Author B.D.Hawkey Shares Their Story

Cornish born author, B.D. Hawkey, can trace her Cornish roots as far back as the 18th century. This background and heritage has given her an understanding and knowledge of Cornish rural life which is the inspiration for her writing, as are the many historical buildings, beautiful countryside and dramatic coastline that form the Celtic county.

Her first published work was the short poem Taken which was shortlisted to represent and show case the talents of the south west of England. It was chosen for publication as one of a collection of poems from various poets for the book Bright Voices published by United Press Ltd in 2003.

Following a fulfilling twenty-five year career as a nurse, a change in profession has finally allowed her time to write in her favourite genre ~ historical romance. She likes her romance books to have a strong background story but at the centre is the unmistakable emotion, passion and even pain of loving someone.

She is married with two grown up children.

About the Author
Cornish born author, B.D. Hawkey, can trace her Cornish roots as far back as the 18th century. This background and heritage has given her an understanding and knowledge of Cornish rural life which is the inspiration for her writing, as are the many historical buildings, beautiful countryside and dramatic coastline that form the Celtic county.

Her first published work was the short poem Taken which was shortlisted to represent and show case the talents of the south west of England. It was chosen for publication as one of a collection of poems from various poets for the book Bright Voices published by United Press Ltd in 2003.

Following a fulfilling twenty-five year career as a nurse, a change in profession has finally allowed her time to write in her favourite genre ~ historical romance. She likes her romance books to have a strong background story but at the centre is the unmistakable emotion, passion and even pain of loving someone.

She is married with two grown up children.

What inspires you to write romance books?
I love to read historical romantic fiction. In the past there were so many barriers that prevented people from following their heart – such as class, moral codes of the time, distance and even race. These barriers can cause great anguish and torment to the characters involved and I hope the reader feels they follow their journey with them as they try to overcome them. Of course Cornwall, with its beautiful scenery, makes the perfect romantic backdrop for the story to unfold and it is why I chose Cornwall for the setting of OLD SINS, LONG SHADOWS.

Tell us about how you write:
I like to make a plan of the story, almost scene by scene. I also have a pin board where I put images of my characters, a write up of their background, a timeline of their life even if it is not all in the story.

I often walk the dogs and mull over the next scene I am about to write, so by the time the walk is done I am ready to sit down and type.

I try to write every day, even if it is only a few sentences and I think about my book every day. If I take a break for more than a week I find that the flow slows.

Do you listen (or talk to) to your characters?
The characters do evolve, but I certainly don’t talk to them.

However, OLD SINS, LONG SHADOWS is set near and on Bodmin Moor, which is near where I live. When my writing slowed and I took a walk onto the moor, I did fancy that the main characters were waiting for me on the moor saying “Come on, finish the book and let us tell our story”. Of course I did not see or hear them, but walking on the moor brought me closer to them and brought them to the forefront of my mind.

What advice would you give other writers?
My advice would be to respect your reader’s intelligence. A story which can be cleared up by one simple conversation is not adequate, in my opinion, to keep a couple apart and I, as a reader, would find that frustrating.

I would also recommend to undertake your final edits on paper and not on the laptop.

How did you decide how to publish your books?
I chose to be an indie publisher. I took this route because I was told by an agent she would find it difficult to sell an historical romance and could I write about my nursing career as she liked the way I wrote. I refused. I would rather not have an agent than write about my career in the health profession.

What do you think about the future of book publishing?
I think there will be less and less printed books. I don’t know if that is a good thing. I do know, though, that technology is ever changing and an ebook bought today may not be able to be read in ten years time as the device used to read it will have changed again. I have books I bought fifteen years ago that are on my shelves and I can pick up and read again if I want. It won’t be like this in the future.

What genres do you write?
Historical Romance

What formats are your books in?
Both eBook and Print

Website(s)
Author Home Page Link
Link To Author Page On Amazon

Your Social Media Links
https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/7219364.B_D_Hawkey
https://www.facebook.com/BDHawkey
https://twitter.com/BDHawkey

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