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Albert Camus

Don't walk behind me; I may not lead. Don't walk in front of me; I may not follow. Just walk beside me and be my friend.

Tuesday, May 27, 2014

Happy Release Day! Guest Post and Giveaway: Fallen Angel, Part II by Tracie Podger

Description:

When Brooke Stiles had said, “It was in a small room in an office block in Washington, DC, that my life changed, forever,” she had no idea of the enormity of that statement.

Just a few short months ago, Brooke, had lived a quiet suburban life in the UK. She now owns a closet of clothes she could only dream about and has been swept off her feet by trouble with a capital T.

Once Robert Stone came to terms with the fact that he was in love with Brooke, he knew he could never let her go. Not letting her go means introducing her to his life, past and present.

However, when Robert’s past and present collide, Brooke does the one thing that Robert begs her not to. Does it change her? Has that light that he sees in her eyes been extinguished?

This is a story of an ordinary girl who finds the strength to become the extraordinary woman, and keeps her promise to the man she owes her existence to.

How did I create the chemistry between Robert and Brooke 

This was hard because I wrote from Brooke’s point of view and she didn’t understand what was happening between her and Robert. What I wanted to portray was an instant connection and a feeling of knowing. Have you ever had where you’ve met someone and know that you’ve met them before but can’t think where or when. This is what I wanted for Brooke. I wanted for both of them to see each other for the first time and be absolutely sure that they had to see each other again. Something pulled them together, a need they both have that only the other can fulfil. I think the discovering of why each felt this way makes its own chemistry. Of course there is sexual attraction but it goes deeper than that for Brooke and Robert, they have a primal need for each other and we are still discovering why. 

10 things I learnt when writing my books 

1. It’s can be an isolating experience. I wrote Fallen Angel, Parts I, II and Robert’s Story back to back. I wrote seven days a week and other than ‘comfort and coffee breaks’ wrote from the minute I got up until bed time. I don’t necessarily recommend this but I had a story just busting to get out of my head and this was my way of doing it. What it does mean though is that no-one saw or heard from me during that time. I surfaced sometime in the summer, still with my winter coat on (code for hairy legs) and blinking in the sunlight ha ha 

2. Editing is heartbreaking at first. When you write The End it is, in fact, just the beginning. The painful task of tearing your work apart starts and it can be brutal at first. 

3. Killing off one of your characters is like losing a limb. As a story develops, as characters develop I found one or two had became redundant. They got the chop, their grave is a pile of paper on the cutting room floor and I cried and mourned and grieved. It gets easier though, I promise. 

4. It is vital to have proof readers or beta readers, someone else to read through your book. You become word blind and someone else will pick up an error or a phrase that just doesn’t sound right no matter how many times you have read your book. 

5. You won’t necessarily get the support you think you deserve from everyone. I found my immediate family were brilliant but a few friends found it hard to be supportive and for the strangest reasons. One didn’t want to read my book in case she didn’t like it and was worried about upsetting me. Because another isn’t a book person I could see her eyes glaze over every time I told her about my characters or my writing. At first this upset me but I soon realised my book isn’t for all and not everyone is as much of a book nerd as I am. 

6. It’s bloody hard work! Writing your actual story is just one small part of the whole process, especially if you opt to become an indie author. There are so many decisions to make and lots of fingers crossed moments too. 

7. Writing is addictive! I’m lucky to have an iPhone and iPad and the notes app is regularly used. I’ll wake in the middle of the night with just a line of something in my head. If I don’t write it down, I’ll forget by the morning. I have so many ideas for new books and I have to be really disciplined in making sure I don’t keep starting new projects before I’ve finished the last. 

8. It’s not the healthiest occupation. I find myself sitting all day at the kitchen table with coffee and chocolate as my companions. 

9. I discovered a new me. Writing changed me, I’ve become more observant of the people around me, the places I visit. I’m always on the look out for a new character or setting. 

10. Writing help heal me. Sounds dramatic and perhaps I was always destined to be an actress but I suffered a crippling depression and writing help me cope. It gives me an escape when life gets a little tough. I use writing as my medication now. 

About the author:
Tracie Podger currently lives in Kent, UK with her husband and a rather obnoxious cat called George. She is a Padi Scuba Diving Instructor who has a passion for writing. Tracie has been so fortunate to have dived some of the wonderful oceans of the world where she can indulge in another hobby, underwater photography. She likes getting up close and personal with sharks.

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Author's Giveaway

1 comment:

Unknown said...

This book seems very interesting and the cover is very beautiful :)