I have another repeat visitor!
Today, I am hosting prolific Crime writer and fellow Spellbound author, Val Penny, about her latest release, Hunter’s Christmas and Other Stories!
Hello, and welcome back to But I Smile Anyway, Val!
Thank you for inviting me to your blog today, Ritu. Let me tell your readers about my books, my main character, DI Hunter Wilson and my new book, a collection of short stories, Hunter’s Christmas.
Sounds like a plan, Valb ut let me just sort you out with a cup of Earl Grey tea, because I remember you like that!
I’d love a cup of Earl Grey tea, no milk, please.
No problem at all!
Right, so I’m settled with my Chai Latte. Tell us all about your wonderful books, Val.
I have been building a collection of short stories for a few years now, and at last, I have had the opportunity to share these with my readers.
I usually write crime fiction set in Edinburgh, the capital city of Scotland, but this allowed me to set some of the tales further afield and explore new characters, too. This has been a joy.
I decided to write crime fiction because that is the genre I most enjoy reading. I was also a lawyer for many years, a lifetime ago and met many of the types of people I write about.
Life and experience are always fodder for a writer’s mind…
When I was initially choosing where to set my books, I considered creating an imaginary Scottish town, much like Peter Robinson who created the fictional English town of Eastvale in the Yorkshire Dales. However, When I thought about it, Edinburgh is a small city (about 600,000 people) and is a place many people know about through travel documentaries or have visited on vacation. It has a wide variety of types of housing, universities, a prison a beach and hills so why not base my stories there. But in this collection my characters are not all based in Scotland, some of the tales are set in Europe, and one in the USA.
I enjoyed your Scottish-based stories and the others, too! I’ve never been to Scotland, but love reading stories based there. One day, though.
My characters face many unpleasant characters and difficult situations in my novels. I am often asked if these are based on real events. The answer is a resounding, sometimes.
Authors are terrible thieves and grab ideas or characters from all sorts of places: a couple overheard in a coffee shop, a man talking on the phone on a train, or an event reported in a newspaper or on television. I have notebooks everywhere to jot down ideas or phrases as they come to me. Indeed, as I live in the very wet West of Scotland, one of the best presents I ever got was a waterproof notebook! You will often see me using this at bus stops or in train stations during a sudden downpour.
Oh, gosh, I know that feeling, Val! I have to be so careful not to write specific characters, and instead, I use quirks and phrases instead to get a feel for the character I am writing, instead of just writing about someone straight!
My new book is my first venture into a collection of short stories instead of a novel. The title story, Hunter’s Christmas, takes a festive look at Edinburgh. However, there are a total of twelve stories, three featuring DI Hunter Wilson, three featuring DS Jane Renwick, and the others that showcase different characters in a variety of settings. I hope readers will enjoy the diversion.
Well, I thoroughly enjoyed the book, and I think it has whetted my appetite to read some of the full-length novels. They are officially on my TBR!
Although my stories and characters are not autobiographical, there is definitely a lot of me and my life experience in my stories, and I hope that readers enjoy that and their visits with me to Edinburgh, too.
I feel the same way about my writing, too. Thank you so much for sharing a bit more about your inspiration, Val. 🙂
Thank you again for inviting me to your blog today and allowing me to share some secrets about DI Hunter Wilson with your readers.
My pleasure 😊 Wishing this, and all your future releases much success, Val!
Now here is the blurb to whet your appetites! It sounds pretty good!
The Blurb
DI Hunter Wilson is looking forward to spending a holiday in India with his girlfriend Dr Meera Sharma, away from the cold, wet winter of Edinburgh. He looks to share his happiness with others when he is attacked by Santa Claus, he says.
His team swing into action to catch his attackers but then receive information about an elf found dead in a car park and a car stolen by Mrs Claus.
Are the crimes by these Christmas characters connected?
Can Hunter’s team restore peace and goodwill to Christmas?
Hunter’s Christmas and Other Stories includes tales about DI Hunter Wilson and DS Jane Renwick along with those about new and different characters in this gripping collection of short stories especially for crime fiction readers.
My Review
Hunter’s Christmas and Other Stories.: A gripping collection of short stories especially for crime fiction readers. by Val Penny
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
I’ve not read Val Penny’s books as yet, but I was sent this collection, and I must say that this collection of stories has whetted my appetite for the different series Penny writes.
Each of the stories hook you in. Some are slightly longer, involving two of Penny’s famous DIs, and some are shorter, but each story is captivating, and I thoroughly enjoyed each one!
It has made me want to add the rest of Penny’s books to my neverending TPR pile!
Hunter’s Chase – https://geni.us/ic7r
Hunter’s Revenge – https://geni.us/a13c
Hunter’s Force – https://geni.us/f5eJb
The First Cut – https://linktr.ee/spellboundbks
Hunter’s Blood – https://tinyurl.com/8rrpp59x
Hunter’s Secret – https://tinyurl.com/ezer746e
Hunter’s Christmas – https://rb.gy/9d79us
Author Biography
Val Penny has an LLB degree from the University of Edinburgh and her MSc from Napier University. She has had many jobs including hairdresser, waitress, banker, azalea farmer and lecturer but has not yet achieved either of her childhood dreams of being a ballerina or owning a candy store.
Until those dreams come true, she has turned her hand to writing poetry, short stories, nonfiction books, and novels. Her novels are published by SpellBound Books Ltd.
Val is an American author living in SW Scotland. She has two adult daughters, of whom she is justly proud, and lives with her husband and their cat.
https://www.facebook.com/Authorvalpenny
www.facebook.com/valerie.penny.739
www.facebook.com/groups/296295777444303
https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/17300087.Val_Penny
https://www.bookbub.com/profile/val-penny
Twitter: @valeriepenny
But I Smile Anyway... 