Hi Allie! It's great to welcome you back to my blog and be a part of your ongoing tour to promote your latest release, THE LAND GIRL - let's start with a few questions...
1.)
What is the strangest talent you have?
I often use my feet instead
of my hands. I don’t even know I’m doing it, but the other day a friend was
over and I realised from the look on her face that I’d just closed the
dishwasher with my toes (and I was wearing a skirt!).
2.)
What is the best Halloween costume you’ve ever
worn?
These days I’m usually too
busy sorting out my children’s costumes for Halloween. Our neighbourhood really
gets into the spirit of it and everyone decorates their houses. When I was a
child, I remember loving my cat costume. My mum made me some ears and a tail
which, combined with a black leotard and tights, made me feel very feline!
3.)
Are the titles of your books important?
I think they help me to keep
a focus on what the crux of the story is about. It’s easy with historical
fiction to be drawn off by the research into something that’s interesting, but
not central to the plot and I was guilty of that with my first title for The
Land Girl. I’m pleased the publisher changed the title to the one we have now
because the theme of my original title actually hardly features in the finished
story.
4.)
If you’re struggling with a scene or difficult
character, what methods help you through it?
I tend to do a lot of
thinking in longhand to work through any difficulties, then I go back through
and underline anything I’ve written that may be useful. I also go back to my
original planning notes for a character or plot point, and I often find that
the answer was there all along.
5.)
Do you prefer dog, cats or none of the above?
The two dogs we had when I
was growing up were such characters and an important part of the family, so
definitely dogs. We have two tortoises now and I really like how chilled out
they are, and how they’re never phased by anything, and as a veggie I like that
they only eat weeds.
Who’s your favourite author?
Why?
I always try to read widely
and so I rarely read more than one book by the same author, but there are a few
exceptions and Anne Tyler is top of that list. She is masterful at
characterisation and summing up what makes her characters both typical and
unique, and they are always people I’m sure I could, or do, know. And she does
all of that in just a few lines.
6.)
Do you have a pet peeve?
I really don’t like to see
white labels on left on the bottom of new shoes, especially heels!
7.)
Do you remember your dreams when you wake up in
the morning?
It’s frustrating when I’ve dreamt the answer to a plot
problem and I wake up with a satisfied feeling that everything is resolved, but
as I gain consciousness I grapple for what the answer was, and can’t find it. I
think I need to write to find the answers, not dream!
Blurb: War changes everything…
Emily has always lived a life of privilege. That is until the
drums of World War One came beating. Her family may be dramatically affected
but it also offers her the freedom that she craves. Away from the tight control
of her mother she grabs every opportunity that the war is giving to women like
her, including love.
Working as a land girl Emily finds a new lease of life but
when the war is over, and life returns to normal, she has to learn what to give
up and what she must fight for.
Will life ever be the same again?
About the author:
Website: http://www.allie-burns.com
Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/allieburns1
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/allieburnsauthor
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