Today it's my stop on the Stranger Child blog tour and I'm delighted to welcome Rachel to the blog for a chat about places, characters and dark themes.Rachel Abbott was born and raised in Manchester. She trained as a systems analyst before launching her own interactive media company in the early 1980s. After selling her company in 2000, she moved to the Le Marche region of Italy.
When six-foot snowdrifts prevented her from leaving her house for a couple of weeks, she started writing and found that she couldn't stop. Since then her debut thriller Only the Innocent has become an international bestseller, reaching the number one position in the Amazon charts both in the UK and US. This was followed by the number one bestselling novels The Back Road and Sleep Tight.
Rachel Abbott now lives in Alderney and writes full-time. Stranger Child is her fourth novel.
You seem to live a rather nomadic lifestyle – part time in Italy, and part time in the Channel Islands. Tell us all a bit about the two places.
At the moment I am living mainly in Alderney – one of the Channel Islands, part way between England and France. Alderney is a tiny island – only 3.5 miles by 1.5 miles. There are fewer than 2000 people, and absolutely zero crime. I leave my door permanently unlocked, my keys in the car – it’s a wonderful place to write.
However, I still own property in the Le Marche region of Italy, and try to spend some time there each year. It is a beautiful part of Italy, with friendly people and scenery to rival Tuscany. The difference is that the towns still retain their original charm – there are very few tourists, and it’s very ‘Italian’. I love it there. Anybody coming to Italy who wants to see the ‘real’ Italy should consider Le Marche – whether its walking in the Sibillini mountains or staying closer to the Adriatic coast. Mind you, like everywhere in Europe, I would avoid the in the peak holiday season.
