Today’s guest on the Inheritance Books sofa is Rachel Dove. Hi Rachel, welcome. While I go put the kettle on, why don’t you tell us a bit about yourself.

I am 34, a wife and mother living in Yorkshire (Yay!). I used to work in law, then in the area of early years and special educational needs, and I eventually qualified to teach adults these subjects. I always wanted to be an author and a teacher, it just took me a while to get there! I have written horror shorts in the past, but romantic fiction is my real love. I write full time now, but between writing, reading, raising my children and running errands, I don’t know how I ever had time to work!

 Which book have you inherited from the generation above? Why is it special?
When I worked in law, I used to commute on four train journeys a day. I read on every journey, and I remember dragging a huge library book about, totally enthralled. It was Margaret Mitchell’s Gone With the Wind, and I still remember the feelings it roused in me when reading. Every generation should be fed books like this, they are timeless classics, more poignant with each passing generation.

Which book would you like to leave to future generations? Why?
I always come back to this book, but I would pick Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins. I reread this book all the time, I think that as well as a love story, it is a powerful book with a message about society, power, sacrifice and the importance of being a strong female. I have many others that sprang to mind, but this one is always the clincher for me. Bella from Twilight is all well and good, but young guys need to think more Katniss Everdeen than Kim Kardashian these days, and reading could be the key in a lot of cases. I remember reading about strong females since I was old enough to hold a book, and I think it has a lot to answer for – with the opinionated, independent woman I am today!
My great aunt went into a retirement home a couple of years ago (she is still doing fine) and when we were clearing her house, I found some old books, one of which being Virginia Woolf. I treasure them, and I found out that she was a writer too, and even had a poem published in a book. I still have the book at home. It’s nice to think I am following her lead in the family by chasing my own dreams. I have files of rejection letters she received, so I think I have some strong females in my family generations too.

Those are excellent choices. I would definitely recommend Katniss over Bella any day! 

Thank you for sharing your favourite books with us, Rachel. All the best for The Chic Boutique!

  Rachel’s new book The Chic Boutique on Baker Street is published by Mills and Boon and is available to by now. You can find out more about Rachel on her website, Facebook and Twitter (@writerdove).