Dream a Little Dream (30 page)
Liza had already made an appearance in
All That Mullarkey
. What made you give her a book of her own in
Dream a Little Dream
?
Liza Reece was too naughty and too much fun to abandon forever in Secondary Characterland as Cleo’s sister in
All That Mullarkey,
where I left her looking all loved up with Adam.
I know from readers who contact my blog, website, Twitter or Facebook, that they’re curious about what happens to characters after the last page of a book and I began to share that curiosity about Liza.
It was an interesting experience, getting into her head a couple of years later when everything had gone wrong for her and Adam. Superficially, she’d changed, but the old sparky Liza soon showed me how she was going to tackle the rest of her life.
What made you give Dominic narcolepsy?
It was a whimsical decision, to be honest. Liza was already a reflexologist and I wanted to use a non-PC comment that someone had made to me when he hadn’t wanted to pursue reflexology as an aid to recovery from illness. I could see Dominic making that same comment when Miranda dragged him to Liza for treatment. So I wanted to give Dominic a health issue that he didn’t think could be improved by reflexology.
In conversation with a writing buddy about the power of titles, on a tangential subject he said, ‘Life’s not a dream.’ And I said, ‘“Dream” – that would be a good word to include in one of my titles.’ And narcolepsy came into my head through association. The word ‘dream’ is connected with sleep but also with aims and aspirations and both definitions provided narrative drive.
Had I known what a complex and difficult-to-understand condition narcolepsy is, I may have chosen something else! But I became fascinated by it and it soon became a part of Dominic Christy.
So how did you set about researching it?
I read a lot –
www.narcolepsy.org.uk
was a fantastic resource, and also
www.sleep.stanford.edu
and a number of blogs, message boards and forums. My breakthrough came when, through the message board of Narcolepsy UK, ‘the real Dominic’, Dominic White, agreed to help me. To meet and chat with someone experiencing what Dominic Christy was experiencing offered me unparalleled insight. It wasn’t just facts about consultants and medication that was so valuable but that he was willing to share what sleep hygiene means, how narcolepsy affects career and relationships, how family and friends react or are affected, and how frustrating and difficult everyday things can be – which may be why many narcoleptics suffer from depression.
This is another book set in Middledip. Is it going to be the last?
No. There’s at least one more,
Is This Love?
And a novella. And a short story or two. So, no. I like it there.
Is Crosswind a real dog?
He’s a dog I saw skateboarding in Brighton. He skated right into the public library and I thought, ‘You’re going in a book.’
Many thanks Sue, we know your fans are going to adore
Dream a Little Dream
and we all eagerly await the release of
Is This Love?.
You can find out more about Sue by visiting
www.suemoorcroft.com
Sue Moorcroft is an accomplished writer of novels, serials, short stories and articles, as well as a creative writing tutor and a competition judge.
Her previous Choc Lit novels include
Want to Know a Secret?
,
All That Mullarkey
,
Starting Over
and
Love & Freedom
, which won the Best Romantic Read Award 2011.
She is also the commissioning editor and a contributor to
Loves Me, Loves Me Not
, an anthology of short stories celebrating the Romantic Novelists’ Association’s 50th anniversary and the author of
Love Writing – How to Make Money Writing Romantic or Erotic Fiction
. She is a Katie Fforde Bursary Award winner.
From Sue Moorcroft
Starting Over
New home, new friends, new love. Can starting over be that simple?
Tess Riddell reckons her beloved Freelander is more reliable than any man – especially her ex-fiancé, Olly Gray. She’s moving on from her old life and into the perfect cottage in the country.
Miles Rattenbury’s passions? Old cars and new women! Romance? He’s into fun rather than commitment. When Tess crashes the Freelander into his breakdown truck, they find that they’re nearly neighbours – yet worlds apart. Despite her overprotective parents and a suddenly attentive Olly, she discovers the joys of village life and even forms an unlikely friendship with Miles. Then, just as their relationship develops into something deeper, an old flame comes looking for him ...
Is their love strong enough to overcome the past? Or will it take more than either of them is prepared to give?
Visit
www.choc-lit.com
for more details including the first two chapters and reviews.
Find out more and purchase in the kindle store (
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Starting-Over-ebook/dp/B003Y8XQ74
)
All That Mullarkey
Revenge and love: it’s a thin line …
The writing’s on the wall for Cleo and Gav. The bedroom wall, to be precise. And it says ‘This marriage is over.’
Wounded and furious, Cleo embarks on a night out with the girls, which turns into a glorious one-night stand with …
Justin, centrefold material and irrepressibly irresponsible. He loves a little wildness in a woman – and he’s in the right place at the right time to enjoy Cleo’s.
But it’s Cleo who has to pick up the pieces – of a marriage based on a lie and the lasting repercussions of that night. Torn between laid-back Justin and control-freak Gav, she’s a free spirit that life is trying to tie down. But the rewards are worth it!
Visit
www.choc-lit.com
for more details including the first two chapters and reviews.
Find out more and purchase in the kindle store (
http://www.amazon.co.uk/All-That-Mullarkey-ebook/dp/B003ZK5R7S
)
