Today, I am extremely excited to have a fantastic author, and relatively new writer friend of
mine, Jenni Keer, over to talk about her latest release, At the Stroke of Midnight.
Hello, and welcome to But I Smile Anyway, Jenni! Let’s get you set with a drink first.
I have the usual assortment of hot drinks available, or I could even make you up a masala
chai, if you feel adventurous.
Thanks for inviting me over, Ritu. (settles into a comfy chair ) I’m definitely up for trying a
masala chai. A vital part of being an author is being open to new experiences, as you never
know what will end up in your books… Oh, I agree!
And I have some fantastic Danish cookies here and a rather fabulous carrot cake. Or,
I just fried up some fresh pakoras if you fancied a savoury nibble.
I’m definitely a savoury girl, so pass the pakoras and leave me the plate! That said, there
is definitely a time and place for something sweet – usually when I’m stressed or tired.
(Which, as a mum, wife and author, is quite often.) My waistline can definitely relate to that!
I’ve read a couple of your books now, so far (and am intending on reading your
backlist when I get a chance!) and loved them. What or who inspired you to start
writing?
How kind! To cut a long story relatively short, I started reading for pleasure again when I became mum to a litter of boys. I had a three-year-old, 18 month old and newborn twins and it was my choice to be a full-time mum when they were little. It was a stressful time, as you can imagine, but books helped me to escape. I began to write short stories, encouraged by a friend and quickly realised that I was born to write novels. It only took me forty years to work this out – haha – although I do believe you need to live a life before you start writing about it. Funnily enough, I always believed I would get published, but had no idea if it would take me five years or fifty. (Spoiler alert – it took nine.)
It was twenty years for me, from start of writing, to publishing my first, and two years after that, I was approached by my publisher, so I can hard relate!
Both the books I have read are set in a more historical age. Is this your preferred genre?
My heart is definitely in the past. My first two books were contemporary romances, but I was probably influenced by the feel-good fiction I was reading then. When I got braver, I embraced my love of historical and haven’t looked back. That said, who knows what I might be tempted to write in the future. If a story begs to be told, I will write it. You’ll notice my books are all stand-alone and quite different.
I always ask this one, but do you have a special place where you write? An office, a writing nook? Or are you one of those writers who can grab their notebook or laptop and write pretty much anywhere?
I have a desk in the corridor between the downstairs shower room and the living room. This space also has a utility sink, is where my three cats congregate, and where my husband also has a small desk. But it is my base rather than my preferred writing space because it’s like Piccadilly Circus. We are a busy household of six adults, and if it’s not boys (they are still boys to me…) going backwards and forwards to the shower, then the cats are demanding doors to be opened for no reason (because they never go through the damn things), or my non-technical husband asking me how to use Word. ARGHHHH! I need head space to write so I am more often to be found in the bedroom, curled up in an armchair or, my absolute favourite place to write, in the garden. I don’t need silence, (in fact, I’m often listening to
music through headphones, which strangely helps me to focus), but I can’t write with interruptions. One shout of, “Mum, where’s my work shirt?” and I’ve lost the plot.
Do you have a favourite out of all your books written so far? Do you have any finished manuscripts that you think would never see the light of day?
My favourite(s) are always my most recent novels, which makes sense. They are foremost in my mind, and because I hope that my writing gets better with time, I like to think they are also my best work. I am particularly proud of No. 23 Burlington Square and At The Stroke of Midnight, but ask me in two years’ time, and my answer will have changed. And yes, there are at least four finished or nearly finished novels that will never be published, and I am fine with this. No writing is a waste of time. You always learn something from a disaster – even if it is how not to do it!!!
Let’s get back to your latest release, At The Stroke Of Midnight. I loved the Groundhog Day feel to the story. Was there something specific that sparked the idea for this novel?
It was the coming together of several things buzzing about my busy head. I’ve always liked the idea of a Groundhog Day novel and, having put my own spin on the Sliding Doors concept with Burlington Square, it felt like the right time to write this book. Agatha Christie is a huge influence, and I love the twenties as an era (before everything spiralled out of control in the thirties) so I took things from there.
If you had to relive a particular 24 hours in your life, which specific day would that be?
I recently talked with my marketing team about this, as we were thinking of questions that would engage readers after reading At The Stroke of Midnight, but I felt that everyone would want to go back to save the life of someone they loved or be with someone they had lost, and this focuses our attentions on bleak periods in our life. Instead, I like to look forward and think about what I might do if I had to live tomorrow over and over again for a limited time. I think I would visit as many museums, country houses, and interesting locations as I could access given time constraints. Then I would read all the books on my tbr and then watch every film and TV series that I never seem to have the time for. Bill Murray learned the piano, but that doesn’t appeal to me. I want to do all the research and then have it “good to go” in my head when I manage to reset the day. In between all this, I would eat the best food in the best restaurants and put it all on the credit card, so I wouldn’t have to pay and wouldn’t gain the weight! Haha. (helps herself to another pakora.)
Oh, I love this idea! I think, in some ways, I would want to relive my wedding day, as we had so many guests, being a typical Indian wedding, and spent so long organising it, it all went by in a flash. I’d try and spend time with different guests every time at the reception and truly relish being a princess for a day!
I read a few reviews, prior to our little chat. How does it feel to be compared to Agatha Christie?
As I’ve already indicated, I am a massive fan, so it is the best compliment ever!!!! She was an absolute genius and has been a great inspiration. I don’t write like her, and my voice is very different, but, boy, did she come up with the best twists IN THE HISTORY OF BOOK TWISTS. So, yeah, this has made me smile.
A real compliment!
Another one of my standard questions… what is next on the horizon? Anything you can share with my readers about what is coming next from you?
I have written my autumn book and it is a witchy one, with a twist on one of my favourite tropes; marriage of convenience. I don’t have a confirmed title, and it is in my editor’s capable hands, so I am busy with the one after that. Honestly, I don’t know how I hold all of this in my tiny head… but, just to tease, I have been looking at the sinking of the Titanic and done some WW1 research.
Now that sounds intriguing! I’ll be queuing for a copy!
Thank you so much for popping over for a visit, Jenni!
Thank you so much for having me, Ritu. (hands back empty plate ) The pleasure was all
mine.
You are most welcome, and it would be wonderful if you fancied a return visit. 😊
Another wonderful teaser there from Jenni, and I can’t wait to read these next ones!
The Blurb
It’s 1923 and in a decade that promises excitement and liberation, Pearl Glenham and her father are invited to a mysterious country house party on the Dorset coast, by a total stranger.
Her father claims not to have any prior association with Highcliffe House, but upon arrival, it is apparent that he has a shared history with several of the guests, although he won’t admit it. Belatedly discovering that her father was blackmailed into attending, Pearl’s worries are compounded when their host fails to arrive…
Intimidated by everyone at the party, she escapes to the nearby cove and stumbles upon a mysterious mercury clock hidden in a cave. This strange encounter sets in motion a series of events that will culminate in an horrific house fire, claiming the lives of all the guests, including Pearl herself.
But then Pearl wakes up back in the cave, seemingly destined never to live past midnight. She can repeat the day. But can she change its outcome?
Buy Link: mybook.to/strokemidnightsocial
Buy Links: mybook.to/burlingtonsqsocial
At the Stroke of Midnight by Jenni Keer
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
Another amazingly told story by Jenni Keer is about a young woman swept up in a web of secrets spun by her father and others.
Set in the 1920s, we meet Pearl Glenham, a simple woman who asks for nothing. She and her father are invited to a dinner party somewhere she has never heard of- apparently, neither has her father.
Things start to become strange after they arrive, and she suspects she is not being told the truth. Then, a chance accident leads to her reliving the same 24 hours again and again as she tries her hardest to work out what is really going on.
An intriguing cast of characters, and an amazing storyline. I was hooked!
Many thanks to NetGalley and Boldwood Books for an ARC.
About the Author
Jenni Keer is a history graduate who embarked on a career in contract flooring before falling
in love and moving to the Suffolk countryside. Her lifelong passion for reading became a
passion for writing and she had two contemporary romance novels published in 2019. She
has now embraced her love of the past to write twisty, turny historicals, and The Legacy of
Halesham Hall was shortlisted for the Romantic Historical Novel of the Year in 2023. Her
latest release, No 23 Burlington Square, is a historical sliding doors tale set in 1927 and was
published last October.
Living with four grown up children and three cats (but just the one husband) she is
frustrated by their inability to appreciate that when she’s staring into space, she’s actually
working, and that watching television counts as research. Much younger in her head than
she is on paper, she adores any excuse for fancy-dress and is part of a disco formation dance
team.
At The Stroke of Midnight is out 12 th March.
But I Smile Anyway... 