NK Chats To… Alison Sherlock

A Way Back Home is the new novel from Alison Sherlock. Hello Alison, thank you so much for joining me today. Your new novel is called A Way Back Home. Can you tell me a little about it and what inspired it?

A Way Back Home is the third book in my Willow Tree Hall series, although they can each be read as standalone books. The story is about Will Harris, younger brother and ‘spare’ of the heir of Willow Tree Hall, his big brother Sam who was the hero in the first book, A House To Mend A Broken Heart. Will was great fun to write as I always pictured him as a playboy with a wickedly dry sense of humour but somewhat set apart from the rest of the family. Therefore it was only right that the heroine of the story would be a free-spirited woman called Skye who is the total opposite of Will!

What’s your typical writing day like? Is there somewhere you like to write? Write in silence? Cup of coffee or tea?

I walk Harry, our daft golden retriever, first thing in the morning and then spend the next hour trying to wipe off the mud which he has inevitably brought home with him. Once he’s sleeping off his big walk and snoring happily, I can finally get to work for the rest of the day. I always write on my laptop at a desk with the music on to begin with. And always with a large mug of coffee to hand!

What’s your editing process like?

I do a little editing as I go along but mostly I like to get the whole story down first. A Way Back Home was written in just over 9 weeks, the quickest I’ve ever done. Hopefully that’s a good sign…!

If you found yourself with an airstream trailer and time, where would you go and why?

I love America but have never seen the middle of the country so it would definitely be next summer driving right across the southern states. Hopefully my husband would be driving as I’d be as hopeless towing a trailer as Skye is in the story!

What’s your favourite word and why?

Love. Because without the love of friends and family, it really would be an unhappy and lonely life.

Which song would best describe you and why?

At the minute it would have to be Pharrell Williams ‘Happy’. I have a great husband, a daft dog and I’m loving writing my books so life is good.

If you could give your younger writing self any advice, what would it be?

Don’t give up! It wasn’t until I had written my third book, which became The Desperate Bride’s Diet Club, that I was published. Sometimes it seemed as if it would all be for nothing but my agent told me to keep going and, thank goodness, she was right!

What’s your writing process like (idea, research, etc?) What’s the most challenging part of the process for you?

For me, the best moment is the ping of inspiration when you suddenly think of a story. A few years ago, I was watching Downton Abbey one day and began to wonder what life would be like in the current day for any owners of a stately home. Once I’d discovered how much of a financial burden they can be, I began to think about a crumbling house and the owners and staff that could live there. Thus Willow Tree Hall was born! The most challenging part is definitely writing the books themselves but when you type up a scene and laugh or cry along with the characters, then you can give yourself a little high-five and it all seems worth it!

Any advice for new writers?

Don’t give up! Keep going! Publishing is a tough business but if you are writing the books that come from the heart and your stories are the ones that you want to write, then you will get there.

About Alison: 

Alison Sherlock enjoyed reading and writing stories from an early age and gave up office life to follow her dream. Alison lives in Surrey with her husband and a daft golden retriever.

Say hi to Alison on Twitter: @AlisonSherlock

About A Way Back Home…

What happens when two lost souls find themselves?

After recent heartbreak, Skye Jackson finds herself homeless and on the road with only a classic Airstream trailer to her name. A surprise inheritance of a rundown little lodge in the grounds of beautiful Willow Tree Hall forces her to change her plans. However there is a problem…

The lodge is co-owned by care-free, playboy Will Harris, who finds himself unemployed after a recent tabloid scandal.

Skye desperately wants a home to call her own and needs to move on as quickly as possible. Will doesn’t want to stay at his family home either to face the ghosts of his past. So they decide to put aside their differences and renovate the cottage together.

But when a storm hits, Skye and Will are forced to stay on to ensure that an important wedding goes ahead. Can Skye finally find a home of her own? Can Will stop running from his past and help out his family when they need him the most?

The magic of winter at Willow Tree Hall is about to change everything…

A Way Back Home was released by Aria. To buy, click on the following links…

Kobo, iBooks, Amazon, and Google Play. 

by

Laura

I’m Laura. I started Novel Kicks in 2009. I wanted a place to post my writing as well as give other writers like me the opportunity to do the same. There is also a monthly book club, a writing room which features writing prompts, book reviews, competitions, author interviews and guest posts.

I grew up by the sea (my favourite place in the world) and I currently live in Hampshire. I am married to Chris, have a cat named Buddy and I would love to be a writer. I’m trying to write the novel I’ve talked so much about writing if only I could stop pressing delete. I’ve loved writing since creative writing classes in primary school. I have always wanted to see my teacher Miss Sayers again and thank her for the encouragement. When not trying to write the novel or writing snippets of stories on anything I can get my hands on, I love reading, dancing like a loon and singing to myself very badly. My current obsession is Once Upon a Time and I would be happy to live with magic in the enchanted forest surrounded by all those wonderful stories provided that world also included Harry Potter. I love reading chick lit. contemporary fiction and novels with mystery.