My guest today is prolific romance author Sharon Booth who is going to talk to us about her writing journey, and her latest book, Kindred Spirits at Harling Hall which is out today. So grab yourself a cuppa, get cosy and let’s get chatting to Sharon
Author Bio
Sharon Booth writes cosy romances, as warm and welcoming as a mug of hot chocolate, served in delicious, small-town settings, stirred with family relationships, close friendships, and tight-knit communities, and topped with a swirl of humour. They’re also available with a scoop of the supernatural, and/or sprinkles of magic and mystery!
New for 2025! Ghosts of Rowan Vale is a brand-new series set in the stunning Cotswolds. It’s a cosy contemporary romance series, with a dash of ghostly goings-on. Kindred Spirits at Harling Hall, the first in the series, is out now.
Sharon is a member of the RNA, the SoA, and is one tenth of the Write Romantics. She lives in the East Riding of Yorkshire, England.
When she’s not writing she loves reading, visiting old castles, abbeys, and stately homes, watching Cary Grant films and old Ealing comedies, or researching her family tree. She loves horses, hares, and harbours, and admits to being shamefully prone to crushes on fictional heroes.
Happy Publication Day, Sharon. You’ve written a variety of romance novels. Can you tell my readers about your publishing journey.
Hi Karen, and thanks so much for inviting me onto your blog. I was one of those annoying kids who had my head buried in a book from the moment the words on the page made sense to me, and started writing stories almost as soon as I learned how to write. I’d wait for my weekly comic and devour it from cover to cover, but eventually the wait between issues became too much for me, and I began to make up my own stories for the characters.
Most of my pocket money went on books and writing pads. I had a pen pressed against my finger so often that I developed an unsightly lump just below the nail which I hated, until someone told me it was a writer’s callus. I was quite proud of it after that!
Marriage and motherhood put a halt to my writing journey. Raising five children took most of my energy, and although I continued to read voraciously, the only writing I did was endless lists! Shopping lists, Christmas lists, holiday packing lists, school uniform lists, lists of lists…
When most of my children had left home, I decided to do a degree in literature with the Open University, and one of the modules I took was in creative writing. This reminded me of how much I used to love making up stories. Then I watched a documentary series about romance writers called Reader, I Married Him, and I thought, why shouldn’t I try? What have I got to lose?
On a journey to Somerset three characters popped into my head and refused to leave. They became important characters in what turned out to be my Kearton Bay series — four contemporary romance novels set in a pretty village on the North Yorkshire coast, inspired by Robin Hood’s Bay.
I was determined to finally finish a book, so I signed up for NaNoWriMo (National Novel Writing Month). Within thirty days I’d written a hundred and twenty thousand words of There Must Be an Angel and thought it was done. Little did I know! It took me another two and a half years to get it ready for publication.
I joined the Romantic Novelists’ Association New Writers’ Scheme, submitted the manuscript, and received positive and helpful feedback.
Through the RNA I met some members of the then blogging group, the Write Romantics. They encouraged me in my writing, and with their support I self-published There Must Be an Angel. Twenty-six more indie books followed, before I signed a contract with Storm Publishing for my five-book Tuppenny Bridge series.
Last summer, I was thrilled to join Boldwood Books with a twelve-book deal. The first of those books, Kindred Spirits at Harling Hall, is out today, which coincidentally is also the tenth anniversary of the publication of There Must Be an Angel.
It’s been quite a journey, but I’m delighted to be part of Team Boldwood, and I’m looking forward to lots more years of happy writing.
Thank you for dropping by to talk to us today, Sharon. Many congratulations on all your writing success. I hope your new book soars.
Sharon’s latest book
Can Callie give some needy ghosts their happy-ever-afterlife, while making Rowan Vale her own forever home?
When single mum Callie visits Rowan Vale with her daughter, she is enchanted. The beautiful Cotswold village is run as a living museum, allowing tourists to see history in action. But there’s more to the place than meets the eye…
To the residents’ surprise, Callie is observed talking to several villagers she simply shouldn’t be able to see – as they’re ghosts.
The elderly owner of the village, Sir Lawrence Davenport, then makes an astonishing offer: to sell Callie the whole estate for a tiny sum, if she agrees to protect the village’s present tenants and its headstrong spirits.
With a spectral lord of the manor and his imperious wife, a naughty 1940s schoolgirl and William Shakespeare’s former tutor among them, it seems Callie’s role as owner wouldn’t be easy.
And that’s without the added complication of Sir Lawrence’s disinherited grandson, the gorgeous Brodie.
Rowan Vale and Callie may need each other. But is this a match made in heaven or hell?
More of Sharon’s books
Contemporary romance fans should check out the Kearton Bay, Skimmerdale, Home for Christmas, Bramblewick, Moorland Heroes, The Other Half, and Tuppenny Bridge series.
If magic and mystery is your thing, Sharon also has a series of cosy, light-hearted paranormal romances, The Witches of Castle Clair, which features the talented St Clairs, their quirky familiars, and quite a bit of cake. They offer lots of magical mishaps, family dramas, and new twists on myths and legends.
You can follow Sharon here:
Karen King 