As one of the first authors contracted with Escape, what is it like being with a publisher from brand new to established?
Escape was brand new when they published my novel Fast Forward, and I was a brand new author. So it feels like we grew up together! It’s been exciting to watch the growth of Escape and I’m proud and grateful to be one of their authors, and now have ten books published with them.
The importance of family is a long-running theme in many of your books, why is the inclusion of extended family so important?
Family is important to me, and I think it defines many of our life experiences and memories, and I like to capture this in my books. Writing about family also touches on the need for belonging that is common for everyone, whether it be with real family or those who feel like family. My Tarrin’s Bay series is about people finding their new beginning and a sense of belonging, both to a place, and with the people they care about.
Your new book Memories of May is out on the 5 May, it also explores the themes of family; What was your inspiration for this story? What was your Eureka! moment?
When I started writing the first book in the Tarrin’s Bay series, The January Wish, I created a bookstore that one of the characters gets a temporary job in – Mrs May’s Bookstore. From that moment, I knew I would write a book (for the month May, of course) about this bookstore and the family behind it. Over the next few years I would get little ideas here and there about the May story and jot them down, and then I included the main character Olivia, who runs the bookstore, as a secondary character in April’s Glow. I was inspired to show the importance of family in defining our lives and memories, and how a legacy can live on through generations. I had two grandmothers who were a big part of my life and I have many happy memories with them, and so I also wanted to acknowledge that and honour their memory. I also love bookstores, so there’s that.
