Today I’m pleased to welcome Malia Zaidi to Portobello Book Blog as part of the blogtour for her latest book The Golden Hour. Thanks to Emma Welton of damppebbles blogtours for inviting me to take part. The Golden Hour is available now in paperback and ebook formats. Buying links are at the end of the post.
1. Some of my favourite books are not in the genre in which I write! I write historical mysteries, but some my favourite books are Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen, The Tenant of Wildfell Hall by Anne Brontë, Shantaram by Gregory David Roberts, The Power of One by Bryce Courtenay, The Harry Potter books by J.K. Rowling and The Neapolitan Novels by Elena Ferrante. That being said, my favourite genre to read it still mysteryJ
2. When I write, I prefer silence or listening to soundtracks. I don’t like to listen to music with lyrics, because I’ll start thinking them along in my head, which can be quite distracting when you’re trying to write!
3. I love to travel, and some of the places I’ve visited have inspired the settings of the books in the Lady Evelyn series. A few places I would really love to visit are Egypt, South Africa and Australia where I’ve never been.
4. When I’m having a bit of a hard time writing, I tell myself I can reward myself by taking a few mindless (if addictive) Buzzfeed quizzes if I get a certain number of words done. What can I say, it’s effective!
5. I am very active on Goodreads and love the bookish community I have found there. People have always been respectful, even if they disagreed with my reviews. Book people are the best people!
6. I’ve never had a pet (except the odd ladybug I tried to keep alive a few days, and who then abandoned me…)
7. Currently, I am working on something rather different from the Lady Evelyn Mysteries. All I’ll say is that readers might be surprised…
8. When I wrote The Golden Hour, I did a lot of research about the years post World War I. It was tough and sad to read soldiers’ letters and accounts of the time following this horrible conflict, but it also introduced me to many artists and writers of the time, whose work truly moved me. Some of them are poets Wilfred Owen, Rupert Brooke, Siegfried Sassoon, painters William Orpen, Otto Dix and CRW Nevison.
9. I grew up in Germany and though I now read mostly English books, the first books I read were in German and it was quite an adjustment when I moved to the US. When I arrived, the third harry Potter book had just been published and was on everyone’s lips. Reading them was, at first, a little daunting, but ultimately a bonding experience with the other children, and it opened up a new world of reading for me.
10. The view from my desk when I write is looking onto the street, and with me being a curious sort, this can prove a little distracting at times. What is the UPS man bringing? Did my neighbours get a new puppy? Is that cloud shaped like a cupcake? I want a cupcake… The writer’s lifeJ
From the back of the book
London 1927
Lady Evelyn Carlisle has barely arrived in London when familial duty calls her away again. Her cousin Gemma is desperate for help with her ailing mother before her imminent wedding, which Evelyn knew nothing about! Aunt Agnes in tow, she journeys to Scotland, expecting to find Malmo Manor in turmoil. To her surprise, her Scottish family has been keeping far more secrets than the troubled state of their matriarch. Adding to the tension in the house a neighbour has opened his home, Elderbrooke Park, as a retreat for artistic veterans of the Great War. This development does not sit well with everyone in the community. Is the suspicion towards the residents a catalyst for murder? A tragedy at Elderbrooke Park’s May Day celebration awakens Evelyn’s sleuthing instinct, which is strengthened when the story of another unsolved death emerges, connected to her own family. What she uncovers on her quest to expose the truth will change several lives forever, including her own.
With the shadow of history looming over her, Evelyn must trust in her instinct and ability to comb through the past to understand the present, before the murderer can stop her and tragedy strikes again.
About the Author
Malia Zaidi is the author of the Lady Evelyn Mysteries. She studied at the University of Pittsburgh and at the University of Oxford. Having grown up in Germany, she currently lives in Washington DC, though through her love of reading, she resides vicariously (if temporarily) in countries around the world.
Social Media:
Twitter: https://twitter.com/MaliaZaidi
Facebook: Malia Zaidi Author
Website: https://www.maliazaidi.com/
Blog: https://www.princessandpen.com/
Goodreads: Malia Zaidi
Purchase Links:
Amazon UK: The Golden Hour
Amazon US: The Golden Hour
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