Release date - 8th June 2017 Book length - 294 pages Publisher - www.crookedcatbooks.com Amazon UK - www.amazon.co.uk Amazon US - www.amazon.com ABOUT THE BOOK “A gripping tale of secrets and lies remembered long after the last page.” – Amanda James, author of Behind the Lie. Doctor Abby Fenton has a rewarding career, a loving family, an enviable lifestyle - and a secret that could destroy everything. When human remains are discovered in the grounds of an idyllic Tuscan holiday home she is forced to confront the memories she has suppressed until now and relive the summer she spent at the villa in 1992. A summer that ended in tragedy. The nearer she gets to the truth the closer she comes to losing her sanity. In order to hold onto the people she loves most, she must make sure they never discover what she did. But the reappearance of someone else from that summer threatens to blow her secret wide open. MY REVIEW When I finished reading THE SILENCE by Katharine Johnson I had to sit for a few moments to try and gather my thoughts. For this book left me speechless. Utterly speechless. Dark, intense, and gripping beyond belief, I was swept along with this tale of lies and betrayals. Abby Fenton has a nice normal life - happily married to the perfect man, two beautiful kids, and a career where she gets to help people every day - what more could she ask for? But when she reads a newspaper article detailing the discovery of two bodies in Tuscany, Abby's life is turned upside down. Her past is hurtling towards her present and she has no idea how to stop it. For nobody knows what happened all those years ago. Abby is no longer that girl. She has made a new life for herself and carefully locked up her confusing memories deep down inside of her where she doesn't even know what was real or fantasy. But somebody else knows what happened that summer and is determined to make Abby pay. Compelling, disturbing, and horrifying in so many ways, THE SILENCE by Katharine Johnson is so clever in its narrative and it kept me guessing and on edge the entire way throughout. You know immediately that Abby has done something but I was never quite sure what, and I was definitely shocked as the story unfolded. THE SILENCE by Katharine Johnson is a story of toxic relationships and devastating secrets with desperate consequences. It is an excellently paced, disturbing novel that is perfect for suspense fans everywhere, and I highly recommend this excellent thriller. Author Bio: Katharine Johnson is a freelance writer and editor and has worked for a variety of magazines. She has a passion for crime novels, old houses and all things Italian (except tiramisu). She grew up in Bristol and has lived in Italy. She currently lives in Berkshire with her husband, three children and madcap spaniel. When not writing, she plays netball badly and is a room guide in a stately home. Her next novel The Silence, a psychological/coming of age story set in Tuscany will be published on June 8th. For Katharine's latest news, writing advice, book releases and gossip follow her on: Website - katyjohnsonblog.wordpress.com Twitter - twitter.com/kjohnsonwrites Facebook - www.facebook.com/Katharinejohnsonauthor/ I WANT TO THANK EMMA FROM emmathelittlebookworm.wordpress.com AND KATHARINE JOHNSON FOR THE OPPORTUNITY TO REVIEW THIS GRIPPING NOVEL. I AM LUCKY ENOUGH TO HAVE A FASCINATING PIECE ABOUT KATHARINE'S ROAD TO PUBLICATION FOR YOU ALL TO ENJOY. HAPPY READING! ROAD TO PUBLICATION
This piece is about Katharine's experience from her first book idea to her first publication day. When did you first decide to get your ideas out of your head and onto paper? The idea for this book started rolling around my head soon after we bought our house in Italy fifteen years ago. I found people’s reactions intriguing when asked if they knew the history of the house. This was probably because they really couldn’t remember much about it but it made me think, what if it had a history they didn’t want to talk about? How long did that first manuscript take to perfect? Ages! It’s had many lives since I started writing it probably five years ago. At one stage it was a much longer book with several storylines but it got out of hand. How did you get it in front of publishers? After accepting my first novel, my publisher asked if I was working on anything else. When it was ready I sent it in but there was no guarantee it would be accepted. I had sent the earlier, longer version to a critique service a few years ago. Hilary Johnson was very encouraging and showed it to an agent she worked with. He was very nice about it too but said that as it stood, it was too complicated and that I could make a book out of Abby’s story alone. At the time I couldn't work out how to do that and I had already moved on, mentally to plotting another book which would become Lies Mistakes and Misunderstandings so I put it to one side and there it stayed for several years. Do you have an agent? No but if anyone’s interested…! What was the first reaction of people? I procrastinated for a long time putting an earlier version of the opening onto an online critiquing group. I had some lovely comments and helpful suggestions including a couple of reviews from publishers – and of course some less positive comments! I got to the point where I was going in circles, changing the story to suit each reader and then finding the next reader suggested doing it the way I had before. It was a useful learning process and toughened me up. In the end I decided I had to stop and follow my own instincts. Did the publishers want to change a lot? By the time it reached the publisher it had been to six beta readers so there weren’t any major issues but my editor flagged up a couple of areas that needed clarification and picked up typos, mostly incorrect em and en dashes. But the main changes came from me – I can’t say too much without giving spoilers but I had second thoughts about a couple of scenes while waiting for the first edits to come back. Did you agree? Or stick to your guns? Having been a freelance writer I’ve long passed the point of being precious about my work. If someone can see ways to improve it then that’s great for me. An editor friend describes being an editor as being a midwife which I think is a great analogy. How long did it take from them to get it out to the public? It was accepted just before Christmas and it’s being published on June 8th. What input did you have on the cover? Font? Etc. … My publisher chose the picture. I had envisaged a hot summery scene but I can see that this is very visually arresting and it’s had a really good reaction. I thought the original font was too large but my publisher pointed out that it has to be clear on a thumbnail so we compromised somewhere in the middle. If you could do it all again, what would you change? I would get my social media platform up and running much earlier. Again I want to thank Katharine for taking the time to give us an insight into her publishing journey.
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WelcomeHi fellow bookworms. My name is Linda and I'm a reviewer & blogger, wife & mother who loves all things books! Currently ReadingUPCOMING BLOG TOURS
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