Thank you so much Hachette Australia for including me in on this blog tour.
Thank you Esther Campion for taking the time to answer my questions!
Synopsis:
Their grandmother’s stone cottage was always a welcome retreat in the childhood summers of Ellen and Aidan O’Shea. After a trip home from Australia, Ellen is keen to bring the neglected property back to its former glory and enlists the help of her dear friend and one of Ireland’s top interior designers, Colette Barry.
Aidan is already begrudging the work on the house he has avoided for nearly twenty years. The last thing the builder needs is an interior designer who seems to do nothing but complicate his life. With their own personal heartaches to overcome, will Aidan and Colette find the courage to give the house and themselves a second chance?
Q&A
What inspired you to write The House of Second Chances?
When I finished my first novel, Leaving Ocean Road, I felt I wasn’t finished with the stories of some of the characters. I know some of my lovely readers felt the same as they told me they wanted to know what happened to Ellen and Gerry afterwards. Something I always loved about the late Maeve Binchy’s books was that you recognised characters from before. I basically decided to have a go and ended up putting two minor characters, Colette and Aidan, from Leaving Ocean Road front and centre, while keeping Ellen and Gerry a little in the background. I loved writing it and of course it had added meaning for me personally as I took inspiration from a friend whose family are living with an incurable syndrome. It is this friend to whom the book is dedicated.
Where is your favourite place to write?
My favourite place to write is in the quiet at home. I’ve always been one to study in near-silence so I am happy with the whir of the desk fan and the snoring of my faithful Labrador.
What was the one book that made you fall in love with books?
I’ve always loved books and have fond memories of my mother reading to me as a child just as I always read to my children. As an adult, The Bridges of Madison County was a book I definitely fell in love with. I can remember reading it on a cold night in Cork when my daughter was tucked up in her cot and my husband was working late. I could not leave it out of my hands and have a vivid memory of my back warm against the radiator, as I slid down to the floor, hardly able to keep reading for the tears. So many books drive me mad as you have to wade through them. As a slow plodding reader, a book really has to grab me by the throat to make me turn the pages quickly. Books like Anita Shrieve’s, The Pilot’s Wife and Lionel Shriver’s, We Need to Talk about Kevin, stick in my mind as such works. I also like books with a good dose of humour like Marian Keyes, The Break or Joanna Nell’s The Single Ladies of the Jacaranda Retirement Village.
What is your writing Kryptonite?
Writing Kryptonite? Imposter Syndrome. I know I’m not alone, but this writing life takes you from feeling like an absolute rock star one day to the depths of self-doubt the next. I just try to keep tipping away and enjoy the clear moments when I feel I’ve written something decent.
What typical items are kept on your writing area?
For Christmas, I bought myself a second-hand corner desk which I am absolutely loving. I’m trying to maintain some order, but inevitably it gets cluttered with all manner of notebooks, biros in every colour and documents relevant and completely irrelevant to my work in progress. I do however have a nice view, so I don’t really take too much notice.
If you could tell your younger self anything, what would it be?
That one about being kind, we don’t know what struggles others are going through. I think as I’ve grown older and hopefully a little wiser, I’m more aware of how we tend to compare ourselves to others. It’s a bit like Facebook showing all the good bits, like that friend who goes on all these amazing foreign holidays. Then you meet face to face and discover she’s actually been divorced for the past five years and has had to move house three times and give up her beloved dogs.
As a writer, do you believe that language has power?
Language is definitely power. The recent anniversary of Martin Luther King reminded us of that all over again. But alongside the great writers, orators and negotiators who have inspired me, I am interested in the language with which we deal with ourselves, the everyday self-talk and the way we speak and indeed text/post to those around us.
On average how long do you spend a day writing?
A good writing day starts with a bit of housework (yes, the never-ending drudge!), a nice breakfast shared with my demanding pets and then a coffee at the desk to keep me going. I like it best when I can grab a few uninterrupted hours and really get in the zone, but who lives in an ideal world? I’m not a great one for routines so I pootle away when I can. However, give me a deadline and I’ll sit here that long, I’ll give myself RSI!
How long did if take you to write The House of Second Chances?
Really can’t say how long it takes to write a book. Years definitely in my case. Would love that to be different, but what can I do?
What advise do you give to aspiring writers?
Advice to aspiring writers. I wish them all the very best and hope they can be as lucky as I was to meet a wonderful writing group like the one I joined when I lived in South Australia. I miss them every day and appreciate time spent with them when I go back for visits.
Praise for Esther Campion’s debut novel, Leaving Ocean Road:
‘Warm, wise and full of humour. Esther Campion is a wonderful new voice in Australian fiction’ CATHY KELLY
‘Join[s] the captivating Maeve Binchy in the pantheon of popular Irish novelists’ Irish Scene
‘An intelligent novel. Esther Campion has woven a poignant story about that journey everyone takes to find their own beloved place in the wide wide world’ Better Reading
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/42372751-the-house-of-second-chances?from_search=true
Hachette: https://www.hachette.com.au/esther-campion/the-house-of-second-chances
Booktopia: https://www.booktopia.com.au/the-house-of-second-chances-esther-campion/prod9780733636172.html
About the Author:
Esther Campion is from Cork, Ireland and currently lives in north-west Tasmania. She attended North Presentation Secondary School in Cork and has degrees from University College Cork and the University of Aberdeen, Scotland. Esther and her Orcadian husband have lived together in Ireland, Scotland, Norway and South Australia. They have two grown-up children in Adelaide and the youngest at home in Tassie. Esther loves sharing her life on a small property with an over-indulged chocolate Labrador, a smoochy cat and a couple of ageing mares, all of whom she firmly believes are living proof that dreams really can come true. The House of Second Chances is Esther’s second novel, following Leaving Ocean Road.
Contact the Author
Facebook: www.facebook.com/esthercampionauthor/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/TammyRobinson76
Goodreads: www.goodreads.com/author/show/16748682.Esther_Campion?from_search=true
Instagram: www.instagram.com/esther_campion_/