Ask the Author: Karen Brooks
Answered Questions (13)
Karen Brooks
Hi Chana. I am so happy you enjoyed those books - reading that made my heart sing ❤️ The Locksmith's Daughter is also available over there but at present, the other pure historical fiction works aren't. Hopefully, this changes. Fingers crossed. My The Curse of the Bond Riders series (historical fantasy) should be available but only as e-books. But, as I say, I hope the others make there way over there. It all depends on a US publisher liking them. Thank you so much for your kind words. Take care. Karen x
Karen Brooks
Hi there! So glad you enjoyed Good Wife - thank you so much for telling me. I think there’s a few of my books on Audible now, all of which are set in slightly different periods (Middle Ages, Renaissance, Restoration era, Scotland - and I am currently working on one set in Victorian times). My book, The Brewer’s Tale (Called The Lady Brewer of London in the USA) is set in the Middle Ages and, in fact, Eleanor/Alyson is a main character in that book as well. She’s not THE main character, but does come into the book halfway through and, in typical Alyson fashion, takes a lead role :) If you want to find out what happens to her beyond the pages of Good Wife, then that novel will tell you! And thank you too for your comments re the Author’s Notes. I always enjoy reading them in other writers’ books as well. It’s lovely to know they’re appreciated. Take care and happy reading! Warmest wishes, Karen
Karen Brooks
Hi Kaitlyn, That is lovely to know! Gosh, I wrote them so long ago. And yes, they’ve been out of print a long, long time. There are no current plans to publish them as e-books, but never say never. Thanks for asking. Karen x
Karen Brooks
Hi Patricia! So happy you enjoy my books - that’s lovely. As for any one author - no. I think a number have been (eg. Margaret Atwood, Sara Douglass, Shirley Hazzard, Virginia Woolf, Charles Dickens, Shakespeare, John Keats) but really, so many books and writers inspire me. I adore Karin Slaughter’s ability to tell gripping tales, the poetry of Susan Fletcher’s writing. Michael Connelly, Jo Nesbo and Michael Robotham are brilliant as well. So many writers and books, too little time! Thanks for asking me x
Karen Brooks
Hi Chouchette! Thank you for your lovely comments and great question. I have never been asked that before. So far (fingers and everything crossed), I have never come to a dead end. On the contrary, I uncover these marvellous little gems which just convince me I might be on the right track with a story! An example in The Brewer's Tale/Lady Brewer of London is how the ale-conners tested the beer. It as such a fabulous nugget I found in this old book and points to not only male-control of the industry, but the ridiculous measures they'd go to in order to maintain it. I really hope you enjoy The Chocolate Maker's Wife. I loved researching that one - actually, I love the research for all my books! Take care and thanks again. Karen :)
Karen Brooks
Hi Joan,
I had no idea Goodreads were running a competition and I am so sorry that you haven’t received a copy. Have you contacted them directly? I am not sure what to do here as this has nothing to do with me (except it’s my book!). However, if you have no joy from Goodreads, let me know and I will contact my publisher. I am so sorry to read this. Hope you’re well and safe. Warmest wishes, Karen
I had no idea Goodreads were running a competition and I am so sorry that you haven’t received a copy. Have you contacted them directly? I am not sure what to do here as this has nothing to do with me (except it’s my book!). However, if you have no joy from Goodreads, let me know and I will contact my publisher. I am so sorry to read this. Hope you’re well and safe. Warmest wishes, Karen
Karen Brooks
Hi Sally! Thanks so much for letting me know you are enjoying the books. That’s wonderful! The Locksmith’s Daughter is also out (a spy story set in Elizabethan England featuring real historical figures as well), but in the meantime, my next novel is The Darkest Shore (out 28 Feb) and is set in Scotland in the early 1700s and is based on a true story of a terrible witch hunt in a small fishing village. I am currently working on a novel based on a character in The Brewer’s Tale (who you may or may not have met yet! Alyson?) and she is based on Geoffrey Chaucer’s Wife of Bath... so I am telling her tale. I think that is out next year. After that, I have two ideas that i hope to launch myself into (love the research as well as the writing!). Thanks again for reaching out. Lovely to hear from you. Happy reading! Warmest wishes, Karen
Karen Brooks
Hi Dawn, You are so kind! Thank you so much. I have another historical fiction coming out next year (late Feb/early March). It is called The Darkest Shore and it's set in Scotland in the very early 1700s and is based on a true story. I am also currently writing Alyson's, from the Brewer's Tale, story from the age of 12 up until just before she meets Anneke. That should be released in 2021. My other books are speculative fiction, but The Curse of the Bond Riders series (Tallow, Votive and Illumination) are historical fantasy and are set in Renaissance Venice and a a version of Elizabethan England. They're about a candle-maker and courtesan but do have fantastical elements in them even though they're very grounded in authentic history. But I am concentrating on straight historical fiction now. It's my writing home :). Thanks for asking and for your beautiful comments. x
Karen Brooks
Hi Julie! I’m so glad you enjoyed the book. Thank you! As for whether or not I will continue the story, I have no plans at present but did leave it open just in case. As a few readers have pointed out, it would be nice to follow Rosamund and Matthew into the New World and see where the chocolate adventures take them. I never say never. :) Warmest wishes, Karen
Karen Brooks
Hi Lisa!
I am sorry, I have only just seen your message. Congratulations on winning. I'm embarrassed to admit this, but I don't know what competition you're talking about. I am guessing it may have been run by my US publisher? I wish I could answer your question, but I don't know. However, I really hope you like it when you do get to read it.
I am sorry, I have only just seen your message. Congratulations on winning. I'm embarrassed to admit this, but I don't know what competition you're talking about. I am guessing it may have been run by my US publisher? I wish I could answer your question, but I don't know. However, I really hope you like it when you do get to read it.
Karen Brooks
Hi Dawn! Thank you so much for your lovely words. You have made my day! I think it would make a good movie too - the costumes, the settings, the people! LOL! Nice to imagine. As for a sequel... I never say never, but it's not in my plans at the moment (I have just finished a book set in 17th century Scotland about fishwives and witchcraft and it's based a terrible true story. Now I am working on what's sort of a follow-up to one of my earlier period novels, The Brewer's Tale. basically, I've taken a popular character from that book and am giving her her own tale). But as for a sequel for TCW, it will depend on how it sells (that's from the publisher's perspective), but it does lend itself to a follow-up, doesn't it? I can imagine doing the next generation or even Rosamund's and Mathew's and Bianca's efforts to settle in the New World and start the business there. Thanks again for your kind words, I so appreciate them. Warmest wishes, Karen
Karen Brooks
Hi Pamela! I wish you could read it too! I don't know when it will be available in the USA. It needs a publisher over there to want it. I believe it will be considered at some stage, so keep your fingers crossed. I would love it to be available in the USA and UK. Thanks so much for asking. Warmest wishes, Karen :)
Karen Brooks
Hi Michael! Sorry I missed this question. I really love Leon Uris but it has been years since I read him. I am actually named after the character "Karen" in Exodus. My mother was reading the book while pregnant with me and loved the name. Unfortunately, she hadn't finished when I was born and didn't find out about the character's untimely end until a few weeks later when she returned to the novel... :)
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