Last but not least is an interview with author of brand new detective series, ‘Missing in Wales, Jenny O’Brien! Many thanks to RaRaResources for the blog tour invite, and thank you to the author for taking the time to answer TWG’s questions. Before that, here is a little bit more information out ‘Missing In Wales’, as well as the purchase links. Enjoy!
Missing in Wales, the first in an exciting new Welsh-set crime series by Jenny O’Brien, author of The Stepsister. The next in series, Stabbed in Wales, will be available soon.
Alys is fine – don’t try to find us
Izzy Grant is haunted by the abduction of her newborn daughter five-years ago. When a postcard arrives from her missing partner, the man she believes is responsible, saying they’re fine and asking her not to try to find them, she knows she can’t give up hoping. Then she sees a face from her past. Grace Madden. Just where did she disappear to all those years ago? And is there a connection between her disappearance and that of her child?
DC Gabriella Darin, recently transferred from Swansea, is brash, bolshie and dedicated. Something doesn’t fit with the case and she’s determined to find out just what happened all those years ago.
Q and A.
Could you tell us a bit about you and your background before you began writing?
Firstly, thank you for inviting me on your blog. I was born in Dublin, moved to Wales and now live and work in Guernsey as a registered nurse.
Have you always wanted to become a published writer?
I’d always hoped I had a book in me but never dreamt that I’d ever actually knuckle down to write it.
What made you decide to write your new novel?
I think it would have been hard not to. Writing has become a bit of an obsession. I finish one book – have a few days break and start on the next.
How hard was it to find the inspiration for your book?
With MISSING IN WALES the inspiration for the core plot, a missing baby, came from a dream so not hard at all.
If you could pick a favourite character from your novel, who would it be and why?
I like the DC, Gabriella Darin because, like all of us, she’s flawed. She’s not glamorous and she suffers the same minor daily setbacks that turn an average day into a disastrous one.
Did you ever regret writing a character into your story after it was published?
Not that I can think of. I don’t tend to stuff my pages with lots of characters, rather I like to plump out what I’ve got into a more well-rounded portrayal.
Did you find yourself under any personal pressure for your debut novel to succeed and be liked by many?
That’s an interesting question. The first novel I published was Boy Brainy and, at the time I didn’t really think in terms of success. It’s about a couple of boys that are being bullied. When a bullying related incident happened with one of my children, I just wanted it out there, only that. I pressed the KDP (Amazon) button that night.
Time for a tough one, if you could choose any book that has already been published to be the author of, which one would you choose and why?
It would have to be my favourite book. I am David by Anne Holm – purely because of the subject matter and writing style, both of which are superb.
What does your ‘writing space’ look like?
It’s a chair, quite a large one with notebooks on the arms and space for a mug of tea. There’s no room for a desk but I do have the most amazing view, which makes up for the lack of space somewhat.
Were there any authors you wanted to be like, when you were a child?
Enid Blyton was a firm favourite.
If you had to sum up your book to a stranger in five words, what would they be and why?
‘Why steal my baby, Charlie?’
What’s coming up next for you? Any exclusives?
I have two books coming up in the same series, both featuring DC Gabriella Darin. The first STABBED IN WALES finds a woman waking up beside the body of a dead woman when she’s pretty sure she went to bed with a bloke. The second, as yet untitled, is about dead bodies turning up on a beach
One final question. What advice would you give to a writer that wants to be published? Any words of wisdom?
Read. Read and read some more. Read out of genre where possible as well as in and read the books published by the agents you’d like to represent you. Also know your market but write what you enjoy. A book invariably takes months to write. If you want to stick with it, you must be able to invest in the story.
Thanks so much, Jenny! If you haven’t read Jenny’s first thriller, The Stepsister, it is available FREE on Amazon from the 22nd July until the 26th, so get in quick!!
The Writing Garnet 