A Slice of Cake With... Carol Warham

Today I am delighted to have a slice of cake with author Carol Warham.

Writing has been Carol’s love since childhood. She started by making small comics for her dolls, progressed to training as a journalist for a short while. Once the family had grown up, she settled down to writing short stories, poems and holiday articles. Some of which are published. In recent years, she has become a judge in the short story section for the HysteriaUK competition and also for the RNA’s romance novel of the year. She also represented her book group on BBC Radio Leeds, talking about books and the work on her novel.

Carol lives in Yorkshire, surrounded by some beautiful countryside, which is ideal for her other passion for walking, often with a dog called Sam.

What kind of books do you write?

I currently live in the sixteenth century, when writing my current novel. A huge bonus to this is the amount of research I can do. I can do research all day. It’s quite easy for me to get literally lost in time as I seek the information I need. I love weaving the protagonists’ relationship to events of the time, and seeing how it affects their lives and relationship. This is the genre of novels in which I intend to concentrate on my future writing.

My published novel Resolution is set in the modern day and within the location in which I live. It tells the story of a young woman who returns to her hometown on New Year, after fleeing a year earlier. She has to come face to face with those she ran from while meeting the new local doctor, who also has a secret.

Can you describe your writing why?

I have to be the world’s worst procrastinator and slowest writer. It takes me years to write a novel. 

I’m not sure what actually motivates me. Guilt? Probably, especially when I realise I have left my characters alone for some considerable time? Sometimes it’s just the spark of an idea, which I can carry forward. When that happens, I can write a few thousand words at one sitting.

Recently, I had that spark for a short story. I wrote and edited it in one day and it was accepted by Yours magazine. So the sparks do work! I just wish I had more of them!

Share with us your favourite passage from the book you enjoyed writing the most

Here is a short extract from the start of Resolutions. I hope you enjoy it.

Carly Mitchell pulled her car over to the grass verge at the side of the road. Indecision gripped her as her heart hammered against her ribs. Did she drive on into the town, back to the place where she believed she was hated, or should she drive straight through and not stop?

Darkness shrouded the long road across the bleak moors. A thick swirling mist was broken only by the beam of her car’s headlamps. The windscreen wipers were the only thing which moved, as if bored, by the effort of clearing the rain. She stared at the sign until the glare of oncoming headlights made her blink and bite her lip. This is it, her decision, her choice. Could she do this? She nodded to herself. She knew she could now. Twelve months ago she’d have been in pieces at the thought of what she intended to do, but not now. She had changed, grown-up, learned to stand on her own two feet. The old Carly Mitchell wouldn’t have dared make any decision, like this, for fear of upsetting someone. But her life had changed and for the better, and so had she.

Tell us about your latest project

My yet untitled novel is set around the time of the Spanish Armada, (1588). It is well documented at the time that a ship was wrecked off the coast of the remote island of Fair Isle. The locals did their best to rescue the soldiers and sailors and few, if any, were lost to the sea. I wondered what would happen if a Spanish sailor met a local girl and they fell in love, and the consequences of an apparent miss-match of cultures, language and lives. There is also the enfolding story of those sailors, finding themselves in such an alien place, and the island residents, scratching their living in a harsh climate, who are suddenly faced with an extra three hundred mouths to feed as winter approached. The history and the potential story fascinated me.

What is your favourite cake?

What a question. This is like being asked which is my favourite child!

I love chocolate cake, of course, but my absolute favourite is any cake made with caramel, preferably not salted, or toffee.

You can connect with Carol on Facebook: facebook.com/carolwarhamauthor and via her publisher's page: tirgearrpublishing.com/authors/Warham_Carol/index.htm

Join me next week when I will be having a slice of cake with Clancy Weeks. 

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Claire Buss is a multi-genre author and poet, completely addicted to cake. Find out more about her books on her website clairebuss.co.uk. Join the discussion in her Facebook group Buss's Book Stop. Never miss out on future posts by following me.