Rogue's Angels Present: Secrets of the In-Group by Carolyn Re & Loretta Re

Please welcome  Carolyn Re & Loretta Re authors of the In-Group

Carolyn Re and Loretta Re will be awarding a $10 Amazon or B/N GC to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour.

Secrets of the IN-Group

by Carolyn Re & Lorreta Re 

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GENRE: Women’s Fiction

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INTERVIEW:

1.     What or who inspired you to start writing?

Reading has been our biggest inspiration. Everyone from Louisa May Alcott to Alice Munro.  And both of us have spent years writing shorter, more technical articles in our working lives, so we wanted the challenge of a novel, of developing a strong and engaging plot, sustaining an intriguing story, and having the ‘stickability’ to write 90,000 words.

2.     How did you come up with your idea for the novel?

Carolyn meets fortnightly with a group of women friends who challenge themselves to try something new. One of the things they found daunting was understanding and mastering social media. That gave us the initial idea for a novel about older women adapting to change. Then afriend, married to a doctor, told us a interesting story about her husband’s time as a medical student, and that led to one of our big plot ideas and made us think, what if…? 

3.     If you could be one of the characters from this book, who would it be and why? 

This is problematic. With six strong female characters, we don’t want to play favourites! Loretta does envy Neelam her cooking skills, and Carolyn loves Libby’s cosmetic know-how and her style. 

4.     Can you give us a sneak peek into this book?

‘I may as well come to the point,’ Sarah said, looking directly at Rob across the restaurant table. ‘Our marriage isn’t working for me anymore.’ 

He withdrew a little, the unexpectedness of her comment seeming to unsettle him. He looked around, as if he wished the wine list were there to hide behind. His eyes then scanned the dining room, but there was no escape. Good.

‘What do you mean? You were fine when I left on Monday morning. Nothing’s changed.’ 

Maybe nothing’s changed for you.

‘I’m not happy that you’re never home. First it was a day a week in Sydney, then it slowly increased. For ages now, it’s been four—’

‘I have to earn, you know,’ he interrupted. ‘There’s more work in Sydney, a much better income.’

‘But how much money do we need? You don’t have to support the girls anymore. We’ve paid off the house. We never travel for pleasure. Why, exactly, do you need to make so much money?’

‘For you to drink expensive champagne,’ he shot back. ‘And for my retirement, of course.’ 

He didn’t say ‘our’ retirement, the louse. 

‘And when will that be? I’m marking time, waiting for a future that’s moving out of my grasp. And the present’s no fun. The girls have gone. I don’t have grandchildren, and if I did they’d be on the other side of the world. You have no interests you share with me—’

‘What about all your own interests?’

‘Such as?’

‘I don’t know. All those committees you’re on.’ He shrugged. ‘How would I know?’ 

Sarah wanted to slap his smug face. Control,she told herself.Keep control.

5.    Do you belong to a critique group? If so, how does this help or hinder your writing?

Loretta signed up for a fiction feedback course run by Nicola O’Shea, a truly marvellous editor. Under her guidance, the group gave excellent feedback and knew what questions to ask to demonstrate what was working in the novel and what wasn’t. It also showed us that the book was likely to have special appeal for older women, because it raised issues like the empty nest syndrome or changes in their relationships. 

6.    When did you first decide to submit your work? Please tell us what or who encouragedyou to take this big step?

We finished the novel in early 2018. We’d received positive feedback from a couple of publishers for the first three chapters, so we submitted the completed manuscript to appropriate publishers. But after waiting 12 months for replies, we decided that life’s too short, and took the indie pathway, publishing ourselves with the support of a professional.Loretta had experience from an earlier published book, which made finding editors and the cover designer easier. 

7.    What’s the best and worst advice you ever received regarding writing and publishing?

Best advice: Write every day and finish the session knowing where you’ll commence the next morning. 

Worst advice: Use plenty of adjectives and adverbs to give the writing colour. 

8.     How do you maintain your creativity?

Read a lot, listen a lot, always try to find new things to do (my blog will show you how at https://outsidethesquare101.com/2019/04/30/76-write-a-novel/), do something wordless and repetitive, like walking the dog, sweeping the veranda, even ironing. You’d be surprised how the ideas flow. 

9.    Who is your favourite character in the book? Can you tell us why?

Kate. While she doesn’t experience all the highs and lows and dramas of the other women, she’s always there for them, supremely positive and full of encouragement. Just the sort of friend we all need.

10.  Are your plotting bunnies angels or demons? 

We rather like our plotting bunnies. There are quite a few twists and turns in the novel which needed detailed plotting. When those unexpected plotting bunnies arrived, many of the ideas could be incorporated into the book. Rather than being a distraction they were heaven-sent. There’s no better moment when writing than to havean idea for a plot twist click into place.A bit like that troublesome piece inajigsaw puzzle.

BLURB:

A small town. A world wide web. Is the net really a friend?

What do you do when the children have flown the nest and you have time on your hands?

Six women in the Australian riverside city of Albury realise that, without social media skills, they’re staring irrelevancy in the face. Their book club won’t cut it any more. It’s time to go virtual.

But their decision to plunge into the on-line world brings shocking revelations and unexpected outcomes. Friendships, new and old, are tested and their lives teeter on the edge of collapse. They must navigate a path through the chaos. But who exactly can they trust?

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EXCERPT:

[At Martin’s technology lesson, Sarah is shocked at an image on her husband’s iPhone]

—Sarah tried to smile, but her face felt stiff, as if she’d had Botox injected. Her mind screamed: Who is this girl who looks so like Anna? Why is she on Rob’s home screen? And why is he enveloping her in some sort of … horrible hug? It wasn’t the kind of hug you’d give a girlfriend, more like a father’s proud embrace.

Andrea cleared her throat loudly in a distracting way, quite out of character.

‘Sorry, but I have to go soon,’ she said, gathering her things. She slid her iPad into its leather satchel. ‘Such a nuisance. It’s been fun tonight.’ She looked at Martin. ‘There’s only ten minutes left, would you mind if we finished early? Pick up on this again next week?’

Thank you, Andrea. The ploy had given Sarah momentary breathing space. Her internal scream quietened a little. She had to get out of here, away from the goodbye chatter and the polite offers to take a slice of cake home. She needed to digest what she’d seen and work out what it meant. She had to have time to think.

She dreaded time to think. With the flick of a switch—what a cliché, but how true in this case—her life had changed. It was all so confusing; her fragmented brain whirled with questions. But an answer, barely thought out, misshapen but insistent, was boring into her brain.

Rob has another daughter somewhere. A daughter who’s the image of ours …

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AUTHOR Bio and Links:

Carolyn Re worked for over twenty years as a general practitioner before turning to writing. No longer needing to produce serious medical and scientific articles, she's now writing contemporary fiction for older women. Carolyn lives in the regional city of Albury, New South Wales, with Ziggy the whippet and three contented chickens.

Loretta Re is a former lawyer who is now writing novels and screenplays. Her book for middle grade readers, Stand Up and Cheer, is a story inspired by the rescue of the Uiver DC2 over Albury during the 1934 Centenary Air Race. It was voted one of the best books for literacy and language development in 2015. Loretta lives in Sydney and is on the board of Writing NSW.

Carolyn Re worked for over twenty years as a general practitioner before turning to writing. No longer needing to produce serious medical and scientific articles, she's now writing contemporary fiction for older women. Carolyn lives in the regional city of Albury, New South Wales, with Ziggy the whippet and three contented chickens.

Twitter: https://twitter.com/regal525

Website: https://outsidethesquare101.com/

Loretta Re is a former lawyer who is now writing novels and screenplays. Her book for middle grade readers, Stand Up and Cheer, is a story inspired by the rescue of the Uiver DC2 over Albury during the 1934 Centenary Air Race. It was voted one of the best books for literacy and language development in 2015. Loretta lives in Sydney and is on the board of Writing NSW.

Twitter:  https://twitter.com/abridgedtoofar7

Buy Links

https://www.amazon.com/Secrets-group-Carolyn-Re-ebook/dp/B07Q8GSDBL

https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/secrets-of-the-in-group-carolyn-re/1131124322

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GIVEAWAY INFORMATION and RAFFLECOPTER CODE

Carolyn Re and Loretta Re will be awarding a $10 Amazon or B/N GC to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour.

http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/28e4345f3259