Limerence. It’s a word I had never heard of. In fact, I had no idea that there was a formal definition for the obsessive love that lies at the heart of my latest book, You Are Mine. Limerence is when a person is utterly desperate to have their romantic feelings reciprocated. It’s often the irrational thinking and delusional infatuation that feeds stalkers. Having said that, You Are Mine is not about stalking.
But I don’t want to give too much away!
This was a hard book to write. The plotting took a long time to come together and whilst the writing flowed easily, oh my goodness, I came to loathe one or two of the key characters. It’s bad enough reading about unsavoury characters, but when you’re writing about them, they live inside your head day and night, and you can’t shake them off! I hope that you, my dear readers, will enjoy the rollercoaster ride and the characters – both the good and the evil!
Earlier this year, I picked up a paint brush for the first time since I was ten years old. That’s a lot of years in-between, all due to the art teacher at school telling me I was rubbish (thanks, Mrs Whittaker!!). So it made sense for my main character to be an artist. Charlotte is a portrait painter, but I had to take quite a few liberties with her, as I needed her to paint a portrait in a couple of weeks. From talking to professional artists, I understand this process can take months, particularly when painting with oils. To get over that issue, Charlotte paints with quick drying acrylics. I wish I could see the finished portrait! Alas, it will remain a figment of our collective imaginations.
This time last year it was simply a distant dream that I might one day be a full-time author. Thanks to my wonderful publishers, that dream is now my reality. I feel very blessed and deeply grateful to you, to them, and everyone who reads my books.