Genre ~ women’s fiction
Release date ~ July 6, 2023
I am delighted to be share a Q&A today ~ thanks to Rachel’s Random Resources for organizing.
⤵ check out what my fellow bloggers thought of this one ⤵
Q1: Can you tell us a little about your debut novel
This Child of Mine is an emotional family drama, a real tearjerker. My main character, Stephanie, is finally given the news she has been dreaming of all her life, she is pregnant with a much longed for child. The only problem is, she is diagnosed with Cancer at the same time. With an impossible decision to make between her own life and the life of her child, Stephanie’s world is thrown into utter turmoil. The worst bit, while her husband James tries everything he can to get his wife to save herself, Stephanie is questioning his motives. He is hiding more than a few secrets and Stephanie feels more alone than ever.
How can she choose between her and her baby? Why would anyone expect her to even make that decision, and how is she supposed to navigate such a tough decision when she can’t lean on the love of her life for support?
This Child of Mine is a highly emotional read, for those who love Jodi Picoult and Emma Robinson.
Q2: This Child of Mine is a highly emotional family drama that has readers reaching for the tissues, but I am intrigued, what was the first book that made you cry?
Oh my lord, I am not sure I remember the first book that ever made me cry. I am sure there would have been a few as a child, but the first book I remember really crying dramatically at was Little Women. I am with Joey from Friends on this one, I wanted to put it in the freezer too! I think I have always loved books that move me in some way. A Child Called It by David Pelzer had a real effect on me as a teen, as did The Colour Purple and The Lovely Bones.
These days, if I need a really good cry, I will turn to Amanda Prowse and Emma Cooper, their books have never failed to move me to tears and always feel like a comfort blanket to me in that way.
Q3: Writing emotional fiction must be tough, do you find writing energises or exhaust you?
I think a bit of both. I get itchy if I can’t write, I get restless and irritable until the words find a way out of my fingers. If the world around me feels too much, my writing frees me, so I guess it gives me energy to face the world in that way.
But yes, it does also exhaust me. I am an ‘over writer’ which means I can sit and write for hours on end and not take a break to even eat or drink. If I am deep in the flow of a book, it’s not unusual for me to spend eight solid hours writing and feel utterly exhausted at the end of the day. On the days when I find 10 thousand words, there will be no words left in my brain by the end of the day.
Q4: Have you always wanted to write emotional fiction, and would you ever consider writing in any other genre?
I think I have always been someone who feels things deeply, I’ve often been described as an empath, so it’s not a surprise that my first published novel is emotional. But I have been writing professionally for almost twenty years and can turn my hand to most styles of
writing. I know for sure I have a few other books that will tackle highly emotional topics, but I also have a few crime/thriller/suspense novels up my sleeve for the future. I think I will always infuse emotion into those too, but hopefully the tears will still be justified. For me, I think all fiction should be emotional, it’s just a case of making sure the emotion you have on the page is always turned up to 100%. It doesn’t matter if it’s romance, fear, or heartbreak – I want my readers to feel 100% of the raw emotion on the page, so if I can make people cry sad tears, I hope I can also make they cry happy tears. Life is about feeling, so as long as I am making my readers FEEL something, I will be happy.
Q5: What was the hardest scene in this book to write?
Without giving away a spoiler? There is a scene in a chapel, when I put Stephanie through one of the hardest moments of her life… I cried with every single word I put on the page that day, and cried every single time I had to edit it. The whole scene felt so real for me, and I recognise those emotions on the page, but I also knew there would be many people reading it that would feel it too. It was the hardest section to write, but also one of the most cathartic for me personally.
Q6: Are there any characters in your book that were inspired by real people in your life?
Oh, lots. There are also characters in my book that are a mixture of people I know. Never anything bad, just beautiful little easter eggs of human beings that have made me smile in my life. Jenny, one of the nurses, is based on a cousin of mine by the same name – watching how she dealt with the covid pandemic as a newly registered nurse was inspirational and I wanted a little nod to her in that novel.
Q7: Can you tell us a little about what you are working on next?
My next novel for Avon is another emotional family drama, so don’t put those tissues away. This one is set between the UK and Spain, and I am really looking forward to exploring the ‘long distance friendship’ side of things in this one. I think relationships have been put under a lot of strain in the past few years, but I also think circumstances have lead to some of the most beautiful friendships in the hardest of times, and it’s something I am looking forward to exploring more.
One mistake could change two families lives forever.
Nicole and Victoria come from different worlds, but when those worlds collide in the most unusual way, the strong bond of an unlikely friendship is made. Will that bond remain when a terrible mistake puts a child’s life in danger and the future of two families on the brink of ruin?
Book blurb:
After trying for a baby for so long, finding out I was pregnant was supposed to be the happiest day of my life. But in the same breath as the news I had been waiting years to hear, the doctor told me I was seriously ill.
If I carry my baby to term, I will almost certainly die.
If I proceed with treatment, my baby will not live.
My husband – the father of this child – is telling me to save myself. But with all the secrets I know he is keeping from me, I can’t trust him anymore.
What would you do?
An emotional yet uplifting tear-jerker that will have you reaching for the tissues – perfect for fans of EMMA ROBINSON and JODI PICOULT.
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