A Rebel at Pennington’s
by
Rachel Brimble
One woman's journey to find herself and help secure the vote. Perfect for the fans of the TV series Mr Selfridgeand The Paradise.
1911 Bath. Banished from her ancestral home, passionate suffrage campaigner, Esther Stanbury works as a window dresser in Pennington's Department Store. She has hopes and dreams for women's progression and will do anything to help secure the vote.
Owner of the prestigious Phoenix Hotel, Lawrence Culford has what most would view as a successful life. But Lawrence is harbouring shame, resentment and an anger that threatens his future happiness.
When Esther and Lawrence meet their mutual understanding of life's challenges unites them and they are drawn to the possibility of a life of love that neither thought existed.
With the Coronation of King-Emperor George V looming, the atmosphere in Bath is building to fever pitch, as is the suffragists' determination to secure the vote.
With the Coronation of King-Emperor George V looming, the atmosphere in Bath is building to fever pitch, as is the suffragists' determination to secure the vote.
Will Esther's rebellious nature lead her to ruin or can they overcome their pasts and look to build a future together?
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An interview with the author of A Rebel at Pennington’s - Rachel Brimble
Hello Rachel, and welcome to WWBB. Tell us about the publisher. Who are they and what are they like to work with?
When I signed a four-book contract with Aria Fiction in January 2018, it was my first time working with them and, I have to say, they have been absolutely fantastic. My editor completely understands my vision for the Pennington’s series and fully supports my ideas and plans. Her revision notes only serve to make my work stronger and her suggestions are always spot-on.
I also work with the digital/PR person at Aria and she, too, is so good. Lots of great marketing ideas and encouragement.
I would DEFINITELY recommend Aria Fiction to other authors – no question.
That’s fantastic. It’s always good to have that rapport with editors. Can you tell us how you dealt with rejection letters in the past or bad reviews in general?
Quick answer is ‘read them and move on’ – the not so quick answer… Rejection letters and bad reviews are part of the business, unfortunately. Even the bestsellers or books that become ‘classics’ have been rejected and received bad reviews. Writing, like any of the arts, is subjective. People will like, love or hate your work. There is absolutely nothing you can do to change that so, of course, read the feedback and decide if you wish to take any comments onboard and then…move on!
What’s your least favourite part of the writing process?
The middle of the book – every time! A Rebel at Pennington’s is my 20th published novel and, after writing for thirteen years, my process has grown and changed to the point that I now have a system that works for me. However, it doesn’t matter how much I plot out my books before I start writing (I am a total plotter!), I always hit the 40,000 word mark and things start to spin out of my control for a while. The characters either take over and go off in a different direction I wasn’t expecting, or they might reveal something about themselves I hadn’t factored and this ‘thing’ changes the whole dynamic of the novel.
Writing is hard, frustrating and apt to make the author cry sometimes (truth!), BUT I love it and will never stop.
And the best part?
There are two best parts for me – first, typing ‘The End’ when the first draft is finished. This is my absolute bliss time. A fully-written book is so much easier to tweak, cut and change than a ream of blank pages. I love working on the words I’ve already written and making them better. The second is receiving my cover for the first time. That always means the book is actually happening and, before long, readers will be reading it. I’ve been lucky with my covers so far and like them all. Long may it last!
Promoting is something ALL authors struggle with. How are you managing yours?
Promotion is definitely one of the most difficult aspects of the business – I’m yet to find a way that ‘works’ so I try my best and hope it means readers find my books. I am on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram where I make sure I post regularly as well as ensuring I set up blog tours in the UK and US whenever I have a new release. Engagement with your audience is paramount and there is nothing I love more than chatting with readers!
Does writing energize or exhaust you?
Energise, definitely! Writing is my lifeline. The thing that makes me happy and brings me joy. Writing stopped being a choice for me about ten years ago. Instead, it became a compulsion. Something I HAVE to do. I even take my laptop on holiday these days – believe me, it’s much better this way. If I have to go three consecutive days without writing, I turn into a savage. Ask my husband and children, lol!
And why did you write A Rebel at Pennington’s? Was there a spark that made you put pen to paper (or fingers to keyboard)?
I have always been passionate about women’s rights and equal rights, so I knew very early on I wanted to write a series with a ‘female empowerment’ theme. I loved watching the TV series, Mr Selfridge, but I always wanted the female characters to be explored more deeply, to find out more about their issues and frustrations. The first book (The Mistress Of Pennington’s) covers Edwardian women in business and this book, A Rebel At Pennington’s, covers the women’s suffrage movement. We should never forget the struggle these women went through to secure the right to vote. So many women suffered for something that would ultimately benefit women forever.
OMG! It sounds fab! Go on… give me the first, middle and end line in your book.
First: In a small post office situated in one of the many back alleys that wound like a spider’s web throughout Bath’s city centre, Esther Stanbury feigned interest in a rotary stand of greeting cards.
Middle: Fear he might one day break her heart if she were to fall in love with him was what made her flee from his home that fateful, sensual night they’d been alone.
End: Lawrence squeezed her fingers. ‘Always.’
Who would be your dream cast if your novel was made into a movie?
Ooh, this is an easy question for me to answer as I start each new book trawling the internet looking for ‘pictures’ of my hero and heroine. Occasionally, I’ve chosen models but, most of the time, I use real-life actors.
For A Rebel At Pennington’s, I would love to have Hayden Panettiere play Esther and Chris Evans play Lawrence J
What was edited out of this book?
Nothing, lol! What tends to happen with my books is my editors want more added – there are usually one or two threads they feel need deeper exploration. A Rebel at Pennington’s was no exception and the book grew from 90,000 words to 106,000.
Thank you so much, Rachel. Best of luck with the book!
Rachel lives with her husband and their two daughters in a small town near Bath in the UK. Since 2007, she has had several novels published by small US presses, eight books published by Harlequin Superromance (Templeton Cove Stories) and four Victorian romances with eKensington/Lyrical.
In January 2018, she signed a four-book deal with Aria Fiction for a new Edwardian series set in Bath’s finest department store. The first book, The Mistress of Pennington’s released July 2018.
Rachel is a member of the Romantic Novelists Association and Romance Writers of America, and was selected to mentor the Superromance finalist of So You Think You Can Write 2014 contest. When she isn’t writing, you’ll find Rachel with her head in a book or walking the beautiful English countryside with her family. Her dream place to live is Bourton-on-the-Water in South West England.
She likes nothing more than connecting and chatting with her readers and fellow romance writers. Rachel would love to hear from you!
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