Blog Tour / Guest Post: Q&A with Stephen Lloyd Jones, author of Written in the Blood

Posted November 8, 2014 by Charlotte in Blog Tour, Guest Post / 0 Comments

author of Written in the Blood

Today I am delighted to be part of the Blog Tour for Written in the Blood by Stephen Lloyd Jones. And I am delighted to have a Q&A with Stephen Lloyd Jones on the blog.

I loved loved this book! (See my review). Below Stephen has kindly answered some of my questions. Don’t forget to pop along to other blogs for more great content!

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For those who haven’t yet read Written in the Blood, please can you explain the premise of the book. And why they should be reading it!

WRITTEN IN THE BLOOD is the story of a young woman, Leah Wilde, fighting to defend her rare lineage against the mysterious forces that threaten to destroy it. When in desperation she contacts a powerful former adversary for help, Leah unleashes an even greater menace, one that could destroy them all.

While the book is a follow-up to my debut thriller, THE STRING DIARIES, it can be read as a stand-alone story. I hope it will appeal to readers of contemporary thrillers and anyone who enjoys a dose of the supernatural, or a good fright. Readers yearning to find out what happened to the characters who survived the climax of THE STRING DIARIES will find their answers here.

I find it intriguing that this book has moved forward in time. Why did you choose to set the book fifteen years later?

THE STRING DIARIES was a story told across multiple generations of the same family, concentrating in particular on Leah Wilde’s mother, Hannah. I wanted to explore the consequences of the secrets revealed at the end of that book, but I felt Hannah’s story had reached a natural conclusion. Her daughter was nine years old during the key events of THE STRING DIARIES. By setting WRITTEN IN THE BLOOD fifteen years later, I gave myself, in Leah, a protagonist younger than her mother had been during the original tale, but facing even darker threats.

Did you have a certain writing process when it cam to researching and writing Written in the Blood?

I’d carried out a lot of historical research while writing the first book, which served me well throughout this one. The unique threat Leah faces in WRITTEN IN THE BLOOD demanded further work, including more meetings with my Hungarian language tutor to ensure that the resulting etymology felt authentic. I’ve visited all but one of the geographical locations that appear in the novel (but I’ll leave it up to readers to see if they can guess which one it is).

Name the best book you have read in the last year. Your favourite book and the book that is currently at the top of your TBR.

THE GIRL WITH ALL THE GIFTS, THE HOBBIT, S.

Have you any advice for aspiring writers?

Read widely, write obsessively, edit ruthlessly and be a perfectionist. I rewrote every page of THE STRING DIARIES twenty or thirty times before submitting the book to a literary agent.

If you could shape shift, like the hosszu let, which author would you become?

I’ll pick Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, mainly because I don’t want to creep out any contemporary favourites who are still alive and kicking!

Which character was your favourite to write (String Diaries or Written in the Blood)?

Easily my favourite character was Balázs Izsak, younger brother of Jakab from the first book. He allowed me to write some hugely enjoyable scenes across a plethora of compelling locales and periods in history.

Do you plan to write a third book in this world?

My current project is a stand-alone novel due to be published by Headline in January 2015. But I’d love to return to the world of WRITTEN IN THE BLOOD in the future, if readers are keen for more!

What do you think of my Q&A with Stephen Lloyd?

Thank you Stephen for answering my questions. Written in the Blood is out now!! If you want to know more check out the stops below:

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