Coffee Break with Hannah Emery

It is so exciting to have Hannah with us today ahead of publication day for her new story The Start of Us - which is tomorrow 31st July!!

Congratulations Hannah on publication of The Start of Us! Thank you for your time, how are you feeling?

Thank you so much for having me for a coffee break! I’m feeling so excited! I love being part of One More Chapter. They are the nicest people to work with.

So Can you tell us more about The Start of Us?

The book is about how small moments can shape your life in a way that you might never imagine. I wanted to write a book where the character sees the alternative life she could have had, and has to choose which one she wants to live.

How did you develop your main characters Erica and Daniel?  I can’t wait to meet them!

I thought a lot about what Erica and Daniel both want, and why. At the start of the book, Erica struggles to commit because she is afraid of what might go wrong. But I like to think that working out what she really wants and going for it even though she’s apprehensive does pay off for her, because even though she encounters tragedy, she experiences real happiness along the way too. I wanted Daniel to be someone who really understands Erica and helps her to challenge herself, even in the most difficult circumstances.

What was the inspiration behind The Start of Us?

I am always a huge fan of stories, real and imagined, that show the consequences of fleeting moments, especially for families and how they are shaped. I enjoyed allowing Erica to see for herself the huge importance of seemingly insignificant moments. I’d love to see moments like that!

What do you hope the readers will take away from this book?

I hope that they take away something personal to them, because that’s what I love so much about books: they can mean different things to different people. A message that I take myself from writing the book is that loss means you had something special to begin with, which although incredibly painful, shows fortune too.  Another message is simply about how precious every moment can be, even if it doesn’t seem particularly important at the time. The little things in life sometimes turn out to be bigger than you think.

Do you write listening to music? If so, did any music inspire/accompany this story?

I do like listening to music, but I don’t have a particular writing soundtrack. For me, music is more for singing along (badly) to after cocktails!

Haha! I love that! How would you describe your writing space?

I think varied is probably the best description! I have to be as creative as possible when it comes to finding time and space to write as I have a busy day job and a busy house. When I’m writing in the evenings, it’s important that I’m cosy: I find candles and nice glasses of wine help with this! I write in the car quite a bit too – if I’m a passenger on an hour’s journey it’s too good a chunk of time to waste!

What inspired you to become a writer and can you tell us more about your publishing journey?

I was inspired to be a writer by my favourite children’s books: I’ve always absolutely loved reading and spent a lot of my time when I was young attempting to recreate Sweet Valley High books. I have always written and I always will no matter what, I just can’t help it! I was so lucky to meet Charlotte Ledger from One More Chapter in 2013. One of my favourite things to tell people is that I had a slot booked with Charlotte at a Romantic Novelists’ Association conference to chat about a submission, but my train broke down on the way meaning that I was going to miss my connection and my slot with Charlotte. There was a moment where I needed to choose whether to give up and go home, or pay for a taxi to get me from Manchester to Sheffield on time. I decided the taxi fare might be worth it – it definitely was!

I love that!! Share a photo of one of your favourite things!

This is kind of cheating because the photo has more than one of my favourite things in it: a book, the 1920s, sparkle and pink fizz. I have thousands of other favourite things too so choosing one was impossible!

From the moment they meet their worlds are changed forever.  They know that fate has led them to each other.

Daniel knows Erica is special, but he doesn’t quite understand how special she is.  Because Erica has a unique gift: an ability to slip between worlds and observe a life she’s never lived, made up of all the paths she didn’t take. 

But just as their lives seem perfect, tragedy strikes.

  

Erica’s gift offers them hope – a chance to re-do their lives.  But going back comes with risks.

What if Erica can’t find Daniel again?  What if their paths were never meant to cross?

 

What if going back means Erica has to give up all the happiness – and pain – of today?

What if you got the chance to live another life…would you take it?

you can pre order The Start of Us  - here 

Hannah Emery writes women's fiction for One More Chapter. When she's not doing that, she's usually helping students write essays, spending time with her family or drinking French martinis.

Hannah lives in Blackpool with her husband and two daughters. She's currently working on her fourth novel