Wednesday 30 May 2012

Something for the weekend?

Hi!

Fancy a little light reading for the bank holiday weekend?  I'm offering a free copy of Heaven Knows This Time to the first 5 people to correctly answer the following question:

What is Simon's surname?

(Hint: read Chapter 1 to find out!)


Email your answer to clair@clairlouisecoult.com with the subject "Weekend Competition".

Winners will receive a eBook copy of Heaven Knows This Time in Kindle format (.mobi file) via email.  You don't need a Kindle to read it, you can download a free Kindle reader for your PC, tablet or android phone.

Competition closes  Friday 1st June 12 noon GMT.

Good luck!

Clair

Monday 14 May 2012

The Story Behind The Story

Sometimes when you get hit by inspiration, you just have to run with it.

I've been a fan of the band Joy Division for more years than I care to mention.  I was too young to be into them at the time, but when I was about 15 years old I was introduced to their records and I fell in love.  There was something so unique about the music, it was so different, so deep, so edgy.  I loved the way it fitted together and the way it made me feel.  Over 20 years later it still has that same magic, but there was more to Joy Division than just the music, there was also the tragic story of Ian Curtis.

SPOILER ALERT!   SPOILER ALERT!  SPOILER ALERT! 

If you haven't read the book look away now!  Or better still go buy it ;)


I wanted to write a story about a creative and passionate young man who was driven to suicide.  I didn't want it to be a depressing story and I didn't want him to be a copy cat of Ian, but I did want to draw some paralells, and luckily coincidence gave me more than I bargained for!

It was a very difficult subject to approach.  I wanted to make his life as worthwhile and fulfilling as possible but I had to give him a pretty big reason to end his life.  I didn't want to glamourise suicide so I made him suffer from a genetic and ultimately terminal health condition, Huntington's disease.  It wasn't until I started researching the Huntington's that I discovered it could cause seizures, similar to Ian Curtis's eplilepsy.  That was just another fluke but it fitted well with the story.

I involved Joy Division's music in the story by making the main characters Angela and Simon fans of the band, it's what brings them together in the first place and they find new friends following Unknown Pleasures, a Joy Division tribute band.

As I wrote the story I drew what I knew about Joy Division, adding little jokes about signing the contracts in blood and I also used a Joy Division song in the last chapter, when Miles sings 'Ceremony' for Angel.  The fact that the song 'Ceremony' was recorded and released by New Order and that the song in the book signified the characters moving on from the past just seemed to work so well.  I took the book title from the lyric 'Heaven knows it's got to be this time' because it just seemed to fit so perfectly.

You don't have to be a fan of Joy Division to enjoy the book, but I hope that knowing the songs and a little about the history of the band will help to enrich the story.  If you're not familiar with their music take a listen to the soundtrack.

Clair

Friday 4 May 2012

The Reviews

Here's what people have to say about Heaven Knows This Time:

"Heaven Knows This Time is a fantastic book I couldn’t stop reading it, it took me a full day but was well worth not getting anything done. You get absorbed in the characters and feel all their emotions you laugh and you cry. I would highly recommend it. FANTASTIC book Clair"  Lisa

"I LOVED it. I really really enjoyed it. I fell in love with the characters completely.  Brilliant, brilliant brilliant. I cant wait for you to do the sequel!"  Victoria

 "Wow! It was really good. I thought the characters were great and their actions made sense.  You've got a real talent for writing :-)"  Evelyn

Check out the reviews on Amazon.co.uk too!

 I'd love to hear what you think.  Please feel free to leave a comment.  Thanks!

The Cast

Want to meet the virtual cast of Heaven Knows This Time?

When I was writing  the story I had a pretty good idea of what everyone looked like in my head but I also found it  useful to cast the parts of the characters for visual reference.  I've already blogged about  the character Miles (Caleb Lane) but I thought I'd share the images of the other characters too.  I set up a Pinterest board with their pictures.

The only main character that's missing is Spyder.  I know exactly what he looks like but I couldn't find a picture that was quite right, so if you know anyone that looks like Spyder or happen to find a picture please let me know :)  Cheers!

Clair



Wednesday 2 May 2012

Now Available To Purchase from Amazon

I'm very pleased to announce that Heaven Knows This Time has now been published and is available to buy from Amazon's Kindle store:

Heaven Knows This Time by Clair Louise Coult


When the shy and quiet, 15 year old Angela Blackman is sent to the head teacher's office she doesn't expect to find love in the form of the 17 year old eccentric millionaire, Simon Wetherall. Upon discovering a shared love for the post punk band Joy Division, Simon sweeps Angela off her feet and they embark on a rather unusual affair, but the course of true love runs anything but smoothly. Angela discovers a whole new circle of friends within the alternative music scene but she finds herself having to grow up fast to deal with trials and tragedies that fate brings her.

Contains adult themes, strong language and scenes of a sexual nature.



It's been an exciting and nerve wracking journey to get this far and I'm very grateful for the help and support of my friends and family for encouraging me to persue my dream of publishing my own book. Special thanks to my husband Trevor for taking the time to proof read the book for me.  So if you find any typos it's his fault :P


I hope you enjoy the story.  I'd love to hear your feedback, please feel free to leave your comments or email me at clair@clairlouisecoult.com

Clair