Author Spotlight & Guest Post: Where I Write by Della Parker

Today it's my pleasure to shine the spotlight on Della Parker and her serial The Reading Group, the first three eBooks December, January and February are published next week.  Della has also written us a guest post giving us a glimpse into her writing room. 

Della Parker is a novelist, short story writer and journalist. She's had over a thousand short stories published in the UK alone. 

She is a popular speaker at writing conventions and the agony aunt for Writers' Forum magazine. 

When she is not writing Della enjoys walking her dogs around the beautiful Dorset countryside and beaches.

I write in a freezing garret and wear fingerless gloves to ward off the chilblains.  A giant wolfhound lounges across my feet to keep them warm, occasionally lifting his massive head and baring fearsome yellowing teeth.

OK, I lied.  It is not a garret – it’s a summerhouse.  I only moved here recently and this garden office was what clinched the deal.  From its dusty windows I can see sheep, a patchwork of fields and beyond them a panoramic view of the distant hills. The view is spectacular, it changes constantly. I can watch a different sunset every night of the year and I never, ever get tired of it.

My summerhouse is not freezing either. It’s warmer than the house because I have an extremely efficient heater.  I could stay out there all night. Actually I sometimes do if I get carried away. There’s a very nice two-seater couch in there too which is handy for editing. I like to edit on paper.

I didn’t lie about the giant wolfhound.  He is 172 pounds and he sleeps on a green rug – the floor is way too hard, thank you very much – and he occasionally lifts his massive head to ask for treats. Especially if I am rustling sweet wrappers which actually have nothing to do with him! 

Do I get inspired by my view? Yes. Do I need a view to get inspired? No. I am not sure I see it a lot of the time. I have written in so many places. Bedrooms, hotel rooms, on settees, from bed if I’m feeling under the weather. But I am not there in that physical place. I am somewhere else far away – in different rooms, looking at different locations. That’s one of the brilliant things about writing I always think. It’s the ultimate escape. We can be wherever our characters are. And my characters in The Reading Group are in some very exciting places!

Meet the Reading Group: six women in the seaside village of Little Sanderton come together every month to share their love of reading. No topic is off-limits: books, family, love and loss... and don't forget the glass of red!

The Reading Group: December
1st December, Free

A festive short story: a delicious first taste of a fabulous, feel-good new series!

Grace knows that the holiday season is going to be different this year. No turkey, no tinsel, no gorgeously wrapped gifts under the tree . . .how on earth is she going to break it to her little boys that Christmas is effectively cancelled? And can she bear to tell anyone her embarrassing secret? Enter the Reading Group: Grace's life might have turned upside down but there's no problem they can't solve.

Anne-Marie has always considered herself a bit of a matchmaker - never mind that she's only got one real success under her belt. And this year she's determined to up her game: Little Sanderton'ssingles could certainly benefit from her expertise! 

But while Anne Marie thinks she knows what's best for everyone else, her own life couldn't be less of a fairytaleromance. Between looking after her cranky father and running her own business, she doesn't have time for a relationship. Her friends in the Reading Group know better though: after all, love can be found in the most unexpected of places . . .

This January the Reading Group is tackling Jane Austen's Emma...but who's got time for fiction when romance is in the air?

Kate has tried to be a good wife to her husband Anton. Ever since he got demoted at work -answering to a woman no less -Anton simply hasn't been the same. Kate wants to help, but as the months pass and Anton pulls away from her both emotionally and physically, Kate can't help but feel a bit abandoned.

Then Kate means Bob: the handsome, blue-eyed carpenter that Anton has hired to refurbish their kitchen. Kate instantly feels a powerful physical connection between them . . . but dare she risk her marriage for a man she barely knows?

This month the Reading Group is enjoying Lady Chatterley's Lover... and trying not to giggle too much at the naughty parts!

The Reading Group December, January and February will be published in eBook formats on 1st December, followed by March on 1st January 2017, and April and Summer Holiday! on 1st March.  

To celebrate the launch of The Reading Group, Quercus and Della Parker are holding an online book club Friday 2nd December on Twitter at 4PM so hope you can come along and join in.