Definitely tea! Actually, Iâm obsessed with this new tea I discovered which tastes like biscuits! I think itâs by Yorkshire Tea and it actually tastes so nice! Plus I donât need a sugar in it. So win, win!
Definitely going with the flow! In the future I may come up with a more structured approach but for my first book I just found myself constantly writing without much planning. Sometimes I would take a break for an hour or sometimes my break could last a couple of days, but the second a new idea came into my mind about how I wanted to proceed with the next chapters I was back writing again. I enjoyed it this way. I felt like I was writing because it was my hobby and my passion and not because I had to stick to a plan.
Hardly any! I really enjoyed English language and literature at school and I went on to study it again in college as an A-Level but I would say that is as far as my skills go. I have always enjoyed writing though, even from a very young age I was keeping a diary and would usually fill it up in no time at all! Pretty sure none of them were a literary masterpiece though, it would have just been me writing little made up stories and making out I was the new member of the Spice Girls!
I would say there is definitely a lot of me that comes through Mollie. I tried to make Mollie a stronger character though. The real story would have had to involve a lot of anxiety and depression, as that was the case during that time of my life but I wanted Mollie to have the strength to bounce back a little quicker than I could. I did show some aspects of Mollieâs struggles but for this particular book I wanted to keep it a little light, I didnât want her feelings to overshadow what Reuben was also going through.
Other than making Mollie stronger, I wanted to keep her fairly close to my true characteristics as possible. I wanted to put in the book all of the highs and lows. I wanted to write the parts where Mollie sometimes reacted badly to something or lost her temper because I felt that it was important to tell the truth. After all, the aim of this book was to share my story and hope people could relate to it. So honesty was important.
It was the best chapter and the hardest chapter to write. I loved writing it because it was almost therapeutic to get it down on paper. I also felt my Mum would have really appreciated that I made her quite an important character in the book. Reliving it wasnât easy though, I sobbed my heart out for a good couple of hours after I finished the chapter. I wanted to detail it as much as possible but I also wanted to keep it fairly short. I wanted to pay tribute to her but without overdoing it. Some things just canât be put into words and Iâm still healing.
Majority of the book was based on real issues and situations that we experienced. So much has happened in the past few years between myself and my mother-in-law alongside my husband and his Mum that it was hard to fit it all in. I chose which bits to add and which bits to keep out that werenât vital to the overall story. Even though these experiences were bad they have taught me a lot and ultimately made us stronger and above all else – it gave me a story to tell!
I really love Anna Todd. I only discovered her last year after I saw a new film on Netflix called After. The film itself was a little PG, but I soon realised that the film was based on a four part book series and theyâre much more mature. So I ordered them and read all four books within two weeks. I was absolutely hooked and it really reminded me why I used to love reading in the first place. Thanks to her, Itâs encouraged me to purchase more books and get back into reading. Which really helps with my anxiety and helps the boredom during this lockdown!
Yes! So without giving much away, The Mother-in-Law ended on a pretty big cliffhanger which has lined me up nicely to begin my second book. The second book will help answer any questions readers may have and tie up some loose ends. Iâm really excited to write it because a lot of interesting jaw-dropping moments happen in the next book! Also I will be touching on some mental Health aspects a little more this time. After this, Iâm very much interested in writing more of a serious thriller with adult themes.
Absolutely surreal. I cried happy tears! I just thought, wow, I managed to write this whilst fighting anxiety and depression as well as mourning the loss of my Mum. I was really proud of myself and it made me realise the things we are capable of achieving even in our toughest struggles. When I realised that, I wanted to dedicate my book to anybody struggling with mental health. I hope people know that even through those dark days we can do anything we put our minds too. Even though we can feel so consumed by things like depression, we canât forget that actually we are still creative and we still have interests and ambitions. We can still achieve those things. So donât let mental health make you believe you canât.
I really strongly believe that everybody has at least one great story to tell. We have all experienced something individually that gives us the tools and knowledge to put pen to paper and create a story people will love or relate too. So I would sit down and think about what youâre passionate about. What do you want to tell the world? Whatâs important to you? Do you want your book to have a message? Or do you want to entertain? Are your passions romance novels or murder mysteries? Once you can pin point where your strengths are, everything else should start feeling easier. I personally think the first chapter is the hardest. If you can get through that, you can do a whole book!
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OK, final question that I just need to ask . . . What did your mother in law say to the book?
She doesnât know! I know thatâs probably not the answer people will want but for now itâs true. I think because my husband cut all contact so she hasnât been aware of what we have been doing.
Iâm a little nervous about what she might try and do when/if she finds out. But we are quite well protected now by the non-molestation order.
I did repeatedly discuss it with my husband before the book was released. I wanted to be hundred percent sure that he was happy and comfortable with me releasing it. He was my biggest supporter and thought the book deserved to be out there. So we did.
Chloe’s book is available to buy on Amazon and she is working on her second novel, too!
