The front cover of Gilli Allan’s ‘Fly or Fall’ took me to the edge of a woman’s world and made me curious about her dilemma. I adore compelling characters who need the supportive shoulder of the reader. Before jumping into the woman’s dilemma, I needed to find out more. I asked Gilli, the author, to introduce the woman and present readers with an extract.
Dear Readers,
I am delighted to present Fly or Fall. Nell has been coerced by her husband into moving and she feels displaced, isolated and out-of-tune with the society she finds herself in. But despite herself, she is gradually drawn into this frivolous world where her principles are threatened.
The extract I’ve chose is quite near the end, where Nell’s belief in her family life and her marriage have been completely undermined, and the pressure to strike out on her own has become irresistible. It shows both her misgivings, even at this late stage, but also her powerful attraction to sample the forbidden fruit that is within her grasp.
I believe that readers would like to have Fly or Fall in their handbags because most will be able to identify with the story on some level. Most women have been tempted at one time or another, even those with a strong moral code, but this is not a “how to” book on cheating; it’s just the story of one woman – how she dealt with a turbulent time in her life, and the decisions she eventually made.
All best wishes,
Gilli Allan
Extract
‘You’re not here on the pull, are you?’ He grinned. ‘Now that would keep you out of the house.’
My earlier confidence was becoming ever shakier. ‘Why do you think that?’
‘The challenging way you’re sitting there … on your own. The moment I walked into the bar I thought, now there’s a woman who means business.’
‘Are you saying I look like a tart?’
He laughed. [….] ‘Never. Far from it. Get you another drink?’
I held the new glass of Cabernet, its bowl in my palm, the stem between my fingers. The downlighter shone through the wine, throwing a reflection, like a pool of blood, into my cupped hand. As I took my first sip, he leant towards me.
‘Tell me, would anyone do or have you set your sights on a particular target? I don’t always turn down a proposition.’
The glass rattled against my teeth; my throat narrowed to a dry, choking, pinhole and I could barely swallow. I coughed, put the glass down clumsily, and the wine slopped onto the wooden counter. I clasped my hands together.
‘I’m sorry.’ He laid his hand over mine. ‘You’re trembling. I didn’t mean anything … you shouldn’t take me seriously.’
My fingers curled tightly around his. ‘Sometimes I wish I could.’
The smile died away from his face.
‘Come on, let’s get out of here.’ His hand was under my elbow as I stood, but other than that brief contact, we walked out of the bar apart, abandoning our drinks.
Blurb
Gilli Allan
Wife and mother, Nell, fears change, but it is forced upon her by her manipulative husband, Trevor. Moving to a house she dislikes, in a town she has no connection to, she feels lost, cast adrift from all her previous certainties. Her life is further disrupted by the renovations Trevor deems essential. She finds herself almost living with a firm of builders, one of whom – Patrick – exasperates and intrigues by turns.
After taking a part-time bar job at the sports club she is gradually drawn in to the social scene of the area. Finding herself in a new world of flirtation and casual infidelity, she is torn. Should she emulate the behaviour of new friends or stick with the safe and familiar? A man she only knows as Angel holds a powerful allure.
But everything Nell has accepted at face value has a dark side. Everyone – even her nearest and dearest – has been lying. She’s even deceived herself. The presentiment of disaster, first felt as a tremor at the story’s beginning, rumbles into a full-blown earthquake. After the dust settles, nothing is as it previously seemed. When an unlikely love blossoms from the wreckage of her life, she believes it is doomed.
The future, for the woman who feared change, is irrevocably altered. But has she been broken, or has she transformed herself?
The Reviews
‘I found it deeply engrossing and sat up late into the night more than once, unable to put it down; it gathers momentum, like a snowball rolling downhill, hurtling towards its dramatic conclusion.’
‘Gilli Allan always delivers the best in realistic women’s fiction and FLY OR FALL soars; it’s an emotional tale encompassing motherhood, marriage, sexuality, painful pasts, rugged relationships and uncertain futures.’
‘The narrative is compelling, the characters are real and I believed every single word.’
Gilli writes ‘challenging and honest stories about women’s lives, documenting the downs as well as the ups.’ This commitment to real stories about real women is powerful. ‘Fly or Fall’ has been praised by the reviewers for gripping the reader until the end. Who doesn’t love a book where you must, must answer the questions before you can rest?
Jessie: Was it difficult to leave your characters?
Gilli:It was a wrench. Fly or Fall was complex and challenging and took me far longer to write than most books. I was sad to say goodbye to my main characters. Nell, who I’d put through such extremes of emotion, her close friend Elizabeth (the new-ager), whose close connections to the other players in the story are disguised, and David the beautiful young man who appears to have so much, yet is so embittered. And last but not least, Patrick – Jack-the-lad, chameleon, lothario, exasperating, attractive and unashamed liar.
Jessie: Leave me with one sentence to hook your reader.
Gilli: Will the allure of the unknown ever overcome the fear of stepping away from solid ground?
About Gilli
Always an obsessive writer, Gilli side-lined the hobby when she began work as a commercial artist. With motherhood Gilli resumed writing “seriously”. After the main-stream publication of her first two novels, Gilli went independent. Still a keen artist, Gilli has begun book illustration. She is now published by Accent Press.
Find Gilli @
http://twitter.com/gilliallan (@gilliallan)
http://www.facebook.com/GilliAllan.AUTHOR
http://gilliallan.blogspot.co.uk/
http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/1027644.Gilli_Allan
Please see all my extracts and excerpts at Book Extracts and my website and blog at JessieCahalin.com.
As if by magic, I am presenting ‘
It’s a story of magic rituals and rivalry in a 16th century Italian town.
Antonius watched the blue and amber flames as they crackled upwards, repeating the same patterns into infinity. He felt his body move to the rhythms, and realised they all moved in tandem around the fire. The music, the flames, and the night were as much a part of them as the blood coursing through their veins. The pace quickened and they followed, twisting and turning with fluidity.
His nose twitched as their combined scent wafted towards him—sage, elderflower, cloves, and others. Three crystals were then released into the fire—purple, white, and gold. Several loud cracks erupted into the air and multi-coloured sparks flew, with a hiss and a whine. In a low voice Savinus chanted. It was a mellifluous language he had heard during the rituals at the blue cave. He spread his arms in an outward motion, as if clearing away smoke.