Author: Jessica Rydill

essica Rydill is a British fantasy author from Bath. Born in 1959, she studied English at King's College, Cambridge before qualifying as a solicitor. She travelled a lot in her twenties. Orbit Books published her first novel, Children of the Shaman, in 2001, and Locus magazine short-listed it for best first novel. Sequel The Glass Mountain appeared in October 2002. Jessica's latest book, The Girl from the Sea, came out in 2019, and Tunguska is in preparation. Jessica lives near Bath with her husband and her crew of Ball-jointed dolls or BJD, which aren't creepy. Though they can be badly behaved

The World of Letty Parker

Jessica Rydill

Misha Herwin writes about the world of Letty Parker, and keeping track of the characters and details of a rich imaginary world…

Misha Herwin

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When you’re about to write the last book in a six book series you have a pretty good idea of the world in which your characters live.

Letty Parker and her associates are part of the rich fabric of an alternative Bristol. Set in the time of Sarah Guppy and Isambard Kingdom Brunel, I’ve done my best to give it an authentic Victorian flavour. Getting the details of Victorian life is easy. If I don’t already know I can google what I need to find out. I also know my main characters pretty well. I have what they look like, their histories and their likes and dislikes fixed in my mind.

It’s the minor characters, the people that only appear once or twice in the series, who are the problem.

To solve this I followed the advice of friend and fellow author, Jan Edwards and made a chart. Labelled “The…

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One for All and All for One

Jessica Rydill

Misha Herwin celebrates the support of writer friends, as Jan Edwards prepares to release In Cases of Murder

Misha Herwin

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Writing can be a lonely job. You sit at a desk, café table, laptop and work. Interruptions are distractions, chat is not welcomed as it can break the flow. Hours can go past without seeing anyone.

All that can be great for productivity, on the other hand humans need other people. We all want to be acknowledged and valued and if you are in the process of creating then there are times when you definitely need support and reassurance that what you are doing isn’t really a complete waste of time and effort.

Family and friends can’t really fulfil this role, what you need is someone who knows what you’re going through. That is where other writers are a lifeline.

For as long as I’ve been writing and publishing one of the things that has struck me is how supportive the writing community is of each other. It doesn’t…

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Lily Kendall – In Cases of Murder #crimefiction #writing #HistoryWritersDay22 @Mishaherwin @Rasumova @Bookstocover @BoBookPublicity @Penkhullpress

Jessica Rydill

Jan Edwards on the historical background for In Cases of Murder and London’s female gangsters!

Jan Edwards

Lilian Rose Kendall photoThe fun part about writing historical fiction, be that for crime or romance or any other market, is the chance to weave forgotten snippets and people into your protag’s world.

The setting for In Cases of Murder is the wartime era of the 1940s, so including the obvious icons of the era such as Churchill or Chamberlain is something of a given. It would be hard to avoid them if you wanted to build a believable backdrop for your story.

Knowing lesser names of the period can add that extra layer.

In Cases of Murder takes Bunch and Wright into South London, and while researching 1930s and 40s London crime  I came across the infamous female Forty Thieves – allied by blood to the male dominated Elephant gang (after the area around Elephant and Castle). Though the gang’s roots stem from the Regency period the Forty Thieves’ heyday was the…

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Historical Writers day on twitter #HistoryWritersDay22 – just in time for “In Cases of Murder” @BoBookPublicity @JillBookCafe @MishaHerwin @…

Jessica Rydill

I never know about these things until they are whooshing past – but I gather today is all about Historical Writers day on twitter!  I shall try to …Historical Writers day on twitter #HistoryWritersDay22 – just in time for “In Cases of Murder” @BoBookPublicity @JillBookCafe @MishaHerwin @…

Review of In Cases of Murder (Bunch Courtney Investigates, Book 4) by Jan Edwards

Jessica Rydill1 Comment

"Once again, Jan Edwards has spun a gripping tale of murder and mayhem with a cracking cast whose flaws and demons are exposed with compassion and complexity right up until the nail-biting finale." A 5* review from Jessica Rydill

A Gathering of Gargoyles by Misha Herwin review (The Adventures of Letty Parker, Book 5)

Jessica Rydill

A captivating story of mystery, magic and skulduggery  Letty Parker is growing up. Her first loves are still her friends: her loyal gang, Hepzibah, Mango and Jeb (Jebediah Hughes); her detective agency; and the city of Bristol itself, vibrant, grimy and fizzing with magic. But Letty is also torn between her feelings for two young… Continue reading A Gathering of Gargoyles by Misha Herwin review (The Adventures of Letty Parker, Book 5)

Winter Downs special offer! #kindle #crimefiction #offers

Jessica Rydill

This is a great cosy crime series if you haven’t discovered it yet, from winner of the Arnold Bennett Award Jan Edwards.

Jan Edwards

With A Case of Murder : Bunch Courtney Investigation #4  scheduled for later this year now would be a good time to catch up on the rest of this award winning ww2 crime series.Winter Downs (A Bunch Courtney Investigation Book 1)

“Bunch Courtney stumbles upon the body of Jonathan Frampton in a woodland clearing. Is this a case of suicide, or is it murder? Bunch is determined to discover the truth but can she persuade the dour Chief Inspector Wright to take her seriously? n January of 1940 a small rural community on the Sussex Downs, already preparing for invasion from across the Channel, finds itself deep in the grip of a snowy landscape, with an ice-cold killer on the loose.”

With that in mind the Kindle version of Winter Downs is available now on Amazon uk for just 99p!  Amazon.com kindle store for just $1.24! 

The paperback is also on sale at .UK for a…

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