I am delighted to be today’s stop on Faith Hogan’s SECRETS WE KEEP blog tour! 🙂

I have a lovely Q&A with the author herself for you to enjoy…..

For those who don’t know already, could you tell us about yourself and your book(s) please?

I’d be delighted Kerry, I’m Faith Hogan and I live in the west of Ireland with a golf-mad husband, four lovely kids and a somewhat domineering cat. I’ve loved books for as long as I can remember, my house was full with them until I discovered eBooks. I write women’s fiction – I’m fascinated by people and that’s what I write about, how we handle the curve balls life throws at us. My stories are based in Ireland and they are about family, betrayal, love, loss and the triumph of human nature over any obstacle. The books are published by Aria Fiction (Head of Zeus). My Husbands’ Wives (Debut Novel) came out in May last year and on February 1st this year, Secret’s We Keep has been released.

Where did/do you get your ideas from?

This is a cliché, but ideas are everywhere, this is both a blessing and a curse. Any writer will tell you, there’s nothing worse than being stuck in the middle or the final third of a novel (the slowest bit to write) only to have a tantalizing shiny new idea for the next book dangle constantly before you. Argh!

Are any of your characters based (however loosely) on anyone you know?

No. Unfortunately, many of the people I know are too normal for books. I think characters need to be a little more of everything. It’s a fine line between the subtlety of realism and the ability of a character to weasel their way into your affections!

How do you pick your characters names?

Grave yards are great for this, some of the best names are in graveyards – I’m not sure what this say’s about me! I also keep a telephone book in my office – it’s not a new one, I’m sure the day is coming when the telephone book will be a thing of the past, so I’m really minding the one I have

Can you share your writing process with us, in a nutshell?

First off, I try to eliminate ideas. Literally, from when I’ve finished the first draft of a book, my mind is working out the next book. But it will only be a theme, perhaps a place – for Secret’s We Keep it was all about an old neglected Bath House in a little seaside village near where I live. Once I’ve done a lot of sitting and staring into space, then I’ll start to write. I’ll write the first draft one word at a time and very quickly, if I can get near my office, I’ll have a hundred thousand down. Then it’s back over it again. At the first draft stage, I’ll hand it over to my first reader – my sister. While she’s reading I’ll come up with more ideas, little threads that fill out the plot and the characters and pull things together even more. When I have gone through the book six or seven times, between changes big and small, spell check and a read through, I’m either in love with it and ready to send it off, or it has to be gone through again. My agent will then read through and she will often suggest changes. Then it goes to the publisher for a structural edit and then… what is it they say, the best writing is always re-writing!

Do you have a favourite author?

How much time have you got? My tastes have changed over the years, but the oldies are still the goodies, on the other hand there are some great writers emerging and thanks to new kids on the block like Aria many of the new writers coming up are well worth checking out.

If you could meet any author, who would it be and what would you ask them?

Has Keanu Reeves written anything at all???

Seriously, I loved Johnathon Swift – so much so that he features in my next book coming out later in 2017. On a very different note, I adored PD James – I’d have loved to visit the Savoy for afternoon tea with her.

Today, well spending time with other contemporary writers is a bit of a treat and so, I don’t suppose it matters too much which one you pick, so long as they have a penchant for cake and coffee!

Were you a big reader as a child?

Like most other children, I was mad about anything Enid Blyton wrote, then I graduated on to Agatha Christie. I spent a lot of time reading as a child and it has been a great source of enjoyment for me though out my life, there’s no better way to escape than through the pages of a good book.

When did you start to write?

Again, like most writers, I’ve always written. Everything from poetry to radio plays. I think writing is something that you just do. For me, it’s something I can’t not do – so while there’s a responsibility to produce now, it’s still something I enjoy and I couldn’t imagine life without it.

If you could re-write the ending to any book what would it be and what would you change?

I adore the Simon Seraillier books by Susan Hill, but I must say, I was a tad disappointed on reading the first one – I don’t want to give anything away, but let’s just say that one of the characters would have gone on to solve a lot more crimes. At the time, when I read it, I felt that only Susan Hill could get away with it – certainly a young debut author would be told to go and re-write it. I didn’t start the series on book 1, but I suspect if I had… Let’s just say, I’m glad I didn’t because they’re a cracking read!

What are you working on right now?

I’m finishing off my third book for Aria. It’s women’s fiction (of course) it’s a story about three women, each coming into a new stage in their lives and they make this pan out as best they can. It’s set in Dublin and it’s due with my agent last week – but it’s been Christmas, so you know… ho hum!

Do you have a new release due?

‘Secret’s We Keep,’ came out on February 1^st, so I’m really excited about that. I so enjoyed writing it and I couldn’t wait for it to come out. Now it’s all about letting readers make it their own – I only hope they get as much out of the reading of it as I did in the writing.

How can readers keep in touch with you?

Twitter (her favourite) https://twitter.com/GerHogan

On Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/faithhoganauthor/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/faithhoganauthor/?hl=en

Web Page. http://faithhogan.com/

That’s basically where I’m to be found when I’m not tap tapping on the next book! I love to hear from readers, especially if they’ve enjoyed the book. Last time round, with My Husband’s Wives people contacted me from all over the world, from Australia to Canada, Hong Kong to Illinois – it was lovely, wakening up to such warm messages from around the world! It’s positively one of the best things about being a writer!

Thanks so much for having me on your blog, Kerry – I really enjoyed popping in to Chat About Books!

Faith x

Thank you so much for answering my questions, Faith and for inviting me to join in with your fabulous blog tour 🙂

Publisher: Aria (1st February 2017)

Two distant relatives, drawn together in companionship are forced to confront their pasts and learn that some people are good at keeping secrets and some secrets are never meant to be kept.

A bittersweet story of love, loss and life. Perfect for the fans of Patricia Scanlan and Adele Parks.

The beautiful old Bath House in Ballytokeep has lain empty and abandoned for decades. For devoted pensioners Archie and Iris, it holds too many conflicting memories of their adolescent dalliances and tragic consequences – sometimes it’s better to leave the past where it belongs.

For highflying, top London divorce lawyer Kate Hunt, it’s a fresh start – maybe even her future. On a winter visit to see her estranged Aunt Iris she falls in love with the Bath House. Inspired, she moves to Ballytokeep leaving her past heartache 600 miles away – but can you ever escape your past or your destiny?

Buy your copy HERE

Reviews

Enjoy!