I am delighted to have Alice for a Q&A ~ thanks to Rachel’s Random Resources for organizing.
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Genre: Women’s fiction with strong romantic theme
Publisher: The Book Guild
Estimated Page Count: 352
Author Content Warning: Mental health issues in NHS workers.
Five Questions on Writing The Mid-life Trials of Annabeth Hope by Alice May.
What surprised you the most about writing The Mid-Life Trials of Annabeth Hope?
I always fall in love with my main characters and want them to work out their problems and be happy. Rick and Annabeth (Beth for short) in The Mid-life Trials of Annabeth Hope were no different. However, I was surprised to find myself falling for another character as well. At first, I introduced Barbara Trenchard as Beth’s nemesis. She was supposed to be highly annoying and, in many ways, she is. Bombastic and opinionated, she sticks her nose into everything. But I really like her. I adore the fact that she isn’t afraid to speak her mind and stand up for herself and others. It was fun watching Beth and Barbara spar. It was also interesting to see them realise that they had a lot to teach each other.
What did you want the reader to know, when you wrote The Mid-life Trials of Annabeth Hope?
I wanted to emphasis the idea that, no matter what life throws at us, it is important to stay true to ourselves. We can’t fix everything, but we do have the power to make the next right decision, no matter how small that decision is. If we keep making those right decisions, we know that we are trying our best. And in doing that, we can take back control.
How do you create characters that readers can connect with?
I think readers connect with characters that they recognise. The people around us are a great source of inspiration. I often spend time people-watching and mentally save small quirks that make certain characters stand out. This might be an accent or a phrase, or a particularly unusual sense of style. In The Mid-life Trials of Annabeth Hope, Barbara Trenchard has a subconscious verbal tick, and peppers much of her conversation with ‘My Brian always says…’ to the extent that other characters start asking her what Brian thinks about things even though he isn’t there.
What is the most difficult part of writing a book?
The most difficult part is sustaining the writing momentum through the eighty thousand words of the first draft, followed by however many thousand more words as you go through the editing process to polish that manuscript into a usable format. Having said that, playing with scenes and plots is easy compared with dealing with feedback (constructive or otherwise). You need to grow a thick skin and be ready to get stuck back into your text to make it better. I started writing The Mid-life Trials of Annabeth Hope five years ago and the manuscript has been through countless drafts before finding a publishing home with The Book Guild. I am really happy with the finished book and I love the cover too. Now, it’s time to get on with the sequel…
What other sorts of books to you write?
The first book I wrote was a memoir called The House That Sat Down Trilogy. This was a humorous romp through what happened when my house fell down and I ended up living in a tent in the garden with my husband and four children because our house insurance providers refused to help us. There was a massive theme on the importance of ‘self-care’ in that story, which is something that also runs through The Mid-life Trials of Annabeth Hope. Since then, I have also written two children’s books, How to Draw a Giraffe the Alice May
Way and How to Draw an Ostrich the Alice May Way. These are easy to use, step-by-step drawing methods that encourage primary school aged children to use drawing as a fun, relaxing self-care tool. However, my real writing passion is fiction for adults and I have many more manuscripts waiting in the wings for their time in the spotlight.
I hope readers will enjoy The Mid-life Trials of Annabeth Hope, as there is already a sequel in the pipeline.
Book blurb:
Two very different worlds are about to collide.
Feisty country girl Annabeth Hope has sworn off men since her ex abandoned her. Juggling three resentful step-teens, a hyperactive toddler, a smallholding, and a herd of rescued llamas, she has her hands full.
With the roof about to collapse on her crumbling New Forest home, she is desperate to find a way to hold her patchwork family together. The last thing she needs is an attractive distraction moving in next door.
Burnt-out inner-city doctor Rick Mahon has left London and his medical career behind in a moment of professional crisis. A malpractice lawsuit is on the horizon, and the cancel culture mob are snapping at his heels. His plan to stay under the radar is thrown off course when he meets his new neighbour and sparks start to fly.
Annabeth and Rick couldn’t be more different, but maybe they hold the key to each other’s happiness…
“What more could we want from life? Family, friends, llamas, and hope…
An excellent read.” Jenny Kane, author of the bestselling Mill Grange Series.
Purchase Links
The Book Guild The Mid-life Trials of Annabeth Hope | The Book Guild Ltd
Hive The Mid-life Trials of Annabeth Hope: Alice May: 9781835740590: hive.co.uk
WHSmith The Mid-life Trials of Annabeth Hope by Alice May | WHSmith
Cole’s Books The Mid-Life Trials of Annabeth Hope by Alice May 9781835740590 Coles Books (coles-books.co.uk)
Amazon UK – https://www.amazon.co.uk/Mid-life-Trials-Annabeth-Hope-ebook/dp/B0DHYFJH7C/
Amazon US – https://www.amazon.com/Mid-life-Trials-Annabeth-Hope-ebook/dp/B0DHYFJH7C/
Author Bio –
A former GP surgery manager, school librarian and art teacher, Alice May is mum to four not-so-small children. She is married to the most patient man on the planet, and they live in the New Forest. Alice started writing in 2016 and she enjoyed playing with words so much that now she can’t stop.
Social Media Links –
Website: www.alicegmay.com
Instagram: @alicegmay
YouTube: @alicegmayartandbooks
TikTok: @alicegmayartandbooks
Facebook: AliceMayAuthor
Twitter: @AliceMay_Author
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