Thank you to Rachel from Rachel’s Random Resources for inviting me to participate in the blog tour for Hunter’s Rules by Val Penny.
Q&A with Val Penny, the author of Hunter’s Rules Edinburgh Crime Mysteries)
- What is the first story you remember telling (not necessarily writing)?
The first story I remember telling was at school when I was seven years old. It was about a horse, which I did not have that was stolen by neighbours, who had no more use for a horse than I did and the neighbours were eaten by a wild lion for their trouble. (There are few wild lions in SW Scotland!)
2.What was your favorite game to play as a child?
My parents bought me a tepee, not a tent and I enjoyed playing house in that, but my sister would always have to be the cowboy as I wanted to live in the tepee.
3Star Trek or Star Wars?
Star Wars
4.Do you have any writing quirks?
I like to write in the afternoon. I prefer to answer emails, sort out my blogs and do any necessary household chores in the morning and get them out of the way. Then from about 2pm the day is mine to write for as long as I like.
5.Who inspired you to write your debut novel?
I am so fortunate to have had a great deal of encouragement from other authors, but my first inspiration came from Handsome Hubby (HH) who heard me droning on about good and bad books and said ‘Well, if you know so much about what makes a good book, why don’t you write one?’
6.What is your favourite color? Least favourite?
Favourite – any bright colour – red, blue, green, pink.
Least favourite – dark colours – brown and black.
7.How do you name your characters?
I find names interesting and have ‘collected’ or remembered names all my life and once I get to know a character I will assign them a name. For example, driving through a city one afternoon, I saw a lawyer’s office Wilson Hunter Esq. I switched the name around and Hunter Wilson became the name of the main character in my Edinburgh Crime Mysteries Series.
8.If you were to be gifted a superpower that you had to use continuously for 8 hours every day, what would it be?
Ooh invisibility or to be able to eat chocolate brownies without gaining weight? That’s a tough one!
9.What are your hobbies (besides reading and writing)?
I enjoy travelling – it has been said I would go to the opening of a paper bag. I also enjoy walking, swimming, knitting and making jewellery.
10.Have you ever gotten “reader’s block?”
Reader’s block, no. But occasionally I write a lot of nonsense to get to the other side of writer’s block.
11.What is in your TBR pile?
I always have a long TBR pile – one of the good things about lockdown during 2020 was that I almost got to the bottom of it! Right now it contains We Begin at the End by Chris Whitaker, The Woman Who Felt Invisible by Lizzie Chantree and The Beekeeper of Aleppo by Christy Lefteri
12.What was your hardest scene to write?
I am very bad at writing sex scenes. It’s ridiculous, but I get embarrassed. Luckily, Liz Hurst ran a course on Writing Erotica a couple of years ago and now I hope I am less bad at it.
13.If you could have authored a book, which one and why?
I am happy with the books I write, but if I could have written a big blockbuster like Jurassic Park, that would make me very happy.
14.What movie sequel would you erase from history and why?
Funnily enough, Jurassic Park II – The Lost World. I don’t think it is nearly as good as the other movies in the franchise.
15.As a writer, what would you choose as your mascot/avatar/spirit animal?
It would always be a cat. Independent, self-motivated and always finding the warmest place in the room to sleep.
16.What is one food you could never bring yourself to eat and why?
I have been vegetarian since I was twenty-one. I always said I would go back to eating meat and fish when I missed it. I haven’t missed it yet and I think I am unlikely to go back to it now.
17.How long on average does it take you to write a book?
My first novel took me about two and a half years to write. Of course, I had cancer at the time and not a clue what I was doing. Now, a book will take me 6-8 months to write.
18Tell us about your latest book
My most recent novel was published at the beginning of January this year, Hunter’s Rules, It is The Edinburgh Crime Mysteries #6 The Blurb –
A bloody scene brings Hunter and Meera’s romantic plans to an abrupt end.
A young woman was attacked in a hotel lift. She has life changing injuries, but she is alive. Hunter notes that her wounds are like those inflicted on two women who previously died.
Can Meera keep the injured woman alive long enough for her to identify her assailant? Is the same person responsible for all three crimes? When Hunter is identified as a suspect in the crime, can he establish his innocence and lead his team to solve the crime and keep Edinburgh safe?
Thank you to Val for her very Q&A session! Let’s all wish her most recent Edinburgh mystery Hunter’s Rules lots of success!
Purchase Links
Author Bio
Val Penny 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 two cats. She has a Law degree from Edinburgh University and her MSc from Napier University. She has had many jobs including hairdresser, waitress, lawyer, banker, azalea farmer and lecturer.
However, she 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 and novels. Her crime novels, Hunter’s Chase, Hunter’s Revenge, Hunter’s Force and Hunter’s Blood and Hunter’s Secret are set in Edinburgh, Scotland, published by darkstroke and form The Edinburgh Crime Mysteries.
Her first nonfiction book Let’s Get Published is available now and the first book in the new series centring on Jane Renwick will be published in 2021 as will the next book in The Edinburgh Crime Mysteries, Hunter’s Rules.
Author Contact Details
website / facebook Author / facebook / facebook groups 1 / facebook groups 2
twitter / goodreads / amazon UK / bookbub
Buy Links
Giveaway to Win a PDF of Hunter’s Rules by Val Penny (Open INT)
*Terms and Conditions –Worldwide entries welcome. Please enter using the Rafflecopter box below. The winner will be selected at random via Rafflecopter from all valid entries and will be notified by Twitter and/or email. If no response is received within 7 days then Rachel’s Random Resources reserves the right to select an alternative winner. Open to all entrants aged 18 or over. Any personal data given as part of the competition entry is used for this purpose only and will not be shared with third parties, with the exception of the winners’ information. This will passed to the giveaway organiser and used only for fulfilment of the prize, after which time Rachel’s Random Resources will delete the data. I am not responsible for despatch or delivery of the prize.
readingtonic 
I love this interview. Val seems like she has a great sense of humor. I am not familiar with her books, but will be checking them out now.
LikeLike