The English Wife by Adrienne Chinn - Book Tour
The
English Wife
Two women, a world apart.
A secret waiting to be discovered…
VE Day 1945: As victory bells ring out across the country, war bride Ellie
Burgess’ happiness is overshadowed by grief. Her charismatic Newfoundlander
husband Thomas is still missing in action.
Until a letter arrives explaining Thomas is back at home on the other side of
the Atlantic recovering from his injuries.
Travelling to a distant country to live with a man she barely
knows is the bravest thing Ellie has ever had to do. But nothing can prepare
her for the harsh realities of her new home…
September 11th 2001: Sophie Parry is on a plane to
New York on the most tragic day in the city’s history. While the world watches
the news in horror, Sophie’s flight is rerouted to a tiny town in Newfoundland
and she is forced to seek refuge with her estranged aunt Ellie.
Determined to discover what it was that forced her family apart all those years
ago, newfound secrets may change her life forever…
This is a timeless story of love, sacrifice
and resilience perfect for fans of Lorna Cook and Gill Paul.
Purchase Links
Author Q&A
1.
What would you consider to be your Kryptonite as
an author?
Great question! Definitely procrastination,
which materializes in the form of dust bunnies under the bed which MUST BE
DEALT WITH IMMEDIATELY, YouTube videos about Dallas Cowboy Cheerleaders
eliminations, and Jewel Legend (the only online game I allow myself, because
otherwise I’d never get anything done)!
2.
If you could tell your younger writing self
anything, what would it be?
Keep at it. You’ve got this.
3.
What book do you feel is under-appreciated? How
about overrated?
Under-appreciated: Scouting for Boys
– lots of handy stuff in there.
Overrated: Any cookbook with the
word Kale in the title.
4.
Favorite childhood memory involving books?
I loved the coloured, multi-layered
anatomy section in the Encyclopedia Britannica.
5.
If you could dine with any literary character,
who would it be and why?
Rhett Butler. I’d make sure he did
give a damn.
6.
What fantastical fictional world would you want
to live in (if any) given the chance?
Avalon. King Arthur was an early
crush.
7.
Did you want to be an author when you grew up?
Yes. My mother said my first word
was ‘Book’.
8.
If you had to describe yourself in three words,
what would they be?
Persistent. Curious. Empathetic.
9.
What is your most unusual writing quirk?
I write on my bed with the laptop
propped on a pillow on my legs.
10.
What’s one movie you like recommending to
others?
I am a movie freak. I love old
Hollywood movies, musicals, foreign films with subtitles, indie films… One
movie? Hard to narrow down one. Some perennial favourites are Lawrence of
Arabia, Casablanca and Funny Girl. My favourite director is Wong Kar-Wai. All
his films are fantastic. Chungking Express always makes me laugh.
11.
If you could own any animal as a pet, what would
it be?
Dog. Oh, and dog. And then there’s
a dog.
12.
Have you ever met anyone famous?
Yes, quite a few. I worked in film
and TV for five years when I first came to the UK from Canada. And I used to be
a movie extra in Montreal.
13.
What is the first book that made you cry?Probably Calculus I.
14.
How long, on average, does it take you to write a book?My first published novel, The Lost Letter From Morocco, took 7 years, off
and on. My second novel, The English Wife, took 6 ½ months to a first draft,
not including the structural edit (3 weeks) and copy edit (1 week). The novel
I’m working on now, which I’m aiming at being the first is a series of three,
should take me 7 months to a finished first draft.
15.
How do you select the names of your characters?Some names come to me quickly – Ellie’s name in The English Wife did. I
like the name Eleanor and thought the diminutive version had a friendly ring to
it. I live in Burgess Hill, so Burgess became her last name. It took a while
for me to settle on Sophie’s name. I tired out quite a few before I settled on
Sophie. It had to be a popular name in England, but one that would be familiar
to a North American audience as well. Her surname, Parry, was my father’s
middle name.
If I’m writing a timeslip or historical novel, I always check the lists of
top children’s names in the year the character is born.
In my current book, set in England in WW1, and Italy in the 1890s, the main
story follows three sisters. I’ve named them after two of my great-aunts,
Jessie and Cecelia, and my grandmother, Ettie.
16.
What creature do you consider your "spirit animal" to be?Eagle. Birds are a great symbol of freedom to me. The eagle is also
mentioned on our family crest.
17.
What are your top 5 favorite movies?Lawrence of Arabia, Casablanca, Funny Girl, Some Like it Hot, In the Mood
for Love
18.
If you were the last person on Earth, what would you do?
Learn to speak to the animals.
19.
What fictional character would you want to be friends with in real life?
Rebecca. I’d like to find out what really happened between her and Max de
Winter.
20.
Do you have any advice for aspiring writers?
Believe in yourself. Keep writing. Keep reading. Watch good movies (they
really help teach drama, dialogue and pacing). Keep learning. Write some more.
Write different things (non-fiction, poems, plays, short stories – the
different forms help to stretch your writing muscles). Fail. Get back up. Fail
again. Get back up. Have writing friends you can moan with over wine. BELIEVE
IN YOURSELF.
21.
What book do you wish you had written?Anything by J.K. Rowling, because, hey, the bank would then be my best
friend.
22.
Tell us 10 fun facts about yourself! :)Hmmm.
1) I’ve played a scene in a
movie with Kevin Costner (back in 1984 before he was famous).
2) I used to find contestants
for quiz shows.
3) I met Alan Rickman at the
Black Swan pub (AKA the Dirty Duck) in Stratford-Upon-Avon in 1985 when he was
acting in Troilus and Cressida there that summer. I was with a group of friends
and he joined us for a drink.
4) I teach interior design
part-time in China.
5) My ex-husband is a Berber
who lives in the Atlas Mountains of Morocco.
6) I volunteered at Battersea
Dogs and Cats Home for several years.
7) I can touch-type 70 words a
minute. (I’m always rubbing out the letters on my laptop keyboards).
8) I’m a Newfoundlander.
Everybody else is a Come From Away.
9) My grandfather and my
great-grandfather were official court photographers for Edward VII.
10) I can do a pretty good Elvis
impersonation.
11.
If you could live in any time period, what would it be and why?I’m a 20th century girl. The 1920s sounds fun. I like the
clothes and Art Deco.
12.
What is your favorite genre to read?I like contemporary novels and historical novels
best. I like a great story, well told.
Author Bio
–
Adrienne Chinn
was born in Grand Falls, Newfoundland, grew up in Quebec, and eventually made
her way to London, England after a career as a journalist. In England she
worked as a TV and film researcher before embarking on a career as an interior
designer, lecturer, and writer. When not up a ladder or at the computer, she
can usually be found rummaging through flea markets or haggling in the
Marrakech souk. Her second novel, The English Wife -- a timeslip story set in
World War II England and contemporary Newfoundland -- is published in June
2020. Her debut novel, The Lost Letter from Morocco, was published by Avon
Books UK in 2019. She is currently writing her third novel, The Photographer's
Daughters, the first of a 3-book series, to be published in 2021.
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