Would you leave a very young child at home on their own – knowing that terrible things can happen in the blink of an eye? Lily, who is not yet three years old, wakes up alone with only her cuddly toy for company. She is hungry, afraid of the dark, can’t use the phone, and has been told never to open the door to strangers…
In the flat downstairs, a lonely and elderly woman keeps herself to herself but wonders at the cries coming from upstairs. Lily’s grandmother frets that she can no longer see her granddaughter since the child’s parents separated. Lily’s father hasn’t seen her for a while. He’s been abroad, absorbed in his new job and his new girlfriend…
A young woman lies in a coma in hospital – no one knows her name or who she is, but in her silent
dreams, a little girl is crying for her mummy…
And for Lily, time is running out.
Title: LILY ALONE
Author: Vivien Brown
Published by: Harper Impulse
Publication Date: Ebook already available
Paperback 5th October 2017
Link: UK:
Amazon
Author Q & A
Welcome to Sincerely Book Angels Viv, can you tell us..
What was the inspiration behind this novel?
I used to work in banking and accountancy – boring! But ever since my own twins were born almost 30 years ago, I have worked with young children – as a childminder, a language support assistant helping young Asian kids who speak no English prepare for school, and then as an outreach worker in libraries and children’s centres, bringing the magic of books and stories into children’s lives. It is fascinating to watch how babies and pre-school children develop in such a short time, with increasing skills, confidence and independence. But what if a toddler was suddenly left all alone? How would they cope? What would they think and feel? What would they be scared of? How aware would they be of basic household dangers? The germ of my idea came from those thoughts.
Did you always want to be a writer?
I never considered writing as a potential career, but it was always something I loved to do, starting with poems, then venturing into short stories before tackling longer fiction – all in my spare time. Learning to become a competent and successful writer, able to earn enough to live, can take a long time and many never achieve it, and it is only now that I am at home full-time and with a small income from elsewhere that I have felt able to do what I love most.
How did it feel when your first novel was published?
My first (self-published) novel, ‘Losing Lucy’, and my second, ‘How To Win Back Your Husband’ (both written as Vivien Hampshire) were only in ebook format. It was lovely knowing they were out there in the world and people were reading my work, but I am so looking forward to ‘Lily Alone’ coming out in paperback. At last, a real paper book to hold in my hand! I don’t drink so champagne is out, but I will probably celebrate with chocolate.
Can you please tell us a little about your publishing story.
I sold my first short story to Woman’s Weekly in 1993, under my then name of Vivien Hampshire, and have since had around 140 stories published in a variety of women’s mags. I also wrote articles for professional childcare and nursery magazines for a long time, and turned my hobby of cryptic crosswords into a ‘How to’ book which has sold really well. My first go at novel writing won me the annual ‘Best Opening to a Novel competition’ in The Mail on Sunday, although the finished novel never found a home. I self-published a short ebook novel, and then joined the Romantic Novelists Association (RNA) New Writers Scheme four years ago. Both of the novels I wrote under their guidance have now been published.
Have you ever had writer's block? If so how did you overcome it?
There are certainly days when I don’t feel like writing or find other things to do, but that is pure procrastination, not writer’s block! If I have a deadline or a story nagging at me to be written, I just get on with it.
What motivates you to keep writing?
I just love writing and can’t imagine a time when I will ever stop. It’s not for the money, or the fame, both of which are thin on the ground! It’s for me.
What three pieces of advice would you give to an aspiring writer?
1. It doesn’t come easy. You have to keep on trying no matter how much rejection you meet along the way. If you believe in what you are doing, never give up.
2. Meet other writers, join local groups, attend courses and conferences, join any relevant writers associations like the RNA. You will learn the craft, find opportunities and make valuable contacts. And when times are bad, other writers understand!
3. Try not to give your work away. Payment isn’t everything, and it may not equate to much per hour, but it acknowledges your time and sweat! No other profession would be expected to work for nothing.
What are you reading at the moment?
I have been bingeing on Milly Johnson for the last few weeks, I especially loved ‘The Queen of Wishful Thinking’. Milly manages to create fictional places with casts of very likeable characters, and some horrible baddies too! You just know everything will work out in the end. I like Veronica Henry for similar reasons.
If your book was made into a film what song would you choose for the opening credits?
All by myself, by Celine Dion
Who would you choose to play your favourite character in the film of your book?
My favourite character is a short and dumpy elderly widow called Agnes. She lives alone with just a cat for company and has terrible arthritis in her knees. She reminds me of my own granny. I think Judi Dench might do a good job!
What is your next book about?
It is another domestic drama, set in two time periods, charting the long history of a failing marriage from the 1970s to the present day, alongside the current lives of the grown-up children. We are still very much at the editing stage so no news yet of when it might be published.
And now think about the books you've read and just give the first one that comes into your head for our quickfire 'Which book round.'
Which book has made you:
Laugh out loud? ‘Barmy’, by Victoria Wood, including some of her hilarious early ‘Acorn Antiques’ TV scripts.
Cry your heart out?
A children’s picture book called ‘Tadpole’s Promise’, by Jeanne Willis. A tadpole and a caterpillar fall in love, but when they grow up and change into a frog and a butterfly they don’t recognise each other… and frogs eat butterflies!
Want to read it again?
‘Sense and Sensibility’, by Jane Austen. All human emotion is here!
Think more?
A really good dictionary. I love discovering new words and what they mean.
Wish it would be made into a film?
‘The Queen of Wishful Thinking’, by Milly Johnson. Romance, domestic violence, and the world of antiques. It would make a great TV drama or series.
Shocked?
‘I Let You Go’, by Clare Mackintosh, The absolute best book I read last year and with an amazing twist and some truly shocking scenes.
Scared? I never read horror or anything that would keep me awake at night!
Thank you so much for joining us on our blog today and good luck with the book.
Sincerely
Book Angel x
About the Author
Vivien Brown lives in Uxbridge, on the outskirts of London, with her husband and two cats. After a career in banking and accountancy and the birth of her twin daughters, she gave up working with numbers and moved into working with words and has never looked back.
