The Life You Left

The Life You Left

The Life You Left is my second novel and is set in a small fictitious coastal village called Ballyaislinn, in Co Wexford, Ireland.  The story centres around a woman called Sarah Lawler whose life is turned upside down by three events that happen in quick succession.

First her husband Paul disappears, leaving her with unanswered questions, unpaid bills and three children who want to know why Daddy hasn’t come home from work.  Second, a body of a young woman is found brutally murdered on her local beach. Third, a childhood friend of Sarah’s returns into her life. But Edward is unlike any other friend, as no-one else can see him, he is in fact an angel.

And he has a message for Sarah that changes her life forevermore.

The Life You Left is contemporary women’s fiction, with themes of loss, love, hope and redemption.  As with Beyond Grace’s Rainbow, it is character driven and an emotive story, but with humour weaved throughout plus plenty of twists that should keep the reader guessing right up to the end.

Please tell us about the character of Sarah Lawler.

Sarah is a young woman, in her early thirties.  She married her first love, Paul and they have three children together, Tommy, Katie and Ella. Her family is her life, she adores her children and is determined to make their childhood happy, because her own was extremely turbulent.

Sarah’s twin brother James, is her steadfast and they are devoted to each other.

She’s quite feisty with a good sense of humour and sharp wit. But she is weighed down with a secret she has been keeping for decades.  When her husband disappears and Edward comes back into her life, her life becomes unrecognizable and she is terrified.  For the first time in years she must face up to who she really is and only when she does this, can she be totally happy.  Sarah is stronger than she believes and her love and compassion for others is incredible.   She’s not perfect, she has her flaws, but she is a good person, who only wants the best for those she loves. I loved writing her character, she’s the kind of person who I would want to have in my life. She loves a glass of wine and a good laugh, but is not afraid to cry and show her vulnerable side.

Your first book won Kindle Book of the Year and Best Romantic Read eBook. How did this affect your confidence as a writer?

Great question! Both wins had such a huge impact on my writing. I’ve always had this terrible affliction, that a lot of us authors share - self-doubtitis!  No matter how many lovely things people would say about my writing, no matter that I have an agent and a publisher who backs me, I still am racked with thoughts like - am I good enough? Those awards were the perfect antidote to this disease.  So now when self-doubtitis re-occurs, I can look at my beautiful awards and they once again do their magic and banish it!

When I attended the Festival of Romantic Fiction in UK last autumn, I was excited to be a shortlisted author, just to be there and experience the event, but genuinely had no expectation of winning. 

My husband kept saying to me when we were getting ready for the Gala Awards dinner, that he had a feeling I would win. But I cannot stress this enough, I really didn’t think it would be me! So when they called my name out, I didn’t move from my seat, I was so surprised! My husband had to push me up to go collect the award. Then to win the Kindle Book of the Year a few months later, well it really was the most surreal moment of my life!

Over the years, with different things I’ve done in life, I’ve often come in second or third. Close but no cigar. To finally get the cigar, well, it was magical and a night I’ll never forget.

Did you know when you were writing your first book that it had all the elements of a best seller?

I never thought of it like that. I wrote Beyond Grace’s Rainbow with the naivety that often comes with first books. I had no idea if anyone would ever read it, I had no idea if it would ever get picked up by a publisher. But it was simply a story that I felt I had to tell. Grace had been buzzing around my head for years, her story needed to be told, so I wrote it without even thinking about how it might end up. I must admit though, that when I finished it and read it through, I did fill that there was something special about the story. And I’ll be forever grateful that the readers seem to agree.

What made you decide to leave your old life behind and write full time?

So many things. The title The Life You Left could describe me too you know.  I worked for an American multinational for years, in sales and marketing. It was a demanding job and one that meant I worked long hours, often travelling away from home. I knew that when I started a family, the job just wouldn’t work for me, it wouldn’t allow me to be the parent I wanted to be. So with the support and backing of my husband, I became a full time mother and aspiring writer all at the same time! Initially, I wrote, but told nobody about it. But then one night, while I watched my then baby daughter Amelia, sleeping, I made a vow to follow my dreams. I felt that if I didn’t show Amelia that I could be fearless myself, how could I expect her to do the same when she grew up? So here I am. And I’ve never been happier.

How do you juggle writing with being a mum?

My family will always come first. So no matter what deadlines or projects I need to complete, if the children need me, that’s my priority. 

But likewise, I remind myself when I’m writing and not with them, that a large part of why I work so hard, is for them. I want a better life for my family. 

The children go to play school every morning, Monday to Friday.  I write then and when I collect them at 2pm, I go into Mummy mode. In the main it works out very well.

I feel a lot of guilt that my house isn’t tidier or that I’m not making sauces from scratch for home cooked meals every day. I used to bake, but I don’t find the time so much anymore to do that. But there are only so many hours in a day and I have to prioritize what’s important.  And that right now is taking care of my children and husband and writing.

The books have been compared to Jojo Moyes and Cecelia Ahern. How does that feel?

It’s an honour, it really is. They are both incredible authors and I respect them enormously.  A reviewer recently said that I was ‘the Irish Jodi Picoult’ and I have to say, that made me very happy too. If you looked at my kindle, you would see I have all of her books!

Are you fans of their work?

Absolutely. I adored Me Before You by Jojo Moyles and I recently finished One Hundred Names by Cecelia Ahern and was captivated by it.

They are both so deserved of their places in the literary hall of fame and I can only hope that one day I’ll have a fraction of their success.

What is next for you?

Life is so exciting right now, every day I seem to have a new experience that makes me smile! I’m writing a lot, with several projects on the go.  Priority is to complete my third and fourth novel, both of which I’ve about a third of the way done! I have some great events to attend, including the Festival of Romantic Fiction in UK and also the iBAM awards in Chicago. 

Things are busy right up to the end of the year, but I’ll be taking two weeks off at Christmas and disappearing! I cannot wait for that.

 


by for www.femalefirst.co.uk
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