Title, genre, format
(ebook, paperback):
The Soul Room (Psychological thriller with a vein of mystery
running through it) – ebook, paperback, audiobook.
Return of the Morrigan (Contemporary psychological thriller with a
dash of ancient myth!) -ebook, paperback, audiobook coming soon.
The Call (Contemporary psychological thriller novella) ebook,
paperback and audiobook.
Argemourt (Psychological historical thriller set in the current day
and WWII)
Tell me about your
book/story:
My latest novel, Argemourt has been
a really emotional journey for me over the last two years, and some strange
synchronicities have happened around it.
I came up with the idea for the story after visiting the martyred
village of Oradour-sur-Glane in the Haute Vienne in France. It is now a national monument and the site of
one of the worst Nazi atrocities of the war (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oradour-sur-Glane_massacre). The place haunted me, and a story started to
grow inside me; one where a young army widow from the present day, and a PHD
student in Paris, through twists of fate, meet 75 years after the massacre in
the invented village of Argemourt; scene of a similar atrocity.
It’s been quite a journey writing
the book, with a lot of research required, including meeting and spending time
with some army wives in a barracks town in Hampshire, but I’m really proud of
how the story has turned out. I’m trying
to get people to think a bit, about what it means to live with humanity; and
how we need to be vigilant and give kindness in a world that seems to be
becoming more divided every day; but I don’t want it to be ‘preachy’, and
hopefully, despite it having some harrowing moments, it is ultimately a story
of hope.
In terms of the synchronicities I
mentioned earlier; when I approached the Anne Frank Foundation to get
permission to use the quote from her diary that opens Michelle’s part of the
book; they asked me to mention the date that she wrote it. I was amazed and unsettled when I saw that
not only was it my eldest son’s birth date, but also showed that she wrote it,
from her attic, in the very week that the SS Panzer Division das Reich was
carrying out its atrocities in villages such as Oradour-sur-Glane. The second synchronicity was how life
started to imitate art; with things happening in Europe in very similar ways to
things I had described in the story. I
suppose you could say I was unconsciously picking up on a wider ‘mood’, but it
was uncanny to see real life start to mirror my story.
What is the one thing
you’d like people to know about you (or, what is your secret superpower):
I’m an excellent curry cook – a
skill I have inherited from my dad, who would spend hours preparing wonderful
Indian feasts! Unfortunately for him, I
only ever wanted mild, creamy curries when I was younger, but although he is
unfortunately no longer around to enjoy it; I know he would be proud of how I am
now pretty much addicted to chili!
And just a few fun
questions:
Pen or Computer:
I feel sad when I think that we
could lose the art of handwriting because of the growth of computers, but I
touch type as fast as I think; so am able to get my stories down much faster
than if I had to handwrite them. And I
don’t know what I’d do without the ‘Find and Replace’ option in Word!!
Best writing snacks:
I can crave something sweet in the
afternoon, so maybe a nice strong coffee and a decent biscuit. On occasion, a glass of wine, or at this time
of year, a warming Whisky Mac, also oils the creative wheels nicely!
Craziest thing you’ve done
for story research:
Hmm, I don’t know about crazy, but
the time I spent interviewing the young army wives in their barracks town in
Hampshire was both moving and enlightening.
It was important to me that I could tell their story with authenticity,
so I really wanted to meet them in person.
Although I hate everything about war and fighting, I was filled with
respect for their resilience, and the sacrifices they made to support their
husbands and partners. As the Anne Frank
quote says, ‘we mustn’t forget, that women, too, are soldiers.’ Women in war generally just fight in a
different way – they fight to look after their families, and to keep things
going while their main support is away.
They fight to keep normality for their children when everything around
them is completely abnormal.
Where can people find
your book/story:
The ebook of Argemourt is out now
on Amazon/Kindle and the paperback is following in the new year. https://www.amazon.co.uk/Argemourt-village-haunted-people-present-ebook/dp/B07KTVTTJ7/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1543827394&sr=8-1&keywords=Argemourt
Any links and/or
pictures you want to share:
Readers can find out more about all
my books and find links to buy them via my website. If they choose to subscribe to my occasional
author newsletter they will also get a free ebook of my short story collection,
The Ring. www.corinnaedwards-colledge.co.uk. I also always like to meet new people via my
author page on Facebook: www.facebook.com/corinnaauthor
Thank you!
And thank you – been lovely
chatting to you, have a great Christmas & New Year!
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