The Write Stuff with... Vivien Brown

Today it's my pleasure to hand the reins of the blog over to Vivien Brown, author of Five Unforgivable Things which was published on Thursday.

There is something very powerful about numbers… and not just for those interested in maths. Numbers can make a real impact in the world of the written word too, especially when they appear in a title. Who couldn’t help but be intrigued by a magazine article called ‘The Ten Sexiest Men on TV’, ‘The Five Most Popular Ice Cream Flavours’ or ‘The 100 Richest People in the World’? I don’t know about you, but titles like that make me want to read on, and I immediately start wondering who or what has been included in the list, and (certainly in the case of the first two) whether I agree! 

It works with books too. Fifty Shades of Grey… The Five People You Meet in Heaven… The Hundred Secret Senses… Five Red Herrings… The Thirteen Problems… The Fifth Letter… Thirteen Reasons Why.  The list goes on, but each of these titles raises questions which help to draw the reader in as his/her curiosity kicks in. It’s like that old question: If you could invite five people, living or dead, to dinner, who would you choose? I play around with names in my head, juggling my own dad or a long-lost boyfriend against some of my heroes from the world of the rich and famous, and constantly changing my mind. Leonard Cohen, Kevin Costner, Jane Austen, Victoria Wood… And who would others choose? Nobody’s list is ever likely to be the same, but we can’t help being curious, can we? It’s that numbers thing again. If you can only have five, then picking the right five becomes particularly important. 

When I was writing my new novel, I was thinking about a fictional marriage – the marriage of Kate and Dan - that, like any long marriage, would inevitably have its ups and downs, its joys and its tragedies. As I worked out the various twists and turns in the plot it occurred to me that there were going to be some absolutely crucial, pivotal moments when a decision or a mistake made had the ability to radically change lives; moments when if only things had been done differently, all that followed would have been changed. So, why not number them? If anything was going to make my readers curious it was that magic number in the title. Five unforgivable things… things that happen in a marriage that are so life-changing that they really are unforgivable – or, at least, my main character Kate believes they are. 

But what are they?

As soon as I revealed my planned title, even before the novel was finished, friends started to try to guess. What could happen in their own relationships that they knew they would never be able to forgive? Infidelity? Lies? Cruelty? Secrets? I suppose it’s different for everyone. Of course I’m not going to tell you what they are for Kate. The only way to find out is to read the book!

Website: https://vivienbrownauthor.wordpress.com
Twitter: @VivBrownAuthor
Facebook: Viv Hampshire

Over twenty years ago, Kate’s dream came true. After years of struggling, she was finally pregnant after pioneering IVF. But the dream came at a cost. Neither Kate nor her husband, Dan, could have known the price that they would have to pay to fulfil their cherished wish of having their own family.

Now, years later, their daughter Natalie is getting married and she’s fulfilling her own dream of marrying her childhood sweetheart. Natalie knows she won’t be like most brides in her wheelchair, but it’s the fact her father won’t be there to walk her down the aisle that breaks her heart.

Her siblings, Ollie, Beth and Jenny, gather around Natalie, but it isn’t just their father who is missing from their lives… as the secrets that have fractured the family rise to the surface, can they learn to forgive each other before it’s too late?

All book titles in bold are Amazon UK Affiliate links which will earn me a few pence if anyone clicks through and makes a purchase - any money earned will go towards buying books or gifts for giveaways.