I can't begin to tell you how excited I am that the awesome Alex Stone has agreed to feature on my blog.
The author of psychological thrillers, Alex is such an inspiring person to spend time with and her books are amazing. She has had an incredible writing journey. One that I think will encourage other writers who are out there trying to find their way.
So, let's check out her latest book and then dive into a few questions about how she came to be a writer.
The Good Patient.
Appearances can be deceptive...
I was taught that life is pain. That love is pain. It was unavoidable. Acceptable. I never had anything, or anyone I could count on. Not really. Not even myself.
Until I met Dr Menon...
To the outside world Lauren Taylor’s relationship with her boyfriend Josh is perfect. He is supportive and loving and has been there for Lauren during her darkest moments. But behind closed doors, secrets and lies can be hidden…
And when Lauren wakes up in a hospital bed and is told Josh is missing, those secrets come bubbling up to the surface.
Because the police think Lauren knows exactly what’s happened to Josh; that she could even be capable of his murder…
The only person who believes in Lauren's innocence is Dr Menon, who has cared for Lauren as his patient for the last few weeks. He can't believe she's capable of murder. He knows just how good she really is.
Isn’t she?
Now let's dive into some questions...
Tell me about your writing journey.
I was originally an accountant in the West Midlands. I took a career break in 2018 after getting burnt out with the crazy hours and intense deadlines. My plan was to spend 6 months living by the coast in Bournemouth, editing my novel, and then go back to my life as an accountant. Instead, I stayed in Bournemouth and now I’m a best-selling author, writing novels set in Dorset.
I’m literally living my dream!
What inspired you to write this book?
The Good Patient has a very special place in my heart because one of the characters, Dr Abhilash Menon, and indeed his storyline, was inspired by a real person and real events that happened in my life a few years ago. Though thankfully not the psychological thriller parts of the novel!
He has always been a huge supporter of my writing and always said ours was a story I should write one day. So I finally did.
He hasn’t read it yet. I did give him the chance to read an early draft but he said no, ‘I want to read the published paperback’. After 6 years apart, we finally met again recently and I gave him signed copies of all my books. So now I’m waiting to hear what he thinks…
Our relationship however taught me many things, not just about myself, by about life and how to focus on making the most of it. And whilst I’ve taken a bit of artistic licence with the exact wording, the sentiment of his words of wisdom remain a part of Lauren and Dr Abhilash’s story, which is:
‘If you dwell on regrets about the past and worry about the future, you’re missing out on the present, the now. And that’s the only thing we really have any control over. So live in the present.
I wanted to share some of our experiences and the lessons I learned from them and so these are the lessons that Lauren gets to learn in the novel too. Though admittedly she learns them faster than I did.
The Good Patient is very much a story of inner growth, which was the same for my own experience. Because without that relationship, I might not have had the courage to completely uproot my life, take a career break, move to Bournemouth where I didn’t know a soul, and chase this seemingly impossible dream of becoming a published author.
So, I might still have been an accountant in the West Midlands. You just never know what can happen.
What is your writing process?
I’m definitely a morning writer. I love starting the day with my notebook in front of me and my favourite fountain pen in my hand, as I drink that first cup of tea of the day.
I prefer writing by hand than at my laptop. I find there is something creatively freeing about holding a pen and letting my thoughts pour out on to the page. When I sit at my laptop it makes the process feel more formal. Perhaps because sitting at a computer is what I did as an accountant for years, analysing spreadsheets and writing reports. Whereas my stories were scribbled on scraps of paper between meetings, and over lunch.
When I write I like to have a general outline worked out. Very often I will know who my characters are, the beginning of the story, and the end, but I don’t always know how they are going to get there. Chapters will very often be moved around. And sometimes the characters will take the story in an unexpected direction.
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What is the one piece of writing advice you would share with other writers?
Networking is hugely beneficial and a lot more fun than I’d ever imagined. As an accountant, I’d found networking at conferences and training courses to be quite difficult. I always felt awkward and out of place, and rarely spoke. But joining the Romantic Novelists’ Association and attending my first conference was like finding my tribe and (much to the surprise of everyone who knows me) I’ve become rather chatty at events!
There is so much you can learn from other authors, who’ve either been through or are going through the same/similar writing experiences. Writers in general are the most supportive people I know. They are usually eager to share advice, experience, and champion your books.
It’s worth looking for writing associations and festivals in your genre, but also get involved with more general writing festivals too. I’ve attended several crime writing festivals over the years, including; Capital Crime, CrimeFest Bristol and The Theakston Old Peculiar Crime Writing Festival in Harrogate. We also have the fantastic Bournemouth Writing Festival in April each year.
I’m such an advocate of networking that I’ve now set up a new venture called Author Events to support authors. I host free networking events and encourage writers to connect and share their own book launches and events with our rapidly growing community on Facebook.
Wow!!! All I can say is a huge thank you to Alex for taking the time to share her work and her advice with us. I do hope you enjoyed reading this and found it useful. All that remains for me to do is drop buying links and social medial links for Alex and her books below in case you want to check them out.
Until the next time, I wish you happy writing
Love
Alice
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Buying links
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Website/Social media contacts
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