VP You are very kind, Angela. Yes, when I was being treated for breast cancer and was unable to do many of the things that I enjoy doing, my husband laid down a challenge asking me if I thought I could write a book. I discovered that I love writing novels, and my DI Hunter Wilson Crime Thrillers are set in Edinburgh. This desire to tell stories and help others to get their work into the world has driven me. To this end, I now run a writing group in the village where I live.
AW What is it that you’re working on at the moment?
VP I am writing the next book in the Jane Renwick Thriller series, set in Scotland, as well as working on a series of short stories for an anthology to come out next year. My writing group is also working on an anthology to be sold in aid of humanitarian aid in Ukraine.
AW A few months ago, you changed publisher. That must be as stressful as moving house - new colleagues, now editor, new company policies - how was it for you?
VP My previous publishers, Darkstroke, were extremely nurturing and took a chance to publish my novels when I was an unknown author. For that, I will always be grateful. However, I decided to make a change because that company was taking on a large number of first-time authors whose needs were different to mine, as I had been writing for seven years and had several works in print.
I moved to SpellBound, a boutique publisher based in London. It was extremely stressful, but my new publishers have been most supportive, and I am happy that the move I made was the right one for me. I am quite enjoying having second editions of my books too.
AW And what’s coming up for you and your work in the next six to twelve months?
VP SpellBound are presently publishing my back catalogue and have accepted the next four synopses that I have sent to them. That will keep me busy. I will be completing the second book in my series of Jane Renwick Thrillers in a few months. The other new books I will be working on are a book of short stories, a novella that forms a prequel to the Hunter series and a new Hunter novel, as well as that new Jane book I mentioned earlier.
AW Last question, Val. You’ve been abandoned on a remote island, and you have just enough battery power in your mobile phone to make one call. Who are you going to call, and why?
VP My publishers to ask them to feed my cat and explain why I might miss my deadline!
AW Ha! Good answer!
about the author... 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.
Detective
Inspector Hunter Wilson is woken in the early hours of the morning by a call
from his son. Cameron’s flatmate was murdered. Why would anybody want to kill a
young woman recently arrived in the city?
Hunter must
call in the new Major Incident Team (MIT) to lead the investigation due to the
reorganisation of police services. Hunter's ability to be involved, however, is
put in severe doubt when someone from his past decides to take revenge on him.
He goes missing, and his team have no idea where to look for him. Who would
want to stop Hunter in his tracks?
Meanwhile,
Hunter's team must work closely with the MIT and, with or without him, solve the
murder in this taut crime thriller.
You can get the book Here
Nice to meet Val. Thank you.
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