As I saw my new-born baby’s face for the first time I tried desperately to capture her face in my mind—to stamp it onto my eyelids. As she was taken from me I knew I might never see my daughter again.
38 years later…
‘You were adopted’. Three short words and Sabina’s life fractures. There would forever be a Before those words, and an After.
Pregnant with her own child, Sabina can’t understand how a mother could abandon her daughter, or why her parents have kept the past a secret.
Determined to find the woman who gave her away, what she discovers will change everything, not just for Sabina, but for the women who have loved her all these years.
From the bestselling author of Me Without You comes another touching, beautifully told story about the pain of separation and the enduring strength of love.
Today we are delighted to welcome Kelly Rimmer to the blog to talk about her new book 'The Secret Daughter'
Hi Kelly
Welcome to Sincerely Book Angels Blog
Thanks for inviting me by your blog!
What was the inspiration behind this novel?
I had the idea for the first scene first. Sometimes my ideas just pop out of nowhere, this was one of them! I pictured a loving woman who finds out she’s about to become a grandmother but surprises everyone with her reaction. I also quite desperately wanted to tell the story of the terrible impact forced adoption practices had on families here in my home of Australia. Two ideas kind of collided in this story.
Did you always want to be a writer?
I did go through a brief phase in primary school when I thought I’d become prime minister one day…but even so, I thought I’d write in the evenings ;)
What other jobs have you had?
I have also been very lucky to have quite a rewarding career in IT.
How did it feel when your first novel was published?
It was something I’d imagined for such a long time, and that it has happened at all – once, let alone twice - still feels a bit surreal.
Have you ever had writer's block? If so how did you overcome it?
It happens from time to time and I do think its par for the course. I am most vulnerable to writer’s block when a motivation or direction for a character or plotline is unclear. If I know exactly what I’m writing towards, the words tend to flow pretty easily. I am slowly learning that if the words aren’t coming, it’s because the bigger picture of the story or a character’s backstory isn’t yet clear to me and I need to do more work developing my ideas.
What motivates you to keep writing?
I couldn’t stop if I tried. It’s my stress relief, my fun, my therapy and my passion.
Do your characters moods ever affect your mood and vice versa?
Absolutely. I wrote a lot of The Secret Daughter when I was travelling overseas away from my children on a business trip. I was so excited to be there and it was only a few short weeks, but I fretted terribly for my kids. I knew my family was absolutely fine – in fact, I was video-calling them twice a day! But I did let that homesickness seep into the novel, and when I read back on it now, I vividly remember times when I was putting myself in Lilly’s shoes trying to wonder how on earth I’d ever have coped our separation situation wasn’t temporary.
As a general rule, if I am feeling a particularly strong mood myself when I sit down to write, I will try to work on a scene that matches to make the most of it!!
As for the ‘vice versa’ part of your question, I am the kind of writer who will sit at the keyboard and weep for what I’m putting my characters through. I’m definitely affected by their moods. I actually miss some characters when I finish a book - I probably take their lives far too seriously!!
What three pieces of advice would you give to an aspiring writer?
1) Don’t ever think of anything you read or write as wasted effort. Every word you read and every word you write helps you to find your own voice.
2) Do expect your first draft to be rubbish. Writing and editing are two different skills – just get that god-awful first draft done and come back later with your inner-editor to polish it up.
3) Do keep some kind of ‘ideas’ notepad. I tend to have concepts pop into my head and think ‘that’s gold! I’ll never forget that!’ and within about ten minutes that particular brain cell has been repurposed for the week’s shopping list…send yourself an email, carry around a notebook, write it on your wrist – but when ‘the muse’ speaks, make sure you’re taking notes!!
Who is your favourite author and why?
There are so many great writers – please don’t make me pick just one!! I’m immediately excited if I hear about any new release from Cecilia Ahern, Diane Chamberlain, Renita D’Silva or Jodi Piccoult. When I pick up a book – I want effortless prose, a scenario that makes me think and characters that make me feel. Those fabulous writers always deliver!
If your book was made into a film what song would you choose for the opening credits?
That’s a very hard question! I really don’t know…but I am a crazy Josh Groban fan so I’d probably try to find one of his…
Who would you choose to play your favourite character in the film of your book?
There’s an Australian actress named Melissa Bergland who I think could play Sabina. She’s quite a bit younger than Sabina is… Melissa Bergland is just an incredibly expressive actress and Sabina is a character who shows every emotion on her face – I think it would be a match made in heaven!
What is your next book about?
I’m currently working on a romance…and I mean…literally working on in the window next to this interview – and I am absolutely enthralled by these characters! I can’t wait to see where the story takes us.
Thanks for having me on your blog, Sincerely Book Angels!
It's been a pleasure, thank you for joining us.
Click here to read our review of The Secret Daughter
This Thursday (18th June) Kelly Rimmer’s The Secret Daughter is being launched into the world. A touching, beautifully told story about the pain of separation and the enduring strength of love.
The book can be pre-ordered now:
NetGalley: https://s2.netgalley.com/catalog/book/66671
About the Author
 |
| Pic sourced from KellyRimmer.com |
When my childhood friends grew out of make-believe games, I realised that I’d have to become a writer (or join the real world with them, but that seemed far too dull).
Several decades later, I live in rural Australia with my husband Daniel and our two young children, and when I’m not reading, writing, or daydreaming about reading and writing, I have one of those unfathomable IT jobs which no one outside of the industry really knows about.
