Welcome fellow RNA member, Jill Barry...



                    Hi Jill! So great to have you visit my blog today - I am looking forward to catching up with                         you and your work. I love the premise of The House Sitter - one for my 'to be read' list. Let's                         start with my questions...

What did you want to be when you grew up?
Like many other little girls, I loved the idea of becoming an air hostess as they were known back in the day. I achieved my dream but not before gaining a secretarial diploma.

Coffee, tea or hot chocolate?
It depends on which time of day! Coffee to wake me, tea to calm me, hot chocolate to comfort me.

What genre do you typically read? Why?
I think women’s fiction best describes what I’m currently buying and borrowing. So, the romance categories plus women centred novels, contemporary and historical. I’ve moved away from lighter chick lit, in order to read more psychological suspense and books such as Julie Cohen’s Dear Thing. I read as much as possible because it’s important for authors to keep in touch with new publications as well as return to their favourites. We write to entertain and I look for that same quality in my own reading choices.

Share a favourite childhood memory.
I’m torn between cardboard box sledging down sand dunes in South Wales or watching my first ballet, which was Swan Lake, and absolutely magical.

Do you have any shameless addictions? Ie. Tea, Books, Shoes, Clothes?
Um, white wine and watching tennis. Oh, yes, I’m also addicted to buying too many jackets.

What do you think is the biggest challenge of writing a new book?
I tend to have more ideas than time, so deciding which project to pursue next and when to begin is probably my biggest challenge. I belong to the ‘write rubbish if you’re stuck’ school of thought, so refuse to sit and stare at a blank page.

Do you aim for a set amount of words/pages a day?
Sometimes. It’s more likely to happen when I’m writing a pocket novel and need to keep each chapter of similar length. Typically Aquarius, I blow hot and cold regarding word count achieved on a daily basis.

What are your thoughts on writing a book series?
I envy authors who have accomplished this. It’s great when readers say they’d like a sequel but so far my books are stand alones.

BLURB:

How much should you entrust to your house sitter? Your dog? Your clothes and jewellery? Your husband? 

When Suzanne and Eddie decide to move house, they neglect to confide in their friend and house sitter, Ruth. Against the dramatic landscape of Mid-Wales, a series of unfortunate events seem destined to ruin the couple’s plans, especially when they go away, leaving Ruth in charge. 

A tenacious estate agent and a prospective purchaser conspire to unravel the disturbing, malicious stunts. But how does a woman nursing a knee problem move so stealthily? Does she have an accomplice? Or is something far more sinister going on? 
  
The House Sitter is multi-published author Jill Barry’s first venture into fiction’s dark side, although she admits the novel includes a romantic frisson. But it is Ruth’s creepy, manipulative intrusion into her friends’ lives driving the story towards its near-fatal conclusion. 

Links:

The House Sitter, published by Crooked Cat:
https://goo.gl/DdvG8O - Kindle version

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