I am very excited to be taking part in the blog tour for the wonderful You Me Everything by Catherine Issac today. Catherine's novel has taken the book world by storm and is receiving some wonderful reviews. I was thrilled to be able to chat to Catherine about her writing as she introduces us to her latest novel and reveals where she gets her ideas...
Hello Catherine, a big, warm welcome to Bookaholic Confessions! Thank you
so much for participating in this interview. Would you like to start by
introducing yourself...?
I’m
Catherine Isaac, author of ‘You Me Everything’. I was previously known as Jane
Costello and wrote nine bestsellers under that name, including ‘Bridesmaids’
and ‘Girl On The Run’.
I am
really excited about reading your novel, You Me Everything. Can you tell us a
little more about it?
It’s about a single mum
called Jess, who takes her ten-year-old
son William to the Dordogne in France to rekindle a relationship with his
father Adam, from whom she’s estranged. The prospect of spending a summer with
her ex is Jess’s idea of hell, even if it does mean staying at Chateau de Roussignol,
the luxurious hotel he runs. But her mum, Susan, who is in the late stages of
Huntington’s disease, believes strongly that William should have a relationship
with his dad and Jess wants to honour her wishes.
How did you come up with the idea for the story?
It was after someone I know discovered that his mother
had been diagnosed with HD and I was struck by the ripple effect of the
condition and how it affected other members of the family. But I didn’t want to
simply write a book about a disease. I wanted to write about love, in all its
forms. I’ve come to think of ‘You Me
Everything’ as a love story in the widest definition of the term. It’s
about love at its worst and best, but most of all, it’s about finding every bit
of joy in life, no matter what is thrown at you.
Are any of the characters in You Me Everything based on anyone in real
life or are they entirely fictional?
No-body is based 100%
on a real person, but I’ve picked out the odd characteristic of people I know
and love. William in particular – Jess’s 10 year old son – was written when one
of my sons was the same age, so it made it easier to make his dialogue
authentic.
You Me Everything
has been receiving AMAZING reviews already! How does it feel when you hear that
a reader has enjoyed your book?
The reception to the
book has been phenomenal and when I hear that my work has affected someone positively,
it really is the most rewarding part of this job. That’s what makes social
media so great for an author – you have that link that years ago simply wasn’t
there.
What advice would you give to any aspiring authors out there?
I’ve been asked this
question so often lately that I actually ended up writing a whole section on my
website dedicated it. It’s at https://www.catherine-isaac.com/writing/ if you’re interested. But there are a few things
that are essential: read widely, write often (even if it’s only a little bit at
a time), prepare yourself for a lot of re-drafting and bumps along the way.
Who are your favourite authors and what kind of books do you enjoy
reading?
I don’t stick to one particular genre and enjoy reading as widely as
possible. I’ve recently discovered Audible, which I love because it means I can
have more than one book on the go at once. I love the classics – I’m currently
listening to all 36 hours of David Copperfield – but also a good thriller or a
sweeping, emotional story that really makes you think. My favourite book of all
time is Rebecca by Daphne Du Maurier.
And finally – can you tell us a bit about what you’re working on at the moment?
I’ve just finished
my next book, A Blanket of Stars, which is set partly in Italy and partly in
the UK which I’m very happy to say will be published by Simon & Schuster in
2019.
Click here to get hold of your copy of You Me Everything.
A huge thank you to Catherine for answering my questions and to Jessica at Simon & Schuster.
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