Rita Lee Chapman in Egypt
As someone who has “visit Australia and New Zealand” on her bucket list, I’m beyond thrilled to introduce Australian author Rita Lee Chapman. Okay, Rita was born in London, England, but she did move to Australia in her early twenties. Like many before her, it was only when she retired that she wrote her first novel, Missing in Egypt, a romantic travel mystery. Winston – A Horse’s Tale followed, and was written for horse lovers like herself. As Chapman is quick to point out, “It was the book I had to write.” Rita’s latest book, Dangerous Associations, is her first foray into crime mystery. When she’s not writing or reading, Rita enjoys playing tennis, swimming and taking walks along the local beaches, lakes and river. And that’s in Australia…in case you missed it the first time around!
Judy: Tell us a bit about Dangerous Associations.
Rita: Dangerous Associations was my first foray into crime and I must say I enjoyed it immensely! It was fun to do an accent for Geoffrey and I enjoyed the power of being able to choose to kill off a character!
Judy: What’s the best writing advice you have ever read or been given?
Rita: Edit, edit, edit!
Judy: What advice and/or resources would you recommend for aspiring writers?
Rita: Now that Amazon has made self-publishing of e-books a viable option I would advise any aspiring write to just do it! Sit down and write that novel that is going around in your head. Amazon’s CreateSpace enables you to produce a print copy to hold in your hands and they only print on demand so there is no outlay. Just don’t forget to Edit! Edit! Edit!
Judy: Can you recommend a lesser-known author well worth reading?
Rita: Oh, there are so many, but I would certainly recommend Rebecca Bryn and Sarah Stuart, who set up Worldwide Authors, to enable us to reach across the world. You can find information on these two authors and their books on my website.
Judy: Do you read your genre when writing? If so, why? If not, why not?
Rita: If you mean, do I read a crime book when I’m writing a crime mystery, then the answer is no. I read across quite a wide range of genres and I just choose something that appeals to me at the time. I think trying to study someone else’s style or story would only be confusing, but of course everything you read is stored somewhere deep in the recesses of your mind.
Judy: What’s next for Rita Lee Chapman?
Rita: A holiday! My husband and I will shortly be going back to San Francisco, then driving through Yellowstone National Park (keeping an eye out for Yogi) then on to Jasper, Banff and Lake Louise before heading over the Rockies to Vancouver. I also hope to release Missing at Sea, the follow-on from Missing in Egypt, early next year.
Heres’s a bit about Rita’s books!
Dangerous Associations: An ex-husband, a new love, a stalker. Cathy Thompson’s link to her ex-husband fills her life with threats and intimidation. She must either trap her stalker or find Geoffrey to put an end to her life of fear.
Missing in Egypt: Twists and turns, romance and adventure as well as its insights into Australian and Egyptian cultures. Australian Anna Davies travels to Egypt with her lover to help him search for his brother, who disappeared whilst on holiday. The Valley of the Kings, Abu Simbel and the Temple of Karnak are amongst the settings for their search. Will they be able to track him down and find him alive – or is Ramy already dead? What tragedies await Anna and Kareem as they come closer to retracing his footsteps? This fast-paced action plot will keep you guessing until the end.
Winston – A Horse’s Tale: One for horse lovers! Winston is a good-looking palomino horse whose life involves several different owners and many adventures. As you read his story, told by Winston himself, you will appreciate horse ownership from the horse’s point of view. Born on a country property in Australia, Winston tells of his breaking-in and education and the different people he encounters – good, bad and ignorant. As well as his own story, Winston includes the experiences of other horses he meets along life’s way.
Whether it’s jumping, eventing, hunting or just hacking, Winston tries hard to please his rider. Follow his successes and his failures from his breaking-in to his show jumping win. It is an eventful life – the story of one Australian horse out of thousands, but one that you will remember.
Find Rita:
Website/Blog
Amazon