The Write Stuff with... Victoria Walters

You may have noticed that the blog has been a little quiet of late as I've been struggling with a few things that have seriously affected my energy levels and in turn my reading mojo. Thankfully things look to be sorting themselves out and I'll hopefully have a few reviews to share soon but in the meantime I put a shout out on Twitter offering authors the chance to host some guest features on the blog. 

Today it's my pleasure to kick off the latest features with a guest post from Victoria Walters, who I first met 5 years ago, to talk about some of her favourite cosy mysteries.

The best cosy mystery books to curl up with this autumn 

I love reading cosy mystery novels, and watching cosy crime on the TV, so much so I decided to write my own! Thank you, Sharon, for inviting me on to your blog to share my favourite mysteries that you can curl up with and get cosy reading this autumn….

The Thursday Murder Club

I think everyone has heard of Richard Osman’s debut novel! It’s a fun mystery about four friends living in a retirement village who meet weekly to discuss unsolved murders, and then one happens on their doorstep! Quirky and charming, it’s been a huge hit and I think the rest of the series will be too. 

And Then There Were None

No cosy mystery list is complete without Agatha Christie, aka the queen of crime! This is an ingenious standalone mystery about ten strangers invited to an isolated island in 1939. And one by one they are murdered! I definitely didn’t see the twist ending coming and it really has a creepy atmosphere so it's perfect for Halloween reading. 

Books Read: Summer at the Kindness Cafe by Victoria Walters

Welcome to Brew, a cafe where kindness is almost as important as coffee... almost!

Abbie has fled London and the humiliation of not being able to make rent after being made redundant. Her sister, Louise, unlucky in love, has thrown herself into her career at the local hospital. And Eszter, who has travelled from Hungary with her daughter Zoe, is hoping to fulfil her husband's dying wish: to reunite his family.

This summer, three very different women are inspired by the random acts of kindness written up on the Kindness Board at Brew, and decide to make a pact to be kinder to others and to themselves.

Can a little bit of kindness really change your life? Eszter, Abbie and Louise are about to find out!

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Debut Spotlight: Victoria Walters

Yesterday was the publication day for today's spotlight guest Victoria Walters who I finally got to meet in person at the book launch last night for her debut novel The Second Love of My Life.  It feels like I've known Victoria forever as I've followed her writing/publication journey online over the last couple of years.  

What made this book launch so special was that it was held in the branch of Waterstones that Victoria works in so I'm sure it must have been a surreal moment for her to see so many copies of her own book being sold there... although I'm sure her writing hand must be a little sore this morning after signing them all ;0) 

Victoria Walters has always loved creating stories. Her first book was handwritten when she was sixteen years old, and was closely modelled on the Sweet Valley High series. Victoria studied sociology at Warwick University and has since worked for a business publisher and as a Waterstones bookseller. She lives in Surrey with her cat Harry (named after Harry Potter, not Harry Styles).

Her debut novel THE SECOND LOVE OF MY LIFE will be published by Headline in 2016.

DANCING IN THE FIRE, her New Adult romance, was the winner of a short story competition run by Simon and Schuster and is available as an eBook exclusive now.

You can discover more about Victoria - and find pictures of Harry the cat - by following her on Twitter at @Vicky_Walters or by visiting her blog at: http://victoria-writes.com.

Can you tell us a little bit about your debut novel The Second Love of my Life?
Sure – it’s about a woman called Rose who is struggling after the sudden death of her husband Lucas two years ago. She is an artist who can’t paint and is struggling to see a future without Lucas by her side. Then a newcomer sweeps into her small town in Cornwall for the summer and she has to decide if she can allow herself the chance to love again, or not. 

Where did the inspiration come from to write about a young widow struggling to move on with her life rather than just someone who had had her heart broken by a break up of a relationship/marriage?  
I’ve read a few books where the love interest meets their demise at the end and I thought it would be interesting to write a story where it happens at the beginning. Dealing with grief is something we all have to face at some point, and I lost my father at a a young age so it is a subject I think about a lot. I wanted to explore how a woman might deal with the grief of losing her husband so suddenly and at such a young age when she thought they would have the rest of their lives together. 

Cover Reveal: The Second Love of my Life by Victoria Walters

Today it's my pleasure to share with you the cover for Victoria Walter's debut novel The Second Love of My Life which is being published by Headline next April.  So without further ado... here is the gorgeous cover.

In the small Cornish town of Talting, everyone is known for something.

Up to the age of twenty-four, artist Rose Walker was known for lots of things: her infectious positivity; her unique artistic talent; her second-to-none cookery skills; and, of course, her devotion to childhood sweetheart and husband Lucas.