Welcome to the Shining Light On Our Ladies Blog Tour,
Every Tuesday during October a selection of different authors will be joining Helen Hollick to shed light on their lead female characters. Today I am delighted to be with Helen, Regina Jeffers and Diana Wilder.
 
Let me introduce you to MY lady:
​My very special lady is Caroline Llewellyn known by her relatives and friends as Carrie and by her nursing pals as Lew (no first names for the nurses!)
 
Carrie with her fiery tangle of unruly, wild hair, which refuses to be dealt with in a civilised manner until she is introduced to the taming element of Vaseline is feisty, stubborn, single-minded but has a natural empathy with all living things especially her constant companion, her beloved black and white border collie, Trixie.
 
Carrie is but a child in the first book Whispers on the Wind and after the tragic death of her mother in childbirth she’s forced to become a woman before her time, leaving school, taking on the chores in the house and condemned to watch her father, Bryn, self destruct as he wallows in drunken self pity.
 
Carrie not only has to deal with her distraught and troubled father, but also reluctantly has to deal with the suffocating and unhealthy love of her older brother, John. But when Bryn takes on a farm hand in the escalating depression of the thirties she is faced with another challenge of overcoming a brutal rape and all of the repercussions it brings, not least testifying in court on the side of her Aunty Netta who has murdered Jackie Ebron, her lover and the perpetrator of the fraud and the horrific violation of Carrie.
 
Carrie models herself on her adored mother Miri whom she closely resembles physically and has always admired so that when the farm is swindled from her and her brother, John, rather than crumbling under the acute pressure and terrible difficulties she grows in strength, stature and pride. Compelled to leave her beloved Hendre for Gelli Galed - Hard Living - a derelict hillside farm, Carrie strives to reclaim what is rightfully hers bringing her into conflict with the Englishman, Michael Lawrence, who bought the farm in innocence. She baulks against the underlying attraction between them seeing him as her enemy. Reacting angrily to any of his attempts at compromise.
 
Carrie comes to realise that in order to survive that she has to leave the village of her birth and carve out a new life for herself in the nursing profession for which she has shown a natural talent. 

Shadows on the Moon follows her exploits as she trains in midwifery when WW2 breaks out throwing her world into chaos. Carrie leaves the comparative safety and security of the Maternity Unit in Aberystwyth for a teaching hospital in Birmingham where she develops her nursing skills and determines to specialise in Chest and Respiratory Diseases following the death, from TB, of her close friend and roommate, Gilly.
 
Her bravery shines though when she volunteers to travel to London and nurse the sick and wounded through the Blitz. Being bombed with six other nurses doesn’t deter her. Again and again she shows her incredible acumen for doing the right thing and for standing up for others unable to defend themselves and always seeing the best in people. 

In Rainbows in the Clouds, Carrie, with her knowledge of the French language, and recognition of her nursing skills after dealing with a Diphtheria epidemic is selected to become a Special Operations Executive and is dropped behind enemy lines. Her life has become even more extraordinary. Her emotions are sent into turmoil when she and her compatriot Matthew become increasingly attracted to each other although she knows her happiness lies in her own back yard with her one time enemy, Michael.
 
Facing Life and Death situations every day she draws closer to Matthew but it is soon clear that she needs to be transported back home. The rescue appears to go horribly wrong and her family at home including Michael believe she is dead.
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​Thunder in the Sun sees Carrie returning to work on the district facing new trials as evacuated children arrive at the village and it is her responsibility to find suitable homes for them. Some are lucky and some are not. Carrie strives as always to do her best, second best is just not enough.
 
Coupled with the reappearance of Matthew as Michael is called to war once again and deemed lost in action, normally decisive Carrie dithers for the first time in her life. She is human with human frailties. Will this mean that she will marry the wrong man?

If you would like to follow the tour please visit:
REGINA JEFFERS

​Next Tuesday - Shining Light on some more Ladies! We meet a woman who walked a knife edge between the demands of her dangerous family, and those of her own conscience, King Arthur’s ladies and a former Praetorian Guard sent to Berlin to investigate silver smuggling,..
 
Come back and join us!
 

Helen -  

http://tinyurl.com/pdorczz

 

Pat -

http://tinyurl.com/py84ff5

 

Inge –

http://tinyurl.com/qcp7x3x

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Inge http://devilwinds.blogspot.co.uk/…/shining-light-on-our-lad…

Pat http://www.patriciabracewell.com/…/shining-light-on-our-la…/

Helen http://ofhistoryandkings.blogspot.co.uk/…/shining-light-on-…

‪#‎LightOnOurLadies‬

I am delighted to report that in conjunction with other female authors who have  written amazing heroines in Historical Fiction that through the month of October I will be treating my fans and readers to a unique insight into the minds of these unique characters opening them up to more excellent authors to sample.

One of the things I have learned as I have developed as an author is the importance of using all the senses in one's writing. How often has the lighting being used in a film for dramatic effect? This is equally as important in literature, in setting the scene and using for mood or advance the plot. 
If a cloud suddenly obscures the bright sunlight then the reader knows something untoward will happen. I like to use light or lack of it with appropriate description to set the mood of the piece. 
Similarly, aromas and odours, and they ARE different, can trigger memories in our own psyche that can be put to excellent use within the writing.
Also, sounds, touch, sight and feelings are all of paramount importance in placing the reader firmly in the frame. A novel without these elements is sadly lacking and less than great. 
Just look at what effective lighting achieves in film, an emotive description of the light or the dark can fuel a reader's imagination and aids in setting the scene. 
Often when I am doing rewrites and edits I will revisit scenes and purposefully look at the lighting within the scenes and extend the chapter. This is done seamlessly and unobtrusively and it works.

What is it with clichés and other hackneyed phrases? I expect everyone has their pet hates. One of mine is... 'To be honest'. I mean, why wouldn't anyone be honest? It's what one expects. We don't all go around lying to each other all the time. So why say it? There must be something better to say to get a point across.
My other testing trial is...'at the end of the day'.... surely people are more imaginative than that? Why not... "When the saddle's on the horse," okay perhaps it is not quite the same but infinitely more interesting. 

One thing that has always fascinated me is the origin of certain sayings and phrases. I mean how many people know the reasons behind, "It cost an arm and a leg"? It all makes perfect sense once this is explained. 
It seems that before photography was invented the only visual likenesses of family members  available was through portrait painting. Clearly, the more of the person that was seen, the more expensive the painting. So, those who could afford it had their arms, hands, legs and feet visible in the picture. Those portraits were infinitely more expensive than just portraying someone's head and shoulders. Hence the saying, "It cost an arm and a leg."
Another observation from this is that when looking around galleries and stately homes you are more likely to see a man with arms and legs visible than with women. I suppose that was a sign of the times!
Watch out for more origins of commonly used phrases or feel free to contact me with your own and I will post them here.