I’m very excited today, as I welcome back Val Penny to my Thursday Themes blog. Val is here today to talk about the latest novel in her fabulous “Hunter” series of crime novels.
Thank you so much for inviting me to your blog today, Jo. I hope your readers will find this article about themes in my books interesting because, as you know, I write novels; crime novels that fall squarely within the police procedural style of that genre. But whether you write novels, short stories, plays or poetry, with crime, romantic or historical settings, each piece of writing will carry two or three main themes.
Themes in a work of literature range from the obvious to the very subtle. Some themes are dominant while others might be easy to miss and often the various themes engage with and impact upon one another. Themes in my novels connect settings, characters, plot and dialogue. They are often communicated through the concepts and ideas that arise throughout the text story and by being voiced in the dialogue in various ways by different characters.
In my novels the themes of the text provide the means by which I can communicate my meaning to my readers. Ideas and issues that I raise in my novels may, I hope, prompt readers to consider their own beliefs and attitudes or ways of looking at the world. For example, how different people deal with illness, hospitalisation or loss. Can any of these excuse an illegal act? I may pose the questions, but the reader will provide their own answers.
My new novel, Hunter’s Blood, will be published by darkstroke on 01.01.2020. In this book the main themes are loyalty, love and coping with loss.
There is loyalty shown between the members of DI Hunter Wilson’s team of detectives, between the members of Jamie Thomson’s family, and between Tim and his friends. Love is evident between Hunter and his girlfriend Meera, Hunter and his parents and Hunter and his son. Coping with loss is always difficult and it is certainly the most complex theme addressed in Hunter’s Blood. There are several characters who face the loss of someone of something they value throughout this story. However, I would not want to publish any spoilers before the novel is even published!
Hunter’s Blood is the fourth book in my Edinburgh Crime Mystery series and I very much hope all readers will enjoy it. The novel can be ordered at http://mybook.to/huntersblood
Val Penny is an American author living in SW Scotland. She has two adult daughters of whom she is justly proud and lives with her husband and two cats. She has a Law degree from Edinburgh University and her MSc from Napier University. She has had many jobs including hairdresser, waitress, lawyer, banker, azalea farmer and lecturer. However, she has not yet achieved either of her childhood dreams of being a ballerina or owning a candy store. Until those dreams come true, she has turned her hand to writing poetry, short stories and novels. Her crime novels, ‘Hunter’s Chase’ Hunter’s Revenge, Hunter’s Force and Hunter’s Blood are set in Edinburgh, Scotland, published by Crooked Cat Books. The fifth book in the series, Hunter’s Secret, follows shortly.
Author contact details:
http://www.facebook.com/valerie.penny.739
http://www.facebook.com/groups/296295777444303
https://twitter.com/valeriepenny
Author buy links:
myBook.to/HuntersChase
myBook.to/HuntersRevenge
mybook.to/huntersforce
https://mybook.to/huntersblood
