The Silent Wife By Kerry Fisher ~~~~BLOG TOUR~~~~

February 26, 2017

The Silent Wife By Kerry Fisher BLOG TOUR

Today I am delighted to welcome Kerry Fisher to take part in my Q&A interview on Blog Tour today.

Can you tell us a little about yourself and background?

I live in Surrey with my husband, two teenagers and Lab/Giant Schnauzer. I write contemporary women’s fiction and when I’m not doing that, I like to cook, garden and drink wine with my friends. I also spend quite a lot of time gripping the car door and stamping on an invisible brake while my son learns to drive.

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

I started off writing travel guides for Thomas Cook, an opportunity that opened up because I was working as a holiday rep in Italy. That made me think that becoming a journalist wasn’t so out of reach for someone with no contacts in the industry. So once I achieved that, I became a book reviewer for Candis magazine and eventually I started to think I might be able to write my own book. I took lots of online novel-writing courses with the University of California to learn the craft. I was incredibly naïve about how hard it would be to get published and how long it would take!

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

I write contemporary women’s fiction for women, who in the words of my latest protagonist, Maggie, ‘have lived long enough not to expect a fairytale’. In other words, I write about ordinary women with real family lives, every day irritations and modest dreams, who find themselves in difficult circumstances.

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

I write in Starbucks (oh the glamour…) for three hours every morning, walk my dog, then faff about for ages, cramming in another big spurt when I’ve almost run out of time and need to go and pick the kids up. I write slowly and carefully and generally despair about halfway through that I’ll never pull all the various strands together and I’ll be exposed as a fraud and a rubbish author, with everyone at the publishers pulling ‘How do we let her down gently?’ faces. Somehow I get through that and eventually produce something that doesn’t make me want to hide in the understairs cupboard.

I’ve got faster as I go along. It used to take me a year to write a book, now I can do one in six months if I work very hard.

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

I usually take a tiny strand from someone I either know or maybe have just seen. It could be a way of pausing before they speak, of always seeing the negative side of everything, of taking over a room as soon as they walk in…it could be anything at all that stands out and captures my imagination. I never wholly base a character on someone I know because it’s too constraining – you end up trying to stick to the facts rather than choosing the elements that fit the story best.

Have you written about a personal experience in your novels?

I’ve used settings I’m familiar with – Corsica and Sardinia in THE ISLAND ESCAPE, Florence in AFTER THE LIE and Tuscany in THE SILENT WIFE – I’ve lived in all of these places and it was lovely to revisit them through my writing. But I haven’t written about anything that has happened to me personally.

What research do you do?

When I’m trying to think up an idea for a new book, I socialise as much as possible…listen to women in my target audience, what they worry about, what makes them laugh, their fears for their children, the stresses with their parents. I want to write about contemporary issues so to me, that’s the best research – and quite fun too. I am paranoid about getting things wrong though, so I do double-check so many minor details with experts in whatever field I’m writing about.

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

I’d love to co-write with Helen Fielding. The original BRIDGET JONES”S DIARY made me laugh out loud. Although my books have become more serious and darker as I’ve gone along, I would like to write comedy at some point.

What's your favorite book?

THE HELP by Kathryn Stockett.

What's your favourite food?

I’m a big fan of things like quinoa, chickpeas and lentils, which go down like a lead balloon with my teens. My children nearly left home when I made avocado ice cream.

What's your favorite film?

Dirty Dancing.

What's your favourite song?

Oooh, I have so many. I’m one of those people who simply cannot sit still if a song I love is playing. I am happy to rent myself out for any occasion when you need to get the dancing started – I don’t care if there’s no one on the dance floor! Especially if it’s The Mavericks Dance the Night Away, or anything by Kool & The Gang or Abba.

How can readers find out more information about yourself and your books? I love hearing from readers so please do come and chat to me!

https://twitter.com/KerryFSwayne

https://www.facebook.com/kerryfisherauthor/

All my books are on Amazon. The latest, THE SILENT WIFE, can be found here: amzn.to/2laQh9c

THE SILENT WIFE

by Kerry Fisher

Would you risk everything for the man you loved? Even if you knew he'd done something terrible?

'A heart wrenching and gripping tale. I was hooked from the very first page.' Write Escape

Lara’s life looks perfect on the surface. Gorgeous doting husband Massimo, sweet little son Sandro and the perfect home. Lara knows something about Massimo. Something she can’t tell anyone else or everything Massimo has worked so hard for will be destroyed: his job, their reputation, their son. This secret is keeping Lara a prisoner in her marriage.

Maggie is married to Massimo’s brother Nico and lives with him and her troubled stepdaughter. She knows all of Nico’s darkest secrets – or so she thinks. Then one day she discovers a letter in the attic which reveals a shocking secret about Nico’s first wife Caitlin. Will Maggie set the record straight or keep silent to protect those she loves?

For a family held together by lies, the truth will come at a devastating price.

A heart-wrenching, emotionally gripping read for fans of Amanda Prowse, Liane Moriarty and Diane Chamberlain.