Women's Fiction
Date Published: 09-10-2024
Publisher: Aria Fiction
Bestselling Irish writer, Faith Hogan, has created another gripping saga of friendship, betrayal and secrets in this story of a widow in search of answers to a shocking confession by her dying husband.
Joy Blackwood has no idea why her French art dealer husband has left a valuable painting to a woman called Robyn Tessier in Ballycove, a small town on the west coast of Ireland, but she is determined to find out.
She arrives in Ballycove to find that Robyn runs a rather chaotic and unprofitable bookshop. She is shy, suffering from unrequited love for dashing Kian, and badly in need of advice on how to make the bookshop successful.
As Joy becomes entangled in the daily dramas of Ballycove, uncovering the secrets behind her husband's painting grows increasingly challenging. When she finally musters the courage to confront the truth, her revelation sends shockwaves through the tight-knit community she's grown to love.
Interview with Faith Hogan
Have you read anything that made you think differently about fiction?
I think the best books make you stop and think differently, it’s why, perhaps not all books are created equally! Those books that truly affect us stay with us long after we’ve closed the cover at the end.
How do you select the names of your characters?
On a good day characters arrive with a voice and a name, unfortunately not every day works like that! Very often, even up until the final round of edits, I will still be seeking that elusive right name for a character, something that works for them and for me. In The Bookshop Ladies – Joy or Joie, was always a joy – she is one of those who just arrived on the page, Albie too – there was no doubt, he belonged in the book, his name, his presence were waiting in the wings to walk into this story.
Do you hide any secrets in your books that only a few people will find?
No. I try to make my books a story that will envelope and uplift the reader and yes, occasionally, I might make you cry, but ultimately, these are feel good reads. In another incarnation I write crime books and there are plenty of hidden clues and secrets in those!
What was your hardest scene to write?
I think it was probably the scene where Yves dies. It’s at the very start of the book and you may or may not like him particularly, but Joy loved him (and we love Joy!) I knew writing it that she would feel his loss enormously, they had a life planned out, she’d placed hers on hold and suddenly, everything she was looking forward to and the man she’d loved for many years slipped away from her.
Do you want each book to stand on its own, or are you trying to build a body of work with connections between each book?
Each of my books is standalone. A number of them have in common the setting of Ballycove, a tiny picturesque village in the west of Ireland. Occasionally, a reader will come across a character from a previous book and may learn second hand how things have worked out for them. I’m often asked to write sequels, but I feel mostly, that by the end of each story people’s lives are wrapped up as much as they can be, in that the present crises they face is resolved and hopefully, things have worked out, if not as planned then as well as they are meant to.
What were your goals and intentions in this book, and how well do you feel you achieved them?
Each time I start a book I want it to be the very best it can be (honestly, I want it to be better than any other book!) with this book, I wanted to include a little mystery and from the moment I sat down to write, I knew that Albie would be part of that, I also knew that this story would take place in a bookshop – because every little village needs a bookshop – don’t they?
What inspired you to write The Bookshop Ladies?
All of my books are hugely inspired by where I live – here in the west of Ireland, inspiration is all around me. I also wanted to write about themes like love and honesty and friendship, both the finding and the loss of it and what that means to us.
Can you tell us a little bit about the next books in Ballycove or what you have planned for the future?
We are taking a little break from Ballycove next time round, but like the characters in the books, it will make an appearance in the distance. I’ve written seven books now based in Ballycove, there’s lots there for the readers to enjoy, but I think as my readership grows it’s important for the books to expand also and so, in 2025 we will be moving off shore, but more of that very soon…
Can you tell us a little bit about the characters in The Bookshop Ladies?
This book is the story of what happens when a wife, a mistress and a secret daughter are brought together by the dying words of an art dealer and a valuable painting that has more to it than meets the eye.
The three main characters in the Bookshop Ladies are Joy, Fern and Robyn. They have in common a love of books and it turns out also a connection to a little struggling bookshop in the west of Ireland which manages to help them change their lives for the better, when they least expect it.
What did you enjoy most about writing this book?
I adored writing Albie. His voice very much came from somewhere beyond my own experience. He is very wise, but also kind and strong. He has known heartache and he’s the rock that keeps his whole family together. I love his wit, his turn of phrase and his appetite for life. I hope readers will love him as much as I do!
About the Author
Faith Hogan is an award-winning, million copy best selling author. She is a USA Today Bestseller, Irish Times Top Ten and an Amazon UK Number 1 Best Selling writer of ten contemporary fiction novels. Her books have featured as Book Club Favorites, Net Galley Hot Reads and Summer Must Reads. She writes grown up women's fiction which is unashamedly uplifting, feel-good and inspiring.
Her new summer read The Bookshop Ladies is out in June 2024 and it's a great big welcome back to Ballycove for her readers.
She writes twisty contemporary crime fiction as Geraldine Hogan.
She lives in the west of Ireland with her family and their Labrador named Penny.
Contact Links
Purchase Links
https://mybook.to/TheBookshopLadies
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