Women's Fiction
Date Published: 01-17-2022
Publisher: Cecil Press
While trekking across South America, Ellie Bartlett finds a mysterious guidebook that changes the course of her journey—and her life.
Ellie dreams of a life away from the sharp edges of New York City. Away from her creepy boss, shoebox apartment, and nights spent alone eating ice-cream. She’s desperate to find happiness and love.
After losing out on yet another promotion, Ellie quits her job and buys a ticket to South America. Arriving at her hostel as a first-time backpacker, she finds a mysterious guidebook filled with cryptic messages about life and love. Intrigued, Ellie contacts the previous owner, Bella, who wrote her name under the heading THIS BOOK BELONGS TO.
Her email lands in the inbox of Jerry Townsend, an architect and widower living in San Francisco. Jerry is barely keeping his life together as he juggles raising three daughters alone and construction of a museum in memory of his late wife—Bella.
Ellie and Jerry start messaging, sharing their fears, hopes and desires. Following Bella’s advice, Ellie embarks on a six-month solo adventure across South America, and over the course of emails, texts, phone calls and video chats, Ellie and Jerry’s pen-pal friendship develops into something more…
But can you fall in love with someone you’ve never met?
Is There a Message in Your Novel That You Want Readers to Grasp?
One of the key messages of
my novel is that taking a risk – in life or love – is always worth it. With just
one second of courage, you can break out of your comfort zone, have the
adventure of a lifetime, and let the world change you for the better.
Is there anything you find particularly challenging in your writing?
I prefer to write about places I have been and
experiences I have had (for example, a festival, specific food, people I meet)
as then I have something solid on which to base my story. When I have to write
something from scratch, the blank page can seem very daunting, and it’s hard to
know if readers will find it authentic or not.
How many books have you written and which is your favorite?
THIS BOOK BELONGS TO is my
debut novel. I have previously been a screenwriter, with three feature movies
produced, plus some documentaries. I wanted to write a novel because it allows such
a huge canvas on which to paint and explore settings, characters and themes.
If You had the chance to cast your main character from
An actor such as Blake Lively, Margaret Qualley
or Brie Larson would be ideal for the lead character, Ellie Bartlett. All these
actors have a youthful earnestness and innocence that is needed for the start of
Ellie’s journey.
When did you begin writing?
I always loved writing as
a child, and that developed into screenwriting and ultimately novel writing. My
second novel is more than halfway done so hopefully I can continue this momentum!
How long did it take to complete your first book?
It has been a five year journey writing this
novel, however that wasn’t full time. There were many months of waiting for
agents and publishers to respond to my emails and calls!
Did you have an author who inspired you to become a writer?
I have always read widely
across genres so there was no single author who inspired me to become a writer,
however a book by Torre DeRoche called ‘Love with a Chance of Drowning’ showed
me how funny, emotional and rewarding travel writing can be. If you haven’t
read it yet, I encourage you to buy a copy!
What is your favorite part of the writing process?
The stage of writing I love
the most is the planning stage as that is when you can be most creatively free.
Any and every idea is on the table, and the possibilities are endless. Whereas
editing can be a sad process because you are cutting out parts of your story
that you love, planning is exciting – and will often keep me up at night.
Describe your latest book in 4 words.
Woman. Travel. Adventure. Romance.
Can you share a little bit about your current work or what is in the
future for your writing?
My second novel is also in the genre of travel fiction, and follows a young
female travel blogger on a journey to India. It is more than halfway written,
so hopefully will be released soon!
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2 Comments
This was a great interview, thanks for sharing
ReplyDeleteGreat interview, it was great getting to know you a bit and your book sounds like one I will be reading! Thanks for sharing it with me and have a fantastic day!
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