Author Q&A: Jemma Robinson

Today’s post is another post I’m really excited to share with you. Back in December I reviewed the first book of an incredible up and coming author, Jemma Robinson. Since that review she has released her debut novel The Stars That Guide You Home on kindle and is gearing up to release it in paperback from May 1st. 

If you haven’t heard about The Stars That Guide You Home where have you been?! An incredibly written historical romance that follows Sophia and Tom who have everything they could ever want in their small town of Lowshore but one day they’re cruelly torn apart when Sophia’s past catches up with her. With Sophia trapped in the Capital under the cruel rein of King Edmund, Sophia dreams of being reunited with her beloved Tom. And when James, a doctor arrives to tend to Sophia, she sees her chance of freedom. But Edmund doesn’t lose and everything is at stake for the trio as they try and escape his evil clutches, to reunite Sophia with Tom and go back to their quaint cottage and life in Lowshore. 

Now I’m biased because Jemma is one of my best friends but it isn’t a lie when I say this book is incredible. Beautifully written, it’ll take you on an emotional journey that’ll see you rage, laugh and cry, sometimes all in the space of a few pages. And with the paperback release rapidly approaching I wanted to help her promote this book as much as possible. So a little while ago I shot her a quick Whatsapp asking if she fancied doing a Q&A not only so readers could learn a little more about her book but also a little bit more about herself. 

1. Does writing energize or exhaust you? It depends. If I’ve got a really exciting scene in my head that I need to get down on paper then it definitely energises me. But I suffer from Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (M.E) so sometimes it exhausts me, especially if it’s a part that needs a lot of concentration to get the details right.
2. What was your hardest scene to write? Definitely the one & only chapter from Edmund’s POV. He isn’t a nice character so being inside his head was particularly tough, especially as it is such a traumatic scene to try and envision anyway - having to see it from his POV made it doubly tough.
3. Do you hide any secrets in your books that only a few people will find? Not so much in this book but definitely in another book I’ve written. Hopefully you’ll see what I mean if I get to publish it! 
4. How do you select the names of your characters? I like to look at the meanings of names and match characters to them. Sophia means ‘wisdom’ which I think she gains a lot of during the novel, and Tom means ‘twin’ which works quite well when you start to read and see where his story goes! Edmund actually was a name that came about during a walk with my best friend Cassie. I needed a kingly name but one that you would instantly dislike or think was arrogant. And she actually came up with Edmund which works perfectly I think!
5. What did you edit out of this book?” My original manuscript was long haha, so I had to take quite a bit out, some emotional monologues which are my favourite to write but moving forward didn’t necessarily add anything to the story. Despite this I’m incredibly happy with how the story reads and I think it maintains the emotion without those parts, even though it killed me to remove them! 
6. What kind of research do you do, and how long do you spend researching before beginning a book? This is the first historical novel that I’ve written so it definitely needed a lot more research than say the fantasy genre I’ve written before. I researched heavily into Tudor times as (even though it’s a fictional place) that’s where I felt the majority of the settings would take place. I had to do some heavy research into old medical remedies and torture methods as I wanted it to read right - my internet history was very interesting put it that way!
7. How many unpublished and half-finished books do you have? I have one full unpublished fantasy novel which I’m hoping will be the next to be released (more than likely as a 2 parter) and one unfinished manuscript which I’ve written bits & pieces of but really needs pulling together properly.
8. What celebrity would you like to meet at Starbucks for a cup of coffee? The actor Jamie Bamber. He’s a huge inspiration to me (& to my writing) and I’d love the chance to properly tell him just how much he’s helped me and talk about his epic career in detail.
9. What three items would you take with you on a deserted island? Oooh this is hard! Can a notebook & pen count as one? So that I can write down my musings. Some coloured string so I could make little bracelets with the shells I find, and a good book, nothing too heavy though, maybe a Sophie Kinsella novel that I can read 100x over and never get bored. 
10. What would you sing at Karaoke night? I get embarrassed at karaoke but people always get me up there as they say I’ve got a good voice. My go to songs are ‘Somewhere Only We Know’ by Keane and ‘White Flag’ by Dido.
11. If you could go back in time, what year would you travel to? I’m obsessed with history so this is a toughie! I’d love to explore the Tudor period as that fascinates me more than any (though I’d stay clear of Henry VIII!) and I would have loved to experience Freddie Mercury & Queen live at Live Aid so I’d probably take a quick trip there too!
12. If you could share a meal with any 4 individuals, living or dead, who would they be? Freddie Mercury (because I’ve been a fan since I was 17 and he was such a larger than life character) my grandma who passed away when I was 6 so I didn’t really get a chance to know her (and by all accounts she was a bit of a party animal so I think her & Freddie would get on!) and my two favourite actors Sam Claflin & Jamie Bamber. I think we’d have a great time! 
13. Who would you want to play you in a movie of your life? When I was younger & had longer hair I was always told I looked like Reese Witherspoon and I can *kind of* see it so I’d have to say her. She’s a great actress so I’d be happy.
14. What song would you say best sums you up?  My friend Cassie once sent me a song because she said it was so me and as soon as I listened I had to agree. It’s not a well known song or a well known artist but I love it. It’s called ‘Different’ by James TW. One of the lyrics is “The colour of your hair changes every week, you know you’ve got a voice but your scared to speak; life just seems like a riddle, you’re torn down the middle. You don’t have to play a part, just be who you are.” Cassie has always said that she loves my quirkiness but my anxiety holds me back sometimes which is true. And I love that she heard this beautiful song & thought of me.

The Stars That Guide You Home is available now on Kindle and will be released in paperback May 1st. Want to grab your own copy, just head over to jemmarobinsonwrites.co.uk to grab your own copy and keep up to date with Jemma’s writing.