Today, The Blonde Plotters are having a chat with SAMANTHA TONGE, author of FORGIVE ME NOT.

Thanks for popping by to visit us, Samantha.

Thank you for having me!

Please can you tell us a bit about your book, FORGIVE ME NOT?

This novel heralds a change of direction for me, moving from romantic comedy to women’s fiction – although I feel the story still has my signature warmth and I’ve been thrilled with the reviews it has received. FORGIVE ME NOT is the story of Emma, a recovering alcoholic who returns home to Foxglove Farm to make amends, after years away. However, there is no red carpet welcome and the book examines forgiveness from both sides – how difficult it can be to find and how hard it can be to give. Is it ever possible to truly forgive and forget?

And the inspiration behind it.

It really was written from the heart and the mental health challenges I have faced over the last couple of years inspired it. In 2016 I found myself sitting in an addiction clinic, due to a drink problem.  I attended AA and did the 12 step programme and a big part of this recovery process is to look at how your behaviour has affected other people and to make amends.

As well as writing from my personal experience I also did a lot of research. And I asked questions on social media. It soon became clear there is a lot of hurt out there and in the story I examine exactly why it can be so difficult to forgive someone and how all parties can move on.

Can you tell us a little about your route to publication?

I started writing in 2005 and finally landed a deal with Harlequin (Now HarperCollins’ HQDigital) in 2013, having signed with my first agent a couple of years before that. Previous to having my novels published I had sold over 80 short stories to women’s magazines – and collected around 80 rejection letters for my novels! I have about 5 unpublished novels under the bed but feel nothing is ever wasted. Those stories taught me a lot about writing, plotting and characterisation and I have cannibalised them since, using parts in other books. I now have a different agent and this year signed a two book contract with Canelo. Whilst the publishing world moves at a glacial speed, in my experience nothing stays the same!

What have you learnt that you wished you’d known when you started writing?

That whilst getting published is fantastic, it will present different challenges such as bad reviews or disappointing chart positions. Becoming a published author didn’t cause my mental health problems but it didn’t help them – and the last couple of years has taught me to manage my career in a much better way (I blog a lot about this). I keep my expectations under control. I don’t attach to the good or bad, now realising that both will change – for example one book might soar whilst the next won’t yet the one after that does… I also – and this is the most important thing – work hard not to see my career as me. My health deteriorated because I began to believe that if one book didn’t match the success of a previous one then I, Sam Tonge, was a failure. This is a dangerous way of thinking for an author, because it is a roller coaster career and the ups and downs can be soul-destroying if you let them.

What would be your biggest tip for a new writer?

See above! Getting published will enhance your life in an unimaginable way – but forewarned is forearmed… learn from my experience and realise you will face challenges that affect your emotions and self-esteem. The trick is to realise that all authors face these – that they are not personal, that they are part of your job and you need to treat your career as such and detach from the ups and downs. Yes, it’s a calling, a passion, a vocation… but you mustn’t let your writing become the main way in which you validate yourself as a person.

Bio

Samantha Tonge lives in Manchester UK and her passion, second to spending time with her husband and children, is writing. She studied German and French at university and has worked abroad, including a stint at Disneyland Paris. She has travelled widely.
When not writing she passes her days cycling, baking and drinking coffee. Samantha has sold many dozens of short stories to women’s magazines.
In 2013, she landed a publishing deal for romantic comedy fiction with HQDigital at HarperCollins and in 2014, her bestselling debut novel, Doubting Abbey, was shortlisted for the Festival of Romantic Fiction best Ebook award. In 2015 her summer novel, Game of Scones, hit #5 in the UK Kindle chart and won the Love Stories Awards Best Romantic Ebook category. Her new novel, Forgive Me Not, heralds a new direction with publisher Canelo, and is a story about acceptance, forgiveness and trying to put things right.

Book Blurb

Forgiveness can be hard to come by… An unputdownable new novel from bestseller Samantha Tonge

How far would you go to make amends?

When Emma fled her home at Foxglove Farm, she’d let down and hurt those who cared for her most. But now, two years later, she’s ready to face up to her past; she’s ready to go back.

But Emma’s unannounced return causes more problems than she could have foreseen. The people she knew and loved aren’t ready to forget, let alone forgive. And the one person she wants to reconnect with the most, her mother, can’t remember who she is.

Just as Emma starts to rebuild trust, an uncovered family secret and a shocking past crime threaten her newly forged future…

Sometimes simply saying sorry isn’t enough.

Perfect for readers of Ruth Hogan or Amanda Prowse, this is an extraordinary and unforgettable novel about running away from yourself – and finding a way back.

BUY NOW  Amazon UK

Links

Twitter: https://twitter.com/SamTongeWriter

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SamanthaTongeAuthor/

Website: http://samanthatonge.co.uk/