Angelena Boden retired from running her own international training consultancy and happily settled in rural Shropshire. Her greatest pleasure is her garden and having long conversations with the visiting robins. Her books include Edna’s Death Café and Love Bytes Back.
Hi how lovely to see you in my virtual cocktail lounge. What can I get you at the bar?
A: Thank you for inviting me. I’d love a mocktail please. You choose!
So where did we first meet in real life?
A: We haven’t met in person but we became acquainted in 2016 and developed a telephone and Twitter friendship. I really hope we get to meet up in London this year.
What were your first impressions?
A: I found you to be very approachable and fun to chat to.
Apart from writing do we have anything other else in common?
A: Neither of us suffers fools gladly!
True! I’ve read Edna’s Death Café so tell me aboutits sequel.
A: My latest book is Love Bytes Back published by Troubador. It’s the second book in the
Edna Reid Series. When
lonely widow Kitty Merriweather moves to Derbyshire’s Hope Valley, she joins
the Silver Rose online dating site because it offers a safe place for the over
sixties to find romance. There she meets the enigmatic Harvey, a scientist
working on a conservation project in Bali who promises her “hot days and stormy
nights.”
Love blooms quickly but Kitty breaks all the rules laid down by the agency,
putting herself at risk. When little things don’t add up she dismisses them as
being unimportant. Nothing matters more than her plans for them to live happily
ever after. When she confides in her new friend, Edna Reid, octogenarian and
former café owner, Kitty gets angry at Edna’s implication she is likely the
victim of a scam. The more Edna hears about Harvey, the more she is convinced
he’s only interested in Kitty for her money. Using her knowledge of computers
Edna finally uncovers the truth, but where does black magic and murder fit into
this intriguing cosy mystery?
Are you working on anything at the moment?
A: I’ve been working on a novel based a memoir for the past two years. It’s called Chasing Peacocks and is about my time in Iran. It’s now finished and edited but as for its future…
What would be your dream panel (at any event) – subject, fellow panelists or a Q&A with someone you have met or would love to meet?
A: I’d love to do a Q/A with the former Bishop of Edinburgh – Richard Holloway. His latest book, Waiting for the Last Bus is one of my absolutely favourites.
What are you most looking forward to when lockdown is finally lifted?
A: Invite my daughters for a celebratory dinner and to hug my grandson.
Is there anything lockdown has made you think about/want to do?
A: My lockdown life hasn’t been much different from my ordinary life, although I do miss my long coastal walks. I’ve completed an online course in First Aid Mental Health and I hope to offer my services to our local hospital.
You can find out more about Angelena Boden and her books here.
I was fascinated by Exquisite (Orenda Books) by Sarah Stovell. The novel centres on the affair which develops between Bo Luxton, a best selling author who is married with two children living in the Lake District and Alice Dark a young aspiring writer in a dead end job and relationship in Brighton. They meet at a workshop run by Bo and their friendship develops via emails and then Alice’s visits to the author. The story is brilliantly told from both viewpoints and both characters are unreliable in their narration. Totally absorbing .
In The Cruelty of Lambs (Urbane Publications) Angelena Boden tackles the complicated issue of domestic abuse. Her main characters – Ian and Una – are well drawn and the plot moves along at a cracking pace. The narrative switches from Ian, a cellist who lost his teaching job when wrongly accused of inappropriate behaviour, to Una, a high-flyer who stands to lose the business she built up. Financial ruin faces them but their reactions couldn’t be more different. The supporting characters – friends of the couple who become entangled in the situation – are realistic and their concerns are credible. A thought-provoking and often disturbing read which challenges your preconceptions.
If you like a sexy and mature romantic read, you’ll love Seeking Eden by Beverley Harvey (Urbane Publications). Kate and Neil decide to move out of London after they are burgled and settle into a new, up-market housing estate. But Neil’s job is still in the capital and he spends some of the week staying over at a friend’s flat leaving Kate to her own devices and her new neighbours and Ben – the boyfriend who had walked out on her years ago and now wants to rekindle their relationship… A good contemporary read with well-drawn characters.
One of my favourite recent reads is My Name is Lucy Barton (Penguin), my first foray into Elizabeth Strout’s fiction. I love a first person narrative when it’s told well, and this one is perfection told by Lucy Barton, from her hospital bed, reminiscing about her family and their poverty, which isolated them from the community where they lived. Lucy moved up in the world and became estranged from her parents but it is her mother’s unexpected vigil in the hospital room that helps Lucy reassess her past and move towards a different future. A short but totally absorbing read.