Margaret Moxom

I did write an autobiography, "Escape from Reality" after returning from Belgium, where I lived for four years. It was written mainly as a means of putting the whole harrowing experience into perspective, and I did not advertise it. On retiring to Staffordshire in 2016, I began looking into the history of the area and found a brilliant website ThePotteries.org, from which I found out about the Pottery Riots of 1842. Finding out that a local nursing home (built by Job Meigh, a prominent potter, in 1937, for his own villa), had been threatened with burning by the rioters, and also that the nursing home has ghosts, I decided to put the two together to produce "Footsteps in the Past". This actually turned into a trilogy. So, I had found my genre, True Historical Novels, and have written eight books now, all based on true events, which I have thoroughly investigated.

"A Llanrwst Christmas, Not Worth Dying For" is another true story. Caroline Williams was accused of murdering her husband on Christmas Day. Saying that they were the only people in the house, Caroline was sentenced to trial. She was known to defend herself from her husband, William, a drunken, lame brute of a man, with her carving knife, when he was drunk, so that went against her, although she had never attacked him with it. She called her knife, "my protection". Her defending lawyer only put forward the flimsiest of cases, mainly, I believe, because Caroline was an illiterate gypsy, living in a condemned house. So, my book is about prejudice and how the legal system pre-judges guilt. The jury had requested mercy, but the Judge donned his lack cap, and sentenced her to hang. I introduced a Cold Case Team to read the crime reports. They bring to light the inconsistencies in the police investigations and trial, and where the case had truly let Caroline down. What I tried to show was that, with Caroline suffering severly with neuritis in her hands, meaning they were burning or freezing and numb and she could just about slice a loaf of bread, there was no way she could have plunged her carving knife so deeply into her husband's neck. However, if Caroline didn't murder her husband, who did? As it happens, there was outrage at the sentence and Caroline's sentence was eventually repealed to life imprisonment, but she should never have been imprisoned as I believe someone else murdered William. You will have to read the book to find out more.

Most of my characters really existed. What I do is build in conversations and scenarios whilst keeping to the true historical events, in order to bring the history to life.

I have written eight books since 2016 and am looking for another true story to get my teeth into. However, I normally write of an afternoon and into the evening when I really have my teeth into a story. This is not just writing but investigating anything I can find on a case, which involves interviewing people who maybe were present and lived through the event, getting stories from people I have got in contact with on Facebook sites, delving into the British Newspaper archives and libraries as well as reading other books written on the subject. For the Llanrwst Christmas I travelled to Kew Archives in London to delve through four boxes of information they hold there about the case, which included the trial transcripts, police investigations, witness statements, photos, letters and maps. I returned with 600 photographs of each page and then had the massive task of going through everything, putting it all in order and trying to form a novel out of it all.

I don't know yet. What I would obviously like is more sales and reviews.

I was asked to write "The Day the Sun Disappered - 27 November 1944" by the grandson of Mary Cooper, who set up the temporary morgue in Hanbury, Staffordshire. It concerns bombs being refurbished by the RAF, under fields, in disused alabaster mines, for the war effort. There wasn't enough supervision and a disaster was waiting to happen. The biggest explosion ever in the UK occured on 27 November 1944. It was covered up by the Air Ministry under the Official Secrets Act. The grandson of Mary Cooper had given me a whole boxload of information his family had collected over the years - newspaper cuttings, letters, photos, maps etc, but this wasn't enough information and I found a book about the RAF Fauld disaster, which I used, although writing this in my own style. I acknowledged the writer fervantly in my book. However, the author was going to sue me with a "desist immediately". I found out that she did not want her family mentioned in my book, although her father played a prominent part in the rescue attempts. I had to re-write the book, using the local policeman as the person telling the story. I also changed the name of the book and the cover. All in all, this took me two years to write.

Not really. I use Facebook sites, the internet, the BNA and heritage sites. The only time I have used AI is to write Enquiry letters to literary agents.

Make sure your manuscript is proof-read. Get people to read the manuscript and comment on possible improvements. If possible, get reviews before the big launch day. Contact all of your acquantances about the launch day and advertise it on various sites, book clubs, Facebook, Instagram, TikTok etc. I have self-published all of my books through Amazon.KDP, although I have tried countless times to approach literary agents. I did a course on how to write an Enquiry letter to agents that would get their attention, but these agents receive thousands of letters and most of them are just binned. You can, of course, pursue this route, but be prepared for disappointment after disappointment. It really doesn't matter how good your book is, but possibly depends on if you are well-known or a celebrity yourself, although agents do not say that. You need to show how you would advertise the book yourself. Do not pay a literary agent or publisher for their services. A genuine publisher will not ask you for money.

I have got myself a marketing agent who has produced a fabulos website: https://footstepsinthepast.uk, plus video trailers, posters and even quizes that I send out regularly to Facebook, book sites, TikTok, Instagram etc, but be prepared to get a lot of scammers trying to advertise your book for you and wanting money for the privilege. I just received an email supposedly from Leeds Library wanting to promote my book. I contacted the genuine Leeds Library who advised that this email was not genuine and they would get their IT department to investigate. This is one of many.

I am not working on a new book at present. I am waiting to see if something interesting comes along. In the meantime, I am taking by books out to sell at fairs/table top sales. I have also donated my books to a local library (part of six libaries) and joined ALCS, who give you a payment when your books are lent out at these libraries.