Guest Post: I am what I am by Charlie Conwell and giveaway |

Happy Wednesday!

Charlie Conwell, author of A Chance Encounter is here.

She’s giving away two e-copies of A Chance Encounter to two lucky winners.

Please welcome Charlie Conwell.

Inspiration: I am what I am

Inspiration comes in so many forms and we all aspire to follow in the footsteps of our favourite authors experiencing different genres as we learn and grow. Growing up I was always interested in reading and letting my imagination run wild. My grandmother loved to spin a yarn to make you laugh on a bad day or tell a ghost story that would scare the bejesus out of you. Half the time I was always left wondering if it was made up or real. Witnessing the love between my grandparents even after sixty years was the most romantic view I had ever experienced. My grandmother, even in her ripe old age of one hundred was as frisky as a teenager and didn’t care who observed her want of ‘claiming’ her man, making my grandfather blush so hard. I love the thought of love at first sight, a love so strong that it can overcome any obstacle. Two people that are complete individuals but become better as one.

As a child, I would curl up reading Ronald Dahl and experience every moment seeing it play out in my mind, getting absorbed in the books and lost in the magic of the words. It was during my English class in secondary school when I realised the extent of the true power of the written word. The war poet, Wilfred Owen, showed me what it was to feel and see what I read. The vivid details and descriptive prowess left me feeling as if I were on the front line. Visualising the gruesomeness and even getting a sense of the smells left me in awe. I wanted to create and impart those feelings in my own writing, subjecting the reader to a rollercoaster of emotions, allowing them to see the movie play out in their heads and feel what the characters are experiencing.

Growing up in Northern Ireland there were no mainstream book stores that sold romance books with LGBTQ+ lead characters. It was a taboo subject, one that went against the grain of the “norm.” I wanted to write my books with strong female lead characters that just happen to fall for another woman. It’s not something to shy away from it’s something to embrace. You are who you are no matter who you fall in love with.

When ‘When Love and Fate Collides’ was first published, I had readers tell me that they really rooted for Riley and Taylor’s relationship. I wanted characters that the reader would relate to and that they love or hate. I left the ending open knowing that I was going to write a sequel.

‘I Love Who’ is the sequel where I delved a little deeper into the characters and the friendships between the women in the book. Rachel was a character from the first book that had many readers extremely upset but also feeling sorry for her and the situation she was thrust into. She found love when she wasn’t looking for it with a person she never even considered before.

‘3:33’ was the first book where I delved more into the darker side of love and obsessive behaviour. It was a challenge to write but is a book I am immensely proud of. Again, the characters are put through the ringer while fighting their own emotions and avoidance of feelings. This book has the message that no matter what has happened in the past, there is always light and love that will overcome in the end. Rachel and Layla made a guest appearance in this book which had some readers wanting another encounter with Riley and Taylor. To let you in on a little secret, they will be coming back in another adventure in the near future.

When writing ‘A Chance Encounter’ I wrote it with my heart, living the characters and putting myself in their place. This allowed the characters to flow and develop during the process.

It was inspired by the woman I adore, so the emotions that come through are very much real and reflect my romantic vision. We met in a chance encounter and love can conquer all when you face obstacles together no matter how tough they are.

A Chance Encounter

A Chance Encounter brings you on a romantic adventure to find everlasting love. Charlie has a focus on enlisting to follow her father’s footsteps into the military. She believes that in doing so her love life has to take a back seat because it wouldn’t survive her being away for long stretches at a time. That view gets thrown out of the window when she spots Emily in the crowd. A chance encounter that had her needing to get to know and spend time with her. That first instinct to stay on her own and live a soldier’s life takes a new turn when she finds out she doesn’t have to do it alone.

Emily sees Charlie and the sparks fly and even though it’s her first love, it’s one that she intends to keep. She shows Charlie that love can span distance and time while still being as strong whether they are together or apart. A connection burned so deep in their hearts that even though away from each other they are still connected.

So sit back, a cup of hot cocoa in hand and let me bring you on a journey of love, hopes and dreams.

MEET THE AUTHOR

Charlie is a romance author who loves to intertwine romance with crime, drama and explosive eroticism. Her first novel When Love and Fate Collides was published in 2017. She loves to write about strong female protagonists and throwing them through every challenge imaginable and having them test the bounds of love. Charlie has always been an avid reader and when growing up and coming out she found it difficult to find books with LGBTQ characters as the main protagonists. This is something that she didn’t like and wanted to make her mark. She has a very romantic soul and loves a happy ending but doesn’t make anything easy for her characters. When she isn’t reading or writing her amorous adventures she is chilling out with friends, cheering on her beloved Manchester United or hitting the fairways. With Charlie’s partner she has found a new love of American football – Go Panthers!