Hello guys, and a very happy Thursday to you all! Today, I’m delighted to be welcoming author Rose McClelland to The Book Babe. I’ll be throwing some questions Rose’s way, and I’ll also be sharing an extract from her brand-new novel, ‘Under Your Skin’, which is PUBLISHED TODAY by Dark Stroke.
So, without further ado, I’d like to welcome the fabulous Rose McClelland to the blog so that we can get our author interview underway!
1.) Hi, Rose, and welcome to the blog. I’m delighted to have you here today. First of all, can you give my readers a brief introduction? Tell us where you’re from, what you do for a living, and what you like to do in your spare time.
Hey there! Thanks for having me on your blog! My name is Rose and I live in Belfast. I work from home with my second bedroom converted into an office. My main job is PA and ‘Under Your Skin’ is my fourth novel. Lazing around the office are my two cats Toots and Soots who are great office companions. In my spare time, I love to relax by listening to audio books or watching drama series.
2.) Tell us a little bit more about ‘Under Your Skin’.
‘Under Your Skin’ is a psychological thriller/domestic drama. It is about a woman who has gone missing and her husband who is desperate to find her. Along with the Police, the whole town are out in force to try to find her. One local resident, Julia, becomes more involved in the search than she bargained for. She was only trying to help but suddenly she becomes immersed in a web of mystery she can’t escape.
3.) What inspired you to write this book? Was there anything specific or did the idea just come to you one day?
Funnily enough, the experience of working from home gave me the idea for writing this book. I began to wonder what it would be like if someone was cooped up all day, every day and how they would cope. I began to think about a woman being kidnapped and what the mystery behind it would be.
4.) How long did it take you to write ‘Under Your Skin’? Was it an easy ride, or a rather bumpy one?
I wrote the first draft in a few months. In fact, in one week alone, I wrote 20,000 words! However with the second, third and subsequent drafts, it took a lot longer. Then I sent the work off to be proof-read and for any suggestions. After that, I gave the script time to “breathe” and I came back to it after a few months to see if I wanted to make any more changes. So – in short, it took a long time!
5.) What themes are prominent in ‘Under Your Skin’? Did you write about anything that is important to you personally?
There are themes of mental health, domestic violence and feminism running through this book – all of which are important to me. I hope, however, that I have balanced out these heavy issues with a good dose of drama and a little humour along the way!
6.) Do you have a method when it comes to planning your novels, or are you more of a wing-it-and-hope-for-the-best type of writer?
Yes, I sit down at the start and look at my beginning, middle and end. I ask myself where I want the characters to be at the beginning, where I want them to be at the end, and what the arc of their journey will be in between. Once I have a basic outline, then I am constantly going back to the drawing board, to see if I’m on track.
7.) Have you always wanted to be a writer?
Yes! Ever since the age of ten! I told my mum that I wanted to be a writer when I grew up and she advised that I write about what I know!
8.) Tell us what a typical writing day looks like for you.
Get up, get the coffee on and give myself a little time to wake up. I look at the writing I completed in my previous writing session to jog my memory. Then I look at the outline for the writing I want to achieve today. As I look at the notes for the scene I want to write, I start to try to imagine the scene unfolding in front of me. Then it’s just my job to watch what’s going on and write it down!
9.) How do you come up with the titles of your books?
I try to pick one central idea from the book and then give it a catchy twist. For example, in my first book, some girls devised a ten point plan to try to help them move on from an ex. So I entitled the book, ‘The Break-Up Test’. In my third book, a girl’s ex had given her a list of rules to follow when they were in a relationship, so I entitled the book ‘The Year of No Rules’.
10.) Who is your biggest supporter?
My sister Rhoda. She reads every chapter I write one at a time. And if I haven’t sent her any chapters in a while, she’ll give me a gentle nudge to tell me to keep writing!
11.) How would you normally celebrate publication day?
Publication day is actually always very full-on and busy (in a good way). The adrenalin is flowing and you’re online all day promoting your book. The serotonin is also flowing because all your friends and family are congratulating you and wishing you well. It feels a bit like a birthday times ten! By the end of the day, I’m ready for a relaxing bubble bath and bed!
12.) When writing, is there a point in the book you tend to struggle with? The beginning, middle or end?
The middle can be a struggle sometimes so this is when you need to inject some more conflict or some more twists and turns to shake it up a bit!
13.) Do you set daily writing goals for yourself?
Yes, I usually set a timer for say two hours. I put my phone away in a drawer and prohibit myself from looking at social media. I set a goal of a certain amount of words. There will be a monkey on your shoulder that says ‘this is rubbish’ but you have to ignore him and tell him that it’s only a first draft. That helps to push through the fear of writing.
14.) What would you say is the best thing about being an author?
When you see your final front cover. That breathes life into your story and makes it feel real.
15.) Can you tell us the first book that made your cry?
I think I’d have to say “The Notebook”.
16.) On the opposite side of that, can you tell us a book that made you laugh?
Probably anything by Marian Keyes. Even when she writes about dark themes, she can still throw in some humour.
17.) Who are some of your favourite authors?
Marian Keyes, Claire Allan, Sue Fortin.
18.) What’s the best writing advice you’ve ever received?
You don’t have to see the whole staircase, you just need to take the first step. If you think of writing an entire novel, it can seem too daunting, but when you break it down into small sessions of writing, it’s more manageable.
19.) What piece of advice would you pass onto an aspiring writer?
Ask yourself, what small piece of action could I take today towards my writing? Now do that. Then relax. Tomorrow, ask yourself the same thing. Keep doing that one day at a time.
20.) What are you working on next, and do you have a release date for it?
I’m working on a first draft for another psychological thriller at the moment but it’s very early days yet!
21.) And lastly, if you could pick any author to sit and have afternoon tea with, who would it be, and why?
Marian Keyes – we have a ton of things in common. We both live in Ireland. We both write. We both like rainy days as it means a guilt-free day curled up at home reading!
Read on to find out more about Under Your Skin by Rose McLelland.
Where is Hannah?
When Kyle’s wife Hannah goes missing, the whole town is out in force to try to find her. One person knows where she is. One person is keeping a secret.
Detective Inspector Simon Peters and Detective Kerry Lawlor have been brought in to investigate the case, but Hannah has left no traces and Kyle has no clues.
Local Belfast resident Julia Matthews joins the #FindHannah campaign and becomes friendly with Kyle, sympathising with his tragedy. As Julia becomes more involved in the case than she bargained for, she begins to uncover more secrets than the Police ever could.
Julia was only trying to help, but has she become drawn into a web of mystery that she can’t escape?
– Extract from ‘Under Your Skin’ by Rose McLelland –
“I idly wonder about Kyle. I think about what he’s doing now. I imagine he’ll be on the phone to the police, reporting my disappearance. I imagine a Facebook campaign; my picture on posters around town, plastered on pub doors and corner shop windows. I imagine the pressure the police would be under as they try to find me. I pity them in a way. All those stresses and strains of everyday life. Whereas here’s me, introverting in this cocoon, quietly off my face, not having to do anything except sit here and wait. Like a really bad game of hide and seek.” #FindHannah
“Under your skin” is Rose’s fourth novel. Her previous three novels were romantic fiction published by Crooked Cat. She has made the genre jump from “chick lit” to psychological thriller and is enjoying delving into a darker corner of her mind!
Rose has also written two short plays which were performed in the Black Box theatre in Belfast.
She discusses book reviews on her You Tube channel and writes theatre reviews for her blog.
She loves nothing more than curling up with her cats and a good book. She has two rescue cats – Toots, who is ginger with an inquisitive face and Soots, who is black and hops along on his 3 legs looking ever so cute.
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