Welcome to my Friday Reads blog. My featured book this week is the festively heartwarming On The First Day of Christmas by Kindle#1 bestselling author Faith Wogan. Isn’t the cover gorgeous?
Blurb
This Christmas, everything will change…
When Liv Latimer says goodbye to her fellow nurses and finishes work for the holidays, she’s looking forward to a Christmas to remember with her boyfriend Eddie.
But as she leaves the hospital, tragedy strikes and Liv is faced with a choice. Will she ignore her instincts and go home as planned? Or will she stay, and potentially change the course of her life as she knows it?
Whatever choice she makes, Liv is about to discover that fate finds a way…
From the bestselling Irish author of The Ladies’ Midnight Swimming Club, comes an emotional and uplifting festive story about love, family and how a split second decision can change your life.
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Now grab a cuppa, get comy and let’s get chatting to Faith. Welcome Faith. Have you always wanted to be a writer?
Always, always, always! And maybe looking back I always have been, but it’s only since getting published that I’ve had the courage to call myself one!
Has any author inspired you?
Lots. Every book has something to teach, in the best books it is things you admire and occasionally… not so much. It’s hard to quantify exactly how much reading has influenced me as a writer, but I do think, if you’re starting out, don’t underestimate the importance of having a love of books.
What do you like writing most?
Like most writers, I came to novel writing after a lifetime of writing just about everything else. Poems, plays, short stories and the occasional essay – but the secret ambition had always been a novel. For me, it’s the form I love most. There’s nothing nicer than starting on page one, knowing that soon new characters will begin to flesh themselves out on the page and we will be heading off an absorbing adventure together.
Do you have a special place for writing?
Yes, I have an office in a corner of our house that’s furthest away from everyone else. My desk is west facing and the evening sun can be absolutely stunning if you want to procrastinate…
Are you a pantster or a plotter?
That very much depends, I planned my crime novels (written under the name Geraldine Hogan – and published by Bookouture), but with the women’s fiction, I tend to just sit and see where the characters take me. I’ll have some idea at the beginning, but I’ve tried plotting them and I feel it makes everything seem more formulaic, so I’ve thrown out the plans and let the story guide me.
Is your writing ever inspired by your family or real life incidents?
No. I’m afraid not – but in terms of place, I’m very much inspired by the west coast of Ireland and so there are elements of the coastline near where I live in the fictional village of Ballycove. So, the woollen mills in The Place We Call Home is loosely based around the nearby Foxford Woollen Mills. Although, in real life, the Foxford Mills were owned by an order of nuns – the Corrigan Mills are owned and run by Miranda Corrigan and her family.
What are you writing at the moment?
I’ve just started to write the summer 2024 book, however, this evening, I’ve just spotted an email from my editor with notes for revision of The Guest House By The Sea (which comes out in 2023) I’m really excited about this book, I feel it’s a very emotional book, based again in Ballycove centering around The Willows Guest House and its owner Esme Goldthorpe, who like so many of us, is much better at giving advice than she is at taking it!
What inspired you to write this book?
My new book, On The First Day Of Christmas was inspired by the idea of soul mates – do you believe that some things are meant to be? I sort of do, when I look back on my own life, meeting my husband, my career as a writer, there is an undeniable element of serendipity involved and yet, it all feels as if something has steered me to this point and it knew exactly how to turn things out for the very best!
In On The First Day Of Christmas, Liv Lattimer briefly gets the chance to live two different realities – and somehow, she manages to navigate her way, so each life eventually pulls into the harbour that suits it best!
It sounds a fascinating story. What time of the day do you write best?
I’m a morning girl, although, I’ll write at any time, my only challenge is that if I write at night, I tend to get all keyed up and then it’s hard to settle into sleep.
What are your hobbies?
I love the simple things, a long walk with the dog, an evening in front of the telly, a takeaway with the family – you know, all the good stuff you can still enjoy no matter what the weather!
What advice would you give to other writers?
It’s very simple – Write, Write, Write! It’s so easy to spend your time procrastinating, I see many would-be-brilliant (maybe!) writers who have to have the perfect notebook or share images on social media of their gorgeous desk, but we never see the novel… it’s all too easy to get distracted. If you must get distracted, do it with a good book, something that makes the cogs turn over in your brain and inspires you to make something just as good, or maybe even better!
Lovely to talk to you, Faith. Wishing you shed loads of sales with your new book!
About Faith
Author bio
Faith Hogan is an award-winning and bestselling author of seven contemporary fiction novels. Her books have featured as Book Club Favourites, Net Galley Hot Reads and Summer Must Reads. She writes grown up women’s fiction which is unashamedly uplifting, feel good and inspiring.
Your summer 2022 Faith Hogan fix – The Gin Sisters’ Promise is a USA Today Bestseller!
Her latest read is called On The First Day Of Christmas and it is published October 13th – described as Sliding Doors meets One Fine Day.
She writes twisty contemporary crime fiction as Geraldine Hogan.
She lives in the west of Ireland with her family and her river-swimming Labrador named Penny. She’s a writer, reader, enthusiastic dog walker and reluctant jogger – except of course when it is raining!
Author contact links
http://www.Facebook/FaithHogan.com
Twitter @gerhogan
Instagram @faithhoganauthor
Karen King – Writing about the light and dark of relationships.
Amazon Author Page: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Karen-King/e/B0034P6W7I
Website: https://karenkingauthor.com/