Thank
you so much
for hosting me on Ellesea Loves Reading. Following the recent release
of my new novel, Colouring
Outside the Lines.
I
thought I’d share
my
thoughts about the relationship between my main character, Katie, and
her mother because I think theirs is probably similar to the
relationships many of us have with our mothers – loving, yet at
times, infuriatingly frustrating.
I
actually had no idea I’d written so many mother characters in my
other books until I started working with my current editor, who told
me that I wrote mothers well.
I
don’t know if I write them well, but she’s right about their
being a lot of them. Apart from one short story, which became the
second book in the Scott Family romantic comedy series, I never
intended to write about mothers at all. Maureen Scott was a fictional
character, loosely based on my own mother, while the story itself was
actually inspired by a farcical real-life family get together.
In
general, I write about forty-something year old women who already
have more than enough challenges to cope with, without adding a
mother into the mix. Mothers just appear from nowhere, to interfere
in my stories in the way a lot of mothers do in their daughters’
lives – without being invited. Personally, I wouldn’t have it any
other way. I love my mother dearly, but, like Katie does with mother,
I sometimes have to make a concerted effort not to grit my teeth,
particularly when I start losing the will to live during a
conversation that has gone off at a ridiculous tangent.
I
might have shot myself in the foot when I asked my mother if she
wanted to be one of my beta readers. She can read a novel at the
speed of light. And, with her gimlet eye, she’s also quite good at
pointing out flaws – years of practice… 🙄
But
she does tend to assume that all the mothers are her, and she’s
forever saying things like, ‘Why did you make me say that?’
‘Because
she isn’t you, Mam,’ I say. ‘I mean, when did you ever wear
your hair in such a tight French twist updo that your eyebrows were
practically pinned into it?’ (Katie’s mother, Beverley)
‘But,
all the same, people might think –’
‘Which
people?’
‘And
those chickens.’
Slight
move of the teeth towards a grit. ‘People who do know you also know
that you didn’t drag us out to the countryside so you could raise
chickens.’
You
get the picture.
In
Colouring
Outside the Lines,
although Katie knows her mother loves her, she feels as if she fails
to live up to her expectations. What Katie can’t see, and what her
mother doesn’t communicate very well, is that she just wants her to
be all that she can be in life, so that she’ll be happy.
As a
young woman, Katie’s mother wanted to work with animals in Africa,
but her own mother wouldn’t allow her to go. So, she has spent her
adult life flitting from one fad to another, looking for fulfilment.
Unfortunately for Katie, this resulted in lots of moving around when
she was a child, and a deep desire for security, which she manifests
in the way she tries to control every aspect of her life.
Her
mother hated the way, as a child, Katie insisted on colouring inside
the lines of the pictures in her colouring books. She wanted her to
scribble over the lines, which Katie just couldn’t allow herself to
do. Even as an adult, her mother keeps urging her to spread her wings
and try new things, which only encourages Katie to become more
regimented and controlled.
Until
the rug is pulled from beneath Katie’s feet, and she starts to
unravel.
As
she falls into a tailspin, a different Katie starts to emerge,
against her own will. But in the midst of the mayhem, she might just
discover things about herself she didn’t know, which could then
lead to true happiness – if she can allow herself to follow her
mother’s advice and colour outside the lines.
Colouring
Outside the Lines in available as an e-book via Amazon from 26th
July 2021.
Colouring Outside The Lines
Meet
Katie: she’s about to marry the most wonderful man in the world.
The planning is done, the checklist is checked. The future is set.
Having
spent her twenties and thirties enjoying life with good friends, and
building a career she loves, it’s taken Katie until her forties to
contemplate settling down. And she couldn’t be more delighted she
waited.
So,
why is her perfect groom standing gawping at her, wearing mismatched
socks and sweating buckets? This can’t bode well.
With
her special day in tatters, Katie has a decision to make. Does she
snatch back the reigns of her old life, and tighten her grip even
more? Or should she take a chance on change? Will she find the key to
happiness at a Pilates class in a smelly old hall? Or is the curve
ball heading her way too huge to handle?
If
you like British humour and a flawed protagonist on an emotional
journey, you’ll enjoy reading Amanda Paull’s latest
novel, Colouring
Outside the Lines –
a heart-warming tale of shattered dreams, self-discovery and finding
true love where you least expect it.
Amazon: https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B0988WTQJ4
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/58560469-colouring-outside-the-lines
Amanda
Paull grew up in the North East of England and couldn't wait to
move away. However, after studying and then living both in England
and abroad, she returned to the North East and wouldn't dream of
living anywhere else now.
After
a short career in teaching, she retrained as a nurse. She recently
retired from her post as a Sleep Nurse Specialist and now spends her
time writing Women’s Fiction novels and Romantic Comedy short
stories.
https://www.amandapaull.co.uk
https://twitter.com/Apaullfiction
https://www.facebook.com/Apaullfiction/
Dangerous Ground by Rachel Grant
