I am thrilled that I have a copy of Magdalena McGuire’s Home Is Nearby on my (900+) TBR and will be sharing my review later. However, today, Magdalena has agreed to be interviewed on Linda’s Book Bag so I’m delighted to welcome her to the blog.

Published by Impress Books on 1st November 2017, Home is Nearby is available for preorder in e-book and paperback through the publisher links here.

Home is Nearby

1980: the beginning of the Polish Crisis. Brought up in a small village, country-girl Ania arrives in the university city of Wroclaw to pursue her career as a sculptor. Here she falls in love with Dominik, an enigmatic writer at the centre of a group of bohemians and avant-garde artists who throw wild parties. When martial law is declared, their lives change overnight: military tanks appear on the street, curfews are introduced and the artists are driven underground. Together, Ania and Dominik fight back, pushing against the boundaries imposed by the authoritarian communist government. But at what cost? ‘Home Is Nearby’ is a vivid and intimate exploration of the struggle to find your place in the world no matter where you are.

An Interview with Magdalena McGuire

Welcome to Linda’s Book Bag, Magdalena. Thank you so much for agreeing to answer some questions on my blog about your writing and Home is Nearby in particular. Firstly, please could you tell me a little about yourself?

Thank you so much, Linda! It’s lovely to have a chance to chat about books and writing. I really enjoy your blog and am in awe of how many books you read!

A bit about me: I was born in Poland – or, the Polish People’s Republic, as it was known at the time. My mother is Polish and my father was Australian. They met in the university city of Wrocław, where my book is set. My mother was studying literature and my father was teaching English and learning Polish. Despite the language differences between them, it didn’t take long for them to fall in love, get married and have a baby – me!

University of Wrocław

At the time, food was scarce in the shops in Poland, and my parents believed Australia would be a better, or at least easier, place to raise a child. We moved to Australia when I was two years old. I grew up in tropical Darwin, with cyclones and palm trees and multiculturalism. So a very different place to Poland! Growing up, I often wondered what my life would have been like if we’d stayed put in Poland. I guess that’s why I have the desire to write about Poland; it’s my ‘sliding doors’ moment, my chance to live a life that could have been mine, but wasn’t.

When did you realise you were going to be a writer?

I sometimes joke that I had a misspent youth. While other people were out getting life experience, I was buried in a library, reading. I’ve always been a voracious reader and when I was young I particularly loved reading books about girls who love reading books. Anne of Green Gables was my hero (I haven’t been game enough to watch the new TV adaptation in case they ruin it for me). Other heroes included Anastasia Krupnik and Cassandra Mortmain from I Capture the Castle. Through them, I could see that it was possible for an ordinary girl to become a writer. I wrote lots of stories when I was a girl and then when I was a teenager I just stopped. I became paralysed by the notion that I had to write something ‘good’ instead of just writing for the pleasure of it. I didn’t return to writing until fairly late in life. Since becoming an adult, I’ve been writing fiction for about four years and it’s my absolute passion. I’m so lucky to have writing and books in my life.

(I think that writing for pleasure rather than to produce the next Austen or Tolstoy is something that many aspiring writers need to allow themselves to do!)

Which aspects of your writing do you find easiest and most difficult?

I find it all hard, but first drafts are a killer. I find it particularly scary sitting down at the computer and having no idea where the story is going and having that little voice in my head saying: this is crap, what a waste of time, why do you think you can do this? Finishing a first draft feels like an immense achievement, even if the quality of the writing is no good. Once that first draft is done, I can get to the fun part: editing. I love tinkering with structure and polishing sentences and adding in unexpected details that enrich the story. Sometimes I feel like I could spend a lifetime writing and rewriting and editing the same book.

What are your writing routines and where do you do most of your writing?

Most of Home Is Nearby was written soon after my baby was born, so my routine, such as it was, consisted of dashing to the computer to work as hard as I could while the baby was sleeping and finding myself getting really into it just as he woke up… However, all writers have time pressures to deal with and in some ways it’s a good thing because it lends a sense of urgency to your writing.

Without spoiling the plot, please could you tell us a bit about Home is Nearby?

Home is Nearby is about a young Polish woman, Ania, who wants to be a sculptor. She moves from her small village to Wrocław to study art and very quickly falls in with a group of bohemians who, despite the difficult political and economic circumstances that surround them, live life to the fullest. Everything changes when martial law is declared in Poland and Ania is forced to make a decision that will shape the rest of her life.

Communist style apartments in the village where my grandmother lives

Home is Nearby explores our need for emotional roots in our lives and yet you have moved from Poland to Australia. What impact has this had on your writing?

That’s a really interesting question! In the past, I moved around a fair bit. First there was the big move from Poland to Australia, and after that I relocated from Darwin to Brisbane (Darwin was so unlike the rest of Australia that moving ‘Down South’ was a really big deal for me!). After I finished university in Brisbane I had a brief stint teaching at a cattle station in the Northern Territory, then I moved to Perth, then London, and then Melbourne where I’m now based. I feel conflicted because I’m a homebody by nature and yet if I stay in one place for too long I get restless. Now that I have a child I can’t just pick up and leave when I feel like it, but I do fantasise about shifting our family somewhere else, like Europe, or South America, or… the list goes on.

In terms of my writing, I think that moving around has given me an insight into what it’s like to feel like an outsider, a foreigner. These experiences have inspired what, I now realise, are the central themes in my work; questions around place and belonging and identity. Sometimes I feel envious of people who have a strong and long-standing connection to ‘home’. For me, home isn’t one place, its multiple places from my past and present.

(I think Melbourne is one of my favourite cities so I envy you that as a home location.)

As Home is Nearby is based in Poland and you live in Australia, how did you go about researching settings and detail to give authenticity to your writing?

Cold War exhibit in Warsaw

I went on a research trip to Poland and immersed myself in the culture and history of the place. When I came back, I read lots of fiction and non-fiction books by Polish authors, as well as books about Polish history, literature and art. In addition, looking at photos was a key part of my research into 1980s Poland. What did people wear? What did their kitchens look like? Getting these details right was vital for the authenticity of the book. I love researching and felt like I couldn’t start writing until I had the world of the novel clear in my head. However, at some point I had to draw a line and say, okay, now it’s time to write.

To some extent Home is Nearby explores ‘what if’ as a central theme. Why was this important to you?

I think my whole desire to write fiction comes out of ‘what if’ questions! Fiction allows us, both as readers and writers, to imagine ourselves inhabiting different lives and different worlds. I love this. I love the opening up of possibilities that fiction affords. In Home Is Nearby, I wanted to know what it would be like being a young woman who lived in Poland during that momentous time, in the 1980s, when civil liberties were being curtailed and when ordinary people were compelled to stand up for what they believed in. I wanted to know what might happen if love and politics came into conflict, what would happen if the question of ‘doing the right thing’ was more difficult than you could ever have anticipated.

If you could choose to be a character from Home is Nearby, who would you be and why?

I’d probably choose to be Małgorzata, because I’ve always wanted to be one of those arty wild girls, and because in reality I’m nothing like them. I’m too restrained to get up to the type of antics that Małgorzata gets up to in the book.

When you’re not writing, what do you like to read?

I mainly read literary fiction novels and short stories. I’ve just finished reading The Power by Naomi Alderman and it absolutely blew me away! I can’t remember the last time I read such an exciting and thought-provoking book. I found myself choosing to read this book rather than go to sleep – as the parent of a one-year old baby, that’s saying something!

If you had 15 words to persuade a reader that Home is Nearby should be their next read, what would you say?

Experience the wildness of art scene in 1980s communist Poland without having to leave home.

Thank you so much for your time in answering my questions Magdalena and for the wonderful photographs from your research trip.

Thank you so much for having me, it’s been an absolute pleasure!

About Magdalena McGuire

Magdalena McGuire was born in Poland, grew up in Darwin, and now lives in Melbourne. Her short stories have been published in the UK and Australia by The Big Issue and The Bristol Prize, and by Margaret River Press respectively. She has published widely on human rights topics, including women’s rights and the rights of people with disabilities. She is an avid reader and particularly enjoys reading books about girls who like reading books. Her first novel, Home Is Nearby, is set in Poland, Australia and the United Kingdom, in the eventful period of the 1980s. She is also working on a collection of short stories that focus on questions of place, identity and unbelonging, particularly in cross-cultural contexts, as well as another historical fiction novel.

You can follow Magalena on Twitter @Magdalena_McG and visit her website.

There’s more with these other bloggers too:

I know we shouldn’t judge a book by its cover but Mystical Circles by SC Skillman really appeals to me and so I’m delighted to be featuring it on Linda’s Book Bag today as part of the launch celebrations. I have an interview with SC Skillman that sheds light on Mystical Circles in a very enlightening way!

Published by Luminarie, Mystical Circles is available for purchase here.

Mystical Circles

“Hi, you in crowded, stressed old London from me in the peaceful, perfect Cotswolds. Massive change of plan. I’m in love. Craig’s gorgeous, sexy, intelligent. Paradise here. Staying forever.”

Juliet, concerned that her younger sister has fallen in love with the charismatic Craig, leader of the Wheel of Love, sets off for the Cotswolds to investigate, fearful that Zoe has become entangled with a religious cult.

She arrives at Craig’s community hoping to rescue Zoe. But  intrigues, liaisons and relationships flare and flourish or fizzle out quickly within this close circle, and despite her reservations, Juliet is drawn into the Wheel of Love… with completely unforeseen consequences.

An Interview with SC Skillman

Welcome to Linda’s Book Bag. Firstly, could you tell me a little about yourself?

I was born and brought up in Orpington, near south London. As a child I was inspired by Enid Blyton. I started writing adventure stories at the age of seven; the love of writing that her stories first instilled into me has strengthened over the years. I studied English Literature at Lancaster University, and my first permanent job was as a production secretary with the BBC.

Later I lived for nearly five years in Australia before returning to live in the UK.

I now live in Warwickshire with my husband David, son Jamie and daughter Abigail. Nearby are three of England’s most famous destinations: the Royal Shakespeare Theatre at Stratford-upon Avon and the two great castles at Kenilworth and Warwick.

Without giving away the plot, please could you tell us a bit about Mystical Circles?

Mystical Circles is set in the beautiful Cotswolds hills, not far from my present home. It’s a psychological suspense with a hint of paranormal. When freelance journalist Juliet learns that her sister Zoe has fallen for the charismatic leader of a mystical cult in the Cotswolds, she sets off to investigate, and to rescue Zoe. But she is unprepared for what her investigations will uncover. Intrigues, liaisons and relationships flare and flourish or fizzle out quickly within this close circle, and despite her reservations, Juliet is drawn into the Wheel of Love… with completely unforeseen consequences.

(This sounds really intriguing!)

Your writing considers the themes of spirituality and human psychology. Why do you choose to write about these themes?

I’ve always been fascinated by the interaction of different complex personalities, an inexhaustible source of inspiration for a writer. The general inspiration for Mystical Circles arises largely from the advice I give an aspiring writer: read a lot, listen to people’s conversations, be observant about the details of your world, and especially about human behaviour and interaction.

More specifically, for the story, themes and characters of this novel, I drew upon my own past experience of “hunting in ‘Guru Land’”. My journey has led me from the insights of the late Laurens Van Der Post and the inspirational writings of the late Dr Raynor Johnson via a mystical mountain in the Himalayas (Mount Neelkanth near Badrinath) to a dream yoga course in Brisbane Forest Park.

I lived in Bayswater in London for eight years and during my time there I attended courses and lectures at the Theosophical Society in Gloucester Place, and investigated spiritualism at the Spiritualist Association in Belgrave Square and at the White Eagle Lodge, Kensington. I also became a member of the Centre for Spiritual & Psychological Studies which met at the Royal Overseas League, St James’s Street and spent a weekend with the group at Hawkwood College near Stroud in Gloucestershire. I additionally studied the teachings of Bhagwan Sri Rajneesh at his Body Centre in Belsize Park and at his Hertfordshire branch Medina Rajneesh. In both places I experienced Dynamic Meditation and his own brand of group therapy.

My most quirky New Age experience was in Australia, walking backwards through the rainforest as part of a residential Dream Yoga weekend held at Cosmos Lodge, Mount Nebo, Brisbane Forest Park.  It was on this occasion that the course leader, a dream interpretation guru called Greg, spoke the memorable words: ‘If you master the art of lucid dreaming, death will be a breeze.’  Something from all these experiences has played into Mystical Circles.

Many reviewers refer to the wonderful quality of your characterisation. Which is more important to you as a writer, character or plot and why?

I believe that character and their motivations and relationships drives plot, and plot often arises as you get to know your characters really well and watch them responding to and reacting against each other. An essential task when one plans a novel is to create a ‘bible’ for each character. I love observing people and listening to conversations and also I love writing dialogue. It’s one of my favourite things about writing fiction. From the point of view of a reader, I believe the greatest joy in reading novels is to be inside the heads of fictional characters. When we feel we are living inside the mind and heart of someone else, when we feel we share their joys and sorrows, and understand how they think, this is the greatest transformation of which a novelist is capable.

(Oh yes. You’ve summed that up beautifully. That’s exactly the experience I want as a reader.)

You’ve lived in Australia which has a strong aboriginal tradition of Dreamtime and now live in an area of the UK steeped in history. How far do you think living location impacts on a writer?

It has a strong impact. I have known of several novelists for whom “the spirit of place” is of paramount importance. Everywhere I have lived I have sought out these things: water (in rivers and lakes), trees and forests, beautiful gardens, castles and historical sites, high viewpoints with panoramic vistas.  All these things have a powerful emotional effect upon me.  Nevertheless I am aware, that wherever you go in the world ‘you’ are still there. You can never escape from yourself.

I set out to develop this idea in Mystical Circles, as I brought together several troubled individuals, many with problematic family relationships, in an idyllic location. All the members of the Wheel of Love (the cult group) have escaped from their normal lives, to come apart and find something special, a spiritual haven. Yet the one thing they cannot escape is themselves: their own hearts and minds and, most importantly, the emotional position they take about their past. I believe our greatest challenge in life is to understand ourselves, and understand the human heart. Being in a beautiful geographical location can impact us strongly, but not in the way we might hope, if we are trying to escape ourselves. In aboriginal spirituality, human lives and every aspect of the land have been so intimately linked over many centuries, that it was only the incursion of an alien culture which introduced negative influences. I have been deeply moved by aboriginal spirituality, through some of the places I’ve visited in Australia, and hope to incorporate this in a future novel.

When you’re not writing, what do you choose to read?

I read a wide variety of books both fiction and non-fiction, of different genres, and I always review them on Amazon and Goodreads. I have just finished reading How To Think Like Churchill by Daniel Smith and am halfway through a novel called The Life of Elves by Muriel Barber, and have several physical books and kindle books on my TBR piles. I will read Young Adult, thrillers, fantasy, comedy, historical, suspense, psychological, crime, paranormal, romance…  I love the novels of Phil Rickman, Susan Howatch, Dan Brown, CS Lewis, JRR Tolkien, JK Rowling and many others. In my teens I read through Thomas Hardy, Emile Zola, Dostoyevsky, Tolstoy, Dickens. And I also love Jane Austen and the Brontes.

If you could choose to be a character from Mystical Circles, who would you be and why?

I’d choose to be Theo. He is something fresh coming in from the outside into the hothouse environment of the group, and he is all about people on spiritual journeys and he believes in coming alongside them, without judging. He listens to people and helps them to see themselves differently and how they might move forward in their journeys of self-knowledge. But also he is someone whose background hides a mystery and that creates an extra sense of intrigue about him.

If Mystical Circles became a film, who would you like to play Zoe and why would you choose them?

This is easy because, as a keen film buff and TV drama fan, I have plenty of ideas for my dream cast! Currently, to play the part of Zoe, I feel I would like Sophie Turner (who plays Sansa in Game of Thrones). Firstly she looks right – she has long auburn hair and is physically my idea of Zoe.  She is a diverse actress, who used to be in Playbox Warwick near where I live – a wonderful youth theatre which my children attended – and can play a young naive, excitable character, which is how Zoe is when she precipitates the action of this novel.

If you had 15 words to persuade a reader that Mystical Circles should be their next read, what would you say?

Like troubled family relationships infused with spiritual and psychological tension? This book is for you.

Thanks so much for telling us a bit more about Mystical Circles and your interesting life!

About SC Skillman

SC Skillman studied English Literature at Lancaster University. She has previously worked within a BBC radio production office and later spent four years in Australia. She now lives in Warwickshire with her husband David, their son Jamie and daughter Abigail.

You can find SC Skillman on Facebook and follow her on Twitter. You can also visit her blog.

There’s more with these other bloggers too:

Having previously featured Georgia Rose and her Grayson Trilogy on Linda’s Book Bag here, I am delighted to be featuring the latest book from Georgia, Parallel Lies. Those who know me know I’m a cat fiend and so I couldn’t wait to see what Georgia had to say about her character Cat in her guest post today.

Parallel Lies will be published by Three Shires on 12th September and is available for purchase here. In celebration, Georgia is running a giveaway and you’ll find more details further down this post.

Parallel Lies

‘My name is Madeleine, Madeleine Ross. It is a name chosen with thought and because it is classy, and that is what is needed here…’

Madeleine Ross has life exactly as she planned it.
Cosy cottage, friendly village, satisfying job.
Company… when she wants it.

It’s an enviable existence for an independent young woman, and one she’s keen to protect.

Enter Daniel – strong, dependable and a danger to everything she’s built. He’s not something she was looking for, but hearts can’t be controlled and maybe, just maybe he might be worth letting into hers.

But, all is not what it seems. Because Madeleine is hiding a lifetime of secrets. Deep secrets.

And they never stay buried for ever.

Her darkest secret returns, like the proverbial bad penny. He is her first love, shadowy, dangerous, the baddest of bad boys. No matter how far she runs, or how well she hides, she can never escape him.

Or her past.

Here he is, on her doorstep, with a proposition she is powerless to resist but which could devastate the future she hoped to have.

Can Madeleine satisfy the old love while keeping the new?

You can’t always get what you want but, desperate to preserve the life she has worked so hard for, Madeleine is willing to risk everything to prove that she can.

Cat

A Guest Post by Georgia Rose

Who doesn’t love a kitten meme? Or not get completely distracted by those funny cat videos on YouTube or Facebook? I know I do, and this is where I have to get my cat fix as although I’d love to have one, I live too close to a busy-enough road and I just couldn’t bear the worry, and potential loss.

As anyone who has read any of my work knows I incorporate animals into my mix of characters. In the Grayson Trilogy there were horses and, of course, one superb little dog, Susie. In Parallel Lies, there’s Cat. (There are also a couple of horses, who are playing small parts, but this post is not about them.)

I don’t just put animals in there for window dressing either. Just as pets are an essential part of many people’s lives they are an important part of the storyline and, in this case, my main character’s development.

As well as providing entertainment and companionship we all know of the therapeutic power of having animals around us, of how good they are at healing both mind and body. They lower blood pressure, they ease stress and depression, they engage interest and evoke emotion. This is why they are taken into hospitals to cheer the spirits of patients and why they are welcome visitors in retirement homes brought in to brighten the days of the elderly who so often suffer from loneliness.

There is nothing as soft as the deep thick fur of a cat and getting that throaty purr response of contentment when they are stroked or kneaded is both relaxing and good for the soul.

Nothing says relax more than a chilled out cat…

So in Parallel Lies Cat gets more than just a passing mention. He has a role to fulfil just like all those faithful creatures that are around us have and he has an impact on Madeleine Ross that changes her attitude to him entirely.

He doesn’t have much of a name though, does he? This is in homage to the cat-of-the-same-name in Breakfast at Tiffany’s, one of several films that contributes in some way or other to the story line of Parallel Lies. But the reasons why will probably fill another blog post somewhere else on some other day 😉

(I agree with every word Georgia. We’ve never had more than four cats at the same time but without any at the moment I’ll get my fix through my reading and the Internet!)

About Georgia Rose

Georgia’s background in countryside living, riding, instructing and working with horses has provided the knowledge needed for some of her storylines; the others are a product of her overactive imagination!

Following a long stint working in the law Georgia set up her own business providing administration services for other companies which she does to this day managing to entwine that work along with her writing.

Her busy life is set in a tranquil part of rural Cambridgeshire where she lives with her much neglected family of a husband, two grown up children and two dogs.

You can find out more about Georgia Rose on her web site and on Facebook. You can also follow her on Twitter. You’ll also find all about Georgia on Amazon UK and Amazon US.

Goergia’s Giveaway

Win paperback copies of A Single Step, Before the Dawn, Thicker than Water and Parallel Lies!

Plus! Large and small heart covered notebooks, 5 heart decorated Thank You cards, Butlers Milk Chocolate Hearts, Divine Dark Chocolate Hearts, a tin of Lovehearts and a bag of Percy and Penny sweets (with special lovers strawberry hearts!)

The Kindle is NOT included!

All you have to do is click here and follow the instructions!

(Please note – this giveaway is run by Georgia and not Linda’s Book Bag!)

Every blogger knows that it isn’t possible to read every book you’d like to and just occasionally one gets away that you really regret not having read. This is the case for me today with Parent Teacher Association by Jennifer Soosar. I so liked the sound of Parent Teacher Association that I asked Jennifer if she’d tell me a bit more about the mental health theme in the book.

Published by Black Opal Books, Parent Teacher Association is available for purchase here.

Parent Teacher Association

Fresh out of a mental hospital, Lizanne Demeter is thrilled to get a second chance at her career when she’s hired to teach third grade in the backwater town of Splinter Wood, Pennsylvania. But hopes for a peaceful new life are ruined when Naomi Seabrook, a demanding “helicopter parent,” pushes Lizanne to the brink.

While struggling to maintain control of her classroom, Lizanne begins to unravel the secret behind Naomi’s hell-bent agenda. As deadly clues emerge, Lizanne suspects Naomi is guilty of more than just overindulging her child. With her life teetering on chaos, Lizanne risks everything to expose the shocking truth.

But first, she must race against her own spiraling sanity to prove herself a more dedicated teacher than anyone dared imagine–the kind of teacher who makes ALL the difference.

Mental Health

A Guest Post by Jennifer Soosar

Lizanne Demeter is the main character in my novel, Parent Teacher Association. She’s the most enthusiastic, dedicated teacher you’ll ever meet. She adores children and places a high value on education. She’s single, lonely, and looking. She also just got out of a mental hospital.

I didn’t plan on burdening my protagonist with mental illness when I started writing Parent Teacher Association. All I knew was that I wanted to write a psychological suspense set in an elementary school with the main conflict being between a parent and a teacher. Psychological suspense stories emphasize the psychology and unstable emotional states of its characters so I knew I’d be writing about people with inner problems.

In the story, Lizanne clashes with Naomi Seabrook, a pathological “helicopter mom.” In order for the conflict to work, Lizanne had to have a similar, yet different, level of intensity to match Naomi’s. While I used Lizanne’s mental illness as a foil to the “fanatical mom” character, it also opened up new places I could go in the plot. Places I hadn’t planned on.

It was interesting to write a character with mental health issues, especially a character who’s a school teacher. The stereotypical image of an elementary school teacher is of a woman who is ‘good-ship-lollipop’ perky and perfect. But teachers are not perfect human beings. We see examples of that everyday in the news. We also remember our own elementary teachers from our school days, both the good and bad ones.

I didn’t judge Lizanne for having these challenges. In fact, I gave her more freedom and allowed her to make major choices in the story.

Since I was writing something psychological, I felt at liberty to fully explore the complexities and pathology of her mental state. I think the extent of her situation is what makes her a compelling, multi-dimensional character. Lizanne is unpredictable which keeps things interesting, and adds suspense. I think readers who enjoy this genre will enjoy Lizanne. She’s challenging and puzzling, yet is a character you can root for and empathize with.

Mental illness is a prevalent topic in our society today and I think it was important to explore that in fiction. I didn’t want to shy away from having a main character with these issues. At the core, Lizanne’s main struggle is to maintain her health as she battles loneliness and the stress of her job. It’s something anybody can relate to. As the story unfolds, we start to see how Lizanne’s faults are taken advantage of and aggravated by others, and how Lizanne chooses to rectify the matter. Fiction has enough room for a medley of characters with all manner of problems.

About Jennifer Soosar

Jennifer Soosar was born and raised in Toronto and has a degree in anthropology. Her short fiction has appeared in Ellery Queen Mystery Magazine, Flash Bang Mysteries, and Out of the Gutter Online. Her debut psychological suspense novel, Parent Teacher Association, was published by Black Opal Books this summer. She is a member of Crime Writers of Canada, International Thriller Writers, and Sisters in Crime.

You can find out more on Jennifer’s website, and follow her on Twitter @jensoosar.  There’s a Facebook page you might like to visit too.

Now when I was asked by James Scanlan at Saqi Books if I would like a copy of Don’t Panic, I’m Islamic edited by Lynn Gaspard in return for an honest review, the title so caught my imagination I had to say yes!

Don’t Panic, I’m Islamic was published by Saqi on 17th July 2017 and is available for purchase in e-book and paperback here.

Don’t Panic, I’m Islamic

‘Bursting with creativity, wit and intelligence’ Brian Eno

How can you tell if your neighbour is speaking Muslim?

Is a mosque a kind of hedgehog?

Can I get fries with that burka?

You can’t trust the media any longer, but there’s no need to fret: Don’t Panic, I’m Islamic provides you with the answers.

Read this book to learn how you too can spot an elusive Islamist. Discover how Arabs (even 21-year-old, largely innocuous and totally adorable ones) plant bombs and get tips about how to interact with Homeland Security, which may or may not involve funny discussions about your sexuality.

Commissioned in response to the US travel ban, Don’t Panic, I’m Islamic includes cartoons, graffiti, photography, colouring in pages, memoir, short stories and more by 34 contributors from around the world. Provocative and at times laugh-out-loud funny, these subversive pieces are an explosion of expression, creativity and colour.

Contributors: Hassan Abdulrazzak, Leila Aboulela, Amrou Al-Kadhi, Shadi Alzaqzouq, Chant Avedissian, Tammam Azzam, Bidisha, Chaza Charafeddine, Molly Crabapple, Carol Ann Duffy, Moris Farhi, Negin Farsad, Joumana Haddad, Saleem Haddad, Hassan Hajjaj, Omar Hamdi, Jennifer Jajeh, Sayed Kashua, Mazen Kerbaj, Arwa Mahdawi, Sabrina Mahfouz, Alberto Manguel, Esther Manito, Aisha Mirza, James Nunn, Chris Riddell, Hazem Saghieh, Rana Salam, Karl Sharro, Laila Shawa, Bahia Shehab, Sjón, Eli Valley, Alex Wheatle.

My Review of Don’t Panic, I’m Islamic

With an eclectic mix of entries from colouring in through photos to essays, poetry and fiction, a book endorsed by Brian Eno immediately gets my attention!

I had no real idea what I was getting when my copy of Don’t Panic, I’m Islamic arrived and to be totally honest, I’m not sure what I’ve just read. I think I’m too ignorant of the Islamic culture to understand fully all the implications of some of the entries, but I still found this an intriguing and entertaining read. Saying that, I think the book achieves what it sets out to do and raises awareness and questions in those, like me, who don’t really think deeply about Islam and what it means in today’s society. I also think that my response of ‘so what?’ to many of the pieces, because I felt they could be true of any human being, not just someone Islamic, was also the whole point. Islam has been so demonised in recent years that many see anyone from an Islamic background as a potential threat rather than another human being! Joumana Haddad’s piece on keeping her son quiet on the Paris metro really brought that home, as did Karl Sarro’s entry on getting a green card to work in America as I’ve been through that process myself and as a white British woman, found it equally as ridiculous.

I didn’t enjoy the more overtly political writings as much as the more personal ones. The essay I enjoyed the most was Amrou Al-Kadhi’s about being a drag queen. He certainly undermines the stereotyped suicide bomb wearing terrorist view of his ethnicity!

I found Don’t Panic, I’m Islamic interesting, engaging and occasionally too self-consciouly politically correct or politically angry but I feel my responses arise more out of my own ignorance than the intrinsic worth of the book. I urge others to read it and form their own views. It certainly makes you think!

About Lynn Gaspard

Lynn Gaspard is the publisher of Middle-East specialist press Saqi Books. Shortlisted for the Independent Publishers Guild Young Publisher of the Year Award in 2013, Lynn Gaspard is a trustee of the Shubbak Festival and sits on the English PEN Writers in Translation Committee.

You can follow Lynn on Twitter.

I love historical fiction so I’m delighted to be part of the launch celebrations for The Blood of Kings by Angela King.

The Blood of Kings was published on 1st September by Bombshell Books, an imprint of Bloodhound, and is available for purchase here.

The Blood of Kings

1559. A girl arrives in London to search for her brother.

Aalia, an awkward, arrogant teenager plans to bring William to his senses, until she discovers that both their lives are based on a lie. Aalia must unravel a web of secrets but has the weight of her past to contend with. Courageous and undisciplined, Aalia gradually comes to terms with the truth that William, her brother, has royal blood.

Deciding to undermine the men who want to use him as a pawn, Aalia must negotiate a world where secrecy arms the powerful. But unwilling to ask for anyone’s help she is forced into making a fateful decision. Who can she trust when everyone around her is plotting? Is the truth really something worth dying for?

This epic story of secrets and betrayal paints a vivid picture of Elizabethan England and asks questions that span beyond the test of time.

My Review of The Blood of Kings

With Queen Elizabeth on the throne, there are those who feel they have a greater claim.

The Blood of Kings surprised me. It took me quite a while to get into as there are several characters introduced in quick succession who are more fictionalised than I was expecting and I needed to get them clear in my mind.

I thought The Blood of Kings was well constructed. The plot hinges on events and conjecture from the times so that there is a real plausibility to it. As I read I kept thinking, ‘Oh. What if…’ so that the read was very entertaining. There’s so much action that this book would make a smashing film or television series as the narrative twists and turns in dramatic style. The themes of loyalty and betrayal, love and family are universal ones that are so well explored in The Blood of Kings too.

What I think Angel King is most skilled in is the attention to detail. She creates authentic setting to the extent that it is as if you’re there seeing and hearing exactly what the characters see and hear. I could picture so much of her settings extremely clearly and with the realistic dialogue that so well reflects what might have been spoken at the time I feel The Blood of Kings has considerable depth.

The characters are an eclectic mix of real people in history and fictional creations. Aalia’s life is fascinating and I found her feminist attitude very engaging. Reading The Blood of Kings made me glad I wasn’t alive in the Elizabethan era!

Interesting and fast paced, I think lovers of historical fiction will enjoy the new perspectives presented in The Blood of Kings.

About Angela King

Angela King has always loved words and writing. She was born in Wimbledon and always dreamed of becoming a writer, but I came from a long line of practical dreamers who need first to earn a living so went to Medway College of Art in Rochester, to study design, later working as assistant designer to Bruno Stern.

After a series of personal disasters including a terrible car crash for her husband Michael and a fire that burned down their home, Angela and Michael moved to Cumbria where they began working from home. In 2008, two of Angela’s very close friends died, kicking her into action – if she didn’t write her novel soon it might never be written. She joined a couple of local creative writing groups and finally allowed her imagination to run free.

In 2016 Angela had short stories published in three different anthologies: Dark Minds (Bloodhound Books), Happily Never After (C & P Writers) and Dot, Dot, Dot, (Wiza Words).

You can follow Angela on Twitter @angelaS969, or visit her blog.

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I’ve never been a dog owner, although I have been owned by many cats, so it is very exciting to welcome F J Curlew to Linda’s Book Bag today to tell me all about the Ukranian street dog Dan, the star of her latest book Dan Knew.

Dan Knew is available for purchase here.

Dan Knew

A Ukrainian street dog is rescued from certain death by an expat family. As he travels to new countries with them a darkness grows and he finds himself narrating more than just his story. More than a dog story. Ultimately it’s a story of escape and survival but maybe not his.
The world through Wee Dan’s eyes in a voice that will stay with you long after you turn that last page.

How Dan Knew Came To Be

I had cried uncontrollably in the shop where I was casually buying a pair flowery wellies when I received the phone call. “It’s the vet here about Wee Dan. I’m sorry, it’s bad news.” I crumpled onto the floor in a heap of utter despair. The sobbing continued as I was walking along the street: sitting on the bus, going home, opening the door. I couldn’t stop and I didn’t want to. Drowning in sorrow was all I could do. People had avoided looking at me, probably thinking I was that crazy woman who talked to herself, had fits of hysteria, to be kept at a distance. Ignored.

I didn’t know if I could do this. I really didn’t. It felt like something was tearing at my heart, my chest hurt, my breathing was erratic: I felt sick, my head was swimming. Thoughts made no sense. Nothing made sense. My little dog had gone. No warning. No time to prepare myself. Just gone.

I’ve had dogs all of my life, lost several, been very sad, mourned and grieved over them, but nothing like this. I spent the day staring at mindless television…just getting through. Just.

I knew I had to write. It was the thing that kept me going these days. The thing I could count on to lift me out of whatever reality I was stuck in. It had got me through hard times before: given me hope, a reason. When I couldn’t teach any more, or work at all, due to the devastating side effects of a nasty little cancer, it had given me a purpose and more than that. A purpose that I loved! The ability to lift myself out of this world and into one of my imagination had been an absolute life-saver. I tried to work on my latest project. I was 60 000 words in. I could do it.

Well, actually, no I couldn’t.

It had to be his story. Our life together. That was all I could think about and it kept him with me somehow: kept him alive. I was writing it in his words, from his point of view and it was wonderful. Being inside his head. Every day.

As I wrote about him, relived it all, he was here with me for that little bit longer, by my side, tapping at my keyboard, nudging at my hand with his little wet nose. I was obsessed. I had to write, and write, and write. Now I had a positive reason for foraging through countless photographs, walking down streets in Ukraine, Lithuania, Estonia, Portugal, on Google Maps, remembering. Reliving. Writing.

We had been through such a lot together. Lived in all those countries, faced abuse, fear and sickness…together. The story poured out of me and I had the first draft of 70 000 words done in a month. That was unusual for me. I take my time, write slowly and carefully, perfecting and perfecting as I go. Not this time.

Of course, as I wrote, memories of some unpleasant times that I had long since buried also crept back in, and some of the writing was very difficult. I skirted a lot, avoided saying too much about me and my story, not really wanting to go back there, nor to crowd Dan’s story out with mine. Getting the balance right was a challenge. Sifting through a life, deciding which stories to tell, events to cover, feelings to express. There were many, many rewrites.

But I love that, the editing, making something that you have created the very best it can be gives me a thrill. And this was Wee Dan’s story so I had to do it justice. I can remember watching a documentary about Donna Tarrt and being amazed at how each of her novels had taken ten years to write. Now I understand. I could go on writing Dan Knew: perfecting it, living it for years. But that would be remarkably unhealthy. I know I have to move on, to live in the present.

Even now the synapses connect and more memories surface. I remember something and think maybe I should have added that?  But the deed is done and the book has been published. As long as I have shown enough, so that the reader can understand what was going on, whilst keeping it all in the voice of Dan, I am happy.

It is also amazing to be able to hold his book in my hands, to see it for sale, to know that his little voice is being heard by somebody else. His journey continues. That gives me a thing of concrete, of permanence. And I like that. I like that a lot.

About F J Curlew

Fiona dropped out of school aged 15, because being the consummate rebel, she hated it! After becoming a single parent she decided to return to education, graduating in 1996 with an honours degree in primary education. Ah, the irony!

As soon as she graduated she packed everything she owned into her Renault 11, including her daughter, two dogs and a cat, and headed off to Estonia to become an international school teacher. After fifteen years of teaching, predominantly in Eastern Europe, she returned to the UK .

She now lives on the east coast of Scotland with two Scottish rescue dogs and a disgruntled Portuguese cat.

Fiona is also the author of To Retribution – A love story/political thriller set in times of turmoil, available here.

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Recently, Audrey Davis asked me if I’d like to review her debut novel A Clean Sweep. The answer was a resounding yes (not least as I discovered I had already bought it when I came to investigate it), but as usual, my TBR is so huge I simply haven’t got to it yet.

As the main character in both A Clean Sweep and its prequel A Clean Break is fifty-something Emily and I happen to be a fifty-something woman, I asked Audrey if she’d like to tell me a bit more about how that feels as she is a woman past her half-century too. Today, Audrey reflects on what it means to be ‘a woman of a certain age’ in the 21^st century.

A Clean Sweep and the short prequel A Clean Break are both available for purchase here.

A Clean Sweep

A laugh-out-loud tale of love, lies and second chances.
Love comes around when you least expect it. Fifty-something widow Emily isn’t expecting romance. Nor is she expecting a hunky twenty-something chimney sweep on her doorstep.
Daughter Tabitha knows something isn’t quite right with her relationship, while her boss – Abba-loving Meryl – thinks she’s found the real deal. Are they both right, or pursuing Mr Wrong?
Emily’s sister, Celeste, has the perfect marriage … or does she? Can a fitness tracker lead her down the path to happiness or heartbreak?
Susan is single, overweight and resigned to a life of loneliness. There was the one who got away but you don’t get another try, do you?
Prepare for a rollercoaster ride of emotions in a book that will grab your heart, make you smile and wish you had a chimney to sweep.

A Woman of A Certain Age

A Guest Post by Audrey Davis

I drew on my own thoughts and experiences when fleshing out the character of Emily, as well as some of the other women in the book. I wanted to show that age should not be a barrier to how we behave, dress or who we fall in love with.

Was I happy to hit forty? Not really, but with two boys aged nine and ten at the time I was still mingling with younger mums in the school playground and feeling reasonably content with my reflection in the mirror. Ten years later, the boys had flown the nest and reading glasses had taken up residence in every room of the house. Like Emily, magnifying mirrors were avoided when possible – ‘Some things didn’t need to be brought into sharp focus. A gentle blurring of the edges was just fine.’

Now, at fifty-three, I can say I’m comfortable with my age even if my knees creak a bit and the pounds take longer to shift. My life is full, particularly now that I’m writing and can call myself a genuine published author. I have a great circle of friends – some older, some younger – and I will happily shop at Zara or Mango, even if their sizing is targeted at girls with no internal organs. I wear cut-off shorts in the summer, skinny jeans in the winter and work out at the gym three times a week.

There are times I think of my mother, who sadly died of breast cancer at the age of fifty-nine. The disease withered her slowly and painfully for many years, but I realise how different her life was. Thirty years ago, many women of her age dressed and behaved much older. Her outfits were always sensible and – dare I say it – old-fashioned. Her life was perhaps simpler but I am so glad to be in my fifties today, even if the world we live in seems full of hate, fear and hypocrisy.

Looking ahead, I will continue to write and participate in the wonderful community of fellow authors I’ve discovered through social media. Travel is always a particular joy, with trips to Africa and weekends away with friends to Spain and Belgium recent highlights. I don’t see my gorgeous boys as often as I’d like, but I can always hop on a plane (we live in Switzerland) and visit them in Edinburgh and Liverpool.

A couple of good friends are now in their sixties, but their energy and joie de vivre would put some younger folk to shame. Age is just a number. As long as we have good health and a positive attitude, we can do anything we want. Am I looking forward to sixty? No, but I’ll be ready to embrace and challenge whatever comes my way when the day arrives.

(Good for you Audrey – I’m with you all the way!)

About Audrey Davis

Audrey Davis is a former journalist who can recall the days of typewriters and overflowing ashtrays. Born in Scotland, she has called Switzerland home for the past 15 years. Audrey still struggles with speaking French although she is well versed in dealing with plumbers and other workers. Her first novel began with a writing fiction course and took over a year to complete. She hopes the second one will be a little quicker.

You can follow Audrey on Twitter, visit her blog and find her on Facebook.

Oh my goodness am I excited today. I absolutely loved The Lost Girl by Carol Drinkwater when it was published and was lucky enough to review it and host an extract here. Carol’s writing always touches me and I have also reviewed another of her books on Linda’s Book Bag – The Forgotten Summer – here. Imagine then, how exciting it is for me to be able to interview Carol all about her writing, especially as her latest book The Lost Girl has so many resonances in recent times.

The Lost Girl was published on 29th June 2017 by Michael Joseph, an imprint of Penguin, and is available for purchase via the links here.

The Lost Girl

Her daughter disappeared four years ago. . .

Since her daughter went missing four years earlier, celebrated photographer Kurtiz Ross has been a woman alone. Her only companion her camera. Since Lizzie disappeared, she has blamed and isolated herself, given up hope. Until, out of the blue, an unexpected sighting of Lizzie is made in Paris.

Could this lead to the reconciliation she has dreamed of?

Within hours of Kurtiz arriving in Paris, the City of Light is plunged into a night of hell when a series of terrorist attacks bring the city to a standstill. Amid the fear and chaos, a hand reaches out. A sympathetic stranger in a café offers to help Kurtiz find her daughter.

A stranger’s guiding light

Neither knows what this harrowing night will deliver, but the other woman’s kindness – and her stories of her own love and loss in post-war Provence – shine light into the shadows, restoring hope, bringing the unexpected. Out of darkness and despair, new life rises. New beginnings unfold.

Dare she believe in a miracle?

Set during a time of bloodshed and chaos in one of the most beautiful cities on earth and along the warm fragrant shores of the Mediterranean, Kurtiz discovers that miracles really can happen . . .

An Interview with Carol Drinkwater

Welcome to Linda’s Book Bag, Carol. Thank you so much for agreeing to answer some questions on my blog about your writing and The Lost Girl in particular. I’m really excited that you’re here! Firstly, please could you tell me a little about yourself?

I am of Irish blood on my mother’s side and a little bit on my father’s side too though I was born in London. I have an Irish passport and chose Ireland as my mother country early in adulthood. I was educated at an Irish convent in Kent, and hated almost every minute of it. It did offer me the opportunity to study languages which I love. Spanish, Italian and French, all of which have stood me in good stead as a traveller and a writer and, of course, as a French resident. The nuns also allowed me to indulge in my love of acting and drama. After I left the convent I worked backstage in the theatre in London before going to drama school in north London. There I studied acting and classical drama.

I live in France on an olive farm overlooking the Bay of Cannes. I ended up here because I fell in love with a Frenchman who asked me to marry him on our first date in Sydney, Australia. This love story is the basis of my Olive Farm series of six books.

I still keep a small bolthole near where my mother was born in Ireland. Keeping in touch with my roots is very important to me.

Why do you write?

I HAVE TO. I need to create or I drive myself insane. If I am not writing or acting or preparing a film it is as though I have a swarm of delinquent bees inside me, buzzing and stinging.

(What a fabulous analogy!)

When did you realise you were going to be a writer?

I have been writing since I was about eight. I KNEW I would act; I DREAMED of being a writer.

Which aspects of your writing do you find easiest and most difficult?

All of it is difficult. The fun bit is looking at the books line up on the shelves. I am writing my 24^th now. Yay!

(Yay indeed. I can’t wait!)

What are your writing routines and where do you do most of your writing?

I begin early and write long hours, stopping for a couple of hours mid-afternoon to swim, walk, ponder, rest my mind. Then back to it for another couple of hours so that it is in my head ready to sleep on it.

Many of your reading fans also know you as an actress. What has being involved in drama added to your writing?

I think visually. I see every scene clearly. The way people look, move, dress. The details are essential. I look for the drama, the resistance in any moment, which creates drama in scenes. I aim to draw the inner lives of my characters as they seek to overcome obstacles. While writing I act out every scene, play every part aloud. The training I received at Drama Centre, London was perfect for writers.

(How fascinating – I’d never have thought of acting out what I write.)

You’re obviously very creative with both acting and writing as part of your skill set. Is there a creative talent you haven’t mastered but would like to?

I have no musical skills except that I love to dance and listen to music. My father was a musician and I am very sad that as a child I did not learn any musical instrument.  I am considering either brushing up on my Spanish and Italian, learning Arabic (difficult!!) or learning to play the guitar. But with everything I have going on in my life I probably won’t get round to any of it.

Without spoiling the plot, please could you tell us a bit about The Lost Girl?

The Lost Girl is the story of two very different women. They meet in a bistro in Paris on the night of the November 2015 terrorist attacks on the city. Over that weekend, their stories unfold.

The book is set in two time frames: November 2015 during the weekend of those terrorist attacks that rocked and shocked Paris, leaving more than a hundred dead and many more wounded. The second time frame is the glorious, headily-scented, post-war south of France, amongst the flower farms that fed the perfume industry in Grasse, the Perfume Capital of the World. The modern part of the story is darker, grittier, I think, than the earlier story. Both are told through the eyes and experiences of the two female protagonists women who meet in the bistro in Paris on 13^th November 2015.

At its core, The Lost Girl is a love story with a twist, a miracle that, I hope, redeems the darker side of the story offering hope and new beginnings.

How did you manage the two time frames when you were writing The Lost Girl?

I wrote the two stories at the same time. There was no definite order to it. Sometimes I wrote Marguerite’s story for days, weeks, and then one day I would return to Kurtiz. When I was stuck I would write a scene from one or other of their live even if I knew I would not use it later.  It was important to keep telling myself their stories. The big challenge was putting it all together. This part took weeks.

The plot of The Lost Girl is based around the terrorist attacks in Paris. How did you come to the decision to write around such an emotive topic?

I watched the unfolding of the attacks on the news on that November Friday night. I was with my mother. We stood together with our arms round one another witnessing the horrors. I was weeping. When the TV reporters announced that 1,500 concert-goers were locked inside the Bataclan concert hall and had been taken hostage, Mummy said to me: “for everyone inside there fearing for their lives, there is a mother outside anxiously waiting for news”. It sowed the seed for my story.

One of the two women who is in the Parisian bistro is waiting to hear news of her daughter who went missing from her home in London when she was sixteen. She, Kurtiz, the girl’s mother, and her husband have reason to believe that their daughter, Lizzie, might be attending the concert at the Bataclan.

How did you go about researching detail and ensuring The Lost Girl was realistic whilst still making it a fiction?

I spent a month at the National Library in Paris in their media division. I watched, listened to footage, recordings from that weekend and afterwards. I researched very thoroughly. I owed it to the family members of those who lost their lives to make it accurate. Even if they never read the book.

(I think that level of care comes across very strongly to the reader Carol.)

How important is literature in exploring the difficult situations, emotional and political events of modern times do you think?

Essential. Think of Pablo Picasso’s stupendous work Guernica, a visually alarming, angry statement against the senseless lives lost during the bombing of Guernica in northern Spain in April 1937.  Many of the Greek tragedies were observations on the nation’s enthusiasm for war. Lysistrata by Aristophanes is a Greek comedy written and first performed in 411 BC. It recounts the story of one woman, Lysistrata, who persuades the women of Greece to withhold sexual favours from their husbands and lovers until they stop fighting and negotiate peace. It is an early, brilliant anti-war piece of theatre.

I believe literature, film, theatre, music and art can be the voices of sanity, of reason. They give us emotional air to breathe, you might say. While the media plasters on the doom and gloom, frequently inciting hatred, racism, mistrust, art can offer us hope, laughter, release, a way forward. Humans are complex, our emotions and experiences are prisms, spectrums of colours, of light and shade. Mostly, we struggle to overcome our darker instincts; we strive for goodness, not evil. Evil is the exception. Most of us desire peace, love, harmony. Even in our darkest hours we search for the  lighter moments. I have seen this over and over again in war zones, areas of conflict. The chink of light. This is what I hope The Lost Girl does. It is a story of generosity, regeneration, or that is certainly what I set out to achieve.

(Very powerfully said. And you certainly achieve what you set out to do in The Lost Girl.)

France has become a huge part of your life. How important is location to you as an author when you are writing?

I feel location, if one can say that. I breathe in the perfumes, the temperatures. Every blade of grass counts. I like to immerse myself in the places I am writing about and almost always go to the chosen locations to “live” the place before setting pen to paper.

That said, The Lost Girl seems to take you further away from your Olive Farm books. How has this change in your writing evolved?

I think it is important for me as a writer to evolve. I would not want to have played Helen Herriot for all my life (which is why I left the series). I need new challenges or I stultify.

So what can we expect next from Carol Drinkwater, the writer?

I never know what I will be writing until I have written it! I am at work on a book which, I THINK, is more of a chamber piece. At the moment it also covers two time frames (though this could change!). It is a relationship story, a love story, also set in France.

If you could choose to be a character from The Lost Girl, who would you be and why?

Marguerite, of course, because she’s an actress. Or on another day, it would be Kurtiz because she has fought to become an independent woman.

If The Lost Girl became a film, would you consider taking on one of the roles? 

YES!

When you’re not writing, what do you like to read?

I go through phases. At present, as it is summer and I am taking some time off, I am reading modern, mainly light fiction, mostly by female writers: Ferrante, re-reading Du Maurier, a few commercial novels on sale for my Kindle, writers I probably would never usually choose …

If you had 15 words to persuade a reader that The Lost Girl should be their next read, what would you say?

From reviews:  “beautifully written”, “page-turner”, “fabulously written”, “action-packed”, “emotive”, “captivating”, “hated finishing it”, “novel of hope”

Thank you so much for your time, Carol, in answering my questions.

Thank YOU very much.

About Carol Drinkwater

Carol Drinkwater is a multi-award-winning actress who is best known for her portrayal of Helen Herriot in the BBC television series All Creatures Great and Small. She is also the author of over twenty books, both fiction and non-fiction. Her quartet of memoirs set on her olive farm in the south of France have sold over a million copies worldwide and her solo journey round the Mediterranean in search of the Olive tree’s mythical secrets inspired a five-part documentary film series, The Olive Route.

You can follow Carol on Twitter and visit her website.

Having long been a fan of Elizabeth Buchan, author of The New Mrs Clifton, I’m a little bit star struck to welcome her to Linda’s Book Bag with a mini-interview today. I’m also pleased to be sharing my review of The New Mrs Clifton.

Published by Penguin on 11th August 2017, The New Mrs Clifton is available for purchase here.

The New Mrs Clifton

‘Wrapped in the roots of the sycamore was a skeleton; the remains of a woman, between twenty-five and thirty. She had carried a child . . .’

At the close of the Second World War, Intelligence Officer Gus Clifton returns to London. On his arm is Krista, the German wife he married secretly in Berlin. For his sisters, this broken woman is nothing more than the enemy. For Nella, Gus’s loyal fiancée, it is a terrible betrayal. These three friends wonder what hold Krista has over decent, honourable Gus. And, they ask themselves, how far will they have to go to permanently get her out of their home, their future, their England?

An Interview with Elizabeth Buchan

Welcome to Linda’s Book Bag, Elizabeth. Thank you so much for agreeing to answer some questions on my blog about your writing and The New Mrs Clifton in particular. Firstly, please could you tell us a little about yourself?

Thank you so much for inviting me. I’ve spent my life with my head in a book – as a child I was often caught reading with a torch under the blankets late into the night. Before I embarked on the novels, I worked in publishing at Penguin Books and was briefly a fiction editor but the siren call of writing was too strong and I left to write my own books. Fifteen novels in, I am about to embark on the latest.  I live in London and my family all live close by which is wonderful.

Without spoiling the plot, could you tell us a bit about The New Mrs Clifton?

Intelligence officer, Gus Clifton, returns from Berlin in 1945 bringing with him a new bride. To the horror of his two sisters, and the bewilderment of his ex-fiancée who was fondly waiting to marry him on his return, she is German. Why has he done this? The answer can be found in the upheaval and violence of war, even on a home front. Nice people do terrible things in this situation and the will to survive is stronger than anything else. Both Gus and Krista find they run up against aspects of themselves which shocks them.

The New Mrs Clifton is set in post war London as well as Berlin. How did you ensure the settings and detail felt authentic?

I got hold of every book on the subject I could lay hands on, including memoirs of the time. They are invaluable for supplying the little telling details, such as the impossibility of getting hold of soap, shampoo and paint even after the fighting stopped. I looked at old photographs and – my greatest coup – I managed to get hold of a second-hand copy of the original bomb maps published by the Greater London council which shows where every bomb fell, what type it was and the extent of the damage it inflicted.  Gold dust.

The marriage between Krista and Gus sees two seemingly conflicting cultures joined together. How important is it to explore the question of culture and expectation through fiction?

I think that is precisely what a novel can do and should do.  Imaginative empathy often goes beyond the historian’s facts.  If one can invite a reader into thinking, sensing and feeling a character’s predicament and their setting then the novelist is doing the best job possible to open up worlds.

Which character do you identify most with from The New Mrs Clifton, and why?

I love my Krista. I feel for her isolation and terror and admire her determination to become normal.

Thank you so much for your time in answering my questions.

My Review of The New Mrs Clifton

A body is found in the garden when a new couple move in – but to whom does it belong?

I found The New Mrs Clifton a mesmerising read and one that frequently made me very uncomfortable because so much of it is based on past horrific experiences and I wondered just how I might have behaved and acted in similar ones. I think one of the great successes of the story is that Elizabeth Buchan makes the reader think and question their beliefs and certainties. I had a far better understanding of the effects of WW2 on the ordinary person after the war than I had really had before and reading the book made me glad I was born well afterwards. The uncovering of inherent racism, corruption and manipulation at all levels is totally convincing.

The narrative style was just as good as I hoped and expected from an Elizabeth Buchan novel. There’s an intensity and claustrophobia that is palpable and much of the effect comes as much from what isn’t said as what is so that I experienced the same responses and emotions as the characters. The three main women, Krista, Julia and Tilly, are magnificent creations so that each was very real. I understood their frailties, desires and fears completely. Despite Kritsa’s displacement and the fact that she deserves the reader sympathy, it was Julia I felt most for. She begins as an odious individual but by the end of the novel she had my complete understanding and I felt almost as sorry for her as for Krista.

I loved the plot. The way Elizabeth Buchan drops in the tiny daily details that enhance setting or our understanding of her characters’ emotions to her ability to present the most startling information with a pared down sentence that shocks the reader makes her writing incredibly satisfying to read. Towards the end I found my heart rate increased dramatically as I headed to a knowledge of whose body was in the garden.

The New Mrs Clifton is an intelligent, and unsettling, book that makes the reader wonder just what they themselves might be capable of in extreme circumstances. I won’t forget it in a very long while.

About Elizabeth Buchan

Elizabeth Buchan began her career as a blurb writer at Penguin Books after graduating from the University of Kent with a double degree in English and History. She moved on to become a fiction editor at Random House before leaving to write full time. Her novels include the prizewinning Consider the Lily, Revenge of the Middle-Aged Woman, The Second Wife, Separate Beds, and Daughters. After talking to some amazing women who had been employed by SOE, she wrote the Danish wartime resistance story, I Can’t Begin to Tell You. The New Mrs Clifton, is based on a situation that happened in her own family after the war – only in reverse.

Elizabeth Buchan’s short stories are broadcast on BBC Radio 4 and published in magazines. She reviews for the Sunday Times and the Daily Mail, and has chaired the Betty Trask and Desmond Elliot literary prizes. She was a judge for the Whitbread First Novel Award and for the 2014 Costa Novel Award . She is a patron of the Guildford Book Festival and of The National Academy of Writing, and sits on the author committee for The Reading Agency.

You can find Elizabeth on Twitter @elizabethbuchan, on Facebook and find out more on her website.

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