Jacqueline Beard is a writer and genealogist living in Gloucestershire but with an East Anglian ancestry going back to the 1500s. She writes Victorian murder mysteries and is currently working on the fourth book in the Lawrence Harpham series. Jacqueline’s books are a mixture of true crime and fiction. Her books are inspired by Norfolk and Suffolk newspaper reports. When Jacqueline is not writing or researching “dead people” as her husband so charmingly puts it, she can be found walking in the glorious Cotswolds. Jacqueline loves technology and spends far too much time on her computer. She dislikes flying, dentists and balloons – especially red ones.
Having wanted to be a journalist when I was a teenager, I actually ended up on the dark side, in PR. From there, it was a short skip – but over a LONG time – to writing for pleasure, and from there to drafting my first book, The Garden Plot. This is the first novel in a romance series where gardens feature in a BIG way – I inherited green fingers from my wonderful grandmother and gardening is a passion of mine.
I recently moved from London to Yorkshire and I’m loving the open skies and the green fields. And a HUGE garden! Although I’m not a country girl, I’ve discovered the joys of no streetlights, septic tanks and ordering logs. Going from the luxury of an underground tube or bus every three minutes, bus timetables in a small Yorkshire town have been a bit of a shock.
I love being a writer although it’s not my only job. I certainly love hearing from people who have thoughts about my books and my characters – and even about gardening! – so please visit my website (good for news and freebies!) make contact on Twitter or drop by on Facebook – details below!
I write heartwarming historical fiction based on real events. I love creating stories woven around my research and how women’s lives changed during the Second World War when they did extraordinary things, and were pushed far out of the familiarity of their pre-war lives – all of which makes wonderful fuel for storytelling! I enjoy researching for my books and discovering gems which inspire my writing.
I’ve adored books and reading for as long as I can remember and it seemed the natural thing to want to write myself. I first began writing fiction as a teenager, but started to take it more seriously when my children were small, although time was limited then, so I wrote short stories for magazines. As my children grew, I progressed on to longer stories, first with People’s Friend pocket novels and serials, and eventually to full length novels.
Victoria lives in leafy Surrey, in the South East of England. She loves fairy tales, myths and legends, and grew up creating stories both in words and pictures. When she’s not writing you’ll find her exploring with her husband and their two dogs, searching for beautiful hidden places and secret picnic spots.
“I love to write because I love to read. I love reading for how it can carry you away into the middle of the night, turning page after page until you find out what happens next. For that sensation of letting your eyes adjust to reality as you peel them away from your book. For how every thought after The End echoes in your thoughts in the voice of the protagonist. For magic. For other worlds. For love and loss and friendship and what it means to come together, to fight for something. I dream of writing stories like that, so I put pen to paper and try to write them.”
I was a senior diplomat with the European Union and have lived in Holland, Iran, Belgium, Malta, Kenya and Zambia.
I’ve been interested in story-telling since I opened the first page of Treasure Island many years ago. For me, it’s all about the story and reader enjoyment. I get a kick out of writing Ian Wilson and setting the series in Belfast, an incredibly intriguing city.
I now write full time and split my time between Connemara, on the West Coast of Ireland, and Tenerife, in the Canary Islands.
Another wonderful and humorous instalment in the Guesthouse on the Green series as Mammy and Moira travel Vietnam.
I love the series and can't wait for book four!
A quick but emotional read - reading about the cruelty to the dog was heartbreaking but this was a lovely tale of the love and healing that animals can bring to our lives.
I would have given five stars but for the missed typos - a few t...
I get the impression that this could be a nice story but I've had to give up after forcing myself to go as far as 15% of the way through. If this novel has ever been near a remotely professional editor then the author was conned.
Chapte...
Another very enjoyable story but with a few niggles, hence the four stars rather than five. Maybe it's because I was tired but the editing issues grated on me more than in the first story and, do people really generally believe that 'ear...
