Ylva author Wendy Hudson is here! When I reached out to Wendy to ask her for an interview, I learned two things. She’s a sweetheart. And, she’s extremely funny.
Wendy is giving away an e-book copy of her latest Mine to Keep to one lucky winner.
Please welcome Wendy Hudson.
Before we begin, thanks so much for stopping by today for a chat.
You’re very welcome. Thanks so much for having me and for sharing this great space you have!
What was it like growing up in Northern Ireland?
To be honest I don’t remember much! I left when I was 8 to move to Germany, so my memories are few and far between. My mum had me very young and I remember lots of laughing and singing with her! Also spending a lot of time with my Nan in the garden or baking, plus fishing, watching the football and old westerns, and caddying for my Grandad! I also have 2 Aunts and an Uncle who are quite close in age to me and so used to take me out a lot. Swimming, ice-skating and whizzing about in my Aunt’s mini cooper!
You now reside in Scotland. Do you like it and how is it different from Northern Ireland? How is it the same?
I’ve been in Scotland 8 years now and I love it! There’s so much to explore and it has something for everyone. Whether it’s the outdoors, music, literature, art, food, drink, history…I could go on. You’re never bored here. In many ways it’s the same in Northern Ireland, with beautiful countryside and friendly people who are always welcoming. And each have their own unique culture, accents, and traditions that differ from the British way overall. I think Scotland is much more progressive though, particularly when it comes to LGBT rights and equalities. There’s a whole host of historical, political, social and religious reasons for that which this probably isn’t the place for!
I’m asking for a friend, where are the best pubs in Scotland? Do you have a favorite beer?
Ha! For a friend…sure…well I’m pretty familiar with all of Scotland’s big cities (we only have 6!) and you won’t struggle to find an awesome pub to suit you in any of them. We definitely know how to do pubs. I’m a huge craft beer fan, so for me, I love Brewdog. They have grown from 1 bar in Aberdeen which opened when I lived up there a few years ago, to now being worldwide. You can’t go wrong with their beer either. My favourite at the moment is called Hazy Jane. I also love a bar called Inn Deep in Glasgow, which serves Williams Bros. beer which is also fantastic. Then there’s Bar 99 in Aberdeen, The Castle Tavern in Inverness, Duke’s Corner in Dundee, Allanwater Brewhouse in Stirling…I’ll stop now…but we could have made this whole interview about beer!
You were an army kid. How many places have you lived?
I’m going to need to get my toes out to count this one…I’ve actually only lived in 4 different countries, but I think at last count I’d had 28 different addresses across 10 different towns, cities and villages. I’ve been in my current flat for around 4 years now which I’m pretty sure is a record. So Glasgow must be treating me right. I’m only 35 by the way!
Has living in so many areas affected your accent?
Definitely! It’s so messed up! Fellow brits normally notice it most. After 30 seconds of meeting someone new, you can guarantee they’ll ask me where I’m from with this odd squinty look like it’s hurting their brain trying to figure it out. I’ve been mistaken for Australian a number of times, as well as South African and Canadian. Clare Ashton once said I have a nice voice though, so I’m holding on to that!
How many books have you published and when did you decide you wanted to be a writer?
I just recently published my second so I’m still very new to it all. I decided when I turned 30, had a small panic about my age, and drunkenly drew up a list of 5 things I wanted to do with my life. They were learn to ski, finally learn to drive, learn to sail, and write a book. I’m not telling you the 5th! I now like to think I’m semi-proficient in all of those things! There’s so much to learn still with the writing, so folks, please be patient with me.
Tell us about your latest release Mine to Keep.
It’s a romantic suspense novel set in a Castle turned Hotel in rural Scotland. The main theme is the love story between Erin and Abigail, but running beneath that is the story of a very bad man who they’ll eventually have to take on! The focus of the story for me was on Erin, on her journey to find her dad, the challenges that would bring emotionally and how she deals with her past. Also how she finds a different kind of family from what she was looking for, in Abigail and George. I really love getting stuck in to characters and dialogue is my favourite part of writing. So if you like romance, with a dose of suspense, and fancy spending some time in a castle in Scotland, it’s the book for you!
When you aren’t writing or reading, what activities do you like to do for fun?
I mostly go to the pub! Ha! No seriously I like all sorts. I’m a huge traveller, I think in this past year I’ve been to like 8 different countries. I always have a future trip booked even before I’m back from the last one. My next trip I’m off to an arctic basecamp in the north of Finland for some snowy adventures. I like music festivals, the opera, the ballet, football (I’m a big Liverpool FC fan), hiking, camping, skiing…and then I wonder why I have no storage space left. Or money.
MINE TO KEEP
E-book $9.99
Release date: November 1, 2017
Romantic Suspense
Erin Carter is alone. Plagued by childhood nightmares since the loss of her mother, she embarks on a journey to trace her father, hoping to find some semblance of family and put the darkness to rest. A tentative thread leads her to Hopetoun, in rural Scotland, and the welcoming Cornfield Castle.
There she meets Abigail Miller, the castle chef, who quickly becomes her tour guide and search partner. Along with Abigail’s brother, George, they decipher village gossip from truth, fact from folklore, and offer Erin sanctuary within the castle walls.
But when Erin’s nightmares start to close in, can she defeat them and learn to live again?
Ylva / Amazon US / Amazon UK / Amazon CA / Amazon AUS
MEET THE AUTHOR
Wendy Hudson is a Scotland based writer of Romantic Suspense. Her debut novel “Four Steps” won a GCLS Best Debut Author Award 2017, is shortlisted for the Diva Literary Best Crime Award 2017, and won Ylva’s Readers Book of the Year 2016. Her second novel, “Mine to Keep” has just been released.
CONNECT WITH WENDY HUDSON
GIVEAWAY
Enter here for a chance to win a copy of
MINE TO KEEP
All you need to do is fill in your email, check the box confirming you aren’t a robot, and hit enter. In addition to tossing your name in the giveaway hat, you’ll be added to the I Heart Lesfic newsletter.
Thanks so much Wendy for stopping by today.
Best of luck to everyone who enters the giveaway.
