AUTHOR IN THE SPOTLIGHT - Lisa Hall

I am delighted that LISA HALL is joining me on my blog today. Her debut novel - Between You and Me - was published by Carina in March 2016. 

Your debut psychological thriller Between You and Me went straight to the top of the Amazon charts in March. Describe how your life has changed over the last few months?

Everything has been very busy – I never realised quite how much other stuff goes on behind the scenes once your book has been published!

Your next book – Tell Me No Lies – is being published in October 2016. Does it seem very different second time round?

There’s a lot more pressure the second time around – I wrote when I could when I was writing the first book, but the pressure of a deadline meant that I HAD to write at every spare moment for Book Two. Plus, there’s the added worry that readers might not like it as much as Book One!

Why do you think psychological thrillers are so popular, especially with female readers?

I think us ladies like to scare ourselves a bit…and it just so happens that we find everyday, ordinary things more scary than ghosts, monsters etc. The fact that things that happen in psych thrillers can potentially happen to all of us in real life is quite terrifying.

You’re off to New York in July for Thrillerfest, on a panel for debut authors – your first panel. Are you terrified, excited…?

A bit of both! I’m very excited to be meeting up with my fellow ITW debuts, but equally I’m a bit terrified about speaking on the panel, as it’s the first one I’ve done. I did a radio show last month which was scary, but not as bad as I thought it would be!

You’ve had a successful book blog for a number of years. Do you think reviewing books has helped you as an author?

I think the book reviewing gave me the courage to write my own book and put it out there. It was festering in the back of my mind for a long time but the idea of people reading something I had written was terrifying. Once I started reviewing and people started reading my words I managed to get over it a bit.

How do you make sure you’re getting the words down when you’re writing a first draft? What’s your writing routine like?

I am the queen of procrastination! I set myself a target of 2000 words a day – I don’t always hit it, but I find that once the words start coming I can usually make it, although not all of it makes it to the final cut. I should probably switch the Internet off when I’m writing, if I’m honest!

Looking back to your teenage years, what advice would you give your younger self?

Don’t think you just have to settle for what you have – you can do it; you just have to push yourself.

What advice do you have for aspiring authors, having been in that position not that long ago yourself?

Don’t give up – you just need your manuscript to land on the right desk at the right time.

And lastly, why should people read Between You and Me?         

Because it’s brilliant (apparently!).

About Lisa Hall

Lisa loves words, reading and everything there is to love about books. She has dreamed of being a writer since she was a little girl – either that or a librarian - and after years of talking about it, was finally brave enough to put pen to paper (and let people actually read it). Lisa lives in a small village in Kent, surrounded by her towering TBR pile, a rather large brood of children, dogs, chickens and ponies and her long-suffering husband. She is also rather partial to eating cheese and drinking wine.

Find Lisa Hall on her website and  Facebook page and follow Lisa on Twitter - @LisaHallAuthor

Between You and Me
Published by Carina (17 March 2016)
ISBN: 978-0008194505

Synopsis: 

They say every marriage has its secrets.

But no one sees what happens behind closed doors.

And sometimes those doors should never be opened …

Sal and Charlie are married. They love each other. But they aren’t happy. Sal cannot leave, no matter what Charlie does – no matter how much it hurts.

The Inspiration behind Between You and Me - author feature by Lisa Hall - Blog Tour

I am delighted to kick off the blog tour for Between You and Me by Lisa Hall today. I would like to welcome Lisa to my blog. Read below to discover the inspiration behind Between You and Me, which is being published by Carina UK on 17 March 2016.

The Inspiration behind Between You and Me

If I’m completely honest, the inspiration for Between You and Me seemed to come out of nowhere – the ending of the novel was actually the first idea that came to me, and I decided it had legs after running it past Mr H and he gave it the thumbs up. Once I had the main idea, it was a question of going back and figuring out who my characters were and how they ended up in the situation that they did – something that was easier said than done.

I haven’t been a victim of a violent relationship, but I do know others who have, so I had a lot of research to do in order to get things just right. I spent hours reading the stories of victims of domestic violence, and talking to several people who had been involved and managed to leave, and it really brought it home to me just how common an occurrence this kind of behaviour is – it was completely harrowing and by the time I was finished with the research my characters were screaming to get put down on the page.

The other side of the story is the idea that people can look at others’ lives and deem them ‘perfect’, without ever really knowing what goes on behind closed doors. We all know people who are ‘lucky’ – they might live in a bigger house than us, drive a better car than us, have better behaved children than us (probably most definitely in my case, Team Hall do love a bit of naughtiness) but we don’t know the circumstances that put them there, or the struggles that might have taken place. How do we know what really goes on behind closed doors? None of us knows for sure what happens once the curtains are drawn.

About Lisa Hall

Lisa Hall loves words, reading and everything there is to love about books. She has dreamed of being a writer since she was a little girl – either that or a librarian - and after years of talking about it, was finally brave enough to put pen to paper (and let people actually read it).  Lisa lives in a small village in Kent, surrounded by her towering TBR pile, a rather large brood of children, dogs, chickens and ponies and her long-suffering husband. She is also rather partial to eating cheese and drinking wine.

Readers can find out more about Lisa on her website and Facebook page and follow Lisa on Twitter - @LisaHallAuthor 

Between You and Me
By Lisa Hall
Published by Carina (17 March 2016)

Publisher's description

They say every marriage has its secrets.

But no one sees what happens behind closed doors.

And sometimes those doors should never be opened …

Sal and Charlie are married. They love each other. But they aren’t happy. Sal cannot leave, no matter what Charlie does – no matter how much it hurts.

Click here to read my review

Follow the Blog Tour

Between You and Me by Lisa Hall - Blog Tour Review

Between You and Me
By Lisa Hall
Published by Carina (17 March 2016)

Publisher's description

They say every marriage has its secrets.

But no one sees what happens behind closed doors.

And sometimes those doors should never be opened …

Sal and Charlie are married. They love each other. But they aren’t happy. Sal cannot leave, no matter what Charlie does – no matter how much it hurts.

My verdict
Between You and Me is a fantastic book, but certainly not an easy one to review without giving away any spoilers. It's not always a comfortable read either because of the subject matter, but is definitely a book that MUST be read, especially if you're a fan of domestic noir.

Sal and Charlie appear to have the perfect marriage, but behind closed doors it's an entirely different scenario. As the book progresses, the tension builds up and the truth about their relationship bubbles slowly to the surface, leading to a dramatic finale.

This is an emotional book covering some serious complex underlying issues that are not always addressed in the public arena, and it will certainly get people talking. Not all of the characters are easy to like, but they are certainly very believable and help to get the reader right into the centre of the plot. I felt like I was living every moment of Sal and Charlie's marriage, as every little detail is vividly described. I could visualise it and even feel it in places.

Lisa Hall is an incredibly talented writer, with a plot that keeps you guessing, and is clearly the queen of twists, with a story that left me reeling. This is the first book I have HAD to read twice, certain I missed something crucial the first time round.

But there's far more to this book than any twists or turns. And you shouldn't be put off reading Between You and Me if someone has given away the story - it's an amazingly written novel provoking real emotions for the characters.

I look forward to reading more of Lisa Hall's books in the future - and can't wait to see what else she has in store.

I received an Advance Reader Copy from the Publisher through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Click here to read about Lisa Hall's inspiration for the book.

Follow the Blog Tour

AUTHOR IN THE SPOTLIGHT - Rebecca Pugh - BLOG TOUR

I am delighted that REBECCA PUGH is joining me on my blog today, as part of the Blog Tour for her book - Return to Bluebell Hill - which was published by Carina on 18 June 2015. 

So Rebecca, what inspired you to write a book in the first place?
I don’t think it was anything in particular that sparked the idea. I suppose, in a way, it had always been there, right at the very back of my mind. I’ve always been an avid reader and I’ve always been surrounded by books. I never thought I’d be able to write anything that compared to the books I’d read. I have numerous stories saved on my laptop that I twiddled and tweaked, but never took seriously. Return to Bluebell Hill was the first story I managed to complete. It meant something to me, became extra-special, and I cared about my characters immeasurably. The decision to submit my manuscript to Carina bounced about in my mind for a while, until I finally took that step. Not in a million years did I ever, ever, ever expect anything to come from it. It’s safe to say that my jaw hit the floor when I received ‘the call’…

Where did the idea for Return to Bluebell Hill come from?
Completely from my imagination. I’ve always found bluebells and the myths/stories behind them enchanting, mainly because I have a very whimsical mind that clings to anything slightly romantic and fairy-tale like.  I’m a complete sucker for romance, too, but I’m also a huge family girl. I think I included a smattering of the things that I love in Return to Bluebell Hill. Whether I liked it or not, they would have crept out of me and into the book anyway. It’s just how my mind works.

Describe your writing style in 10 words or less?
A sprinkle of cosiness with a dash of magic!

Do you have any strange writing habits?
I know that I can definitely get carried away with the descriptions of settings when writing, so much so that the whole book could be dedicated to the place where my stories are set! ;) I also find it hard to get started without first having a nice cup of coffee. I’ll sometimes sit with the TV on but switched onto mute, no idea why. And I really can’t cope with interruptions once I’m really in the swing of things!

Did you plot out the whole book before you started or just started writing to see where it would lead you?
I’m not organised in the slightest, meaning when an idea comes to me, I much prefer to tap away rather than make notes etc. I’ve tried, don’t get me wrong, to organise myself and make things easier so that I don’t hit that black hole later on, all because I didn’t make a plan, but it just doesn’t work for me. Once I have an idea, I just have to get it out and get involved in it. I guess every writer is different, and chaotic bursts of inspiration are what work best for me!

What have you found to be the hardest part of your writing?
Ensuring the pace of my story is enough to keep readers turning the pages. If you’ve read any of the book reviews on Becca’s Books, you’ll see that sometimes, I will ramble on and on and on, and I think I can end up doing this when writing, too. As I mentioned above in the question about writing habits, I get seriously carried away when it comes to descriptions… What should probably be a quick mention can easily turn into a three-paragraph long description of some trees. Oops!

Has your life changed since getting your publishing deal? If so, how?

It’s definitely more exciting! That’s not to say I didn’t love my life beforehand. I’m incredibly blessed to have such wonderful and loving people surrounding me. I had and still have everything that I need and I’ve never expected to have more than that, because I know that people have less. Since being offered my publishing deal, I feel like I’ve found my purpose, does that sound ridiculous? All of a sudden, things that I never dreamt of happening, even having this chat with you, are happening, and it’s completely surreal. I’d also like to say that being offered my publishing deal has reinforced the fact that dreams do come true. I couldn’t wait to tell my younger brothers and sisters about it because I wanted them to know that you can achieve your dreams in life. I hope that’s what they think, that their big sister wasn’t afraid to go after what she wanted, so they won’t be afraid either. Finally, my publishing deal has made me realise that maybe, my writing isn’t so bad after all… It’s upped my confidence and I feel brave and capable. I going at my writing harder than ever and I absolutely LOVE IT!

You regularly review books on your own blog. Do you think your love of reading and reviewing has helped with your writing?
Yes, definitely! I 100% believe that my love of reading has built the foundations for what I hope will become a writing ‘career’. I’ve read so many books, seen the way other authors write and create their stories, and it’s solidified it in my head. I think the books that I’ve read have paved the way to becoming an author myself.

Who are your favourite authors?
Oh, wow. How long have you got? I have nearly all of Jill Mansell’s books because I adore her style so much. I love Miranda Dickinson, Sophie Kinsella, Holly Martin, Rebecca Raisin, Rosanna Ley is another firm favourite. But then, I also love Stephen King for his incredible imagination. I have a bit of a ‘thing’ for R.L. Stine’s Goosebumps books, too. Honestly, this list doesn’t even touch the surface.

If you were writing a book about your life, what would be the title?
This is a fabulous question! I think I’d call it, ‘The Girl Who Did,’ and it would be about having the courage to go after what you want, no matter how unachievable you may think it is at the time.

What advice do you have for aspiring writers?
Same as above, I reckon! I cannot even begin to tell you how important I think it is to just try. No matter who you are, where you’re from, what you do for a living, whether you drink coffee or tea, have a dog or a cat, are ambitious or not, do it. Just bloody DO IT! I saw a quote once, and I can’t for the life of me think who said it now, but it went something along the lines of this, ‘It’s not fear of failure that holds us back. It’s fear of how big our success might turn out to be.’ I love it, because it’s true, for me anyway. The fear of actually having to step out and bring some attention to myself scared me much more than the idea of failing. That’s not to say that I didn’t think I would fail, because I most definitely did. But if I failed, life would go on as normal and at least I could say that I’d tried. If I succeeded, it wouldn’t.

And lastly, why should people read your book?
I guess my debut Return to Bluebell Hill will make or break me. It will either be the beginning of a much dreamt-about career in writing, or the end of a very quick burst of excitement! ;) I sincerely hope that it’s the former. Return to Bluebell Hill is the only story out of about 578529583 that made it to the finish line. To see it make it past that line? Well… *exhales shakily* It’ll be a little bit crazy. Okay, A LOT crazy.

About Rebecca Pugh

Rebecca Pugh grew up in the green county of Shropshire, with a mind full of fairy-tales and happy endings. Enchanted by true love and Disney Princesses, she decided that no matter what life threw her way, she'd continue to see the world through a child's eyes. Through the pages of countless books, her adoration of reading blossomed, and it didn't take long for her to fall under the spell of hundreds of authors' words. 

Now, Rebecca's own story has taken a fairy-tale like turn, and at 22, her dream has come true. With her faithful companions: Bonnie the dog, her partner, and her gigantic family by her side, Rebecca is ready to share her stories with readers who enjoy falling in love and losing themselves within beautiful, fictional worlds.

Rebecca Pugh is the author of women's fiction and romance, her all-time favourite genres. After all, who doesn't enjoy a good swoon?

Find Rebecca Pugh's book reviews blog here and follow Rebecca on Twitter - @BeccasBoooks.


Return to Bluebell Hill
Published by Carina UK (18 June 2015)

Synopsis: 
Home is where the heart is…
Jessica McAdams has never belonged anywhere; never truly felt at home. Of course, what did she expect from parents who never made her feel welcome in her own home? Leaving her life in London to return home to the charming country village of Bluebell Hill is harder than she thought. Especially as she never considered she'd be returning under such heart-wrenching circumstances.

Clearing out the stunning and imposing Bluebell House after her parents' death is difficult for Jessica - they never had the best relationship and now it's too late. Yet spending time in the house that was never a home, having afternoon tea with dear old friend Esme - and sharing hot, sizzling kisses with delectable gardener Reuben - opens Jessica's eyes to the potential of Bluebell House.

Could this big, old, beautiful manor really be her forever home? Is Bluebell Hill where her heart is, has always been?

Jessica soon dares to dream of her very own home with delicious Reuben by her side. But when a deep, dark secret of Bluebell House is unearthed, Jessica's world is turned upside down…

Will Jessica ever find where her heart truly lies?

Read my review here

Follow the Blog Tour:

Return to Bluebell Hill by Rebecca Pugh

Return to Bluebell Hill
By Rebecca Pugh
Published by Carina UK (18 June 2015)

Publisher's description
Home is where the heart is…
Jessica McAdams has never belonged anywhere; never truly felt at home. Of course, what did she expect from parents who never made her feel welcome in her own home? Leaving her life in London to return home to the charming country village of Bluebell Hill is harder than she thought. Especially as she never considered she'd be returning under such heart-wrenching circumstances.

Clearing out the stunning and imposing Bluebell House after her parents' death is difficult for Jessica - they never had the best relationship and now it's too late. Yet spending time in the house that was never a home, having afternoon tea with dear old friend Esme - and sharing hot, sizzling kisses with delectable gardener Reuben - opens Jessica's eyes to the potential of Bluebell House.

Could this big, old, beautiful manor really be her forever home? Is Bluebell Hill where her heart is, has always been?

Jessica soon dares to dream of her very own home with delicious Reuben by her side. But when a deep, dark secret of Bluebell House is unearthed, Jessica's world is turned upside down…

Will Jessica ever find where her heart truly lies?

My verdict
Return to Bluebell Hill is a 'feel good' holiday read and a sweet treat for chick lit fans. It's the perfect book to escape into while soaking up the summer sun, whether here in the UK or abroad.

After the sudden deaths of both of her parents, Jessica is forced to journey home from London to Bluebell Hill, having escaped from there so many years ago. She returns to Bluebell House, her childhood home, with her old nanny Esme providing the support she needs as she packs up her parents' possessions.

Jessica has to make a decision about whether she should now cut ties with her roots completely or forgive and forget past mistakes. Meeting Reuben, the handsome, sexy gardener at Bluebell House, makes the decision to leave even harder, even though she wonders whether returning to her life in London may be just what she needs.

Return to Bluebell Hill is a really easy read. I loved the descriptions of Bluebell House and the country village setting, and I could picture the scenery in my mind. Jessica, Reuben and Esme felt very 'real' and really brought the book to life. Jessica is a sweet character filled with emotions, unsure about where her future lies. This isn't just a book of romance, as it also contains suspense and intrigue as Jessica gradually uncovers the secrets of Bluebell Hill and her family's past.

This is a great debut, an amazing achievement for Rebecca Pugh, who is just 22. I would have liked to know a bit more about how Jessica's parents died, as the book concentrated more on Jessica's relationship with her family and Bluebell House. Maybe there's an opportunity for a follow up book one day!

I received an Advance Reader Copy from the publisher through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.