There was quite a gathering on Sunday 19th September to hear Lucy Jago speak at the Chiswick Book Festival.

The prize-winning author of Northern Lights and Regency House Party has recently published her first fiction novel, Montacute House which has received raving reviews and is selling fast (see book review below).

Following her university studies, Lucy’s career started by directing and producing art and historical documentaries for BBC and Channel 4, and her abundant passion of these topics shines through her work. Lucy‘s writing career was inspired by three people; her English teacher, her mother and a man called Jeurgen Wolff who she met at a weekend workshop, and she has since, never looked back.

With three children aged 2, 4 and 9, Lucy now finds writing more challenging than ever, but locked away in her study, surrounded with visual stimulants of the material on which she is writing about, and a pair of ear plugs she puts every precious free moment to good use and pens the masterpieces we have read, and will read in the future.

Lucy’s first fiction novel was a great and satisfying project with huge learning for her forthcoming books.

The fantastic news for Lucy Jago fans is that she is working on an adult novel (subject top secret) and is planning to pen a further 2 novels on Cess Perryn, the character from Montacute House (available for sale in Waterstones, Chiswick).

For more information on Lucy and her books, see www.lucyjago.com

Montacute House

Montacute House takes the reader deep into 16th century Somerset where Queen Elizabeth is in rule. Poultry girl, Cess Perryn is approaching her 13th birthday but cannot know what lies ahead of her...

The finding of an intriguing pendant, the gruesome death of a local village boy and then the sudden disappearance of Cess’ best friend William sends her off to find the answers. The Villagers are associating this social outcast with William’s disappearance even though she is known to have saved his life before, so she must set off to find him before it is too late. She runs to the only person she can trust – Edith. But is Edith who she seems?

Cess faces danger and discoveries that will change the very person she thinks she is. Her inner strength is tested to its limit, and her relationships with everyone she thought she knew come into question, but something is fired up within her to face the danger head on and save William in the hope that she can bring him back alive.

You will be both gripped and absorbed in this intricate and layered story of murder, mystery, witchcraft, love and loss, friendship, betrayal and discovery of identity with enough twists, turns and questions to keep you hooked from first page til last.

With the level of detail that Lucy Jago describes this era, you can almost touch the scene and feel the fear of the characters as they become aware of what is around them. A book to inhale in a single sitting, but by the end of this book you will be yearning for more...and the good news is another instalment of Cess Perryn is in the pipeline!

Interview and review by Ciara Hassan

September 20, 2010