Celebrating a New Book Series featuring Anna Jensen

Today I'll be introducing you to an author from a wonderful book series called Our House on Jakaranda Laan. All the stories In this series, take place In the fictitious town of Cedarfontein, South Africa on Jacaranda Lane. Today, I'm featuring Anna Jensen. Read on to learn about her story.

First off, tell my readers your book title, the genre for your book and the time frame it takes place?
Hi everyone. Thanks for having me, Christine. My contribution to Our House on Jakaranda Laan is the first book in the series, and is called The Mask’s Shadow. I’ve written a dual-time story, my reset in both 1922 and 2019.

Give my readers a short book blurb about your story and characters.
The Mask’s Shadow is a tale of family secrets, identity, and how the past can influence the present and future.

David Jones is summoned from South Africa to an appointment with a solicitor in Glasgow, Scotland, where he receives news of an unusual inheritance; the estate and belongings of his great-great-great grandmother, Lucy Jones, kept secret for almost one hundred years.

The bequest leads him on a quest for answers. Who was Granny Lucy?

What inspired you to write this story?
I knew I wanted to write more about Lucy Jones. She features in books from both previous Our House series — The Ferryman’s Light from Our House on Sycamore Street, and The Lady’s Companion from Our House on Heather Wynd. However, nailing down an actual plot and story wasn’t so easy!

Until I watched a TV show hosted by Sir David Suchet, the actor who played Agatha Christie’s Hercule Poirot.

The show followed in Agatha’s footsteps as she travelled around South Africa and the then Rhodesia (now Zimbabwe). In addition to showcasing the various places she visited, the episode also traced the origins of one of Agatha’s early novels, The Man in the Brown Suit, to this visit to South Africa.

I hadn’t heard of the novel before, so decided I should read it. And in so doing, got the perfect idea for Lucy Jones and Number One Jakaranda Laan.

You’ll have to read The Mask’s Shadow to find Agatha’s cameo!

I'm a big Agatha Christie fan so you definitely have my attention. Now, tell me what’s the best encouragement you’ve had in your writing?
My first novel, Given Lives, tells the true story of the plague village of Eyam in northern England, a place I regularly visited as a child growing up in the area.

I sent the book through to the local church and museum, for their feedback. The museum sent a copy to a local historian. She responded with a note, saying it was the best account of the village and the impact of the plague she’d read.

Given Lives is now stocked in both the church and museum in Eyam, and sells many copies during the tourist season.

What is the best writing advice you’ve received or could give?
On a practical level. Stephen King’s comment in his book On Writing to ‘write with the door closed; edit with the door open’ — basically meaning to write free from the pressure of what others may think.

Are there any other points about writing you would like to add?
As a Christian, I have the privilege of writing stories not so much for God, as with him. He's the Creator and the Father; Jesus is the author and the perfector; the Holy Spirit shares the heart and mind of Jesus. What better way to create and write?

What other books do you have in the works?
Following a recent research trip to Scotland, I’m about to start the reading and planning for a sequel to my World War II novel, Secret Lives. As this will be a full-length novel, I may be quiet from other writing projects for a while!

That's all for today's interview. I've started reading this book and am intrigued by the dual timeline story. Hope you'll check it out. If you'd like to learn more about Anna's books, go to  annajensen.co.uk/start-here

To sign up for her newsletter, head to annajensen.co.uk/news. You’ll receive a free Poldark-ish novella set in 18^th century Cornwall, and a short book of devotional poetry.     

And here's a special bonus for my readers...Don't wait until her sequel to Secret Lives comes out, Read the first WWII dual-time novel, Secret Lives now! It's on sale all this week for only $0.99 but only through August 8th. Find it at: books2read.com/secretlives