Behind a Closed Door

BEHIND A CLOSED DOOR is available as of today. It’s book two in The Estate series and follows on from Somewhere to Hide, although it can be read as a standalone. 

Thanks to everyone who has got in touch with me to ask when it will be ready to download. I hope you enjoy it. It’s available for £1.59 until the end of October.
 
Once again, thanks to everyone for your continued support – readers and friends, you know who you are.

Housing officer Josie Mellor loves the community spirit of the notorious Mitchell Estate – when it doesn’t involved benefit cheats, aggression, or vandalism, that is. A natural problem-solver with her tenants’ best interests at heart, Josie throws herself into finding the culprits when a spate of burglaries causes havoc on the estate, and deadly violence erupts.

Kelly Winterton’s partner has just been sent to prison. Charlotte Hatfield has fled from her violent partner. Amy Cartwright has learning difficulties. She finds it hard enough looking out for herself and her baby without being taken advantage of. And those are just the tenants that Josie is trying to help.

But Josie has secrets of her own. Trapped in a loveless marriage, she struggles to escape her controlling husband. As her home life deteriorates, she realises only a thin line separates her from the people she’s trying to help. Can Josie save herself and return the estate to relative normality, or will both she and her tenants become victims of violence?

Does anyone really know what goes on…Behind a Closed Door

A Chat with Kirsty Greenwood

Your bum does not look big in that dress.

Mmm, it tastes delicious!

Of course you're better looking than Jon Hamm.

Newly engaged Natalie Butterworth is an easy-going girl. She'll do anything for a quiet life and if telling a few teensy white lies keeps her friends and family happy, then so what? It's not like they'll ever discover what she's really thinking...

Until one night, thanks to a pub hypnotist, Natalie's most private thoughts begin to bubble up and pop out of her mouth. Things get very messy indeed, especially when some sticky home truths offend her fiancé.

Natalie must track down the hypnotist before the wedding is officially cancelled. So along with bad influence bestie Meg, Natalie finds herself in the Yorkshire Parish of Little Trooley - a small village bursting with big secrets, nosy old folk and intriguing Wellington-wearing men.

When the girls get stranded in the village with no means of escape and no way to break the hypnotist's spell, Natalie is forced to face the truths she has been avoiding her whole life... 

Hi Kirsty and a very warm welcome to High Heels and Book Deals. Tell me about your journey. 

My agent submitted Yours Truly to a number of editors at UK publishing houses, two of whom were interested in taking the book to the next step. It all felt possible for a little while, but, in the end, my book didn’t make it all the way to an offer of traditional publication and I decided to self publish. I think it’s a fantastic way for new writers to learn about marketing themselves and to get feedback from readers.

You run the fantastic website Novelicious. How do you fit your writing in? 

Barely! Novelicious is my baby and it’s easy to focus all of my energy on that because it’s so much fun and there’s a sparkly team who gossip with me about books and secrets. Writing books is so solitary and I have to actively make it a priority or else I will put it off, which is silly because I love doing it. My working hours are quite chaotic and I have no set routine, which while interesting can be a bit stressy. I’m not organised at all and it’s something I’m constantly trying to improve.

 

What are you working on now? 

I'm working on another high-concept rom.com. I'm hoping it will be the first in a series and don't want to say too much about it until it's finished and I've perfected the pitch! It's in the same vein as Yours Truly - a (hopefully) funny, romcom about a young protagonist who finds herself in an absurd life situation! 

 
What genres do you like reading and why?

I read a lot of Romantic Comedy for Novelicious and I’m a huge fan of that genre. Like, a bit obsessed actually. I think romantic comedy is so tough to get right and when an author does it well I become an instant fangirl. Pippa Wright and Rainbow Rowell are writing crazy good stuff at the moment.

When I need a break from the day job I love a nice grizzly crime book. Like your books, Mel! I also love Tess Gerritsen and Ian Rankin.

My comfort reads are all old school YA.  Sweet Valley High (Ah, Todd’s lopsided smile and coffee coloured eyes!) and Point Horror.  Judy Blume is wonderful. Ooh, and the Mallory Towers and St Claire’s series always, always make me feel happier; all of those cakes in tins and the lacrosse and the pranks and midnight feasts. There’s usually a real bitchy character in those books too – or as Enid Blyton would call them ‘sharp-tongued’. I love that!

If you had to tell the truth for the day, what would we find out about you?

I never fully got over the cancellation of Sunset Beach.

I judge people when they use a sad face emoticon. A smiley face is good and positive but a sad face emoticon is THE WORST.

I like to sing showtunes when I go for a wee.

I put mint sauce on things I shouldn’t. (I mean food wise, guys. Not like, on furniture or body parts. Gad.)

I have absolutely no clue what I am doing most of the time. But I try hard.

What do you like most in a character and their journey through a book?

I like characters that make me laugh, that make me mad, that make me twirly. Some of the best chick-lit characters are those who have such a well developed voice that they feel completely real to me: Rachel Walsh, Bridget Jones, Becky Bloomwood and Cannie Shapiro. I feel like I could recognise their dialogue/narration in the same way I’d recognise a friend on the phone.

Are you a plotter or a fly-by-the-seat-of-your-pantster?

For Yours Truly I pantsed (?) it. I knew the set up and some of the big ‘trailer’ scenes, but it was pretty organic in how the story played out. I don’t want to settle on one approach to writing until I’ve tried them all and so for this next book I’ve used a cinematic ‘Beat Sheet’ for plotting. A beat sheet is kind of similar to Joseph Campbell’s ‘The Hero’s Journey’ in the sense that it includes aspects of narrative that should appear in every story, but because it’s used primarily for movies, there are different types of ‘beats’ for the genre that you are writing in rather than one universal ‘journey’. It’s a really fun way to approach it.

What is your best writing tip?

Finish it first. Power through until it’s done and fix mistakes/polish it later. Think about how you want your readers to feel when they read your book and then give it to them.

And your worst writing habit?

Working on the first chapter until it’s perfect before moving on.

Finally, what's your poison? High heels or flat shoes?

Flats. That sounds so boring! But I’m mega clumsy. Like, I fall at least once a week – it’s ridiculous. I wish I could both wear heels and be safe. But experience tells me I cannot.

Thanks, Kirsty and best of luck! You can find Yours Truly here and more about Kirsty and Novelicious here.

A Chat with Eowyn Ivey

A bewitching tale of heartbreak and hope set in 1920s Alaska, The Snow Child was a bestseller on hardback publication, and went on to establish itself as one of the key literary debuts of 2012.

Alaska, the 1920s.  Jack and Mabel have staked everything on a fresh start in a remote homestead, but the wilderness is a stark place, and Mabel is haunted by the baby she lost many years before.  When a little girl appears mysteriously on their land, each is filled with wonder, but also foreboding: is she what she seems, and can they find room in their hearts for her?

Written with the clarity and vividness of the Russian fairy tale from which it takes its inspiration, The Snow Child is an instant classic.

Hi Eowyn and welcome to High Heels and Book Deals. Tell me about your journey to publication. 

I had been working on The Snow Child for about a year when I attended the Kachemak Bay Writers Conference here in Alaska. I had no intention of meeting with an editor or agent because my manuscript wasn’t done. I went with my mom, who is a poet, and we were both interested in learning more about our craft and meeting other writers. But New York literary agent Jeff Kleinman of Folio Literary Management was among the visiting presenters, and I admired many of the books he represented. At my mother’s urging, I signed up to talk to him. Much to my surprise, he asked to read the first 100 pages, and I realized with dismay that the only copy of the manuscript was on my computer at home – 300 miles away! After a lot of finagling – emails and faxes and phone calls to the neighbor – my husband got the manuscript to Jeff. The next day at the conference, he offered to represent it.

Where did you get the inspiration for The Snow Child? 

I was working at Fireside Books several years ago when I came across an out-of-print children’s book that retold the Snegurochka fairy tale: an old man and woman build a little girl out of snow and she comes to life. I had never read the story before, and it was truly a magical moment – I remember standing among the shelves of the bookstore and thinking “This is it! This is the story I’m going to tell.” I abandoned another novel I had been working on for nearly five years and began writing The Snow Child.

When is your best time to write? 

Whenever I can steal a moment to myself. When I was writing The Snow Child, I found the time late at night after our children were in bed. But this fall, my youngest daughter starts school, so for the first time ever, I’ll have a large chunk of time each day, by myself, to write.

How have you found social media as an author?

On one hand, I enjoy it a great deal – I learn about other authors and books and share my own experiences through Twitter, Facebook, and a blog. It bring me closer to readers of The Snow Child and makes me feel a part of an international writing community. On the other hand, it is yet another distraction from my own writing projects. It’s such a tricky balance.

Are you a plotter or a fly-by-the-seat-of-your-panter?

Both to some extent. I like to have an outline or at least rough idea of where I’m going, but I don’t chain myself to it. The unexpected discoveries that never appeared in an outline – that’s where I find the joy in writing fiction.

What is your best writing tip? 

There are so many ways and reasons to approach writing. But my path: I read a lot. I write a lot. And I do it because I love it.

And your worst writing habit? 

I’m a pain in the neck when I’m writing, and I know it. When I first get into a chapter or project, I am very irritable and easily distracted. I’m constantly hollering to my family “Please, turn down the music! Do you have to talk so loudly? Stop tapping your foot – I can hear it all the way up here!”

What are you working on now? 

It’s still early in the process, but I am at work on another novel. It’s set in historical Alaska, and like The Snow Child has some magical and mythological elements. But I also want to continue to grow and experiment as a writer. I’m imagining this next one to be a bit more epic and adventurous.

And finally, what’s your poison, high heels or flat shoes?   

Do these count? These are my favourite boots for feeding the chickens, salmon fishing, and moose hunting. If I thought I could get away with it, I’d bring them to London with me and wear them with a skirt.

You can purchase the paperback version of The Snow Child here. Thanks Eowyn and good luck!

A Chat with Joanna Rees

Romy and Thea, two beautiful baby girls, their future’s sealed with the flip of a coin. One will enter a life of privilege, surrounded by only the best money can buy. The other will fight for survival in an orphanage, against an evil regime who seek only to exploit her. 

Throughout the years their paths will cross, neither knowing who the other one is, their lives overflowing with secrets, blackmail and murder. From the snow covered forests of Eastern Europe to the glistening white beaches of the Caribbean. From the gutters of London’s Soho to the towering skyscrapers of New York, A twist of fate tore them apart, only their strength and determination can reunite them…

Hi Joanna and welcome to High Heels and Book Deals. Tell me about your journey to publication

I wrote seven novels with my husband, Emlyn Rees, including the number one best-seller ‘Come Together’ before deciding to go solo.  In 2007 I wrote ‘Platinum’ and ‘Forbidden Pleasures’ as Jo Rees, which were very much marketed as ‘bonkbusters’.  I changed publishers to the fantastic Wayne Brookes at Macmillan and together we decided to be a bit more ‘upmarket’ and go with Joanna Rees for ‘A Twist Of Fate’.  I loved writing this book.  It’s a big, epic, sweeping story set over forty years and it was so much fun to plot.

 What made you choose twins for the main character of A TWIST OF FATE?

They’re not twins.  Some people have read it like that, but actually all I say is that the two main characters are sisters born close together.  They were never twins in my mind when I wrote it.

The story starts in 1971 with two babies being swapped for bank notes and vodka in an East German forest and we find out that they are sisters.  One is going to a life of riches in America and the other is destined for a horrible orphanage in East Germany.  They’ll never find out about each other…or will they?

I was very much inspired by ‘Kane and Abel’ by Jeffrey Archer, which I read when I was 15 and loved, and also the musical ‘Blood Brothers’ which I saw on its opening night in London.  I really like the whole idea of a sister bond that unites my characters.

You’ve written 11 books now – do you find it hard to come up with new plots or do you, like me, have more than you can write?

The ideas are never the problem – just finding the time to write them.  I’m definitely more adventurous now and experience has given me much more confidence as a writer.  The skill is in discerning the ideas with the most meat from the ones that are all bluff and no plot.

Are you a plotter or a fly-by-the-seat-of-your-panter?

It’s taken me eleven novels to believe what all the books about writing tell you – that planning is key.  I plotted out ‘A Twist Of Fate’ before I started.  Otherwise I’d never have been able to cope with a huge book set over 40 years with loads of different locations and characters.  That said, I still wrote the end away and had a big panic.  It was a huge story to try and tie up.  With two characters that you have separate storylines for, it’s important to keep each story as dramatic and emotionally weighty as the other, so it’s a juggling act.

Have you always wanted to be a writer?

Yes. When I was really little, we used to go on long car journeys to visit my Grandmother.  My sister always wanted me to stop talking so she could read.  My Mum gave me a pen and a notepad and told me to write instead of talk.  That’s where my love of writing started.  But I think to be a writer you have to be a reader.  I remember reading Virginia Andrew’s ‘Flowers in The Attic’ and Shirley Conran’s ‘Lace’ in school and completely falling in love with the idea of writing a book like that.  There’s nothing like a book for total escapism and for me.

How many drafts do you complete before you show your manuscripts to anyone?

I always show my work to Emlyn, but one of the hangovers from the days when we used to write books together is our rule that we don’t show each other work unless it’s as good as it can be.  So I give him the draft that I’m happy with and he gives me constructive feedback – usually spotting silly mistakes, or pointing out where I can put in extra character beats.  I do the same for him.  By the time the novel leaves the house, it’s pretty much ready to go.  I never have more than a page or so of minor edit points from a publisher.

Any clues you can give us to what’s next?

I’m writing another big, international epic, set all around the world.  The working title is ‘The Key’ but I’m not sure it’ll end up being called that.  It’s loads of fun, but quite technically difficult to write.

 What is your best writing tip?

That you are free to write the worst rubbish in the world.  So many writers get paralysed by fear – which I think is the basis of most writer’s block. You have to let yourself off the hook and stop beating yourself up.  The more I write, the more I learn to trust my subconscious.  If you just start writing, you’ll find that your brain has been figuring it out all along, whilst you’ve been panicking and it’s all there, waiting to come out.

And your worst writing habit?

Getting distracted by my Blackberry. The Mac that I type on is so ancient, the internet doesn’t really work that well on it, but I get emails, tweets and Facebook updates on my Blackberry.  I’ll just be about to write something important and I’ll find myself reaching for my phone and checking my emails or writing a stupid tweet instead.  It’s a terrible habit.  I think Twitter is a great tool for writers in particular, to connect with their readers and let people know about their books, but Lord, it’s a distraction.  I have to force myself to go off-line.

And finally, what’s your poison, high heels or flat shoes? 

I’m not great with shoes. I feel the pressure that, as a woman, I should have a love of high heels, but I really don’t.  I have sensitive, ticklish feet that blister at the mere mention of high heels.  Of course, I have a few veteran pairs of heels which I get out when I have to scrub up, but sadly, since I turned forty, my feet have given up to genetics and I’ve got my mother’s bunions.  They make wearing heels almost impossible – even with the help of painkillers and/or booze!  I spend my days either in trainers (having failed to have got changed from my morning run) or tatty old Birkenstocks.  When I go past shoe shops, I look in the window and wince rather than ooh and ahh or exclaim loudly ‘but how can you walk in them!’  My daughter, who is twelve, is currently coveting sky-high pink suede wedges, which makes me feel SO old.

At heart, I’m a real jeans and boots girl, so I was thrilled that my girlfriends clubbed together for my birthday and bought me a voucher to have a pair of Tony Mora boots hand made.  They’re in deep pink with the perfect heel and I can wear them with just about anything and feel fab.  They are my high heels.

Thanks Joanna and best of luck. You can buy A Twist of Fate here and find out more about Joanna here. There's also a competition to win a weekend at Champney's, closing date 28 August 2012. Hop on over.