Recently
I was amazed – and absolutely delighted – to receive a Chill with a Book
Award. Not only does it make it all worthwhile
knowing that other people appreciate my writing, but also it makes sense of the
time and effort that goes into honing a believable and engaging story. It also softens the blow of inevitable agent rejection
letters… Long live the Indie Author!
I enjoy
a varied working life and over the years have been employed in a number of
industries in different guises, but always it comes back to the “written”
word. Within publishing I have flexed my
“professional” writing muscles as proof reader, copy editor and chief writer
for magazines, a paperback publisher and a national newspaper.
I am a member of the
Romantic Novelists Association’s New Writers’ Scheme and write
thought-provoking, romantic
suspense with substance. My novels have
gained several 5-star Amazon reviews and I have been told they appeal to fans
of Joanna Trollope, Liz Fenwick, Kate Morton and Kate Mosse, amongst others.
I don’t
have a particular genre… yet! My debut
novel, The
Forgotten Promise, is a story
of self-discovery, lost loves and second chances, and of a love that resonates
through the ages... The story of Maddie
and Nick plays out against an
intriguing ghost story, switching
between the present day and the English Civil War. When considering a village in which to base
the book, memories of happy childhood holidays spent fossil-hunting along the
Jurassic coastline took me to Dorset and, whilst researching the area, I
discovered historic events on which to pin the story. Most of the historical elements are a true
account, although I have exercised the writer’s right to fictionalise with,
maybe, a slight tweak of location to fit the tale.
I am delighted
to say The
Forgotten Promise not
only received a Chill Award but was also
shortlisted earlier in 2016 for Choc Lit’s “Search for a Star”. This recognition has given me a confidence and
belief in my writing which, as a sensitive writer, is sometimes irritatingly lacking!
My second novel, Cry of the Gulls, has a very different feel. It is a contemporary, bittersweet, love story set on the ruggedly beautiful Lizard Peninsula, the southern-most tip of Cornwall. I have been told the setting is as much a character of the book as the people who inhabit its pages! I am currently in talks with a film producer about the possibility of it reaching the silver screen and, if this comes to fruition, I already know who I want cast as the main character – a certain actor whose star is currently shining brightly and who already knows the area well! It’s early days, but you never know…
One 5-star Amazon reviewer
states:
“The sign of a good book is when you find you cannot put it
down; when you find the characters insinuating themselves into your unconscious
and manipulating your emotions. You become a silent witness to their tangled
lives because you have become a part of their world. You laugh with them, cry
with them, feel their frustrations and fears. Kate Ryder's second book, Cry of the Gulls, is just such a book.
“Oliver Foxley is a film star, handsome, admired and at the
pinnacle of his career, yet he has been dogged by depression all his life. When he and his strong, attractive, but
subtly possessive wife, Deanna, holiday in Cornwall, everything changes for
Oliver when he discovers a painting in a little gallery. The artist is Cara
Penhaligon, a young widow who lives on a cliff top with her two children. She is devastated by the death of her
husband, but her untamed spirit and her unique talent have sustained her
throughout her ordeal. Inevitably Cara
and Oliver are moving steadily towards their destiny, but before Oliver returns
to Cornwall he goes to a retreat, trying to combat the depression which threatens
to overwhelm him. There he meets his
nemesis. Sylvie has been obsessed by
Oliver Foxley for a long time and her delight at seeing him there at the
retreat, accessible and seemingly available, causes her obsession to take a
dark and dangerous turn.
“The writer weaves a skilful, heart-lurching story, full of
surprises as it twists and turns. But
one of the things that stands out is the sensitivity that Kate Ryder shows in
her treatment of mental illness. Balanced with this, however, are delightful glimpses
of glorious Cornwall, parties on the beach, a night at the wonderful Minack
theatre on the cliffs, and a host of interesting and often lovable
characters. Oliver and Cara will stay in
my mind for a very long time.”
Social Media Links:
Connect
with Kate on her site for signed copies: http://kateryder.me
Facebook
author page: https://www.facebook.com/kateryder.author
The Forgotten Promise: http://amzn.to/2ccK5ej
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