Adrienne Vaughan
Adrienne Vaughan has been a writer since the age of seven, from the moment she first sat at the kitchen table, thumping out stories about ponies, witches, and unicorns on her turquoise Petite typewriter. Today she writes award-winning, page-turning romantic suspense.
She visited my blog to chat about her novel – The Hollow Heart.
Jessie: The Hollow Heart and has a wonderfully tempting image on the cover. Summarise your book in two sentences.
Adrienne: Investigative journalist, Marianne Coltrane uncovers a devastating travesty of justice and with more than her career at risk, takes off to the west of Ireland to save her sanity. There, she meets Ryan Gorman, an actor seeking sanctuary from the media and a very dangerous fiancée. What can possibly go right?
Jessie: I haven’t read the book so could you read an extract to tempt me?
Adrienne: The whole episode confirmed one thing; he was the love of her life, but love of her life or not, she would never play second fiddle to Hollywood, his career or anyone else besides.
Jessie: Your books are very popular. Let’s face it who wouldn’t like a romantic suspense with Irish roots and a touch of glamour. What do the reviewers say about your book?
Adrienne: The story is just wonderful, moving from the cut-throat world of investigative journalism, through glamour, glitz and mayhem, and on to the perfectly-drawn setting of Innishmahon, where it continues as a very moving love story with an uncertain outcome and a gripping tale of the lives of a cast of characters I really took to my heart.Welsh Annie, Top 500 Reviewer
Completely compelling from start to finish. Thoroughly enjoyed this novel, so many different depths and very unpredictable. Not your average romantic story, twists and turns throughout which leave you surprised until the very last page. Amazon Customer.
This book had me laughing, crying and hoping things would turn out right. If this is the author’s first book, things bode well for the next one. L.A. Topp
Jessie: How did you feel when you had finished writing your book, and did you miss any of the characters?
Adrienne: I missed them all, desperately! Luckily my husband had read the manuscript, so when I told him I was busy plotting my next book he looked at me askance and asked, ‘Why? The Hollow Heart ends at a beginning. Go back, so we can find out what happens next.’
So I did – genius! Except A Change of Heart was so difficult to write I nearly threw myself off the nearest bridge. Luckily again, I have an earth angel, the historical novelist June Tate, my mentor, she managed to haul me back from the brink so “ all’s well that ends well.
Jessie: Who would you like to read your book and why? Â This could be another author, someone famous, a friend or a member of your family.
Adrienne: Meryl Streep. She’d read it and decide she just has to play Miss MacReady in the movie. Great! Because Meryl has the wherewithal to make that happen, and by the time it does, she’ll have roped in Pierce Brosnan to play Father Gregory and Aidan Turner to play Ryan. I already have Bill Patterson signed up as Marianne’s gruff Scottish editor Jack. And as for Marianne, well, I’d leave that to Meryl. Though, of course, I haven’t really given it much thought, Jessie, as you can tell.
Jessie: Why should I read the novel?
Adrienne: It’s pure escapism and can be read as quickly or as slowly as you wish. First read, it’s a pager turner, a gripping, roller-coaster of a story that moves right along. The second read is more layered, with descriptions becoming more vivid and the reader’s emotional connection to the characters deepening “ well, that’s what I’ve been told, which is extremely flattering and a bit humbling too.
Jessie: What is the last sentence written in your writer’s notebook?
Adrienne: ‘In the first glimmerings of daybreak, with the deathly moon merging its last candlelight in the blueing east, they walked slowly back.’ Sadly, not my work, but an excerpt from Demelza by Winston Graham. I’m late to discover this wonderful author, who allegedly described himself as ‘the most successful author no one’s ever heard of’. He writes like a dream. I’m always jotting things down that I hope will inspire me to be a better writer.
Jessie: What is the biggest challenge for an author?
Adrienne: In what today is an extremely crowded, shouty, look at me, I’m the next best thing in the marketplace, I would say visibility. The Americans – brilliant marketeers – call it discoverability, meaning how do author find their readers? It’s more difficult for an indie author like me, but still hard work even for those with publishers behind them who, at least, give them a shove onto what they hope might be the right platform. We’re very grateful to people like you, and indeed all book bloggers/reviews/flag wavers, without your support most of us would sink without a trace.
Jessie: What is the best advice that you have received as a writer?
Adrienne:
‘Never, never, never give up!’Winston Churchill
‘Write Crap!’ Julie Cohen.
I know Julie slightly better than I know Winston, obviously.
Adrienne is a writer of romantic suspense with Irish roots and a touch of Hollywood glamour. She is always leaping out of the bath to write down what her characters have just said to her, they do pick their moments She is desperate to be able to write faster, but a book is like a painting, it’s not finished till it’s finished and only the author/artist knows when.
You can contact Adrienne Vaughan at:
Website: www.adriennevaughan.com
Twitter:@adrienneauthor
Facebook: Adrienne Vaughan
List of novels written:
Fur Coat & No Knickers (Short story collection)
Please see all my interviews at My Guests and my blog at jessiecahalin.com.