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Floating Solo by Shelley Wilson #Review

  Fancy taking a leisurely boat ride along a beautiful Warwickshire canal? Floating Solo by Shelley Wilson was published by Hillfield Publishing on November 5th. Are you single? Have you lost your confidence when it comes to travelling? Would you welcome a few weeks away to find that missing spark? Climb aboard the Creaky Cauldron for an adventure like no other! Budding entrepreneur Kat Sinclair wants to grow her quirky solo narrowboat holiday enterprise but faces rejection at every turn. Until a Hollywood film crew gets in touch with the potential to change her business, dreams, and love life forever. 'Enemies to lovers' 'Small town romance'   My Thoughts   You can't help but fall under the spell of life on the canals when you read this story. Kat has big dreams for her business but seems to lack confidence to put it into action. Her Floating Solo holidays are very successful for her clients and many use the experience to sort out their thoughts and plan their ...

The Holiday Cruise by Victoria Cooke **Blog Blitz Author Interview & Review**


It is time to set sail on The Holiday Cruise today for its Book Birthday Blitz. Author Victoria Cooke has agreed to answer some of my questions in a great author interview. First, however, here's a little about the story:
 
As if it werenā€™t enough to be cheated on by her husband of ten years, Yorkshire lass Hannah Davis is losing her beauty salon business too. Luckily, her big sister is there to pick up the pieces, but Hannah is desperate to find some independence.

Impulsively, Hannah applies for a spa jobā€¦on a cruise ship! Christmas in the Caribbean, springtime in the Mediterranean, whatā€™s not to like? But, despite being in her thirties, Hannah has never done anything on her own before, and sheā€™s terrified.

As the ship sets sail, Hannah has never been further from homeā€¦or closer to discovering who she is and who she wants to be.



Welcome to Books, Life and Everything. Thank you so much for agreeing to answer some questions on my blog about your writing.

Thank you so much for featuring me on your blog.

Would you like to start by telling us a little about yourself and how you started as a writer?

Iā€™m an ex-teacher who left teaching to go into business. After years of writing factual resources, business documents and teaching materials I really wanted to turn to creative writing. After my second child was born, I didnā€™t really need to go into the office as much and my maternity leave gradually morphed into writing time. Iā€™ve always been imaginative and have enjoyed reading and writing since being a child and when I had the chance to give it a go I went for it.

What is it about the romance genre which attracts you?

Iā€™ve always loved romantic comedy books and movies. I love the ā€˜feel goodā€™ aspect of them and the fact that the happy ever afters are almost obtainable for us regular people. You can put yourself directly in the shoes of the protagonist and whilst those cute storylines donā€™t always happen to us in real life, we can still buy into them.

Without spoiling the plot, please could you tell us a little about The Holiday Cruise?

The protagonist, Hannah, finds her world starts to fall apart when she discovers her husband is leaving her. Unable to cope, the business sheā€™s worked hard for starts to suffer and she basically hits rock bottom. After a chance meeting with a bubbly cruise ship worker, Hannah decides to grab the bull by the horns and apply for a job on the waves too. Her cruise journey takes us to some fantastic destinations and we meet a host of colourful characters including love interest, Ben.

How did you choose and research the locations in The Holiday Cruise?

Iā€™m fortunate to have been on several cruises before and most of the destinations in The Holiday Cruise, have been ports of call Iā€™ve visited in the past. I wanted to showcase the beautiful beaches of the Caribbean and the stunning cities of The Mediterranean which were amongst my favourites. There were just a couple of destinations I hadnā€™t visited, but because I wanted realistic itineraries had to include them. To research these places, I read lots of travel blogs, watched documentaries and YouTube videos and read traveller reviews.

People watching is part of the joy of being on a cruise for me. Do you feel the same and did you base any of your characters on anyone you have met?

I love people watching too. Some of the characters in the book were based on people Iā€™ve come across (not necessarily met). Sometimes, I might just overhear a snippet of conversation, and build my own interpretation of that person from a sentence theyā€™ve said. It may not represent them realistically but might be something I can form a character from.

The Holiday Cruise is perfect holiday reading! What do you like to read when on holiday?

Thank you ā€“ thatā€™s wonderful to hear. I like light or easy reading on holiday. I read romantic comedy, chick lit or thrillers usually.

Do you have any current writing projects which you can share with us?

I do. Iā€™ve just finished my fourth book, It Started with a Note, which is a romantic comedy set in France. Like The Holiday Cruise, itā€™s a journey of personal growth, but also a physical journey where the heroine walks the path of her WWI war-hero great-grandfather after finding some letters from him in the loft. There is a cast of colourful characters (I canā€™t wait for you to meet Martha) and a handsome hero to help her on her way.

Thanks for these great answers, Victoria. You've whetted our appetite for It Started with a Note.  

                                                                                    My Thoughts 

 If ever a book is a great holiday read, this has to be it. As the cruise ship sails through the Caribbean and Mediterranean, you can't help but want to escape with it. As the boat moves on, Hannah and Ben set about moving their lives on too and looking for second chances. I found Hannah's relationship with her sister most interesting, as she rebelled against being mothered and you have to wait to see if Hannah can come to terms with what her family mean to her.

    There is humour to be found in the crew and guests who you meet on the ship and in fact, the descriptions of the cruise ship, and the ports visited, have a credible and realistic feel. You can empathise with Hannah and the people she meets and I found her developing sense of independence to be totally believeable. This is a warm and feelgood read which makes for an enjoyable escape.

In short: A sparkling holiday escape.
                                                                              About the Author
 

Victoria Cooke grew up in the city of Manchester before crossing the Pennines in pursuit of a career in education. She now lives in Huddersfield with her husband and two young daughters and when sheā€™s not at home writing by the fire with a cup of coffee in hand, she loves working out in the gym and travelling. Victoria was first published at the tender age of eight by her classroom teacher who saw potential in a six-page story about an invisible man. Since then sheā€™s always had a passion for reading and writing, undertaking several writersā€™ courses before completing her first novel, 'The Secret to Falling in Love,' in 2016.

You can follow Victoria here: Facebook   |  Twitter   |  Instagram

Book link: Amazon UK 

Thanks to Victoria Cooke and Rachel of Rachel's Random Resources  for a copy of the book, the interview and a place on the event.


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