Author Inspiration: Anne Stenhouse

It's a while since I've had a guest here so I’m very pleased to welcome fellow Scottish writer, Anne Stenhouse, to the Reading and Writing blog today. I’ve enjoyed Anne’s three previous historical novels and look forward to this latest one which is on my (long) TBR list.

Courting the Countess

Lady Melissa Pateley is not having an easy time of it in 1819.

Her beloved husband Neville has died, and a fire at her London home has left her covered in scars. If it wasn’t for a band of loyal servants, she’s not sure how she would survive.

Things take a turn for the worse when one day, Colonel Harry Gunn and his fellow soldier Zed break into her home, bundle her into a coach and kidnap her. She is at a loss until she learns that Harry Gunn is the cousin of George Gunn, a man who has been stalking her for years, and that Harry’s Uncle John had warned him that as long as George is out there, Melissa is not safe. Uncle John insists that Harry finds Melissa and keeps her safe.

But that very night George shows up at Harry’s home with Harry’s sister Lottie, who thinks Melissa and George would make a good match. Perhaps Melissa would have been safer at home after all. Yet even with her scars, she is certain that the handsome Colonel Gunn is attracted to her. But of course, nothing is ever simple.

Startling revelations rip the family apart, causing everyone to question what they once held dear. As Colonel Gunn goes in search of George and the truth, he has to wonder – had the keeping of secrets not marred more lives than the secrets would have destroyed?

Courting the Countess is available from Amazon UK and Amazon US

Inspiration behind the story

Courting the Countess arose out of a competition entry. I’m a member of the Romantic Novelists’ Association and attend their annual conferences. Attendees are invited to enter a competition named in honour of the late Elizabeth Goudge – I feel sure a lot of your readers will remember the name well. 

When Christina Courtenay was Chair she invited the first 2,000 words of a story which gave a new slant on a fairy tale. I puzzled because of course some, like the Cinderella rags to riches trope, are very much used and I wanted to get away from the much used. I chose Beauty and the Beast – but have reversed the roles. The Countess is badly scarred by fire and the hero, Colonel Harry Gunn, is Greek God gorgeous, unscathed physically by war service. I threw an unwitting villain and a real villain into the mix.

I think it’s a darker book than my earlier ones, but some readers have enjoyed that divergence.

It sounds great, Anne – I really like that idea of reversing the original fairy tale roles and I enjoy books set in this period.

About Anne

I love writing dialogue-rich historical romance with lashings of humour and a swirl of thematic mystery. 

Never short of a word myself, my heroines defy and manipulate the conventions of their time with sparkling wit. Heroes with a touch of arrogance must be ripe for comeuppance and that's what my ladies are about.

Edinburgh provides a glorious Georgian and Regency setting for Bella (in Bella’s Betrothal) and London for Mariah (in Mariah’s Marriage). I'm lucky to live in one and regularly visit the other.

You can find out more about Anne and her other books on Facebook and on her blog at Novels Now

Author Inspiration: Patsy Collins

It’s a real pleasure to welcome Patsy Collins to the Reading and Writing blog today as we’ve been blogging friends for some years now. Patsy’s own blog is great for keeping us up to date with free competitions and she has now taken over the excellent womagwriter blog. But Patsy is also a well published short story writer and the author of several novels and she has kindly agreed to share a little about the inspiration behind her latest novel, Firestarter. First here’s the basic story.

Firestarter

Alice has a fantasy. It starts with being rescued by a hunky fireman, involves the kiss of life and ends in him not needing his uniform. At the New Forest Show, Alice is offered an innocent version of her dream. Reluctantly she turns down fireman Hamish's invitation.

Despite Alice's blameless behaviour, boyfriend Tony's obsessive jealousy kicks in. Hamish wants to take Tony's place, but a hoaxer ensures Alice already sees far too much of Hampshire Fire Service. The threat of an explosive sprout surprise, her mum's baking, sister Kate's mind boggling pep talks and the peculiar behaviour of Alice's boss Miles provide distractions.

Is Alice really in danger? What is Kate up to? Can Hamish possibly be as perfect as he seems? It takes Alice masses of wonderful food, disgusting wine, smelly mud, red footed crows and steamy Welsh passion, but she finds the answers. And rethinks her fantasy.

Firestarter is available from Amazon in your own country.

Welcome, Patsy – it’s great to see you here and thanks for writing a guest post.

Thank you, Rosemary for inviting me to talk about the inspiration behind Firestarter.

Inspiration Behind the Story

As is often the case with my stories, I don't know exactly what prompted it. Maybe I just have fit, hunky firemen lurking in my subconscious? *concentrates* Nope, can't see any more.

I do know I enjoy reading crime stories and that what we read feeds our imaginations. My previous novels each included crime elements and I was keen to write more in that vein. That explains the hoax calls to Hampshire Fire Service. Obviously such calls don't make themselves. Once I added a few suspects and worked out the motivation for the guilty character, I had half the plot.

From the start I planned my lead character to have... let's be tactful and say a 'strong interest' in firemen. To be fair, Alice hardly ever drools in the presence of the emergency services, despite her sister's claims. Alice recognises her fantasy for what it is and, although tempted, doesn't throw herself at fireman Hamish.

Alice and Kate's relationship was inspired by mine with my brother. We tease each other. We've got each other in trouble and fallen out, but we know the other is there for us if we need them. Kate was a real help when writing Firestarter. She stirred things up, gave Alice someone to confide in and added humour. Even though we have to create them first, I believe our characters can inspire us. As we get to know them we see their limits and possibilities.

Both the main antagonists in the story would, I felt, work hard to get what they wanted. One has clear boundaries which he'd only cross under great duress. The other doesn't. Pushing one towards the edge and allowing the other to wander freely across it and watching what happened provided plenty of material.

My husband, Gary, and I have been together fifteen years but I remember how I felt, in the months beforehand when he thought we were just friends, and in the early stages of our relationship. He wore a uniform in those days and there were good reasons for us to take things slowly. That inspired the early stages of the romance in Firestarter. (We're both maintaining a strict 'no comment' policy with regards to the activities at the end of chapter 15.)

Gary also provided inspiration for the settings. We have a campervan which is our mobile office. When possible, I write stories where they're set. Gary's work means we spend a lot of time between Calshot and Southampton, the New Forest, at Portsmouth Harbour and on the Welsh coast. It seemed sensible to set the action in these places.

Both Southampton and Portsmouth are good for girly shopping trips and eating out, which suits Alice. The locations are also excellent habitats for birds and other wildlife. Spending hours in the van writing gave me plenty of opportunity to observe them. (For those who don't know, writing involves a lot of staring out the window.) The more birds I saw, the more interested in them I became. The same is true of Alice, although in her case knowing Hamish volunteered at a wildlife sanctuary between shifts with the fire brigade was the inspiration for her first taking a look.

I'm now hoping I've inspired you to read Firestarter.

You’ve definitely hooked me, Patsy! Thank you.

Patsy Collins is a novelist and short story writer. Hundreds of her stories have been published by magazines such as Woman's Weekly, Take a Break's Fiction Feast, My Weekly and The Weekly News as well as in Australia, Ireland, South Africa and Sweden.

Firestarter, a romantic comedy, is her fourth published novel. It was written on location in Hampshire and the south coast of Wales.

You can connect with Patsy on her website; blog; womagwriter

Author Inspiration: Helena Fairfax

I’m delighted to welcome lovely writing and blogging friend Helena Fairfax to the Reading and Writing blog again. I loved Helena’s previous romance stories, The Silk Romance and The Antique Love and at the moment I’m thoroughly enjoying her new novella Palace of Deception. I also have her full length novel, A Way from Heart to Heart, waiting on my bookshelf and I know to expect a very good read. Helena has kindly agreed to share a little about the inspiration for her new novella. But first the intriguing blurb.

Palace of Deception

A sinister housekeeper, a silent bodyguard, and a missing princess - mystery and intrigue in a gripping romantic suspense.

When Princess Charlotte of Montverrier disappears on the eve of her Investiture, Lizzie Smith takes on the acting job of her life.

But in the run up to the ceremony, all is not what it seems in the Palace of Montverrier. Why does the housekeeper insist Lizzie keep to her suite of rooms? What danger lies outside the palace walls? As Lizzie learns her role, her only confidant is Léon, her quiet bodyguard…but what secrets is he keeping from her? And above all, what has happened to the missing Princess?

Mystery and suspense against the backdrop of a beautiful Mediterranean city.

Palace of Deception is available on AmazonUS; Amazon UK; Amazon CA and other international Amazon stores, and will be available in other formats from November.

Lovely to ‘see’ you, Helena and so pleased we met in person again at the recent Romantic Novelists’ weekend conference. Thank you for the great post – I too enjoy stories about Doppelgängers!

Why I Love Stories about Doppelgängers

There’s a long tradition of stories about doppelgängers – or look-alikes - in film and literature. Stories like A Tale of Two Cities, Vertigo, The Comedy of Errors, Dead Ringers, or The Parent Trap. My favourite doppelgänger story of all time has to be The Prisoner of Zenda. In case you don’t know this tale, it’s about a young Englishman who takes a holiday to a small European country. There he discovers that he’s the double of the heir, Rudolf V, who has been kidnapped. It’s a really exciting, swashbuckling story, with a massively attractive baddie in the form of Rupert of Hentzau (played by the fabulous James Mason in the film).

When I first started writing my romantic suspense, I thought it would be good fun to join in this long literary tradition. My heroine, Lizzie Smith, is so like Princess Charlotte of Montverrier, she’s asked to take her part when the princess disappears in mysterious circumstances. Lizzie spends five weeks shut up alone in a suite of rooms in the Palace of Montverrier practising for her role, with only Léon, her handsome bodyguard, for company. Of course, there has to be a baddie to add an edge of suspense to the story, and my baddie appears in the form of Daria, the Palace’s mysterious housekeeper.

Here’s a scene when all three are getting to know one another:

‘The King is far too unwell to leave his room in the hospital.’ The chill in Daria’s expression dropped another degree. ‘We must pray that the King does not die before the Princess has been crowned next-in-line. If he does, it will leave the throne empty and – ’

She broke off. Finally, she had shown some emotion. What was it she was afraid of? I remembered the angry words daubed outside the Cathedral. Just how dangerous were the protesters? My eyes flew to Léon, standing in the doorway. Beside the forbidding housekeeper, his presence was solid and reassuring.

   His eyes met mine. ‘You have nothing to fear, Lizzie.’

   The tension left my shoulders. There was something uncomplicated about Léon that drew my trust. And after all, what could happen to me in a Palace so well guarded?

   ‘Very well,’ I said. ‘And now I’d like to ask you both a favour. Please don’t think of me as Lizzie Smith. I’d like you to start addressing me as you would the Princess.’ I smiled, indicating my travel-stained jeans and flat pumps. ‘It might seem strange to you, when I’m dressed like this, but I need to immerse myself in my role.’

   Léon nodded and gave a small bow of his head. ‘Very well, Your Highness.’

   I was taken aback by the promptness of his response, and so I almost missed the remarkable change in Daria’s features. Her eyes flashed fury. I thought for a split second I must have imagined it. What could possibly have caused such anger? Even after her expression returned to its blank chill, her cheeks remained mottled with red.

   After a short pause, she said, ‘Very good.’ And then, after another telling hesitation, ‘Your Highness.’

   I tried to hide my dismay. I had no wish to provoke a quarrel. Over the housekeeper’s shoulder, Léon continued to look at me, straight faced. And then one corner of his mouth lifted in a brief smile and, unbelievably, he gave me a reassuring wink.

Why is the housekeeper so furious with Lizzie? Who are the protesters outside the Palace? And is Léon really to be trusted?

I hope you’ve enjoyed my excerpt, and a small taste of the secrets and deception in the Palace of Montverrier. If you’d like to hear more, you can find me on my website, or on Facebook, or on Twitter.

Thanks so much for having me, Rosemary!

It’s been a pleasure, Helena!

Helena Fairfax was born in Uganda and came to England as a child. She's grown used to the cold now, and these days she lives in an old Victorian mill town in Yorkshire, in the north of England. After many years working in factories and dark, satanic mills, Helena has turned to writing full-time. Her first novel, 

The Silk Romance, was a contender for the Romantic Novelists' Association New Writers' Scheme Award and a runner-up in the Global Ebook Awards. Since then, Helena has written lots more stories, and she was recently a finalist in the Exeter Novel Prize.

In her spare time, Helena walks the Yorkshire moors every day with her rescue dog, finding this romantic landscape the perfect place to dream up her heroes and her happy endings.

Author Inspiration: Gilly Stewart

I’m delighted to welcome Scottish-based author Gilly Stewart to the Reading and Writing blog today. Gilly lives down in beautiful Dumfriesshire and her lovely début novel, Sunshine Through the Rain is now published by Accent Press. Gilly kindly agreed to share the inspiration behind the story. But first a little about the book.

When your family need a favour, you can't refuse, can you?

Ellen is settled in Edinburgh when one day her sister begs a favour: can she come and look after her farm and three children while she has a much-deserved holiday. Ellen loves her nieces and nephews, but the animals are a bit of a worry…

After a manic yet fun weekend, her world is shattered when a freak accident kills her sister and leaves her as the children’s legal guardian. Ellen never asked for children, nor to run a farm, but now she's in charge of both. Desperately juggling her responsibilities, Ellen is driven to find a compromise between her old life and her new: one the children will accept, and that will allow her to keep something of herself as well.

Into the mix is thrown their neighbour, handsome, brooding Kit. He’s more than willing to help out on the farm, but not so willing to open up to Ellen …

Inspiration Behind the Story

What happens when you are stuck on a farm, alone with two young-ish children, trying to cope with both them and the animals, and feeling like you haven’t got a clue about either?

This was the position I was in a few years ago and it was what sparked the writing of Sunshine Through The Rain. Of course, my situation wasn’t as drastic as Ellen’s. I only felt like I was a single parent – my husband was home occasionally! And they were my own darling children. I hadn’t been landed with them due to a family tragedy, as happens to Ellen. But my own position presented me with that question writers so love: what would it feel like if …? If you were in this position, but it was worse? If it interrupted your own carefully planned life? If you had no choice but to cope with something so outwith your comfort zone?

One thing I definitely shared with Ellen was the not-knowing-much-about -animals. Believe it or not, despite owning 4 dogs and 3 cats I’m not really an animal person. And farm animals were definitely not my thing. They were big, and unpredictable, and there were lots of them and only one of me. The incident with Ellen and the horse actually happened to me more or less as I described it. It was scary and I was so worried about the horse, but I was also thinking ‘why I am being left to cope with this?’ I was watching the action in my head, making a scene in a book even as I lived through it.

My oldest son is much better with the animals than I am, and although he isn’t like Angus in any other way I did use this unexpected competence in a teenager as part of Angus’s character. I think it makes a nice contrast with the much less useful adult.

And the inspiration for Kit? Well, I’d had him in mind for a while. He is based on a footballer I’ve always had a soft spot for, one with shaggy hair and dreamy eyes but also a real warmth (I won’t name him!). He was perfect for Ellen’s new neighbour. It wouldn’t work if he was a farmer, but he needed to know a lot about animals. Bingo! Kit was a vet.

I hope people enjoy reading Sunshine Through The Rain as much as I enjoyed writing it. As with so many things we write, it’s a version of what could have been my reality. And they say write what you know – (mis)managing a farm was something I certainly knew about!

Sunshine Through The Rain is available from Amazon UK and US in e-book and print.

Gilly Stewart was born in Lancashire and lived in Yorkshire and Cheshire until the age of 15, when her family moved to South Africa. At 21 she moved to France, and then tried Zimbabwe before finding the perfect country: Scotland. She has had many jobs including au pair, cleaner, teacher and accountant, but her first love has always been writing. She has had four romantic novellas published under the pen-name Gillian Villiers and in March 2015 she published her first Young Adult novel Music and Lies under the pen-name Gill-Marie Stewart

Sunshine Through The Rain is her first women’s contemporary novel and is published by Accent Press. They will be bringing out her second novel, The Lost Woman, in July 2015.

Gilly lives on a farm in rural Dumfriesshire with five chickens, four dogs, three cats, a husband and many, many books. Her two student sons deign to visit occasionally.

You can connect with Gilly on her Website, Facebook, or Twitter @GillStewart2 

Author Inspiration: Jenny Harper

It's a pleasure to welcome back to the Reading and Writing blog author Jenny Harper who is based in Edinburgh. Jenny obtained a publishing deal with Accent Press last year for her lovely Heartlands series of novels, which is going from strength to strength. Her latest novel is People We Love and Jenny kindly agreed to share the inspiration behind the story. First a little about the book.

People We Love

Her life is on hold – until an unlikely visitor climbs in through the kitchen window.

A year after her brother’s fatal accident, Lexie’s life seems to have reached a dead end. She is back home in small-town Hailesbank with her shell-shocked parents, treading softly around their fragile emotions.

As the family business drifts into decline, Lexie’s passion for painting and for her one-time mentor Patrick have been buried as deep as her unexpressed grief, until the day her lunch is interrupted by a strange visitor in a bobble hat, dressing gown and bedroom slippers, who climbs through the window.

Elderly Edith’s batty appearance conceals a secret and starts Lexie on a journey that gives her an inspirational artistic idea and rekindles her appetite for life. With friends in support and ex-lover Cameron seemingly ready to settle down, do love and laughter beckon after all?

Inspiration Behind the Story

I wish I could say that the whole inspiration for People We Love arrived in a blinding flash, but the truth is, it didn’t. I knew the story – that heroine Lexie Gordon’s life was on hold after the death of her brother – and I knew that she was an artist. I knew there was a love triangle, and that Lexie was struggling to rebuild her life and prop up her parents. But the aspect of the book that readers seem to be really enjoying only took shape as Lexie’s character crystallised and gained depth in my mind.

It came to me that Lexie – a quirky, passionate, arty character – loved vintage clothes not only because of their great design, and the quality of the stitching, but also because she felt that they still held something of the character of their former wearer. The idea that ‘shoes tell stories’ should have been obvious to her, but this notion only comes to her when she uncovers elderly Edith’s poignant secret.

I won’t reveal any more – except to say that understanding this is the key to many things for Lexie: to working through her grief, to rebuilding her career, and to learning about what defines herself.

So in the case of People We Love, I suppose it’s a case of ten percent inspiration, ninety per cent perspiration! Although I do hope it comes across as inspired and inspiring.

Many thanks for that interesting insight into the story, Jenny.

Jenny's four books are now available on Amazon - just click on each title!

People We Love

Maximum Exposure 

Loving Susie 
Face The Wind And Fly 

Jenny Harper is the author of four books about Scotland and Scottish culture, a history of childbirth, and The Sleeping Train for young readers. Her Heartlands series of novels set in the imaginary town of Hailesbank, in East Lothian, marks her return to fiction. When she isn't writing, she enjoys walking in the Scottish countryside or anywhere warm, and travel to Europe, America and India.

You can find out more about Jenny on her Website and on the Blog she shares with other writers Novel Points of View.

Author Inspiration: Myra Duffy

It’s a pleasure to welcome again friend and Scottish crime author, Myra Duffy, to the Reading and Writing blog. Myra writes a popular cosy crime series set on the lovely Isle of Bute where her heroine, Alison Cameron, falls into one adventure after another. Ideal reading for anyone who likes a mystery or murder to solve, without the gruesome details. Myra kindly shares her inspiration for the latest two books below. But first here’s a little about Grave Matters at St Blane’s.

Grave Matters at St Blane’s

In this latest Isle of Bute mystery series Alison Cameron agrees to write a visitor guide for a theme park planned for Kingarth, but it proves to be a dangerous assignment. There is fierce local opposition to the proposal; the manager has left suddenly with no explanation and the on-site archaeologists appear to be in no hurry to complete their survey.

There is a rumour that Alexander Crombie, who is financing the project, is about to run out of money and then, when Alison thinks things can't get any worse, the first body is found.

Grave Matters at St Blane’s and the previous books in the series are available on Amazon UK and Amazon US. The print version is available at selected book shops including the Print Point on Bute.

Inspiration behind the Story

Last year I set myself the task of writing two mystery novels set on the Isle of Bute, featuring Alison Cameron, an ordinary woman who finds herself involved in extraordinary events.

I started Grave Matters at St Blane's early in the year, inspired by the site of the ruins of the 7^th Century monastery at Kingarth, a place popular with tourists and with Christians who make the climb up a fairly steep hill to greet the sunrise on Easter morning. (More about this on my latest blog post at http://myraduffy-awriterslot.blogspot.com)

With the current fashion for historical theme parks I wondered how the islanders would respond to a proposal to build such a place at Kingarth, near St Blane's. I'd recently read an article on the Monymusk Reliquary on display at the Museum of Scotland in Edinburgh and as by law you must have archaeologists present in such circumstances, it was inevitable there would be something found. And one thing, as they say, led to another!

Grave Matters at St Blane's was launched in August 2014, but by then Death at the Kyles of Bute was underway. I wanted to have this one out for Christmas as it is set at that time of year and there is a decidedly ghostly element in the story. Besides, the story of the old Kyles of Bute Hydro, set high on the hill above Port Bannatyne was one that had long intrigued me. It was a huge Hydro and Spa, popular with visitors and locals alike. What would happen if it was rebuilt? That was a plot hard to resist.

At the moment Grave Matters at St Blane's has just been released on Kindle as well as print. Death at the Kyles of Bute will follow in e-book later in the year.

With this latest Isle of Bute mystery bringing the total to six (plus the prequel When Old Ghosts Meet) my intention is to take some time to concentrate on the other novels languishing in various states of completion. But Alison Cameron keeps whispering in my ear that she's not quite finished yet!

Although Myra Duffy is a well published author of non-fiction, she's been writing fiction for as long as she can remember (winning a national competition when she was thirteen), but has in recent years turned to a life of crime. A writing life, she hastens to add.

                  

For many years she's been a frequent visitor to the Isle of Bute, just off the West coast of Scotland and a firm favourite with visitors from Glasgow. Holidays on the island inspired her to write the first Bute novel: The House at Ettrick Bay (an archaeological mystery) and this was followed by Last Ferry to Bute (dark deeds during a college reunion), Last Dance at the Rothesay Pavilion (past events cast a long shadow as the Pavilion is refurbished), Endgame at Port Bannatyne (the world of film making hides a deadly secret), Grave Matters at St Blanes's (a proposal to build a theme park is the catalyst for violent events) and Death at the Kyles of Bute (ghostly happenings as the Kyles of Bute Hydro is re-opened).

Myra has been published in various magazines such as My Weekly and in the Ireland's Own anthology and has also won a number of awards for short stories, poetry and non-fiction, but novel writing is what she enjoys most.

You can find out more about Myra's writing on her AmazonCentral page, or at her website or on her blog and she can be found on Facebook and Twitter (@duffy_myra).

Author Inspiration: Gilli Allan

I'm delighted to welcome lovely author and artist Gilli Allan to my blog today. Gilli was recently taken on by Accent Press who have reissued the first novel, Torn, in a three-book deal. It is a realistic portrayal of a modern woman’s struggles with life and love. Gilli very kindly agreed to write about the inspiration behind the story, so I’ll gladly hand over to her once I've shared a little of what the novel is about.

Torn

Jess has made a series of bad life choices and all have let her down. Escaping London, she sets out to recreate herself in the idyllic countryside, and this time she wants to get it right!

She wants to lead a responsible, tranquil life with her young son Rory, but soon discovers stresses which pull her in opposing directions – conflict over a new bypass, between friends, and worst of all, between lovers.

Educated, experienced, and pragmatic, James is a widowed farmer whose opinions differ from, and enrage, Jess. His young shepherd, Danny, is an uneducated and inexperienced idealist. Jess is attracted to them both, and realizes if she wants her idyllic countryside life to survive, she must choose her Mr Right.

Torn is available now from Amazon UK and Amazon US

Welcome to the Reading and Writing blog, Gilli, and thank you so much for being a guest who writes her own post!

What Inspired Me To Write TORN?

For me inspiration is never a single bolt from the blue. I am an “into the mist” writer, and the process of coming up with a new story is usually uncertain and haphazard. The initial idea can emerge from anywhere - something seen, heard, read or remembered - and on the face of it, it might seem insignificant; often, under examination, it can fade and crumble. But sometimes an idea grows stronger, as one thought prompts another, like the links in a chain.

The original seed for TORN was a momentary impression on a car journey, which imprinted itself like a snapshot in my mind's eye. I was the passenger and had just a split second to register a turning on my side of the road. A narrow lane sloped steeply down to the centre of a village which the main road had apparently been upgraded to by-pass.

I bet those villagers were pleased to have the main road re-routed, I thought. Followed swiftly by, but I doubt the people who lived along this road were so delighted! I went on to reflect that life is rarely black and white. There are always two, or more sides to every story. 

I began to think about a woman, Jessica, who arrives in a small hamlet in the English countryside. Only after settling-in does she discover that a contentious bypass to the nearby market town is planned. On its own this sounds like a pretty thin and boring storyline. I agree. It is, until other threads are added, pushing the by-pass theme into the background. 

The first thing I needed was an explanation for why Jess had made the move away from London. The memory popped into my head of an altercation I’d witnessed, between a man and a woman, on the pavement of London’s SW16. I suddenly knew that Jess had a ‘past’ and was escaping an abusive relationship. But surely her instinct might then be to lie-low, avoiding social contact? If so, there wouldn’t be much of story there. So I decided to make her a single mother. For the sake of her young son, she has to interact with the local community. Inevitably she begins to build friendships, but the friends she makes have opposing views - not just on the subject of the bypass but about life in general - which pull her in different directions. Jess wants to put her past behind her, to devote herself to being ‘just a mother’, but she is attracted to two very different men. Will she resist temptation?  

So TORN is a cocktail. The primary ‘inspiration’ of the bypass is the basis of the plot, which is then enriched and deepened by many more ingredients - some of which are based on personal experience.  After all, if in doubt about where next to go with a story-line, what better than using a real memory to trigger a variety of “what if....?” directions? There was my son’s grumble about an unfairness at his nursery school; a night-time drive through a country town just before Christmas; an incident recounted to me by a friend who had taken her young child walking on a local hillside; that warring couple previously referred to, and many, many more. But all these memories and experiences have been nipped, tucked, tailored or embroidered until they are no longer recognisable as autobiographical... But then I would say that, wouldn’t I?

Thanks so much for such an interesting post, Gilli – it’s fascinating to see all the elements that have gone into the development of such a strong story.

Gilli Allan started to write in childhood, a hobby only abandoned when real life supplanted the fiction. Gilli didn’t go to Oxford or Cambridge, but after just enough exam passes to squeak in, she attended Croydon Art College. She didn’t work on any of the broadsheets, in publishing or television. Instead she was a shop assistant, a beauty consultant and a barmaid before landing her dream job as an illustrator in advertising. It was only when she was at home with her young son that Gilli began writing seriously. Her first two novels were quickly published but when her publisher ceased to trade Gilli went independent. 

                 

Over the years, Gilli has been a school governor, a contributor to local newspapers, and a driving force behind the community shop in her Gloucestershire village. Still a keen artist, she designs Christmas cards and has resumed book illustration. Gilli is particularly delighted to have recently gained a new ‘proper’ publisher - Accent Press. TORN is the first book to be published in the three book deal and Gilli confidently expects to become an ‘overnight success’ any day soon.

You can connect with Gilli on her Blog, Facebook and Twitter

Author Inspiration: Suzy Turner

I'm going to be running a different type of author feature now and then, where we hear about the inspiration behind the story. A warm welcome to ex-pat British author Suzy Turner, who tells us about the inspiration behind her new chick lit novel, Forever Fredless, which sounds a lot of fun. But first, here’s a little about the book. Thanks for visiting, Suzy!

 

Forever Fredless

Kate Robinson has spent the past two decades yearning to find her soul mate, the boy she found and then lost during a family holiday.

Shortly after her twenty-eighth birthday, however, she inherits a fortune from an old family friend and becomes something of an overnight celebrity. Can her new-found fame lead her to him after all this time?

Inspiration Behind the Story

Many, many years ago when I was a little girl I was holidaying with my family in a caravan site at the (then) popular destination of Skegness where it rained non-stop. But that didn't matter to me because there was something far more important than the weather there. There was a disco and it was for kids! WOOP WOOP!

So there I was, just a little lass of maybe five or six strutting my stuff on the dance floor (I won competitions, I'd have you know) when someone brushed up against my back. Turning, my world stopped for a few seconds as I saw the most beautiful little boy standing smiling, staring at me. I remember blushing and grinning back. But then, nothing. I can't remember another thing about that charming memory that has stayed with me for thirty years.

It was that little memory that was the inspiration behind my newest chick lit novel, Forever Fredless - a book about a woman who had the same memory, but rather than forget about it, she obsessed over it. Never forgetting that little boy, she spends her life yearning to find him. Will she discover him? Is he what she imagined him to be? Well, you'll just have to read Forever Fredless to find out ;) Love that idea, Suzy!

Forever Fredless is available from Amazon UK and Amazon US and Smashwords

Suzy Turner has worked as a journalist, assistant editor, features editor and magazine editor. Early in 2010 however, she began writing full time and has since completed six books for young adults: The Raven Saga trilogy and The Morgan Sisters series.

Although Suzy is a Yorkshire lass at heart, she left her home town of Rotherham, UK, to move to Portugal with her family when she was ten. The Algarve continues to be her home, where she lives with her childhood sweetheart and husband of 15 years, Michael, and their two neurotic dogs and a cat who thinks she's a princess.

You can find out more about Suzy on her Website; Chicklit Blog; YA Blog; Facebook