Today I am speaking with Jean Fullerton.

Good Morning Jean, thank you for taking time to talk to Fallen Angel Reviews today.

It’s a great thrill for me to be with you and Greetings from London.

I love your workspace on your website. Everything is so well organized; maybe you could give me some tips.

Organized! Me! Well, I suppose I am up to a point but I have to work very hard at it. With so much going on, I have to be.

Cutlasses and Caresses, Cutlasses and Caresses, hmmm pirates, I love a good story surrounding a pirate. Why not tell us a little about Cutlasses and Caresses?

I love Pirates too. Here in England one of the first TV programs I remember was one I think it was called, the Wild Rover- I could sing you the theme song-. Well anyway, I was fascinated even then by the shear romance of men in boots, tight breeches and open shirts swinging from ship to ship under billowing sails. I think it is the essence of that love of all things piratical that I have captured in my debut book. Others seemed to agree.

‘What a Great Romp!!!!’ writes Janet. She continues:
‘I've just finished reading Cutlasses and Caresses. All I can say is move over Pirates of the Caribbean!

Prudence Stone isn't having a good time. She has traveled half way around the world to find that her feckless finance has absconded with her inheritance. She is kidnapped; tricked into posing nude for a lecherous painter; she pretends to be a prostitute; is trapped on an open boat on the high seas and finally stranded on a deserted island.

Despite all this, I wanted to be her. Mostly this was due to the continuing presence of Nathan Frazer – a sort of seventeenth century James Bond – as dangerous as he is delectable. Just the man I want on my deserted island!

Cutlasses and Caresses is romantic escapism of the first order – exotic settings, historical adventure and a story that races along. What more could a girl want?

Well done Jean - I'm looking forward to Midnight Marriage when it’s released.

I noticed that you have another release coming soon, Midnight Marriage, what can we look forward to with this book?

I have always been in love with the romance of all things Historical. As with Pirates I remember a show on TV called Ivanhoe staring a very young Roger Moore many years ago. I love the medieval period with handsome men swinging swords. But remember men in those days didn’t have to go the gym to build muscle that started as lads. The daily exercise was part of a squire work. They had to learn how to ride, fight at full gallop and use a sword. Can you imagine what they must have looked like? Have you ever tried lifting a knight’s sword? I have. In fact I’ve got one. A great four-foot long beast with a cross handle. With all that why wouldn’t I write a cracking medieval tale?

Midnight Marriage is set in 12th century Cornwall. The heroine is Keira, the daughter of the ailing Earl of Liskard. Her brother-in-law, Sir Hugh Noirville, has invaded her father’s land and imprisoned her. The hero is Philip d’Apremont, the bastard son of a Norman knight. Keira’s father reluctantly enters into an alliance with Philip, offering his daughters hand in marriage in return for Philip’s military services to restore his lands. After rescuing and marrying Keira, in haste at midnight, Philip begins to fulfill his part of the bargain. Keira marries of duty and Philip for advancement but when their eyes meet their hearts are irrevocably entangled. Their love grows through misunderstanding, betrayal and danger as they fight together to regain Keira’s father’s lands.

Do you have to do much research in your writing?

A bit about Cutlasses and Caresses. One of the joys of being a historical writer is that I get to delve into the past. Although Cutlasses and Caresses is a work of fiction. I have based it very much on fact and spent a great deal of time researching the details to weave around Nathan and Prudence’s story.

Port Royal which is where most of Cutlasses and Caresses is set, actually existed and was just as debauched and lawless as I portray it.

If you go to Jamaica today, however, there is not much left of it because on the 7th July 1692, a year after Cutlasses and Caresses is set the 90% of the town disappeared under the sea as a result of a massive earthquake. Some said it was the hand of God punishing the town for its wickedness. Again if you want to know more go to my website, then three clicks, Jean’s research and then the Port link and you can find out more.

I used actual street maps from the excavation work that is being done in the Kingston bay to walk Nathan and Prudence around the town. The brothel, The Two Puddings, where Prudence stays is fictitious but the Mermaid also mentioned was notorious for its riotous behaviours and in a town like Port Royal that was no mean feat!

The towns and churches mentioned in Lincoln England do actual exist. I spent a whole afternoon in the Greenwich Maritime museum in London looking and sketching scaled models of sailing ships to make sure that when Nathan and Prudence are captured on the pirate ship I could make it sound as authentic as possible.

Midnight Marriage wasn’t so intense as Cutlasses and Caresses to research but I did a great deal around medieval castles and dress along with research into the county of Cornwall. I live on the doorstep of the Tower of London, the best-preserved medieval castle in the world, so a day strolling around the chambers and turrets gives me the atmosphere and background I need to put into a story.

There certainly was a castle at Lostwitheral and Bodmin and St Wen’s stone and Sollan Tor exist are still part of the landscape. Henry II and his larger than life queen Eleanor of Aquitaine, who make a brief appearance in Midnight Marriage, were at Shene for Christmas as I portray them.

I always say that one of the joys of historical writing is that I can learn so much as I tell my character’s story. I could say I love the research almost as much as the writing, Almost!

Do you get along well with your publisher?

I get on very well with my publishers Triskelion. As a very new name they have been massively supportive. Holding my hand while I learn all about the new world of e-publishing and being patience as I get to grip with formatting and house presentation. Although the Editor in Chief, Gail Northman is based in the UK most of the Triskelion team are in the US so I haven’t had the chance to meet many of them face to face but I look forward to doing so at the Romantic Times Readers Conference in Houston this year.

How much of your personality and life experiences are in your writing?

I am always the heroine in my books, but, seriously to bring all the characters to life I have to actual be all of them.

In my other life I am a nurse and my profession brings me into contact with a wide variety of people often in stressful situations. I am sure that those experiences I have feed into my writing.

I have to understand all my characters their motivation and how their life so far has effected them. What their hopes and aspirations are. To be a writer you have to have a sort of split personality. When you’re in front of your computer, anyhow.

And before you ask. No. I don’t base my character on anyone in particular unless you really upset me. There is and ex boss of mine in Cutlasses and Caresses and another in Midnight Marriage. Both are heavily disguised so only I know which characters they are.

If a reporter were to insist upon taking a tour of your life would day, what would they see in the day of Jean?

Well, most days begin with our Bernese Mountain dog puppy, Molly, barking for her breakfast. If it’s a day I am in to work- oh, I didn’t mention that I now lecture in Nursing studies at a London University. I motor off to teach or see students.

If it’s a day at home, breakfast then take the Molly for a walk. I live in the East End of London- Jack the Ripper and all that- then back home two mugs of tea while I answer e-mails and check my website. I break from the computer screen with lunch and walk into town with Molly. Then onto my work in progress for three hours. I try to write for at least three hours each day if I can because as someone famously said writing is 10% inspiration and 90% perspiration. Being a writer is lovely, fascinating, enjoyable work but it is work nonetheless and the only way to produce a novel is hammering away at that keyboard. - I can’t always manage every day but it is my aim.

Then dinner with ‘my hero at home’ maybe another hour in the early evening to tidy up the days writing and then we spread out in front of the TV for an hour or two and watch something like Lost, or Boston Legal- I am desperate for season 3 of Deadwood – then bed. However, if I’m in the deep in the middle of something huge while my hero of thirty years slumbers in the bedroom, I’m back on my computer and tap, tap, tap until 2ish, then I sneak into bed.

Have you always had a desire to write?

I have always had a desire for a time machine to travel back in time, but only had the thought of writing 6 years ago. At that time, I worked as a manager in the British National Health Service and I went on a stress management course. I needed a way to relive the stress of the job. A life long reader of historical romantic fiction so when they told us to pick a hobby or a pursuit that would help relive work related stress my thoughts natural turned to Historical Romantic Fiction and I started to write. The rest, as they say, is History. And of course writing is now my time machine.

What kind of books would we find on your bookshelves?

Hundreds of non-fiction historical research books and then everything else. Many of the Triskelion authors like Lynne Connolly and Linda Sole along with Jonhanna Lindsey, Sharon Penman, Anya Seton, Barbara Erskine and Elizabeth Chadwick, who writes medieval fiction like your actual there. I also have Bernard Cornwall and a new writer James McGee who’s first novel the Ratcatcher was wonderful, and many, many more.

When is your best time of the day to write?

I don’t do mornings unless I have to, so from 2pm to 2am. I am very much an owl rather then a lark.

Do story ideas come easily for you?

All the time. A picture, a snippet of conversation, a funny incident. For example:

I subscribe to the BBC History magazine and one month there was an article about the prostitutes who used to hang around the navel port. One picture in the article showed a boat full of brightly dressed prostitutes being rowed out to the ship to service the crew before they got ashore and spent all their money. I thought ‘that’s so good I couldn’t have invented it and I have to get that scene in a book’. And I did.

For Fun: Name the best appliance ever created?

A Mattress

No interview of a writer would be complete without this question: What is your all time favorite food that you hate going without?

Fresh baked crispy bread, lashings of butter and honey.

Do you have another website other than www.jeanfullerton.co.uk that you would like to share with your readers, like a blog or links to your books?

I would love to hear from readers and you can get me on the following links.

If people want to know more, there is my website: www.jeanfullerton.co.uk
There is a bit about me on the Triskelion site
I have a couple of links below and blog on the Triskelion blog every month I am still working on my own blog but it’s not up yet. –Time, the great enemy to writing.

Cutlasses and Caresses available NOW ISBN: 1-60186-057-9 and Midnight Marriage April 2007.
Both available from Triskelion
No Cure for Love Winner of the Harry Bowling Prize UK.
I have a chat group: jeanfullertonreaders-subscribe@yahoogroups.com

Where you can join me and - Fall In Love with the Past.

Also watch out because I am hoping my prize winning, Novel No Cure for Love, set in East London, 1832 and tells the story of Ellen O’Casey, a respectable but poor Irish widow and Robert Munroe, an earnest doctor with a brilliant career in medicine before him. Ellen sings in local public houses to support her family and Robert is in East London to study the effects of disease and poverty, will be out sometime soon.

I also have another couple of medieval stories awaiting the thumbs up from Triskelion, so, hopefully, they can join Cutlasses and Caresses and Midnight Marriage on the Triskelion Website before too long.

Are there any pet peeves that you don’t like?

Being late for anything, I would rather be half an hour early than two minutes late and waiting in line.

Jean, I have enjoyed our talk and thank you for taking time to share some insight with us about Jean Fullerton. I wish you the best in your writing endeavor with all your fantastic books.

Thank you very much, Linda, and keep up the good work.

Jean F –
Historical Romantic Author- Fall In Love with the Past

Interviewed by: Linda L.