Q&A: Donna Fletcher Crow, Author of Going There: Tales from the Riviera and Beyond #Q&A #Interview #GoingThere @fletchercr #puyb

 

Donna Fletcher Crow, Novelist of British History, is an award-winning author who has published some 50 books in a career spanning more than 40 years. Her best-known work is Glastonbury, The Novel of Christian England, a grail search epic depicting 1500 years of British history. The Celtic Cross is a 10-book series covering the history of Scotland and England from the 6th to the 20th century.  Crow writes 3 mystery series: The Monastery Murders, contemporary clerical mysteries with clues hidden deep in the past; Lord Danvers Investigates, Victorian true-crime stories within a fictional setting; and The Elizabeth and Richard literary suspense series, featuring various literary figures. Where There is Love is a 6-book biographical novel series of leaders of the early Evangelical Anglican movement. The Daughters of Courage is a semi-autobiographical trilogy family saga of Idaho pioneers. Reviewers routinely praise the quality of her writing and the depth of her research. Crow says she tries never to write about a place she hasn’t visited and one of her goals in writing is to give her readers a you-are-there experience. Donna and her husband of 60 years live in Boise, Idaho. They have 4 children and 15 grandchildren, and she is an avid gardener.

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Why did you decide to write Going There: Tales from the Riviera and Beyond? Did the inspiration come at a particular moment, or had you been planning to write the book for a while?

Oh, not at all! I was enjoying a wonderful getaway in France and Switzerland with my daughter-in-law and granddaughter when I discovered that characters from my novels had tagged along and were having their own adventures. Whenever we found a particularly exciting or potentially dangerous place I found myself asking, "What would Felicity (or Elizabeth or Antony, or Lady Danvers) do if they found a body, or got trapped in a tunnel, or had their passport stolen?" Potential plots even became a fun dinner table topic in the evenings.

Did you have to do any research before writing this book or was it more a self-guided knowledge on the subject? 

In retrospect I wish I had thought of using the trip as background for a book because, although we did make an effort to visit places of literary interest, I found there were many I missed which I had to research when they came up in my story. I try very hard never to write about a place I haven't visited because one of my goals as a writer is to give my readers and you-are-there experience and that's hard to do if I haven't been there myself.

What are some of the positive results or responses you have received since publishing your book?

One of my readers wrote: "What a brilliant idea to combine your trip with Lord & Lady Danvers & Antony & Felicity adventures! Great twist at the end on the Queen Mary 2." I was delighted with this response because my long-time readers are accustomed to reading my novels, I wasn't sure how open they might be to a collection of short stories inside a travel memoir.

List three interesting facts about yourself.

I was once a rodeo queen and runner-up for the Miss Rodeo America title.

My husband and I have 15 grandchildren.

Some of the more challenging things I have done for the sake of research for a novel are hot air ballooning, snorkeling, and rapelling.

List three interesting facts about your book (or the writing of it).

This trip was undertaken in the midst of the Covid pandemic. The summer of 2021 offered a narrow window when the world opened up enough to allow somewhat restricted international travel. As soon as we got home the cases spiked again and constraints were tightened again.

Amazon tells me This book is number 68 for Donna Fletcher Crow titles.

During a recent promotion Going There was #1 in the French Travel category for several days.

How can our readers reach out to you?

I would love to have readers sign up for my monthly newsletter. You will not only receive monthly announcements of news and free book offers, plus pictures of my garden and a video, but also a free copy of the novel A Tincture of Murder, A Lord Danvers Victorian true-crime. 

My Facebook Author page is here.

My Amazon page is here.

Title: Going There: Tales from the Riviera and Beyond

Author: Donna Fletcher Crow
Publication Date: December 3, 2023
Pages: 152
Genre: Short Story Collection

In the summer of 2021 my daughter-in-law and I slipped through a brief window of sanity in a world driven mad by the Covid pandemic. Our purpose was to see my granddaughter Jane to a summer program in Monaco, then back to her ballet school in Switzerland. In spite of restrictions, protests, and nail-biting worries, the result was a marvelous experience. I invited characters from my mystery series to join me in my imagination and have their own adventures in each setting. Their encounters are: Nice: “The Crime of Passion”; St Tropez: “The Mother Decrees”; Villefrance-sur-de-mer: “The Ghost Boy”; Monaco: “Fracas in Monaco”; The Loire Valley: “The Old Winemaker”;  Saint Gallen: “Whispers of Legend”. The final coda is “Home Another Way” As 2 years later I return from quite a different trip aboard the Queen Mary 2 and my characters join in the celebrations as worlds coincide. More information on the book GOING THERE: TALES FROM THE RIVIERA AND BEYOND can be found at https://www.amazon.com/Going-There-Tales-Riviera-Beyond-ebook/dp/B0CPHBRVJH?ref_=ast_author_mpb.