Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I grew up in Bristol, England and was an early reader, but I don’t think my school teacher appreciated that as, while other kids were battling with A is for Apple, I was happily reading my Peter Rabbit books – and telling everyone. My father was in the army, and we moved a lot, so I relied very much on my books for company. I still have a few of my childhood classics. The first book I ever wrote was for my daughter and took me two years of Sundays to finish. Although it received good critiques from several UK publishers, it was a time when horse and pony stories for girls flooded the market. I have no idea where the only two copies of the manuscript ended up. Lesson – always keep a copy of your work!
It wasn’t until I moved to Canada that I started writing seriously, thanks to my late husband. I think he got fed up with hearing me say ‘one day I’m going to write a book’ and signed me up for a writing course. Everything followed from there. I wrote short stories, newspaper and magazine articles, many of which were published. My very first adult book was a contemporary western romance, which is now the proverbial book under the bed – where it deserves to be. Writing is a craft, and I am still learning. Now, at the age of seventy-six, I have a lifetime of experience to draw from and write historical, mostly Regency, romantic fiction. It’s a genre that has appealed to me since I was thirteen. I have now written nine books and am working on my tenth.
I’ve been fortunate that I’ve been able to travel, having visited France, Spain, Singapore, New Zealand and many places in the USA and Canada. I find inspiration for settings just about everywhere I go, especially when I go home to the UK to visit my three children, their partners and my two lovely, grownup grandsons. I’m a two-time breast cancer survivor and put that down in part to having a positive outlook on life, having a strong circle of friends, and many fulfilling activities.
What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
Published in July of 2019, my ninth book is titled His Unexpected Muse, the third book in my Berkeley Square Regency romance series. The first book was His Dark Enchantress and because the hero’s sister was so intrusive I promised her a book of her own, which became His Ocean Vixen. Characters from both books stayed with me so I wrote their story, too.
Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I don’t think so. I do try and write every day but it’s never at the same time. I’m not much of a morning person, so I don’t usually get work on my writing until early afternoon. If I get stuck I will resort to pen and paper until the writing flows again. There’s something organic about the physical activity of writing as opposed to typing on a keyboard.
What authors, or books have influenced you?
That’s easy! I read Georgette Heyer’s ‘Frederica’ when I was about thirteen and have always loved the Regency genre.
What are you working on now?
I’ve started a new series, Those Regency Belles. It’s easy enough to read about lords and ladies and the upper echelons of the ton, so I wanted to write about young women with something extraordinary about them. There will be three in this series, too.
What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
I mostly use my own website, Facebook and Twitter and hope that my friends and author friends will share and tweet when I post.
Do you have any advice for new authors?
Keep writing while you learn your craft.
What is the best advice you have ever heard?
Write the damn book! I’d been talking about the amount of research I had done on the book I was writing, and the tutor whose course I was taking said ‘forget the research and write the damn book.’ She was quite correct, of course, because I had researched way more than I needed which wasted productive writing time. These days I write the book and then research what I need to know to make my story credible.
What are you reading now?
Bill Bryson’s At Home – A Short History of Private Life. In this book, Bryson gives us the history of rooms in a house. I have found it fascinating, but then I do like the way he imparts his extensive knowledge with a wry sense of humour.
What’s next for you as a writer?
I’ll be concentrating on writing Those Regency Belles stories. Yes, there will be some research but not until it is really necessary.
If you were going to be stranded on a desert island and allowed to take 3 or 4 books with you what books would you bring?
Uh-oh. Only 3 or 4? The first would be Frederica by Georgette Heyer as I still find that as fresh and funny as when I first read it. Next would be Rosamund Pilcher’s The Shell Seekers. Because I know so many of her settings it always feels like home. Any of Lee Child’s Jack Reacher books, I really like the way he sets up his fight scenes and I can’t argue with Reacher’s brand of justice. And because it made me laugh out loud each time I read it, J.K. Rowling’s first Harry Potter book, Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone.
Author Websites and Profiles
Victoria Chatham Website
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Nice learning more about you. We have the same idea about research. I enjoy your stories