This Thursday we’re welcoming Christie Barlow, a #1 bestseller in the UK, USA & Australia, to tell us more about her most recent book, Love Heart Lane, book 1 in her new series with HarperImpulse.

Please can you tell us a bit about your book Love Heart Lane?

Love Heart Lane is based in the enchanting village of Heartcross in the Scottish Highlands. The main character Felicity returns to her hometown after years of living in London. Feeling guilty that she didn’t see her beloved Grandmother before she passed away, she takes 2 weeks off her busy work schedule to go back home to visit her mother. Her arrival coincides with a blizzard and the arrival of huge drifts of snow but that’s not the only freezing she faces in Heartcross, as she’s about to encounter the love she left behind, and he’s not exactly overjoyed at her return! Will Love Heart Lane work its magic on old friends and the lover that Felicity left behind? Or will the ensuing catastrophe of a washed away bridge sweep all of her hopes and dreams away with it?

This is very much a story about community spirit. It’s about everyone pulling together at a time of crisis. There is also a wonderful sense of friendship and I mean real friendship, everyone there for each other when it matters.

And the inspiration behind it.

The idea for this series was born during lunch in The Cosy Club in Birmingham with myself, my agent, my editor and my boss from Harper Impulse. I wanted to create a series that was also standalone as I often felt bereft after parting company with my characters after only one book. As a child I’d often visit Scotland and have fond memories of the glittering lochs, towering mountains and the lush rolling hills which would take my breath away … I just had to write about them! 

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

I self-published my first novel and will always remember the proud moment I showed my children the finished product. I stood in front of them, with a book that had my name on the cover and the message was loud and clear. If I could achieve something by setting my mind to it, then so could they. I would have been happy enough if my demonstration of what hard work and determination could achieve had ended there, but it didn’t. I knew that a strong Social Media presence would be necessary to promote it – and sure enough, it circulated quickly and became the talk of the town. Within a few months, the first novel I wrote became an Amazon #1 bestseller in the UK and the USA. A few weeks later I landed a five book publication deal and an agent and recently I’ve signed a further contract with Harper Collins affiliate Harper Impulse and am currently writing book ten! I am a full time writer of women’s commercial fiction, specifically romantic comedy.

That’s incredible. What have you learnt that you wished you’d known when you started writing?

With every book I write I gain at least half a stone! I kid you not!

What would be your biggest tip for a new writer?

My advice for anyone who wants to become an author is go for it – anything is possible! We all have self-doubts when writing, but keep going and believe in yourself. Write a little every day, that way there will always be continuity, and make sure you read lots of different varieties of books (and always find time to read). Dreams can come true, mine did!

Buy your copy of Love Heart Lane.

Bio

Christie Barlow is the author of eight number one bestselling books and is currently published by Harper Collins. Her writing career came as somewhat a surprise when she decided to write a book to teach her children a valuable life lesson and show them that they are capable of achieving their dreams. The book she wrote to prove a point is now a #1 bestseller in the UK, USA & Australia. 

Christie is an ambassador for @ZuriProject raising money/awareness and engaging with impoverished people in Uganda through organisations to improve their well-being as well as Literary Editor for www.mamalifemagazine.co.uk bringing you all the latest news and reviews from the book world.

Book blurb:

Welcome to Love Heart Lane…

When Flick Simons returns to the cosy village of Heartcross she only expected to stay for a few days. The white-washed cottages of Love Heart Lane might be her home, but the place holds too many painful memories, and of one man in particular – Fergus Campbell.

When a winter storm sweeps in, the only bridge connecting the village to the main land is swept away. As the villagers pull together, Flick finds herself welcomed back by the friends she once left behind. And as the snow begins to melt, maybe there is a chance that Fergus’s heart will thaw too…

Links

Twitter @ChristieJBarlow

Facebook Christie Barlow author

Instagram Christie_Barlow

Website www.christiebarlow.com