Author Interview: Teresa Driscoll: Publication day for Last Kiss Goodnight

Last Kiss Goodnight by Teresa Driscoll

Release Date: 25th March 2016
Publisher: Bookouture

Genres: Contemporary Fiction

A big welcome to Teresa Driscoll to the blog today with a fab author interview on this, her release day for Last Kiss Goodnight. Thank you for joining us Teresa.

Do you write under your real name or is this a pen name you use?

Teresa Driscoll is my real maiden name and has always been my by-line as a writer.  I was a journalist for many years and have never forgotten the thrill of first seeing my name in print. To now see it on the cover of my novels  is just wonderful.

Where are you from?

I was born in Hampshire but moved a lot as a child as my father was in the army. I’ve lived in beautiful Devon for nearly 25 years now and absolutely love it.

List 3 interesting facts about yourself.

 

I worked in television as a news presenter for 15 years and for one BBC Children in Need wore an Elizabeth the First costume  with a Glenda  Jackson name tag inside!

I was once sent to interview the real Father Christmas in Lapland for a newspaper feature and he let me borrow his snow-mobile.

I am a secret whistler which I realise is very unladylike. I have yet to hit the top note for the Silent Witness theme tune.

What was the first thing you ever had published?

My first job was as a newspaper reporter. I wrote several articles in my first week . They were all published which felt surreal. 

Do you have a writing routine?

Yes – I’m pretty disciplined. I work best in the mornings and set a goal of at least 1,000 words per day when I am working on a new book.

Do you have any writing rituals? 

Just very good coffee and a beautiful new notebook for every novel.  My latest is pink with gold hearts and I can’t stop gazing at it.

Where did the idea for your most recent book come from?

Last Kiss Goodnight tells the story of lost children and the power of maternal love. The inspiration came from a story I was sent to cover years ago while a television reporter for Thames TV news. A group of women were releasing balloons near the House of Commons to launch a campaign. Each balloon, I learned, represented a child who could not be found. The reasons for the estrangements were varied but all the mothers’ stories were heartbreaking. I have always been slightly haunted by the memory of all those balloons. 

Who was the first person you shared your book with?

 

I am lucky enough  to have a fabulous literary agent called Madeleine Milburn so she gets to see my work first. When working under contract, it’s then my editor I liaise with over edits.

Do you have a current work in progress?

For the first time ever I am working on two books at the same time which is completely MAD and not something I would recommend. The problem is I completely  love them both and just can’t decide which to finish first. I sent the outlines and openings to my agent and she likes them both too….so I’m aiming to get both first drafts finished before deciding which to polish/edit first. 

Do you have any advice for budding authors?

Don’t write two books at the same time! No…seriously. Keep going! Believe in yourself and don’t be put off by rejection. When I first started writing fiction, I had lots of near misses. In the end it took me ten years  to get a deal and then suddenly my debut novel Recipes for Melissa had seven German publishers bidding for it in an auction at the Frankfurt Book fair! It’s now to be published in six languages so you should never give up.

About the Author

Teresa Driscoll is a journalist and author with 25 years' experience across newspapers, magazines and television. After training as a newspaper reporter, she joined Thames TV for five years before 15 years as the anchor of the BBC's south west regional TV news programme Spotlight.

Teresa's debut novel RECIPES FOR MELISSA was auctioned at the Frankfurt book fair between seven German publishers and has since sold in seven countries. As well as the UK and Germany, it will be published in Brazil, Israel, the Czech Republic, Korea and Portugal. Her second novel Last Kiss Goodnight is published on March 25 2016.

 
Teresa blogs regularly about her "writing life" at her website.  She lives in glorious Devon with her husband and two sons.

Author links – Website: www.teresadriscoll.com

                              Twitter: @TeresaDriscoll

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

Book Blurb 

Last Kiss Goodnight.

I stroked the top of my baby’s head and whispered to him gently that I would find a way. I will not let them take you… 

Once upon a time Kate’s life was full of love and smiles and laughter. A time where she dared to dream and hope. But then her perfect family unit is shattered in the most unthinkable way. And now Kate is silently and steadily falling apart. 

When she meets Martha, Kate recognizes a kindred spirit. Martha is searching for a lost love; tragedy has touched her life too. Why are they so inexplicably drawn to one another? And why are they both keeping secrets about their pasts? 

As Kate and Martha are forced to face the painful memories they’d each locked away, can they save each other and learn to live again? 

A beautifully written story full of emotion, hope and the redeeming power of love and friendship. Perfect for fans of Diane Chamberlain, Amanda Prowse and Rowan Coleman. 

 WOW! This sounds like an amazing read. Definitely on my TBR pile! Thanks Teresa!