On Being an Author
A question often asked of authors is: What’s the best thing
about the job?
There are many positives to choose from – and many
not-so-nice, but we’ll gloss over those for the time being. For me, one of the
best things is the journey of discovery you embark upon when you begin a novel:
finding the story, meeting the characters, getting to know them are the
headlines but I love finding out about all manner of incidental details;
subjects I would never have learnt about had I not had to for the sake of
character or plot; and it is the people I meet along the journey that is
another great perk.
My last novel, Public
Battles, Private Wars, required huge amounts of research (you can read about it here if you wish) but all books require
some digging around. For Redemption Song
I had to learn about medical training – Saffron is training to be a doctor –
all about bats (Joe is a keen bat watcher and conservationist; did you know
they were a protected species? I didn’t); I had to study the Baptist faith
(Rain is a committed Christian) as well as details of sentencing for certain
crimes and small details of police procedure and legalities. And while there is
a lot to be learnt from reading the internet and studying books from your local
library (remember that way of researching?), there’s nothing to beat talking with
experts.
I am consistently overwhelmed by people’s generosity. Put a
shout-out on Facebook or Twitter and relative strangers will come forward with
offers of help or contact details. And then there are those who give up their
time to meet, to talk with you and share their experiences and knowledge.
Amazeballs. For Redemption Song a minister and his wife welcomed me, a non-believer, into their church and their home. They gave up hours to answer all manner of questions, many of which must have sounded incredibly stupid. I met with a doctor who shared his experiences, a bat conservationist who gave up a Sunday morning, and I spoke with a policeman who couldn’t reveal his identity because of the nature of his role in the force. He did, however, share his time and expertise. The same is true of my legal expert. And then there are the authors who gave up their time to read early drafts of the book and then those who read an uncorrected proof and gave endorsements that were so generous they brought a tear to my eye.
Amazeballs. For Redemption Song a minister and his wife welcomed me, a non-believer, into their church and their home. They gave up hours to answer all manner of questions, many of which must have sounded incredibly stupid. I met with a doctor who shared his experiences, a bat conservationist who gave up a Sunday morning, and I spoke with a policeman who couldn’t reveal his identity because of the nature of his role in the force. He did, however, share his time and expertise. The same is true of my legal expert. And then there are the authors who gave up their time to read early drafts of the book and then those who read an uncorrected proof and gave endorsements that were so generous they brought a tear to my eye.
The best thing about being a writer? It’s not the money
*hahaha* or the fame *laughing even harder now*, it’s the lovely, lovely people
I might never have met were it not for this book. Now that is a benefit.
Redemption Song
Published by Accent Press on 28th January 2016
Synopsis
Published by Accent Press on 28th January 2016
Synopsis
If you lost everything in one night, what would you do?
Saffron is studying for a promising career in medicine until
a horrific accident changes her life for ever. Needing to escape London, she
moves to the Welsh coast to live with her mother. Saffron hates the small town
existence and feels trapped until she meets Joe, another outsider. Despite
initial misgivings, they grow closer to each other as they realise they have a
lot in common. Like Saffron, Joe has a complicated past…one that’s creeping up
on his present. Can Joe escape his demons for long enough to live a normal life
– and can Saffron reveal the truth about what really happened on that fateful
night? Love is the one thing they need most, but will they – can they – risk
it?
Redemption Song is a captivating, insightful look at
what happens when everything goes wrong – and the process of putting the pieces
back together again.
Read my review here.
Read my review here.
About Laura Wilkinson
After many
years writing non-fiction – as a journalist and copywriter – now Laura writes contemporary novels for adults, alongside a part-time role as an editor. She occasionally knock out a short story too. Laura spent her formative years
in Wales and continue to take inspiration from the beautiful
landscape of Snowdonia as well as Brighton and the south coast, where she currently lives with her musician husband and ginger sons.
If you’d like more information about Laura and her work visit laura-wilkinson.co.uk, follow Laura on Twitter - @ScorpioScribble and find her on Facebook, Pinterest, Goodreads and Instagram.
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