Today my blog guest is my friend and fellow-author Val Penny, who is here to chat about life, books, and anything else that springs to mind. The new edition of Val's novel Hunter's Revenge is released today.
Welcome back to Broad Thoughts, Val.
For the benefit of those who are new to your books, please can you tell us a little about yourself?
I have been writing and telling stories all my life. When I was a child, I used to make up stories for my little sister after our Mum put the light out and told us to go to sleep.
Much later in life, I took early retirement when I was diagnosed with breast cancer, and there were times when I suffered severe side effects from my treatment. I could not go out, spend time with friends or indulge in many of my favourite hobbies, but watching daytime television got very old very fast, so I turned to reading, but even that lost its lustre after a while. My husband jokingly suggested that I write a book – and here we are!
Your books have a wonderfully diverse cast of characters. What gave you the inspiration for them?
Some of my characters are based on people I have come across in real life, but most of them are figments of my rather over-active imagination. I created each of them considering what I wanted them to portray and the gaps in stories that I wanted them to fill. Not every character appears in each book; however, many of them are recurring characters.
Do you have a favourite character?
Many of my readers are in love with Hunter or his DC Tim Myerscough, but my favourite character is Jamie Thomson. He is the most unsuccessful villain but has a good heart. Even when he attempts a housebreaking or a theft, it is with providing for his family in mind.
How important is setting in your novels?
The DI Hunter Wilson Thrillers are set in Edinburgh. This was a fundamental decision because so many people have visited it and it is a beautiful place. It is also small by city standards which makes it easy for my characters to navigate and plausible that they will know each other. Edinburgh is almost as important a character as Hunter Wilson.
To what extent are your plots influenced by the setting?
Edinburgh is a vibrant multicultural city so my plots could as easily be set in any similar city in the world, but I know Edinburgh well, and know how its people think and react. To that extent the setting does influence the stories.
What are you working on at the moment?
My new publishers, SpellBound Books, are publishing new editions of my back catalogue, which is an exciting diversion for me. This gives me lots of time to work on the next book in the DI Hunter Wilson Thrillers, Hunter’s Force, which will be published early in 2023, and the next book in the series of Jane Renwick Thrillers, A Fighting Chance.
Finally: Is there a question that you wish I’d asked…?
You write a blog and keep a social media presence, as well as writing books. From an author’s perspective, how does this benefit both you and your readers?
… and how would you answer it?
I like to keep in touch with my readers and to hear from them through my website (www.valpenny.com), my blog, and on social media. It is always lovely to keep in touch.
MORE ABOUT VAL:
Val Penny has a Bachelor of Law degree from the University of Edinburgh and her MSc from Napier University. She has had many jobs, including hairdresser, waitress, banker, azalea farmer and lecturer, but has not yet achieved either of her childhood dreams of being a ballerina or owning a candy store. Until those dreams come true, she has turned her hand to writing poetry, short stories, non-fiction and novels.
Val is an American author living in SW Scotland. She has two adult daughters of whom she is justly proud, and lives with her husband and their cat.
MORE ABOUT HUNTER WILSON:
Hunter by name – Hunter by nature.
Detective Inspector Hunter Wilson is a loyal friend and a fair leader. He is called to the scene of a murder in Edinburgh where the corpse has been fatally shot. He is dismayed to find the victim is his friend and colleague, George Reinbold. Hunter must investigate Reinhold's murky past in Germany to identify George's killer.
At the same time, Hunter is tasked with looking into a previously-undetected criminal gang supplying drugs from Peru. There seems to be no connection between the murder and the drug supply, until Hunter unexpectedly secures help from inmates of the local jail.
Hunter's investigations are hampered by distracted members of his team and unobservant witnesses.
Reinbold was not the quiet old man Hunter believed him to be, and his killer bore their grudge for a lifetime.
To order your copy of Hunter's Revenge, click here.
