Portobello Book Blog

I’m very pleased to be joined today by Pauline Barclay. Pauline’s latest novel came out in September 2016 and you can order a copy online here: The Wendy House. Pauline is also behind the Chill With A Book awards for Indie authors and I’ll be sharing her guest piece about that soon.

Welcome Pauline. First of all, would you tell me a little about yourself?

Before I answer your question, I would like to say a huge thank you for having me on your fabulous blog and allowing me to share my details and my books.

I am from Yorkshire, UK, but have lived in several different locations including; Suffolk, UK, Surrey, UK and Holland.  Today, I live on one of the beautiful volcanic islands of the Canary Isles with my husband and our two gorgeous rescue doggies, who are our fur babies. I love to run, walk, cook, read, take lots of photographs, play around with my Photoshop and spend time with family and friends.

Years ago I gained a BA (Hons) degree from the Open University, today I spend my time writing fiction. I have six books published, plus a 20 minute short festive story. I am now busy working on book seven. My passion is to write about events that happen in life and change everything for those involved as well as those caught up in the maelstrom. I want my characters to sit at your side, steal your attention and sweep you up in their story. Stories that will bring tears to your eyes, have you laughing out loud and sometimes, what they share with you, will stay  in your hearts for a very long time.

I am also the person behind Chill with a Book Awards for Indie authors. www.chillwithabook.com

What inspired you to start writing?

No idea, but from being very young I have always written. I started with poems, short stories and once I wrote a song that was sung in one of my school assemblies when I was at junior school. Sadly this was not the best experience as the teacher announced the song had been written by Pauline… not my name, but another Pauline in the class!! Clearly I was not meant to be famous then or now. LOL! 

Tell me about your journey to publication

Long, hard and frustrating, but I don’t think I was the only person on that long and winding road or the only person on it today! Having said this, I did have many magazines published as I used to work in corporate communications. I used to write in-house magazines, press articles, articles for web sites and internet sites. Of course it wasn’t fiction…. or was it!

In a nutshell, what is your latest book about?

Not the easiest of subjects and an emotional one, child abuse. Though The Wendy House is fiction I was asked by a woman I met years earlier if I would consider writing a book on this subject. The Wendy House is not about abduction, but how the nearest and kindest of people can deceive. The Wendy House has been honoured with  an indieBRAG Award and has received some amazing reviews, one review says… “Writing novels that address social inadequacies is a time-honored tradition among the greatest of authors, from Charles Dickens’, OLIVER TWIST on down to Margaret Atwood’s, THE HANDMAID’S TALE. Barclay has just joined that esteemed small group with her latest release, THE WENDY HOUSE.” This still sends goose-bumps down my spine and leaves me speechless.

Do you have a work in progress just now?

I am busy working on another emotional story about a man who lives on the streets and has collapsed. The question is why is he on the streets in the first place? Until he lived on the streets he was surrounded by love and success so what could have happened?  It is still early days and a huge amount of work is needed before it becomes anything like a real book.

What’s your favourite book you’ve read in the past few months? Or favourite three if you really can’t choose!

My goodness this is a tough question as I am an avid reader. The Unravelling by Thorne Moore, Accidental Damage by Alice May. I could go on and on so will stop before I get carried away. 

                                             

What are you reading just now? 

The Final Echoes by Shirley Wells (March 2017). A Forensic Psychologist Jill Kennedy and DCI Max Trentham Mystery. I have read every one in the series.

How can people follow you or connect with you on social media?

I am always keen to connect with readers and chat to them.

My author page on FaceBook Pauline-Barclay

I am also on Twitter @paulinembarclay

On Instagram: paulinebarclay

My web site is www.paulinebarclay.co.uk

My Blog site is http://paulinembarclay.blogspot.com

And finally, if you could be a character in any book you have read, who would it be and why?

Oh dear, this is seriously tough as I spend much of my life living with characters in my head. Forgive me for not answering this question properly… *slinks away*

Thank you again for having me here Joanne, it has been fun.