The Taylor Street Gang files, part 11. Lily Byrne.

So a surprise late entry from the lovely Lily Byrne today.

This is Lily on herself. Normally I write a little something myself but I always liked this quiet introduction so I thought I'd steal it from her page on Taylor.

 I faffed around at writing for many years until I had my daughter, but becoming a mum seemed to kick start something in me: I realised that I now had a purpose and time was limited, so I must get on with it.

The winter of 2009 was severe and as I and my family live  in a small village, we were house bound by unusually deep snow for southern England. So I settled down in my office (i.e. the corner of our bedroom) and began my first book, which was published in 2010.

I haven’t stopped writing since. I go through phases of planning my story, writing furiously, or editing it. It is much easier now my daughter is at school and I get a few hours of work done each day.

My daughter has truly been an inspiration to me: she has had severe health problems in her short life but is always smiling and laughing, planning for the future, full of ideas. Working at home writing and editing has been ideal, I love my life.

Nice innit?

Anyway, here's the blurb from Lily's two latest books and then it's head down for the blowtorch and pliers interrogation.

Ragnar the Murderer.

A tale of love and treachery.

It is a time of uneasy truce, of two races living side-by-side, inter-marrying even, but forever on the look out for treachery among their neighbours.
They meet, they bathe together and they consort. Life is short, fun is likely to be brief, and opportunity has to be seized wherever it can be found without unleashing long-held rivalries and carnage.

Then the youthful Dane, Ragnar, falls in love with Aelfwyn the Angle who is already promised by duty to one of her own village.
Ragnar and Aelfwyn's passionate love affair is a secret which will never be hidden for long, but theirs is not the only secret around.

When Ragnar finds himself charged with murder, he and Aelfwyn are forcibly parted. But is Ragnar really a cold-blooded, cynical killer or is there a more sinister plot being played out?

Ragnar & the Slave Girls (Ragnar the Dane)

A tale of abduction, ritual and honor ...

It is 915 AD, and in this sequel to 'Ragnar the Murderer', the Danes and the English continue to live in uneasy peace. A peace that is threatened when several Englishmen are attacked and murdered 'in the Danish way', and their wives and children are abducted. To what purpose nobody knows.

It is a time when slaves must submit themselves to every one of their master's desires, without hesitation and on pain of death. Have these young women been sold into slavery and what will have happened to them if they have?

Meanwhile, Ragnar's kinsman, shackled to a demanding and dissatisfied wife, gets a slave girl of his own …

So, Lily Byrne, come on down!!

1.) Tell us about yourself

I live in the South of England with my husband and daughter. I have had so many jobs since I left school, from banking to education, but writing has always been my real love. I have been writing as long as I can remember, but my first ‘proper’ book was published in 2010 by Night Publishing (which was the name Taylor Street Publishing used to have). Since then I’ve had about six more published, some by Taylor Street and some by myself. I don’t write really long books, most are novellas, which is why I can write them quickly I suppose.

2.) What genre do you specialise in?

It's hard to say, as I’ve written contemporary dramas and historical romances. But the general theme is ‘forbidden love’ or maybe unlikely or unrequited love. I’m fascinated by relationships and their difficulties.

3.) What's your inspiration?

People and their weirdness, kindness and endless variation. Why do some people ‘click’ and get on well, and some repel each other?

4.) Who is your favourite author, why and did he/she inspire you to write in any way?

I spent so many years studying literature that its quite put me off reading. I suppose I tend to read popular psychology books, which does actually help me with writing books as I can image characters with certain personality traits. I hope that makes sense.

5.) How do you feel about Taylor?

I love it actually. There is a real family feel about Taylor Street. Everyone supports each other and there is no backbiting. I know that sounds cheesy and corny but its true. I feel looked after there and not like a tiny, unimportant cog in a huge impersonal wheel.

6.) What are your plans?

To carry on writing my Ragnar series but also other things. My daughter wants to write children’s books with me, that may be the next venture.

7.) Go for it, sell your work.

My new book, Ragnar and the Slave Girls, the second in the series, has just come out, so here are the links to it and my other books!

My page on Amazon.com

http://www.amazon.com/Lily-Byrne/e/B005D4JBI0/ref=sr_tc_2_0?qid=1348661717&sr=1-2-ent

My page on Amazon.co.uk

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Lily-Byrne/e/B005D4JBI0/ref=sr_tc_2_0?qid=1348661793&sr=8-2-ent

My latest offering, Ragnar and the Slave Girls on Amazon,com

http://www.amazon.com/Ragnar-Slave-Girls-Dane-ebook/dp/B009G7PZNK/ref=sr_1_5?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1348677234&sr=1-5

... and on Amazon.co.uk

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Ragnar-Slave-Girls-Dane-ebook/dp/B009G7PZNK/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1348677198&sr=8-1

OK!

Thanks very much for being here Lily and all the best with Ragnar and the Slave Girls, which is worth buying for the cover alone in my humble, testosterone crazed opinion.

Take it easy peeps.

Reggie.