Frailty by Betsy Reavley ~~~~~~BLOG TOUR~~~~~

I am delighted to host Frailty by  Betsy Reavley today where you will find a Q&A Interview with the lovely Betsy Reavley and also my thoughts on Frailty with a 4 star review which is out now.

Can you tell us a little about yourself and background?

I’m happily married and have two, beautiful, clever daughters. We live in Cambridge very close to the river, which I love to walk along watching the birds and the rowers.

I moved around a lot as a kid and went to lots of different schools so it’s really nice to be settled now.

I enjoyed school because I’m a social person but when I was diagnosed with Manic Depression aged 14 things got messy and I had to drop out of education. It took me about ten years to get my life back on track and during that difficult time I found solace in writing. Thanks to a large dose of Prozac I’m now halfway normal.

When did you know that you wanted to become a writer? and how did you go about it?

As a child I always used to write stories and illustrate them. I also love art but as I grew up words became more important to me than pictures. Writing for me is very cathartic. It helps settle and focus my mind. After being a miserable teenager and writing lots of poetry I decided I wanted to try writing a novel. It took me two years to complete. I tried all the big tradition agents and publishers but no one was interested. It was a very dark book with a lot of graphic violence that wasn’t going to appeal to the mass market. In the end an Indie publisher, Joffe Books, gave me a shot and published the book. That started me on my journey.

Can you tell us what genre your books are and the audience you write for?

I writer psychological thrillers, which tend to have a very dark centre. I write books I would want to read and for others who are interested in the grim side of human nature.

What is your writing process? and how long does it take?

How long is a piece of string?! Depends on the book really. My first book took me over two years and my latest book, The Optician’s wife, took six weeks to write.

Are your characters based on anyone you know or are they just fictional?

I take inspiration from people I’ve met and am fascinated by real life killers, who influence how I shape my characters.

Have you wrote about a personal experience in your novels?

In my first novel the main character is a Manic Depressive. I used my experience of being hospitalized in the novel.

What research do you do?

Google, books and more google.

Who would you like to co-write with and why?

I’m not sure I’d be very good at co-writing. I like to do things my way.

What's your favorite book?

I can’t possibly choose just one! I’ve can name a few – Agatha Chritie’s And then there were none. Shutter Island by Denis Lehane. Afterwards by Rosamund Lupton.  The Shining by Stephen King. Shrine by James Herbert. The Famished Road by Ben Okri. Enduring Love by Ian Mcewan.   I could go on, but I won’t.

What's your favorite food?

All of it – except jellied eels and raw celery – yuk.

What's your favorite film?

I know it’s kind of geeky but I fecking love Star Wars. I also love Psycho, Moonlight Mile, One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest and so many others but I’ll stop before I bore you.

What's your favorite song?

Pretty much anything by Areatha Franklin.

How can readers find out more information about yourself and your books?

I’m a huge Facebook slut so anyone who want to find me can do there. I love chatting to people.

Thank you so much for taking part in my Q&A Interview

A massive thank you for having me on your blog.

The Book

How far would you go to protect your family?

Danny and Libby are about to face every parent’s worst nightmare.

When eight-year-old Hope Bird disappears without a trace, from the idyllic village where she lives, life for her family will never be the same again. Her parents know she would never have gone off alone and the police have no idea where she is. Then a child’s shoe is discovered and the case takes an unexpected turn. Soon a suspect is identified but this is only the beginning.

Will they ever find Hope?

Frailty is a haunting, gritty, psychological page-turner about the choices we make.

My Thoughts

After reading The Opticians Wife I couldn't wait to get stuck into Frailty. First of all I have to say that Frailty is a totally different kind of read to The Opticians Wife so if you expecting a twisted disturbing story  You might be slightly disappointed. Frailty is a whole different kind of twisted being on a totally different level with one of those subject matters that some readers may find hard to stomach. But for me I really enjoyed it.

So in this book we follow a story told from both Danny and Libby's point of view Where Eight year old hope disappears without a trace. Her parents know she never have gone off alone. Even the police have no idea where she is But the case takes an unexpected turn when a child's shoe is discover.

Being a parent myself this would be my worse nightmare and words cannot describe how I would feel. But the author has done a brilliant job of writing some very uncomfortable scenes and sensitivity is taken throughout the whole story.There is something about the style of writing that I truly love. And has always the author certainly knows how to grab the reader's attention from the very first page keeping you hooked until the very last page.

OMG and the ending…..I seriously didn't see that coming

I do have to say that for me this is more a crime story rather than a psychological thriller which is what I was expecting. And having read so many Crime novels I do think this is one of those stories that people will either love or hate! But for me this is a well deserved 4 stars which I highly recommend.