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Author Karen uncovers shocking family secret

18/11/2011

'Author Karen uncovers shocking family secret'

And we've had another one...

This time it is the Morpeth Herald who have featured Catching the Eagle.

This is great news and - we believe - prompted an independent bookseller to contact my publisher for copies of the novel. It is a good article, similar to the one published by the Hexham Courant last Friday. This is hardly surprising because both newspapers used the emailed information and photos taken from my 'press pack' to write the features. All that hard work preparing the press pack last summer has paid off. If anyone is curious about what I used in my press pack, here is a list:

Photo of the book cover
Photo of me
Photo of Kirkley Hall
Press release
Background information
An extract from The Newcastle Courant September 1810
A family tree
The blurb for the novel
A synopsis of the story
Details of both the Teesside and the Northumberland book launches

Although this system obviously works extremely well, the slightly irking thing about it is that the newspapers can just lift the information I have sent them and publish - without telling us.

Thank you to David Walker in Ponteland, cousin of my friend Christine, for alerting us to the fact that the Morpeth Herald had published the above article. (Otherwise we would never have known!)

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Robbery is Karen’s inspiration

11/11/2011

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Robbery is Karen’s inspiration...

Karen Charlton with 'Catching the Eagle.'

From the Hexham Courant, Friday November 11th 2011 By Helen Compson.

Robbery is Karen’s inspiration

A convict fell out of a teacher’s family tree when a spot of genealogical research revisited a crime that split the community of Ponteland.

Teesside teacher Karen Charlton has now used the true story of the biggest robbery Northumberland had ever known—during the heyday of Kirkley Hall—as the basis for her first historical novel.

She has gathered so much information about the arrest, and subsequent trial of he husband’s ancestor, impoverished farm labourer, Jamie Charlton, along with the unpopular steward of Kirkley Hall, Michael Aynsley, that Catching the Eagle is but the first book of a planned trilogy.

It begins with the day in April 1809 that £1,157 in rent money gathered from the estate was stolen.

One Stephen Lavender, a principal officer with the Bow Street’s magistrates court in London, was dispatched North to investigate.

But far from solving the crime, the ensuing miscarriage of justice caused a public outcry.

‘In 2004 we were startled to discover that we had a Regency convict in the family tree.’ said Karen.

Not only that but he was a criminal with a very dodgy conviction. I had always wanted to write historical novels and now the perfect plot had just landed in my lap.’

Just like those other great investigative novels of recent times—Julian Barnes’ Arthur & George and Kate Summerscale’s The Suspicions of Mr. Whicher--Catching the Eagle holds up the true story of a 19th century crime for analysis.

What had begun as a hobby for the Charlton family quickly turned into a quest as they trawled through the offerings of numerous archives.

The novel spans a period of two years from April 1809 to June 1811, and the story is told from the viewpoint of Jamies’ brother, William, while desperately trying to save him from the gallows.

Catching the Eagle, the first of The Regency Reivers trilogy published by Knox Robinson Publishers, will be on the book shelves by December 8th.

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Who were the 'Border Reivers?'

8/11/2011

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Who were the 'Border Reivers?'

Since choosing the title 'The Regency Reivers' for my first series of historical novels, I have frequently been asked: 'Who were the Reivers?'

‘Reive’ is an early English word meaning "to rob",

Border Reivers were raiders along the Anglo–Scottish border from the late 13th century to the beginning of the 17th century. During this time, England and Scotland were frequently at war and the area was lawless, godless and often decimated by opposing armies.

A tough area breeds tough people. The families who lived there – on both sides of the border – grouped together in clans for protection and survival. Loyalty to a feeble or distant monarch or reliance on the effectiveness of the law, were not good survival strategies for the people of the borders. Instead, they sought security through their own strength and cunning and set out in large mobs to raid other families. ‘Reiving’ - raiding for cattle and sheep (and whatever else which could be transported) was the only way to survive and it became an established way of life, a profession, which was regarded with no discredit amongst the Borderers. The Reivers moved only at night, taking advantage of their intimate knowledge of the remote and rugged terrain, to spirit away their ill-gotten plunder.

Border Reivers

As George MacDonald Fraser says in The Steel Bonnets, ‘they lived by despoiling each other’… ‘It was a time when the great border tribes, both English and Scottish, feuded continuously amongst themselves, when robbery and blackmail, were everyday professions, when raiding, arson, kidnapping, murder and extortion were an important part of the social system.’

Their heyday was perhaps in the last hundred years of their existence, during the time of the Stuart Kings in Scotland and the Tudor Dynasty in England.

The attitudes of the English and Scottish governments towards the border clans alternated between indulgence and encouragement. Secure in their rule in the majority of the two countries, the authorities in England and Scotland were happy to let the Reivers battle it out for supremacy in the narrow hill country between the two nations. These fierce families served as the first line of defence against invasion and it suited authorities to have gangs of outlaws harassing the enemy on the border. However, the royalty of both countries would only travel through the region with a large and heavily armed escort. Even they were afraid of the Reivers.

As soldiers, the Border Reivers were considered among the finest light cavalry in all of Europe; they were outstanding horsemen. Living on the frontier between two warring nations sharpened their soldiering skills. Many worked as mercenaries abroad.

Of course, the notion of Scottish Clans is now legendary around the world – mostly thanks to Sir Walter Scott and his ballads. What is not so well known, perhaps, is that on the English side of the border there were also large, unruly English clans like the Charltons, the Armstrongs, the Milburns, the Robsons, the Fenwicks and the Dodds.

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THE EAGLE HAS LANDED...

26/10/2011

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THE EAGLE HAS LANDED...

I am absolutely delighted.
Last week we recieved the first pre-publication copy of Catching the Eagle. I have actually held my novel in my hands and it is a wonderful, wonderful feeling.

The book is longer and slimmer than I imagined and the pages feel lovely and smooth. Everything about it from the cover to the font looks enticing and professional. Even my photo on the fly sheet is not too frightening for small children.

At the moment, we have only the one precious copy and it is sitting up on my bookshelf where I can see it at all times when I am working at my desk.

I cannot put into words how delighted I am - and as soon as I find where the kids have hidden the ruddy camera, I will photograph it and post pictures on here. :)

P.S. The camera finally turned up - in a safe place. ;)

One happy lady with her novel

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Podcast Interview

26/9/2011

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Podcast Interview on KRP Website

Well, you've seen the mug shot - now hear the voice!
My podcast interview with Dana Robinson is now available to hear for FREE on the Knox Robinson Publishing website.

I hope that you enjoy it.

http://www.knoxrobinsonpublishing.com/

In the interview I talk about how I researched and wrote Catching the Eagle.

It's quite startling to hear how you really sound. I had no idea that my Yorkshire accent was still so strong. After twenty years of living in Teesside, I'd assumed that my accent had virtually disappeared. Perhaps it was just the nerves. ;)

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BBC History Magazine - November

26/9/2011

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BBC History Magazine - November

Just had some fabulous news from Dana at Knox Robinson Publishing.
Catching the Eagle is to be featured in an advert in the November edition of the BBC History magazine.

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February 1809

15/9/2011

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February 1809...

The FREE short story I wrote for Knox Robinson Publishing is now available to download from their website:

http://www.knoxrobinsonpublishing.com/product_info.php?products_id=104

Set in Northumberland, February 1809 by Karen Charlton, it is a prequel to my main novel Catching the Eagle. It introduces the main characters and is based on some real events in the lives of Jamie and William Charlton.

You can download it for FREE from the website above. Please feel free to leave a review on the site.

Synopsis
February 1809: The rural community in Ponteland, Northumberland begins to stir after one of the harshest winters on record.

As the land is slowly brought back to life, impoverished farm labourer, Jamie Charlton, desperately seeks work.

Jamie has more problems than most. With a wife and four hungry children to feed, a mountain of debt and creditors baying for payment, he lurches from one crisis to another, stubbornly refusing help from his anxious brother, William.

Based on real events, February 1809 is a day in the life of real people and is a prequel to the novel, Catching the Eagle.

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Catherine Cookson meets Downton Abbey meets John Grisham...

14/9/2011

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'Catherine Cookson meets Downton Abbey meets John Grisham...'

WoW! It is all happening today!

Mike Kelly, a reporter with the Newcastle paper, 'The Journal' contacted me on Monday and did a telephone interview. You can read the full article he has written about Catching the Eagle and the research behind it, on the link below. It might take you some time, though - it is three pages long!

I absolutely love this quote:

'And not surprisingly. With its Northumberland roots, upper class versus commoner intrigue and hint of a miscarriage of justice, it was like Catherine Cookson meets Downton Abbey meets John Grisham.'

Thanks Mike. :)

http://www.journallive.co.uk/lifestyle-news/newcastle-features/2011/09/14/interview-author-karen-charlton-61634-29416839/2/#ixzz1Xvdhejrm

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A busy, busy summer...

10/9/2011

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A busy, busy summer...

The front and back of my new postcards

I did not get much chance to notice the blistering heat and balmy evenings of summer 2011. During the six week school holiday, I was so busy with marketing, writing and researching book two in the Regency Reiver series, that I forgot to nip into the back garden and top up my tan. What's that? I would probably have caught pneumonia if I had tried to sunbathe this year? Oh well, maybe next year. ;)

Marketing Catching the Eagle

This is going well. I have read the tomes which were recommended to me about how to market your book. Following this, I had some fantastic postcards printed with the book cover on the front and the blurb and other details on the back (see above.) Armed with these, I jumped into the car and set off for Northumberland. As you can see from the forthcoming events column, I managed to interest four Waterstones managers in book signings. The Northumberland Book Launch is organised at Kirkley Hall and the guest list seems to be getting larger all the time. I am also investigating the beautiful Middlesbrough Reference Library for my Teesside Book Launch. Thanks to help from my friend Jill Boulton, I have put a press pack together and we are about to start approaching the media.

The Missing Heiress
A Detective Lavender Mystery

I had hoped to have had this nearly finished by now but it is only half way through. However, the writing is going smoothly and I am thoroughly enjoying myself. I have decided that 30,000 words is not bad for four months work.

Is this our James Charlton?

Researching Book Two in the Regency Reivers Series

We have taken two trips to The National Archives in Kew this summer, and spent four very long and tiring days pouring over 200 year old, dusty manuscripts, searching for further details about Jamie Charlton's fascinating life. He has never been an easy character to pin down in the archives but we have now got some very tantalising leads. Of course, most of his escapades were because he was in the wrong place at the wrong time - he should have been awarded a medal for this skill - he definitely was a born survivor when it came to dealing with the curved balls which fate dealt him. Quite frankly, I think that people are going to be very surprised about what happened next. Book Two in the series is already an amazing journey for me - and hopefully it will for the readers, as well... :)

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Canadian Charltons...

11/8/2011

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Canadian Charltons...

Many thanks to Judith Cantin (nee Charlton) from Canada who has recently got in touch via this website and sent me the picture below.

Judith is a direct descendant of Henry Charlton born in 1729 at North Carter Moor. Henry was the uncle of Jamie and William, the main characters in Catching the Eagle, although it is highly unlikely they ever met him. It is believed that Henry emigrated in 1750's. We believe he eventually settled in Nova Scotia, married and had ten children of his own. Many of his descendants, including Judith, still live there.

Of course, it was unlikely that our families still bear any family resemblance after two hundred years on different continents but it turns out that we do have one thing in common. Judith tells me that: 'all our (Canadian) Charltons are are big-boned...I don't believe I've ever met a small, petite Charlton.'

Anyone who has ever met my hubby and my children - or Chris' father, Arthur, and his siblings - will be smiling at this. Our Charltons also tend to rather stand out in a crowd.

The picture below overlooks Wolfville in the Annapolis Valley, Novia Scotia, near where Henry Charlton finally settled with his family.