SECRETS WE KEEP BY FAITH HOGAN.... *GIVEAWAY*



Hi Faith! It's great to have you here - I'm looking forward to finding out more about you and your work. Wishing you all the best with your latest release, SECRETS WE KEEP! Let's start with my questions...

Hi Rachel, thanks so much for having me on your blog! It’s lovely to be here talking books, writing and the Duckworths!

1.     What do you wish men understood about women?
When I first saw this question, I thought, Gosh, there’s a long list! But you know, when you think about it, a little mystery is good. Often the best partnerships are between people who are quite opposite, so long as those differences aren’t at loggerheads. Having complementary differences not only makes you stronger as a team, I think, it makes life more interesting. The trick is to value the good bits and you’re really winning if you can prize the differences in someone else. So for example, I think there’s a lot to be said for a man who’s able to iron – on the other hand, the same man may not be enamored by my slap stick approach to his shirts! In saying all of this, I do think that we process things differently and when it comes to some things, being understood in terms of our emotions, you can’t beat those girlfriends

2.     Do you only work on one book at a time?

Very few writers work on one project at a time. At the moment, I’m deep in the middle of copy edits for my new book, Book 3, at the same time, book 4 is brewing in the back of my mind. I’ve got thirty thousand words down and I’m just itching to get back to it.

3        Who is your favorite fictional couple?

There are so many! As I’m writing this, I’ve just heard that Vera Duckworth – Elizabeth Dawn has passed away. I have to say, that she and Jack were a fabulous, rounded, funny couple. I’m not a big soaps person these days, kids and life have kind of taken over, but when you think about couples like Vera and Jack, Hilda and Stan – well, they pretty much had it all, didn’t they?
In terms of something a little more literary… ahem, probably like every other woman with a pulse, I adored the chemistry between Elizabeth and Darcy – I’m definitely more of an old fashioned girl with lots left to the imagination!

3.     Do you have a favorite quote that sums up how you feel about life?

You get a lot more with jam than you ever will with vinegar – in other words, be nice to people, it’s in everybody’s interest!

4.     Do you set daily writing goals? Word count? Number of chapters? Do you get a chance to write every day?

I so totally should! I tend to set writing goals with myself, but they are a bit of a moveable feast. For example, with edits, I’ll aim for the ‘next fifty pages’ or, or’ to the end of this section.’ When I’m writing a first draft, it’s much easier to set a goal, but too often, life seems to push those aside, so you’re paddling like crazy to keep up!

5.  What do you like better, Twitter or Facebook? Why?

I’m definitely a twitter girl! I like the fact that it’s instant, you can pass on the love (rt’s and likes) without feeling that you’re bombarding people you know in everyday life! I’ve met some lovely people through twitter, there’s a lot of good book people using it who reach out to you. It’s the place where I’ll link into blog posts and following someone doesn’t feel like you’re making a big commitment, you’re just getting your toes wet!

6.     What are you working on now?

Now, it’s book three! Copy edits are almost there and then the publishers will do their magic and it will be released on December 1st in digital format. The story kicks off on January 1st, it’s about two women who decide to shake things up a bit and their new years’ resolutions change their lives far more than they’ve ever imagined. I’ve signed a three book deal with Aria Fiction so this is the last book in that agreement. Next up, I’ve begun work on what I hope will be a three book set – this is also for Aria and I’m really excited about it!

7.     Tell us about your latest release and where we can find it

Secrets We Keep came out this year – it’s a story about family, secrets, lies and betrayal – oh, yes, there’s quite a bit of love thrown in there too! It’s set in the west of Ireland in a little seaside town called Ballytokeep and it kicks off at the start of the year when Kate Hunt finds an abandoned bathhouse and falls in love with it. She decides to make a new life for herself, surrounded by the family she’s never really known. In some ways she’s running away, except you can’t run away from what you’ve never had, can you? Ballytokeep brings together her past and her present and in the end, maybe it can help her find her happy ever after. This is a dual time novel and it focuses on Kate and her grand aunt, the lives they might have led and the fact that it’s never too late for a second chance.
It’s currently available in digital format and paperback from all major on-line retailers.


Genre: Women’s Fiction
Release Date: February  2017
Publisher: Aria Fiction – Head of Zeus
Two distant relatives, drawn together in companionship are forced to confront their pasts and learn that some people are good at keeping secrets and some secrets are never meant to be kept..
A bittersweet story of love, loss and life. Perfect for fans of Patricia Scanlan, Adele Parks and Rosamunde Pilcher.
The beautiful old Bath House in Ballytokeep has lain empty and abandoned for decades. For devoted pensioners Archie and Iris, it holds too many conflicting memories of their adolescent dalliances and tragic consequences – sometimes it’s better to leave the past where it belongs.
For highflying, top London divorce lawyer Kate Hunt, it’s a fresh start – maybe even her future. On a winter visit to see her estranged Aunt Iris she falls in love with the Bath House. Inspired, she moves to Ballytokeep leaving her past heartache 600 miles away – but can you ever escape your past or your destiny?

Extract from Secrets We Keep by Faith Hogan
‘I’ve never seen anything like it,’ Kate said. It was her first thought as they turned down the cove and saw the bathhouse snuggled into the cliff face. It was a turreted, stocky grown-ups sandcastle. ‘It could have been emptied from a child’s bucket,’ was her first reaction. It had been painted, white with a light blue trim once, then the waves and the spray had all but washed that away. It still sat proudly, if shabbily, on a huge flat rock, that upturned in a lip over the sea. It was a plate, large enough for any giant.
‘Genesis Rock – it’s a metamorphic rock, probably over a thousand million years old,’ Rita said. ‘Sorry, did I mention I taught geography and home economics, once upon a time.’
‘No, but I probably should have guessed.’
‘I don’t remember the bathhouse even being open. I could imagine that I’d have spent all my days here if I had.’ Rita looked at the washed white walls that reached high into the cliff face.
‘Well, Archie said they ran it for a few years, but he didn’t say when it shut.’ This place probably held sadness for Archie, if his brother died here. Kate couldn’t feel it. Instead, it made her feel energized, as though the sea was spraying something like an invitation deep into her lungs. It made her heart pound with an expectation she hadn’t felt in years. Even the deserted castle keep that loomed up in grey stone at the tip of the headland seemed to carry a hopeful secret in its towers.
‘It must have been lovely once. Even now, you can see.’ Rita rested her hands on the thick window ledge, her nose pressed firmly to the cold glass of the windows. ‘It looks like they just closed up one evening and never came back.’
Kate walked to the back of the bathhouse; it dug into the cliff face, as though the construction of one depended on the other. Alongside the building, a small narrow road clung to the cliff for a couple of hundred yards before it feathered off onto what counted as a main road in these parts. Far below, the waves lapped serenely against the stone. It was low tide now; Kate wondered how close the water actually came to the rock. ‘I’d love to get a look inside.’ Rita followed her round to the front of the bathhouse. They peered through a sea sprayed window for a few minutes. Inside, Kate could see there were tables and chairs, a small stove and an old-fashioned counter where once someone had taken orders for afternoon tea. ‘It’s a little cafĂ©, wouldn’t it be lovely if it was open for coffee?’ Kate mused, it was so much more than just a bathhouse.
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ABOUT FAITH HOGAN
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Description generated with very high confidence
Already an international best seller, Faith Hogan is an original voice in women’s fiction, she has been hailed as a Maeve Binchey for a new generation. Her stories are warm and rooted in a contemporary Irish landscape which has lost none of its wit or emotion thanks to its modern vibe.
Faith Hogan was born in Ireland.  She gained an Honours Degree in English Literature and Psychology from Dublin City University and a Postgraduate Degree from University College, Galway.  She has worked as a fashion model, an event’s organiser and in the intellectual disability and mental health sector.
She was a winner in the 2014 Irish Writers Centre Novel Fair – an international competition for emerging writers.
 ‘Secrets We Keep,’ is her second novel published with Aria Fiction. Her first, My Husbands Wives has been a top ten best seller and is currently available in paperback.

Twitter: @gerhogan

GIVEAWAY
Win a signed copy of Faith’s book Secrets We Keep!
http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/4be03017255/

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