Inspiration behind The Mistress of Pennington’s by Rachel Brimble…
It comes as no surprise that the inspiration for The Mistress of Pennington’s came to me after a mini-obsession with the TV series The Paradise and Mr Selfridge. I adored these shows, but something was missing for me. I soon realised I wanted more focus on the female issues of the time.
Women in business, the suffrage movement, laws against women’s freedom with regard to property and money…the taboo of divorce. As soon as I had pinpointed the theme of what I wanted to write, ‘Female Empowerment’, I knew that a single book wasn’t going to cut it and I’d found my next historical series. I was so excited to get started!
And so, came the research…always a pleasure to a history addict like me.
I had to, of course, start that research by re-watching the TV series I loved, Titanic and A Room With A View – all fantastic fodder for a feel of the Edwardian period and the frustrations of women living at the time.
Then came the books! Good lord, did I read a LOT of non-fiction books covering the era – in fact, I was so inspired by several real-life stories of the period that I made another file of facts, dates around another theme set in the Edwardian period but I won’t be sharing that scoop today in case my idea never comes to fruition!
Suffice to say, when I came to plotting and finally writing the first draft of The Mistress of Pennington’s, I knew the heroine, Elizabeth Pennington, would be a strong, forward-thinking woman determined to be recognised by her father as the rightful heiress of Pennington’s Department Store. Not only is Elizabeth determined to inherit the mammoth store but also run it as she fits, ensuring all classes, genders and backgrounds are welcome in the store as customers oremployees.
This book was an absolute joy to write and the reviews so far have been fantastic! The next book is written and due for release early 2019 and now I am writing book 3.
Welcome to Pennington’s! I hope you’ll stay and watch some amazing women grow and start to make some changes to their worlds…
Rachel x
1910 – A compelling tale of female empowerment in Bath's leading department store. Perfect for the fans of the TV series Mr Selfridge and The Paradise.
Elizabeth Pennington should be the rightful heir of Bath's premier department store through her enterprising schemes and dogged hard work. Her father, Edward Pennington, believes his daughter lacks the business acumen to run his empire and is resolute a man will succeed him.
Determined to break from her father's iron-clad hold and prove she is worthy of inheriting the store, Elizabeth forms an unlikely alliance with ambitious and charismatic master glove-maker Joseph Carter. United they forge forward to bring Pennington's into a new decade, embracing woman's equality and progression whilst trying not to mix business and pleasure.
Can this dream team thwart Edward Pennington's plans for the store? Or will Edward prove himself an unshakeable force who will ultimately ruin both Elizabeth and Joseph?
Buy Links:
Barnes & Noble: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-mistress-of-penningtons-rachel-brimble/1128920728?ean=9781788546508
Google Play: https://play.google.com/store/books/details/Rachel_Brimble_The_Mistress_of_Pennington_s?id=dIFSDwAAQBAJ
In January 2018, she signed a four-book deal with Aria Fiction for a brand new Edwardian series set in Bath’s finest department store. The first book, The Mistress of Pennington’s released July 2018.
Rachel is a member of the Romantic Novelists Association and Romance Writers of America, and was selected to mentor the Superromance finalist of So You Think You Can Write 2014 contest. When she isn’t writing, you’ll find Rachel with her head in a book or walking the beautiful English countryside with her family. Her dream place to live is Bourton-on-the-Water in South West England.
She likes nothing more than connecting and chatting with her readers and fellow romance writers. Rachel would love to hear from you!
Links:
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Goodreads:
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Welcome, Rachel. Happy to have you here today and best of luck with this new series!
ReplyDeleteGreat to be here! Thanks so much - I am having so much fun with this series :)
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