A Ghost and His Gold
by Roberta Eaton Cheadle
It is my pleasure to welcome Roberta Eaton Cheadle to Escape With Dollycas today!
Hi Robbie,
Tell us a little bit about yourself.
I am an author with 8 published children’s books, 2 young adult books, one a historical fictionalized memoir and the other a supernatural fantasy with a strong historical influence. I also have 1 published poetry book and stories in 8 anthologies. My latest novel for adults is a paranormal historical book set partially during the Great South African War.
I published my first children’s book in August 2016 and have not looked back since them. I have one self-published book, Open a new door, a collection of poetry, and my other books are published through TSL Publications in the United Kingdom.
I have a full-time job as the head of the capital markets team at my firm. I have been in corporate finance for over twenty years and during this time I have written several publications about investing in Africa and the potential impact of the fourth industrial revolution on various African countries.
I am married with two sons, both of whom are teenagers. My younger son, Michael, co-authored the Sir Chocolate series of books with me. He has outgrown these books for the time being and I am not expecting to write any more in this series as the writing of these books was a collaboration with Michael.
What kind of research do you do, and how long do you spend researching before beginning a book?
I am always reading up about historical events and ghost stories and they often evolve into story ideas. When a particular story or event strikes my fancy as a novel idea, I then research the entire outline of the historical event or situation.
Once I have this general overview in my mind, I start writing my story, working towards the ending I have already planned. I always have a basic outline and an ending in my mind when I start writing a story. I have discovered that I need to have an end goal to aim for with my novels, even if the middle often goes off in a different direction to what I originally planned. This method keeps my writing on track and prevents to much distraction and deviation with the plot. It also ensures I don’t get halfway through a book and then realise I have no ideas for the ending. Weak endings in books is something I dislike intensely, and they are common, even among well know and famous writers.
Do you ever suffer from Writer’s Block?
No, my biggest problem is a lack of time to write all the books I would like too. Historical fiction is very time intensive and involves a lot of research so my word count in a day is rarely over 1, 000 words in 2 – 3 hours.
To date, writer’s block has not reared its head.
What advice do you have for someone who would like to become a published writer?
Writing and publishing a book is a huge commitment of time and effort. A Ghost and His Gold took me two years to research, write and edit and I wrote during weekends and holidays and whenever else I got the chance to write.
The road to publication is a hard one and you have to love writing and be open to comments and positive criticism from other people to write the best book you can.
When you are not writing what do you like to do?
I work full time and have a family, so I don’t have that much spare time. I write on Saturday and Sunday mornings from 6am to 8.30am and I like to read for at least 1 hour every evening before bed. If I have any other free time, I enjoy baking and cake art and going for walks in the local park.
How has the COVID pandemic affected you and your writing?
The pandemic has made my work much busier and it has encroached on my evenings and weekends. This has reduced my time for writing, and I can get a little grumpy about it when I can’t write for a few weeks. Writing is like a meditation for me and it helps relieve my work stress so when work takes over everything in my life, I have no release valve for tension. My doctor told me recently “I must get a life and not work all the time.” I think that says it all.
If you could travel anywhere in the world where would you go and why?
I like visiting the UK and Europe. I have been to Scotland and a number of places in the UK, including spending time in London. I have also visited Finland, Italy, and Budapest. I would like to see more of Europe and also visit Glastonbury in the UK. Glastonbury and London were on our agenda for our 2020 visit, but obviously that didn’t happen.
What is next on the horizon for you?
In the short term, fellow author, Kaye Lynne Booth
I am also finalizing a second book of poetry called, Behind closed doors, a collection of poetry, which will be published later this year.
In the medium term, I am continuing to focus my attention on writing for adults in the paranormal historical genre. I am currently writing a new novel called The Soldier and the Radium Girl which is about the American participation in WW1 and the female dial painters at the factories that produced glow-in-the-dark watches for use in the trenches.
I am also working on a sequel to my book, While the Bombs Fell, a fictionalized account of my mother’s life growing up in a small English town during WWII.
In the longer term, I have plans for a three-book series about South African history from the 1820 settlers through to the end of the Anglo Zulu War.
Thank you Robbie for stopping by today!
Keep reading to learn about her latest release!
About A Ghost And His Gold
A Ghost and His Gold
Supernatural Historical
Stand-Alone Novel
Publisher TSL Publications (1/27/2021)
Number of Pages 264 pages
ISBN 9781914245039
After Tom and Michelle Cleveland move into their recently built, modern townhouse, their housewarming party is disrupted when a drunken game with an Ouija board goes wrong and summonses a sinister poltergeist, Estelle, who died in 1904.
Estelle makes her presence known in a series of terrifying events, culminating in her attacking Tom in his sleep with a knife. But, Estelle isn’t alone. Who are the shadows lurking in the background – one in an old-fashioned slouch hat and the other, a soldier, carrying a rifle?
After discovering their house has been built on the site of one of the original farms in Irene, Michelle becomes convinced that the answer to her horrifying visions lie in the past. She must unravel the stories of the three phantoms’ lives, and the circumstances surrounding their untimely deaths during the Second Anglo Boer War, in order to understand how they are tied together and why they are trapped in the world of ghosts between life and death. As the reasons behind Estelle’s malevolent behaviour towards Tom unfold, Michelle’s marriage comes under severe pressure and both their lives are threatened.
More Robbie Eaton Cheadle
Robbie Cheadle has published nine books for children and one poetry book. She has branched into writing for adults and young adults and, in order to clearly separate her children’s books from her adult books, is writing for older readers under the name Roberta Eaton Cheadle.
Robbie Cheadle’s Sir Chocolate children’s picture books are written in sweet, short rhymes which are easy for young children to follow and are illustrated with pictures of delicious cakes and cake decorations. Each book also includes simple recipes or biscuit art directions that children can make under adult supervision. Her books for older children also incorporate recipes that are relevant to the storylines.
Roberta Eaton Cheadle’s supernatural stories combine fabulous paranormal elements with fascinating historical facts.
Children’s picture books – available as a square book and an A5 book (co-authored with Michael Cheadle):
Sir Chocolate and the strawberry cream story and cookbook
Sir Chocolate and the baby cookie monster story and cookbook
Sir Chocolate and the sugar dough bees story and cookbook
Sir Chocolate and the Condensed Milk River story and cookbook
Sir Chocolate and the Sugar Crystal Caves story and cookbook
Sir Chocolate and the Fondant Five story and cookbook
Sir Chocolate and the Ice Cream Rainbow Fairies story and cookbook
Middle school books:
Silly Willy Goes to Cape Town (includes five fun party cake ideas)
While the Bombs Fell (co-authored with Elsie Hancy Eaton)
Poetry book:
Open a new door (co-authored with Kim Blades)
Supernatural fantasy YA novel:
Through the Nethergate
Supernatural historical adult novel:
Horror Anthologies (edited by Dan Alatorre):
Spellbound
Nightmareland
Dark Visions
Wings & Fire
Paranormal Anthologies (edited by Kaye Lynne Booth):
Spirits of the West
Whispers of the Past
Murder mystery Anthology (edited by Stephen Bentley)
Death Among Us
Follow Roberta Eaton Cheadle at:
Purchase Link
Great Escapes Praise for A Ghost and His Gold
by Roberta Eaton Cheadle
Eaton cleverly uses the past to hint about the future… and it works very well. I enjoy her ability to paint characters in a realistic light, both positive and negative attributes.
~This Is My Truth Now
Roberta brought to life a one-of-a-kind paranormal story that’s jam-packed rich South African history. I learned a lot of extremely interesting facts about the wars that took place in South Africa in the late 1800s and early 1900s.
~Author, Didi Oviatt
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How long was the writing process?
Hi Deborah, this book took me two years to write and edit. I work so I dedicated my Sundays and early mornings to writing this book.
A Ghost andHis Gold sounds like a fascinating plot. I love the pananormal theme combined with history.
Hi Dianne, thank you. I’m glad you like this combination, I thought paranormal characters were a great way of introducing the historical elements.
I really like this cover! I love historical and supernatural reads so this genre mix is perfect for me.
Thank you, I’m delighted you like this cover.
Sounds like a great read.
Thank you
What a fascinating book! I love the combination of ghosts and history and have added this book to my tbr list.
Thank you, Bonnie