The Very Pink Notebook: Justine John

Sunday, 15 January 2017

Guest Post by Justine John - Author of Gilding The Lily

Yesterday The Very Pink Notebook hosted the Gilding The Lily blog tour by author Justine John. Today I am very excited to share a guest post from the author about her inspiration behind the book.

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My Inspiration Behind The Book

By Justine John

Much of the story is based on some things that happened to me during my father’s death which was very sudden. That process of his illness and death, seemed to put me in a set of circumstances that challenged me greatly. Organising a funeral in a foreign country is challenging, but because I wasn’t expecting it, I felt as though I was in a dream and the things that happened around me were almost fictional. It was a coping mechanism I suppose. I came out of that process with a story.

I tried to begin the book too soon – I knew I had to get something out, and I wrote Chapter 1, but couldn’t go any further. I just didn’t know what to put next.

It wasn’t until I came through the grieving completely, about three years later, that I began to write again. In 2013, a health issue took over, and a major operation loomed. I was advised that I would not be able to work for a minimum of eight weeks – probably more like sixteen. I had begun to resent some of my work projects (life was too short), and I was feeling almost shackled; only a sense of duty, not ‘earning’ a living stopped me from giving up. But now I was being forced to stop for a while – so stop I did. In my tracks. Here it was – my chance to get that story in my head on paper. So the day I was home from hospital, I began Chapter 2. And I never looked back.

Amelia, the main character, and I have much in common. We both come from a divorced parentage, and experienced difficulty and abnormality in our upbringing. And we both have a massive internal need to please our fathers. As all good writers do, I took some personal experience and whipped it up with a lot of fiction and made it into what is hopefully a good story.

Now I’ve started I very much want to continue. I will begin my second Novel in early 2017 and hopefully continue with the same characters but in a different way, using a similar formula. Hopefully this time it won’t take me so long!

Saturday, 14 January 2017

Blog Tour and Review : Gilding the Lily by Justine John

The Very Pink Notebook is thrilled to be part of Justine John's, Gilding The Lily, blog tour this week. With much thanks to Justine John and Authoright for involving me in the tour and for a copy of the book.

cover-mock-up-justine

Image : www.justinejohn.co.uk

Published by : I_AM Self-Publishing

25 November 2016

Copy : Paperback received from author

The Blurb

An invitation to her estranged, wealthy father’s surprise 75th birthday party in New York, sees London-based Amelia and her husband, Jack, set off across the pond to meet a whole new world of family politics.

Amelia, now a successful businesswoman, feels guilty about never liking her father’s women, so does her utmost to give his new socialite partner, Evelyn, the benefit of the doubt. Wouldn’t it be nice if they could just all get along? But there’s something very dark, determined and dangerous about her…

When Amelia’s father, Roger, becomes ill, Jack grows suspicious that there is more to it. Amelia understands why, but no one else will believe them. They travel back to America to piece together the puzzle, but when Roger goes missing, the couple are driven to their wits’ end. It takes a DEA officer and a secret assassin to bring them answers, but the ruthless truth is something no one expected…

The Very Pink Notebook Review

I loved the synopsis for this book and thought it sounded full of promising twists and turns. I wasn't to be disappointed. Although in a way the plot is a slow burn, it is still written with a pacey and intriguing edge. Justine John has written a high society, suspense novel with characters who are well placed. Set in both England and New York I enjoyed racing between the two with protagonist Amelia and husband Jack. A couple, who are content and happy with their lot in life they also love Amelia's father who resides in New York, despite his taste in women being somewhat questionable.

After making a surprise visit for her fathers 75th birthday, events start to leave a sour taste in the mouth of Amelia and Jack and we are taken on a journey of discovery, for all the characters, as a race against time to discover the truth about his father's partner begins. Written in both first person (for Amelia) and third for others we are kept in both current and past times, which weaves a tangled web.

John has developed a good set of characters, none are all good or bad, there is a perfect balance of personality traits to make you like them and then be left wondering if perhaps that 'comment' or 'thought' was maybe a little sinister?

For me, the star of the show is the ending however, and it is quite rare that I find that. I thought I had it worked out and although in part I did I just did not see the final twist coming and was left nodding my head in appreciation to the author.

Gilding the Lily receives a Very Pink Notebook :