Romancing September #RomancingSeptember – Day 10

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Welcome to Day 10 of Romancing September Across The World Tour. Today our guest is June Kearns. Catch up with more from June in a few hours with the second part of our tour when Stephanie chats to her.

The 20'sGirl,The Ghost and All That Jazz - June Kearns

The 20’sGirl,The Ghost and All That Jazz – June Kearns

Where is your home town?

I grew up in Buckinghamshire, but now live in Leicester in the UK.

How long have you been writing romance? 

Since winning a national magazine competition in the 70s, for the first chapter of a romantic novel. My interest in reading it, started at 13 when I came across Jane Eyre, and realised that heroines didn’t have to be beautiful!

What is your favourite sub-genre of romance?

I haven’t got a special favourite. Sometimes, I’m attracted by a period or event, but it’s usually the characters, sparky dialogue and story-telling that hook me in.

When and where is your book set? 

The 20s Girl is set partly in the English Shires, and partly in south-west Texas.

What did Gerry’s aunt leave her? 

To her absolute astonishment, Gerry’s flapper of an aunt, Leonie, left her a half-share in a cattle ranch in south-west Texas.

How long would it take to get to Texas from England in the 1920s?

Hard to say, exactly – certainly weeks and weeks, depending on weather conditions and time of year. Gerry crossed from Liverpool to New York on a Cunarder, with the Atlantic in a very bad mood. Then, hundreds of miles with different railroad companies to get to south-west Texas.

Was Gerry welcomed with open arms to the ranch?

Not exactly! In the Texan’s own words: “The last thing on God’s earth that I need now, is some English lady bountiful, looking for excitement in her boring, small-town life, coming to meet the natives.”

Why was there a lack of eligible men in England in the 1920s?

It was a sad combination of the Great War, where a generation of young men was so cruelly wiped out, and the septic flu epidemic.

When I started writing, I read “Singled Out” by Virginia Nicholson about the sad plight of all those women in England at the time, with almost no hope of finding a husband.

Tell us what you are working on at the moment.

Book Three is set in 1960s London – a sort of hist/fic/romcom! – involving a girl struggling keep her crumbling family home together, while being pursued by a Canadian photographer looking for rolls of film taken by the girl’s mother, during D-Day landings.

Where can readers find out more about you?

June Kearns

 My website is: www.junekearns.com

The website I share with three other writers: www.newromantics4.com

Find a copy of The 20’s Girl, the Ghost and All That Jazz, here from Amazon.co.uk or Amazon.com

Find out more about June from Stephanie Hurt’s blog and all our Romance writers http://stephanie-hurt.com/

 

42 thoughts on “Romancing September #RomancingSeptember – Day 10”

  4. Ohh your book sounds fascinating, Jean. Best of luck with it. Hope you have a fantastic day today on Rosie’s and Stephanie’s blogs. Caroline xx

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  8. Lovely interview, ladies. I’m a huge fan of June’s writing and absolutely loved 20’s Girl. The characterisation and scene-setting are so strong, I could vividly picture both as if it were a film. Looking forward to Book Three! 🙂 X

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  16. Loved all the characters in June’s fantastic novel, even the cat and the elusive aunt. June writes so beautifully I can feel the quiet desperation of the women knowing there is little chance of a ‘normal’ life …and their feisty determination to get on with things. Bring on No 3!

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  18. That was a fun interview to read. It’s fun to read more details about the book and what inspired you to write it. It seems that the heroine goes through many struggles, and I hope she is able to surpass them and find her happily-ever-after.

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  20. I absolutely loved reading The 20’s Girl. It was one of those books that you don’t just read, but can hear, see and smell. Really looking forward to the next book.
    Great interview too, thanks for sharing.

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