THE RED DIE - an interview with Alex Macbeth

Today I have a very special guest - the fabulous Alex Macbeth, whose new novel THE RED DIE was published by Crooked Cat Books last month.  

Welcome, Alex! What prompted you to first start writing? What was the first thing you wrote?

I have to acknowledge the influence of my parents, both of whom were writers. When I was younger I hated books precisely because of that, but slowly reading, and then writing, grew on me.

Can you summarise the book in just a few words?

A dead journalist and a corporate scam threaten the integrity of an African nation. Can a disgraced policeman solve the case and survive?

That sounds fascinating, and it's at the top of my TBR pile. What was the inspiration for it?

The humility of some of the officers I met traveling in East Africa, especially in rural areas where the job is really tough. And Mozambique, where my family have lived for the last 15 years. While the book is completely fictional, many of the hurdles that the characters go through are based on everyday reality.

Did you do any research for the book?

Lots!

What does a typical writing day involve for you?

Finding inspiration for a scene and an image and developing it as best I can within my narrative.

How do you decide on the names for your characters?

Most of my characters are based on real people but adapted.

Do you plot your novels in advance, or allow them to develop as you write?

Good question. I like to plan but a novel seems to be what happens while you are busy making plans as an author!

Which writers have influenced your own writing?

McCall Smith, Mankell, Sjowall & Wahloo, Wa Thiong’o, Saramago, Chekhov,  Marechera, Gogol, Okri… almost every book I read influences me in some way, for the better or for the worse.

What has been the best part of the writing process…and the worst?

The best part is finishing a late draft of your novel and feeling satisfied with it. The worst feeling is the opposite.

Now the book is published and ‘out there’ how do you feel?

Under pressure to write a sequel/prequel.

Is there a message for the reader?

I hope so, I like to think the book challenges some of the stereotypes that people might have.

Do you have any advice for new writers?

Samuel Beckett’s words: “Ever tried. Ever failed. No matter. Try again. Fail again. Fail better.”

Wise words indeed.  What can we expect from you in the future?

A sequel to The Red Die is in the works. I also own a publishing house in Mozambique, Ethale Publishing, and I have several titles lined up there. Hopefully you’ll hear more from me!  

I hope so too, Alex! Thank you for visiting my blog today. Please come again!  

MORE ABOUT ALEX: 

Buy the book here! 
Alex's website 
Alex's Twitter 
THE RED DIE on Facebook

NAPALM HEARTS - an interview with Seamus Heffernan

Today I have a very special guest on my blog - fellow Crooked Cat author Seamus Heffernan, whose amazing novel NAPALM HEARTS was published yesterday.

Welcome, Seamus!  What prompted you to first start writing? What was the first thing you wrote?

I have a clear memory of being in second grade and writing a story about a young boy going on an airplane for the first time for a fun-filled family vacation - and the plane falling out of the sky and plummeting into the ocean. I thought it was great the way my family stared at it (and me) like there was something very wrong.

  

Can you summarise your latest work in just a few words?

NAPALM HEARTS is a detective story about a P.I. trying to find a hard-partying young woman, the trophy wife of a member of high society, who is in big trouble somewhere in London's seedy underworld. He's trying to be a real detective and do the right thing - but he's also trying to find a bit of meaning in what is a lonely life. 

What was the inspiration for this book?

I was always going to write a crime book and I lived in London for a long time. That, and a few lonely months in my own life, plus a bit of time spent on a those seedy London streets gave me ample material to work with.

Did you do any research for the book?

Yes, a bit. Mostly little things, though: police officer rankings, what British naval intelligence was called, some stuff about the Russian mafia and their tattoos. If you mess up the small details that can sometimes derail it for the reader who will then find it harder to trust you.

That said, it's a novel, not a dissertation, so there is always going to be some suspension of disbelief required and a few liberties taken by the author. All mistakes are mine and mine alone.

Typical writing day?

It's like the gym: I carve out time and force myself to do it. I have a theory that a lot of writers actually hate the process. I'm lucky in that I like the writing part, especially when you get going and it all starts to click. But the whole getting started part… well, that's always a lot trickier.

When I'm working, I will often have music on or play movies in the background, if only for the company and occasional distraction. Silence has always been off-putting to me, which comes as exactly zero surprise to any of my friends.

Do you plot your novels in advance, or allow them to develop as you write? Bit of both, I suppose. My original outline for NAPALM HEARTS was much different than the final version I wrote. Lesson learned: Sometimes you have to trust both your characters to guide you, as well as your own instincts when you're in the moment. 

Yes, I know - that's happened to me too! 

So for the second in the series I'm definitely taking a less structured approach. I read something wonderful George Saunders said recently, about not overthinking everything before you sit down to write. He said to do so was to cheat your subconscious from what it give you when you get going. I love that. 

Which writers have influenced your own writing? 

I think we're inevitably influenced by anyone we read, regardless of the medium. So I must acknowledge those whose work I appreciate, whether it's in books, TV, film or comics: Dennis Lehane, Richard Price, Douglas Coupland, Bret Easton Ellis, David Milch, David Mamet, Nic Pizzolatto, Warren Ellis, Mike Schur, Tibor Fischer, Ed Brubaker, Michel Faber.

Finally, any of us who dare put "crime fiction writer" anywhere near a résumé must willingly genuflect to Chandler and Hammet, of course. And they totally deserve it.

What has been the best part of the writing process…and the worst?

The best part is creating a story that resonates with people. It's probably the most human thing about us, to share stories. We all do it, all the time. Oh man, my boss reamed me out today. Hey, did I ever tell you I was in a band in college? Listen, I'm doing this cleanse and I'm literally gonna die if I don't get a burger. Watch anybody at a party, mingling. We swap tales to get to know each other.

Fiction is the natural extension of our need to share stories. That's why I write. This thing where we make up stories and throw them out into the world is just this wonderful, precious thing we get to do. I've personally decided to use that gift to write trashy detective novels, but what the hell. We don't all get to win a Nobel for Literature.

The worst part is writing a scene that's genuinely well-written, something you love - then realizing it adds nothing to your story, so you have to kill it. Every writer feels like Abraham standing above Isaac in that moment right before you hit 'delete.' 

Now the book is published and ‘out there’ how do you feel?

Relieved. Tired. Slightly anxious. But cautiously optimistic.

  

Do you have any advice for new writers?

Decide if you are willing to put a lot of time and work into something that you may never get any credit for, let alone make money from. If the answer is 'yes,' start. Hell, start small. Aim for a page a day. It adds up fast.

  

What can we expect from you in the future?

In no particular order:

·         The follow-up to NAPALM HEARTS.

·         A TV pilot script, a dramedy about the day-to-day grind of working in government from the point of view of the people who serve the public every day. A somewhat kinder, gentler The Thick of It, perhaps.

·         Meeting agents.

·         Getting by with a little more exercise and a little less sleep.

Other than that: NAPALM HEARTS may be ordered here.

And please get in touch with me through any of these:

Official Website

Facebook

Twitter

Instagram

Thanks for having me, Sue!

My pleasure, Seamus. Please come again!

SEEKING THE TRUTH - a guest post by Heidi Catherine

My blog guest today is my dear friend and fellow-author, the fabulous Heidi Catherine, whose latest book The Truthseeker was released last week.  The Truthseeker is the long-awaited sequel to Heidi's amazing debut novel The Soulweaver (about which more here).  

Welcome back, Heidi!  Please tell us more about The Truthseeker...

Do you believe in fortune tellers? Over the years I’ve seen many psychics and had numerous tarot card readings. I’ve even had my past lives read. And I’ve loved every minute of it. I’ve had readings that have been completely off the mark and others that have been so spine-tingling accurate that they’ve left me stunned.

I’ve often wondered why I have such a fascination with wanting to know to unknowable. But at least I’m not alone. People have been trying to read fortunes since the beginning of time, in almost every culture. Gypsies have travelled the land with crystal balls, kings have consulted sorcerers, messages have been slipped into cookies, tealeaves have been carefully examined, stars have been gazed at and palms have been read. Humans have always been curious creatures and I’m guessing we always will be.

I had a lot of fun creating one particular character for my new book, The Truthseeker. In fact, I named the whole book after her! The Truthseeker isn’t your regular fortune teller though. She’s an old woman who lives on the bottom of the ocean. People visit her in the murky depths to ask her questions about their lives. She’s quite a frightening character and certainly not someone I’d be lining up to visit, no matter how accurate she is.

Here’s an excerpt where one of the main characters, Nax, accompanies his girlfriend, Maari, to the Truthseeker’s house. Maari has questions she desperately needs to ask, but Nax isn’t so sure that seeing the Truthseeker is the answer…

A bony hand grabbed him on the arm and he jumped, tightening his grip on Maari.

‘Do you seek the truth?’ croaked the voice of an old woman.

The room filled with soft light and the Truthseeker began to take shape. She was small, maybe only five feet in height. Her back was crooked and her grey hair was wild. She wore a black cloak that wrapped around her shoulders and fell to the floor.

‘No,’ he said, trying to pull away. He wanted to get as far away from here as possible. But the Truthseeker’s grip was firm.

‘I seek the truth,’ said Maari, fire burning in her eyes.
The Truthseeker let go of Nax’s arm and turned away, sliding herself through the interior door.

‘Are you sure?’ Nax whispered. Maybe the others who’d come before them were right. Sometimes the truth is better left undisturbed. ‘Let’s get out of here.’


Maari looked at him, her eyes filled with tears. She turned and slid through the door behind the Truthseeker.
He went to follow her, but the door was sealed. He pulled at the rubber flaps, but they were sealed tight. He couldn’t get through.


‘Maari,’ he cried.

What was going on in there?
The room plunged into darkness and he sank to the floor, shaking with rage, fear and cold.
He hugged his knees to his chest and waited. He wouldn’t leave without her. He’d die here if he had to. Was this why the woman in his dreams had warned him to stay away from her? Had she known Maari would lead him into danger? Still, he didn’t care. He couldn’t leave her. His spirit was bound to hers.

The seconds ticked by as minutes. The minutes passed as hours. He waited. Would he ever see Maari again?

He kept his eyes focused in the direction of the door, waiting for her to emerge. It didn’t matter. His eyes may as well have been closed for all they could see.

A noise startled him and he stood, feeling the seal of the door with his fingertips. The cold rubber became soft skin. It was Maari.

‘Are you okay?’ he said, pulling her into his arms.
She didn’t wrap herself into his embrace as he expected. She felt stiff. Uncomfortable.


‘What happened?’ he asked, wishing for a sliver of light so he could see her face.


Have you ever visited a psychic? Why do you think we’re so fascinated with finding out our future before it has a chance to unfold?

Heidi Catherine can be found on Facebook, Twitter Instagram or on her website.

Book links:

The Soulweaver (Book 1)

The Truthseeker (Book 2)

The Shadowmaker (Book 3)

A MERRY DANCE - an interview with Sue Roebuck

My guest today is my friend and fellow-author Sue Roebuck.  I had the pleasure of working with Sue as editor of her forthcoming novel Forest Dancer, which will be released by Crooked Cat Books on 20th February.  If you want to be transported to Portugal without leaving your armchair, this is definitely the book for you.

Welcome, Sue!

Thank you, Sue, for inviting me to your blog today.

What prompted you to first start writing? What was the first thing you wrote?

The first thing I wrote was probably what prompted me to write in the first place.  I was fourteen and my illustrated (!) book filled a whole notebook and was about villagers in the south of England during WWII who were trying to get rid of an army training camp. I blame my brother for this – he named the characters (Willy Wormtongue being one of them). I DID win the class prize for it though.

Can you summarise your latest work in just a few words?

Forest Dancer’s main character, Flora Gatehouse, a classical ballerina with a London company, has recently lost her father, but she also suffers a blow when she fails an audition. She moves to a small cottage which her father has left her, in the magical fairytale hills just west of Lisbon. She endeavours to embrace the life in the small village with its dark secrets, and she falls for the forest ranger, Marco. But isn’t he married? And can she ever reconnect with her dream to be a principal ballerina?

Did you do any research for the book?

Oh yes! I know nothing of ballet nor forests so I did extensive research online and in the local library. No-one’s complained so far, so I must’ve got it right.

You didn't know anything about ballet?  I find that very hard to believe.  From the way you described it, I was sure you must have been a ballerina yourself!

Do you plot your novels in advance, or allow them to develop as you write?

Both really. My first draft is definitely the latter. When I go back to do the second edit I find so many inconsistencies that I generally work out the plot afterwards (I’ve always been known as back-to-front).

What has been the best part of the writing process…and the worst?

The best is when the story is developing and I know exactly what’s going to happen. Hours pass without me noticing them – it’s a lovely feeling because when I “come to” I feel so accomplished.

The worst part is getting stuck down a dead end. I’ve learnt that sometimes this can be solved by changing the point of view or making a minor character a major one.

Some people talk about “writers block” which is awful. From experience I think there are many issues that cause it: 

1. You’re tired and your brain’s had enough. 

2. You’ve suffered something stressful – like a bereavement – and, again, you can’t think of anything else but that. 

3. You’re scared. (This is my theory, remember). You’re scared you’re going to sit down at the computer and stare at a blank screen. From experience – this hasn’t happened. I force myself to sit down and I might write rubbish, but at least I write. But, also there’s often a little gem in that rubbish.

Now the book is published and ‘out there’ how do you feel?

Scared that no-one’s going to read it.  

I think we all have that fear about our own work!

Do you have any advice for new writers?

Don’t expect to get rich from writing. I know it’s “old hat” advice but don’t give up the day job.

Expect to be rejected and try and cope with how that feels. You do hear of authors getting accepted by publishers on their first try, but it’s rare…very rare.

Expect to receive bad reviews once your book is pubished and never respond to them. We can’t all like the same things, can we? I don’t like Star Wars – there, I’ve said it!  

Absolutely.  I can't abide soap operas or reality TV, and I've never seen a single episode of Game of Thrones!

What can we expect from you in the future?

Forest Dancer is the second in the “Portuguese series” (although the only thing the books have in common is that they’re set in Portugal, so they stand alone really).

The first book was Rising Tide, which is set in a small fishing village on the Alentejo coast. Leo, a deep sea fisherman from Alaska, and Piper, a coastal fisherman from Norfolk, UK, come to the village seeking answers.

The third book (which will be published by Crooked Cat Books later in 2018) is about a farrier, Joseph Barnaby from the UK, who has to run from a horse-racing mafia who are out for his blood. Joseph wants to be somewhere “at the end of the world” and lands up on a tiny stretch of land on the coast of the Island of Madeira.

Links:

Forest Dancer (paperback and ebook) on Amazon : myBook.to/ForestDancer1

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SusanRoebuckauthor/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/sueroebuck

Blog: http://www.susanroebuck.com

THE COMPLICATED HISTORY OF THE COCKTAIL - a guest post by Isabella May

My blog guest today is the fabulous Isabella May, who is here to talk about her brand new novel, The Cocktail Bar - and a little of the history behind it.

Welcome, Isabella!

Thank you very much, Sue for inviting me to appear on your blog today. 

I had always assumed the provenance of the exotic drink would have more than a few claimants, but it wasn’t until I began to properly do my research that I realised just how many… and just how diverse the stories behind their justification were!

To highlight this, we join the main character of the story, River Jackson (an ex rock star turned mixologist), who has decided to hitchhike from Guadalajara to Tequila – as you do - running into a mystical sage named Mercedes en route:

“No need to carry on to Tequila. Your journey ends,” she smiled to reveal two rows of crooked teeth, “and begins right here. Come inside and let me explain.”

His head told him now was the time to do a runner, not that there was exactly anywhere to hide. His heart somehow warmed in an instant to this apparition of a female and her child.

“How do you speak such perfect English?” he said, stunned at his ability to enter into routine chitchat as he also bent to enter the tiny doorway, immediately hit by the pungent smell of ribs, chili and oregano, simmering on a tiny stove.

“Everything is connected,” said the woman.

“But, you live here in deepest Mexico. Or did you go to school, college?”

“I’m surrounded by infinite intelligence, why would I ever need to do that?”

She sat on a colourful stool, picked up a bowl and began to peel lima beans, a task she’d evidently made little progress with.

“Okaaay, this is starting to freak me out now.”

“You’re welcome to stay for supper before you head back to the city,” she ignored his confusion.

“I um… I really wanted to check out Tequila actually.”

She stopped her peeling for a few seconds, studied his face and then carried on with the job in hand.

“It’s just that, well,” he turned to look for a seat and she pointed at a similarly Aztec painted stool in the corner of the room, which he tentatively perched on, “I’ve uh… I’ve been collecting cocktail recipes from locals on my travels for a few years now, got a book full of them, and as soon as the plane touches down in London in a few days’ time – I’m uh… I’m here with my band and we played at the VFG arena last night - that’s it, man, I’m outta the music industry, time to move on to ventures new.”

He paused briefly to take in the knowing nods of the woman now standing before him. “I’ve put in a sealed bid for a rundown pub, in the town that I grew up in back home,” he continued, encouraged by her approval, “gonna refurbish it, make it pretty, turn it into a cocktail bar as it happens. Bring my inspiration back to Glastonbury, give her a new lease of life and the locals a hangout to put a smile on their faces.”

“All of this I know,” she said. “Although, I hope you have never been fooled into believing in the legend of Princess Xoctl of Mexico,” she giggled a little then paused, her finger and thumb pinching together in the air, as if plucking an invisible idea that had just flown past her. “It was the cola de gallo that really leant the cocktail its current name.”

River knew the former hearsay probably was just that: hearsay. The theories as to the provenance of a cocktail had piled up thick and fast over the years, only adding to the drink’s intrigue. But his ears pricked up now as the old woman bread crumbed yet another possible story of the cocktail’s origins.

“You probably know it already, of course, but it was the sailors arriving on the Yucatan peninsula, hundreds of years ago, here in my country… it was they who inadvertently gave your future bar its name,” she wagged her finger as if to autocorrect any other ideas that had formed in his mind over time. “One day,” she patted at her apron for effect, “a certain sailor asked for his usual drac in a bar, but the bartender couldn’t find his trusty wooden spoon to mix the liquor up with - and it had to be mixed slowly, precisely,” she took to wagging her finger again, “that was of utmost importance… so he improvised, used the root of the plant instead. And from that day forward, every sailor coming to shore would visit a bar and ask for a cola de gallo, which I’m sure I don’t need to tell you translates as ‘tail of the cock’, cocktail,” she finished with a wink. 

(Extract taken from The Cocktail Bar, Isabella May)

And if this has whet your appetite to find out more about the unconventional tipples that appear in River’s Somerset-based bar – and Mercedes’ very important contribution to it, here’s the blurb for the book:

Rock star, River Jackson, is back in his hometown of Glastonbury to open a cocktail bar… and the locals aren’t impressed.

Seductive Georgina is proving too hot to handle; band mate, Angelic Alice, is messing with his heart and his head; his mum is a hippie-dippy liability; his school friends have resorted to violence – oh, and his band manager, Lennie, AND the media are on his trail.

But River is armed with a magical Mexican elixir which will change the lives of the Three Chosen Ones. Once the Mexican wave of joy takes a hold of the town, he’s glad he didn’t lose his proverbial bottle.

Pity he hasn’t taken better care of the real one…

http://myBook.to/thecocktailbar  - universal Amazon buying link

Bio:

Isabella May lives in (mostly) sunny Andalucia, Spain with her husband, daughter and son, creatively inspired by the sea and the mountains. When she isn’t having her cake and eating it, sampling a new cocktail on the beach, or ferrying her children to and from after school activities, she can usually be found writing.

As a co-founder and a former contributing writer for the popular online women’s magazine, The Glass House Girls - www.theglasshousegirls.com - she has also been lucky enough to subject the digital world to her other favourite pastimes, travel, the Law of Attraction, and Prince (The Purple One).

She has recently become a Book Fairy, and is having lots of fun with her imaginative 'drops'!

The Cocktail Bar is her second novel with Crooked Cat Books, following on from the hit sensation, Oh! What a Pavlova, published in 2017. Her third novel, Costa del Churros will be published in September 2018.

Twitter - @IsabellaMayBks

Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/IsabellaMayAuthor/

Instagram - @isabella_may_author

www.isabellamayauthor.com

HUNTER-GATHERER - a guest post by Val Penny

My guest today is the fabulous Val Penny, who is here to talk about the setting for her debut Tartan Noir novel Hunter's Chase.  I had the pleasure of working with Val on this book as its editor, and I can promise you a fantastic read.

Welcome, Val.  Over to you...

Thank you for inviting me to your blog today, Sue. I am very excited because my debut crime novel, Hunter’s Chase, is to be published by Crooked Cats Books on 2 February 2018.

The story is set in Edinburgh, the capital of Scotland. I think setting is very important to a novel and did consider creating an imaginary town for my main protagonist, Detective Inspector Hunter Wilson. However, I know the city of Edinburgh well as I lived there for many years and it has everything a writer could need. It is a diverse city with all different kinds of buildings and people. It is small enough that characters can move around it quickly, and large enough for it to be credible that anything I want to happen could happen.

Edinburgh is also a beautiful city, with a castle, a palace and a cathedral, wealthy homes, horrible slums, fine restaurants, fast food outlets and idiosyncratic pubs. It is home to an Olympic-size pool, the National Rugby Team and two famous football teams. It is also home to The Edinburgh International Festivals. What more could I or my characters want?Edinburgh is a beautiful city of around half a million people, and is situated on the south banks of the Firth of Forth. There are some lovely views across the Forth from Edinburgh to the county of Fife on the north of the river. There are three bridges crossing the Firth of Forth: the oldest is the Forth Rail Bridge, built in the nineteenth century, the Forth Road Bridge was built in the twentieth century and the most modern, a bridge for road traffic was completed in the early part of this century, named the Queensferry Crossing.

The delegated parliament of Scotland is where Hunter's nemesis, Sir Peter Myerscough serves as Justice Secretary. The Scottish Parliament has wide powers over how the people of Scotland are governed and meets in the Scottish Parliament Building, in the Holyrood district of the city. Following a referendum in 1997, in which the Scottish electorate voted for devolution, the current Parliament was convened by the Scotland Act of 1998 which sets out its powers as a devolved legislature. Since September 2004, the official home of the Scottish Parliament has been a new Scottish Parliament Building in the Holyrood area of Edinburgh. The Scottish Parliament building was designed by Spanish architect Enric Miralles. There was much concern at the time as the building was completed many years late and several times over budget.

Hunter Wilson is divorced. He lives in a flat in Leith, an area to the north of the City, and drinks in his local pub, the Persevere Bar. His home is also close to one of the main soccer grounds in Edinburgh, the Hibernian Football Ground – home of Hibernian Football Club, commonly known as Hibs.

The other main character, Detective Constable Tim Myerscough, is Sir Peter Myerscough's son. He lives across the city from Hunter, in the south-west of the city. He moves into a flat Gillespie Crescent between Tollcross and Bruntsfield. His local pub in the Golf Tavern, off the Bruntsfield Links.

A wonderful free activity to do all year round is to play golf on Bruntsfield Links. It is believed to be one of the oldest sites of golf as it pre-dates the seventeenth century, the short-hole course was founded in 1895. Situated south of Melville Drive, there are two courses available to play on. A summer short 36-hole course (open end of April to September) and a 9-hole winter course (open October to end of April).

DC Tim Myerscough’s father, Sir Peter Myerscough, lives even further to the south in the Morningside district of Edinburgh. From his large house he has fine views across the Pentland Hills, which are situated just outside Edinburgh. The reservoirs are picturesque and each hill is slightly different. If you are fit enough, you can go on top of all of the hills in one day.

Edinburgh is such a diverse and cultural city, home to The Edinburgh International Festivals that represent all aspects of art, three universities and several colleges and the Scottish national rugby ground at Murrayfield. It is the perfect place to situate Hunter’s Chase and the cases DI Hunter Wilson has to solve.

Val Penny is an American author living in SW Scotland. She has two adult daughters of whom she is justly proud and lives with her husband and two cats. She has a Law degree from Edinburgh University and her MSc from Napier University. She has had many jobs including hairdresser, waitress, lawyer, banker, azalea farmer and lecturer. However she has not yet achieved either of her childhood dreams of being a ballet dancer or owning a candy store. Until those dreams come true, she has turned her hand to writing poetry, short stories and novels. Her first crime novel, Hunter's Chase (set in Edinburgh, Scotland), will be published by Crooked Cat Books on 2 February 2018. She is now writing the sequel, Hunter's Revenge.

www.authorvalpenny.com

www.facebook.com/valerie.penny.739

Friends of Hunter's Chase - www.facebook.com/groups/296295777444303

https://twitter.com/valeriepenny

THE OTHER HALF OF THE STORY - a guest post by Heidi Catherine

Today I have a very special guest on my blog, all the way from Melbourne, Australia: the fabulous Heidi Catherine, whose astonishing and award-winning debut novel The Soulweaver is released on 19 January - just one week from now.  

Welcome, Heidi!  Please tell us a bit more about the inspiration for The Soulweaver.

According to Plato’s Symposium, humans once had four arms, four legs, two faces and were both male and female. They were strong, fast and powerful, making the gods so nervous that they slit them in half to weaken them. This of course made the humans miserable and they would go in search of the other half to their soul. When they found them, they would know it immediately, lie down with them and be filled with unparalleled joy.

This is such a romantic idea, even if being cut in half is a little gruesome! And although it fascinates me (so much that I wrote a whole book centred around the idea of soulmates) I don’t quite believe that a soulmate necessarily needs to be someone of the opposite gender – or even someone who’s a romantic partner. It’s possible to form a deep soulmate connection with your sister, your father, your friend or same-sex partner.

I’ll let Reinier, one of my characters from The Soulweaver, explain it for me in this short excerpt. To set the scene, he’s being questioned by Lin, whom he tracked down after a long search. She describes the feeling of meeting him as having seen him a thousand times, yet having seen him never. It begins with Lin asking Reinier why he was looking for her.

‘So you’re telling me that with all the people you remember from all your lives, you’ve come looking for me. Why?’

‘Because you’re my soulmate. The other half to my whole.’ He looked at her with those eyes again and she felt herself being drawn in. Her soulmate? That sounded awfully romantic.

‘I thought you said Matthew was my soulmate.’

‘I said he was your intended. That doesn’t make him your soulmate. It’s a common misconception that soulmates must be only of the romantic kind. It’s possible to have a romantic relationship with a partner who isn’t your soulmate, just as it’s possible for your soulmate to be someone other than your partner.’

Her cheeks flushed. ‘Right. I understand.’ It was like he’d read her thoughts. So he didn’t think of her in a romantic way. She was clear on that now. The feeling of embarrassment washed over her once more.

‘You and I have travelled through each lifetime together, always finding each other no matter where in the world we’ve been placed. In some lifetimes I’ve been your husband – your intended – in others I’ve been your brother, your cousin, your son, your best friend. In each life, we meet and help each other on our paths. When our life is done we return to the stars and wait for each other before being born again. Except this time. Mother sent you back without me. She sent you far away, hoping I wouldn’t find you. But as you see, even she’s not powerful enough to keep us apart.’

They sat in silence while she tried to absorb what he was telling her. His story was laughable. Then why wasn’t she laughing? Each word he spoke made sense. Each piece of information filled a piece of the puzzle that’d been bothering her since her earliest years. She had to hear him out.

I would love to hear your thoughts on soulmates. What do you think of what Reinier just told Lin? Was Plato on the right track? Or do you have other ideas about how it might work?

Heidi Catherine can be found on Facebook, Twitter or at her website. Her debut novel, The Soulweaver, is available for order now. She also has a free prequel novelette called The Moonchild, which introduces you to two of the main characters from The Soulweaver in the lifetime they lived before the book takes place.