Today’s special guest author is Ellie Gray and we’re chatting about her new contemporary romance, Warwick’s Mermaid.
During her virtual book tour, Ellie will be awarding a $10 Amazon or Barnes and Noble (winner’s choice) gift card to a lucky randomly drawn winner. To be entered for a chance to win, use the form below. To increase your chances of winning, feel free to visit her other tour stops and enter there, too!
Bio:
I love to write heartwarming, contemporary romance, and romantic suspense novels, with characters I really want my readers to engage with. I live in the beautiful East Riding of Yorkshire in the UK and, although I work full-time in the public sector, my favourite pastime, when not writing, is wandering around old stately homes and castles, or sitting at a pavement café in the sun and watching the world go by – always on the lookout for something that might spark the idea for my next novel.
I enjoy engaging with both readers and other authors, and am a proud member of the Romantic Novelist Association. Feel free to contact me and chat about all things romance through my social media pages, which you can find at the bottom of this page.
Please tell us about your current release.
Warwick’s Mermaid is a contemporary romance set within the beautiful North Yorkshire coast. It tells the story of Chloe MacGregor who is starting a new life, having escaped an abusive relationship. She is determined to put the past behind her, and her little cottage high up on the cliffs overlooking the beautiful North Yorkshire town of Whitby is her safe haven, somewhere she is free to be herself.
When the arrival of her new neighbor and boss, Luke Warwick, threatens her peaceful, sheltered life, Chloe is forced to confront her past and to re-evaluate who she really is. Falling in love with Luke is not part of her plan but, to her surprise, Luke is falling for her too. The only thing preventing their happy ever after is Chloe herself. Will she ever truly learn to leave the past where it belongs?
What inspired you to write this book?
The character of Chloe came to me while I was writing another book. I was curious about why Chloe loved living her isolated life on the cliff tops, and why she was so mistrustful of her new neighbour. I enjoyed learning about her story, and I have to admit that I also fell a little bit in love with Luke myself. Well, who wouldn’t?
The beautifully gothic town of Whitby is a favourite place of mine, and one that brings back many happy memories of childhood trips on a Sunday afternoon.
Excerpt from Warwick’s Mermaid:
“Oh, Jasper, what was I doing? I made such a fool of myself last night.”
The German Shepherd looked up expectantly on hearing her name, thumping her tail on the carpet as Chloe sank onto the sofa and dropped her head in her hands.
“I can’t believe I kissed him. A complete stranger, and I kissed him!” She squeezed her eyes shut, her cheeks burning as she remembered vividly what it had felt like to be held in his arms, and her own completely unexpected response to his passionate kiss. She looked up when Jasper whined and pushed a wet nose against her fingers.
“Okay, you’re right; think positive.” Chloe took a deep breath, and straightened up to address her dog. “So, lessons learned from last night. Number one, Lucie is a total bitch…excuse my language.” She grimaced apologetically at Jasper. “But she is. She is definitely not a friend, and you’d better remind me of that the next time she rings or texts me.”
“Lesson number two.” She counted off on her fingers. “Chris…Chris is…” Her chin wobbled and she paused, taking a moment to bite back sudden tears. Jasper shuffled closer as if sensing her distress, resting her head on Chloe’s knees.
“Thank you, Jasper. I love you, too.” She scratched Jasper’s ears before nodding her head. “Lesson two. Chris is a complete and utter bastard, and obviously still has the power to hurt me, if I let him. But I won’t, I can’t. Otherwise, this last year has just been a complete waste.”
“Lesson number three. Not everyone is like Chris; there are still some good guys out there. Guys like Luke Warwick, for instance.” She paused, head on one side as she considered. “At least, I think he’s a good guy. Not that I’ll ever see him again, thank goodness.”
She blew out a long breath. “Ohhhh, and lesson number four. Do not go around kissing said good guys. Just because I found out that I do actually like kissing some people, it does not change the fact that I am no good at the whole kissing and sex thing.”
Chloe smiled and lifted Jasper’s furry face, looking into the dog’s beautiful, brown eyes. “And finally, lesson number five. The same lesson as every other day. I am a good person, and just because I’m rubbish in bed, it does not give someone the right to treat me like dirt.”
“There.” She let Jasper go and walked over to the window, looking out over the cliffs. “I think that’s more than enough lessons for one day, don’t you? How about going down to the beach?”
What exciting story are you working on next?
My new novel, a romantic suspense titled Winter Storm, is due to be released in November 2021. I so excited for this as it is my first romantic suspense, and is set at Christmas time. It features a lovely, spiritual heroine called Willow, and an undercover policeman hero called Ethan. They are snowed in and trapped in a remote village when a Winter Storm hits. But someone is stalking them…
I can’t wait for you to read it.
When did you first consider yourself a writer?
I’ve always ‘written’ stories in my head – always, for as long as I can remember. But I don’t think I ever really considered myself a writer until I received that first offer of a publishing contract by Tirgearr Publishing for my debut novel Beauty and the Recluse. Having said that, I still find it hard to consider myself a ‘proper writer’ – I still have the fear that people will find out that I really can’t write at all……
Do you write full-time? If so, what’s your work day like? If not, what do you do other than write and how do you find time to write?
No, I work full time in local government, and I also have a small business making handcrafted jewellery. I tend to do a lot of ‘writing’ in my head, and then spend weekends working really hard on my writing and getting it from my head and on to the page. When I have a deadline approaching, I write on an evening during the week as well.
But… I am about to take the plunge and reduce my hours at work so that I can spend more quality time on my writing. I can’t wait!
What would you say is your interesting writing quirk?
That I write my novels in my head first! The full story, all written out in full in my head before I even start to type it onto my laptop.
As a child, what did you want to be when you grew up?
An archaeologist. I still sometimes look back wistfully and wish I’d stuck to this and not considered that it was a pie in the sky idea.
Anything additional you want to share with the readers?
I always put a little bit of myself in each of my heroines – it might be my love of scented candles and Christmas movies like Willow in Winter Storm, or jewelery making, like Chloe in Warwick’s Mermaid, but there’s always something.
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Thank you so much for hosting Warwick’s Mermaid. I really enjoyed the Q&A interview. Ellie x
Thanks for hosting!
Sounds like a good book.
Thank you very much, Rita. Ellie x
Sounds like a very interesting book.