Born Bad By Heather Burnside @HeatherBWriter @Aria_Fiction #GuestPost

To live is the rarest thing in the world. Most people exist, that is all.

Hello Lovelies,

Today on the blog, it’s my turn on the #BlogTour for Born Bad by Heather Burnside. Born Bad was published on the 1st of July, 2017 By Aria Fiction. This Crime/Thriller Fiction novel is Heather’s fifth and I think the cover is fabulous. I hope you enjoy our guest post. Thanks for stopping by, I love your visits.

Kelly xoxo

The Main Characters in Born Bar By Heather Burnside

Born Bad features brother and sister Adele and Peter Robinson who grow up in the suburbs of 70s and 80s Manchester. They are the children of a violent drunken father and a downtrodden and inept mother.

In creating my characters I have drawn on my own background as I was raised in a deprived inner city suburb until the age of thirteen when I moved to a tough Manchester council estate. My childhood and teen years were a real eye opener, and I witnessed a lot of deprived and neglected children during that time. Little did I know then that my experiences in the inner city suburbs would inspire much of my writing today.

In part one of Born Bad, I have shown some of the deprivation where, not only were Adele and Peter raised in a home filled with violence, but they also often went without basics such as new clothes.

I have always had a bit of a fascination for sociology although I’ve never formally studied the subject. I’m interested in how people react in a given environment or situation. For many children born into deprived and abusive homes, the cycle repeats itself. However, there are a few who manage to rise above their circumstances and better themselves.

Through the characters of Adele and Peter, I have demonstrated how children can react in different ways to abusive home environments. Peter follows a life of crime and part one of the book shows that he was hell bent on that path from an early age. Adele, on the other hand, studies hard to try to create a better life for herself.

I also think that adults play a huge role in determining whether a child will succeed in life or otherwise. In Born Bad, although Adele has the same upbringing as Peter, her grandmother is her saviour. Realising that Adele is very bright; she encourages her to study hard at school so that she might go to university one day. Adele’s school teacher is also a positive influence in her life. Peter doesn’t have those two positive influences as his grandmother just sees him as trouble.

It is also interesting how people who have been exposed to adverse circumstances often have a strong bond. It’s a mutual understanding and shared secrets that no-one else is privy too. So, although Adele and Peter follow a different path in life, when Adele gets into serious trouble, Peter is the one she turns to for help.

Adele’s childhood experiences have a knock on effect which mars her life through to adulthood. Her fight for survival continues throughout Born Bad and on to the following two books in the trilogy.

Born Bad - jacket

Book Jacket

Book 1 in this new, gritty Manchester crime trilogy. When your enemies get close, family loyalty is all you can trust.

Brother and sister Peter and Adele Robinson never stood a chance. Dragged up by an alcoholic, violent father, and a weak, beaten mother, their childhood in Manchester only prepared them for a life of crime and struggle. But Adele is determined to break the mould. She studies hard at school and, inspired by her beloved grandmother Joyce, she finally makes a successful life for herself on her own.

Peter is not so lucky. Getting more and more immersed in the murky world of crime and gangs, his close bonds with Adele gradually loosen until they look set to break altogether.

But old habits die hard, and one devastating night, Adele is forced to confront her violent past. Dragged back into her worst nightmares, there’s only one person she can turn to when her life is on the line – her brother Peter. After all, blood is thicker than water…

You can order your copy and have a sneak peek here ~