A House To Mend A Broken Heart By Alison Sherlock @AlisonSherlock @Aria_Fiction #Giveaway

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Today on the blog it’s our turn on the A House To Mend A Broken Heart blog tour. Written by Alison Sherlock and published on the 1st of July 2017 by Aria Fiction. So we have a lovely interview with Alison, get a cuppa, relax and enjoy.

Kelly xoxo

A House to Mend a Broken Heart - jacket

Book Jacket

Everyone is hiding from something. . . Full of warmth, laughter, tears and heartache. Find out if there is a happy-ever-after at Willow Tree Hall. Willow Tree Hall has seen much better days and has been the proud ancestral home of the Earl and Countess of Cranley for centuries. With no qualifications and escaping her past Annie Rogers takes the job as housekeeper to widowed Arthur, the charming current Earl of Cranley. After a bad fall puts Arthur in the hospital, it’s up to a reluctant heir apparent Sam Harris, to lend a helping hand and try to find a sustainable future for the Estate. With the house requiring a full renovation, Annie suddenly finds herself completely out of her depth with a team of dodgy builders and Sam watching critically from the side-lines. With Sam running from his past and Annie hiding from hers, just maybe together they can bring Willow Tree Hall back to life. The start of a beautiful new series focusing on the lives and loves, trial and tribulations of all those who live and work at Willow Tree Hall.

Alison Sherlock ~ The Real You Interview

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Welcome Alison, so delighted you are here today, could you tell our readers a little about your publishing journey?

I enjoyed writing stories from an early age. However, I assumed that being an author didn’t count as a proper job so when I grew up, I worked as a secretary, training administrator and answered an IT hotline. Once a bit older but not much wiser, I decided that I really had to try and write a full-length novel. So I gave up office life to sit at home and panic at what I had just done!

To fund my dream, I became a cleaner, the experience of which I used for my second published novel, The Desperate Wife’s Survival Plan.

A chance meeting with a literary agent at Winchester Writer’s Conference set me on the road to publication with my first book, The Desperate Bride’s Diet Club which reached Number 1 in the Italian book charts!

Describe yourself using three words?

Dreamer, dog-owner, chocoholic

What inspired you to write your first novel?

When I became engaged to be married, I quickly discovered the pressure on brides to look their best. The idea of a shy, overweight bride-to-be who joins a weight-loss club came from there and The Desperate Bride’s Diet Club was born.

What time of day do you like to write?

I find the afternoons are the best time for me – perhaps because by then the coffee has kicked in!

What is your favourite book and why?

You can’t make me pick just one! Ok, Pride and Prejudice is magnificent. Although Sense and Sensibility gives it a good run for its money. But I’ve also had well-thumbed copies of both To Kill a Mockingbird and A Town Like Alice for decades. Then again, Joanne Harris’ Chocolat is so beautifully written. As was the Time Traveller’s Wife. I love Philippa Gregory’s Tudor series. If I need a laugh, I go straight for Janet Evanovich’s One for the Money or any of her Stephanie Plum series of books. You also can’t beat Harry Potter for sheer joyful reading. Sorry. I’ll try to stop now.

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How did you pick the title of your book?

Thankfully the wonderful team at Aria came up with the title as mine are always appallingly bad!

Are the characters in your book based on real people?

I think they’re the favourite parts of my family and friends. Apart from the awful Cassandra in A House To Mend a Broken Heart who sprang from a hidden evil depth I didn’t know I had.

What’s your favourite word?

Love.

If you were a colour what would it be?

A sunny yellow.

Do you plan your story beforehand or go with the flow?

It’s mainly planned but there is always an unexpected moment in every book when a character will suddenly go off and do their own thing!

Who is your favourite Author?

After trying and failing miserably to choose my favourite book, I think it’s best I steer well clear of this question!

You are attending a dinner party with four fictitious book characters who would they be and why?

Albus Dumbledore – I think his small talk would be fascinating.

Vianne Rocher from Chocolat because the food would just be incredible!

Arthur, Earl of Cranley from A House To Mend A Broken Heart because he could certainly hold his own with Professor Dumbledore.

And Marley, because there’s always a dog hovering somewhere for any dropped food!

What book are you reading at the moment?

The Silent Wife by Kerry Fisher. It’s such a page-turner, I am absolutely desperate to find out what happens next.

Where in the world is your happy place?

With my family.

If you had one superpower what would it be?

To enable world peace.

If you could give any literary villain a happy ending who would you chose?

Severus Snape. Always. *sob*

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Are you working on a new project?

I’m currently writing the second book in the Willow Tree Hall series. It’s been so lovely to meet everyone again from book one and find out what happens to them all over a long hot summer.

Do you have any upcoming events our members can attend?

I don’t right now, unfortunately. All offers of glamorous events always gratefully accepted! But I’m always happy to chat on Facebook or Twitter.

You can read a sample from A House To Mend A Broken Heart and order your copy here