Hallo, Hallo dear hearts!
As you might have gathered from how quickly I devoured & enjoyed blogging my ruminations over the Kay Hunter series last year – you might have also noticed I’ve become quite intrigued by Clare Chase’s new series whilst I still wickedly adore my beloved crime dramas & Cosy Historical Mysteries such as the Hiro Hattori novels, the Marjorie Trumaine Mysteries, the Samuel Craddock Mysteries, the Anna Blanc series and most recently, happily explored the Discreet Retrieval Agency much to my bookish heart’s delight. I should also mention I love the stories of Richard Storry who is in a class of his own as he writes very uniquely spun novels of Suspense.
This is an abridged list of my *favourites* whilst I should mention – this Spring on Jorie Loves A Story is going to be centred on Crime Fiction as I am continuing to read my favourites, seeking out new authors I’ve not yet had the chance to read and finding a measure of mirth in finding which novelists out there are writing the dramatic stories I love most out of this niche of literature.
When it comes to Contemporary voices in Crime Fiction – I have the tendency to lean harder on reading #LoveINSPIRED Suspense novels as I know I can *handle!* the content without having to worry about what I might find inside – which is why it is not often I find a new Contemporary Thriller I gravitate towards and why having found the Kay Hunter series, the Tara ThropeMysteries and now, the writings of Clare Gray are making me smile as I am finding there are some authors writing Contemporary Thrillers (outside of INSPY) of whom I can latch onto and find perhaps my next wicked good read!
This is why when Sapere Books mentioned this particular author was going on a blog tour, I couldn’t wait to spotlight her debut novel & ask her curiously pertinent questions regarding her debut release! Sapere Books is a new UK publisher I have discovered who is publishing quite a large collection of Crime Fiction – most of which I am actively seeking through my local library and am hopeful I can start reading some of their titles this Spring.
I am also quite aware of the fact they are also publishing stories within my particular genres of interest – from Women’s Fiction to Historical Fiction – I just decided to focus on their Crime novels first and then explore their catalogue of offerings in the other genres which speak to me the most!
Ahead of that bookish joy – today I am celebrating the publishing debut of Clare Gray!
Running in Circles
Subtitle: An international mystery with a heart-stopping twist!
by Claire Gray
You can’t outrun murder…
When Lucy Lewis landed herself a reporting job on an idyllic Thai island, she thought she’d found paradise.
But one day her dream turns into a nightmare…
A bomb goes off outside her hostel and there is more than one fatality.
Although the local paper she works for is mainly a tourist guide, the phone is soon ringing off the hook with people desperate to hear news of their loved ones.
Together with her editor, Steve Boyd, Lucy finds herself drawn into the investigation.
And things become more complicated when the dead body of someone connected to the paper washes up on the shore.
Was the bomb planted by terrorists? Are the two incidents connected?
Lucy finds herself running in circles as she desperately searches for the key to the mystery…
Places to find the book:
ISBN: 978-1912546336
Published by Sapere Books
on 26th December, 2018
Published by: Sapere Books (@SapereBooks)
Formats available: Trade Paperback and Ebook
This kicks off the Lucy Lewis Thriller series!
Converse on Twitter via: #Contemporary #Suspense, #CrimeFiction
+ #RunningInCircles & #ClareGray
Brew your favourite cuppa & enjoy this Wickedly Lovely Convo:
Contemporary Thrillers are amongst my most tentative reads as I never know how far the writer is going to take me visually into their story. For those of us who love reading Crime Dramas but sometimes opt instead to read Historical Mysteries, what can you tell us about your personal style for writing Thrillers set in the modern world?
Gray responds: It’s really important to me that I properly set the scene for the reader, and I like to draw them into the story by painting a picture, using lots of details from the setting so that they can really visualise the world that the characters inhabit. I want it to feel real to them.
You’ve described exactly how I want to feel transported as I’m reading – I not only want to see the setting but feel the texture of the novel where it is set. I love immersive stories where I feel I can honestly say I’ve ‘gone there’ to whichever locale and/or timescape I’ve disappeared inside whilst feeling so hugged close to the scenes, it is almost as if I’ve transitioned straight into the lead character’s shoes!
What inspired the creation of your character Lucy Lewis and what can you tell us about her that surprised you as you developed her character’s back-story?
Gray responds: I love books with strong female leads and knew that was what I wanted to achieve with this story. I trained as a journalist so I was able to use my own experience when writing about Lucy and Steve and their work for the Koh Star. I originally imagined that Lucy would get revenge on everyone who has wronged her, but as the story progressed it didn’t quite work out like that. She helps to pursue justice and she finds some closure.
Ooh we definitely share this trait in common! I personally adore finding strong female leads – especially in Crime Fiction but also Historicals. This is an interesting bit of trivia – how your own experiences helped shape a portion of the novel and the direction the character’s actions took as the story shifted forward. I can see how that might have been her first inclination – as it just makes sense really but I’m happy to find out she took another course! I keenly look forward to discovering what she did and how she found resolution.
What inspired you to keep the tension and heart-clutch pacing set at such a speed of harrowing emotions to where readers barely can breathe as their reading Lucy’s journey? Also, writing in first person is an interesting choice what inspired it?
Gray responds: I’ve always liked writing in first person; it seems to come naturally to me. I know it’s not considered the right way to go by some writers, and they advise against it. I did experiment with writing in the third person in an earlier draft but it didn’t feel right to me. I hope I have managed to keep the tension throughout. I really wanted to create a tense thriller that would keep people reading.
Hmm, I never understood the logic there – I mean, if a writer’s main instinct is to tell the story in first person, who is to say that is the wrong way round? I think each writer whose developing their own narrative voice and style of the craft should be allowed to choose which way is right for them or in many instances, which way is properly correct for each story they are writing. As perhaps the style might shift or maybe they’ve always have known which way suited them best. I say, follow your heart and your instincts – don’t listen to what others are chattering about! I only mentioned it myself because it isn’t often used but I never knew there was a reason why writers were avoiding it!
It is your pursuit of the tense thriller pacing I especially look for myself as a reader! Thereby, I think your instincts led you to the right outcome.
What did you feel was the most challenging aspect of crafting this story? The pacing leading into the conclusion or the inbetween bits where we get to tuck closer to your heroine and understand personal world?
Gray responds: I found the conclusion challenging to write. It’s difficult to tie up all the loose ends. I found during the editing process that sometimes I spent too much time dwelling on Lucy’s introspective personal world and that it could slow things down for the reader, so I had to cut out some of that aspect of the story.
I can fathom knitting up an ending to a Thriller has to be difficult – the ones I’ve read always make me question how the author reached that conclusion but also, how did they get all the tangents of the story to find fusion in the ending? I admire Thriller writers a heap for how they keep the continuity but also how they keep the pacing which engages with the reader. I can also understand how the character’s own introspection could prove a bit distracting – I bet knowing what to keep and what to edit out took a bit of time in of itself!
“Running in Circles” begins in Thailand – what did you love the most about starting this series in a place that isn’t often chosen for Thrillers? What did you love most about what you learnt about Thailand?
Gray responds: I visited Thailand in 2009 and had an amazing time. I really enjoyed setting my novel there as it gave me a chance to relive my experiences. The island in the story is fictional which gave me more freedom to put things where I needed them geographically. I also used experiences I had when travelling in Cambodia with friends as inspiration. I like setting stories in interesting places; the location almost becomes another character.
I definitely concur with you! Locations are characters because they add another dimensional layering to the story we’re reading. I love finding exotic locales used in fiction – as most often we are circling round the same settings, timescapes and countries – to find a new location that isn’t used too often I felt was a great draw. I do like re-visiting the locations used more frequently but what I mean to say is that I like the switch-up, too! It is refreshing to try someplace new and Thailand would definitely be a place that would have a unique perspective to lend the story! So happy to hear you used more of your living experiences to pepper in the background and to give more levity of authenticity to the story-line. I look forward to seeing those moments when I go to read the novel.
As this series develops, what can you share about the connection between Lucy and Steve? It appears their friendship is part of the foundation of the series overall – what did you want readers to takeaway the most from their close connection?
Gray responds: I really like the connection between Lucy and Steve. They work well together as an investigative team and I also think their friendship comes across as wholesome and sweet in a world that is often anything but. I hope that as the series continues their friendship will continue to strengthen, although they are both quite troubled people and there will inevitably be some ups and downs along the way.
I think this is honouring the characters well – recognising their flaws but willing to put in the time and effort to keep their friendship active and sincere. I think it represents IRL relationships and also builds on the fact that not everything is always rosy but if your true friends, you can come back together and move on.
As this is the first novel in a series, how many books are you planning to write or are you writing it organically one story at a time?
Gray responds: I’m taking it one book at a time but I hope to get at least three books out of the series. I’m working on the second book at the moment.
How smashing! Continued success in finding your muse for the series!
What drew you into writing Thrillers and what do you love about developing a cat and mouse chasing series? As the title eludes to the fact that your characters have to work hard to solve the mystery in front of them!
Gray responds: I didn’t exactly set out to write a thriller, I just knew that I wanted to craft a good and exciting story. Once I realised that my novel would fit into the thriller genre it helped during the editing process as there were certain conventions I could follow.
Now that is interesting! I thought for sure you had inked out the plan to write a Thriller – this is an interesting path towards that end and it is lovely to note because you took such an organic journey into the story in order to root out its genre.
Is there a member of the supporting cast you’d like to flesh out a bit more and have a more substantial role in the series?
Gray responds: I grew fond of all of my supporting characters, even the bad guys! But I don’t think any of them will be returning unfortunately.
Ooh dear my — I think those are the few characters I find the hardest to appreciate writing much less feel attached to as a writer. I think its because I never really favour them in the stories I’m reading so for me those are the ones I find most challenging to develop! The regular supporting cast of characters I find much more interesting – especially if they are only in-scene briefly or have such a minor role it makes the reader consider their presence and how that helps to develop the background of the lead character(s) lives.
When you’re not researching and writing stories what uplifts your spirit the most?
Gray responds: I live just south of the Lake District and I love getting out into the countryside as much as I can. I find going for a walk can often help me to think through any aspects of the plot that I’m struggling with too.
Walking in nature I must admit is a favourite of mine as well – there is something serendipitously beautiful about walking and taking a break in the natural world. I think it also helps us to break the cycle of constantly being in ‘work mode’ and to take a step back from our projects.
I am especially thankful to Ms Gray for answering my questions & for giving me a lovely glimpse inside her debut novel ahead of being able to read it myself. I love hosting debut novelists – to tuck into their writerly world, see how they crafted their stories together and perhaps, takeaway a few pieces of behind-the-book trivia as the conversation progresses! If your a ready reader of Crime Fiction, I hope this conversation might have sparked your attention & perhaps you’ve found a #nextread!
This blog tour is courtesy of: Sapere Books
Be sure to follow the publisher’s tweets to find the latest updates for this lovely blog tour! Most of us are socially engaged & you can happily find our tweets to share!
Similar to blog tours where I feature book reviews, as I choose to highlight an author via a Guest Post, Q&A, Interview, etc., I do not receive compensation for featuring supplemental content on my blog. I provide the questions for interviews and topics for the guest posts; wherein I receive the responses back from publicists and authors directly. I am naturally curious about the ‘behind-the-scenes’ of stories and the writers who pen them; I have a heap of joy bringing this content to my readers. This also extends to Book Spotlights & Book Blitzes which I choose to highlight which might have content inclusive to the post materials which I did not directly add a contribution but had the choice whether or not to feature those materials on my blog.
{SOURCES: Book cover for “Running in Circles”, author photograph of Clare Gray, author biography and the blog tour banner were provided by Sapere Books and are being used with permission. Post dividers by Fun Stuff for Your Blog via Pure Imagination. Tweets were embedded due to codes provided by Twitter. Blog graphics created by Jorie via Canva: Conversations with the Bookish banner and the Comment Box Banner.}
Copyright © Jorie Loves A Story, 2019.
I’m a social reader | I share my bookish life on Twitter
Wickedly just learnt of your debut #Thriller arriving by end of the year?After spending most of the year curled inside the #KayHunter Thriller series, yours felt as dramatically suspenseful as those installments – which are my favourite kinds to discover! Happy early #PubDay!?
— Jorie, the Joyful Tweeter?? (@joriestory) October 24, 2018
What a lovely night – I just sent off guest features for 5x authors and I am wicked eager to see where our convo takes us!! I'm so honoured to be on their #blogtours You should seriously check them out! ?
?@claireEsnail @Hollie_Babbitt @HeyMcCabe @jessikafleck @LillieLabyrinth
— Jorie, the Joyful Tweeter?? (@joriestory) February 8, 2019
You're quite welcome, Ms Gray!?Yours is part of my first guest features for @SapereBooks which I'm delighted over as I am seriously in love w/ their catalogue of #books!! Across genres – seeking them out via my #library & wickedly starting to engage w/ you guys on #JLASblog??
— Jorie, the Joyful Tweeter?? (@joriestory) February 8, 2019
?Definitely excited to be on your lovely #blogtour and am thrilled to bits I could host you with a guest feature!!?This marks my first tour with Sapere Books which is also exciting, I think! Here's to Tuesday!?
Congratulations on your #PubDay & debut!! ??
— Jorie, the Joyful Tweeter?? (@joriestory) February 19, 2019
.@joriestory | Author #Interview (#TuesNews)
Happily sharing this lovely convo w/ debut #CrimeFiction novelist @claireEsnail whose Running in Circles is set in Thailand; pub'd by @SapereBooks #Thriller
??https://t.co/jKifbfF8oq | #bookbloggers pic.twitter.com/DkV5Vv5ggO
— Jorie, the Joyful Tweeter?? (@joriestory) February 19, 2019
Comments via Twitter:
This is lovely, thank you so much for taking the time to blog about #RunningInCircles @joriestory https://t.co/9zkcM8pyvE
— Claire Gray (@claireEsnail) February 19, 2019
I had a heap of fun assembling this convo ? I loved being able to share it for the #blogtour via @SapereBooks!?You gave keen insight into your #amwriting life + narrative style which I truly appreciated it; think any reader who reads this convo will be excited #writingcommunity
— Jorie, the Joyful Tweeter?? (@joriestory) February 19, 2019
Don’t miss this great interview by Jodie with Claire Gray, the author of the wonderful RUNNING IN CIRCLES! Thanks @joriestory https://t.co/LWcP2uveNl
— Sapere Books ? (@SapereBooks) February 19, 2019
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