller.’ Kate Thompson

Buy Link: Amazon

Welcome Sheila. Have you always wanted to be a writer?

Hi Karen, thank you for inviting me. I’ve been making up stories for as long as I can remember, and when my English teacher said we could get extra marks for writing a story in the back of our English exercise book instead of ‘chattering’, I was hooked. I think the school had to order in extra exercise books.

You were certainly enthusiastic then! Has any author inspired you?

I adore the concealed minutiae of what goes on behind closed doors in a close-knit community, so I suppose the queen of the historical family saga genre, Catherine Cookson, gave me the inspiration to try my hand at writing in that vein and, happily, I have written eleven that have gone on to become bestsellers.    

That’s wonderful, Sheila. What do you like writing most?

I’ve always been interested in people, and what makes them tick. Why they do the things they do, who they are inside, where they come from and how they would act in each situation. I also like to add a dark side, a mystery, a scandal, folklore or even a little of the supernatural, because a lot of people from all classes were superstitious back in the day when ‘old – wives’- tales’, were passed from one to another as information was not as easily available as it is today. History has always fascinated me so I cannot imagine writing anything else.

I find the history behind ‘old wive’s tales intriguing. Do you have a special place for writing?

I do have a writing den, the small boxroom at the front of the house, which is also where I do my ironing and listen to an audio book. I’ve been thinking of having a writing den/summer house built at the bottom of the garden for the last few years but have never got around to it. Thankfully, I can write anywhere, once I am involved in a plotline the roof could fall in and I’m sure I wouldn’t notice. 

Are you a pantster or a plotter?

A bit of both, I suppose. Although, I’m probably more of a ‘plodder’. A story usually comes fully formed into my head until I reach the middle bit. Then I find I must plot the whole thing, because I have more of an idea who my characters are. Then, the plotted story throws up questions. When did that happen? Who is such-a-body and how are they connected? Why would they want to do that/ say that/ think that? Usually, I have written two thirds of a book when this happens, and I go back to the beginning with my plotline and change lots of stuff until I am satisfied it will come to a successful conclusion. I know the end of the story I am writing now, which is the third in the Beamer Street Series, but I can’t get to it yet because when I go back to the beginning another twist in the story is begging to be written. I drive myself mad and tell myself to get on with the last bit of the story, but I know I can’t do that, it’s my F.O.M.O. I suppose.

I love hearing the different ways authors work. Is your writing ever inspired by your family or real life incidents?

I’m tempted to say no – have you read my books and the situations my characters get themselves into? 😊 However, I have heard many, many stories over the years and in my other life as a lady’s hairdresser, people were always telling me things, so some things may creep into my novels, albeit unconsciously. Although, I have always adored the way people speak, and I have a very good ear for picking up on the ridiculous. Give me a malapropism any day. I love them and there is usually a character in my book who will use them, usually to lighten a darker moment. Sometimes my characters take on a life of their own and say things that even make me laugh.  

What are you writing at the moment?

I am writing the third and supposedly final Beamer Street novel, but that could change, because I have the bones of a fourth and maybe even a fifth before I move on from Beamer Street, which my readers tell me they love. So, who am I to disappoint them?

What inspired you to write this book?

It all started with a male voice in my head calling, ‘run, Mary-Jane, run!’ I wanted to know who Mary Jane was, why she had to run and who was telling her to do so. All I knew was that this smartly dressed Irish girl with russet-coloured hair and absinthe-coloured eyes was forced to leave her homeland in 1921 and sail to Liverpool, finding lodgings in a dockside street while trying to make a life for herself and her unborn child so, Making Friends on Beamer Street was born. Then, the second in the series, A Safe Haven on Beamer Street is set in 1925 and tells the story of Elodie, a herbal healer who has to leave her Lancashire village in the hope of finding sanctuary. Now, in this third novel we meet Peggy, a proud woman who hides her humble beginnings from her neighbours – but recurring dreams turn to something more sinister after her husband is involved in a dockside accident.  

How fascinating! What time of the day do you write best?

I get my best ideas as I am waking up, and if I can capture the essence of the plot I will write then, even if it is before dawn. But most days I write in the morning and finish when I finish, there is no set time.

What are your hobbies?

Making up stories. I can’t stop. 😊

And finally, what advice would you give to other writers?

If you think you can, you will. Never give up.

Fab advicie, Sheila. Thanks so much for talking to us today. I hope your books soars.

Meet Sheila

Sheila Riley, a lady’s hairdresser for over twenty years before hanging up her scissors and taking up her pen. She joined the Romantic Novelists Association in 2003 and wrote short stories for women’s weekly magazines.

In 2010, Sheila won the north-west libraries, ‘Time-To-Read’ competition, before penning four novels under the name of Annie Groves. Later she became the first author to sign with award-winning Boldwood Books, writing bestselling historical family sagas under her own name.

Contact links

Author Website and newsletter: https://sheilawriter.wordpress.com  

Facebook: Sheila Riley Author

 Twitter handle: 1sheilariley.

   Instagram: sheilarileynovelist