I am thrilled to be todays stop on Hattie Holden Edmonds’ / RedDoor Publishing’s Blog Tour for Cinema Lumière.

I will be sharing my review later on in the post, but first I have a Q&A with the author herself for you to enjoy…..

For those who don’t know already, could you tell us about yourself and your book(s) please?

My name’s Hattie Edmonds (I use my fanciful middle name Holden when I write) and I’m a bit of a late bloomer in that I didn’t start writing fiction until I was 35. In my 20’s I worked for a pop magazine, interviewing more boy bands than you can shake a teddy at. After that, I became the in-house writer at Comic Relief, working on projects with some of my comedy heroes – Steve Coogan, Sacha Baron Cohen, Richard Curtis and Armando Iannucci. Cinema Lumière is my first novel and it took 7 years to write (I know, bit embarrassing). It’s about a cinema with one seat where you are shown a film of your life. Now I write full time, including a blog on the Huffington Post and volunteering for the refugee charity CalAid as their copywriter. I also run a ramshackle cinema from a fisherman’s hut in Whitstable.

Where did/do you get your ideas from?

The idea for Cinema Lumière came from two different sources – the first was a non-fiction book called Testimony of Light by Helen Greaves, which follows the true story of Helen’s friend Frances Banks, who died (deep breath – huge leap of faith required here!) and yet was able to return and describe to Helen what she was experiencing ‘on the other side.’

One of the most fascinating aspects of the book was the bit about seeing a Life Review of your time on earth, or as Frances describes it ‘a kaleidoscopic series of pictures which covers the entire cycle of your life’.

Otherwise, ideas can come from conversations, quotes, snippets from the newspaper etc. I love reading spiritual books (whether about Sufism, Buddhist philosophy or channeling, doesn’t matter, I’ll devour it!) as well as science books. I do like a good firm fact!

Are any of your characters based (however loosely) on anyone you know?

First novels are often quite autobiographical and Cinema Lumière is no exception. The main character Hannah has some similar traits to me, including the one where she compulsively imagines the worst possible things she can say or do in any given situation – like telling her new boyfriend’s mother that the Sunday roast she has just lovingly prepared for her son and his new girlfriend, tastes like shit.

How do you pick your characters names?

I know writers are supposed to use names which mean something, but for me the names are just ones I happen to like and which seem to fit. Nothing deeper than that, I’m afraid.

Can you share your writing process with us, in a nutshell?

Step 1. See/ hear/ read something that sparks my interest. Jot it down in my little blue notebook with my 20 year old Parker ink pen, whose top looks really unsavoury because I’ve chewed it to bits.

Step 2. Get cracking on the research (I love this bit). For the first book, aside from copious internet trawling, I interviewed several doctors who had written about Near Death experiences where their patients had reported being shown a film of their life, while they were unconscious. At the moment I am interviewing heart specialists because my third book is about the human heart.

Step 3. Start to get the first draft down. This will be unintelligible nonsense to anyone but me. The second draft won’t be much better. But by draft nr 15 (I’m pretty obsessive about language so each draft takes forever), it’s hopefully a bit better.

Do you have a favourite author?

It’s so tricky to narrow it down to one. I love the poetry of Ben Okri, the humour of Nick Hornby and the mind-stretchy ideas of Audrey Niffenegger (The Time Traveler’s Wife). Can I cram them all into a blender and see what comes out?

If you could meet any author, who would it be? And what would you ask them?

The Argentine writer Jorge Luis Borges. I’d ask if I could crawl inside his head and experience the world through his eyes – and thoughts.

Were you a big reader as a child?

I used to read a lot – but very old school choices such as Swallows and Amazons and Mallory Towers. I definitely wasn’t one of those children tearing through Dostoevsky at the age of twelve.

When did you start to write?

I started writing about music at university. U2 was the very first band I interviewed, before they were big. I totally ballsed it up by asking Bono where in America he was from (the interview took place after a gig and I was quite well refreshed). To this day I have no idea why I thought he was American.

What are you working on right now?

I’ve just finished my second novel The House of Optics, so now I am finding out some fascinating stuff about the human heart for the third. Did you know that every day the heart creates enough energy to drive a truck 20 miles, which in the average lifetime is equivalent to driving to the moon and back? Nope, nor did I until this morning.

When can we look forward to a new release?

October 2017 for The House of Optics – if all goes according to my mini self-made masterplan.

How can readers keep in touch with you?

My website is www.hattieholdenedmonds.com

Facebook https://www.facebook.com/hattieholdenedmonds

Twitter https://twitter.com/HattieHEdmonds

Thank you so much to Hattie for answering my questions 🙂

My review…..

4/5*

Cinema Lumière is quite different to other books I have read recently and I have really enjoyed the change of pace to be honest. This is a beautifully written story of real life, friendship, love, loss, regrets and trying to move on from the past.

Hannah Bailey is a very likeable character. I warmed to her straight away. She obviously doesn’t love her job, but like a lot of people, just gets on with it as bills have to be paid. I liked the friendship she builds with Ian when he starts to work with her.

Hannah doesn’t spend nearly enough time with her mother, which she is well aware of, but I think this makes her all the more believable. I think we’re all guilty of assuming those we love will be around forever.

I have to say that Nellie is one of my favourite characters. Nellie is a British Bulldog and is just awesome! I love that she is written with equal importance to the human characters. After all, she was a gift to Hannah, from Victor, when she needed her the most. I love the friendship she shares with Victor and their mutual love of films. It soon becomes clear that Hannah and Victor share a secret, something Hannah doesn’t like to talk about, but we don’t find out what until much later on. This kept me intrigued all the way through as well as wanting to know what happened with Luke, although I did hazard a good guess. Luke was not a character I warmed to, but I really liked Joe and was routing for him and Hannah.

The story flits between the present and 2009 where chapter by chapter we discover what Hannah is trying her best to move on from to secure a happier future.

This book made me laugh out loud at times and cry at others. It’s a very moving story and one I will happily recommend.

Many thanks to Anna at RedDoor Publishing for my paperback review copy.

Buy your copy here – Cinema Lumière by Hattie Holden Edmonds

Publisher: Red Door Publishing (24th September 2014)

Description:

‘A magical, thought-provoking and uplifting tale … one of this year’s must-reads’ –Daily Mirror

‘A stunning debut. Made me laugh out loud, cry … and ache with recognition –The Huffington Post

What if someone had secretly made a film of your life? Hannah Bailey has resigned herself to a dead-end job, she’s sealed her heart against love and her catastrophic thinking is out of control. In fact, she’s hard pushed to find a single reason for her existence until the day she stumbles across a tiny one-seated cinema and its mysterious French owner Victor Lever… Cinema Lumière doesn’t screen Hollywood blockbusters or even low budget arthouse indies. Instead it shows people films of their lives. But how does Victor create such unique biopics and why is he so determined to coax Hannah into that single red velvet seat?

Set between the bustling streets of both Portobello and Paris, Cinema Lumière turns a literary projector on the timeless experiences of love and loss. If you liked The Time Traveller’s Wife and One Day, this could well be the book for you.

GIVEAWAY

Anna at RedDoor Publishing has very kindly offered a Paperback copy of Cinema Lumière to give away to one lucky winner 🙂

All you need to do is comment on this post, in the box below, by midnight on 31st July and a winner will be chosen at random on 1st August.

Good luck!

Cinema Lumiere is nominated for The People’s Book Prize 2016 in the Summer Fiction collection.

Here is the link to vote: http://www.peoplesbookprize.com/book.php?id=1407

Congratulations and good luck to Hattie and RedDoor Publishing!

Don’t forget to check out the other stops on the Cinema Lumière blog tour…..

Enjoy!

Publisher: Bookouture (5th July 2016)

5/5*

I knew I was on to a winner with The Sister as it’s published by Bookouture and they have some fabulous authors! Louise Jensen is no exception. It’s hard to believe this is a debut novel.

Grace has been struggling since Charlie died. They had been best friends since school. I really felt for Grace because I know I’d be devastated in the same situation. Being accused, by her mother, of causing her death and having no idea why only adds to her heart-break.

Everyone reacts to and deals with grief differently.

Grace seems to just be going through the motions of life, finding no joy in anything, and her relationship with Dan has been suffering as a result. Dan starts to stay out late more often, getting drunk, and is acting differently, but Grace has no idea what he’s hiding or if she’s just being paranoid.

When they were teenagers, Grace and Charlie make a memory box and bury it agreeing to only open it together in years to come. With Charlie gone Grace has no choice but to open it alone. She thought she knew Charlie inside out, but it appears not.

‘I did something terrible Grace. I hope you can forgive me……’ What did Charlie do that was so terrible?

Grace and Dan start a campaign to find Charlie’s father, something Charlie was keen to pursue once turning 18. A girl called Anna gets in touch claiming to be Charlie’s half-sister. Anna and Grace soon become close and Grace finds comfort in her being part of Charlie. However, it soon became obvious that something isn’t quite right with Anna.

I had no idea what was going on with this story, for the most part, which is why I loved it! Each chapter left me wanting to know more. It is full of suspense, brilliantly written with great characters and a shocking twist. A must read for all psychological thriller fans!

Many thanks, as always, to Bookouture for my auto-approval status on Netgalley. I am more than happy to recommend The Sister.

Description:

‘I did something terrible Grace. I hope you can forgive me …’

Grace hasn’t been the same since the death of her best friend Charlie. She is haunted by Charlie’s words the last time she saw her, and in a bid for answers, opens an old memory box of Charlie’s. It soon becomes clear that there was a lot she didn’t know about her best friend.

When Grace starts a campaign to find Charlie’s father, Anna, a girl claiming to be Charlie’s sister steps forward. For Grace, finding Anna is like finding a new family and soon Anna has made herself very comfortable in Grace and boyfriend Dan’s home.

But something isn’t right. Things disappear, Dan’s acting strangely and Grace is sure that someone is following her. Is it all in Grace’s mind? Or as she gets closer to discovering the truth about both Charlie and Anna, is Grace in terrible danger?

There was nothing she could have done to save Charlie … Or was there?

A compelling, gripping psychological thriller perfect for fans of The Girl on the Train, I Let You Go and The Girl With No Past.

You can buy your copy here – The Sister by Louise Jensen

About the author:

Louise lives in Northamptonshire with her husband, children, madcap spaniel and a rather naughty cat. The Sister is Louise’s debut novel.

Louise loves to hear from readers and writers and can be found at http://www.louisejensen.co.uk, where she regularly blogs flash fiction.

Today I have the pleasure of welcoming Mark Nolan to my blog.

Mark has very kindly sent me an e-book copy of his book, Dead Lawyers Don’t Lie: A Gripping Thriller (Jake Wolfe Book 1) which I am looking forward to reading as soon as possible. In the meantime, Mark has agreed to an author interview.

Enjoy!

For those who don’t know already, could you tell us about yourself and your book(s) please?

I began my writing career as an entrepreneur, creating news stories for businesses. I helped them get featured in The Wall Street Journal, National Geographic, Parade, Readers Digest, Associated Press, and other news sources. I was born in San Francisco and grew up in the Bay Area, so I decided to use that as the location of my debut novel titled Dead Lawyers Don’t Lie. The book is about a mysterious killer who calls himself The Artist, and he is assassinating wealthy lawyers. When a photojournalist named Jake Wolfe accidentally takes his picture during a murder, The Artist adds Jake to his kill list and he becomes a target in a deadly game of cat and mouse that only one of them can survive.

Where did/do you get your ideas from?

I honestly don’t know where my ideas come from. Everybody asks me that question, even my friends and family. I wish I had an answer. It seems like some kind of magical science. My guess is that I’m highly observant of life, people and situations… always observing everything with curiosity. My mind is a storehouse of interesting things I’ve observed, read about and researched. I ask my imagination the question, “What if ____?” And then I start to think of various possibilities.

Are any of your characters based (however loosely) on anyone you know?

No I purposely avoided doing that. I wanted my characters to start with a blank page so they’d be unpredictable as I wrote about them. And they did surprise me quite often. One character turned out to have claustrophobia, although I wasn’t planning on that. And a policewoman punched a man in the jaw when he (and I) least expected it. You just never know what an imaginary character might do.

How do you pick your characters names?

I think about the character’s personality, their profession, the clothes they wear, how they walk and talk, what they like to eat, etc. And then I use my imagination to start brainstorming some ideas for names. If I get stuck, I do research. I found the name Wolfe in an old reference book of Irish surnames. I went through the entire book, page by page, and at the end I found the name of my main character.

Can you share your writing process with us, in a nutshell?

I write a brief note about each scene on a 4 x 6 card, then put the cards/scenes in order and began writing the chapters. It seems to have worked for me on the first book, so I’m doing it that way again as I work on the second book.

Do you have a favourite author?

I like so many authors it’s hard to pick just one. However I do know that I’d buy any new book that Larry McMurtry ever wrote about the characters in Lonesome Dove. I’ve read all of the novels in that series and I wish there were more.

If you could meet any author, who would it be? And what would you ask them?

I’d enjoy meeting Clive Cussler. He doesn’t just write about the discoveries of lost shipwrecks, he actually goes out and finds them himself. I would ask him about sunken ships and lost treasure. I’m sure he would have all kinds of true stories to share.

Were you a big reader as a child?

Yes, I was one of those kids who would read books under the bedcovers with a flashlight when I was supposed to be sleeping. One time in school I got caught reading The Hobbit inside of my math textbook. I had to do extra math homework that week as a punishment.

When did you start to write?

In sixth grade. The teacher had us all write a fictional story for our homework. She enjoyed mine so much that she read it out loud to the class. Everybody liked it, and the teacher told me that maybe someday I could write a novel. My eight grade teacher said something similar. That was very kind of them. Life kept me busy though, running a business and raising two kids (and one very smart retriever dog). But now that I have the time, I’ve finally written a novel like I always hoped I would.

What are you working on right now?

I’m working on a second book in a planned series about Jake Wolfe and his former military dog, Cody. They live on a boat, and they just want to have some peace and quiet in their lives, but they just can’t seem to stay out of trouble.

When can we look forward to a new release?

I’m working hard on the next book but I’m not sure when it will be released. Readers can go to my author page on Amazon and click the “follow” button, and then Amazon will let them know when the next book is ready.

How can readers keep in touch with you?

Readers are always welcome to send me an email, using the contact form at http://www.MarkNolan.com. I enjoy hearing from my readers and I try to respond to every one.

Readers may also follow me on Goodreads, Facebook, or Twitter:

https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/14844422.Mark_Nolan

https://www.facebook.com/MarkNolanAuthor/

Thank you for having me as a guest on your blog.

Many thanks for joining me on my blog today, Mark 🙂

Dead Lawyers Don’t Lie: A Gripping Thriller (Jake Wolfe Book 1) is on Kindle countdown deal from today (15/07/16) until 21st July 2016. Download your copy for only 0.99 here – Dead Lawyers Don’t Lie: A Gripping Thriller (Jake Wolfe Book 1)

A mysterious killer who calls himself The Artist is assassinating wealthy lawyers in San Francisco. When photo-journalist Jake Wolfe accidentally takes his picture during a murder, The Artist adds Jake to his kill list and he becomes a target in a deadly game of cat and mouse that only one of them can survive. How far would you go to protect your loved ones from a killer? Jake is a veteran who wants to leave his secret past life behind him, but the reluctant, flawed hero finds that he can’t ignore his duty and his personal moral compass.

This gripping thriller is full of suspense, plot twists and surprises. It features a cast of interesting characters, including several strong-willed women, two wise-cracking San Francisco Police Homicide Inspectors, one highly intelligent dog, and a philosophical killer who shares Jake’s admiration for Van Gogh paintings but still plans to kill him anyway. As Jake gets closer to unraveling a merciless conspiracy, his life gets turned upside down and the danger level increases, adding to the growing suspense. This entertaining page-turner starts out as a murder mystery and then shifts gears into a high-speed action thriller that takes you on a roller-coaster ride to the riveting ending. A good read for those who enjoy mysteries, suspense, action and adventure, vigilante justice, unique characters, witty dialogue and a little romance too. Now on sale in over a dozen countries around the world. Be the first among your friends to read it.

Fans of new Kindle Unlimited novels will be happy to know this book is one of the best financial thrillers in kindle unlimited books.

Happy Publication Day to Amanda Prowse and Head of Zeus 🙂

MY HUSBAND’S WIFE by AMANDA PROWSE
Publication Date: July 14^th 2016 Hardback and eBook.

Amanda Prowse is a No.1 International Bestselling author who has been a regular visitor of the beautiful North Devon resort of Woolacombe since the 60’s.

Always on the lookout for new stories, a chance encounter at the Beachcomber Café on the seafront during her annual summer holiday last year gave Amanda Prowse an idea for her latest book, with Woolacombe as the setting.  Now, in the summer of 2016, ‘My Husband’s Wife’ is set to be THE holiday read of the season.

Amanda Prowse is recognised in the literary world as the most prolific writer in the UK today and has been hailed as ‘The Queen of domestic drama’ by the Daily Mail.

I have a very beautiful signed hardback copy of this book courtesy of Amanda’s husband, Simeon Prowse. I promise I will be reading it as soon as possible!

You can purchase your own hardback or e-book copy today (the paperback version will be released on 1st February 2017) – My Husband’s Wife by Amanda Prowse

Publisher: Head of Zeus (14th July 2016)

Once a week, Rosie Tipcott counts her blessings. She goes to sit on her favourite bench overlooking Woolacombe Bay and thanks her lucky stars for her wonderful husband, her mischievous young daughters, and her neat little house by the sea. She vows to dedicate every waking hour to making her family happy.

But life doesn’t always work out as we would want it to and when Rosie is on the receiving end of some unexpected and unwelcome news, it sets in motion a chain of events that she never would have thought possible and forces her to re-evaluate her life and everything that she thought she knew.

Read Rosie’s story in ‘My Husband’s Wife’ to see how this ordinary wife and mother reacts when her world falls apart.  Can she overcome the situation and get her life back on track? Does she even want to try?

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Amanda Prowse is the bestselling author of contemporary family fiction and has written twelve books and six novellas that have been translated into dozens of languages all around the world.

Her titles include ‘What Have I Done?’ which was voted an Amazon Kindle editor’s book of 2013 and ‘A Mother’s Story’ that received the accolade of being the best family fiction novel by the Daily Mail.  It also won the coveted Sainsbury’s eBook of the Year 2015.

Her summer book of last year ‘Perfect Daughter’ earned a place in the Amazon hall of fame and was also selected as a prestigious World Book Night title 2016 by The Reading Agency who promote and manage the nation’s libraries.

Amanda is a regular panellist on the popular daytime TV show ‘The Wright Stuff’ and co-hosts the BBC Radio book club in Bristol in addition to narrating most of her own audio books.

Amanda lives with her husband and two sons in the West Country, where she writes full-time.

Website:  www.amandaprowse.com
Twitter:  @MrsAmandaProwse
Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/amandaprowsenogreaterlove
Email:  becky@amandaprowse.com

PRAISE FOR AMANDA PROWSE

‘Deeply moving and emotional, Amanda Prowse handles her explosive subject with delicate skill’ – Daily Mail

‘Uplifting and positive, but you will still need a box of tissues’ – Hello

‘Captivating, heartbreaking and superbly written’ – Closer

‘A deeply emotional, unputdownable read’ – Red

‘You’ll fall in love with this…’ – Cosmopolitan

Today I have the pleasure of being the next stop on Netta Newbound’s Prima Facie blog tour. Netta is a new-to-me author, but needless to say, all of her books are now on my TBR list!

Check out Netta’s Q&A…..

For those who don’t know already, could you tell us about yourself and your book(s) please?

Firstly, I’d like to thank you for inviting me today. Originally from Manchester, England, I now live in beautiful New Zealand with my husband, where I write full-time. Most of my novels are psychological thrillers, although I do have three non-fiction books that I co-wrote with a friend.

Where did/do you get your ideas from?

Good question. The initial idea can come from anywhere. It may start as a tiny thought and before I know it, the thought morphs into something much bigger that demands attention.

Are any of your characters based (however loosely) on anyone you know?

No is the short answer. It’s funny, but people who know me read my books looking for somebody they recognise. They may take the most minute of details like a type of car or breed of dog and try to make it fit. In a couple of my books, the husband is gay and my husband was worried at first, thinking everyone would suspect I was writing about him.

How do you pick your characters names?

The main characters names come to me in the same way the story does—they’re already named. But the minor characters I will take from anywhere. I’ll sometimes call out to my husband… ‘I need a name for a thirty-five-year-old female lawyer living in the USA’…and he’ll fire suggestions at me.

Can you share your writing process with us, in a nutshell?

I begin at page one and write. I know that probably sounds as though I’m being a smartarse, but I’m not. A lot of writers will write the main scenes first and then fill in the other details around them. I can’t do that – I write it in sequence. If I come across any difficult scenes (i.e. the rape scene in An Impossible Dilemma) I will write the basic details and then come back to fill out the rest once I can face it.

Do you have a favourite author?

Stephen King is my all-time favourite. I love his twisted thinking—it makes so much sense to me.

If you could meet any author, who would it be? And what would you ask them?’

The man himself – Mr King – although I probably wouldn’t ask him a thing—I’d be tongue-tied!

Were you a big reader as a child?

Absolutely. I read anything and everything – Enid Blyton was my favourite when I was very young but then I read all my mum’s Mills & Boon books and progressed to my grandmothers more terrifying bookshelf. James Herbert’s The Rats was my first horror. It petrified me, yet I couldn’t stop reading it. That book cemented my love of that genre.

When did you start to write?

Around 12 years ago. Well, that’s when I became serious about my writing.

What are you working on right now?

I’ve just released my latest book, Prima Facie – the 4^th in the Adam Stanley Series. And now I am embarking on something totally new to me—working with another author on a psychological thriller called The Watcher. I’m totally excited although a little apprehensive about this, as, up to now, I’ve been able to write exactly what I want, without having to consult with anybody… wish me luck! Haha.

When can we look forward to a new release?

We’re aiming for October 2016 at this stage.

How can readers keep in touch with you?

I have a webpage at nettanewbound.com or you can find me on Facebook or Twitter.

Thanks so much for joining me on my blog today, Netta 🙂

Thanks also to Sarah at Bytheletterbookreviews for inviting me to take part in this fab blog tour!

Publisher: Junction Publishing (8th July 2016)

You can purchase your copy here – Prima Facie by Netta Newbound

If, like me, you need to play catch up, you will find all of Netta’s previous books on her Amazonuk author page

Don’t forget to check out the other awesome bloggers who are taking part in this blog tour…..

Today I am delighted to welcome Susan Moody to my blog.

Susan’s Penny Wanawake series has recently been reissued by Williams and Whiting.

For those who don’t know already, could you tell us about yourself and your book(s) please?

My Penny Wanawake series – newly reissued by dynamic new publisher Williams & Whiting – propelled me into the ranks of crime-writing some thirty plus years ago, where I’ve happily remained ever since. In that time, I’ve produced more than thirty-five books, mostly crime, including a second series character called Cassandra Swann (soon to be re-published by W&W), plus many stand-alones and short stories. I’ve served as Chair of the Crime Writers Association, President of the International Association of Crime Writers, Visiting Fellow at the University of Tasmania, Visiting Fellow at the University of Copenhagen, Writing Tutor at HMP Bedford. I recently founded the hugely successful one-day crime fiction event Deal Noir, and will be hosting our third one on March 25th 2017.

Penny Wanawake is tall, feisty, and black. She walks down the mean streets and takes no crap from anyone. I originally intended her to be the female answer to James Bond and other macho heroes, going where she pleased, sleeping with whomsoever she wished, but had to tone that down with the advent of AIDS.

I’m often asked about the genesis of Penelope Wanawake. It began when I found myself living in Oak Ridge, Tennessee, in the Sixties. This was at the beginning of the civil rights movement, when at last people were waking up to the unjustices of a system which allowed the rights of the black population to be ignored. These were the years of civil disobedience as exemplified by Rosa Parks refusing to give up her seat on the bus so a white person could have it. She wasn’t the first to refuse to do so, but she became an important symbol of the movement. Then came the atrocious killing of three young civil rights workers in Mississippi. In Oak Ridge, black people couldn’t buy a house in a ‘white’ area. They couldn’t swim in the same public pools ort sattend the same schools. My husband and I joined the NAACP (the National Association for the Advancement of Coloured People) and held several meetings in our house. The Klan came into town, their faceless hoods a terrifying sight calculated to strike fear into the heart. We were watched.

Came the day we were sitting – with the blinds down – in our sitting room when we noticed a weird light shining from outside. We drew the blinds aside and discovered that a cross was burning on our front lawn. This was seriously scary stuff. Even more so was the incident when I pulled up at traffic lights, heavily pregnant and with my toddler in the back. Suddenly, a jeep screeched to a halt alongside me and when I looked over at it, there were four grinning rednecks staring at me, each one of them with a rifle across his knees, pointing at me.

When I got back to England, creating the character of Penny seemed almost an obligation.

Are any of your characters based (however loosely) on anyone you know?

I might use a beard here, a quirky mannerism there, but most often, characters step more or less fully formed into my head.

How do you pick your characters names?

With great difficulty. The name has to be right. I’ve sometimes written as much as a third of a book knowing the character shouldn’t be called Jeremy or Alicia, but unable to fix on the ‘right’ name. It’s like having a stone in your shoe or a crumb in your bed. Only once it’s sorted, does everything fall properly into place.

Can you share your writing process with us, in a nutshell?

In a nutshell, it’s bum on seat, fingers on keys, as early as possible (sometimes 5 in the morning in summertime), and slogging on until 2 pm or so. I try to write at least 1,000 words a day, but don’t always achieve that. Of course I get up from time to time to make tea and take a break from the screen.

Do you have a favourite author?

I have many. Impossible to come up with just one. Dickens, Austen, Susan Hill, Anita Shreve, Lee Child, Edmund Crispin, Simon Brett (the Charles Paris novels), Harlan Coben. The book I can’t do without is Vanity Fair, by Thackeray. I buy copies all the time, in case I should find myself without one.

If you could meet any author, who would it be? And what would you ask them?

Probably Thackeray. What an achievement, to produce a heroine (or anti-heroine) as feisty and strong as Becky Sharp, the prototype for all the lively spirited protagonists you find in contemporary crime literature. She’s also ruthlessly amoral and manipulative, somewhat over-painted, in my opinion, so that by the end of the book, she has completely lost any sympathy the reader might have for her. But where did she come from? Was her character based on someone he knew? Was dreary little Amelia Sedley intended as a role-model for Thackeray’s female readers? I do hope not. As for Dobbin, no woman should be without a Dobbin in her life.

Were you a big reader as a child?

I did nothing but read, had to be dragged away from the printed page. Used to read walking in the street until the day I hit a lamp-post and nearly concussed myself.

When did you start to write?

Aged 8, I produced an album of stories and pictures and tried to flog it (unsuccessfully) to my family for 3d.

What are you working on right now?

The third book in the Alexandra Quick series

When can we look forward to a new release?

In September the second book in the series Quick Off The Mark comes out.

How can readers keep in touch with you?

Go to my website: http://www.SusanMoody.co.ukPublisher: Williams & Whiting (15th February 2016)

Buy your copy here – Penny Black (The Penny Wanawake Mysteries Book 1)

Many thanks to Susan for joining me on my blog today 🙂

Today I am thrilled to welcome Christa Wojciechowski to my blog. Christa has very kindly sent me review copies of Sick and Sicker which I hope to get to ASAP. In the meantime she has very kindly taken part in my author Q&A.

Enjoy!

For those who don’t know already, could you tell us about yourself and your book(s) please?

I’m a freelance digital marketer who lives in Panama. I came down here expecting to stay a couple years, but now it’s almost been a decade. I work for small businesses, indie authors, publishers, podcasters, and media sites. I’ve also written some literary fiction and have begun a series of Psychological Thriller novellas.

Where did/do you get your ideas from?

My ideas usually come from random flashes of insight or questions that build in my mind. Sick, the psychological thriller line, is actually based on a nightmare I had last year.

Are any of your characters based (however loosely) on anyone you know?

Oh, most definitively. My characters are based on everyone I know, and each of them carries a micro aspect of my personality too. That’s one of the fun parts of writing. I can let out those restrained personalities and see what they would do if I didn’t constantly keep tied down.

How do you pick your character’s names?

I can get stuck on names. For my first attempt at writing a novel, I used a baby names book to choose something for my main character, Ona. You wouldn’t believe how many hours I spent scouring and comparing names.

I’ve decided to skip that part of the writing process lately because it was huge hold-up. Now I tag characters with the first name that comes into my head. For example, with John and Susan in the Sick series – those are pretty standard names that were originally supposed to be placeholders. But as the characters developed, I felt I couldn’t change them. They are John and Susan and that is that. The normal names actually worked out well because the novel is pointing out the extraordinary secrets hidden underneath seemingly normal couples.

Can you share your writing process with us, in a nutshell?

I start off with a sliver of an idea and just go. I used to spend lots of time outlining beforehand. It was helpful, but the plans always changed. Now I fly by the seat of my pants. If I get stuck, I might quickly sketch out a few possible plot points. I don’t know if I’ll go back to a more structured style in the future, but for now, it’s purely made up on the spot. I feel like I harness more adrenaline in my writing, and I’m as eager to see what happens as hopefully my future readers will be.

Do you have a favourite author?

I have many, but my biggest writing hero is Dostoevsky. To me, he is the God of Literature. I go through infatuations with other writers on the side. Kafka was the previous obsession. Oscar Wilde before that. I’ve just read The Handmaid’s Tale and I think Margaret Atwood will be my next idol.

Were you a big reader as a child?

Oh, yes. As a kid, I was something of an outcast and spent lots of time reading. In elementary school, I was a fanatic for the Black Stallion series. I devoured every one of those books. Black Beauty was a favorite of mine too. In high school, I bought every book Anne Rice ever wrote. After graduation, I decided to explore the classics. That’s where I’ve been ever since.

When did you start to write?

I’ve always written, but the first piece I published is called The Wrong David, a literary fiction novelette. Then, I wrote my first full-length novel for NaNoWriMo (National Novel Writing Month) in 2012. I can’t believe it’s been almost four years! It’s supposed to have been published long ago. After that I wrote a second and third book to complete a full series with the working title The Sculptor of New Hope, all of which are still sitting in my ‘revisions pile.’ It’s about an emotionally disturbed artist and his heroin-addicted muse.

As for Sick, I made that into a series because I added a poll at the end of the first book and my readers voted for a sequel. I was so happy because I also became obsessed with the strangeness of the story. How sick could it get? What would happen to these people? So I’ve just kept going.

What are you working on right now?

Now I’m writing the third part of Sick. After that, I plan to publish The Sculptor of New Hope over the next few years.

When can we look forward to a new release?

I just released the second novella, Sicker, in April. Part 3 will be out by October 2016!

How can readers keep in touch with you?

I love chatting with readers. I’m also available to fellow writers for any marketing or publishing advice. You can find me all over the place!

Website http://christawojo.com

Amazon http://www.amazon.com/Christa-Wojciechowski/e/B015UJZIXE

Facebook http://facebook.com/WebbellaChrista

Twitter http://twitter.com/christawojo

Goodreads https://www.goodreads.com/ChristaWojo

Google+ https://plus.google.com/+ChristaWojciechowski/posts

Pinterest christawojo

Instagram christawojo

Christa Wojciechowski’s Amazonuk author page

Many thanks to Christa for joining me on my blog 🙂

Watch this space for my reviews!

I am over the moon to be today’s stop on Rita Brassington’s #TGKOB blog tour!

I was lucky enough to read The Good Kind Of Bad a while ago now and I thoroughly enjoyed it! You will find links to my review and also my Q&A with Rita further down the post, but first you can enjoy the guest post Rita has written especially for you. I love it! Especially as I am also a Stoke lass 😉

Enjoy…..

A Sense of Place

 In my next book, I will write about what I know, from an experience standpoint at least. For my first, I didn’t. I set it in Chicago, a city I have been to twice, but am no expert on. It isn’t my world, the setting and the story, and still it seemed like the perfect backdrop. Maybe it was the filmic sense of the place, the other – not the back streets of Manchester but the wide avenues on the shores of Lake Michigan. It’s an exciting place, and a place just right to set a psychological thriller in.

Everything and everywhere is ordinary to somebody, but Chicago was not my ordinary (and my life is thankfully not a psychological thriller).

So how important is it to write about what you know, or is it better to write purely based on research, or a combination of the two?

Exploring somewhere new, with characters and events not straight out of your day-to-day experience but still being relatable, is what I set out to do with The Good Kind of Bad. The thing I like most about writing is that my vision of a place will be different to every other reader’s – there’s only so much description that can make a world jump off the page without it being added to by the readers own personal experience, their own sense of place. That’s why people never seem to enjoy the film as much as the book. It’s never going to be the world they imagined.

Books are better in people’s heads than on the screen – if the book’s read first, of course. Nothing can compete with your own imagination. A writer can be as descriptive as they want, but the Joe Petrozzi from my book will be different from every other reader’s Joe.

It also depends how much the reader knows about the place to begin with. New York is everywhere you look, even on the other side of the world from the Big Apple, but Chicago is not so formed. I’d chosen the streets where my characters live, the places they go, what they see when they step out the door – and then my friend, who lives in Chicago, messaged me about the book. She was confused about the streets and hadn’t heard of some of the bars. Yes, some of them are made up. They’re not real. But that doesn’t matter. It’s a fictional Chicago. It’s whatever you want it to be.

I grew up in a small village in Staffordshire, near Stoke-on-Trent. I think when I first started to write, I thought the point was to get as far away from what I knew as possible, that it was almost the point to not write about what you know, but there’s benefits to already having a half-formed world. I almost feel a little guilty for skipping over a great city that not many people from outside its borders know much about. Apart from Robbie Williams, pot banks, oatcakes and football (city, not vale, of course), there’s so much more to discover. It’s been through urban decline, regeneration, and it’s only now I’m realising how many stories there are to be told from right outside your window. Sometimes you don’t need to travel half way around the world, it can be next door.

Everything is ordinary to someone, which can only mean it’s extra-ordinary to everyone else.

‘Top-notch domestic thriller’ **** – HEAT Magazine

‘…had me clinging on by my fingernails’ – Claire Loves to Read
‘…couldn’t put it down’ – Portobello Book Blog
‘…will have you hooked right until the last page’ – Whispering Stories
~
Secrets don’t stay secret for long…
She spent her whole life being the perfect daughter, the perfect girlfriend, and was all ready to become the perfect wife.
But after ditching her fiancé at the altar and escaping to Chicago, she marries smouldering stranger Joe Petrozzi three weeks after meeting him in a bar. At least this time, there’s no chance of cold feet.
Married life starts out great: there’s the new job, a gorgeous, enigmatic husband and money’s not an issue.
So what if she’s kept a few secrets from Joe – like where all her money came from. Joe’s been keeping secrets from her, too.
But his might just get her killed.

You can purchase your copy here – The Good Kind Of Bad by Rita Brassington

If you haven’t already and would like to, you can read my 5* review for this excellent read here – The Good Kind of Bad by Rita Brassington

Also, make sure you check out Rita’s Q&A here – Q&A with author Rita Brassington

And, don’t forget to follow the rest of this fab blog tour…..

Many thanks to Rita for inviting me to take part in her fantastic blog tour!

#TGKOB