Author Interview: Louise Walters

Today it's my pleasure to welcome Louise Walters back to the blog so that we can find out about her new book A Life Between Us which is published next week.

Can you tell us a little bit about yourself and your writing journey?
I’m a mother and wife, a “homemaker”, and my passions in life are reading and writing.  My first novel Mrs Sinclair’s Suitcase was published in 2014 by Hodder. I’m now bringing out my second novel A Life Between Us, as an indie, or hybrid, author. 

If you had to give an elevator pitch for A Life Between Us, what would it be? 
Middle-aged woman seeks the truth about the death of her twin sister forty years before, and uncovers some dark family secrets.

Where did the inspiration come from to write a story about twins?
I started off with a single character, Tina, and the twin sister came to me later on. At first Meg was Tina’s friend. But I felt the bond needed to be stronger, so she became Tina’s twin sister.   

Did you do much research into twin relationships and the impact of a sole survivor?
To be honest, I didn’t research that topic much. I researched more on the social history side of things, in the 50s, 60s and 70s. Tina is just Tina, and I feel I got to know her inside out, so I didn’t feel I needed to research her situation. I did look into bereavement counselling and how that tends to work. 

I love the cover for A Life Between Us with its shadow of one twin facing the surviving twin, did you have much creative input into its design? 
I knew I wanted a strong cover image, and when I hired the super-talented Jennie Rawlings to design it, I sent her a few stock photos I had been looking at. I told her a bit about who I thought my readers are, and we took it from there. This was the first concept Jennie came up with and I was, and always will be, thrilled with it. 

Guest Book Review: Louise Walters - Mrs Sinclair's Suitcase

Reviewed by Danielle Pullen

Forgive me, Dorothea, for I cannot forgive you. What you do, to this child, to this child's mother, it is wrong...

Roberta likes to collect the letters and postcards she finds in second-hand books. When her father gives her some of her grandmother's belongings, she finds a baffling letter from the grandfather she never knew - dated after he supposedly died in the war.

Dorothy is unhappily married to Albert, who is away at war. When an aeroplane crashes in the field behind her house she meets Squadron Leader Jan Pietrykowski, and as their bond deepens she dares to hope she might find happiness. But fate has other plans for them both, and soon she is hiding a secret so momentous that its shockwaves will touch her granddaughter many years later...

Amazon links: Kindle or Hardcover

Debut Spotlight: Louise Walters

Today is another busy day in the publication world with lots of fab books being published including Mrs Sinclair's Suitcase by today's debut spotlight guest Louise Walters.

Forgive me, Dorothea, for I cannot forgive you. What you do, to this child, to this child's mother, it is wrong...

Roberta likes to collect the letters and postcards she finds in second-hand books. When her father gives her some of her grandmother's belongings, she finds a baffling letter from the grandfather she never knew - dated after he supposedly died in the war.

Dorothy is unhappily married to Albert, who is away at war. When an aeroplane crashes in the field behind her house she meets Squadron Leader Jan Pietrykowski, and as their bond deepens she dares to hope she might find happiness. But fate has other plans for them both, and soon she is hiding a secret so momentous that its shockwaves will touch her granddaughter many years later...

Can you tell us a little bit about your debut book Mrs Sinclair’s Suitcase?
It’s a dual narrative novel with two female protagonists. One is Dorothy and her story is set during World War 2, and the other is Roberta, Dorothy’s grand-daughter, and her story is set in the present day (actually 2010 when I began serious work on the novel). Roberta discovers a letter in Dorothy’s belongings that seems to contradict Roberta’s understanding of her grandmother’s life. 

Some exciting new talent coming in 2014

This week I've been very fortunate to have received advance copies of a couple of 2014 books by debut authors which has sparked the idea for this blog post to look ahead at some of the exciting new authors to look out for in the Spring...

How to Get a (Love) Life by Rosie Blake, which is due to be published by Novelicious Books in January, is the tale of Nicola Brown, an uptight and introverted young woman who has never had a date on Valentine’s Day. Following a bet with a work colleague, Nicola has to put aside her hang ups to go on as many dates as she possibly can in order to find the perfect man in time for February 14th.  

Long Way Home by Eva Dolan (2nd Jan)

A man is burnt alive in a suburban garden shed.

DI Zigic and DS Ferreira are called in from the Peterborough Hate Crimes Unit to investigate the murder. Their victim is quickly identified as a migrant worker and a man several people might have had good reason to see dead. A convicted arsonist and member of a far-right movement has just been released from prison, while witnesses claim to have seen the dead man fighting with one of the town's most prominent slum landlords.

Zigic and Ferreira know all too well the problems that come with dealing with a community that has more reason than most not to trust the police, but when another migrant worker is attacked, tensions rapidly begin to rise as they search for their killer.